Marking Progress

If I were a scrapbooker (and I am not), this would have been a big week in the life of Captain, the tiny kitten abandoned near my home on June 1.

He was cuter when he was smaller. Now he's a bit of a terrorist to the entire households. If you don't trust the scars on my hands, ask Frankie.

Every now and then, he'll do something charming and cute.

Mostly now he runs around knocking things off the counter.

This week, he killed his first mouse. The next day, he had his first surgery - neutering.

Aren't you glad I have no photos of those?

Have you noticed that getting older and maturing seem to be too very different things? We're told to stay young. Sure, that's a nice thought, but that doesn't mean acting like we're still thirteen year olds at the first school dance. Young at heart, appreciating the simple aspects and wonders of life through the lens of maturity can be a beautiful way to live. Making peace for where you are in life, who you are and who you are becoming makes for personal harmony.

Even the Lord says we are not to be nourished on milk forever, but to get to the "meat" of our lives. My translation - use your head now and then - think things through.

It's to your benefit as well as all of us in community.

Go out there and think a thought today! It's so much better than knocking everything off my coffee table.

"That's Not Food"

This phrase is one that I have had to repeat to Foster over the years. Often. As he's now totally blind, he still hears it. Tilly also seems to be a bit of an omnivore.

An example of what is NOT food:

Toads. Toads are not food.

Recently, Jimmy, a Great Dane Mix puppy (yes, he's a BIG puppy!) mistook a toad for food. His owners, unaware of his alternative culinary interest, witnessed Jimmy foaming at the mouth, flipping around, and all around nuttiness. Being Googling fools, they Googled the symptoms and figured out what may have happened. Soon, Jimmy came down from whatever weird toad trip he took.

What happened next? Jimmy went out, and went right back to the toad. This time, the owners were able to prevent a repeat incident. Still the next day, Jimmy went back, looking for the now absent toad.

Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."

Will WE ever learn? Honestly, are we that different from Jimmy?

How often do we go back to our bad habits, even though we suffered difficult consequences? Are you strong enough to break the pattern?

I'm not. There have been plenty of times when I've had to pray like a crazed toad-licking dog to ask the Lord to give me HIS strength, since my own is so completely inadequate. It's humbling, to recognize my own weakness.

Yet in other ways, realizing I can't do it can be a relief. The battle is not mine to fight if I can lean on God to do it for me. Now, if I could only stay away from that bag of Oreos...

What about you? What's eating you? Or what are you consuming that is getting you further away from God and not drawing you close? He's never far away from you, just turn back.

Fighting an un-winable battle can leave you dry. As dry as this frog. You don't want that now do you?

Guard Dogs

Some people get a dog for protection. Most people get a dog because they want companionship, with protection being a side benefit. No matter the breed, most dogs have some degree of protectiveness for their home and people.

Which brings me to Taylor (hi Taylor!).

Taylor is a Boston Terrier, and while she may be small, a terrier is a terrier is a terrier! That means they've got plenty of spunk!

Taylor's owners told me she is a great guard dog. She knows which vehicles belong in the driveway and which do not. She also knows which people belong on her porch and which do not.

Then the owners told me one of the funniest stories I've heard for a while. Like me, occassionally a well-meaning but misguided group of individuals dress up and pile into a van, touring the countryside, knocking on doors and passing out literature, just so THEY can get in Heaven. Like I said, the Bible they have has some translation errors that are extremely important!

Back to the story, a woman from this group knocked on Taylor's door, which set Taylor into full-protection mode. The woman insisted that she needed to come in and talk. Taylor barked and carried on to the point where the owner had to tell the woman to get off the porch or the dog would come out!

The woman, frustrated, said, "Well, then you can just go to H-E-Double Hockey sticks!" Except she didn't say hockey sticks. She swore! Not too great of a "witness" after all, huh?

But it still makes me laugh.

And Taylor was on guard, with good reason. Psalm 3, verse 3 says "You are a sheild around me, O Lord." I think often God protects us in unexpected ways, and dogs are one of them.

We need to be on guard from external forces that may want to harm us physically. Yet there are more subtle, sometimes internal, forces that try to harm us mentally and spiritually. Bad theology can lead to despair in religion instead of hope and joy of true faith.

In other words, protecting truth is something worth barking about!

Go get 'em, Taylor!

The First Dog

Who is this adorable Golden Retriever pup? It's Bolt! (hi Bolt!)

