And Daniel Said...

I’m proud of me.

Yesterday I did not so much as open a single computer file on fire history.

When I realized just how much that project was pushing me and controlling my behavior, I cut back and slowed down work on it. I’m still working on that book but I’ve decided not to let it drive me to the exclusion of all else.

I find that when I feel harried, that generally means I’m doing something God has not told me to do.

He said, His burden is easy and His yoke light. And when I’m being driven and stress out over a project, that’s a good sign that I’m acting because I’ve got some bug of my own up my ass. I mean, can you imagine the Lord getting frantic over anything?

That’s just not His way.

Anyhow, instead of pushing ahead with fire history, I did a few things around the house and winterized some of Ginny’s plants because a freeze is expected tonight (down from the low 80s last week).

Oddly enough, as I worked moving plants under cover, and not even thinking about the fire history book, I suddenly realized a discrepancy in an incident from 1985 that I should reconcile. Had I been steamrolling ahead with the text, I may well have not seen the error.

My friend Barbara came over and we went to lunch at Dave’s Diner.

Barbara has been reading the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and she got to telling me about something Daniel said… I know I’ve been tired out of mind from all the extra work I’ve put into the fire history, but my friend’s words made less and less sense to me.

I felt as though I would droop over with my head on my plate and go to sleep right there in Dave’s as she talked about what Daniel said.

Now, in biblically oriented circles the Book of Revelation, last book in the New Testament, and the Book of Daniel, the Old Testament Prophet of Lion’s Den fame, are often linked because of similarity in language, imagery, and vision.

(I think the connection between the two is speculative at best, but that’s neither here nor there).

What I’d forgotten is that the name of the pastor of the church where Barbara worships is Daniel.

She was talking about her pastor Daniel; I was hearing about the ancient Prophet Daniel!

No wonder I got so confused.

Saw a cartoon the other day:

Death with black cowl and scythe knocks on a door.

A tottering old lady answers.

The grim reaper announces, “I am Death”.

She shouts, “THAT’S OK, SONNY. I’LL TALK REAL LOUD”.