Losing the 'saved'

Yesterday I wrote what I thought were some interesting ideas. But then I got a phone call that it was dinner time. So I 'saved' my piece.

After dinner I came back to finish it - - and couldn't find the 'save'. I hunted in many places - I obviously didn't know the right one. So - - it's gone - -maybe forever into the ether - somehow.

Then I got to thinking about things I've saved - - because at the moment they were so important. So I put them away 'safely' for another day. The 'saved' object may remain hidden to days or months and often for years. When I finally find it, I wonder - - what is this? Why did I ever 'save' it?

I guess this is the same for ideas - - some need to be 'saved' , because of the universal application it might have. Others should be truly 'lost' forever. So I rate that bit I wrote yesterday - - with the later. You are spared the time it might have taken to read it - - and now are caught in a bit of philosophy. So be it! Hallie

There are 'some' days

Today it is raining slightly - - I can tell only by looking outside at the lakes. There are 'rain spots' on them . It is not hard enough to touch my windows.

Naturally it is cloudy. - a hard day to get out of bed.

Sitting in my rocking chair - - just thinking and wondering - - I picked up Friday's PD which happened to be opened to Regina Brett's column. She says, 'Just get up; dress up; show up' for days like this.

Problem is - - I can 'get up', I can 'dress up', - - but, being retired, where am I expected to 'show up'? No. I don't want another committee meeting - - I've had vertigo - (unbalanced - so?) I shouldn't go to the exercise class - - - - so - where do I show up? If I've no place to 'show up' what is the point of getting up and dressing up?

O what a wonderful morning! O what a wonderful day!

In the PD - on the Comics page there is a small column I enjoy reading - "Strange but true". Today the column asks the question "do dreamers ever crack jokes in their sleep, especially in the form of puns?" (Crazy idea!)

The writer then tells about a psychology professor who told about this dream.

Let me quote a portion of his dream:

"Then he dreamed they were all sitting on the floor, heads shaved, and one asked, 'Oh, master, who possesses all wisdom, how do we attain perfect knowledge?' Glancing around at the expectant faces, he replied, 'You must drink sage tea.' "

What fun!

My father often dreamed, remembered these dreams, and would tell us about them at the breakfast table. Very often they were like the movies we saw on Saturday afternoons a the local theater.

They were the 'to be continued' kind. It was always an exciting happening, and then just as the hero was escaping he was running pellmell toward an unseen cliff, Dad's dream stopped. Several mornings later he'd come and say, "I found out what happened" - and would pick up on where the dream had left off, and give us a second chapter of the adventure - - once again leaving the hero in a very precarious situation.

These dreams might go on for several weeks before they ended . Then it might be a month or more before he began to dream another cliffhanger. Also, he dreamt in color and could describe the scene in the dream very vividly in color.

We all enjoyed hearing his dreams - -and I was a little jealous because I never seems to have dreams I could remember. And this is still true.

Ed used to dream frequently. He took his dreams seriously and would wake himself to record the dream while he still remembered it. Then the next day he would reread it, and ponder all day if there was a message in the dream which he should hear.

Occasionally he would tell me his dreams and together we might wonder about the meaning. I was not much help to him in this realm.

He firmly believed that we can receive guidance and information through dreams. He would remind me of the many references to dreams in the Bible - - and that dreams so often brought very important thoughts - - of potential dangers - - or wonderful future happenings. These were given to the dreamer - - but someone needed to interpret them.

I still wonder about dreams. I keep a piece of paper and pencil by the bed - - but when I wake up, all I have is some unusual feeling - and no memory of what caused it.

It must take a very special person who remembers their dreams - - and someone also very special to understand and interpret these dreams.

So, I just keep wondering - and waiting - -

This is the day the Lord has made - Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Then I opened the morning PD - and read of St Cecelia's closing - - my heart wept. I wept when St. Peter's closed. I wept when First United Methodist Church closed. I wept when the three west side United Methodist churches closed. Our city is being deliberately deserted by organized religion.

These 'organized' religious groups who are deserting the city are leaving a tremendous 'hole' of leadership in faith - in worship of God.. And where a vacuum is present, something else will enter - -perhaps with a more sinister motive.

We Christians of this century seem to have our devotion and religious yearnings so connected with a building that we are not sure what to do when the building is closed, but to get angry and leave. When this structure which surrounds our worship no longer is viable, and the 'ones in power' move away we are left with the feeling that 'our Christ' has left us powerless -or useless- or all alone.

Somehow I am reminded that Christ's ministry was never centered in a building. History of the first century also seemed to say - - 'follow what the religious leaders - those related to the building - - or else we will kill you' my interpretation. ( I do not want to be killed!)

I have been wondering again about that early church - how it started - with a leader, a person, telling 'the Story' - - talking to people anyplace it seemed to be needed - - and then to gather into small groups to study, to pray and to be inspired by the Holy Spirit' to go and do God's will in this world.

I going to start rereading the book of Acts - - the story of the beginnings of Christ-centered groups of people. They did not start by building a structure of bricks and stone and marble. They started by small groups meeting together in people's homes. They were initially inspired and led by a person who knew they were called by Christ to go and tell 'the Story' of one who loved so deeply - and pointed toward the undefinable 'Holy Spirit'.

Are we being called once more to the central part of our devotion - the Christ - - not the building? Are we being dramatically shown that our mission is to spread the word of Christ - not to maintain a structure - of cement - or of people?

Perhaps this is God's way of leading each one of us - - to relearn how to invite people into our homes - our lives - to study and to pray - and to find in a new way the Christ of this twenty-first century.

Frankly, I've never done it. I'm not sure even how to begin. I'm praying that someone - out there - perhaps even the Lord (!) - will guide me - and perhaps you, too - in the first small steps we might take.

Will it be by inviting into our physical home - or apartment - or room - - or wherever we might be - -or - by use of this wonderful tool - the internet. Is this our 'new home' in this century. If it is, we could have it with us, wherever we my roam - and still find our Christ-centered friends there, waiting for us to come in.

Now I need to find my Bible - the book of Acts - and begin my own learning process. Will you join me?