Dream Interpretation Made Simple: A review

 

If you’ve ever considered your dreams might have some meaning, this book is a good place to start. The illogical nature of dreams creates skepticism about their usefulness, but the author (Praying Medic) believes dreams are messages from God.

The text is short, less than 200 words. The back half contains a useful guide (dictionary) to symbols and their biblical reference. Most symbols in dreams have more than one meaning. Buildings for instance might represent a church or a business or something conceptual like an institution. Animals can be evil or good depending on the context of the dream. No one interpretation is complete or perfect but there are similarities across the landscape.

 The Bible is full of examples. Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2) about the eternal nature of God’s Kingdom. Mary and Joseph were warned to go to Israel and escape Herod while the Magi were also told in a dream to keep away (Mathew 2).

But there is a lot differing opinion on the subject from Christians. We should all agree however, that God does give us dreams. “I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Joel 2:28 (NLT).  

Job’s friend Elihu tells him about the way God speaks. “For God may speak in one way or another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He open the ears of men, and seals their instruction.” Job 33:15-16 (NKJV)

 What about a person with no spiritual awareness of God or salvation or righteousness? The book is written to believers so Medic doesn’t really address that. Our spirits take messages from God while we sleep. Often we see people we know in conflict or emotional distress. Often dreams are warnings to us to change some behavior or relationship.

The Holy Spirit warns, instructs and blesses us through our dreams.

According to Medic, “Dreams show us a different reality. In them, God reveals truths of which we are unaware.” (p. 21)

His advice is to record your dreams every time. 

You will have more dreams if you learn to take them seriously. I can attest to this. I started writing mind down in summary form immediately after I woke up. I still do this. Not a night goes by that I don’t have some kind of dream, often multiple dreams. That only started happening after I decided to take seriously the messages from God. I only remember tiny bits of information but it’s surprising how much symbolic wisdom can come from evaluating your seemingly random dreams.

A good number of them are personal. Praying Medic warns the reader to be careful who you share your dreams with, especially when you don’t know what they’re about. 

The best piece of advice I found in this book is to note how a dream made you feel. 

Emotion is a critical part of knowing where the dream originated, meaning what is the spirit behind it? Evil spirits will try to pass messages to us in dreams as well. Emotions like fear, hatred, lust and violence are from demonic spirits. They can be represented by darkness, aliens, rats and countless other symbols.

We shouldn’t use a symbol like a body of water, for instance, and say it represents only one thing. A lot of the symbolism depends on the nature of the dream. Drowning in a raging ocean is vastly different than surfing on a sunny day. I’ve had violent dreams were I was being chased by knife wielding assassins, I’ve also dreamed that I murdered someone. The first one was terrifying. I couldn't fall asleep after that, afraid of the dream staring all over again. 

In the second dream, I killed a person and conjured as much emotion as if I was screwing hinges on a bedroom door. The violence wasn’t the point in the second dream, it was in the first.

I can’t say whether everything in the book lines up completely with the scriptures. But he certainly makes an effort of it. The back of the book contains a helpful guide to spiritual discernment of dream symbols. He references the glossary with biblical passages for each word, all contain multiple scriptures.

Are there elements that don’t completely fit into an evangelical/protestant doctrine? Perhaps, I’m not the best judge of that.

This is admittedly a weird, unknown subject that probably raises some eyebrows. Much of dream interpretation is subjective, opening it up to charges of New Age silliness. Who can say what a dream means given the very conceptual nature of them? I think in most cases we can figure out for ourselves by following a common format to symbols. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to wake up, many times, and know immediately what my dream was about.

I subscribe whole heartedly to Praying Medic’s advice though. Write them down, value your dreams and you’ll have more of them.

The Necessity of Football

 

Friday night is high school football night for anyone growing up in America. 

 Here in Oklahoma it’s almost a sacred past time that only the bravest of souls dare monkey with.

