Recap: A DREAM: I was in an outdoor area with a large group of college-age adults. They were sitting on bleachers, but the bleachers were in a single line, so they were stretched out in front over some distance. I was getting ready to speak or to teach in front of the group.
When I looked at how the bleachers were arranged, I could see that only those who were right in front of me would be able to hear me, see me and/or be able to participate in what we were doing. I did not want to leave anyone out, so I asked someone (maybe my husband) to rearrange the bleachers so that they were more in a cluster together so that everyone could see, hear and could participate.
So, we moved the bleachers closer together to where everyone could see, hear and could participate in what we were doing. Then, I stood up in front of the group. A woman at the back of the group was standing on the ground with her back to me and she was leading some people in a song. I was not familiar with the song. Something wasn’t right about it. And, it appeared that the woman had a problem with her attitude that was affecting the rest of the group.
So, I went to the back to speak with the woman. I told her that she should present her issue to me and that I would take care of it. I also told her that she should accept whatever decision I made about it. She agreed.
Then I went back to the front of the group, which was rather large. I was surprised by how many young adults were there and were enjoying participating in this gathering. I had a fleeting thought that a news reporter might hear about what we were doing and that he might come to see us and to write a story about us. I thought about how they always report bad stuff about young adults and how it would be nice if they reported good news about what young people were doing.
Then, I decided that we would memorize a scripture passage. I chose Romans 12:1-2. I asked someone nearby (think she was a relative) to read, so she began to read, only she read from a different book in the Bible. So, I led her to read Romans 12:1-2. I asked her to read until I stopped her. We began breaking down the verses word by word and phrase by phrase, using a dictionary to look up words (I was quoting from the KJV).
Then, I had to leave for something, so I handed it off to someone else and I asked him or her to continue where I left off. END
Friday, May 15, 2009 – Well, in the first part of “Do Something,” the Lord led me to take Romans 12:1-2 apart word by word and phrase by phrase and to examine its meaning and its application to our daily lives. Yet, I did not discuss the dream, itself, and how it fit with the scripture. The Lord gives me dreams (when he gives me dreams), always, as word-pictures or as illustrations to show me something specific, as a practical application, that he wants me to get from my reading in His Word for that day and/or for me to share with the Body of Christ, his children; his church.
As I contemplated the meaning (from the dream) of being in an outdoor area, I saw the world – the globe – and that these young adults were scattered all over the globe, yet in a straight (in the right position) line (connection; ideology; lineage; family), i.e. the family of God. In order to talk with them all at once, nonetheless, they needed to be in a cluster (gathering; group) together.
What I saw, and there may be more to this that I am not seeing, are places like Facebook, MySpace, and On-line Christian Discussion Forums of different kinds where the Body of Christ can get together all in one location, even though we are spread throughout the globe. This is how I am able to talk with all of you at once.
I was reading some of my older writings because I knew that I had “bleachers” in other dreams. I read something in “Circle of Friends” that helped me to get an even better understanding of the cluster of individual sets of bleachers:
In another dream I had this understanding of “bleachers” – “…so the Lord had to call me to rise up (the bleachers) and to hear what he had to say.” That leads me to the passage of scripture that I read in I John 4 yesterday:
In the dream, a woman stood up in the back of this group with her back facing me and she was leading others in a song that I did not know. And, she had an attitude problem of some kind. I believe that I am representing the Lord (we, as believers in Jesus, are his representatives) in this dream and that this woman, whoever she represents, is standing (standing on or committed to a point of view or belief) in opposition (with her back to me) to the teachings of the Lord.
To “sing” can mean to resonate; chant; and/or to use the voice to produce words or sounds in a musical way (Encarta). It can also mean to tell about something or to proclaim something (Encarta). I believe this woman represents these false teachers who are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them (v.5). And, it is the Lord who is addressing this woman (these false teachers and/or the apostate church) concerning her attitude and is telling her that she is to accept whatever decision he makes about it.
This also fits with Romans 12:1-2 where we are instructed to present our bodies as living sacrifices unto God and that we are not to conform to the patterns of the world (the woman with her back to me), but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What I saw here is that the people on the bleachers represent those who are listening to the Lord (rising up to hear the Lord), but the woman and the people she is leading represent those who are following the pattern of the world.
What I saw here are leaders in churches who focus on singing and bands as the time of “worship” of God, but in reality their backs are turned to the Lord because their focus is really on following the patterns of the world. Again, we can not just sing praises to God and consider that our “worship” of the Lord. True worship involves laying our lives on the altar of sacrifice to be, to say, to do and to go wherever the Lord leads.
As I considered the part of the dream where I was thinking about a news reporter reporting on the good things these young people were doing, it led me to consider the part of Romans 12 where it states that our true worship of the Lord, which is by our actions, “proves” what the will of God is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. To prove means to show or to reveal, so there is a sense here that this is something that is seen and/or is reported back that there is evidence in our lives that Jesus truly lives in and through us by how we live our lives each and every day.
Lastly, in the dream, I had someone read Romans 12:1-2 as we broke it down and examined its meaning. And, then I had to leave and so I passed the baton on to someone else. I believe this is speaking of how the Lord, as well as his disciples, the apostles and those who have gone before us have passed down to us what was passed down to them and that we are to continue the work that our Lord began while he was on the face of the earth, not only in teaching, but in leading by example how to live lives that are living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.
