From Romans 8:

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

40 Nor will any of these things be able to separate Christians who love God and one another from each other.

Verse 40 was an invention of mine in the wee hours of the morning as I awoke from a dream about providing a Christmas celebration for some of my family members who were refusing to provide their own gifts and decorations. Why Vss. 38 and 39 were on my mind following that dream, I don't know. Was it some sort of divine revelation, or the natural aftermath of thinking and praying about our current church situation?

The dream started with certain family members in a sulken state and ended with them in an ecstatic one. The gifts were so numerous, it took a truck to haul them, and the decorations completely transformed their drab environment. There was a point at which I hesitated before giving the Sears clerk my credit card, and I felt some resentment because I knew this family had the resources to do this for themselves. But rather than allow them to skip Christmas, I went ahead. There were 3 very young children in the family that I was most concerned about. It was the children's excitement that shook the adults out of their stupor.