HomeARC ML 1238
THE MOORING GAME!--Who Moors Who in FFing? France, 28/4/79 DO1238
--By Father David
1. I KNOW OUR DENTIST IS NOW GETTING TRAPPED. He's just drawn & drawn & he's getting more fascinated all the time. He's finally beginning to even warm up enough that he's introduced us to his first love. When a person decides to introduce you to their greatest love, then you know you're getting in there pretty close.
2. HE TOOK US & INTRODUCED US TO HIS FIRST LOVE last time we went to the dentist & she is a beauty! I'll tell you, she really is a beauty! What's her name? Cassiophia.--You oughtta see 'er. She's terrific!--From stem to stern all fiberglass, three feet longer than the Cruiser! A 39-ft. sailing yacht! I told him,
3. "WELL, I USED TO HAVE A YACHT TOO, A CRUISER, ONLY IT WAS ON WHEELS, 26 feet long." He said, "Ha! Mine's three feet longer!"--A lot wider, too. He's got a beauty. Whew! Looks like it's brand new, all fiberglass, all the latest! You could said around the world in that thing.
4. HE'S NOT SO DUMB, HE'S ALL EQUIPPED TO BE INDEPENDENT, to take off no matter what happens. He's got sleeping room for six and a kitchen, galley, & everything.--Beautiful, and sails! Sails, it's not just dependent on the motor. He'll still be going when the rest of them are drifting without fuel! So God bless him!
5. I HAD THE MOST INTERESTING DREAM ABOUT HIM--"THE MOORING GAME!" It's a good one for the FFers. The Mooring Game! It was really a fascinating, fascinating game! I had it just the night after we went to the dentist.
6. I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM ANYBODY COULD EVER POSSIBLY HAVE! The Lord gives me dreams of stuff that I'm sure nobody ever thought of before. Who would ever have thought of before. Who would ever have thought of a pin-game like this? It's almost a little bit like a pinball game, only it was a board game, & it was a pretty big board. I'd say the board was about half as big as our bed & he was on one side & Maria & I & Sue were on the other.
7. IT HAD ALL THESE LITTLE PEGS STICKING UP ALL OVER, INSTEAD OF SQUARES.--About as many as you would have squares on a checkerboard or something. I'd say they looked a little bit like chessmen, only, well maybe one of you kids knows something about sailing. I can't think of the name of those little mooring posts that they have on boats. There are several different things. There's a capstan, that's a thing that rotates & winds up the anchor, & there's these little things along the side that they tie the ropes on. Does anybody know the name? It still hasn't come to me. But anyhow,
8. THEY'RE LIKE THE HUGE BIG ONES THAT THEY HAVE ALONG A WHARF TO TIE THE BOATS TO. The sailors on the huge big liners stand on the deck & they cast down these huge big ropes to the sailor on the shore & he quickly loops these ready-made built-in loops over one of those big mooring posts. Well, this whole board had all these little miniature ones like that, all over the board.
9. THEY HAVE THESE MOORING POSTS ON THE BOATS TOO.--Maybe not the modern ones, but on the old ones they used to have them around what they call the gunnels or the edge of the railing where they had these things that stick out like that. You would loop the rope around it & you could cinch it, & as you pull the boat a little closer you cinch it together until you've got it tight up against the wharf. Well, all I can do is call it the Mooring Game because it was really a game. A big board game & it had all these little pegs sticking up that looked just like these little mooring posts.
10. MARIA & I & SUE HAD THESE LITTLE ROPES. They were just small, probably only as big around as my little finger. They're more like heavy cord or heavy twine. But they looked just like the big ropes that they throw off ocean liners with a built-in loop on the end of it about so big. I'd like to try it sometime. I think it would take quite a bit of skill.
11. IT REMINDED ME OF ONE OF THOSE GAMES THEY HAVE IN THE CARNIVALS, you know, where it's just about guaranteed that you can't do it. Throw a dime in the bowl or throw a rope ring around the bottle or something, or knock the bottle off the stand with a baseball.