Bolt is owned by a local university president and his wife. He lives in the President's home, and is a bit of an ambassador to visitors and students. Bolt is fortunate to have wonderful people taking care of him.

Bolt is easy-going, even as a puppy. He will be an excellent addition on campus. Yet Bolt is unaware of his position of being First Dog. Sometimes we think of the devoted mutt who faithfully follows the bum on the street. This dog is unaware of its position anymore than Bolt is.

Wouldn't that be a great way to go through life? Unconcerned of position? Last year I had the priviledge of spending a little time with a movie director and his family. Not only was his dog unaware of who "owned" him, but even the director's fourteen-year old daughter gave him the proverbial smack down as only a teenage girl can give her father (and still respectful, I must say).

The Bible says that the Lord is no respecter of persons. It does not matter to him what our title may be, who are parents are/were, what are tax bracket might be or what we drive. "Man sees with his eyes but God sees with his heart."

Isn't that...liberating? God doesn't care - he's given us a position through Christ that is equal to others who believe the same. Jesus says himself that we can be his "friend." Unbelievable, right?

With such love, we may desire to serve God as faithfully and humbly as the dog owned by the bum on the street. Yet God esteems us and gives us our mansion, our own First Place in his heart.

An Imagined Offense

Sunday morning, I walked downstairs to discover this at the bottom:

Just what did that poor roll of paper towels say to the kitten to receive such treatment?

Have you ever had someone take offense to something you said, and you had no idea you offended them? Or have you been offended by another's comments, when in reality no such offense was intended?

Perhaps I'm not the only one to notice that people today are just a bit "touchy" and oversensitive. Frankly, it's exhausting to be so careful all the time.

Language can be used as a weapon. If a person says they are offended, then the other person is on the defense immediately. A simple word can become a sword and a shield at the same time, giving them lots of control.

And we like control, don't we?

By today's standards, Jesus went around offending everyone. He told people "go and sin no more" and turned over the tables at the Temple. It's safe to say he hurt some people's feelings. Shouldn't Jesus always be loving? Can God be a meany?

What do you say to your dog or cat when they are headed for the road or ready to eat some vile thing? "NO!"

We say no as a protection, to insure safety. And Jesus does the same thing. All those "rules" people get mad about in the Bible? Could they be for our benefit?

Does our pet understand why we say no? Do they still want to play in the road? Of course they do. We can only hope they understand that we love them more and we know what's best.

Shouldn't we look at God's "rules" the same? We can't always understand, but He loves more deeply and fully than we can ever comprehend. "No" can be a radical act of love.

Getting a Taste of Kennel Life

This is Darcy, a seven month old Jack Russell Terrier (hi Darcy!). Darcy and I have something in common - neither of us seem to be very photogenic. In Darcy's case, it's because she is in constant motion (certainly not my problem).

Darcy spent five days here last week, her first time in a kennel. As it is with most dogs, she was shy at first, confused by her new living situation. However, after about a day, she was eating treats, eager to go outside, and very curious about the other dogs. She even learned to bark to keep up with the others.

Being the "new kid" anywhere is difficult, especially if you're no longer a kid. Yet that youthful awkwardness returns with a vegeance when we're put in uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations. Once we understand the new routine, the new people, and get a sense of what's happening, we can relax and possibly even enjoy ourselves.

Being an introvert myself, I dread social obligations. However, I don't if I know a friend will be there. And if I will not know anyone, I try to remember that Jesus is always with me and a presence is by my side even when I want to hide in the back of the room.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that you are loved, even though everything is new and different and awkward. That doesn't change the truth of it though.

What do you do in social situations that are unfamiliar? Are you an extrovert who embraces such occassions or are you shy and need time to get your bearings?

Heading in the Same Direction

Below is Tilly, Cody and Kobe. Foster is with us, just off to the left, a bit camera shy apparently.

Or maybe he's just embarrassed. You see, when I brought the two "other" dogs out for our walk, Foster immediately started fighting with Kobe. However, once all four dogs were leashed up and walking, there was no more conflict.

Have you ever worked against another person, or felt like they were working against you, when in reality the goal for all is the same? It's frustrating when a misunderstanding holds up forward motion.

Next time you're having a conflict, try walking along side the other person. Chances are good that conversation will settle into a pleasant pace that shows both of you are heading in the same direction.