Tell It Slant

Tell all the truth but tell it slant -
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truths superb surprise

As Lightening to the Children eased
with Explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind

-----Emily Dickinson


Our daily conversations are important. Just this morning I enjoyed coffee with a friend as we sat on stools across a round wooden table. The theme of our dialogue focused on God's work in us and in the world. Interestingly enough, we did not talk about church much. Church is important, but it's institutionalization tends to cloister people not release them for God's work in the world. The Truth of the gospel resides primarily in the daily stuff. Sundays are necessary, but they aren't the final word.

The slant messages in our daily talk with others and in our listening to God are the basis for which we join Christ in His work in the world. By slant, I mean using ordinary conversations about our life to weave a gospel tapestry for others to inspect. Imagination and creativity are key ingredients. Musing together is more related to singing a song or painting a picture than it is to a Bible study or Sunday school class. In the process we connect to God differently and also to acquaintances, colleagues, and friends. The challenge is to keep the Truth in mind when talking with any person. Christ showed us how when he walked from Galilee to Jerusalem through the rugged Samaritan countryside. His stories were full of Truth on the slant.

.....I'm thankful to Eugene Peterson for reshaping this idea for me in his book, Tell It Slant, and to Chuck Orrestad for his encouragement to keep writing.