Dog Walking and Terror

 

[1]

Psalm 4:8 American Standard Version (ASV)

⁸ In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.

Cleo, our German shepherd-Labrador mix, and I had a routine that we went through every night. If I forgot one thing, she refused to do the next thing. When it was bedtime, she got restless. She sighed heavily, then came over and lay down where ever I was sitting. Finally, I’d take the hint and go to the coat closet and fetch her leash, a small flashlight, and a plastic bag for her indiscretions. Then we walked across the street and out into the desert beyond.

The desert is always solitary and indeed deserted. The city lights are ever close, so our stroll was never in the deep darkness of the desert a long way beyond us. But enough stars are actually visible to make out the constellations. The planets do indeed wander through the background of stars beyond. At the time, Saturn was bright in the sky and had been sneaking up on Spica for several months.

Often coyotes were singing to the moon all around us. On occasion we even saw one watching us boldly or slinking slyly away. Cleo was a bit larger than even the largest coyotes, and she has a great love of chasing them. I would slip her leash loose and watch her eagerly give chase. She was far too old and fat and slow to get too close. But she loved it, and the coyotes seem to love it, too. As they got to a “safe” distance, they would stop, turn around, and watch her, sort of egging her on.

One time, years before Cleo was born, I was walking Brenna, another of our line of dogs, when a woman appeared from the south with a couple dogs in tow. She was surprised or even shocked by my appearance. Our dogs were on leash, so there was no potential dog fighting.

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry. I promise I’ll never come out here again!” She was overcome with fear.

“Don’t worry,” I answered. “You’re not doing anything wrong and certainly in no danger. I like to walk my dog here, too.”

“Please let me go!” she pleaded. In her terror, she continued verbally groveling, making very little sense in what she said.

I was surprised by her attitude. I, an old man, was certainly not threatening her. I was at least twenty yards from her when she saw me and was not even walking towards her, let alone pursuing her. That she lived in fear was evident in everything she said and in every movement she made. She turned and hastened back towards the houses and streets.

Thank You, Lord, for a feeling of safety and that every night we both lie down and sleep.

 

 

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[1] https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP._6oRDiZBYfh4V7VuUe_VIAHaEb%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=67572bdf60898b97f1494ba51058ec7f616bc3670dd0efaa2216ac2d1c5e8393&ipo=images

Be Still And Know

 

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Psalm 46:10 King James Version

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God

 

Often while I am sitting at my desk writing, our doggie, Katie, will come in and lie down at my feet. She will stay there as long as I don’t leave. She loves to accompany me when I go somewhere, and I think she finds that if she is with me, I’ll often take her along. If she is not with me, she may miss out on being with me when I do something else.

At least once a day we like to take a walk. If it’s daylight, then we walk in the hills surrounding our home. Once she is in the hills, I can let her off the leash, and she can run all over and explore her surroundings. If she detects a scent in a hole, she will dig in it vigorously, hoping to dislodge the occupant. She fancies herself a great hunter.

Often, we will dog sit our son’s dog, Oso.  When I’m sitting at my desk, Katie will assume her post at my feet. Oso will continuously pace the floor. When the time stretches as I write, Oso will eventually lie down. There is one big difference, however: Katie relaxes on her side; Oso lies down with all four paws under him ready to move at his slightest whim. He is constantly restless.

Katie has lived with us about 4 years and trusts us implicitly. She knows that we love her and will do the best we can for her. Oso doesn’t fully trust us; he questions our love for him. That seems natural—after all, Katie is at home, and Oso isn’t. However, the dogs behave the same way when they are both with my son. Oso is still the restless one. There appears to be a basic difference in the nature of the two.

You have noticed, of course, that there are some people who spend their time worrying while others seemed to be relaxed about their future. I think God is trying to tell us that we can trust Him with our future. After all, He is God. He promises us that He will do the best for us. He is God!

Thank You, Lord, that You are God. You always do the best for us. Help me to rest confidently in Your care.

