Confessionals Episode 589 Dream
Confessionals Episode 589 Dream
6.27 A.M. 3.2.2024
I just awoke from an interesting dream. As I was on my way to my computer three verses came to mind. All are from the KJV. Let us use our gifts wisely and for Jesus! 
Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Romans 12:3-8: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, [1] according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, [2] let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Cor 14:26
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
Yesterday I watched an episode of Tony Merkel’s Confessionals Podcast, #589, called “The Alien Interrogation Program.”
589: The Alien Interrogation Program — The Confessionals (theconfessionalspodcast.com)
Tony Merkel is a Christian pod-caster who specializes in fringe topics. His guest, Jon Stewart explained why his research seemed to imply that a short video of an alleged alien Q and A was not a hoax.
In my dream I hosted a weekend seminar about the topic. In addition to the topical information it seemed to be exemplary of how we as Christians have different functions, but that as Christians we have a responsibility to look at all things around us through the perspective of scripture and submission to Christ.
The rustic cabin and seminar center may have been mine or perhaps I rented it. See my Knights in Christ Service blog for an example of just such a center.
Even though I didn’t actually enter the two seminar rooms, dream Wayne had memories of them. The action actually took place in a kitchen early Sunday morning prior to our departure from the seminar at a leadership “debriefing.”
There had been two seminar rooms which we had used. One had a table with chairs and a video set up that played Tony Merkel’s podcast # 589. Several brothers and sisters had split the viewing into several sessions, each divided by a prayer and discussion including references to scriptures. I and another brother, “Steve” had hosted the podcast 589 seminar.
The other seminar room, set up in an informal “house church” style, which had been hosted by my friend Mark Wilkinson, and a lady Christian whom I did not recognize, (we will call her Lilly) had been responsible for the other “house church” seminar. That seminar was intended to be a general Bible Study with singing offered as an alternative to the podcast 589 seminar. There was also a Q and A session where Christians could ask general life lessons questions and Mark and the other lady teacher would use scripture to guide their discussions. Mark and Lilly had also been responsible individually throughout the weekend of the seminar to have similar discussions in their dorm areas. Mark in the men’s cabins, and Lilly in the women’s cabins.
Most of the seminar attenders went to one seminar in the morning and visited the other in the afternoon. A few visited the podcast seminar both in the morning and afternoon. I think Mark’s wife Judy never attended the podcast seminar but went to the general Bible study seminar both in the morning and afternoon.
I believe the seminar started on a Friday evening. Some people arrived on Friday evening. Many others just came Saturday morning and left at the end of the day. Several of us stayed overnight again and left early Sunday morning.
Friday night and Saturday night, for those who were present, we shared a meal and general fellowship. In the dream, it was Sunday morning, and only a small number of people were still present, and we were having breakfast in the kitchen area. Mostly it was just the seminar leaders who were in the kitchen, and we were having a debriefing session. We grabbed leftovers from the fridge. Mark didn’t eat anything. I think he and Judy were going to eat at a local cafe before driving to their home church. Lilly made herself a bowl of Raisin Bran as she joined us for the leadership debriefing meeting. Most of the rest of us just had leftover sausage, pancakes, and scrambled eggs from the Saturday morning meal. A few individuals and couples quickly popped into the kitchen areas, said a quick bye, and thank you and left the seminar.
In addition to talking about the seminars, both Mark and Lilly talked about events that happened during their chaperoning of the men’s and women’s bunk rooms. Mark oversaw the men’s cabins and Lilly supervised the women’s cabins.
There was a lady, we will call her Ann, who supervised the kitchen area. While staying in the kitchen area most of the time, she popped into both seminar areas throughout the day. There was a man, we’ll call him Steve, who had helped me with hosting the podcast 589 seminar. Judy, Mark’s wife, did not attend the debriefing, but had helped Lilly with managing the women’s cabins area during the seminar weekend.
There was a clipboard that contained a summary of the podcast 589 discussions with several copies hanging from a nail in the kitchen. I said that I had made a copy for Ann, who had managed the kitchen area, but there were also copies for anyone of the leaders who wanted one. I also noted to Ann, that if she had any questions about the seminar, that she was free to ask me privately, but that I did not think it was necessary for her enrichment in Christ to discuss the topic.
There were several other points I shared during the debriefing.
- I discussed how my responsibility had been to organize the seminar.
- see that refreshments were available for Ann’s use. Ann managed the kitchen.
- provide “overnight supplies” for Mark and Lilly’s use. Mark managed the men’s cabins. Lilly supervised the women’s cabins.
- I was responsible to discuss the seminar podcast info with Steve and other conference goers, not everyone. Somehow a question had arose as to why I was discussing the seminar at length with Steve and a few others, but not with Mark or Ann, Judy, or Lilly. Someone, maybe it was Steve, had complained that Mark should have been at one of the Podcast 589 sessions. I had defended Mark, by stating that he had performed admirably with his responsibility, and that he had asked me a few questions about the seminar, but had focused on his task. He also had asked a few questions about podcast 589 during the “debriefing” session.
- I also reminded them, that especially with fringe topics, like the ones we had discussed at the seminar for podcast #589, that we needed to keep in mind that all such investigations need to be filtered through our knowledge of scripture and our submission to Christ.
- Also, that while Christians were free to study such topics, that we need to be careful what sources we use for that study. Further, that if we are not careful when we study fringe topics, “spiritual hitchhikers” may plague us or hinder our walk with Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- I also reminded them that some Christians, like Mark’s wife, are not interested in such topics, and foisting such information on them, just brings fear and confusion.
- I also asked them to pray for Steve, as I felt that he was in danger of over-focusing on fringe topics, to the extant that it could become detrimental to his daily scriptural walk and invite the mischief of “spiritual hitchhikers” into his life.
I woke up. Then I decided to use the information to write a final blog. In the future I may post more blogs, but for now I am preparing to sail off into the sunset.
News. Tentatively I will be retiring from book shipping for A Grain of Wheat Ministries 
at the end of the month.
In April I will begin receiving retirement benefits. David Dyer, who wrote all of the A Grain of Wheat Discipleship books and provided a New Testament Translation, Father’s Life New Testament is pictured on the left. Right and below are photos of my desk and one of the book assembly areas.
I think I shipped Christian study books and Bibles
for A Grain of Wheat about 25 years!
Do you remember this blog? 
The photo on the left is a picture of the book and contains my interview with Dr. Quarterman on his podcast about the book. I think we are seeing this “prophecy” come to pass: https://wayneoconner.com/the-coming-judgment-of-america-book/
https://wayneoconner.com/the-coming-judgment-of-america-book/
I may be off the internet for a while, once I retire, but for those who know me, my phone number will remain the same. Texts and calls are welcome! And my website has been renewed for the year. So please feel free to visit my website. My webmaster at Superior Lighthouse, LLC contacted me to revamp my website because he and his wife had been greatly impacted by this book a few or maybe several years ago now.
Good bye and God Bless you! Wayne O’Conner