Doug Hood, the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, learned from his friend and mentor, Bryant Kirkland, that effective preaching and writing demands careful listening - listening to the conversations of ordinary people in the community where he pastors. Such conversations reveal the problems and concerns that are uppermost in the minds of the people. In these brief meditations, Dr. Hood addresses what he has heard with compassion, insight and directness. Most importantly, he refrains from offering personal opinions. Always, he invites the reader to listen to God's Word...

Doug Hood, the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, learned from his friend and mentor, Bryant Kirkland, that effective preaching and writing demands careful listening - listening to the conversations of ordinary people in the community where he pastors. Such conversations reveal the problems and concerns that are uppermost in the minds of the people. In these brief meditations, Dr. Hood addresses what he has heard with compassion, insight and directness. Most importantly, he refrains from offering personal opinions. Always, he invites the reader to listen to God's Word...