“17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22  he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23  To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” 24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.” 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.” (Da 2:17–30 ESV)

Enfeebled no more, the game plan is highly optimized, high adrenaline, high revving of motors, around clearing deck and evading malaise, evading storm clouds, evading blinding sins, evading charism and humors that have become Taken Over. Clearing decks, doing the dishes, Lancing Forth into a fourth dimension, a curious dimension, a shape-shifting dimension and we… we hold in the palm of our hands a trinket, a Bible, curious object. Called the Fruit of Salvation’s History, called Christ with and For Us, called Energies and Inventiveness around Today’s Readiness and Tomorrow’s Calm Denouement into Stages Zero, One, and waves more, of War.

What we muddle and juggle a bit is a shining Object Invented and Recreated by Faith. Glistening in the Sun, Light to the Darker Years, muddled no longer, we Hold these truths to be self-evident. That Even Flow, wolf and Eve, we are carried along a Spiritual Journey minus Anything substantive to put our faith in beyond the temptation Evaded, the Garden Preserved, the juggling Ended by a Whelming and Overtly Superb flashpoint that encompasses the entire bodily frame. The Advent of Christ with us, He goes overboard to reassure and to Miracle-Talk and to bequeath Calmly a Demeanor just tailored Right for Us, because we will need all the Miracle we can stomach. We will need all the Passion we can embrace. We will need all the Enthusiasm we can muster. It ain’t easy, and already we are being poured out as a Drink Offering.

Time will come, indeed is already here, when we will see how a stitch in time could have saved nine. We will see how simple decision—cue the Reassuring Audio Track—afforded us Forward and Prophetic readiness, while also Due Rest and Calm. We are Amped and Standing at Attention, post-sadness at how many lives will be lost, but Somber and Sober. It becomes our Dutiful Estate, those dying in the uprising and dull roar having bequeathed to us simple orders to Soldier On, to Be of Good Cheer, to know that Theirs—those departed—is the Greater Estate. To have left and gone to be with the Lord.

Enfeebled no longer, we are spycraft and Collectors, Handlers and Accumulators of Bank, of banked Readiness and banked Networking and banks… where, they ask… you must have one friend, maybe two… where are these legions, the fifties and hundreds? And this from doubters in serious Denial of the presenting Scenario, of the Facts on the Ground, of the Sins already coming between us. Christianity makes oblong fools and crossed-wires of All, that a Remnant percolating to the surface may be saved, the damned be Damned. The damned… ebb and flow, they shall unwind and disentangle perhaps come tomorrow-year. But for now, heave ho, the top of the Christian pig pile and no longer frantic, not pushing nary a soul under in our own panic, we elide and glide and float to a Surface called Salvation’s Breath of Air.

And to the innocence, the storm clouds or sins that closet and encumber with heavy greatcoats and heavy mantles… we have in time come to an Understanding, of our own Prevariant Grace as Received. We learn, hey, measured or not, I ain’t lusting any longer. I am not inventing excuses to draw near to situations. And when I do draw near, it is Emboldened to give nary a moment’s thought to the charges, “Adulterer”, “Lustmonkey”, “Compromiser of women, of men”. Because all Good Things are in the muddle of confused lines and confused motives. We must learn and discern and Practice to separate in our mind’s haste and revved Reality, the sin from the Goodness: good, that you sat down for coffee together; good, that you greeted and chatted at church; good, that you flirted with a tempting situation. Memories made, through the forbidden chance encounter on the subway and seatedness Together. All of us: there is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus, but all are one. Better the unmarried estate, that you may devote all your attention to the Lord.

So you Arrive, not knowing what to expect. You are sent to a park bench, to meet the clandestine stranger in overcoat. For a walk. Because you are Loved. Because you know Christianity to be Real and Involved in Real People doing Real Things. Matter of fact, you are blessed for having a mind less frustrated and aped than so many others, than so many of “the faithful”. You dare to Dream, not fearing to be Robbed or held up at gun point. More than that, you yourself Run Game around talking up the Crew, forming the collegiate alliances and social clubs. You Believe, that these folks, they are Placeholders and who… if you go to this hole in the wall, wait up, who do you delegate to go to the other? Each of us knows it ain’t in the numbers, its in the Consecrated Service and rare find, but always there’s One, to Lead, to Represent the hidden Soul and Person behind the screen. To talk, about whether—do we get professional negotiators flown in, at the table—about whether and how to Identify friend and foe “in the field”. Who are the antagonists, bombing and becoming Bombs of spiritual Resistance (resilience?), and who the Life Affirming procreators and parents of Good Folk? We need it, all of it, the ambition and aggression for those likewise Minded and Experienced and Decisive, and the patient Wholesome Stories for the commonly good man and woman.