This Saturday night miniature ghosts, goblins and super heroes will emerge from houses at dusk to comb the streets in search of treats. I always enjoyed taking our kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, watching children hold open hopeful bags, peering into their dark recesses trying to determine what luck they might have had at the door. A costumed ghoul that jumped from the bushes once convinced our five-year-old that he had enough candy for one night.
I still enjoy little ones ringing our door bell. I enjoy trying to guess who is hiding behind the princess mask, what little boy is growling in the Ninja Turtle costume. I especially like to have ET and Yoda drop by for a visit with their pet ghost-dog. Most of them are very polite ghosts, goblins and super heroes. They almost always say, “Thank you.”
Halloween, of course, has its dark side. Our anonymous neighborhoods, nightly news reports of abducted children and maps dotted with sexual predators have erased the naïve world of Halloween past. We are more aware that we live in a dangerous world where evil is real and present.
Many churches are more than a little uncomfortable with Halloween. After all, it has definite pagan roots. On the one hand, it is enjoyable to celebrate community with imagination, fantasy and neighborly generosity. On the other hand, there are demonic and destructive forces at work in the world that kill and destroy. It is one thing to celebrate fall and harvest and indulge in imagination. It is another to celebrate the occult, witchcraft, the devil and demons.
Many struggle with addictions and impulses they seem unable to control. They find themselves on a collision course with destruction, both their own and the destruction of those they love. Our world needs the deliverance from evil that Jesus offers.
Jesus once met a man who was outcast from his community. He lived among the tombs of the dead, often cutting himself with sharp stones. Local citizens tried to control him by putting him in chains, but he broke the chains and escaped back to his home among the graves. When Jesus ordered the demons that were destroying the man to leave him they entered a nearby herd of swine that immediately rushed into the sea and were drowned. The man was healed. When his neighbors found him, he was in his right mind, sitting with Jesus, no longer a threat to himself or to them. But it scared them. They asked Jesus to leave their country and not to come back. I guess forces that we cannot understand or control always scare us.
We can celebrate Halloween as an occasion to enjoy our children and their imagination. We can celebrate the turning leaves, dry corn, pumpkins and harvest. Halloween can also serve as a reminder that in our struggles with the unseen forces of good and evil, both in our hearts and in the world, we have a deliverer.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Encouragement Factor 10-21-2009
We have all seen it, the power of encouragement. It is what sports calls the “home field advantage.” The length of every football field is 100 yards, every pitcher’s rubber is sixty feet six inches from home plate. The bases are ninety feet apart. Every basketball hoop is ten feet high and every free throw line is fifteen feet from the backboard. But one thing is different. One athlete is playing before the home crowd and the other isn’t. The cheers of encouragement that fill the stadiums for the home team make a difference. People perform better when they are cheered on.
We also know the ravages of discouragement. Discouragement can paralyze and make it impossible to act. It can steal our confidence and throw us into a deadly downward spiral. Some remarkable people have the ability to resist discouragement and retain their focus. Tiger Woods has it when he has hit a series of bad shots or finished a bad round of golf. He keeps his spirits up. But most of us are more vulnerable to the voices of discouragement from within and from without.
The Adversary whispers into our ear words of discouragement and doubt. But God always encourages us, just as Jesus encouraged the heartbroken father whose daughter had died, “Stop fearing, only believe!” (Mark 5:36). God is our constant encourager. He believes in us. He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). Moses’ success depended upon how well he encouraged Joshua. (Deu.1:38, 3:38).
During his father’s funeral, Ted Kennedy Jr. recounted the turning point of his life as a twelve year old boy. He had just lost his leg to bone cancer. He says, “ … a few months after I lost my leg, there was a heavy snowfall over my childhood home outside of Washington D.C. And my father went to the garage to get the old Flexible Flyer, and asked me if I wanted to go sledding down the steep driveway.
And I was trying to get used to my new artificial leg. And the hill was covered with ice and snow. And it wasn't easy for me to walk. And the hill was very slick. And as I struggled to walk, I slipped and I fell on the ice. And I started to cry and I said, “I can't do this. I said, I'll never be able to climb up that hill.”
