A dream from the Lord is usually either a warning or to reveal something hidden…maybe both.I had a dream from the Lord Friday January 22….two days following the fraudulent inauguration. Since the dream was mine---it needs a preface. I love old doors. We have several that are more than a century old. They were made from strong solid well-seasoned wood. Over the years they have weathered plenty of abuse and have donned several coats of paint to cover their marks & scars. I take them and sand off those layers because I love to see the old gold wood show through. You can’t get it all off ---it clings to every notch and corner (unless you strip the door which compromises the glue that holds it together). But I don’t mind keeping some of the old paint---to me it’s charming and historic. We’ve used up most of our doors for various projects….but the last door stands in the middle of our living space. It’s a free standing thing not really hooked to anything—it’s current occupation is to hide the back of the small refrigerator and it’s got great character. I am very fond of it---to me it’s a work of art. This is the dream: In the dream I was sleeping and got up in the dark. I was walking past that door and noticed it was about to break toward the bottom. The bottom part maybe ¼ or 1/3 was splintered and I could see it had been riddled by termites. I picked it up and it came apart in my hands. I was SO sad. John said well, we could get another door…. but I objected to that….I love that old thing….I have invested time & effort into getting it just ‘right’ for my purpose. I had sanded & stained & sealed it on both sides. So apparently at 3 in the morning I headed to our garage to work on it. It had to be cut and pieced and glued…filling some of the holes with epoxy. At last it was strong again and able to stand. Just then a neighbor came running across the lawn because she saw the garage light. She was kind of frantic sounding---Lynn! They just arrested Hunter Biden! I asked her name. I knew she was a neighbor but didn’t know her well. She told me ‘Tanya’! (like I should have known) There was a bit more of the dream….but here’s the analogy I think the Lord wanted me to see. The door represents our country. Once beautiful and strong. God built it for His purpose. I counted the pieces that made the original door 13. 13 colonies? --various sizes glued together for a common purpose. America stands in the middle of our lives---in the midst of all countries. It exhibits a strong faith and trust in God. It was birthed to give out the gospel---to show forth freedom and a testimony to God’s favor. Over time it has suffered abuse and historically we’ve tried to paint it one color or another. But as long as it’s foundation was sturdy---it could hold up the rest and still serve His purpose. Maybe God wanted to reveal to me his heart toward America. He loves America….with it’s scars and flaws ---even our varied color choices he has allowed….but I think he wants the old gold wood to show through so we remember it’s former beauty as well. God wants to rescue us ‘to heal our land’ if we will get rid of our compromise. AT first I thought the corrupted foundation meant the government – but as I wrote this out it became clearer. Our current state of politics are the termites. We have allowed them to eat away at our foundation. Sad but true--our weak foundation is the state of our churches. Our faith –our trust in God is the strength that holds up America. If we the Christians will mitigate -- God will repair. His very nature is to rescue. I felt encouraged to know that God WILL fix the door because He loves it… He shines a light in the dark while he works. On a whim I looked up the name Tanya….which means ‘we have learned’ according to several name sites—people named Tanya are peacemakers—good judges of character and able to mediate complex & highly sensitive situations….they are diplomats.Neighbors & family-- your circle of influence—see the light and come running to you---because they know you have answers. You may not know them---but they know you…by your words & your actions. so shine your light in the dark…it’s your door and it can be fixed. - Lynn Bartlemay