12. THEY'VE GOT THE BOTTLES SO WEIGHTED WITH LEAD IT WOULD TAKE A CANNON BALL TO KNOCK ONE OFF, & the bowls are so shallow that if you throw the dime from that distance, it's almost impossible for it to ever stay there. So hardly anybody ever wins, of course, or they wouldn't be in business. Once in awhile, accidentally, something happens & the penny or the dime or whatever it is, stays & so they get a prize.
13. I USED TO LOVE TO GO AROUND WITH MY MOTHER AT THOSE CARNIVALS & they have these weight-guessers that guess your weight. In those days women wore long dresses, & she was very small from the waist up & looked delicate & very fragile, but from the waist down she was immense! So, with these long dresses they wouldn't see what was down below & I'd win almost every time! I used to just beg her & drag her to one of those scales, pay the quarter & walk off with a big doll or whatever it was, a balloon or something. But this was like one of those games that are almost impossible to win.
14. IT WAS OUR JOB TO THROW THE ROPES & CAST THEM ON THE PEGS. We were all busy, the three of us, casting the ropes on the pegs trying to get them looped over the pegs & pullin' on the line to keep 'em tight so that he couldn't get 'em off.
15. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS JUST KEEP PULLING THEM OFF THE PEGS.--As fast as we got one hooked on the peg he'd just pull 'em off, pull 'em off, pull 'em off. But the three of us were just practically amused, because really supernaturally we were getting them on faster than he could pull them off!
16. HE KEPT TRYING TO THROW THEM OFF, BUT WE WERE FASTER THAN HE WAS. I'm sure the Lord was helping us. We were almost amused at how seriously he was taking it & how almost desperately he was trying to throw them off. At first he thought he was so smart that he could easily slip them off of the posts as fast as we could throw them on & we couldn't be that good to throw these little loops on every post. It's a lot easier to slip them off than throw them on, but there were three of us playing against him, & I'm sure we had the Lord's help.
17. WE WERE THROWING THEM ON ACCURATELY, JUST THE RIGHT POSTS, & playing skillfully, post after post, the three of us, & we'd get them hooked on the posts faster than he could untie them. All he had to do was just slip them off real quick. Now who ever heard of a game like that, but how significant it is!
18. IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE BOARD SYMBOLISED HIS HEART OR HIS LIFE, & we were getting the lines tied fast. We were getting the witness all in there & it was getting home & it was hanging on faster than he could throw it off. It was really something how he'd try to act so indifferent. "Oh well, this is nothing. I can do this." But he started to get a little worried because some of them were hanging on & we were getting them on faster than he could take them off.
19. IT IS SUCH AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON HIM, because every time we go we say a little something, do a little something. Every time we go there we throw more loops over his little posts, & he tries to keep sort of laughing it off & casting it off but he can't. In spite of the fact that he kept throwing them off, we were getting more & more on all the time, tight. It was almost like we were getting him tied to us, tight.
20. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE IT SYMBOLISED HIS BOAT, & WE WERE TYING IT INTO THE HARBOUR. Well that's very symbolic too because the Lord is symbolised in the Bible as a safe harbour, Whereas the wild sea is symbolic of the wicked, because "the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked"! (Is.57:20,21.)
21. HE WANTS TO BE FREE, HE WANTS TO CAST OFF & GO SAILING OUT ON THE TROUBLED SEA. He doesn't want to be tied down anymore. He doesn't want to think about God or family or faith or wife or whatever. Dear doctor! (Maria: He seems almost hypnotised by us.) We have such power in the Lord, such power! He was just playing such a losing game. He was taking it so seriously, as fast as he could he was pulling these loops off the pegs, just like, "Now wait a minute, wait a minute, you're getting too fast here for me!
22. "I DON'T WANT TO BE TIED DOWN. I DON'T WANT TO GET BACK IN THE FAITH again & believing in things like God & love & that I need a woman. I'm free, I'm free! I have my boat & I'm free!" We all were like we were amused because we could see him getting more bound all the time by the ropes. In a way it was like it began as a game but now it was getting pretty serious & he was getting a little irritated because I think he began to see that we were winning & he couldn't work fast enough, & we were really tying him down.