And he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something I will never forget, he said, ‘I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day.’
Sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly made it to the top. And you know, at age 12 losing your leg pretty much seems like the end of the world. But as I climbed on to his back and we flew down the hill that day, I knew he was right. I knew I was going to be OK.”
Encourage someone who needs it. It might be the most important thing you will do today, this week or in your lifetime.
We also know the ravages of discouragement. Discouragement can paralyze and make it impossible to act. It can steal our confidence and throw us into a deadly downward spiral. Some remarkable people have the ability to resist discouragement and retain their focus. Tiger Woods has it when he has hit a series of bad shots or finished a bad round of golf. He keeps his spirits up. But most of us are more vulnerable to the voices of discouragement from within and from without.
The Adversary whispers into our ear words of discouragement and doubt. But God always encourages us, just as Jesus encouraged the heartbroken father whose daughter had died, “Stop fearing, only believe!” (Mark 5:36). God is our constant encourager. He believes in us. He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). Moses’ success depended upon how well he encouraged Joshua. (Deu.1:38, 3:38).
During his father’s funeral, Ted Kennedy Jr. recounted the turning point of his life as a twelve year old boy. He had just lost his leg to bone cancer. He says, “ … a few months after I lost my leg, there was a heavy snowfall over my childhood home outside of Washington D.C. And my father went to the garage to get the old Flexible Flyer, and asked me if I wanted to go sledding down the steep driveway.
And I was trying to get used to my new artificial leg. And the hill was covered with ice and snow. And it wasn't easy for me to walk. And the hill was very slick. And as I struggled to walk, I slipped and I fell on the ice. And I started to cry and I said, “I can't do this. I said, I'll never be able to climb up that hill.”
And he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something I will never forget, he said, ‘I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day.’
Sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly made it to the top. And you know, at age 12 losing your leg pretty much seems like the end of the world. But as I climbed on to his back and we flew down the hill that day, I knew he was right. I knew I was going to be OK.”
Encourage someone who needs it. It might be the most important thing you will do today, this week or in your lifetime.
Beyond Religion 10-14-2009
A young friend of mine recently wrote on his facebook page, “Religion is still the opiate of the masses.” He got some interesting responses. One person agreed with him. Another wrote, “It can’t be. If it was, I would take it for recreational purposes.” Of course the statement originated with Karl Marx when he was developing the Communist Manifesto, the philosophical foundation that would eradicate religion in Russia for seventy-five years. When I visited Moscow and Lenin’s tomb nine years ago the hopeless despair left in atheism’s wake was palpable.
My first inclination, like many, is to jump to the defense of religion. But that might not be the most thoughtful response. After all, religion killed Jesus. The Roman government reluctantly carried out the crucifixion only after Pilate had repeatedly tried to release Jesus concluding, “I find no fault in him.” It was the religious leaders of Jerusalem who incited the crowds and demanded Jesus be crucified.
Mankind is incurably religious. Every culture on every continent has spawned religion. And, more often than not, the results have not been good. 9-11 and the Twin Towers serve as a monuments to the deadly effects of Islamic Jihad. The Hindu caste system of India consigns millions to poverty without hope.
The Christian religion can often become corrupt, self serving and self absorbed. Perhaps Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, found credibility with so many because they suspect that religious systems can become politically vicious when their survival is threatened. Religion can become sick so that the mentally unstable justify atrocities against the innocent. We cannot forget the 909 people, including women and children, who voluntarily drank cyanide out of religious devotion to Jim Jones in Guyana. We shudder when we read the emerging story of Phillip Garrido who abducted Jaycee Dugard 18 years ago and claims to be a Christian.
Religion can become a poison, not just an opiate.
Jesus, on the other hand, makes people less selfish, more generous, fills them with hope and leads them to sacrificial efforts to help others. Jesus transformed a little Albanian girl named Agnes into Mother Teresa who spent her life living among the poor of Calcutta and caring for them. Faith in Jesus made William Wilberforce the leader of reform in England to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Faith in Jesus Christ changed a backwoods playboy from North Carolina into Billy Graham who preached grace and forgiveness to millions. Faith in Jesus Christ catapulted Martin Luther King, Jr from the backstreets of Atlanta into the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. The list is almost endless. Religion can be an opiate or a poison, but faith in Jesus Christ transforms the world into a better place.
