A Mid-winter Day's Dream (and Nightmare)

For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds, (Job 33:14-15 ESV)

I had a dream during a nap today. I was in the upstairs of my house (my actual house is a one-story), at one end for some reason I can't recall now. I can recall very clearly standing in a well-lit area, near a window, with a cup of coffee. I was looking at the open area I was in, where the main hallway ended, and it occurred to me that this part of the house was a place I had spent little to no time in the years I'd been living there. Behind me was a table and a couple of chairs near a window with light colored curtains, sort of a kitchen nook setting. To my left was the hallway back into the other areas of the house. To the right was a wall, mostly obscured by an olive green-tinted oven/stove and sink, like something in a kitchenette; to the left of it was a sort of chaise lounge chair under a window covered with a brightly colored floral pattern on an evergreen background. Directly ahead and to the left of the chaise was an empty wall that was part of a kind of alcove partially hidden behind and sharing the hallway wall. I stepped forward and could see a bed (with a covering that matched the chaise) and some small furniture. I remember noticing that everything on this end of the upstairs was so clean, no dust or cobwebs, everything so nice and neat, as though someone must have been there, if for no other reason than to maintain it (or, at the very least, its appearance).

I realized (in the dream) that I had never once spent any time in that alcove area, lain in the chaise, or used the sink or stove. I kept wondering how I could have lived in that house for so long (in the dream) and not have ever made use of that part of it.

So I decided to. I switched on the light over the stove, turned on the oven, turned on the water in the sink, and... Well, then I woke up wondering what that dream was all about.

I'm no Daniel, but I think I have a viable interpretation. That "end of my house" quite possible represents my spiritual life, an area of my world that perhaps for many years has been kept not just presentable, but "ready"...a place "with a view" that is only accessible by passing through the other "rooms" of my past and present experiences. That it exists literally and metaphorically above most of the other areas of the world I move through daily is not at all lost on me, either.

Could this dream be a manifestation of the Caretaker's beckoning to spend a lot more time in that part of my house?  Hmmm...

Now from a dream to a nightmare in the making.

I read in the paper this morning that noted conservative Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress surfaced in Iowa to introduce Donald Trump at a rally, coming more than a little close to an actual (or perceived) endorsement of a presidential candidate. Pastors-- clergy in general-- have a vocational obligation to distance themselves publicly from political candidates. This includes fund-raising events, rallies, or any other place outside the church doors where a third-party sighting or mention on social media could be misconstrued (or, worse, construed) as an unofficial endorsement for a candidate's platform and foment a following by association. In other words, Pastor Jeffress' association with (and positive comments regarding) Mr. Trump may lead his flock to the polls for the wrong reason. When election time rolls around, pastors (clergy) have the obligation (again, vocational) to encourage all Christians to do their civic duty (see Matthew 22, Romans 13) by making an informed decision at the polls.

Personally, I find an outspoken evangelical Christian pastor and wealthy blowhard (who lives his life like a reality show) strange bedfellows. The faith life of a candidate, ESPECIALLY for president, matters greatly to me... I know very little, honestly, in the comparison of one candidate's religious leanings to another's; however, I have heard enough (beyond the multiple marriages, the boasting of his billions, and the "Two Corinthians" faux pas) to scratch Mr. Trump from my list, to wit:

At a Family Leadership Summit last summer in Iowa, Trump was questioned about his faith and God:

[from CNN]“I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so,” he said. “If I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”

Trump said he participates in Holy Communion.

“When I drink my little wine — which is about the only wine I drink — and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” he said, according to CNN. “I think in terms of ‘let’s go on and let’s make it right.’”

sigh

I have seen Pastor Jeffress on tv numerous times and I like his bedside manner; I wish I could say the same about Mr. Trump. On the other hand and to be fair, I know neither of these men personally, and I am still an unpaid amateur on the church side of the church-state Mason-Dixon line (I still work on the state side in public education).

A nightmare is unfolding on the campaign trail (well, more than one-- I saw a picture on Twitter today of Rick Perry following Ted Cruz around like a puppy dog)... I-- and all my brothers and sisters keeping the faith in the world today-- have a duty to pray for wisdom and discernment in choosing a candidate to back. And then in November to cast an informed vote.