23. (MARIA: IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS IN SUCH A RUSH LAST TIME...) He said he was supposed to be back in half-an-hour to meet somebody, but instead of that he drives us all the way into town & shows us his boat on top of it! That was really like we almost cracked into the sanctum sanctorum! He showed us the temple, & when the day comes he takes us into the inner sanctum, that'll be the day! At first it was an amusing little game & he was well able to keep up with us, we'd throw little ropes on & he'd just toss them off one by one.
24. IT'S LIKE THESE LITTLE ROPES ARE OUR WITNESS. Each one is a witness & strikes home to a different peg, his moorings in life, the things that really tie him down & bind him, & really settle him down.--To faith & God & so on. But what a funny game, as fast as we'd throw these loops on his little posts he was busy throwing them off here, pulling them off there!
25. THOUGH HE WAS SORT OF AMUSED HE WAS GETTING A LITTLE MORE SERIOUS & IRRITATED, "I can throw these all off but you're just throw a little too fast for me, a little too fast."--Almost like it wasn't fair, three against one. Oh, what a funny game.--Who would have ever thought of a game like that but the Lord? It's true! It was like,
26. "I CAN WIN THIS GAME. DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TIE ME DOWN. You're just going a little too fast for me right now. Right now it's a little bit unfair, three of you & you're busy throwing these loops on, but don't worry, I'll win!" But he was working harder & faster & almost a little irritated trying to throw them off.
27. THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, JUST LIKE THE SNAKE IN "THE SNAKE CHARMER" (No.557). They're fascinated by the flame, the music, & they think they can get away anytime they want to, that it merely interests them now but they can throw it off anytime. It's like an insect being caught in a spider's web. It keeps being wrapped up, every strand binds it in tighter & tighter. Isn't that amazing the would use that illustration about boats!
28. THAT BOAT TO HIM IS A SYMBOL OF HIS FREEDOM, he can cast off & sail out to sea & get away from it all. It's probably not paid for yet, probably not his car either, & he's just working away, working away so he can get it all paid for, & one day he hopes he can just sail away.
29. INSTEAD OF THAT WE'RE TYING HIM DOWN. Only we're tying him down to things that he thought he'd already gotten rid of. Things like God & love, certain values he knows we represent. It's almost like we were having fun, enjoying it, but he was getting almost a little bit annoyed because it was difficult for him to cast it off.
30. I REALLY THINK YOU CAN ALMOST TELL BY THE WAY HE LOOKS AT SUE. He doesn't want to, he tries not to, but he keeps looking at her like, "What are you? What is it about you?"--Just like the men do with our FFers, particularly some of these independent bachelors or the old married men that don't want to get involved again. He just can't figure us out. Oh my, how many times we've been though that! (Maria: It's dangerous though, I'm glad your teeth are almost done.
31. WE'RE IN A DANGEROUS BUSINESS, SWEETHEART, BUT HIS SOUL IS APPARENTLY WORTH IT to the Lord for us to take a certain amount of calculated risk. It's a dangerous game for us, because for us in a Selah situation it's a little dangerous to witness. People get so fascinated & so interested in us that they want to know more & more about us. So how about that? What a picture, huh? Just like it was a game! Like the Lord looks down on it.
32. ISN'T THAT SOMETHING THAT HE WOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ANGELS? He said, "An angel's passing by!" I giggled & said, "Not one but three." (Maria: He said they have a saying that when there's silence an angel's passing by.) It shows he knew that we were all really thinking, & he was sure thinking. He really stops & listens while I try to teach him.
33. IT'S SO STIFF TO CALL HIM DR.--It just slipped out when I called him by his first name, I don't know why. It's about time to call him by his first name. (Maria: He didn't say, "Oh, go ahead, go ahead.") No! That was another loop that he threw off! I cast another one & he threw it off quick! Ha!