When I looked at how the bleachers were arranged, I could see that only those who were right in front of me would be able to hear me, see me and/or be able to participate in what we were doing. I did not want to leave anyone out, so I asked someone (maybe my husband) to rearrange the bleachers so that they were more in a cluster together so that everyone could see, hear and could participate.
So, we moved the bleachers closer together to where everyone could see, hear and could participate in what we were doing. Then, I stood up in front of the group. A woman at the back of the group was standing on the ground with her back to me and she was leading some people in a song. I was not familiar with the song. Something wasn’t right about it. And, it appeared that the woman had a problem with her attitude that was affecting the rest of the group.
So, I went to the back to speak with the woman. I told her that she should present her issue to me and that I would take care of it. I also told her that she should accept whatever decision I made about it. She agreed.
Then I went back to the front of the group, which was rather large. I was surprised by how many young adults were there and were enjoying participating in this gathering. I had a fleeting thought that a news reporter might hear about what we were doing and that he might come to see us and to write a story about us. I thought about how they always report bad stuff about young adults and how it would be nice if they reported good news about what young people were doing.
Then, I decided that we would memorize a scripture passage. I chose Romans 12:1-2. I asked someone nearby (think she was a relative) to read, so she began to read, only she read from a different book in the Bible. So, I led her to read Romans 12:1-2. I asked her to read until I stopped her. We began breaking down the verses word by word and phrase by phrase, using a dictionary to look up words (I was quoting from the KJV).
Then, I had to leave for something, so I handed it off to someone else and I asked him or her to continue where I left off. END
Friday, May 15, 2009 – Well, in the first part of “Do Something,” the Lord led me to take Romans 12:1-2 apart word by word and phrase by phrase and to examine its meaning and its application to our daily lives. Yet, I did not discuss the dream, itself, and how it fit with the scripture. The Lord gives me dreams (when he gives me dreams), always, as word-pictures or as illustrations to show me something specific, as a practical application, that he wants me to get from my reading in His Word for that day and/or for me to share with the Body of Christ, his children; his church.
As I contemplated the meaning (from the dream) of being in an outdoor area, I saw the world – the globe – and that these young adults were scattered all over the globe, yet in a straight (in the right position) line (connection; ideology; lineage; family), i.e. the family of God. In order to talk with them all at once, nonetheless, they needed to be in a cluster (gathering; group) together.
What I saw, and there may be more to this that I am not seeing, are places like Facebook, MySpace, and On-line Christian Discussion Forums of different kinds where the Body of Christ can get together all in one location, even though we are spread throughout the globe. This is how I am able to talk with all of you at once.
I was reading some of my older writings because I knew that I had “bleachers” in other dreams. I read something in “Circle of Friends” that helped me to get an even better understanding of the cluster of individual sets of bleachers:
In another dream I had this understanding of “bleachers” – “…so the Lord had to call me to rise up (the bleachers) and to hear what he had to say.” That leads me to the passage of scripture that I read in I John 4 yesterday:
In the dream, a woman stood up in the back of this group with her back facing me and she was leading others in a song that I did not know. And, she had an attitude problem of some kind. I believe that I am representing the Lord (we, as believers in Jesus, are his representatives) in this dream and that this woman, whoever she represents, is standing (standing on or committed to a point of view or belief) in opposition (with her back to me) to the teachings of the Lord.
To “sing” can mean to resonate; chant; and/or to use the voice to produce words or sounds in a musical way (Encarta). It can also mean to tell about something or to proclaim something (Encarta). I believe this woman represents these false teachers who are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them (v.5). And, it is the Lord who is addressing this woman (these false teachers and/or the apostate church) concerning her attitude and is telling her that she is to accept whatever decision he makes about it.
This also fits with Romans 12:1-2 where we are instructed to present our bodies as living sacrifices unto God and that we are not to conform to the patterns of the world (the woman with her back to me), but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What I saw here is that the people on the bleachers represent those who are listening to the Lord (rising up to hear the Lord), but the woman and the people she is leading represent those who are following the pattern of the world.
What I saw here are leaders in churches who focus on singing and bands as the time of “worship” of God, but in reality their backs are turned to the Lord because their focus is really on following the patterns of the world. Again, we can not just sing praises to God and consider that our “worship” of the Lord. True worship involves laying our lives on the altar of sacrifice to be, to say, to do and to go wherever the Lord leads.
As I considered the part of the dream where I was thinking about a news reporter reporting on the good things these young people were doing, it led me to consider the part of Romans 12 where it states that our true worship of the Lord, which is by our actions, “proves” what the will of God is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. To prove means to show or to reveal, so there is a sense here that this is something that is seen and/or is reported back that there is evidence in our lives that Jesus truly lives in and through us by how we live our lives each and every day.
Lastly, in the dream, I had someone read Romans 12:1-2 as we broke it down and examined its meaning. And, then I had to leave and so I passed the baton on to someone else. I believe this is speaking of how the Lord, as well as his disciples, the apostles and those who have gone before us have passed down to us what was passed down to them and that we are to continue the work that our Lord began while he was on the face of the earth, not only in teaching, but in leading by example how to live lives that are living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.