 I seriously doubt that if the height of Covid 19 season began in August or September school officials would have shut it down. No chance. Coaches would make arrangements, fans might spread out and players might separate for a while, but no one would cancel football.

Even in Illinois, a less pigskin crazy state, it’s still football that brings out the crowds on Fridays. It’s a bit cooler this year up north but no bother, it’s the season for cheering crowds, hard hits, chilly temps and buttery popcorn scents wafting through the bleachers. I took in game last night at Lincoln Christian. I choose the school where I know the most people, many of whose kids play on the team or cheer.

Lincoln Christian (Bulldogs) are well coached and highly disciplined for a 3A school team. I’m not an expert on these things but the difference in squads was obvious. Since it was homecoming for the Bulldogs everyone expected a massacre, the kind you’re embarrassed to cheer for. I don’t mean like the New England Patriots used to do to the Jets every year. I mean like an Aussie cop on a citizen who snuck out of his house without a mask.

 After the 3^rd touchdown in 10 minutes of game time I started feeling bad for the other team, Locust Grove. I took a look at their record before the game. There were a lot of zeros on their side of the ledger. Seems like every school gives them the jackboot treatment. Small community schools suffer from the same problems across the country, a limited talent pool with little option to move kids in. Coaches understand that you can only win with small kids and average talent for a little while. You’ll have some nail bitters where smart play makes up the difference in a close one. But for long term winning you need to attract big athletes, year after year.

Some schools just won’t get there. They can’t. The best they can hope for is to have a few strong teams every decade or so. It’s tough on the kids to go out there and get smashed like that every week. Every game becomes a reminder of how awful their situation. Consistent losing also keeps what little talent exists away. No kid wants to join a team that’s reluctant to take the field every week. He’ll likely go play baseball. 

I’m not much of an athlete so the world of big time high school sports remained a mystery.

Working at a sporting goods store where the half the salesman were either college athletes or coaches has caught me up quick. High school football is about recruiting the best kids. I don’t mean recruiting in an illegal way, although that certainly happens. I just mean establishing a pipeline of talent to fill the ranks of your high school squad. Much of it happens naturally. Consistent winning makes parents of young athletes want to live there. So they move in to the area and get their boys in football.

This is true for other sports and disciplines (wrestling, band, theater) but football is the big show and probably will be for some time.

Whenever I hear some anti-football zealot detailing the cost of the injuries or the risk of head trauma I have to shake my head. Football is popular BECAUSE it’s dangerous, not in spite of it. There is a rough, masculine intensity that you don’t get from soccer or baseball or basketball. But I’m all for making sports safer and more accessible. I sell high end football helmets and shoulder pads after all. Just don’t mess with its internal parts. It’s strategic and violent; it rewards discipline and hard work.

 It’s not designed for everyone, like marching bands and theater.

But I’m for football--in all its societal shaming and ‘tut tutting’ about its dangers. No one gave up on the game last night either. Despite the drubbing the Pirates dug in and played hard.

They even found a little bit of juice near the end of the game. The Bulldogs invoked the unstated mercy rule and let their JV team have a go in the second half. On a kickoff return one of Locust Grove's speedier backs found a seam and took it down the sideline for touchdown.

At that point I had switched allegiance and started rooting for them. Not all schools can have historic winning programs and dominate the class. But individual players are capable of greatness in the moment. For that kid, on that night, during that play—he was best talent on the field.

Football pays you back sometimes.

 

Documentaries on Friday

 

.

 I considered going to a football game Friday night but decided to watch it at home instead.

 This is high school by the way. Around here they show at least one game per week on TV, usually the best match up of the week. I wasn’t able to find it after scanning the channels though. Same thing happened last week. What’s likely going on is that the game is only available on the cable affiliate. I’ve got an old school antenna and no, I don’t miss having cable TV. Other than high school football games I don’t watch sports anymore. I’m through with woke sports; this is year two of pretending the baseball and football don't exist at the pro level.

