Listen...to Each Other: Welcome David Edwards!!!
- tapehlyn
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
David Edwards is joining Future of Faith team as our new Sacred Listening and Engagement Intern!
David Edwards is a senior at Gordon College and a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Theology for Community Transformation (MATCT) program. Originally from Minnesota, he is pursuing a dual academic path that combines undergraduate and graduate theological education. David is passionate about building bridges across culture, politics, and theology by fostering honest dialogue, deep listening, and a commitment to shared understanding.
People can find his podcast, YKDP (Young King Dave Podcast), on all podcasting platforms!
Let’s get to know him a little.
1. What’s a small but meaningful way you show others they’re truly heard? I think people best feel heard when they’re the primary voice in a conversation. I tend to notice that people who are listening just to speak use lots of backchanneling phrases. Things like “yeah”, “uh-huh”, or “right” show that you’re listening, but might throw someone off their track in conversation, thinking that you’re about to interject with something to say. I do my best to stay silent, but show that I’m listening with head nods, eye-contact, and thoughtful questions in response.
2. What advice would you give to others who want to build stronger connections within their faith communities? Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. A couple verses later in the chapter, He reminds His listeners that no good father would give his child a stone in place of bread, so of course God (who is perfect) will give excellent gifts to His children. If you want a stronger connection to your faith community, Jesus laid it out for you: Ask God for it, intentionally seek it out, and knock on doors to find it, trusting that God is a good Father who loves you, and will reward your diligence.
3. What is one book that shaped your approach to ministry? A book that has forever changed how I think about ministry is called “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. It’s a book on the importance of Sabbath rest as a biblical command and rhythm that enables you to function out of fullness rather than emptiness. Written by a pastor, the book helped me see for the first time that it was okay to take time for myself, no matter who I disappoint or what event/opportunities I miss out on. Connecting with Jesus isn’t a given all the time, but it will always be a choice.
4. What is one podcast you’d recommend? I would highly recommend How I Built This by Guy Raz! It has absolutely nothing to do with faith, Christianity, or ministry, I just enjoy it. It’s an NPR podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists and their stories about the movements they built. You’ll hear stories on how different companies got their start and found success from Doordash, to JetBlue, to Dollar Shave Club!
5. Would you rather be able to talk to your past self or your future self? This last one is hard, but I think I would talk to my past self. Not for the purpose of “fixing” things, but because it’d be good to be reminded of what I was like as a child. I think that people are the most “pure” the younger they are (I think Jesus would agree with that!). It’d be great to see who I am at my core, without the extra baggage that adulthood tends to bring with it.
