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hi guys!
  thought you would like a book report from my mother-in-law.  she is the one you signed the book for.  i know they will be sharing with others.
later
m
I finished the book at 1:45 this afternoon (Sunday) Started to read it after you left and could hardly lay it down.  Even went to church this a m.  Very interesting and really liked it.  Thanks again.Enjoyed your visit.  You are great guests.  Wish
I could have done more.Love PRC

The Magi were educated men from distant territories who, from their studies of books and stars, resolved to make a long journey to honor a newborn King. So sure were they of the infant’s importance that they went directly to the governor of the land, King Herod, to inquire as to his whereabouts. King Herod, frightened and threatened by the Unknown, tried to deceive the visitors through trickery in order to kill the child.  

Warned in a dream, the Magi slipped quietly away after offering their gifts to the One whose authority was greater than Herod’s.

The scriptures report many dreams which have a special message such as the one above, or a special message, such as the dreams Joseph interpreted for the Pharaoh long ago.

Not all dreams are messages from God, however. Most of them are a means for our subconscious to express feelings and thoughts from the stimulation of our days.

And most dreams are slippery. They slide away as you wake, and what you can remember is full of idiosyncratic symbolism. It takes skill and training to ferret out meaningful interpretations, and I have not had that training.

Still, I will report a snippet of the dream that woke me up the other night about 2 am. I was in a building of some sort with several other people, including a very beautiful, very powerful young woman wearing a royal robe with a wide ermine collar. She reminded me of Princess Diana or some other young monarch preparing for coronation. The other people in the room also represented earthly power and authority. They were all very important.

Suddenly, a great fire started, threatening the building, and a great flood hit us from the other side. The building started to sway and we realized we would all die. An expression of terror filled the face of the beautiful young woman.

It woke me up.

For a long time, I lay awake in the dark thinking about the dream, certain of remembering its details without writing anything down. It was so vivid. And half-gone by morning. The woman’s terror reminded me of anyone’s fear of death, especially unexpected death with its unresolved issues and unfinished business. The greatest earthly power and authority is insufficient in the face of it.

I thought about my desire to write about New Year’s Resolutions. Normally, I don’t make them, but I could renew one: I resolve to live each day as cleanly as possible so that if I meet my last day in fire or flood, I can face it without fear. I resolve to settle personal accounts quickly, so there will be no regrets.

In this way, my dream did contain a special message to which I hope we will all attend: Lord, satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

More later.