My first inclination, like many, is to jump to the defense of religion. But that might not be the most thoughtful response. After all, religion killed Jesus. The Roman government reluctantly carried out the crucifixion only after Pilate had repeatedly tried to release Jesus concluding, “I find no fault in him.” It was the religious leaders of Jerusalem who incited the crowds and demanded Jesus be crucified.
Mankind is incurably religious. Every culture on every continent has spawned religion. And, more often than not, the results have not been good. 9-11 and the Twin Towers serve as a monuments to the deadly effects of Islamic Jihad. The Hindu caste system of India consigns millions to poverty without hope.
The Christian religion can often become corrupt, self serving and self absorbed. Perhaps Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, found credibility with so many because they suspect that religious systems can become politically vicious when their survival is threatened. Religion can become sick so that the mentally unstable justify atrocities against the innocent. We cannot forget the 909 people, including women and children, who voluntarily drank cyanide out of religious devotion to Jim Jones in Guyana. We shudder when we read the emerging story of Phillip Garrido who abducted Jaycee Dugard 18 years ago and claims to be a Christian.
Religion can become a poison, not just an opiate.
Jesus, on the other hand, makes people less selfish, more generous, fills them with hope and leads them to sacrificial efforts to help others. Jesus transformed a little Albanian girl named Agnes into Mother Teresa who spent her life living among the poor of Calcutta and caring for them. Faith in Jesus made William Wilberforce the leader of reform in England to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Faith in Jesus Christ changed a backwoods playboy from North Carolina into Billy Graham who preached grace and forgiveness to millions. Faith in Jesus Christ catapulted Martin Luther King, Jr from the backstreets of Atlanta into the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. The list is almost endless. Religion can be an opiate or a poison, but faith in Jesus Christ transforms the world into a better place.
State Fair 10-7-2009
Oprah shined the national spotlight on the State Fair of Texas this year. I have been visiting the State Fair since I was a kid, wandering the sprawling grounds that circle the Cotton Bowl, birth place of the Cowboys, site of the Texas OU shootout and the Grambling game. There is something about the State Fair. Maybe it’s Big Tex, standing at the entrance where he has stood for generations, welcoming all comers with his Texas drawl. Maybe it’s Fletcher’s corn dogs smothered in mustard and ketchup, or cotton candy, sugar sprinkled waffles, roasted turkey legs and the deep fried “whatever” that reflects the Texas motto, “If you can fry it, you can eat it!”
Maybe it’s the midway with barkers promising prizes for a ring toss, a plastic duck plucked from the pond, a water balloon filled with water guns or the bell rung by a powerful blow with the sledge hammer. It could be the rides rotating with screaming and squealing kids. Or maybe it’s the pig races, the animal barns with blue ribbons or the tastiest jams and jellies. It could be the bird show, hawks launched from the ferris wheel swooping low over our head to the crowd’s applause. It could be the auto show where the Mustang was introduced in 1964, where today’s cars are on display with gleaming chrome and glistening paint.
Most of all, I think, it is the people, people who come together to laugh and celebrate family, heritage and culture. I like to see parents pushing babies in strollers, children dancing with excitement, grey haired men and women smiling at private memories, and lovers lounging on the grass beside the reflection pool.
God loves people, and he must like laughter. If the laughter of our children thrills us, how much more does our laughter thrill Him. God likes to see people coming together to enjoy one another. That may be why Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding feast, providing new wine when the wine ran out. It may be the reason His teaching is filled with references to banquet feasts and parties, like the fatted calf killed and cooked to celebrate the prodigal’s return. Heaven is described as a great banquet feast, a mansion with many rooms, a place where all the peoples, cultures and languages of the world gather in celebration and joy.
The State Fair, of course, isn’t heaven. It certainly isn’t perfect. But Heaven is. Our moments of celebration and enjoyment are dim glimpses of what God has prepared in Heaven. The Bible says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” (Rev. 21:3-4). This, of course, is why Jesus came, so that we might experience glimpses of heaven here, and eternal life with Him in Heaven when we die.
