Jesus the Virgin at Cedarville College

(bringing more bemusement to cedarvillians than to the unwashed....)

I dreamed that Lynn and I went to Dr. D.'s funeral (knock on wood -- as far as I know he hasn't passed) &, surprise, surprise, it had quality stamped all over it.

Sorta. Or maybe just bizarre carnivalesque stamped all over it.

We had to park downtown Cedarville, and I ran into Dave Hamblin (current Malone student) over by Lawlor Hall, only they had broken up Lawlor and were calling each wing a different name. He lived in the back wing and when I asked if I could stop by to borrow a tie, he said sure stop by Unit 28 in Ashanti (hindu for peace).

Well I had to get going, because I knew things would be getting started. I joined mom, dad, ang & lynn in the vestibule of the D.M.C. (which had been added onto with another vast floor above the existing one. Floor to Ceiling window. Candles burning EVERYWHERE and -- of course -- the pep band. Trying to play staid music.

They were interupted by David Robey and Dave Ormsbe. "Make no mistake," said Robey, "this depiction is true. Jesus died as a virgin."

Suddenly there were torches and drums and sitars playing. and actors dressed as roman soldiers and disciples and Caspar Van Dien dressed as Jesus. He looked astonishingly like the White Jesus paintings that have dominated the last couple centuries of Jesus-depicting.

(BTW ~ went to embody site yesterday, and this is clearly some source material for the dream ~ look out its flash and you can probably only spend enough time if you've got a fast connection)

"Jesus" gave a speech on abstinence and gradually laid down on the floor in the middle of the crowd of Cedarville students come-to-mourn.

Roman soldiers hoisted his body up and took it away.

Inside the auditorium, the band had already started playing, but the band director came up to me (not anyone I'd ever met before) and let me know that he had met me last year at homecoming. I smiled, nodded, shook his hand, played polite. But he just stared at me like that meant like we had LOTS to talk about.

it's the kind of interaction that I imagine Daniel having on a regular basis with his parishioners. (btw ~ if you have a weak stomach, beware that last link).

So then I had to go give my regards to Pat D. who had taken to a large queen size bed right there in the foyer. Gloria was in a chair by her bedside, telling her a hilarious story about getting lost on the way to the funeral.

She was laughing and laughing until I started talking, I was relating a story about cleaning out my closet. Pat just turned over and went to sleep.

I slipped into the auditorium where Jeff Beste was leading the congregation in hymns. Incense was burning everywhere. Pew candles at the end of each pew were lit and there were thousands of people there.

John Ruhlin (Malone student) got up and gave a talk about the inevitability of scientific theory catching up with theology eventually. Only he was absolutely too smart for me to understand. (that's when I knew it was a dream.... JUST KIDDING, John!)

It is when i started waking up...

well, we leave for our last pilgrimage of the summer later today so the blog will be relatively silent for the upcoming week. hope you become deeper and truer this week. and that you rest. that may be one of my resolutions this schoolyear -- REST as a spiritual discipline.

(so far the list is: 1.spend time with non-students, 2. feel more, think less.)

peace~