THE BABY!                 DO 213            3/73
--A Dream of November, 1972.

         1. We had a little cottage on the top of this high mountain and the top had been leveled off flat about one acre in size & the sides of the mountain were like steep slopes on all sides except for one side where this steep winding road wound up, frighteningly steep, & from the top of this mountain it seemed we could survey the whole World!
         2. WE TOOK THIS NICE LITTLE WHITE BALL & THREW IT OFF THE MOUNTAIN & it bounced & bounced & bounced & kept going & it never stopped! It seemed like it bounced clear around the World & we were all jumping up & down for joy the way that ball kept bouncing like it was alive--almost without effort! We marvelled at the way it seemed to bounce!--We just got it started.--ALL WE DID WAS OBEY & STARTED THE BALL BOUNCING & THE MESSAGE HAS JUST KEPT ON GOING & BEEN PROCLAIMED AROUND THE WORLD! The Word was ALIVE!--It seemed to go EVERYWHERE! Then we were all feasting, BUT I KEPT WARNING THE KIDS TO STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGE, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FENCE.
         3. We were all having a nice picnic when SUDDENLY ONE OF THE LITTLE NAKED BABIES FELL OVER THE EDGE, tumbled over the side of the mountain & landed on a ledge, lying there kind of dazed & naked! It was one of those LITTLE kids just learning to crawl & it had fallen over the edge while we were busy FEASTING when we should have been WATCHING him & taking CARE of him & keeping him AWAY from the edge!
         4. (Tongues & weeping:) "Woe to the Children of David that hear not the Words of their Shepherd & care not for the sheep!"
         5. That baby falling over the edge just about SCARED THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME & I GOT ALL EXCITED ABOUT IT & TRIED TO REACH IT & climb down there, but I couldn't. But thank God, the poor little child just stayed there without crying or complaining, just sort of acted like, well, I guess this is where I'm supposed to be!--Because I SEEMED TO BE THE ONLY ONE CONCERNED ABOUT IT--NONE OF THE REST OF YOU WERE!
         6. I was trying to interest the rest of you guys in trying to help me rescue the child before he fell on over clear down the mountain, & a couple of you finally came & casually looked over the edge & said, "Well, we don't know how to get him up.--Maybe we'll think of something & figure out some way later."--And then you all went off shopping!--And I just couldn't believe it! I chased after you, yelling breathlessly, "We've GOT to rescue that BABY!" It was getting dark & cold & I frantically tried to get you to listen: "That child is going to die of exposure!"
         7. I finally got so desperate I said, "I guess we'll have to call for the emergency rescue squad!--THEY'LL surely know how to get him off the ledge! We cannot leave that child there all night!"--BUT YOU ALL WERE STILL CASUALLY VISITING & SHOPPING!--And do you know what somebody piped up & said indifferently, unconcerned?--"WE DON'T DARE CALL THE RESCUE SQUAD, BECAUSE THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE AN INVESTIGATION.--They might ask: 'How come you didn't call us sooner? How long's the baby been there? How did it happen? Why weren't you watching the child?'"
         8. The last part of this dream was so terrifying!--I was so shocked. The Lord was trying to scare the daylights out of me & I persisted: "But if WE don't rescue the baby or get THEM to do it, it's going to DIE there!" And somebody said again, "Well, that would be better than letting them find out we so carelessly let the baby fall over the side. Better to let it die there of exposure or fall on over, than to let them find out how careless & negligent we were & how long it's been since it fell, without our saving it or calling on them to save it. Better to just hush it up."
         9. So I practically SCREAMED!: "You mean to tell me YOU WOULD LET THAT CHILD DIE OUT THERE RATHER THAN LET YOUR CARELESSNESS BE EXPOSED!--What if they ever find THAT out & find the BODY?--THEN what kind of investigation do you think you'll have! Then you'll REALLY be in trouble!" Then I woke up instantly & remembered the dream so vividly!
         10. The baby, of course, represents these little kids. The most horrifying thing about it was not that the baby fell over or was in danger, because it didn't seem to be totally impossible to rescue the baby. But it was that we just didn't know how or were too lazy! IT WAS THE CASUAL, NONCHALANT, INDIFFERENT ATTITUDE OF THE LEADERS, WHO WERE FEASTING, PICNICKING & WENT OUT SHOPPING THAT AMAZED ME! I believe IT WAS A STARTLING, SHOCKING WARNING FROM THE LORD!