 Golf is the one exception because it’s positively focused on the sport. But I wouldn’t rush home to in order to watch a match. If it’s on great, if not no big deal.

Without sports I won't pay for cable, the internet however is another matter. The high school game was supposed to be on a YouTube channel but it never started. I might have had the wrong station but the date and teams were correct on the description line. Whatever. I had already convinced myself I wasn’t going to write or do any sort of work last night. I surfed Hulu for bit, then Amazon.

Finally I landed on a documentary about drummers on Netflix instead called “Count Me In”. Anytime I can listen to a gifted musician, or artist or athlete talk about their process I'll check it out. I’m not even a big Rock N Roll guy anymore. I hardly listen to music on a regular basis anymore. When writing I like to put on a Pandora station (jazz mostly) for background.

 Documentaries are to me what sitcoms are to others, nostalgia and silly stories. But right in the middle, I’d call it the sweet spot, are professionals talking about their love of craft. Try it next time you watch any of these shows featuring pros, experts. It works for cooking, painting, home restoration builders, actors and countless others. They really love what they do and it’s inspiring.

I recognize most of them contain a lot of filler. Here is what I mean. On the drummer doc there was a lot of talk about Keith Moon (The Who) and John Boham (Led Zeppelin). Others were mentioned as well from the early jazz guys like Buddy Rich and Art Blakey. I don’t have any special inside knowledge on styles or sounds or creativity, but these are names most people know. If you didn’t know the names of the drummer you’d certainly know the bands. My point is you can fill up a lot of time talking about legends and showing old footage.

 It’s easy to do and it becomes a point of reference for the rest of the story. It brings the viewer back to something they likely remember from childhood.  

 In fact, most of the film consists of drummers breaking down their inspirations. Just a side note here: not one of these current band members referenced Neil Peart from Rush. Really guys? Not one mention?

I recognize how simple this format is and I still love it. Sitcoms come to mind because the  educational value is zero, just entertainment. This is how some documentaries are done and you either love it or you don’t. ESPN did one called just last year called "The Last Dance" about the Chicago Bulls and their final championship run in 1998. The series stretched over 10 episodes and included a ton of old footage. It was a masterclass in how to do documentaries right.

Some are more historical or investigative, this kind relies heavily on interviews to move the story.

 "Count Me In" reminds me a of the "VH1 Behind the Music" series.  There is a story running in parallel to the parade of old rockers detailing their influences. Four drummers prepare for kind of jam session (Is that what they’re called?) in middle of telling their origins. Stephen Perkins (Janes Addiction), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz), Jess Bowan (The Summer Set).

The session right at the end of the film was intense. I’m not that into long drum solos but for those inclined it was skill central. I like the stories, the history, the inspiration and the creativity. For that reason documentaries work well for bored days when nothing else will do.

Or if you can’t find your high school football game on the YouTube.

Restoration of the Mind

 

So I finished my kitchen on Sunday. I had a goal to repaint the cabinets in an off white color for a different look. Not only was the color uneven before but it should have been done years ago. That’s on me. I’m not the most eager home improvement type. Some of my friends spend every other weekend doing some home project. Their houses look amazing because of it too. But for me I like to read and write . . .  everything else is a distraction from that.

Despite my lack of energy on the whole effort I didn’t take any shortcuts. I took everything out of the drawers, cleaned the shelves, taped the corners and put on 3 coats of paint. My mom helped me for a few hours saving me serious time. I found some inexpensive paint at the re-store (a habitat for humanity center) and covered the wood with it. Years ago my plan was to sand off the old mocha paint that covered the cabinets. My brother started on this when he lived here. It was clear this was going to be more work than I wanted to put in, him too. He sanded off the top coat of paint to reveal a kind of shabby chic, rustic look. It was purely accidental but I kind of liked it.

Also I was lazy and decided to leave it alone.

The new off white is better if only because it’s a fresh coat of paint. Nothing is easier to accomplish and brighten up a home’s interior than new colors. I wonder how much of that is purely mental. Does the new color and clean look actually look better, or am just responding to the feeling of accomplishment? The answer doesn’t actually matter. It works every time I try it.

