As a follow-up to our exploration of maps and how we define places, I’m thinking about
a recent innovation: what3words.

Instead of using latitude and longitude numbers, this company has partitioned the entire
globe into 3-meter squares. Each 3-meter square is identified by three words. I’m not
sure how the words are generated, but they seem pretty random.

If I know the three words, though, I can precisely direct someone to a very specific
location. Like, the East Entrance of our building is kind.candy.garden

I don’t know why those three words. Other spots in our building have similarly
memorable three-word groups. The middle of our sanctuary has a 3-meter square
identified by sushi.timing.game

You get the picture. Every 3-meter square of land on the planet has a distinct three-
word identifier. And that group of three words might be easier to remember than a set of
latitude and longitude numbers. We don’t get to pick the three words that identify
specific locations that matter to us, but there are still some interesting combinations.

If we were to apply this kind of thinking to our relational maps, we might say our
congregation already has a three-word location. The words
community.spirituality.justice map our mission statement.

Maybe each ministry group within our congregation has more specific three-word
locations they would choose. We might have an ideal set of three words that define that
ministry team’s purpose. And if we’re honest, there might be a different set of words that
describe the group’s current terrain.

And if we were to describe our personal spiritual maps in this way, we might have a set
of three words that we hope to define us, and a different set of words that describe our
current reality. Maybe I want to be spiritually located at centered.mindful.connected
Yet, my current location might be anxious.whiny.tired

Getting from there to where I want to be might describe my personal journey of spiritual
growth. What might that map look like? What other terrain would I have to move through to get from where I am right now to where I hope to be?

So… after you get done looking at all the possible combinations of three words that the
website offers for different parts of your home, maybe you’ll take a more introspective
step and consider: What three words describe where you most want to be spiritually?

Said another way: What three words locate a best possible version of you?

And what three words define your current emotional/psychological/spiritual location?

What might the journey look like from where you are now to where you want to be?

Rev. Randy Partain