 

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[1] https://post.bark.co/health/why-does-my-dog-lie-on-my-feet/

A Jealous God

 

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Exodus 20:5 New International Version

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God

 

Oso, our son’s dog is staying with us this weekend. He’s a great big dog, probably weighing 80 lbs (35 kg). He’s scared of everything, and very loving. Katie, our own dog, is considerably smaller, closer to 50 lbs (25 kg). She loves us supremely and shows it every time we come back after being away from home. She, too, tends to be scared of all kinds of things, but not as scared as Oso. We have spoiled her rotten. She is the first dog in a long series of dogs, whom Sylvia has allowed to get on any item of furniture. She is only allowed on the couch in the front room. She is delighted when Sylvia or I come and sit with her on “her couch”.

Once a day, we feed Katie a cereal and chicken mix that Sylvia fixes for her. It is a recipe she developed years ago when we were missionaries in Tanzania. Our previous dog, Cleo, lived for 17 years on it and she was a big dog. We keep dry dog food available for our dogs 24/7. They tend to self-regulate how much they eat, so they don’t get too fat.

With a second dog in the house, Katie shows a new side of her character. She is fiercely jealous. When we feed the do dogs the cereal/chicken mix we put it in separate bowls and they each eat their bowl and then dash over to see if the other dog’s bowl is empty—we expected that. But Katie doesn’t want Oso to have any of her dry dog food, so she quickly gobbles it up, too. She eats so much she can hardly walk, let alone run! So we are rationing the dry dog food now.

If Oso comes anywhere near “her couch” she bares her teeth, growls and if he comes closer, she attacks viciously. Anytime they are in the house, Katie is up guarding “her couch”. If we pet Oso, then Katie dashes over and wedges herself between us and the big dog. She wants all the attention. We laugh at her jealous, protective nature.

Every time I see Katie’s jealous side, I am reminded of the second commandment of the Decalogue. God describes Himself: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” This is after two commandments that tell us to have no other gods before Him, and not to make any images, and not to worship any other gods or images. He says he will not only punish us if we do, but will also punish our children to the third and fourth generation.

Thank you, Katie, for showing me the possessive side of our loving God.

 

 

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[1] https://decodingtheword.com/a-jealous-god-el-qana/

Wicked Spiritual Forces

 

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Ephesians 6:12-13 Good News Translation

¹² For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. ¹³ So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

 

Very recently we took a hike near Heaps Peak in the San Bernardino National Forest along the Rim of the World Highway. The previous week we had experienced a fierce wind-storm. It had blown branches and lots of fruit off our fruit trees. That same wind blew with far greater force over the ridge of the San Bernardino Mountains that the highway runs along. It runs at an elevation around 6,000 feet (2,000 m). Great trees had been snapped off like matchwood. Our trail had been cleared by chain saw. But the forest floor was piled high with the broken branches—the leaves still green from vigorous growth. Our Sequoia Trail ran along the north face of the ridge. We hiked along about half of the trail. There were long patches of frozen, solidly packed snow.

This was probably our dog Katie’s first experience of walking in snow. She didn’t know what to make of this white stuff that made her feet so cold, and they tended to slide out from under her. Sylvia and I picked our way along previous dirt-filled footprints. Finally, about half way around the loop trail, we came to a part covered with deep icy snow. It sloped rather treacherously down to our left. Regretting that we had not attached the ice grips to our shoes that my cousin, Pastor Reneé, had so graciously sent us, we turned around and headed back to the car. We have become more aware of the danger of falling as we have counted off more years in our lives. You should have seen how happy Katie was when she got out of the car in her own home.

As the world rushes on into its “evil day,” the “wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world... the cosmic powers of this dark age” are being allowed to exercise more and more power. We normally don’t see them, far closer to us than we can possibly imagine, but they are there. In my last three blogs I have tried to describe how close this “heavenly world” is to us. Realize that not only our guardian angels but also the demon enemies can be close enough to even be inside us; still we cannot perceive their presence.