         11. That one little baby symbolised ALL the babies, ALL the kids.--And IF YOU DON'T GET BUSY & TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEM, so they won't fall off or freeze to death or rescue them when they do, should your lack of concern be exposed, IT COULD HURT THE WHOLE REVOLUTION!--The baby could die from your lack of concern, your negligence, & the Lord then, as your judgement, could let the System come in & sock it to you for it, some real scandal!
         12. Why do you think I used to go around & check everyone's vehicle on the road, to see if they were warm & had proper ventilation, & why was I the only one who cared? I think you'd better READ EZEKIEL 34 AGAIN TO YOURSELVES & PICTURE YOURSELVES AS THE SHEPHERDS THAT GOD WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHO DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE SHEEP & the way you've been treating them & pray that God will help you take care of them in a hurry, before something disastrous happens! How would you explain THAT to the authorities if we had some epidemic in one of our Homes due to a lack of proper sanitary conditions or facilities, or a whole dorm full of people were wiped out in one night because of a faulty heater & no ventilation, or have a whole Home wiped out because of food poisoning! WE SING A SONG, "YOU GOTTA BE A BABY". MY GOD, HELP THAT POOR BABY!--I PITY IT!
         13. I believe Jesus took GOOD care of His sheep, the ones He had, the best He could! If you've got more sheep than you can take CARE of, you'd better give them to somebody that CAN take care of them! WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU CHECKED TO FIND OUT IF THEY HAD PROPER HEAT & WARM CLOTHES & PROPER FOOD? ONCE I have WRITTEN you about all these things, I figure that's it!--Why should I have to write it all OVER AGAIN?--How COULD I write it again, when I'm so busy yelling at you while you're feasting & shopping, trying to get you to take care of the poor babies falling over the cliff!
         14. You had better get busy & see that all these Homes are taken care of or when it HAPPENS I'm going to tell you I WARNED you!--I told you so! ARE YOU GOING TO BE GOOD SHEPHERDS OR ARE YOU NOT?--Are you going to be OBEDIENT to your CHIEF SHEPHERD or are you NOT?--ARE YOU JUST HIRELINGS, who are there just for the HIRE, not because you LOVE or CARE for the sheep? Are you HIRELINGS who couldn't care LESS for the sheep, who are just there for the PAY, because you LIKE the work, but the sheep are falling over the edge or starving or cold or getting ripped off by the wolves?
         15. Jesus said the hireling careth not for the sheep--just for himself! He's making sure HE'S warmed & fed & clothed & protected, but couldn't care LESS for the SHEEP! BUT JUST LET ONE OF THESE POOR LITTLE SHEEP MAKE THE SLIGHTEST MISTAKE & YOU BEAT HIM unmercifully with the rod of your mouth for mistakes YOU are probably guilty of YOURSELF, because YOU probably didn't INSTRUCT or TRAIN him!--So you beat him so HE'LL think HE'S guilty, when YOU YOURSELF are guilty!
         16. I want to tell you, if you can't take care of these kids, we'd better give them back to the System, & put them back in school, & back at their jobs, & back with their parents! SOME of these parents have been entirely too RIGHT about the things they accuse us of: lack of provision & lack of care! At least we should furnish them with what we've GOT, & give them the best we HAVE!
         17. I was never in a Home unless I concerned myself with every little detail, as servant of all! When is the last time YOU went around to every room checking to see if they all were tucked in, feeling their covers to see how many they've got, checking the windows to see if they have proper ven tilation, checking the heater to see if it was safe? I used to do that EACH NIGHT in any Home I was ever in.
         18. When YOU hear somebody in your Home is sick, what do YOU do about it? How good are YOUR office conditions? Does YOUR secretary have proper lighting? Do YOUR disciples have proper lighting under which to read?--(ETC., ETC.!)-Amen? DO IT NOW!--BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!--THIS IS A WARNING FROM THE LORD!--And YOU'D better believe it!--Amen? God bless & keep YOU & help YOU to take BETTER CARE OF YOUR SHEEP!

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