The following is the setting from a post from the fall of 2016. It was supposed to be a series of weekly conversations between two good friends.....at a Starbucks....in Manhattan....but I never did a followup....until now
OK....we're sitting around a table having coffee...no....let's make it a little more interesting...it's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on a cold and rainy fall evening. We are sitting in a Starbucks drinking a caramel frappuccino (you) and a coffee (me)....wait, I hate Starbucks coffee.... I'm drinking a latte. There are no orange, yellow and red leaves to look at but with a little imagination the bright red, yellow and orange raincoats on the ladies walking by can be as enjoyable....and the neon lights mirroring off the oil slicked avenue can be as a wide mountain stream reflecting the colors of an aurora in the low hanging clouds. Fast forward to today for their next meeting....
Tuesdays With Special Dog....After The Lockdown
Me......"Hey John......brother......Good to see you again. I've really missed our Tuesday talks!
John...."Yeah....I missed them too.....I've missed conversation with any human being during this virus!"
A waiter shuffles over and sprays and wipes down their small round table. He's wearing a small silver dust mask....and some kind of silver du-rag on top of his head. After ordering....Special Dog looks at John and comments...
Me...."John....does that waiter look a little like Woody Allen's fake robot character in Sleeper?"
John....."It sure does Special Dog!"
Me......"Don't call me Special Dog....anyway....texting is OK but it's not the same....what do want to talk about?"
John....."There's no sports to talk about like we usually do....nothing to talk about except politics really.....so why don't we just go right into where you finish each week up with anyway....the end of the world?"
Me....."Ha Ha Ha....finally.....we get to the serious stuff first."
John....with a serious expression...."What's your take on this world shutdown?"
Me.....after pausing....."Well....number one....looking back on it....one moment we're bragging about our great accomplishments....predicting even greater things in the future.....and then.....out of no where....bam!"
John...."You know what really shook me.....they.....the government....they can do anything they want from now on....under the right circumstances.....we're cooked."
Me...."Yeah....like that proverbial frog in the kettle."
John...."OK....I'm going to cut to the quick.....what do you think is next?"
Me...."I don't know John. I didn't know that this particular judgment was coming. I just know that God's Word has made it clear for a long time that His patience with us was wearing thin."
The waiter shuffles over....Special Dog and John look him over.....as John tries a trick and says to him...."Woody?" The waiter answers...."Yes sir?" John and Special look at each other and John asks...."Are you Woody Allen?" The waiter's eyes under horned rim glasses go wide....."No!"....and begins to walk away....but adds....."My last name is Konigsberg." John and Special Dog again look at each other.
Me....."John....we both go way back in our Christian walk to the early 80s. We knew back then that the Lord must be coming back soon....we knew what America had become.....and now we're ten times worse but we lost all of that discernment. Even with something like this.....we still won't consider ourselves under judgment.....amazing!"
John...."Maybe if we lived in....say Indiana or somewhere....I might just want to start living life again just like before.....but after seeing what happened in the city over the past few months....I think I'm ready to see if I may have missed these warnings that you were always talking about?"
Me....."John.....my situation is even worse than that.....I knew Jesus was near.....this catastrophe didn't surprise me....and it still shook me up! It laid me low. I know these are days of judgment and I still cling too much to this life. I wonder how I'll react when it gets even worse? I'll tell you this....it really increased my prayer life."
John..."Are you referring to that 'peace and security' passage that you talked about last time....where you thought that the 'peace and security' follows some kind of catastrophe....you think this is it?"
Me....."That passage of prophetic scripture is never far from my mind. I know this....we looked at Donald Trump and celebrated peace and security....and prosperity and greatness. We didn't even give this perceived glory to God. We took it for a president and for ourselves."
John...."Laura.....(John's wife).....is reading prophesy all the time now."
Me...."You mean prophesy books that are out there?"
John....."No....thank goodness.....she's reading Jeremiah and Isaiah and Micah and all of them....and Peter and Paul....and especially the words of Jesus about things like this....and uh....your blog."
Me...."I have to think that there may be a winnowing of some sort coming in the church....a long needed winnowing where redeemed Christians from all denominations are set apart by these circumstances....set apart from those who take the faith that they proclaim only so far....and John....I don't think it's going to be pretty."
The waiter shuffled back...."Can I get you another Latte?" John looked across the table to his friend...."Special Dog?"....
Me....."Don't call me Special Dog."
Waiter...."Excuse me....what kind of name is Special Dog?"
Me...."I write a blog....well more of a bulletin board of posts....a little humor sometimes....under that name."
Waiter...."I write too....a little humor!"
John and Special Dog looked at each other again.
Me....."Have you ever worked in Movies?"
Waiter...."What am I....the mystery guest on What's My line?" That was enough for Special Dog.
Me...."Woody....I would like to tell you about Jesus Christ. Not the Jesus Christ you may think Him to be....but the one who the prophet Isaiah spoke of.....and the Psalms told of....the Messiah who desires very much that Jewish People would search their scriptures anew to see who He is."
Waiter....throws up his hands...."See....I wear a rag on top of my head and people think I'm a Jew. People are always looking at me and thinking....'He must be a Jew!' "
John stood up....knowing where his friend was going.....smiled....and said...."Special Dog....and uh Woody....I think I'll let you two alone to talk....I think you have a lot in common.....somewhere."
John leaves....and Special Dog pulls out the chair next to him and says...."Sit down Woody....please....you see I have this neurosis....I think that everyone thinks I'm a fanatic....and I think that you might be able to help."
Woody sits down...."You used the word 'think' three times in one sentence....you do need help....so why do they....think....you are a fanatic?