Paul urges us to “put on God’s armor now!” This armor cannot be obtained in a gun store or from a digital super hacker. It cannot be obtained from Pfizer or Moderna. In the next five verses of this chapter Paul outlines his concept of the only invincible armor and how to obtain it. He points out that there will be a fight—a fight to the bitter end. Only with this armor will you “still hold your ground.” Read the verses again or postpone doing so at your eternal peril.

Thank You, Lord, that You have provided invincible armor for us. Please help us as we fit it on.

 

 

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[1] https://stockagency.panthermedia.net/m/stock-photos/8604718/slipping-in-packed-snow-and-ice/

A Time to Comfort

[1]

Ecclesiastes 3:1

New International Version

 ¹ There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 

Tippy was a loving black Labrador retriever. Like many in her breed, she was extremely intelligent. She had lived with us for a number of years and was an integral part of our family.

We lived on Main Street, and I used to worry that our pets might get run over by all of the heavy traffic. One Sunday Tippy got out of the house and dashed away. I hurried downstairs and called for her, not knowing where she had gone.

I walked out to the front of the house and called again. Then my heart about stopped. I saw her on the other side of the street running to meet me. The street was empty, but just as she started across the street, a lone car came whipping down the street at about twice the speed limit. The driver didn’t try to brake or show any sign that she was watching the road.

She struck Tippy and threw her twenty feet or more. Tippy got up and limped over to me. She lay her head down on my foot as I tried to comfort her. Within a minute blood came out of her mouth, and she quit breathing.

I stood there stunned with unrestrained grief and remorse that I had called her when I did. Tears welled up inside of me, and some flowed down my face. Everything about me was blurred.

The woman who had been speeding stopped and came over to me. I recognized her as the wife of the conference treasurer. She didn’t recognize me, nor did she try to. She admitted to being distracted as she was driving and not watching the road. She asked about the dog, and I told her that she had died.

“You know,” she continued, “this is a good illustration of how tenuous life is…”

Heartlessly, she launched into a sermon about death and being ready to meet our creator and judge. She warmed quickly to her subject, lecturing me on the coming judgment. 

I stood there numb. Tippy’s head still rested on my shoe where she had died, loyal and obedient to the last. Blood had soaked through my shoe and onto my foot and pants. And this heartless Christian fanatic went on and on about my soul. I resented her callousness and her lack of human sympathy. Anger welled up within me that anyone could be this unfeeling.

Finally, I said something about having to take care of the dog and turned my back on her. She walked back to her undamaged car, still lecturing away. Little did she know that if I had not already had a personal encounter with my loving Lord and Savior, I would then and there have sworn never to have anything to do with Christianity. Any religion that could leave someone so unfeeling, unsympathetic, and unkind would not be for me.

Lord, help me to be sensitive to the fact that there is a time and a season to say things and a time to refrain from doing so!

 

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[1] https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-drags-dead-dog-through-8147076

Cancer Recovery

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Isaiah 40:31 

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

³¹ but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.

This week I completed my last chemo infusion. I started the chemo five months ago in January. At that time I had made remarkable recovery after the West Nile Virus bout I contracted a year and a half before. Our dog Katie and I would walk over the La Sierra Hills in front of and behind our home. Katie would come home dragging her tail behind her and trying to duck into the shade of every desert plant that looked like it might offer a bit of cool respite.

Then I started the chemo. Within a scant fortnight I was winded just walking up to the Pumpkin Rock nestled on a low point on the ridge to the west of our home. Since then I have only once or twice made it up to the saddle point—an even lower destination. Otherwise I have restricted my goings to the almost level area in our valley. I walk with uncertain steps and brace myself for any slight slip on the dirt. I feel this constant headache that decries my actually being upright. Sylvia walks next to me gently pushing the middle of my back on the uphill stretches.

Meanwhile Katie runs joyfully around and digs energetically in every gopher burrow and rabbit hole she can find. I have pushed myself to walking about 2,000 steps according to a pedometer program I have on my smart phone. Then I return home and sit in the recliner and allow my heart and lungs to catch up with my body. Usually I am too tired to even sleep, but if I do, it will often be an hour and a half before I awaken. That is unless Katie suddenly explodes into a barking session.

