Saturday, June 6, 2015

Dog Update


6 months ago, our family gave away our beloved black Labrador to a wonderful family just a few blocks away. We had got Jake 3 years ago. He was Max’s dog and he loved and cared for him every day. He trained him well but nothing could squash his inherent instinct to be curious and wander about. He came when he was called, obeyed our every command but when things got quiet and attention wasn’t fully on him, he would sniff and explore until he found himself on our nearby jogging trail – visiting, licking and jogging along with whoever came by.

After paying out the nose to Grandview’s animal control to release Jake repeatedly (they gave up on calling the # on his tag), we finally decided that he had to go.  Jake met his new owner on our walking trail and now it was time for her to meet us. She stood in my driveway with a gentle smile and a distinct emotional pain in her eyes. She had only been separated from her husband for a couple of weeks and in a new town she knew little about. We knew it was God’s will that Jake go with this family. He has a fenced in yard and is providing much needed comfort to this single mom and her 2 kids.

As I was doing my spiritual reading from Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe, it says that we must consent to situations that we did not choose. We must allow ourselves to be used as God sees fit. We were supposed to have Jake for a short time even though Max thought it would be forever. Max unknowingly prepared and trained him for a new family.

We had visited Jake several times and established a relationship with the new owner. She says that Jake is the best thing that could have happened during this difficult time.

Max hasn’t shed one tear knowing that he opened himself up to be used by God and experienced the rewards.

Now we have a territorial dog that follows Max everywhere. Instead of wandering off with curious instincts, her instincts are to work, protect and serve. Her name is Rosie, a full bred German shepherd. Her job consists of scouting the property – looking for anything that could threaten her family. She frequently checks on each member of the family. She is content when everyone is safe and accounted for. Max is just now beginning to fall in love with Rosie. It has taken a while since his heart was given to Jake the instant they met.
 

Since Rosie is a working dog, Max trained her to run and drag him up a steep hill. It blew me away! Max stands at the bottom of our hill that only young energetic boys can climb, and yells, “Help me Rosie!” Rosie stands next to Max. He grabs her collar and she drags him up this hill with all her might. I can’t believe it. It is like something out of a movie.

NOW we have the dog that God had planned for us J…… I think! I hope! We need to always be open to God’s will and not our own. Thy Will Be Done!

Twilight Zone


 

I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone!

#1  It is after midnight and I’m on the internet. That always puts me in some other dimension far, far away.

#2  The world has gone completely upside down! In the media right now, there is a former Olympic star grandfather that is mutilating himself and attempting to turn himself into a woman. I can’t believe that there is even one person on this planet that thinks this is a wonderful thing to do.  I can’t believe that there is one person that doesn’t think this man is mentally deranged. I think America is still on board in thinking that a girl who cuts her wrists needs counseling, right? Maybe?  Britany Spears cut off all of her hair only 8 years ago and the world reached out to her to seek professional help. 8 years later, a man castrates himself and he is labeled as a hero. What the hell happened in 8 years? – Except that we got a new president….

Also in the media, the Duggar family from 19 kids and Counting has been in the spotlight because the police chief in Arkansas gave a tabloid the sealed records of their 14 year old son and the victims of his molestation.  She gave it to a tabloid! And you would think that America would be up in arms at this injustice. How dare this system promise these children privacy so they could feel free to pour out their hearts and then give this report to a sleezy tabloid 12 years later?! But nope! No one seems to care. In this twilight zone of a country we live in, everyone wants to tar and feather the repentant child and ignore the victims.


We have Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland, New York and (insert the next towns in the next few months) that are rioting, killing, stealing and destroying their towns. People MADE UP stories of the poor humungous young black, unarmed thief that had his hands up demanding that he not be shot. People wanted to believe this story so bad. Why? They WANT racial tension? They WANT the rioting and violence?

Then we have our local Catholic bishop. He wrote a letter to everyone in the diocese about the dangers of pornography. He instituted the God’s Protecting Children program that every blessed person 14 and up have to take if you think about being in the same vicinity of a child. We had a bishop that did more than any other bishop in America to protect children and guess who is the first bishop forced out of his position because one of his sheep was caught (caught because of God’s Protecting Children program) with child pornography? You guessed it. Sin is alive and well in this country folks.

WHY are people desiring and thirsting for sin? Why do people grab on to bad news and HOPE that it is true? Who are these people?

I know that God made everyone in His image and likeness. I also know that this fact makes everyone desire Him whether they know it or not. The people that believe they can do a better job than God Himself still desire Him and that results in a raging fight between good and evil.  It is like a rebel child fighting against his good father. The good father never gives up. He is always trying to win his son’s heart. The son who wants nothing to do with him fights and then turns ugly and vicious as his daddy continues to search for him.  That is just what is going on with the people that thirst for evil and call it good and at the same time thirst for evil from a Christian and smile. It is the same smile Satan gives when a Christian sins.

I have this sign hanging on my wall. (My dear friends had this hanging over every door way in their home before they moved but forgot one. Now its mine:) They had put this up to have a constant reminder about Who they are truly thirsting for. When I am frustrated or desiring something big or trivial, I will pass this sign and remember that my authentic thirst is for God. I am going to hang this over every one of my doorways too!

I know that Christians are losing battle after battle but I know who will reign in the end. I know that God is a good God that allows us to choose Him or not to choose Him.  God would not be a good God if we couldn’t choose Hell. If only Heaven existed, then all of the suffering on this earth would be for nothing and that makes God a tyrant.

Do I have hope for our future? Well, I have hope for the eschatological man. We will each get what we choose. Who do we love more? God?......or our sin?

We each get to choose and a good God will give us what we have chosen.