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Gnawing on Pot Roast and Donuts Together—What Do Kitchens and Food Mean in Dreams?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 10:04am
My last blog reflected on a kitchen as an important place in our hearts and homes.  Now it is your turn to share your thoughts…have you ever had a dream about a kitchen or food? Do you wonder what your dream was about? What do you think your dream meant?
 
Please comment!  Tell what you have dreamed regarding a kitchen,  activity in a kitchen, eating, or any particular type of food. Go wild, have fun, share your dreams, nothing is too weird to post. Read my kitchen blog to get your creative juices flowing if that would help.  
 
Let’s brainstorm together. Share with us if you dreamed it and are curious, you don’t know the answer.  We can ‘process’ your dream elements, ‘chew’ on them together, ‘serve up’ inspiration, ‘dish out’ some possible answers…
 
Relish and mustard the strength to ketchup with each other on this egg-citing subject.  Lettuce milk it for all that it is worth.  Each responder gets a 'brownie point'.  Easy as pie!
 

 

What’s Cooking in Your Kitchen, Besides Food?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 9:53am
I was thinking the other day that if I could redesign my kitchen, besides the usual upgrades one would install in a worn, old kitchen, I would be tempted to widen space to include comfy sofas, because it seems the kitchen is where folks usually gather when they visit.
 
We usually stand around in the kitchen or even sit in the floor while we cook the food and get ready to serve a meal.  Pleasant aromas arise while we greet each other, serve iced tea, ask about each other’s day, listen to the latest adventures.
 
A great deal of our social time (business lunches, friend dates, family discussion, new relationships) occurs while sharing a meal together.  Since we all have to eat, and on a regular basis, meal time can become a precious memory-making treasure to be lovingly prepared for—to purposefully entice and engage heart-felt conversation that strengthens relationships.
 
A friend (Ben Fike) recently quipped, “The family that gnaws on bones together—stays together.”  
 
Restaurants are nice, but they are noisy, full of interruptions, and are designed to get you in—and out—FAST. In our rushed society, the art of hospitality seems to get lost.  People don’t have time to clean their house and don’t want to invite people in to see their mess. 
 
Recently someone told me that hospitality is a powerful weapon—that invites people in, draws hearts to linger, to rest, to open up—to be filled with not only food, but acceptance and love. Just welcoming someone into your home to feed them from the abundance of your own life disarms the enemies of loneliness, despair, or insecurity. Give, and you receive much more back.  
 
I want our home and life to be a safe haven—where people want to return, because they feel embraced, soothed, and nurtured. A little time and effort goes a long way.  Gooey, fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies tear down walls. 
 
Plush sofas could also be a very nice touch.    

 

Farewell to Madison the Cat

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 3:05pm

I just said goodbye to my neighbor cat of 15 years, Madison, a feisty, scrawny brown tabby. I made a heart-wrenching decision to help this poor baby to a better place. 

Her ‘daddy’, my neighbor, Bill, and I had faithfully swapped feeding each others’ pets, watering plants, and gathering mail.  Over the years, I would venture yonder to take care of things while he was on vacation, and playfully tease Madison as she hid on the roof or in a tree, stealthily spying on my comings and goings, only to burst into view with joyful meows at the sound of the can opener. 

Her Bill was a loving, trusting fellow that left his back door opened ever so slightly so she could have in and out access.

Bill died unexpectedly in November, and Madison’s carefree life took a turn for the worse. Relatives shut the ever-open door and locked her inside the house for days on end without food or water.  Only when I insistently begged them to check, did they open the door to kick her out….permanently.

I couldn’t take her…she hates our dogs and won’t even come into our yard. 

The college girls across the street, I thought, were feeding her.  Turns out they were throwing a handful of dry food in the dirt beside their front door, no water, and then they all scattered for the summer. For several months now Madison stays by their front door waiting for them to come home.  They never do.

Madison became my responsibility.

I have inwardly wrestled, watching her turn from a happy kitty to a miserably lonely, scared and grouchy one, especially in the dry Texas summer heat.  When I fed her, she would purr and gulp food, then growl and try to bite me. 

Poor Madison’s world had turned upside down.  Abandonment and grief took a huge toll on her, changing her demeanor and her quality of life.  No one wants to adopt a 16-year-old cat that bites. I made the phone call, set the trap, said goodbye. 

As I process this situation, I can’t help but hurt over pain and injustice I see, even in little things.  The damage that neglect and carelessness inflict on precious creatures. 

Madison is just a cat (I admit I am sometimes extremely tenderhearted), but she reminds me of so many people I know, who also suffer severely from mistreatment and rejection. They may not receive the love they need, and if their helplessness, fear, and sorrow continue long enough—unattended--their hearts can grow hard, bitterness sets in, and they can become ‘unlovable’ in the sense that they tend to bite even the kind hands that try to feed them. 

