“So What?” – Insights from the Course This course has certainly challenged me on multiple levels. First, when reading the book Why Don’t We Listen Better, written by Dr. James Peterson (2015). I was so convicted on my arrogance of not being an intentional listener. Peterson’s book reinforces a paradigm on the importance of listening. It’s not about getting the last word in, or winning the argument that is paramount. The necessity of being a good listener will have far reaching impacts to those around us. Too many times, society is placing value and priority on the loudest voice, when influence over others can truly be achieved by just learning the skill of listening. I am now making a commitment to continue the process of becoming a better listener. As the leader of an organization, I have always felt that leadership required a voice of direction in order to be successful, but in reality, my influence and effectiveness as a husband, father, and pastor will reach incredible new heights with a commitment to actively engage in communication through listening. Like Louise Smith, the first lady of racing, I too have had a few proverbial bones broken on the journey to get where I am today. God has most certainly broken me down so that He could build me up and transform me into the man of God that I need to be for myself and others. · One area of concern that I continually have to keep submitted to God in prayer is self-esteem. . Mine would be humility. Perhaps this is the result of practicing secular counseling, but I seem to rush off to formulaic conclusions. But people aren't mathematical equations, are they? No, they are uniquely minted by God, individual in His eyes. Sometimes I have difficulty remembering this, that not all answers are found in textbooks. · According to Dr. Tim Clinton and Ron Hawkins (2009), “self-esteem refers to an inner sense of worthiness that gives a person resilience and resistance to attack or criticism” (p. 214). · Low self-esteem has attempted to manifest itself in various ways over my lifespan, usually induced by an old spirit of rejection from past hurts and heartbreaks.My “I” type personality profile asserts that I tend to think people expect me to be perfect (Carbonell, 2008, p. 40) and this could be the puzzling part of my personality that keeps me awake at night. Dr. Ken Nichols in his book Masterpiece writes, “a negative self-image produces a wide variety of problems” (2017, p. 23). Yet another topic I struggle with in conventional/secular therapy, as the subjective indicator of too much self-esteem is typically categorized as grandiosity. But what if someone is simply confident in themselves? “What’s Best Next?” Although society constantly assesses our value (Clinton & Hawkins, p. 215) that does not mean I have to allow those values to determine my worth or fight to uphold those values, especially if they do not align with what God has already said in His word about me. .