The following thoughts were triggered at a men’s meeting I attended some years ago now. It was in connection with the John Eldredge book “Wild At Heart,” about the heart of a man, or the attempt to recapture what a man’s heart was meant to contain.
As per usual, I got something out of it that was not intended. No wonder I’m always in trouble. :-)
So here’s the deal: 
What I saw that evening was the New Jerusalem—the city with twelve gates and only one street—being a pond with twelve piers.
Jesus said, (speaking of the Spirit) “… Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.”
The water in the pond is the Spirit.
The shore and beyond the pond is composed of fallen venues, paradigms, and even idols.
And those drawn by the Father venture out onto the vulnerability of the piers.
But one of the things that happens when walking out onto the pier is that systematic theologians, or their offspring, greet you as you are heading for the pond and take you on a detour. One of these ways is by offering a “confessional salvation,” or, like Apollos, only John’s baptism. In short, they cut you off at the pass and you are left without even knowing that there is such a wonderful thing as life in the pond. This is spiritual retardation at best, and spiritual abortion at worst.
However, occasionally there are moments and even conversations when those on the piers make that “leap” off the end of the pier, and experience something wholly other than the conversations, venues, paradigms, and idols from which they have come out.
Two or more meeting beyond the end of the piers are able to enjoy an intimacy in the pond, sometimes even including words, that is possible nowhere else.
But then the moment ends, and the participants find themselves back on their piers.
Wanting to reconnect on what they hope to be a more permanent basis, they walk along the shore until they come to the same venue or paradigm of others that they met in the water.
They rush to greet one another, only to discover that on the shore, they are totally incapable of making connection or even getting along.
Now, take this metaphor and add the “seasons of life” to such venues and paradigms, and the situation becomes downright impossible.
Love!
- By Jay Ferris, originally published June 2012
Loving Like God 
Love the imagery of that and Jay’s insights. It was about 25 years ago the Father gave me a similar image, of a sandy beach, the sea, a dock and all sorts of people in a Norman Rockwell styled cartoon caricature. On the beach there were people playing volleyball oblivious to or uninterested in the water. Others were in the surf testing the water with their toes. Somewhere on the dock, arms crossed as if chilly or fearful of diving in. Most prominent was a smiling boastful looking man floating on a pool toy with an umbrella drink in one hand and gesturing with the others as if to say COME ON IN THE WATER IS FINE. He had one wary eye on a snorkeler swimming past face down. But he’s not really in the water as much as he’s taking a ride upon the water in a pool toy. It may have been a rubber ducky type toy. Not visible to anyone else was a diver in a deep sea suit and helmet sifting the ocean floor looking for treasure. I wanted to have the picture painted but never found someone with the talent nor interest. Perhaps now with AI it could be described and rendered?
Wow. What a great image you presented there. And so similar in meaning to Jay’s, too! – Pamela