How do we find the truth?

I have been reading and talking on line to my classmates about a book we read called:  Metaphors We Live By  by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.   It has been an interesting read about the metaphors we live by.  Success is up and failure is down are directional metaphors.   We often speak about our mind as a machine metaphor:  My mind isn't operating..., I'm a little rusty today...


By the time you are well in to the book you realize how often we use metaphors when we speak.  Chapter 24 is titled "Truth".   "Truth is relative to understanding" pg 162.   Think about that.  If I say what I believe to be the truth and I use some kind of a metaphor as I speak - you will find truth in what I say if you have the same understanding of the metaphor I have used.  Even a simple sentence like: "John fired the gun at Harry" depends on us understanding who John and Harry are, what it means to fire a gun and what a gun is.


Even in my family there are many truthful versions of the story of our family.  They are each one different.  And each one of them is the truth from their perspective.


Think about the church.   How do the leaders of the church determine the truth of where the church has been in the past?  Where the church is currently? and where the church should go in the future?  Communicating and determining truth can be difficult at best.


If there is a conflict in the church it is easy to understand how many different versions there are of the truth and how difficult it can be to resolve conflict.


This book causes me to be very careful when I think I know the truth and when I listen to others share their version of the truth.  Good luck finding the ultimate truth.

Do we hold the light or is the light already there?

I just read Leonard Sweet's book, Nudge.  In that book he has challenged me to rethink a number of things.  I want to know what you think.

As Christians we say, we take the light of Christ out to the world.   This of course implies that we hold the light and are going to enlighten the rest of the world.

Sweet challenges us to understand that God is already present in the world and active in people's lives.  They are not aware of it.  Our work as Christians is to develop relationships in the world and nudge people to realize the light of Christ that already exists in them.

What do you think?  Old evangelism:  we have it and the world needs it.  New evangelism:  it exists everywhere we need to help people realize it.

A Pep Talk In Each Drop

I carry sugar-free vitamin C drops.  If I have a tickle in my throat they are helpful or if I am feeling a sore throat coming on the vitamin C is helpful.   I have them in my purse, desk, backpack and most of my pockets.


I was surprised to open a new package of these wonderful drops and find the wrapper had all kinds of words written on it:  You can do it, Change Can Do to Can Did, You are a winner....   I found one label that said:  A Pep Talk in Each Drop.  How cool is that.  Every time I reach for one of my favorite good for me drops there will be a pep talk waiting for me.


I have decided that as long as these drops come this way I will use this as a reminder of God's presence in my life and in the lives of those around me.   I am not sure the words on the wrapper are all that helpful for me anyway but seeing that and remembering that I am a child of God and so are the other human beings I am with will be a wonderful pick me up.


I can't help but wonder what would happen if we the church found ways to slip that message in to the lives of the people in our mission field.    If we could find a way on a regular basis to remind them that they are a child of God and are worthy of God's lavish love and forgiveness.  Fortune cookies have numbers on them you can use to play the lottery.   Could the bottom of the register receipt read:  God loves you and there isn't anything you can do about it.   From the people of the XYZ Church.