i had a dream...

"we are bored of all the things we know..." interesting... This one came to me in a dream, so if it's incongruent or whatever, you know why... when i dream and remember it, i'm never quite sure why or, more importantly, if i got the whole thing... anyway, here goes... (enter dream state) i had lost someone close to me... i'm not sure who, but it the pain was so real, i knew that much was true... before i even have time for the weight of the news to settle in before the phone rings... a dear friend calling, not to console me, but to ask for prayer because he had lost someone as well... the lump in my throat grew as his words added to the weight already on my heart... but it wasn't over yet... as the day wore on i learned of numerous neighbors, church members, family, friends and mere acquaintances who were all dealing with the sudden loss of someone close to them... my own loss seemed so much less significant as i shared in the grief of others, agonizing in harmony as we dealt with the loss together... oddly enough, we found ourselves gathered at a service of sorts and, out of my character, i volunteered to speak in front of everyone... we couldn't figure out why all these "tragedies" had occurred at once... what was the reasoning behind it?... how could God do this to us all... why?... it didn't make sense to any of us... i chose to read from the book of Lamentations... even though many in attendance weren't Christians and some were decisively against the idea of reading from Scripture, it seemed that the words reached beyond all these barriers and, in the midst of our common fate, everyone seemed to hang on each word... this book that many people ignore suddenly had a wealth of significance and, with a captive audience, it was amazing to hear the Word of God speak and to watch the effects thereof as each syllable was absorbed... it was sometime during this presentation, as i looked out on the crowd, when it dawned on me... this eclectic group of individuals from all walks of life, whom i knew from different avenues of my life, had all intersected here at this moment to listen to God speak... and the only explanation for this was tragedy... tragedy had created a forced community based on a common emotion and struggle... and through this community, God was at work... God was redeeming this tragedy before my very eyes... if you noticed, in the last thought, the "tragedy" became a single event... that's because it was about this time that it was i who had died... (which explains my willingness to speak in front of everyone)... though, i'm sure it's somewhat egotistic to imagine such a turnout and reach, the point was driven home and i quickly awakened with a cold chill... (end dream state) now, i'm not sure about this dream... where exactly it came from or all that it was meant to be, but i suspect that it has to do with the fact that i just recently read through Lamentations, a book that has held a special place in my heart the last few years after it had been explained to me in a new way... i'm also reading through David Crowder's book about death and loss... and maybe there's more going on here than i know... i had this dream before i went up to visit my parents and during the trip, my mom asked me why life is so hard... i don't really agree that life is all that hard, but it's a question that i've heard and been asked before... this time, though, in light of this dream, i was quick to respond that life is difficult, because trials force us into a state of community which is what we were made for... this is how we're wired... anyway, just felt like sharing that, and i've learned to go with it when i have a feeling like that... Quick tidbits... HM article came off without any reall hitches, got some new reviews in the works, got a RunDown coming today or tomorrow covering some intrumental albums, got a whole lot of stuff going down over at theTRu... the redesign is looking pretty slick and coming together nicely... on schedule to launch at the end of the week... and hopefully, it will be the beginning of my exodus... more on that another time... so, i'm busy busy busy, but i'll try to get another entry up sometime this week, perhaps one that doesn't include me dying, but no promises... lots to write this week... and lots to do... ps. anyone seen that crazy Janke guy lately? he's fallen off the wagon... currently listening to: Salvador - Dismiss the Mystery Anadara - Into the Unknown Hundred Year Storm - Hello from the Children of Planet Earth Last Tuesday - Become What You Believe The Cross Movement - Chronicles: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Lecrae - After the Music Stops keeping an eye on... peace... love... bdg...