Have you seen people who live their lives and present themselves in a way that seems false and inauthentic? Sometimes this is called wearing a mask. Do you assume that people who do this are scheming and deceptive? This may be too harsh a judgment. They may be so alienated from their true self that they do it unintentionally and unaware. It is more gracious to others not to impute evil intent to them if you don’t have to. What should you learn from this?

Do you see yourself as an insider or an outsider? How do you see me? Structures of power emerge in any culture, and these can be political, religious, financial, and others. Those who belong to the structures and reap the benefits thereof are insiders. Have you noticed that insiders will fiercely defend the organizations they gain from? But they are unable to address structural problems and injustices in the system. I was an outsider to the religious establishment of my own generation, and that is where my opposition came from. Are you an insider in the religious organization of your time?

How important is it to you to be right? How do you describe your faith? Would you say it is a relationship with me? So is it more important to be correct or to be connected? Do you see truth as a series of abstract propositional assertions, or do you see it as a living person? My revelation has been progressive and some who were commended in the Bible as heroes of faith held doctrinal positions you would not affirm today. I accepted them in spite of this because of the way they pressed in with what they knew and would not be denied. I will do the same for you.

Do you find that intelligence is highly rated in your culture? Everyone wants to be smart, and you have seen those who are not pretend that they are. Do you realize that there is something more important than intelligence? Asking the right questions is more important than being clever. You won’t get the right answers by asking the wrong questions no matter how smart you are. What if you pursue the right questions but have limited cognitive ability? Do not be discouraged. You have my promise that if you seek you will find.