Pizza, dreams, zombies and ressurection

Last night, I had a really strange dream where I was in my parents old home (haven't been there for almost 20 years). We were having a yard sale with all kind of amazing stuff - hybrid trucks, exercise spa machines and such. There was an amazing stone sculpture in the center of the circle drive and it was being sandblasted to reveal it's true beauty. Then out of the wood shop comes zombies. Yes, zombies. Usually
whenever anyone says - "oh let's watch a zombie movie", I run in the other direction. But for some reason, I wasn't afraid in my dream. In fact, I had a medicine packet that could restore the "zombies" to health! So in my dream, I was selling all the cool stuff ( except for the hybrid 4X4 - I told my parents i needed that to replace my old car) - and vaccinating the zombies as they came out of the dark places of the basement.

At one point in the dream I was walking about and there was a heaviness I was experiencing - someone shouted to me - "There's a zombie on your back!"

I grabbed my healing vial and injected it into the weighty zombie. The entire time I was unafraid and the angry zombie was restored to life and health.

Last night at the Kiln we discussed the idea truly loving each other, even the people we feel are impossible to love - kinda like zombies for me.

Ephesians 4:4
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

As Easter has just passed, many of us have been celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. In Acts 2 one of Jesus disciples, Peter addresses the crowd on behalf of the disciples. He discusses many things but stresses the fact that Jesus did not decay in the grave, even though he truly died.

(Acts 2:30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,[f] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.)

Jesus had been raised to life and did not undergo decay. He did not (as my friend James said yesterday), "Come staggering out of the grave as some decomposing zombie!" Please forgive the image, but there is a good point to this.

God has overcome death. God held back the normal processes of death in regard to Jesus. Jesus was the vessel of God's picture of restoration for all of humanity. Jesus is our vaccine!

So on light of loving those we find impossible, in the strength of God - it is possible. Just like in my dream where a little zombie monster was on my back - I was able to reach out to a creature that intended me harm and give it what it needed for complete healing! In Jesus, we can grow up in our faith and take on the work that he started - restoring life, love and hope in a world that is longing for it!

So maybe it was the pizza before bed, or the fact that I was hung up on the zombie reference - but I find it interesting that in my dream I felt empowered to overcome obstacles that in real life seem impossible to deal with. I know that our dream state of mind is very different, but the lesson I come away with is that if we can grow up in our faith and seek to love those that seem impossible to care for - maybe their experience of love and healing begin with us taking the first step outside our comfort zones.

We better get our shoes on - "They're coming to get you....."

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

FCE - Dog stroke in spine

Kahlúa is our 15 year old dog that we adopted from the Humane Society when she was four. She joined our family and has been with us for eleven years so far. This morning we found her laying on the carpet in the dining room and was unable to get up and go outside. After letting her rest for a few hours, I gave her some bread to eat and she got up. She was wobbly so I scooped her up and took her outside to go to the bathroom. She managed to remain standing for a few minutes, but was back down quickly. Her back legs did not want to support her even though she was trying to walk. By this point, she had begin to cry so I called the vet and they said to bring her in for an evaluation. My kids and I tearfully wrapped her up in a blanket and drove to the vet. It seemed as if we were sitting in the waiting room forever. The vet told me that her heart, eye function, and lungs were great - also taking into consideration her age of 15! The problem seemed to be FCE - firocartilanginous embolism: w

Gifts we have to give

So often people will think of the areas of life that they fall short or what may need some improvement. I think there is some wisdom in knowing where we need some work as humans, but I also feel it is equally important to learn, foster and use the gifts each one of us are instilled with. So here is the challenge or question that I'd like to present: "What gift(s) has God given to you that can be used in the care and ministry of loving others?" How have you seen that gift used in the past? How would you like to use it? If you dream big and I dream big together - how could God work in that big pool of gifts in the lives of others??? Let's share our gifts today and dream of what they can accomplish for God's purpose! 1 Peter 4:8-10 (New International Version) 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,

Uphill idealist

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