Isn't it amazing the things you've learned in your life?  I can't even remember ALL the stuff I've learned, but I do know that not all of it has been equally valuable.  Some of it has been key wisdom that provides a framework for understanding everything else and also serves as a tool for discovering and learning other new things.

When I was young, my father, who was a minister and an Army Chaplain, was my source of knowledge regarding the Bible.  He used to tell me that "The Bible means what it means!"  While that sounds completely self-explanatory, it's not.  Many people read something from the Bible, interpret it according to their own setting and perspective (and sometimes their own fear), and end up doing great injustice to what the passage actually means.  Finding that meaning usually requires some scholarly research into what the passage would have meant to those who first heard it.  Once you get a good idea of that meaning, then you have to ask yourself what it means today.  And the meaning needs to make sense in light of the big picture of what the Bible says.  "The Bible means what it means" and that meaning might well relate more to the Bible's reading me than to my reading the Bible.

More recently, I found another piece of wisdom through reading various contemporary writers in theology.  It is this:  "all our faith language is symbolic."  As I have considered the truth of this statement and tried to apply it, I am convinced of its integrity.  Our language of faith points toward God as clearly as a directional sign points toward our destination.  Symbolic and sacramental language insists that we take some time and space to reflect on it and that we allow our own life experiences to enter that reflection.  

When we take seriously this idea that all our faith language is symbolic then we're less likely to insist on narrow and dogmatic meanings for the important issues of our religious traditions.  And when we resist that temptation, we are more likely to hold open the space for the Spirit to breathe in us.

So, what are some of the pieces of wisdom that help shape your life?  I'd love to receive any that you have to share and, with your permission, will pass them along in an upcoming E-notes.   Then we can all benefit.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.
  
Jack Price

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