34. BUT THE LITTLE LOOP OF SUE, WHOM I TOSSED HIM TODAY, HE WASN'T TOO ANXIOUS TO CAST OFF! He's toying with it, he's playing with it. Not that he's planning to let it stay but he's just kind of enjoying the thought apparently. Oh me! He really enjoys his little chats with Sue. She's our best bait, God bless her!
35. HE'S GETTING MORE & MORE INTERESTED IN SUE. They have a big language lesson every time we go to the dentist. They get to yakking & yakking about the meaning of some word while he's sitting there with a tool in his hand & my mouth just sitting there wide open, about half drilled or half filled, & they're arguing about the meaning of words! I wonder, "When is he going to get back to work!" But it's worth it, & he's getting more interested in Sue all the time.
36. HE EVEN NOTICED HOW SHE WAS DRESSED LAST TIME, very summery. She had on a real light flimsy blouse with the top button unbuttoned, & she was leaning over nearby far enough to almost let it all hang out! So he's not all that Aquarian that he isn't noticing her, & I'm convinced of it now because of that dream that I had. What a picture!
37. ALL THOSE MOORINGS & US TOSSING THE ROPES ON THEM & HIM TRYING TO TAKE THEM OFF as fast as we tied them on. And us sort of amused while he was having fun too but a little bit irritated, "Well now, it's not quite fair, there's three of you & only one of me. But don't worry, I'll get them all loose. I'm not worried, I can throw them off faster than you can put them on!" In other words, he was quite confident, like,
38. "YOU'RE PLAYING A PRETTY GOOD GAME, BUT DON'T WORRY, I CAN GET RID OF THEM all. I can cast them off. It's much easier to cast them off than to tie them on," which of course it is. Throwing ropes with little loops on the end over the poles is much more difficult, really a game of skill. Anybody can keep slipping them off, but we were tying them on faster than he could slip them off! Isn't that funny?
39. I KNEW I DREAMED SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT HIM when I woke up & I couldn't remember it! But then when I mentioned it to you & asked me about it, I really prayed & it just came back to me as clear as anything. Thank You Lord! Praise the Lord!
40. EVEN THE POSITIONS IN THE DREAM MUST BE IMPORTANT. I was looking down on the board, it must have been the viewpoint of the Lord. He was on the left & we were on the right, & I was the first one over here in the front, but Sue was right beside me on my right, & you were standing right behind Sue.
41. IT'S FUNNY, YOU WERE PICKING THE LOOPS UP OFF THE FLOOR & handing them to Sue & handing them to me. Isn't that something? You weren't so actively engaged in the game, like when you don't say much, but you're praying I'm sure. The minute he threw them off, they fell on the floor, but you were picking them up quickly & passing them to us & we were the two active ones throwing them on. But you were right there backing us up, Honey, helping us. (Maria: I made most of the risqué remarks because Sue was a little embarrassed to do it.
42. (I ASKED HIM IF HE SHARES HIS BED & IF HE LIKES TO SHARE & that you like to share. You asked him which one he liked & he said, "Which one do you prefer?") Like, "Which one do you want me to like? (Maria: Like, "I'll take whatever you give me.") Well he's not so dumb. He's pretty sharp & observant & I'm sure he can tell that although Sue's in the forefront interpreting, you & I are the ones most closely attached & she's the one that's somewhat free. (Maria: We told him that, that we sleep together & the baby comes in to nurse.) Yes, you & I are Mr. & Mrs.
43. BOY, THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL BOAT THOUGH, WHEW! THAT BOAT IS A DREAM, it is a dream! He just laughed when Sue was talking about hauling it with a car! He could almost load the car on the boat! He's smart, he's got a sailboat, he'll still be going when the oil is gone! It's all equipped with everything, stove, fridge, like a whole house, & sleeps six!
44. THAT YOUNG MAN ACTED LIKE HE WAS THE HIRED CREWMAN to take care of the boat or something, & he was fussing at him because it wasn't tied up right. It was a little bit loose & he was making him tie it up tighter. He liked it because I was concerned about that fish trap that was sticking out so far, if a boat had come over there it could have battered up against it.