Me....."Woody....I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Waiter....."Play it again Sam."
OK....we're sitting around a table having coffee...no....let's make it a little more interesting...it's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on a cold and rainy fall evening. We are sitting in a Starbucks drinking a caramel frappuccino (you) and a coffee (me)....wait, I hate Starbucks coffee.... I'm drinking a latte. There are no orange, yellow and red leaves to look at but with a little imagination the bright red, yellow and orange raincoats on the ladies walking by can be as enjoyable....and the neon lights mirroring off the oil slicked avenue can be as a wide mountain stream reflecting the colors of an aurora in the low hanging clouds. Fast forward to today for their next meeting....
Tuesdays With Special Dog....After The Lockdown
Me......"Hey John......brother......Good to see you again. I've really missed our Tuesday talks!
John...."Yeah....I missed them too.....I've missed conversation with any human being during this virus!"
A waiter shuffles over and sprays and wipes down their small round table. He's wearing a small silver dust mask....and some kind of silver du-rag on top of his head. After ordering....Special Dog looks at John and comments...
Me...."John....does that waiter look a little like Woody Allen's fake robot character in Sleeper?"
John....."It sure does Special Dog!"
Me......"Don't call me Special Dog....anyway....texting is OK but it's not the same....what do want to talk about?"
John....."There's no sports to talk about like we usually do....nothing to talk about except politics really.....so why don't we just go right into where you finish each week up with anyway....the end of the world?"
Me....."Ha Ha Ha....finally.....we get to the serious stuff first."
John....with a serious expression...."What's your take on this world shutdown?"
Me.....after pausing....."Well....number one....looking back on it....one moment we're bragging about our great accomplishments....predicting even greater things in the future.....and then.....out of no where....bam!"
John...."You know what really shook me.....they.....the government....they can do anything they want from now on....under the right circumstances.....we're cooked."
Me...."Yeah....like that proverbial frog in the kettle."
John...."OK....I'm going to cut to the quick.....what do you think is next?"
Me...."I don't know John. I didn't know that this particular judgment was coming. I just know that God's Word has made it clear for a long time that His patience with us was wearing thin."
The waiter shuffles over....Special Dog and John look him over.....as John tries a trick and says to him...."Woody?" The waiter answers...."Yes sir?" John and Special look at each other and John asks...."Are you Woody Allen?" The waiter's eyes under horned rim glasses go wide....."No!"....and begins to walk away....but adds....."My last name is Konigsberg." John and Special Dog again look at each other.
Me....."John....we both go way back in our Christian walk to the early 80s. We knew back then that the Lord must be coming back soon....we knew what America had become.....and now we're ten times worse but we lost all of that discernment. Even with something like this.....we still won't consider ourselves under judgment.....amazing!"
John...."Maybe if we lived in....say Indiana or somewhere....I might just want to start living life again just like before.....but after seeing what happened in the city over the past few months....I think I'm ready to see if I may have missed these warnings that you were always talking about?"
Me....."John.....my situation is even worse than that.....I knew Jesus was near.....this catastrophe didn't surprise me....and it still shook me up! It laid me low. I know these are days of judgment and I still cling too much to this life. I wonder how I'll react when it gets even worse? I'll tell you this....it really increased my prayer life."
John..."Are you referring to that 'peace and security' passage that you talked about last time....where you thought that the 'peace and security' follows some kind of catastrophe....you think this is it?"
Me....."That passage of prophetic scripture is never far from my mind. I know this....we looked at Donald Trump and celebrated peace and security....and prosperity and greatness. We didn't even give this perceived glory to God. We took it for a president and for ourselves."
John...."Laura.....(John's wife).....is reading prophesy all the time now."
Me...."You mean prophesy books that are out there?"
John....."No....thank goodness.....she's reading Jeremiah and Isaiah and Micah and all of them....and Peter and Paul....and especially the words of Jesus about things like this....and uh....your blog."
Me...."I have to think that there may be a winnowing of some sort coming in the church....a long needed winnowing where redeemed Christians from all denominations are set apart by these circumstances....set apart from those who take the faith that they proclaim only so far....and John....I don't think it's going to be pretty."
The waiter shuffled back...."Can I get you another Latte?" John looked across the table to his friend...."Special Dog?"....
Me....."Don't call me Special Dog."
Waiter...."Excuse me....what kind of name is Special Dog?"
Me...."I write a blog....well more of a bulletin board of posts....a little humor sometimes....under that name."
Waiter...."I write too....a little humor!"
John and Special Dog looked at each other again.
Me....."Have you ever worked in Movies?"
Waiter...."What am I....the mystery guest on What's My line?" That was enough for Special Dog.
Me...."Woody....I would like to tell you about Jesus Christ. Not the Jesus Christ you may think Him to be....but the one who the prophet Isaiah spoke of.....and the Psalms told of....the Messiah who desires very much that Jewish People would search their scriptures anew to see who He is."
Waiter....throws up his hands...."See....I wear a rag on top of my head and people think I'm a Jew. People are always looking at me and thinking....'He must be a Jew!' "
John stood up....knowing where his friend was going.....smiled....and said...."Special Dog....and uh Woody....I think I'll let you two alone to talk....I think you have a lot in common.....somewhere."
John leaves....and Special Dog pulls out the chair next to him and says...."Sit down Woody....please....you see I have this neurosis....I think that everyone thinks I'm a fanatic....and I think that you might be able to help."
Woody sits down...."You used the word 'think' three times in one sentence....you do need help....so why do they....think....you are a fanatic?
Me....."Woody....I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Waiter....."Play it again Sam."
