Dreams and Stuff

Stuff
Before we get into the meat (dream scenario), turn your attention to the latest food worry. Wait for it...polyfluoroalykyl substances, or PFAS, have been found in foods. Don’t you just love that kind of talk? Polyfluoroalykyl substances: poly, many (also designated “per”); fluoro, flourine atoms; alykyl, carbon chain with most or all of the hydrogen atoms replaced by halogens; substances. (We know what substances are.) Just imagine a chain of carbon atoms...well, you get the picture. Link.

The “crisis” involved with this is that PFAS do not occur naturally in nature. They are man-made, and are the basis of non-stick coatings on cookware. They also are used to keep grease, water and stains off countless consumer items, including in food packaging, carpets and couches, dental floss and outdoor gear. Would this include ScotchGuard?

The chemicals also are found in firefighting foam, which the Department of Defense calls irreplaceable in suppressing jet-fuel fires. The key issue here is: “Do they do any damage in the human body?”

Well, there is the rub. There are correlative instances where levels of PFAS were found in food or water and the incidence of cancer increased. Is this causal or coincidental? It is not clear at the present time. But, some agencies are reacting more speedily than others. “If there is a chance, ban or restrict.” Others say, “We must be sure before we act.”

If you have been following the ongoing research on coffee and eggs, you know that the “experts” have variously declared both substances bad or very bad, only to have subsequent studies and new “experts” declare that they are not only benign but have positive effects on the body. (Incidentally, do you know the definition of an “expert?” An “ex” is a has been and a “spurt” is a drip under pressure. Expert.) Anyway, back and forth the debate rages. PFAS currently are bad boys, but they might be okay, especially considering the value of their contribution to food handling and preparation. Sigh....

Dreams
Our study of Genesis progressed into Chapter 40 where the butler and baker in Pharaoh’s service were thrown into prison for displeasing the king. They each had a dream and Joseph interpreted them. Joseph was familiar with dreams, having had at least two of his own. Although at this point he has not seen his come true.

The butler dreamed that he was back in Pharaoh’s service and that came true. The baker dreamed that Pharaoh’s baked goods were eaten out of a basket on his head. “Bad news,” Joseph told him. You will be hanged and birds will eat your flesh. And that happened just as Joseph said.

Have you had any dreams that bother you? Well, the other night I dreamed that the wife and I were at a wake/funeral and as we prepared to return home, I needed a bathroom stop. So she went to get the car and we were to meet in the parking lot. I left the police station, did I say that the event was in a police station? And I do not know who the remembrance was commemorating. But I digress.

Well, I walked out of the station and didn’t see the car. As I started to return inside to inquire where the parking lot was, Bev, having parked down the street, jumped out, waved, and called my name. I turned to look and to the horror of us both, the car began to coast away from her. Then it accelerated and crashed into an empty lot. Empty, that is, except for a junker vehicle that just happened to be parked there. It smashed into the “classic” vehicle, as the owner would declare on the insurance form, and demolished both of them. (The cars, not the owner.)

Scene change: We are talking to a husband and wife insurance team and they are questioning our previous claim (who knows?) from about 10 years ago. It seems that we had “accepted” the settlement based on a different evaluation than the standard “Taiwan evaluation” that all insurance companies use.

I explained that we were changing insurance companies and the new company offered the higher payout. And what did that have to do with this claim? Just a reminder, dreams do not have to make sense, be coherent, nor adhere to fact. Then the lights come up and I rolled out of bed.

Any suggestions as to the meaning or import? I did mention at breakfast that we should never leave a car running and in gear. But that is all that I could decipher or interpret. Guess we need Joseph.

More Stuff
The Pastor on Sunday preached on the church at Thyatira, in Revelation 2. (V. 18-29) This was the church that was more tolerant than God. It is dangerous to “tolerate” what God does not. He continued to explain that many churches have drifted by redefining tolerance. Some accept any and every thing in the fear of offending anyone. Others have become so strictly definitive (legalistic) that they ban and prohibit almost everything. In that case, both sides also condemn everyone who disagrees with them.

Neither stance is Biblical nor pleasing to the Lord. Some critics have condemned the Church for evangelizing other cultures. The definition of tolerance is that everyone is right, regardless of what they believe. So sending “missionaries” to “pagan” cultures is imposing western and worse, Christian values on these “pristine,” native cultures.

Without even evaluating the positive good that evangelistic efforts have produced all over the world, and they have been massive, a better definition of tolerance is the freedom to PROPOSE alternative values.

(Note: Yes, some, in the name of the church, have perpetrated atrocities around the world. But these actions were not in line with the teachings of Jesus. A wise man once said, “Do not judge a concept by its misuse or perversion.” We need to examine the basic teachings of the founder of any group or movement. Base any judgment on that. Consider this carefully. Back to the message.)

Missionaries propose alternative life activities and goals. They are not imposed on the innocent natives. And, now considering the value of “regime change” in lives, missionaries have produced better quality of life for every culture into which the Gospel has been accurately introduced. Schools, hospitals, increased standard of living, and most importantly, respect for life, mark the trail of missions organizations all over the world.

One last comment from Pastor: Inside the church we can, and do, have different interpretations of doctrinal issues. Types of music, worship styles, translations that are acceptable or not, the timing of the Lord’s return are just some of the differences. (Dipped, dunked, sprinkled, poured, or even “daubed as a baby” are included in this cacophony of claims. Some even argue about forward or backward and an additional voice requires triple back dunks.) These are like state lines in the United States. We cross them nonchalantly. The only notification that we are changing states is a sign proudly announcing, “You are now entering the great state of....” Or some such verbiage. Tolerating these differences is not a bad thing. In fact, that will strengthen the bonds that bind us.

But there are doctrinal differences, such as the necessity of belief in Jesus. Is He really God, the second Person of the Trinity? Is the Bible authoritative or merely a cultural artifact of the times in which it was written? Those are national borders. You have to go through checkpoints, with proper credentials. And now you are in another country. Theologically, this is not being true to Christ’s teaching. “Tolerating” these changes and interpretations was what the church in Thyatira practiced. And the Lord condemned them.

“I gave her time to repent.” (V. 21) And “I will kill her followers...and give each one according to his deeds.” (V. 23) Toleration redefined leads to the situation where each person becomes the authority, rather than yielding to the Lord. And finally, this leads to fearing the wrong judgment. Often groups acquiesce to human values to avoid being ostracized or condemned. But the judgment of the King is the one to ultimately determine our destiny.

And finally, how does all of this cohere? Additives in food enhance the taste or convenience. “Judging” and condemning or abandoning them will entail collateral costs. And sometimes our “dreams” or research results are meaningful. At other times they are peripheral, portentous, or irrelevant. Likewise, differences in church are not always indicative of divine Messages. And ultimately, we must learn to “tolerate” ideas that are “state lines” and refute and reject those that are national lines.

How is that for some mental gymnastics comparable to freestyle exercises? See you next time.