May we all have watchful eyes and sensitive hearts, and a sense of responsibility to perceive crucial moments or seasons where we can make a difference with a caring, thoughtful gesture—to lift burdens and reverse someone’s hard knocks.

Sweet Madison, I'm going to miss you.

Lion Dreams

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 4:32pm

Have you ever experienced a face-to-face encounter with a lion in a dream?  It seems like dreamers are reporting an increasing amount lion dream appearances.  Lion dreams usually startle the dreamer with their strong, heart-pounding affects.

What do lions mean in dreams? 
 
Remember that dreams are primarily symbolic, and that most symbols may possess both positive and negative possibilities.  Discern whether the lion serves a positive or negative purpose in the dream. 
 
For instance, in scriptures, a lion is often referred to as an evil, intimidating, fearful force that hunts and destroys humanity.  Its roar, a powerful ‘voice’, which can be heard for miles, frightens and paralyzes its prey, so that it can be captured and slaughtered. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 
 
Watch out, folks!  If you experience an angry, starving lion, even in your dreams, it is time to take protective action against attack! 
 
Hungry lion dens were often used as punishment—the ruthless, destructive anger and insatiable hunger was a most hopeless sentence for any helpless person. 
 
On the flip side in the scriptures, a lion represents Jesus Christ, the conquering forceful lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).  One who is unchangeable, unshakeable, unstoppable!
 
Lions in our culture additionally may represent boldness, courage (think Wizard of Oz), highest level of leadership (King of the jungle, top of the food chain), a fiercely independent spirit with an intimidating, incapacitating influence.
 
Recently a friend told me his dream that everywhere he went, he was accompanied by a huge lion.  The lion walked closely, right beside him, and seemed gentle, except when this friend tried to go somewhere on his own.  Then the lion would pounce, pin the dreamer down, and redirect with his huge paws. 
 
Based on context and the tone of this dream, and the fact that the dreamer was a follower of Jesus, we determined that this lion dream was encouraging the dreamer to embrace the protection and strength that came through his faith—when he journeyed on the ‘right’ path for his life.  And the correction that would strike--if he got off track. 
 
Noteworthy, in scripture, one lion eventually overcomes the other lion. If we are a child of God, we are encouraged to make a clear decision regarding which side to align with. Often it can be difficult to tell which side seems to be opposing your efforts!
 
Remember the conversation between Lucy and Mr. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--Lucy asks if Aslan, the lion is safe.  Mr. Beaver responds, ‘Safe?  ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s GOOD.  He’s the King, I tell you.” We human beings can struggle with the mysterious, often scary, supernatural aspects of power demonstrated by lions. 
 
May we each journey wisely, following the best voice that will lead us through GOOD adventures! 

 

Do it Scared

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 1:00pm
In varied settings this week I overheard several conversations that shared a common thread:  fear is keeping people from moving forward into something they know they should be doing.  “I need to….but…I don’t know how, am afraid of what people will think, may not have enough money, might get too tired, might upset someone…” etc.
 
I also (non-coincidentally) stumbled this week upon a long list of phobias—some I could somewhat relate to, such as Syngenesophobia, the fear of relatives.  Ah!  I didn’t know there was a term for that.  I found interesting Ideophobia, ‘the morbid fear of new or different ideas, the fear of thinking”.  There is even a Phobophobia, “the fear of developing a phobia”.  A phobia is ‘an intense fear of something that poses no actual danger.” (Check out this interesting phobia list). 
 
Seems the list of phobias expands every year.  Fear gains a tighter, restricting grip around people’s destinies as time marches on.  I know people who are too afraid to leave their house, too afraid to drive, too afraid to eat.  What’s the deal? 
 
I know that there are physical causes, painful wounds, and other valid explanations for people's fears.  I don’t want to make light of such pain or cast judgment on anyone.  I’ve been terrified of many things in my own life, permitting myself to become temporarily  paralyzed with apprehensiveness, mostly of the Unknowns that never happen.
 
What bothers me the most is seeing how increasingly often and easily people allow the ‘what ifs’ to keep them from stepping out into something new--perhaps sidelining their whole purpose in life in the process. 
 
How much do we allow our fears to control us?  How much fear is healthy?  How do we choose to overcome anxiety?  What will we miss out on if we decline to really live—just to avoid feeling panic, dread, or discomfort? 
 
A good challenge for all of us could be to acknowledge our fears—to God.  Ask him to give us courage to take action, placing our insecurities firmly in his hands, deciding to trust. And then, just do whatever is necessary.  Do it anyway.  Do it SCARED!
 
What do we have to gain?  Another fear flushed down the drain.  An increased level of faith in God and in ourselves.  Victory that we wouldn't have known if we had not taken the risk.  

