I
first posted the immediately following paragraph on April 27, 2011:
Once
many years ago (in 1980) I had a dear friend who gave me the
following drawing on a small scratchpad piece of paper just before we
left in his car on an errand one dark and rainy afternoon. It is not
the original drawing, which I lost, but a reproduction to the best of
my memory and like the original is drawn with a broad tipped pen in
black ink. It is a very accurate reproduction for I immediately took
it seriously though he said it was a “little joke.” Very early
on I took the drawing to have spiritual significance and assumed it
was the gift of a divine messenger. The writing beneath states (and
these are the exact words) “A structure like this will please
the dogs in muddy rainy weather.” I take this to mean a holy
structure (the thrice divided triangle) with a cantilever extension
indicating worship of the Lord and also being and outward extension
indicating compassionate involvement in the world—a structure—which
will please the dogs in muddy rainy weather—in other words, through
our time on earth which is a period of “muddy rainy weather.”
The “dogs” I take to be the Lord and all his minions. I am led
to share this with you tonight praying that all might be inspired to
live sturdy, structured, and holy lives.
From
time to time I have experiences that add to my understanding of this
figure. Yesterday evening I was filled with the spirit and the
confirmed immense reality and presence of God. For the first time I
came to appreciate the expanded significance of the “dogs”-- the
Lord God and all his minions. (In truth I have usually focused on
the pyramidal structure.) Dogs are not only “man's best friend”
they can be also be “man's worst enemy” with sometimes lethal
results. In short, for the first time it dawned upon me with all
seriousness the fear I should have of God if I flagrantly betray his
trust—usually in the form of self-righteous pride and arrogance.
The God of the Old Testament is fully capable of chastening me to the
point of death. In other words, if I seriously betrayed his trust
(if the cantilever were not present) I could well not make it to the
end of the block. It is important to remember that physical death is
less significant to God than spiritual death.
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