Its Raining Only Dogs !

As I was pondering on what topic  to write on this week, the book (are you ready) "It's Okay To Miss The Bed On The First Jump And Other Life Lessons I Learned From My Dogs" came to mind.  I have two dogs, a rescued greyhound named Care Bear and a party standard poodle named Lizzy Chanee'.  Both are truly kids with fur.  I'm not joking!  I expect them to sit down and start a really good conversation with me. (love the German shepherd on you tube.)

John Hurly, the author of this book, has some very interesting thoughts on what we can learn from our dogs.

When A Dog Barks-Listen

Dogs only bark because they need to, and for as long as they need to, as though they have an innate sense of self-editing.  A dog never has to take back whats been said, A dog will never bark and lie, a bark always tells the truth.

It's Okay To Miss The Bed On The First Jump

Dogs have no delusions about self assessment, they are always pretty clear how they feel about themselves.  If they're satisfied where they are in life at any one moment they will wrestle a toy or take a nap to celebrate.

When they find themselves in circumstances that are particularly unappealing they will do anything possible-bark, cry, scratch, or jump to stack the deck back in their favor.

A Cold Can Of Meat Is Still A Feast

Appreciation is a lost art-fewer thank you cards are sent and fewer return text or calls are made.  The arrogance of presumption is the natural enemy of appreciation-dogs do not presume, every time they are fed its a great time.

Every Fifteen Minutes Is A Brand New Day

If you have ever left your house to go somewhere, walking to the car you discovered you forgot something, you walk right back into the house (gone a total of two minutes)  your dog acts like they have not seen you for a week or two,they are so glad to see you.  Are we that way with people?

When Someone Stops Petting You, Move On

As hard as it is, we must know that not everyone we meet in life will like us. Are you o.k. with that?

Own Your Own Fur

Dogs regardless of their breed seem to have pretty strong sense of themselves-humans on the other hand look outside for things to define themselves-titles, degrees, accomplishments, cars, zip codes.  How do you feel in your skin?

Never Miss A Nap

Napping is an act of vulnerability, its acceptance of our fragility as humans, that we need to replenish ourselves, that we are not wholly complete.  Do you take time to rest?

You Are Only The Size You Think You Are

We define ourselves not only by what we say "yes" to but also by the courage to say "no".  We often agree with the status quo rather than expend the energy it takes to evoke change. 

If Your Happy & You Know It Wag Your Tail

Dogs don't know that they do great things.  They sit by our sides, with little effort and much joy.  they evoke all the things that are good in life-laughter, love and intimacy...all with a wag of a tail.

Everyday Is A Stretch

Dogs condition their bodies because they need them, humans do not.They instinctively maintain their flexibility and consequently live for more active lives in later years.  Do you take care of the body God blessed you with?

I love my dogs to the max, and they love me right back.  I have always said a dogs love is the closes example of Gods love for us..TOTALLY UNCONDITIONAL!

Psalm 52:8  I trust in Gods unfailing love for ever and ever. 

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What's So Funny?

A husband and wife attended a county fair. A man with an old biplane was giving rides for $100 each. A couple wanted to ride but thought the price was too high, so they tried to negotiate to a lower price. They offered $50 for the both of them...the man wouldn't budge.  Finally the pilot made an offer, give me $150 and I'll take you both up, if  you don't say a single word during the flight I'll give all your money back.  They agreed and the couple got in the plane, up they went!  The pilot proceeded to do every aerial maneuver he knew...diving, looping, voling and flying upside down.  When the plane landed the pilot said to the husband, Congratulation! here's your $150, you didn't say a word.  Nope, answered the husband, but I almost did when my wife fell out.

Remember when you were in grade school all the jokes, whether they were funny or stupid were going around?  It use to be a fun thing to do-there were even songs that had a jokey feel, remember the song "Found A Peanut", it would go on forever.  But you always ended up smiling and acting silly.

Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)  A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Have you ever had a rough day, your feeling kind of down, walking through the grocery store someone smiles at you and says "HI", my point is even the smallest smile from a stranger can make our heart glad.

Humor in this world has become in my humble opinion a lost art, when was the last time you heard a really good joke?  Even the professional comedians that once were funny have replaced those good clean jokes with ones that to me are what I call "pornographic" humor.

Proverbs 15:15 (NIV)  All the days of the oppressed are wretched but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Scripture is clear that a cheerful heart changes our lives drastically from oppressed to  continual feast.