Now that I am no longer being infused with the chemo poison that is supposed to zap the cancer I’m carrying, I eagerly await the renewal of my strength in a very literal sense. The Lord brought me back from a much closer brush with death during my West Nile episode. I fully trust that he will again fulfill this promise in Isaiah.

I thank You, Lord, that I can trust in Your promises and that You have seen fit to preserve me a second time. Let’s go for it, Lord!

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[i] https://www.google.com/search?q=pumpkin+rock+hike+norco&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS744US744&source=lnms&tbm=i

God Is Not Finished With Me Yet

Jeremiah 10:23

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

²³ I know, Lord,
that a man’s way of life is not his own;
no one who walks determines his own steps.

The other day some kids were taunting Katie through our back fence. I watched it from a point where the kids couldn’t see me. When one of them threw something at Katie and scared her, I remonstrated with them. They dashed away out of sight yelling back at me. I knew at the time that my approach was poorly chosen. What I should have said was something like the following.

“Hey guys, dogs are pretty stupid when they bark at somebody from behind a fence. I often feel that way, too. Katie doesn’t recognize you. She may even think you’re up to no good. If you owned that house, you might even want a dog to bark at somebody in your backyard whom you don’t know, especially if they were there with malice in the minds.”

This may even have earned their empathy. If not, we may still have parted as friends not antagonists. Hindsight is always 20/20. Jeremiah adds this prayer to his lament that we don’t walk the way we want to:

“Discipline me, Lord, but with justice—not in Your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing.”

Truly the Lord does discipline us but with far more grace than we ever deserve.

Thank You, Lord, for covering our erring steps with Your marvelous undeserved, forgiving grace.

When It Seems Everything Goes Wrong!

Psalm 23:4

Good News Translation (GNT)

⁴ Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me.

It was four o’clock in the morning. I tossed and turned. My mind started toiling through a long list of recent setbacks.

Our faithful, gas-guzzling pickup had just done a seven thousand mile trip. Now suddenly on the last fill-up, its mileage had dropped to a third of what it had been on the trip. We had double checked the calculations. Google told us this happened to other owners, and they had a terrible time finding out the cause. One had even replaced the engine, to no avail.

Our water main had broken and we had been without water for twenty-four hours. Our neighbors let us take showers in their home, bless their caring hearts. I had spent the whole day repairing it, and now the sprinkler system wouldn’t work. The temperatures were in the hundreds, and the trees and plants were starting to seriously wilt from lack of water.

The Internet and phone company had spent four days doing a “simple” upgrade, and still neither the phone nor the Internet worked. Since our home is up a little valley, even our cell phones don’t work unless the Internet works or we go outside and stand in the middle of the street to make a call. So we were thrust back into the nineteenth century reliance solely on the post office for our communications.

Katie, our beloved one-year-old, still-chewing-everything puppy just chewed up Sylvia’s C-PAP breathing apparatus. The insurance company tells us we can’t get a replacement for at least another month. When I walked Katie in the hills in front of our home, a young coyote was walking shoulder against shoulder with her trying to coax her back to the pack and the kill. Katie wasn’t sure whether she should go with her new “friend” or come back to me.

While we were on our trip mentioned above, our son Fred phoned us to tell us he was engaged to Uni, a lovely girl he has been dating on and off for a number of years. Then he phoned us to tell us they are getting married later this month. They plan to meet in Oregon and see the August eclipse and invited Sylvia and me to go with them. I am eager to see the eclipse and even more eager to be with Fred on the trip. But I’m also still recovering from my battle with West Nile Virus. I seemed to lose some ground on our 7,000 mile trip in which we took everything very easy, so I fear a rush trip of 2,000 miles may set me back even more.

A smiling doggy face and furniture-beating tail greets me as I roll out of bed at six o’clock. I happen to read our familiar and much beloved Shepherd Psalm. I reread verse 4, and peace covers over my many concerns. My Lord is still with me.

Thank You, Lord, that I can rely on You to solve my problems as You have so frequently in the past!

