Tell me a story

We all love story, we’ll love story forever.  It’s the oldest and most powerful form of communication in every culture.  Forget the kids for a moment, wanna get adult attention?  Start with “Let me tell you a story…”  Try it.

Let me tell you a story.

I’m living away far from home for the first time.  My days and my dreams are full of experimentation, full of raw.  So, one night, I find a deep sleep, and I dream.

I find myself up in a tree.  The leaves are gone, the limbs are bare, but I’m not cold. The tree is tall and small –  at the same time.  I’m not alone.  A bird sits next to me. We look down through the branches at the ground below.
On the ground, I can see all of the animal kingdom. Bear and bison, sheep and lion, great wild cats and little baby bunnies. Quiet. Stillness. Peace. Then, all of a sudden, a ferocious chase begins. Growls and shrieks and death screams. The sound alone is unbearable. Predator and prey, the perpetual cycle of life and death. I sob.  

And the bird speaks. “Imagine how I feel.” And in that instant, I know I am in the presence of God. Not the God of my childhood.  The one who sends thunderbolts, floods and famine down on the heads of those who displease him.  A living God, a sorrowful God. Who could be omniscient and not feel pain?

I wake up. I know that never again will I be the same human being.

That’s my true story. A dream I had more than 25 years ago.  Tell me your story.