Being Teachable
Originally aired August 9, 2026
MACK WILBERG AND RYAN MURPHY
Conductors
RICHARD ELLIOTT
Organist
DERRICK PORTER
The Spoken Word
ANTIPHON
from Five Mystical Songs
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Text: George Herbert
MORNING HAS BROKEN
Music: Gaelic melody
Text: Eleanor Farjeon
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (ORGAN SOLO)
Music: English folk tune
Arrangement: Dale Wood
A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU
Music: Crawford Gates
Text: John 13:34–35
O SPLENDOR OF GOD’S GLORY BRIGHT
Music: German hymn tune
Text: St. Ambrose; trans. Louis F. Benson
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
SHENANDOAH
Music and Text: American folk song
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
THE SPOKEN WORD
“Being Teachable”
IT’S A LONG WAY
Music: Ryan Murphy
Text: William Stanley Braithwaite
MY GOD IS SO HIGH
Music and Text: African American spiritual
Arrangement: Ryan Murphy
BEING TEACHABLE
The Spoken Word
August 9, 2026
By: Derrick Porter
SOME YEARS AGO, the head of a large organization was responsible for selecting and training new leaders in his group. When asked what kind of people he was looking for, he responded, “I’m looking for those who are teachable.”
On the surface, when we consider the attributes of great leaders, we often think of traits such as boldness, courage, self-confidence, or intelligence. But as we look more closely at the very best leaders—the ones history truly admires—a common quality seems to emerge: They are teachable.
Being teachable doesn’t mean we bend to others’ opinions or that we must listen to voices that degrade or provoke. It doesn’t equate to weakness, lack of knowledge, or inexperience. Rather, being teachable is a combination of positive qualities. Attributes such as humility, patience, respect for others, and the ability not only to listen but to listen to learn combine to help us become teachable.
Like all worthwhile attributes, being teachable has a price—and it also has a reward. Emerson once said, “Do the thing, and you shall have the power; but they who do not the thing have not the power.”1 The power to be teachable resides within each of us. Sometimes, however, learning to be teachable may sting at first but ultimately can bring lessons that endure and bless us deeply.
Perhaps we’ve felt that sting ourselves when we’ve received correction we didn’t want to hear or feedback we didn’t seek.2 These are moments when the walls of our pride can rise quickly—almost defensively—blocking anything that might challenge us. But in these moments, there is always a quiet opportunity to step back and ask, “What can I learn? Why am I feeling this way? Would it be better to revisit this tomorrow?” As we take time to ask ourselves questions like these, we begin to lower our defensive walls, making room for wisdom’s sunlight to reach us—teaching us in ways that come only when our hearts are open, when we are teachable.
May we learn to listen . . . and then listen to learn, trusting that as we do, we will discover the quiet rewards that come from being teachable.
- Compensation: Being an Essay as Written by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1903), 29.
- See Hebrews 12:6.