Another Dog Blog

My dog just ate more of her bed.

I knew that something was wrong because she looked guilty and pseudo repentant as soon as she saw me. I went toward her and she immediately threw herself on the ground and turned over. As I approached I could see the fluff all over the floor and knew what had happened.

The irony of this is that scattered all around her bed are a dizzying array of chew toys: rope ones, plastic ones, bone ones, wooden ones. She enjoys those toys. They all show signs of her oral affection, but now they are neglected as she grovels before me. She is repenting for chewing the only thing in the room that she knows is off limits.Why does she do this?

Why does she choose the forbidden thing when perfectly legitimate things are all around her? She obviously understands that there will be negative consequences for her choice. That doesn't prevent her from doing it though. She chooses the thing that she knows is bad rather than the any of the many things that are good.

Why do we do this?

My Brother

I have a brother.  I've never seen him face to face, but I know him. He died many years before I was born. I have read the story of his life. I have read his words and have grown to love him. I knew him first by reputation. I heard people talking about him. Then, one day, I met him.

I just talked with him again this morning. We talk frequently these days.  I have gotten to know him pretty well through the years, but as we plumb the depths of our relationship I realize that I am nowhere near the bottom.

Today I am wondering about what it was for him when he was growing up. I know that he had a mom and dad as well as brothers and sisters. He was the first born and the circumstances around his birth were somewhat scandalous. There were questions about his legitimacy, his mother's honor and fidelity, his real parentage.

What was it like for him to learn to walk? What was it like for him to learn to speak? How did he learn to obey? I know that he had a body and a brain very much like mine. He was filled with sweat, spit, and blood. He was full of curiosity and questions. He felt sadness, frustration, and anger as well as happiness and joy. He had a great since of humor as well.

He lived a real human life with all of the temptations and trials that we all experience. He lived and learned, making mistakes along the way, but he did it all without sinning. He did it all without breaking fellowship with his Heavenly Father. He showed us that it could be done. He showed us how it could be done.

I have long known that Jesus was God, that Jesus was my King. Now, I long to know him as a man, as my brother.

Stones in the Rain

We have had a lot of pain lately. It has fallen from the sky in great quantities. Sometimes you see it coming. The distant clouds on the horizon warn of the coming storm. But lately it has come as a sudden gale. Striking without warning and drenching to the bone.

I looked at the news and found a picture of a friend smiling back from me the CNN home page. Confusion gave way to disbelief as I realized that she had been murdered.

I answered the phone and heard the voice of a friend on the other end. Joy gave way to despair as she told me of the abuse of a child.

I checked email and found out that the child of a friend has leukemia.

I sit here weeping as I write this. The tears don't come often, but they are there. They lurk beneath the surface of my smile.

As I look out the window I see the gravel. I have walked across the gravel parking area several times. It is a grey non-descript amalgamation of stones. But not today.

The rain has been falling for hours. As I look out now, my casual glance is arrested. The gravel has turned black from the rain. There among the darkness there are bright white stones. They are stand out in dazzling contrast to the slick blackness around them. They were invisible before. They blended in too well with their surroundings.

Today they shine bright in the rain.