"How much is five hundred million?" I asked my brother as I walked into the kitchen.

"Five hundred million? What is the connection?" he retorted." Be clear with what you want to say. There is no time for mystery or games".

"I had a strange dream and five hundred million was in it. I met this person; and although he did not tell me I just knew it."

"Well, five hundred million would make him a multiimillionaire but not a billionaire".

"What do you know about knots?" I continued.

"Where are you coming from?" my brother replied

I pulled a chair from the dining table, sat and told my brother what I remembered. In my dream I had met a multimillionaire who owned a boat; but i did not see it. Although my grandfather and greatgrandfather were boat captains,I am cautious about the sea. Who wouldn't be after three near death experiences involving water? As a result, I refused to go in or near the boat because I wanted to know which knots were associated with boat basics. Although I knew about knots and could tie them- reef, granny, bowline, clove hitch, sheepshank-in my dream I wanted to know the precise knot used to dock a boat. My brother referred me to the computer!

Another part of my dream involved a faceless being. I was kneeling and a faceless being who seemed to have a rectangle over his face - similar to what happens to people in 48Hours and other police series whose faces are blurred - was holding my hand as if to help me to a standing position. My brother evaluated the information.

"Do you have a notepad and pen beside your bed?" he asked.

"No,"I replied.

"You should have these basic tools. You are a writer; and if you have them there, you will not forget because you can write down whatever it is quickly when you wake up."

I agreed and thanked him. Everyone has a different idea about the faceless beings who visit me in dreams. Some are midgets,others as tall as nine feet ; but most of them are an average height of six feet. A few appear as children,teenagers or young adults. After one unforgettable experience,I had a lion in my classroom during a dream. He did not leave until I had dressed in the whole armor of God in front of my class and prayed for them to be covered with the blood of Jesus.This lion did not enter through a door; nor did he leave through one. The Bible in Joel says there will be dreams and visions in the latter day. Some people believe God no longer give visions and dreams are figments of the imagination. Whatever they are, some believe they should not be told before breakfast. A nudge of superstition says to throw salt in the fire if you believe it is a 'bad' dream. A dream told to a man before breakfast is said to come true.Where is the plumb line?

A most interesting conversation occurred at lunch time that same day. A student used his lunch hour to visit the library and work on his project. The topic was divorce and its effect on children. My approach is discussion. By sharing ideas, i feel that the student activates his thinking skills and is able to write better when it is time to assemble the information. First, we capitalized on current event in the news. Should the divorced mother get custody of her children after the death of her ex-husband?Should a divorced person be allowed to remarry while the ex-spouse is still alive? What should a spouse do if religious beliefs do not permit divorce and the person desiring divorce threatens death if the person disagrees to give consent? A friend of mine refused to grant a divorce. Her stance because of religious beliefs was:over my dead body. Unfortunately, her spouse arranged it. My friend's niece had an experience in which she 'saw' her aunt travelling through the sky! The person the spouse was planning to marry gave her life to Jesus Christ and she almost met her demise. Recently, a news story revealed a husband was holding his wife as hostage because he believes in 'till death do us part'. He does not want death but remarriage by the judge who granted the divorce!

The student does not believe divorced individuals should be allowed to remarry and cited a Bible reference. What he did not mention was that God allowed divorce because the heart was hard. Should such a couple- either or both having experienced divorce- live together without the benefit of marriage? This is known as 'shacking up' in some societies. The student believed shacking up was fine. You love each other and need to get to know each other better. As one saying goes,'If you wan' know me come live wit' me'. But, isn't living together without the benefit of marriage 'sin'? I shared the experience of neighbours who had lived together for twelve years and had produced a family. They wanted to 'change' their lifestyle; and a pastor advised marriage first. They got married; and then the war started. The couple argued and fought regularly,often with deadly weapons! Would they have had more peace without marriage?

An hour goes so quickly when you are having a discussion. Soon, it was back to work. Books had to be cataloged,stamped,sorted and placed on the shelf. Who was our next visitor? A lizard!

"i am not Sarah", I remarked.

" Well, it is not me", the librarian responded.

We both laughed. A lizard is a lizard; and it can enter a building through any tiny opening. Signs are all around us; and we have to be aware of them. A look at the mango, guinep and gooseberry trees revealed a bountiful harvest can be expected. But a heavy laden fruit tree is regarded as 'bearing for sign'. In 2005, our seagrape trees had bunches that were 18-22 inches long. We gathered juicy and meaty grapes three times a day! That hurricane season was so busy that storms were named using the Greek alphabet! A storm appeared in December, after the close of the hurricane season. Since neither of us was expecting at the time,we disregarded the lizard and moved on to other signs. For the mariner and the farmer,the moon speaks during each phase.Do you want a full head of corn? Some people plan their visit to a doctor or medical care based on the moon. 'The more you live, the more you learn' is a saying I have heard often.

As if the lizard was not enough, a 'money bat' landed on the glass window pane.What is a bat doing out of a cave and flying around in the day? It is actually a moth. Those who believe in a money bat are most likely those who have received money unexpectedly. The money bat can be regarded as a messenger. My experience - yes I believe in them - is that they stay until the money arrives; then they go. Call it superstition. One saying 'God sends it even if the devil brings it' may not  be palatable to some Christians. However,many Christians have accepted funds that  the giver accumulated from gambling, drugs or other questionable activities.There are funds that provide 'conscience money'; and many contribute money to charity to avoid giving it to the government as taxes.

When trusted family members and friends tell you something, it is interesting. But after you experience it for yourself, you can 'mark it'. When a bird flies into a room and flies out quickly, someone is saying goodbye.Two birds flew into my classroom on the same day. This had been preceded by knocks on my door and finding nobody outside. One person was identified when the static on my car radio cleared up enough for me to hear the funeral service announcement regarding a friend and colleague. After it had ended, the radio returned to static and I put a CD in the CD player. Prior to my mother's death, a bird flew to the porch of my parents' house and hovered around my brother. Then it landed on the clothesline. My digital camera was functioning as it had new batteries and recorded photos I took indoors; but not one photo of the bird was visible! However, the bird that flew into the bedroom a few months earlier was captured on video.

To keep the atmosphere charged with suspense and laughter alive, I shared a crab experience. One morning en route to work I saw a crab attempting to cross the road. Not wanting to squash it under my tires, I slowed down and allowed it to cross. When it got to the other side of the road, it raised it claws.Every time I tell this one,l isteners reach the same conclusion. The crab raised its claws to thank me! What do crabs know about courtesy? Although it sounds weird, it is true. I did not crunch the crab, but I did roll over a snake. A passenger told me it was an enemy and I am suposed t o make sure it is dead! Now, if it was, that enemy has been defeated- demolished. It was not as lucky as the crab. This brings us to the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1.Can you see them in the grand stands of heaven?

One fan of  the program MythBusters said that there should be a team who investigates the beliefs of Christians and test them.Would what you believe be brushed aside as myth or superstition?Or are your beliefs anchored in the Rock of Ages?