In Search of Truth

By Dean Parrish

Everyone’s truth is in their own perspective and choosing. What you choose to believe becomes your accepted truth. However, just because you accept something as truth, does not mean it is real. Some truths can be subjective, but real or absolute truth remains constant and unchanging and will ultimately be revealed whether you believe it or not.

This easy-to-read book uses humor, life experiences and stories to give valuable insights on truth and perspective. You will be both entertained and challenged as you learn that finding real truth often requires you to dig deeper. What you discover about the word truth, may surprise you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781400332373

Dean Parrish

Dean grew up in the heart of Central Kentucky in rural Nelson County. Being raised in a Christian home and growing up poor, he learned early in life the value of faith, family, integrity, and hard work. His deepest devotion and highest priorities are given to his God, his wife, seven children and a growing number of grandchildren.  Successfully raising his six daughters and one son, has been the greatest and most rewarding challenge in his life.

Book preview

Part 1

CHAPTER 1

A Warning and a Challenge

Let me first begin not with a disclaimer but with a warning and a challenge. I have many friends and family members who have very different views, opinions, values, and belief systems than what I have for myself. I am very sensitive to the rights of others to express their views without prejudice, and I respect their rights and their beliefs. My warning, however, is that the views and opinions that I will express here may be contrary to those of your own, and in some cases, you may even be offended. It is not my intention to offend but to challenge you. My challenge to each of you is that you will read and listen with a very open mind and ask yourself why you believe what you believe. I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist, which drives my wife and family crazy, so please bear with me for just a moment. Let me ask you a question. What if something you have always been told or something you have always believed and held dear were challenged and proven to be untrue? I’m the type of person who likes to challenge and be challenged. If you like the challenge factor, then you should enjoy these discussions. If you are the type of person who does not like this sort of thing, then it is my hope that you will at least be mildly entertained as you open your mind to new and somewhat amusing ideas and theories.

It is not unusual for me to challenge and question the status quo. I often ask myself, What if what I am being told isn’t the truth? I like to question stories being told in the media and examine the possibilities that what I am hearing may not be the truth. I have a lot of strong views and opinions, but please understand that many of these have undergone this same kind of questioning and scrutiny before I settled there. Therefore, my challenge to each of you is to open your mind just enough to ask yourself, What if . . . ? What if you have been sold a bill of goods and a belief that you have held dear for so long simply is not the truth? I feel certain that many of you may have believed in Santa Claus when you were young children. You loved this belief and wanted to hold on to it as long as possible. After all, someone that you loved and trusted very much told you it was true. Do you remember how disappointed and heartbroken you felt when you discovered the real truth? We all say we want the truth, but the question is, will you know or recognize the real truth when it is presented, or is it possible that you may accept a counterfeit instead?

CHAPTER 2

What Is Truth?

Ihave spent many years in a professional sales role, earning a living by being paid a salary or commission, which was representative of a small percentage of the profit that was made when goods or services were exchanged between buyer and seller. So, yes, I’m a salesman by trade. Now some of you may be thinking, What could a salesman possibly know about truth? I know that for many of you, the word sales or salesman , in and of itself, tends to carry negative connotations. I know that a lot of folks have perceptions and preconceived notions that they associate with salespeople, especially when the term used-car salesman is used. That term is never used to describe someone in a positive light, nor is it used to imply honesty or trustworthiness. With that being said, let me set your mind at ease, by letting you know that I will not be trying to sell you on any thought or idea. I will not try to push my opinions on you, nor will I try to convince you of anything against your will or choosing. I always understand, and I have found it amusing when one of my clients would make a statement to the effect that they hate dealing with salespeople, and then they would look at me and quickly tell me that they don’t really think of me as a salesman. This tells me I am doing my job correctly because I know that no one wants to feel like someone sold them something. However, I find that people don’t mind buying. The best way to get someone to want to buy is to ask questions, educate them with the facts, provide outstanding service, and then let them make an informed buying decision. It is my intention with this book to provide you with some interesting facts and toss around some views and opinions you may not have considered before. When we are finished here, it is my hope that you will be able to recognize and establish your own truth. I will not tell you how to think, but I will challenge you to assess how and what you think.

At this point, I would like to identify what it is that I am striving to accomplish. First, let me explain to you that I am a professing Christian. Just to clarify, and fortunately for me, being a Christian does not require that I be perfect. It does mean that I believe in Jesus as God’s Son and that He came to earth to save me from my sins. I believe that Jesus was perfect, but I know that I am terribly flawed. I am not perfect, but I am forgiven. For those of you who have beliefs other than these, I respect your rights to believe as you choose. I only ask that you remember the challenge that I issued in the beginning and remain open-minded as we discuss some views and stories found in the Bible. In all fairness, we will also be discussing views from other major world religions as well. So if you are up for a challenge and are willing to open your mind and are ready to think and contemplate, then by all means, read on.

I understand that it takes all kinds of people to make the world go around. There are thinkers, there are doers, and there are those who think about doing and many more that make life much more interesting. I am certainly not implying that one type of person is superior to another type in any way. My wife and I have many important beliefs and views in common. However, we are very different in other ways. I love my wife because she is what she is. Often she helps keep me grounded and humbled. In much the same way, I challenge her to examine her views and opinions. She may tell you that there are times that she finds me argumentative, stubborn, and downright hardheaded, but she loves me just the same. I have been told by my wife and by others that there are times that perhaps I think too much and overthink otherwise simple things. For the record, they may be right, but I would rather be accused of overthinking than not thinking at