45. THE LORD IN SOME WAYS SETS US FREE, BUT IN OTHER WAYS HE BINDS US & TIES US TO HIMSELF. He's pictured as a safe harbour, a haven, & the sea is pictured as being wild, without rest, like the wicked.--Rebellious, independent, supposedly free, but in some ways the sea is really bound. It's bound within certain limitations the Lord has set, beyond which He says it cannot go. Whereas we are in the haven of the Lord, the harbour of His safety & salvation.
46. WE'RE FREER THAN THE SEA, WE CAN FLY! He can only sail, but we can fly in the spirit! And apparently we can fly circles around him, like the seagulls. Have you ever seen seagulls circling boats? It's almost like the boat's bound by the sea, but the seagulls are up there circling around overhead so free. Almost like they're in contempt for the boat's bondage to the water. The boat can only operate in that element alone, no more. It can't travel on land & it can't fly, it's really bound with the sea.
47. DID HE SMOKE ONE TIME TODAY? One time when he was trying to relax. I think he said he wanted five minutes to relax & smoke. (Maria: Afterwards too.) How could I be so unobservant? I guess my mind is concentrating so much on the game that I hardly even notice what he's doing. It's like a battle of wits, a battle of the minds, really a battle of spirits. I was lying in that chair just praying, "Now Lord, give me the right thing to say next, please help me, not just foolishness & kidding around." Oh, that was another thing that happened today after talking about the angel & all,
48. THE LORD SORT OF REBUKED ME FOR TOO MUCH FOOLISHNESS. We were kind of being funny & foolish & cracking jokes & all that, but just like the Lord spoke right out, or one of the angels, "Quit your foolishness, this is serious business to him!" It's kind of like a game to us, foolish in a way, but to him it's serious business! So right away I began to pray, "Well Lord, what do You want me to say?"
49. THAT'S WHEN I BEGAN TALKING TO HIM SERIOUSLY ABOUT LOVE & HE BEGAN TO CONFESS about his wife. That was quite an opening up. (Maria: Afterwards when we were all quiet he said, "Are you shocked?") I told you guys before that I thought he was probably married, remember? Now where did I get the idea I'd seen a picture of his wife & two children? I could almost swear I've seen a photo of him & his wife & two children.--A little girl a bit older than the boy. If I haven't seen snapshots of them, then I've been seeing things!
50. HE'S VERY SERIOUS-MINDED, QUITE SOBER & VERY THOUGHTFUL, A REAL THINKER.--And he's troubled, as everybody is that doesn't follow the Lord. The Lord is an anchor, that's another thing the Lord is symbolized as, an anchor, a haven, a port, a harbour. There's never any picture of the Lord enjoying a storm & enjoying the rough seas. When they woke Jesus up in the boat He calmed the storm, remember?
51. (MARIA: WHEN PEOPLE SEE THAT YOU HAVE SOME DEPTH TO YOU THEN THEY LATCH ON TO EVERYTHING YOU SAY, They put some significance to everything you say. Once you've showed them that you do have something, they latch on to every word you say, & it's got to be something true & worth-while because that's what they're looking for. They get sort of disappointed if you just act like everybody else, because they're looking for something deeper.) That was the feeling I had today when the Lord rebuked me in the spirit, & I got convicted.
52. "BE CAREFUL, NOT TOO MUCH FOOLISHNESS! BE SERIOUS, HE'S REALLY SEEKING & he's taking you seriously, & you've got to give him something more sober & more to give him something more sober & more serious!" So I began to settle down a little bit, I don't know whether you noticed that I was getting a little more serious with him, when the Lord rebuked me about that. In a way it's still a game, it's like fishing. fishing is a game, a sport. The Lord compared it to fishing, isn't that something? "From henceforth thou shalt catch men!" (Lk.5:10.) PTL! TYL!
