Caution!

Dreams
Daniel 1:1-2:49 (New book today!)

"...No wise man, magician or fortune teller can explain to the king the secret he has asked about. But there is a God in heaven who explains secret things... God, who can tell people about secret things, showed you what is going to happen." (Daniel 2:27-29)

My family and friends know of my uncanny ability to remember at least one dream every night. Stranger yet is my desire to recount strange dreams of elephants breaking out of an aquarium and ponder their significance. I wish I had Daniel's ability to interpret dreams!

I may be quite alone in the fact that I actually believe that some dreams and "hunches" may be God explaining secret things to us. Now, I don't say all, the aquatic pachyderms probably had more to do with a recent viewing of "Dumbo." But, I do believe in God's power to reveal secret things whenever He deems it necessary.

An example of such a "God-incidence" that took me to Brazil:

After finishing my wonderful long-term sub job in Millville, I stumbled across a volunteer program for learning Portuguese in the morning and teaching English in a favela in the afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For some reason, I felt the unmistakable sensation that this was where I was supposed to be. So off I went, and while I was down there, I "needed" to go and visit the Church of the Brethren in Sao Paulo, which led Suely to dream up a BVS placement there for me the following year.

Lord, may I be carefully attentive to the secrets You want to reveal to me in my life.

Idols
Psalm 135:15-21

"The idols of other nations are made of silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have no breath in their mouths. People who make idols will be like them, and so will those who trust them." (Psalm 135:15-18)

People may think discussion of idols completely irrelevant today, but is it? Consider the recent hit "American Idol." Some may argue that as merely a title not really reflecting the fact that we idolize these melodic individuals. However, I am a firm believer that how we spend our time clearly demonstrates what we hold as valuable or honorable in our lives. In a real sense, we are what we watch, what we eat, what we do, where we go. Considering our time spent: Do we idolize work? Athletics? Money? Stuff?

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary outlines two principle kinds of definitions for the word. First, it is a false conception or a visible form without substance, as demonstrated by framed paychecks, trophies, bank accounts, or overflowing jewelry boxes. Secondly, the most worrisome definition describes an idol as a symbol of an object of worship or an object of extreme devotion. All of our devotion and worship belongs to God, not these idols that cannot see or hear or speak. God, may my life carefully reflect my complete devotion to You.

Lions
1 Peter 5:1-14

"Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat. Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)

"Lions and tigers and temptation, oh my!" Did you ever think that Dorothy could've turned around and gone back to the pretty little Munchkinland? It might've been tempting while walking through that dark forest or being chased by those scary monkeys. I mean, it was technicolor!! But, she had her goal in mind... "There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

As Christians, we echo her sentiment that "There's no place like home," but our "home" is heaven. And like Dorothy, we will face our "lions"- dark forests of despair, angry monkeys that encourage apathy, poisonous poppy fields that produce popularity seeking. Lord, help me to carefully keep my feet on the yellow brick road of faith.