COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— As an ambassador for one of the world’s leading Christian broadcasting ministries, Becky Harling believes in boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus—but there is also a time for his followers to be quiet, she asserts.
“There is so much division in our world today,” says the wife of Reach Beyond President Steve Harling. “We’ll only be able to bridge some of those divides as we begin to really understand each other—and that begins with using our ears better. We need to listen, not lecture. Then we earn the opportunity to speak.”
In her new book, How to Listen So People Will Talk: Build Stronger Communication and Deeper Connections, Becky looks at how becoming a better listener can improve relationships at home, at work, and in the community.
Released on Aug. 1 by Bethany House Publishers, the book explains the importance of being fully present with someone else, offering understanding instead of advice, asking questions, and creating a sense of safety and trust.
The author of four previous books, a speaker and certified individual and group mentor, Becky has brought her communications skills to support Reach Beyond’s ministry since Steve became president in 2016.
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse and breast cancer, Becky draws on personal experience and biblical wisdom in her writing, teaching and mentoring. “Listening is such a lost art,” she says of her new book.
“As those who claim to love and follow Jesus, we’re the ones who should be leading the way and listening to people,” Becky says. “But we also need to be ‘global’ listeners to the needs of those who have never heard the name of Jesus.”
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Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org) is a media- and medical-based evangelical ministry with operations on five continents. It spreads the message of Jesus in places that are primarily unreached or unengaged in the gospel. Reach Beyond uses media, including radio broadcasts, webcasts, social media and the distribution of solar-powered radios. It also reaches out to the needy throughout its growing network of healthcare services.