53. HELP US LORD, GIVE US WISDOM & MOST OF ALL LOVE, Lord. Thy love is wisdom & You give it to us to help a dear wandering searching soul who's really seeking, Lord, & serious, thoughtful, sober, really seeking. Help him, Lord, in Jesus' Name.
54. HELP US TO FEED HIM, HELP US TO GIVE HIM THE THINGS THAT HE NEEDS, not just foolishness, Lord. We act human & natural & we joke & we have humor & He knows we're liberated & free & he can relax with us. But he needs us, Lord, he really needs us. So help us, Lord, help us not to fail him, Lord, in Jesus' Name. Help us to tie him in tight, Lord, for Thy glory, Thy love. Hallelujah! Praise You Jesus!
55. HOW YOUR HEART YEARNS OVER HIS SOUL, yearns for him, Lord, You love him, You really love him! You put such love in our hearts for him, Lord, help us to help him, in Jesus' Name.
56. I THREW IN SOMETHING ELSE TODAY, I don't know whether you noticed or not. I threw in quite a few things. I don't think I'd mentioned anything about the Bible before, but I threw that in, & then when we got in the car I prayed, Even though it was in Spanish he couldn't fail to recognise the name of Jesucristo. Of course that's another rope that he doesn't care to have tied on, Jesus.
57. HE'S AS JEWISH AS HE CAN BE, & OF COURSE HE'S UNDOUBTEDLY TOSSED OFF ALL FAITH, God & everything. He certainly doesn't want Jesus. (Maria: The Jews, even if they don't realise that they're Jews, if they've been brought up Catholic & their parents have never told them, do they still have that resistance of the Jews?) Oh, I think they've got all the characteristics of a Jew. As much as he's got the looks, he's got the characteristics. It's an inherited thing, it's a heritage, it's an inescapable heredity that's handed down through the generations, something only God can change. (Maria: They still require a sign even though they don't know they're Jews?) Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
58. THE LORD MUST REALLY LOVE HIM, IT WAS SUCH A MIRACLE HOW WE FOUND HIM. We just walked down the street & we passed a lot of dentist doors. All of a sudden I looked at this one & said, "That's the one! That's where I want to go." And sure enough it turned out he spoke a little English which is a big help to us.
59. OF COURSE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT SUE, because he doesn't speak that much English, but anyhow we have a good time every time we go, & we've been playing the Mooring Game. That's the story of the Mooring Game, I almost said Mating Game! (Maria: Well, we have such a small staff now we can't spare Sue any more than one evening a week or so if he wanted to take her sailing.)
60. I WAS SURPRISED HOW QUICK SUE TOOK TO THE IDEA, she didn't reject it at all. She said, "Oh, I'd like to go sailing!" I think she kind of likes him too. She wasn't a bit hesitant about it, she acted like she was enjoying the game, the sport. In fact, when we were playing it in the dream she was the one that seemed like she was laughing the most--you know how she laughs. She was really enjoying it! She's a tease, it was almost like she was laughing at his discomfort & laughing at his discomfort & laughing at his irritation.
61. BOTH YOU GIRLS ARE TEASES, I NEVER SAW THE LIKE! You like to tease men! Ha! Ha! You do, both of you! I think especially Sue, you're more subtle about it, she's a little more direct & lets them know she's teasing them. You act very innocent.
62. I THINK THIS IS REALLY GOOD LETTER FOR THE FFers because it's really what you do.--Little by little, strand by strand, either like a spider or a sailor or whatever it be, casting on another line, another strand, and you tie 'em a little tighter, sort of like pinning down Gulliver by the little Lilliputians in his sleep. And if you get enough lines on there, they're not able to tear loose.
63. (P.S. 1982: PTL! WOTTA PICTURE OF FFing! Amen?--Maybe we shoulda tried a net!--Ha! He finally took us out to dinner & was on the point of propositioning Sue when we had to leave.--But I'm sure the Lord will never let him get away! His love is irresistible!--Amen? Are you playing the "Mooring Game"?--It's fun!--& so rewarding!--Amen? PTL! GBY!)
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