Maybe it’s the midway with barkers promising prizes for a ring toss, a plastic duck plucked from the pond, a water balloon filled with water guns or the bell rung by a powerful blow with the sledge hammer. It could be the rides rotating with screaming and squealing kids. Or maybe it’s the pig races, the animal barns with blue ribbons or the tastiest jams and jellies. It could be the bird show, hawks launched from the ferris wheel swooping low over our head to the crowd’s applause. It could be the auto show where the Mustang was introduced in 1964, where today’s cars are on display with gleaming chrome and glistening paint.
Most of all, I think, it is the people, people who come together to laugh and celebrate family, heritage and culture. I like to see parents pushing babies in strollers, children dancing with excitement, grey haired men and women smiling at private memories, and lovers lounging on the grass beside the reflection pool.
God loves people, and he must like laughter. If the laughter of our children thrills us, how much more does our laughter thrill Him. God likes to see people coming together to enjoy one another. That may be why Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding feast, providing new wine when the wine ran out. It may be the reason His teaching is filled with references to banquet feasts and parties, like the fatted calf killed and cooked to celebrate the prodigal’s return. Heaven is described as a great banquet feast, a mansion with many rooms, a place where all the peoples, cultures and languages of the world gather in celebration and joy.
The State Fair, of course, isn’t heaven. It certainly isn’t perfect. But Heaven is. Our moments of celebration and enjoyment are dim glimpses of what God has prepared in Heaven. The Bible says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” (Rev. 21:3-4). This, of course, is why Jesus came, so that we might experience glimpses of heaven here, and eternal life with Him in Heaven when we die.
Winning the War on Terror 9-30-2009
The failed attempt to bomb Fountain Place in Dallas last week brought back visions of the twin towers in New York. It also brought the war on terror closer to home, a stark reminder that we live in a different world since September 11, 2001. A year after 9-11, my wife and I visited ground zero in New York, stood in silence and pondered what happened there. Ground zero has become a pivot point in history. It is sobering to realize that there are now children in the second and third grades who were born after 9-11. They have never known any other world.
For every generation there are a few dates and places that stand as markers, places where the world as we knew it was altered. For my generation it was the assassination of JFK at Dealey Plaza, Neal Armstrong’s first step on the moon, Watergate, and 9-11. For my parents’ generation it was the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, D Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki..
When the Twin Towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, all our old securities collapsed with them. Prior to that moment, we lived with a sense that we were protected from the dangers and atrocities that plagued the rest of the world. All of our wars since the Civil War were fought on foreign soil, thousands of miles away. We watched images of Vietnam and Desert Storm, but they were distant places that did not threaten our neighborhoods or our work place. With 9-11, the security of two oceans that protected us from the enemy vanished. The whole idea of a “star wars” protective shield from missile attack became obsolete. Our world became far more dangerous than we had ever known it.
Every generation has lived with the threat of war, injustice and terror. When Jesus was born at Bethlehem Herod’s henchmen ransacked the city stripping infants from the arms of wailing mothers, dashing their sons to death upon the stones (Matthew 2:16-18). Jesus’ death by crucifixion was an act of terror. The Roman army created crucifixion as a gruesome public torture to strike fear and terror into the hearts of its citizens. Under Nero, Christians were burned upon crosses where they were crucified in the streets of Rome..
The resurrection of Jesus broke the grip of terror because it broke the grip of death. Early believers knew they were going to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. Even Nero’s attempts to strike terror into their hearts could not stamp them out. Faith in Jesus Christ prevailed until three centuries later it permeated the Roman Empire.
The war on terror is ultimately won or lost in our own hearts. When we live in fear, terrorism wins. When we live with confidence and faith, it is defeated. Jesus said, “In this world you will have terror (tribulation), but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
For every generation there are a few dates and places that stand as markers, places where the world as we knew it was altered. For my generation it was the assassination of JFK at Dealey Plaza, Neal Armstrong’s first step on the moon, Watergate, and 9-11. For my parents’ generation it was the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, D Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki..