 

Creative Dreaming

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 1:41pm
In reality, we humans create virtually nothing by ourselves. I believe that we primarily receive inspiration from our creator, who imparts ideas to prompt our expressive productivity. We welcome, process, then fashion the revelation into something new that the world has never witnessed before. 
 
Many times dreams are the source of new products to create, business ideas, art and music, solutions to puzzles, scientific thought, teachings to develop, out-of-the-box philosophies. 
 
Consider a few examples:  
  •  Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity (E = MC2) through a series of 19 dreams
  • A skateboard was invented because of a dream
  •  Sewing machine originated from a dream (Elias Howe)
  •  Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein came outlined through a dream

  • Famous recipes, songs, artwork, movies developed through dreams

  • Stephen King says many of his novel ideas originate in his dreams

  • Paul McCartney’s song, “Yesterday” was inspired by a dream 
Personally, I regularly wake up humming fresh, unwritten melodies, or with my spirit stirred by new blog or teaching concepts, intriguing thoughts to pursue, artsy notions that make me want to visit the local craft store. 
 
I wonder how many of us do not consider ourselves to be creative, yet we do receive ‘technicolor theories’ in our dreams. 
 
Do we pay attention? Or do we possibly dismiss potential delights of designing inspired imaginings?
 
Perhaps if we realize that God is speaking to us by giving creative dreams, we may discover that we do have an inventive capability—so that we might take our dreams as encouragement to embrace our wild, creative ingenuity. 
 
Follow those dreams--and bless us all!   

 

Short, Sweet and Simple—in Dream Interpretation

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:37pm
Some of us are mega-dreamers, not just in amount of dreams, often several every night, but also in length.  It takes considerable time to record or recount epic adventures with intricate plots, rich details, and elaborate thoughts and emotions. 
 
How does a dreamer keep up with it all?  Who has several hours a day to write down all of the dreams, and how does a person interpret them?
 
Keep it simple!
 
While every detail in a dream has potential significance, not every one is critical.  If we are able to single out five to seven most important symbols and details of a dream and interpret them, we can arrive at an accurate dream interpretation.  Factoring in too many details and scenes makes it difficult to discover the main message. 
 
Practice and experience teach us to identify the major symbols, sensing the ‘weightiness’ of each in relation to each other.  We learn to focus on what is most essential, and use the lesser details to support or confirm. 
 
Simplifying works for dream interpretation--and also for recording your dreams.
 
Most of us only consider recording a dream by writing it down line by line in a notebook or online dream journal, but there are quicker ways that are more creative and less linear, such as drawing a picture of the dream, diagramming it out, using lines or boxes or doodles.  Jotting down the major symbols first thing upon awakening helps jog our memory later if we need to get the ‘bones’ down on paper—and come back later to add ‘meat’ to those bones. 
 
For some of us, visualizing the dream as a snapshot instead of reading through lines of writing will unlock the interpretation.  In my teaching and working with people, I often will draw out the dream—it helps us to conceptualize the whole ‘big picture’. 
 
In ancient scriptures, Daniel was a nationally sought-out dream interpreter.  Once, when he had a massive and momentous dream, we are told, ‘Daniel wrote down the main facts.”  (Daniel 7:1)
 
Relax and enjoy your dream time, and don’t get overwhelmed or perfectionistic about requiring every fine point down on paper. 
 
This principle generally works well in life, too.  We can choose to simplify the complex, or to complicate the simple.    

 

Dream Drought

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 1:46pm
If you are used to steady swirls of dreams every night, what does it mean when they suddenly seem to stop?  What is an avid dreamer to do during desert-like, dry dreaming seasons? Plenty of people tell me they stopped dreaming YEARS ago and yearn to return to dreamland once again. 
 
Chances are good that you ARE still dreaming, you are just not remembering.
 
We all go through non-dreaming bouts, cycles of dryness in our spiritual lives where we must fight frustration and strive harder to keep ourselves refreshed and restocked in the hope department.  This is normal, there is nothing wrong with you.
 
Sometimes our sleep patterns just get disrupted. Health changes, chaotic circumstances, or any kind of stress can knock us into a rut for awhile.  
 
Sometimes it seems God withdraws from us—and from our dreams. This causes us to groan, re-examine ourselves, and stretch—to put down our roots even more deeply, to seek his presence more intensely.  The more we cooperate with the process and trust for thirst to be quenched in the days ahead, the stronger we become, thus able to handle gracefully the tests of life. During parched seasons, growth occurs ‘underground’ in places we aren’t able to perceive. 
 
Do what you can to return to a place of peace (click here to read some suggestions for relaxing and remembering dreams).  Tell God you miss him and ask him to pour out some more dreams. Trust that he will.  
 
Return to the last dream that you remember (if you are journaling your dreams, this should be easy).  Ask yourself if there was a message in that dream that you haven’t acted upon.  If God gives you a message and you do not take it seriously, he may withhold more revelation until you honor what has already been given. 
 
