You have perceptions of reality. Do you trust them? Are they always reliable? Have you ever found that you are mistaken about something you thought to be true? Student pilots are taught to believe their instruments. This lesson is emphasized because there are situations that lead to false perceptions when the instruments are correct. Have you faced similar situations in life? Pilots are fortunate to have instruments to keep them from becoming disoriented. What do you have that may conflict with your perceptions that you nonetheless accept as a reliable indicator of reality?

Radio broadcast engineers make a distinction between signal and noise and define a signal to noise ratio. I talk about the separation of wheat and chaff. Can you see the parallels here? Wheat and chaff are metaphors you can and do apply to what people say. Do you find that some people are prone to speak insightful, profound truth consistently and other people speak mostly chaff? Yet if you make the effort you can find something worthwhile in the statements of most people. So this puts the burden back on you. Can you distinguish between signal and noise?

Do you take the Great Commission seriously? Are you aware that it is about making disciples rather than converts? Yet the process begins with making converts, so this is implied rather than stated explicitly. Have you ever made a convert and been pleased with yourself for doing so? There is rejoicing in heaven for every lost sheep brought into the fold. But this is the beginning rather than the completion of your work. You wouldn’t abandon a newborn infant to the elements or to their own devices. The same arguments apply for those who respond to the gospel message. Feed my sheep.

Do you like to spend time in nature? People are drawn to hike in the woods, to seek out parks and lakes and streams and mountains, and this is true even if they can’t articulate the reasons that they are attracted to do this. Is this a spiritual experience for you? Consider how many of the founders of the faith had their encounter with God in the wilderness, including me. It is possible to be drawn to outdoor sanctuaries without understanding why. When you do it is it with deliberate intent to seek me? If you seek you will find and if you walk in the woods I will meet you there.