Why bother to mention such an easy renovation, a weekend job that a lot of people can do in half the time? Because success builds on success and even little projects you didn’t want to do will teach you how to increase in complexity for projects. I didn’t just need to paint and remove hinges from the old cabinets; I had to put them back the correct way and make sure they fit. This sound easy but it’s tough to make them fit again. I had the cabinets doors switched around the first time. Technically they should fit either side but they don’t. Each door only fit right in the exact spot I removed it from.

The cabinet doors didn’t line up great before my little fix anyway. My house was built in the early 1940’s so a lot of the structure is worn and a little crooked. A settled house means doors never hang right. I assumed I’d screw the hinges back in, line up the clasp to the lock and attach the hinges to the spine. It’s never quite as easy as you imagine it. But then that’s restoration. The increasing complexity is in lining up the hinges after you’ve taken them down. You can’t just use the old holes if the hinges on the door aren’t lined up exactly right, and mine weren’t.

 The problem solving comes from figuring out which door fits where.

I got to a stopping point and finished for the night. A stopping point for me is when I’ve made improvements beyond what a non-carpenter will put up with, but not tried for perfection. It’s better than “That’ll do” not as good as “Wow, that’s amazing!”

It sounds funny to mention problem solving in such a straightforward paint project. For a lot of guys this is stuff they can do half drunk while watching a football game. But home repair stuff is on my ‘hate to do list’ if such a thing exists. For other guys it’s events like funerals or birthday parties. Some guys don’t like to do anything creative on their own. They’re social animals and cloistering in some library to study local history or scanning databases for academic research is anathema.

 Problem solving home repair is my kryptonite, or at least it used to be.

I’m a big believer in positive confession. Everyone should speak positive confession over their mind and body on a daily basis. It’s crucial when we have obvious setbacks or are prone to laziness. I’ve addressed the issue of problem solving in my prayer time. I see myself as a new creature in Christ with new habits and new mindsets.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIV

This is my daily verse and I’m starting to believe it.

Consistency over Competition

 

Have I said everything I can say about running? 

Not a chance. 

In the early days of my blog I focused on things like health and fitness, injury and advancement. I’d list the distances and the increasing running load. I’d mention breathing, water and how the cold affects the lungs in January versus October. The weather is always a concern, it determines so much about the run. But jogging year round makes one flexible to extremes.

I’m at a point where I run less throughout the week but with more consistency.

 Here’s what I mean. When training for a race I stay on a schedule. That schedule usually demands 3 to 4 days a week with increasing difficulty. I run hills for a day and then flat ground, up the distance and the pace after a month. I only ever did a couple of half marathons so my training load wasn’t crazy. But sticking to a schedule is important to build muscle and endurance for race day.

But I never wanted to race and quit. It’s more important to develop a regular pattern for staying in shape. I choose running first but not only. I use the stationary bike and the stair climber at the gym. It breaks up the boredom of jogging at the same pace and exercises different muscle groups. Besides, I’m not as competitive as many of my friends.

 I like to compete with myself and show improvement over time, but it’s less important that getting up every day and putting in work. I don’t want to lose my drive to stay fit. It’s too easy. Life can get busy and unless it’s a priority it quickly goes away. We often put too much emphasis on the competitive nature of whatever we are doing. Who is the best? What’s my time? How’s my average?

These might keep you going for a while but quickly fade in importance. Only the most competitive stay at the top and push themselves past age and injury. For most of us consistency is a more achievable goal. That’s where I’m at right now. And No, this isn’t an excuse to explain why I haven’t done races for 2 years. But there is a nagging assumption (in my head) that not increasing is actually decreasing.

Let me explain. In business if you don’t grow you die. No company that expects to grow can say “No more accounts please we’ve got enough”. You don’t turn away business. You add staff, buy more machines, invest in better software and streamline where possible. It’s the nature of capitalism, grow or die. It’s a model of success that rings true. It’s mostly true with the physical body, we build on previous strengths.