When the Twin Towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, all our old securities collapsed with them. Prior to that moment, we lived with a sense that we were protected from the dangers and atrocities that plagued the rest of the world. All of our wars since the Civil War were fought on foreign soil, thousands of miles away. We watched images of Vietnam and Desert Storm, but they were distant places that did not threaten our neighborhoods or our work place. With 9-11, the security of two oceans that protected us from the enemy vanished. The whole idea of a “star wars” protective shield from missile attack became obsolete. Our world became far more dangerous than we had ever known it.
Every generation has lived with the threat of war, injustice and terror. When Jesus was born at Bethlehem Herod’s henchmen ransacked the city stripping infants from the arms of wailing mothers, dashing their sons to death upon the stones (Matthew 2:16-18). Jesus’ death by crucifixion was an act of terror. The Roman army created crucifixion as a gruesome public torture to strike fear and terror into the hearts of its citizens. Under Nero, Christians were burned upon crosses where they were crucified in the streets of Rome..
The resurrection of Jesus broke the grip of terror because it broke the grip of death. Early believers knew they were going to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. Even Nero’s attempts to strike terror into their hearts could not stamp them out. Faith in Jesus Christ prevailed until three centuries later it permeated the Roman Empire.
The war on terror is ultimately won or lost in our own hearts. When we live in fear, terrorism wins. When we live with confidence and faith, it is defeated. Jesus said, “In this world you will have terror (tribulation), but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
Dog Theology 9-23-2009
Last week I introduced my dog, Buddy, to you. I thought that this week, I would let you in on a few other things Buddy is teaching me. It could be called “dog theology.” It might sound strange, even sacrilegious to a few, but Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison have developed whole seminars and books around “cat and dog theology.” (www.catndogtheology.com). Put simply, cats say, “You feed me, shelter me and care for me. I must be god.” Dogs say, “You feed me, shelter me and care for me. You must be god.” If you have ever had a cat and a dog you know what I mean. Cat theology is me-centered. “What can God do for me?” Dog theology is God centered. Here are a few things I am learning about “dog theology” from Buddy.
Buddy trusts me. Whenever I get in my truck he jumps in and takes his place, ready to go. He doesn’t know where we are going or what we are going to do. But he believes that if I am driving it is okay. I need to be more like that with God. I always want to know where we are going, when we are going to get there and what we are going to do once we arrive. I need to jump in the truck with God and give him control of my life.
Buddy wants to be with me. He doesn’t care if he is at the lake running, splashing and rolling in the mud, sitting in a chair next to me on the patio or in my study lying at my feet while I write. He just wants to be where I am. He even follows me from room to room in the house. I need to spend time with God. What made the early disciples different was the fact they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
Buddy follows me. Whenever we go for a walk in an open field I let him off his leash and he runs free. But he keeps an eye on me. He has developed a radius of his own, about thirty yards from wherever I am. Within that radius he feels comfortable exploring smells and marking trees. Occasionally he gets out of eyesight. But, when I call his name he comes running. Not real fast, but as fast as he can. After all he is a Corgi. It reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples, “Come, follow me!” “My sheep know my voice.”
And, he is teaching me patience. He will wait on me forever. If I am writing, he lies down, rests his head on his paws, keeps one eye on me and waits. If we are walking and I stop, he sits down with his tongue hanging out and waits. If I go to the store, he waits in my truck until I return. Buddy never complains about waiting on me. He never gets in a hurry. Maybe I should be more like that with respect to God and those I love.
Buddy trusts me. Whenever I get in my truck he jumps in and takes his place, ready to go. He doesn’t know where we are going or what we are going to do. But he believes that if I am driving it is okay. I need to be more like that with God. I always want to know where we are going, when we are going to get there and what we are going to do once we arrive. I need to jump in the truck with God and give him control of my life.
Buddy wants to be with me. He doesn’t care if he is at the lake running, splashing and rolling in the mud, sitting in a chair next to me on the patio or in my study lying at my feet while I write. He just wants to be where I am. He even follows me from room to room in the house. I need to spend time with God. What made the early disciples different was the fact they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
Buddy follows me. Whenever we go for a walk in an open field I let him off his leash and he runs free. But he keeps an eye on me. He has developed a radius of his own, about thirty yards from wherever I am. Within that radius he feels comfortable exploring smells and marking trees. Occasionally he gets out of eyesight. But, when I call his name he comes running. Not real fast, but as fast as he can. After all he is a Corgi. It reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples, “Come, follow me!” “My sheep know my voice.”
