Songbird is leading us on a quasi- mini lectio divina on Job 38 today...Here are five words...The idea? To just type the first thing that comes to mind when encountering these words...

First a comment. All of these words come out of long, profound speech placed in the mouth of God. It's a fascinating example of God's "closing argument" in the Job saga. All that being said, don't expect my reflections to be theological. :-) This is about word association.

Whirlwind
(Cliche alert)
Sepia-toned Judy Garland is rendered unconscious as her family home is born aloft by a whirlwind which deposits her in a Technicolor wonderland known as OZ.

Foundation
The Presbyterian Foundation is one of the most powerful financial institutions in Christendom. It invests money for the denomination, churches, and church affiliated organizations. I find it funny that they invest the money of the most liberal organizations in the denomination and the most conservative. That's either a model for survival of the church, or an example of how money is THE power and principality of our day. I'm not sure which.

Lightning
The insane storm we had here a few weeks ago that flooded homes in nearby neighborhoods (including one member of my church) and uprooted trees was accompanied by so much lightning it was like being part of some divine paparazzi invasion...non-stop flashes for almost an hour.

Den
The heart of the house in which I grew up. The den was half of a large open room that was part den, part kitchen/breakfast nook divided only by a bar and the oven. This was home...where the Christmas tree was put up, where the tv and stereo were, where all family conferences were held.

Prey
My anger in the last few weeks over the actions of Mark Foley in connection with Congressional pages comes to mind when I read this word. It is a textbook case of exploitation and abuse of power and the hypocracy of the conservative closet. Unwilling to deal with the real challenges of being who he is and really deal with the men he was attracted to as equals, Foley instead turned to those he knew he could maniupulate and dominate. In his pathetic and despicable acts one hears echoes of similar heinous acts by priests, ministers, counselors, and teachers.

So what do these five words mean to you?