Any Dream Will Do

 The lawn behind Forgan Smith Building, UQ at noon (note the slanted shadows)

I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain
To see for certain what I thought I knew
Far far away, someone was weeping
But the world was sleeping
Any dream will do

I wore my coat, with golden lining
Bright colours shining, wonderful and new
And in the east, the dawn was breaking
And the world was waking
Any dream will do

A crash of drums, a flash of light
My golden coat flew out of sight
The colours faded into darkness
I was left alone

May I return to the beginning
The light is dimming, and the dream is too
The world and I, we are still waiting
Still hesitating
Any dream will do

A crash of drums, a flash of light
My golden coat flew out of sight
The colours faded into darkness
I was left alone

May I return to the beginning
The light is dimming, and the dream is too
The world and I, we are still waiting
Still hesitating
Any dream will do

A very cheerful song of the dear Dreamer.

The Ferris Wheel at Southbank

Today
A long day of 5 continuous hours of class. (4, cos I decided PASS was less important than studying for the Econs test). A better focus during Constitutional Law lecture, a better preparation for the tutorial. Still struggling to catch up with the concepts and how to tackle this subject.
I left econs test early because I had done what I could; no point checking something thrice and changing my answer to a wrong one. I guess I could have studied better but I've been tied up with the law subjects which are more important anyway.
After class... a trip to Indooroopilly for thinning scissors, had Si Yi over for David's dinner of pasta in beef stew + mushroom and chicken (heh. Don't anyone let David know i posted about this) which was... 'edible'. Dinner was over an appreciation of the Joseph soundtrack and a small introduction of two books to Si Yi.

Zoe
Man was created in the image of God. Gen1:27 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.' There is so much to explore in this single sentence.
For example 'created': what was this creation process? A manufacturing from raw materials (think Frankenstein)? A materializing from nothingness? The Bible suggests assemblage from dust.
'In his own image' so God has two hands and two legs? Hair? A beating heart, lungs? God can run, dance, sleep? Not quite the image of God we are used to. This phrase actually suggests that man was created to be a resemblance of God; to be God-like creatures that multiply and fill the earth and therefore we must fulfill this purpose. This is however not the crux of tonight's post.
This post focuses only on 'image'.

There are two levels of life and consciousness. There is animal consciousness, or Bios which is pretty much what animals have as well, and it comes to us by nature. Bios is upkept by subsidies from Nature such as air, water, food.. The Spiritual life is that which is in God from all eternity, and which made the whole natural universe, is Zoe. Bios is just a shadow, a trace of Zoe, just as a statue resembles a living man and a photo resembles a particular place.

God created us as flesh. For the entire Old Testament, through the struggles of God's people from creation to fall to deliverance to restoration, all man was living in the flesh. This made us weak to temptations and to our lack of power to do many things. The people turned to worshipping idols and committing immoral acts and doing evil as they gave in to desires of flesh, to greed and jealousy and hatred.

With the salvation brought to us through the death of Christ, the sins of us the flesh are atoned for. Not just now, but forever. The sins of all man, in the past present and future have been atoned for; we are now set free. God has saved us from death, and given us eternal life. I need not go on, salvation is the first message we hear as pre-believers.
The point of salvation is this: We were bought at a price. We are not our own. (1Cor6:20). Therefore, just as Christ died for us, we are to die to ourselves (baptism) and be born again, living a new life with and for Jesus. John 3:5 'No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit'. Rom6 tells us that we are dead to sin, and alive in Christ.

The Spirit came to the church as Jesus had promised in Acts1:8, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. This is where we began to live no longer in the flesh, which is dead, but in the Spirit, which is alive. Alive for eternity, and so full of God's glory. Any pilgrim of the time before the day of Pentecost in the year 33 (am I historically accurate?) would have given anything to have this privilege we have.

The change in us from Bios to Zoe is like being turned from stone to man. It is coming to life; spiritual life. Just as how God turned us from dust into flesh. The next transformation is from flesh into spirit; Bios to Zoe.

And in view of the time.. the Sword of Damacles can wait.

The bouganvillea corridor (whatever its real name is) that runs along the main part of Southbank.