But the body breaks down over time. Why can’t I run as fast as I did in when I was in the Army? If anything I’ve improved my average distance by orders of magnitude. But 22 isn’t 42, as if we needed a reminder. My goals have to be different now. Our bodies don’t respond the way a company does. Decay is built in at the foundation and although we improve we’re not able to break out of the code.

I hope that’s not too much of a downer. Consistency creates a hardness that overcomes the superficial nagging elements at work in our bodies. I get up early and early and run because. . .I get up early and run. I don’t think about it too much. The decision is already made. It’s raining? Hit the gym. I’m sick? Do it tomorrow. I don’t feel like it. Then go half distance.

My first goal is to keep going. Everything else flows from there.

 

 

 

Val Kilmer is Not Acting

 

Val Kilmer’s new movie Val looks back over his life and career with appropriate nostalgia and a shade of gratitude from an actor who never needed it.

 He looks terrible. That’s the first thing you notice. He’s 61 but is reeling from the cancer treatment he underwent just recently. The surgery put an end to his Mark Twain dinner performances and left him without the ability to use his voice. He does manage to talk through a hole in his larynx, but his son narrates much of the film.

Val takes a day in the life approach but the home video stuff shoulders most of the load.

 Kilmer’s story is shown chronologically but overlain with recent developments in his life. His mother died at some point during the filming, or just before it. There have been a slew of these documentaries about a particular actor’s life that are no better than long winded reminiscences (see Kid 90). I’m not picking on them. I enjoy a trip down memory lane as much as anyone. But they often lack a theme, choosing instead to have actors talk about the good ol’ days.

If you aren’t careful you lose the message in a flurry of old VHS recordings no one cares about.

 If there is a theme in Val it’s how fortunate a life he’s had.

 It’s a long movie, but I wasn’t bored or frustrated with all the ‘look at me’ getting famous stuff. He’s an artistic sort of guy that comes alive whenever a video camera is around. Some souls just need to perform; that characterization fits Val like the eclectic Jim Morrison role he inhibited in the Doors. I don’t know anyone who loved the movie, but no one would argue how brilliant he was. Whenever I hear “Break on Through” I picture Val Kilmer’s Morrison leaning drunkenly on the mic stand in a dark night club.

There is a little inside baseball stuff on the Doors but not too much.

I don’t usually like to see behind the curtain of movie making. It rarely improves my opinion of actors. One example is the mess that was The Island of Dr. Moreau. Marlon Brando in particular comes off spoiled, lazy and so overweight that the studio just replaced him another fat guy and took away his lines. Kilmer can’t stop talking about how much of genius Brando despite his obvious indifference to the film, and life itself it seems. Val sounds a bit whiny in some of the off screen stuff as well, earning him the “difficult” moniker.

Supposedly he was difficult in Top Gun as well, his first real break.

Mostly he says he played up the rivalry with Tom Cruise the same way their characters battled in the movie. Whether that’s how Tom remembers it is anyone’s guess. As a kid I like the Iceman character “It’s how he flies, ice cold, no mistakes” and scene stealing arrogance Lt. Tom Kanzansky (Kilmer) radiates.

His best films are the ones where he gets to reimagine a character, or just add a little extra uniqueness. He’s a loyal friend and hopeless gambler clinging to life in Tombstone. He’s a master thief in the Saint, a decent movie that shows his range.

I thought he was wasted in Heat. Part of the appeal of the movie is the big names: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Jon Voight. Val Kilmer plays a bag man with too little screen time to stretch the limited role. I like the characters he created in Spartan and the Salton Sea, determined and just a little nuts.