My ten year old granddaughter, Mackenzie loves jokes and riddles.  So I  bought a joke/riddle book so I could be armed with humor.  She lives in the Chicago area, so I don't get to see her as much as I would like, but when we got on the phone I would pull out the joke book and we would exchange our jokes.  We would try to outdo each other and end up laughing, smiling and getting really corny. What fun!!  What memories!!  I noticed that I began to try to find funny sayings, jokes , anything I could to tell her the next time we talked.  I realized that as we become adults, these simple things like humor don't show up as often as when we were kids. My question is "How Come"?  Humor is like medicine to our spirit, soul and body.  My challenge to you is to find a good joke book, read it, smile, laugh and share it with others.

Proverbs 15:30 (NIV)  A cheerful look brings joy to the heart and good news gives health to the bones.   

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How To Be Content 101

Content= happy, pleased, satisfied, delighted, glad, joyful, jubilant, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, euphoric, overjoyed, thrilled, pacified, placated.

Content= to appease the desires of. gratify, satisfy.

At the Women Encouraged Get Together Saturday, "WE" are studying "Cultivating Contentment"  A couple of things you might not have thought about.  1.  Contentment does not come naturally.  2.  It can be learned.

The apostle Paul in Phil. 4:11 says, "I have learned in whatever state I am to be content."  Let me just stop right here to say, that is just not an easy task.  Have you ever been really restless, bored, discontent about something and tried to make yourself content? 

Our first mistake is that we try to force the issue to adjust circumstances or things the way we want them.  Example:  If only I had a better job, was married, was single, looked like her, had her clothes.  We will do anything to try to make ourselves happy.  It can't be done on our own, we will never find contentment.

How do you learn contentment you ask?  Get rid of the bad habits that have formed over the years.  Bad habits are those things we do when even the smallest  sign of discontent starts to creep in. To name a few:  shopping, smoking, gambling, drinking, certain kinds of movies, the list can go on and on.  It is what we are trying to fill the void with.

Thoughtless Attitudes: Negative thoughts will definitely keep us in discontent.  Our battlefield is the mind.  It starts with a thought and before you know it the bad habit takes over.  What kind of things do you look for to satisfy the restlessness in your heart?

In Proverbs 30:15 (MSG)  King Solomon understood the insatiable nature of people.  He said "Greed has twin daughters and their names are "Gimme"  and "Gimme More".

There is so much in this world that simply cannot satisfy.  So what recourse do we have?  In Psalm 63:5 (NIV)  David agreed God was better than anything in the world.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest foods, with singing lips, my mouth will praise you.  Psalm 90:14 (NIV)  Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

It is only God's love for us and ours for Him that can offer a lasting contentment.  Nothing can fill that void that only belongs to Him.

Why do you think we hang onto the fairytale ending?  Any comments?

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It's The Pits !

I'm reading Beth Moore's book "Get Out Of That Pit".  Although I'm only a few pages into it, I have to admit its got me thinking.  I've never thought of myself as living in a pit.  I'm usually a "get this party started" kind of girl.  What caught my attention?  Beth says that sometimes we have lived in the pit for so long, we don't even know we're there.  Hmmmm!

Even though we each have some kind of pit, none of them look the same.  We have all been there, lived there, trying to get out of there or don't know we're there. I ask myself then, Where am I?  Where are you?

According to Beth Moore, you know your in a pit when...you feel stuck.  Isaiah 42:22 says that a pit is a place where you feel trapped.  You tend to feel your only options are to kick and scream  your way out or decide you made your bed, now you have to lie in it.  Psalm 40 adds that a pit is slimy, muddy and mirky.  Together these words say one thing....you cannot get yourself out.  The danger of a pit is that you begin to sink inch by inch.  In Jeremiah 38:6  He describes his pit as a place of sinking down.

As I got to looking to see if I have a pit,  I've discovered I have a pit with three different levels.  Somedays because of circumstances I go to the basement of my pit, its really dark and scary, it has its own WORRY ROOM.  Thats what I do there, I worry, I ask myself "what if", I can only see the negative.

The main level of my pit is not quite so scary, but its the place of discontentment, its where I have pity parties, see the unfairness in life and think on "if onlys".

The upstairs of my pit if full of sunshine, I really want to stay in this warmth of a place, but life happens and downstairs I run.

In her book, Beth says that we can't get out of this pit by ourselves.  She's right,you know.  On our own we will continually run up and down, only to feel wore out and defeated.

The only way to victory against the pit we have made for ourselves is answered in Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.  

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