If our dry season continues long enough, disappointment may cause us to lose sight of our real life dreams or destiny hopes.  Don’t give up!  Know that Spirit is intensely interacting with your spirit during the night.  Your mind may not remember, but your spirit does. 
 
Job 33:14 explains:
“God always answers, one way or another,
even when people don’t recognize his presence. 
In a dream, for instance, a vision at night,
When men and women are deep in sleep,
Fast asleep in their beds—
God opens their ears
And impresses them with warnings
To turn them back from something they’re planning,
From some reckless choice,
And keep them from an early grave,
From the river of no return.”
 
Savor patience and peace, dear dreamer friends.  May your faith and spiritual flourishing increase--even during dream droughts.   
 

 

What Does God Think About You?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 11:52am
Do you ever wonder what God REALLY thinks about you?  Is he proud of who you are?  Do you think he is disappointed in your choices?  Picture yourself sitting across from God at Starbucks.  He slowly leans forward, looks into your eyes, and says, “(Merry), let me tell you what I’ve been thinking about you this week…”
 
Would your pulse quicken and your eyes light up as you eagerly settle in to listen?  Or would anxiety tempt you to excuse yourself to avoid the conversation?
 
Perhaps you might wonder how much he even considers you.  Why should he care?  He is God and you’re just a little blip on the radar.  Maybe he has a lot bigger things to focus on.
 
However, we are told that he knew us before we were born.  That he knows how many hairs are on our heads.  That he sees and understands our hurts and needs. He consistently invites us to spend time with him, and I believe he has a lot of things that he wants to tell us, if only we will listen. 
 
I think a huge reason we don’t take time to listen to him is because we are afraid we won’t hear anything.  If we DO, we think we made it up.  We doubt ourselves and aren’t familiar enough with God’s voice to know it when we hear it. 
 
One of my mentors, Jim Driscoll, says, “Our revelator is next to our maker-upper.”  Meaning that in our brain, the part that discerns Divine dialogue is in close proximity to our imagination, and we get the two confused sometimes.  The processes of receiving revelation—and imagining—FEEL quite similar. Often, when God speaks, we think we dreamed it up---we don’t take his words seriously. 
 
I give you a challenge this week:  set aside a few minutes and go to a quiet place, perhaps even a coffee shop.  Take a journal with you, pull up an empty chair, invite God to sit with you awhile, and ask him, “What do you think about me?”  Write down what you ‘hear’—in your thoughts, your ‘imagination’, any pictures that come to mind.  Don’t censor, just listen and write. 
 
It takes courage, but you may discover the most delightful, surprising thoughts that are beyond your imagination! 
 
Come back and share what you heard.  I would LOVE to hear what God thinks of . . . YOU!

 

Dreams Calling You to Your Destiny

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 3:02pm
No matter what age, profession, or level of maturity you have achieved in life, you still have a Destiny ahead of you.  Destiny incorporates the Big Picture of who you ARE as well as acts that you are called to accomplish along the way. 
 
Because of our humanity and tendency toward distraction and shortsightedness, we frequently need revelation from the Divine One’s perspective. Often we may know the desired direction--minus details--and we are given dreams to confirm whether or not we are on the right track.  Other times, stunning dreams awaken us to new possibilities for us to follow. 
 
Calling dreams  disclose additional stanzas of our Lifesong melodies.  They remind us of our gifts and abilities, of our hopes, how to live, what we are designed to complete.  Vocations unfold, the next project is unveiled, we receive a greater glimpse of the grander scale, with encouragement given to take the next step.
 
Seems like calling dreams are on the rise these days. A few recent ones that I have worked with include:
 
o     A young man swimming among dangerous waters, recognizes ancient gold coins at the bottom, then bravely dives deep to retrieve the lost treasures
 
o     Dreamer packed and ready to take off at the airport is double checking to make sure she is at the right ticket gateway
 
o     Dreamer considering entrepreneurship observes gold lettering being painted over the new office doors and is given a new gold key
 
o     Feeding people specialty seafood, running low on resources, but somehow continually having enough to keep serving more and more
 
o     A publishing agent hands the dreamer a proposal agreement and dispenses a list of subjects to write about
 
o     A dreamer, terrified of public speaking, gets up in front of a crowd and teaches quite eloquently—with authority and no fear
 
Difficulties of life can threaten to squash our hopes.  We are pieces of a larger mosaic, most of us desiring to cooperate with the Creator to play our part into finished products.  If we are not paying attention, we may miss heavenly dream cues sent to guide us.  Proverbs 29:18 says, “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.”
 
May we receive, understand, and live the fulfilled and blessed life that is our destiny!
 
Question:  Tell about a time when a dream inspired you in the area of calling or destiny.   

 

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