Tread on Serpents

April 25, 2017

Luke 10:19

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

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Thirty or more years ago when we were searching for a home near La Sierra University, we spelled out several criteria. We wanted a home near enough for me to walk to work. It had to have four bedrooms, one for us, one for our boy and one for our girls, and one for a guest room especially for grandparents. We hoped it would have a swimming pool so we could keep an eye on what our kids and their friends were doing. We also hoped it would have access to countryside where we could walk for recreation. Of course, it also had to be in our price range.

The home we got couldn’t have matched these criteria any better. Its selling point to me was that it was situated in a little valley with desert hills on three sides. We could walk up into the hills by simply walking past three houses, and we were into the hills. During a normal year the hills turn a rich green color in the winter rains. For spring, summer and fall the hills are the color of dried grass.

Almost every day over the last 30 odd years we have walked at least some distance up into the hills, usually with a dog at our heels or galloping merrily ahead. The dog’s favorite pastime is chasing, unsuccessfully, every lizard that makes a mad dash to get out of our way. Occasionally it would be a bird, ground squirrel or rabbit. Even more rarely, there would be a lone coyote or as many as four or five them to give us a short thrill of the chase.

Sylvia and I have delighted ourselves in counting the number of species of flowers actually blooming on a particular walk. Usually we count anywhere between a dozen and two dozen species. During spring after the hills have turned brown, we find the richest number of flower species. The other day we had counted over 40 species and were at the very top of our La Sierra range and heading home down a very rough trail.

As I walked I suddenly felt something soft under my right foot, not the usual rock hard surface. In the shortest of moments, far shorter than it takes to think it, let alone write it, I shifted the weight off my right foot and made a lunge for Sylvia. I grabbed her by her waist and pushed her backwards and away. I guessed it might have been a snake I had stepped on and didn’t want her to be bitten. She thought I had lost my balance, which I have been doing since my bout with West Nile Virus, and fought to keep me upright. Neither of us fell, and I swung around to see what I had stepped on.

Right where my foot had trod a thick red western diamond backed rattlesnake was slithering slowly away from us. It hadn’t so much as tried to rattle and warn us. It had also not bitten me. I don’t know whether it had tried or not. I was wearing heavy jeans and thick leather shoes, so it might have tried but failed to penetrate to the skin. Furthermore, red western diamond backs are known to be reticent to bite unless directly attacked. But I do feel that I was under the direct protection of the Lord. In the words of Christ in the next verse:

"Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Thank You, Heavenly Father!

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[i]  http://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/red-diamond-rattlesnake.html

When we lose good things

Job 1:21

Good News Translation (GNT)

²¹ He said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!”

Cleo, our half Alsatian half black Labrador, and I take a walk out into the desert hills every night before we go to bed. We’ve done this for over fourteen years now. She runs, chases the occasional coyote, and uses the desert as her personal toilet. She looks forward to this with eager anticipation every evening.

Some years ago Karen moved into a house on the corner we go by every evening. She often sat out on her tiny patio in the evening. Every evening that she was out there she had a few treats that she gave to Cleo. She kissed and welcomed her, and Cleo loved it. I told Karen, “It’s all cupboard love,” but she loved it−as did Cleo. On the nights that Karen wasn’t there, Cleo still studied the patio carefully, hoping that Karen would suddenly appear. If I didn’t happen to have her leash on her, Cleo would race over and inspect the patio carefully, undoubtedly hoping that Karen would appear or that she might have abandoned a treat there.

This autumn Karen bought a house in a different part of the city. Her move to this permanent address doesn’t faze Cleo’s eager searching for Karen and the former treats she used to receive. I’ve explained to the new residents of that home the reason for Cleo’s sudden appearance on their patio. So they tolerate her quick inspection very graciously.

Every time I watch Cleo’s vain excitement, I’m reminded that everything that I regard as precious will eventually be taken away, including life itself.

Thank You gracious Lord for all You do for me. When these are taken away, may I respond with the gratitude of Job, “May Your Name be praised!”