viewoutsidethepew

I was asked to attend a meeting because I had blogged about the matter to be discussed. A pastor there started by saying, “Of course, there was an error in your blog.” It became immediately clear that I was not considered important enough for that pastor to comment on my blog in a public forum. The error was then addressed. The pastor started into a completely meaningless string of words. No factual error was exposed. As I listened to this nonsense it was clear that I was so subhuman to the meeting that I didn’t even deserve a rational rebuttal; mere nonsense was considered enough to invalidate me and my blog.

The same day Margaret was at a service. The one in charge phoned to say they would not make it, so the group of women had to leave to find a new place. When they got to the agreed congregational hall an official told them that their meeting was not booked on the calendar so they would have to leave. They ended up in the same congregational building where I was.

When it came time to start their service no one took charge. There was a woman who had been snickering behind Margaret and carried a file folder. Margaret, who has the skills, rose to get things started. This woman then stood up and told Margaret that she was not authorized to conduct this meeting and took over, sending Margaret off the stage.

Our Wedding Day (a long time ago in a faraway place)

Quite a day for my wife and me.

At this point I arose from my bed (where I was sleeping to prepare for a night shift) and went out to the livingroom where Margaret was quilting, hugged her tightly and said, “You are important. You have an important ministry” After a moment I added, “And I am important.”

You need to know Margaret has just had her last social ministry removed.

If you didn’t follow it the first three paragraphs describe a dream I had Wednesday afternoon. The rest happened in the awake world.

The dream was not a resolution to anything, nor was it a message to deal with an unresolved personal matter for me. Nor was it predictive. I translate it as a love message from Jesus to the two of us who are in a very transitional state, both having had our calls and ministry ripped away over the last years. Nothing remains of our former missions as agents for the devil did their work.

Yet when evil thinks it has destroyed us, Jesus steps in and covers us with such love and compassion and tenderness and peace that words barely express it.

We’ve experienced that our worth is defined more by Jesus in a dream than evil wide awake.