And, he is teaching me patience. He will wait on me forever. If I am writing, he lies down, rests his head on his paws, keeps one eye on me and waits. If we are walking and I stop, he sits down with his tongue hanging out and waits. If I go to the store, he waits in my truck until I return. Buddy never complains about waiting on me. He never gets in a hurry. Maybe I should be more like that with respect to God and those I love.
Learning From Buddy 9-14-2009
A few months ago we adopted a dog. Well, I guess “I” adopted a dog. My wife finally gave in. But he won her over and now he is “our” dog. Across the years we had pets, mostly mutts and strays, that wandered into our lives. They helped us raise our kids. Each was different. “Punkin” was our first. I brought her home for Christmas. I was too busy to give her much attention, but the boys loved her. She grew old, blind and died before our daughter was born.
Rascal was a stray gray-and-white kitten our boys picked up off the street. He was part of our family for fifteen years and made the move with us from Texas to Minnesota. We picked up a puppy we named Max from a Minnesota farm. We thought he would be a small dog, but in six months, he was bigger than our daughter, had eaten all the furniture and dug up the back yard. We offered him to a good home. One interested lady tried to take his picture and he ate her camera. Finally a young couple with a farm adopted him. We threw in his crate, dog food and anything else we could think of. We last saw them chasing him down the street.
So we went back to cats. My wife and daughter found a cute black and white kitten that our son named “Fido.” Our daughter loved Fido. But, Fido was apparently insulted by our move back to Texas and ran away. When our daughter left for college we found ourselves in an empty nest, the kids grown and the dogs and cats gone. It was peaceful. I guess a little too peaceful. After awhile I realized I missed having a dog.
A few months ago we found Buddy. He was picked up starving off the streets of Fort Worth by Corgi Rescue. When we first met him he was skinny and sick. But we instantly knew he was right for us. Buddy and I have bonded. He goes with me just about everywhere I go. He is helping me put my life in perspective and teaching me some things about God.
Buddy is teaching me to live in the moment; to celebrate each day as a gift. So often I spend time reminiscing or regretting the past and dreaming or worrying about the future. But Buddy takes each day as it comes. Of course it is good to cherish memories and learn from the past. And it is good to dream and plan. That is part of what defines us in God’s image. But I am prone to miss the moment. Jesus said, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself …” ( Mt 6:34). “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24).
Rascal was a stray gray-and-white kitten our boys picked up off the street. He was part of our family for fifteen years and made the move with us from Texas to Minnesota. We picked up a puppy we named Max from a Minnesota farm. We thought he would be a small dog, but in six months, he was bigger than our daughter, had eaten all the furniture and dug up the back yard. We offered him to a good home. One interested lady tried to take his picture and he ate her camera. Finally a young couple with a farm adopted him. We threw in his crate, dog food and anything else we could think of. We last saw them chasing him down the street.
So we went back to cats. My wife and daughter found a cute black and white kitten that our son named “Fido.” Our daughter loved Fido. But, Fido was apparently insulted by our move back to Texas and ran away. When our daughter left for college we found ourselves in an empty nest, the kids grown and the dogs and cats gone. It was peaceful. I guess a little too peaceful. After awhile I realized I missed having a dog.
A few months ago we found Buddy. He was picked up starving off the streets of Fort Worth by Corgi Rescue. When we first met him he was skinny and sick. But we instantly knew he was right for us. Buddy and I have bonded. He goes with me just about everywhere I go. He is helping me put my life in perspective and teaching me some things about God.
Buddy is teaching me to live in the moment; to celebrate each day as a gift. So often I spend time reminiscing or regretting the past and dreaming or worrying about the future. But Buddy takes each day as it comes. Of course it is good to cherish memories and learn from the past. And it is good to dream and plan. That is part of what defines us in God’s image. But I am prone to miss the moment. Jesus said, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself …” ( Mt 6:34). “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24).
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