There is a telling scene in Val when Kilmer is at an event in Tombstone, AZ signing autographs for fans. At night the crowd gathered for an outdoor showing of the film that made him famous for playing Doc Holiday. After the hoopla, and pictures with the faithful he makes his way back to his cabin in a slightly wistful mood. He’d rather not be doing this sort of thing but recognizes how grateful he is to have had the career he’s had. If not for the original roles and popularity it all goes away. He might even think it a little pathetic but knows not to complain.

A younger, cockier Val Kilmer wouldn’t show gratitude like this. That comes with age and wisdom. So many things need to go right to make it big in Hollywood. The world is full of great actors and actresses that will never sniff fame. Watch his performance on Inside the Actors Studio. He’s at the top of his game, arrogant and playful--soaking in the awe from the crowd. That’s a guy who directors bring movies to.

He was picky about roles early in his career despite making some mistakes along the way. He doesn’t pretend that Batman Forever was a great movie, “Count how many times I put my hands on my hips”. Clearly he didn’t think it had much to do with acting; as a Julliard trained theatre prodigy he ought to know. Still, a lot of guys would love to be working on such a big picture. I think that reality has set in finally.

There is an aspect of religious expression he embraces now. I hesitate to say dogmatic adherence to a set of principles, he’s way too artistic for that. His parents were members of a Christian Science church, the spirituality of which found its way into his paintings (yes he paints too). A lot of it has to do with his cancer and treatment. Disease levels all of us and we feel something we might have never felt otherwise, vulnerable. I don’t know his level of faith in God or even what Christian Science teaches, but I hope he finds Christ in all of it.   

I hope he gets back to acting on some level. I’ll always be a fan. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

 

Mark 16: Commentary

 

Mark 16

The last chapter in the book ends with hope and mission for believers.

 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James go to the tomb to put spices on Jesus’ body. They arrive and notice a man with a robe sitting there. “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” (6-7)

 Is the man in a white robe an angel send from heaven to deliver the good news? Probably. That’s hardly the most important part of the story though. Jesus is alive and well! He conquered the grave and took the sting of death away for all time. It’s impossible to overstate the significance of that day.

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and when she told the others they didn’t believe. I don’t think I would either. They had just witnessed a gruesome spectacle when Jesus was beaten and hung on the cross. They probably didn’t want to think about it anymore. But they had seen signs and wonders all while following Him, why did they have such trouble believing? Most of us are this way. We always fall back to natural thinking (doubt) without faith.

We have an assignment called the Great Commission, Jesus gives believers a job to do. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (15) It’s the last instruction that Jesus gives us. He lets us know what’s really important and tells us what to expect. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly; it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”(17-18)

There is so much in there to tackle I’m not sure where to start. First, this is a clear explanation of why the gifts of the Spirit are operational today and that tongues are a large part of it. Large parts of the Church don’t believe in it today. But I think that’s because it’s easier not to. Speaking in an unknown tongue is a little weird for sure, but it’s supported in scripture and expected of us. We miss out when we don’t take full advantage of the gifts God gives us.

Second, this is a list of miraculous signs that are to follow ‘those who believe”. We don’t see it much today, as a result we don’t believe it. The reverse is also true. When we see miracles and wonders frequently we don’t have as much trouble believing them. This is along the lines of what Bill Johnson (Bethel) meant when he talked about miracles creating a record. The record multiplies and reaches far and wide.

Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that science and religion don’t mix and never should. But the model for the future will be rooted in miracles, not only healing but also in lives turned from darkness to light. The old order that rejects God is passing away and it’s time for true believers to stand up and move with God. We’ve been too careful and cautious with those outside the faith.

What started out as a good faith effort to bring in the lost, has softened the gospel into mushy life coaching. We’ve ground down the sharp edges to make the savior more appealing. But it won’t hold up in a world that’s overrun with evil. Christ’s love is deeper than we can imagine. What better way to show that than through His death. But the task is up to Christians now to finish what He started. What better way to show that than through His resurrection.

We’re going to see a return to an authentic and useful faith in the near future. The Great Commission represents the way forward to a church that’s finding its way back to the Jesus path.