Comic Quote of the Day

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

                                              Gandhi, as quoted by Patrick McDonnell/Mutts



                                                     

New Perisseia Series

Who Is Your Master?

In Matthew 6:24, we read Jesus’s challenge to us regarding the influences in our lives: we cannot serve two masters.  Jesus was referring to wealth as a competing master, but in truth, there are limitless masters that would draw us away from God.  We often find ourselves making God a secondary master, following feelings of obligation and guilt to  serve human masters at God’s expense.

If we do in fact want to follow Christ as our sole Master, then we need to put would-be masters in their place.  This is where boundaries come in.  The concept of boundaries is a powerful tool that enables us to say, “No” to “shoulds,” “musts,” and the tyranny of the urgent so that we can fully and freely say, “Yes!” to Christ.

Perisseia, our women’s growth group, is returning to the important topic of boundaries in its Fall series.  This workshop will be loosely based on the work of Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend and their book, Boundaries.

All women are invited to join us Thursday evenings, in the Chapel House, 7:00-8:30, September 19 through November 7.  No commitment or preparation is necessary or expected.  Copies of Boundaries and the Boundaries workbook will be available for optional purchase:  $6.00 for the book; $8.00 for the workbook.

For more information or to reserve a copy of either or both books, please contact Cindy Bills (clbills@verizon.net; 609-275-8557).

Running the Zoo

I love the work of Theodore Geisel.  Dr. Seuss, as he is better known, wrote a large collection of wonderful children’s books, many of which are quite instructive for adults as well.  One of his most whimsical books is If I Ran the Zoo, a story about what a young boy would do if he managed the local zoo.

As one would anticipate by the title, the book contains the ideas that the main character would pursue given the authority.  We learn that young Gerald McGrew would spend his time seeking and acquiring a large collection of the most outlandish animals imaginable, much to the acclaim of zoo visitors.

With all due respect to Mr. Geisel, I respectfully disagree with the premise of his book.  You see, there are many days when I feel like I am running a small zoo.  Two cats, a puppy, and frequent doggie guests can easily make our home look—and sound—like a zoo.  At those times, when I am running the zoo, the last thing on my mind is collecting exotic specimens in order to impress visitors.  I am too busy filling food bowls, changing water, scooping litter boxes, collecting dog poop, engaging in and monitoring play, brushing coats, cleaning eyes and ears, administering medicine, and brushing teeth (yes, dogs and cats benefit from having their teeth brushed regularly).  And, let’s not forget visits to the vet, bathing (dogs only on this one!) and laundering pet bedding.

I believe that my experience in “running a zoo” is a helpful illustration of Biblical leadership.  Christ, as our Lord and Savior, Master and Model, is the quintessential example of the servant leader.  The Biblical model of leadership is not about being the boss or impressing onlookers, but about meeting needs and empowering those under us to be who God created them to be.  This is true even for my pets.  Unless I meet their needs, they will not be able to be good pets.  Cesar Milan, the “dog whisperer,” insists on the importance of encouraging a puppy to have lots of opportunities to engage in “dog behavior” in order to become a “well-balanced” dog and satisfying companion.

September is the “back to school” season, the time when we turn from the more relaxed attitude of summer to focus on the work before us.  As we do so, I believe it would be helpful to bear in mind that most of us are, in some way, shape, or form, a leader.  As leaders, we have the incredible privilege of following our Master’s example.  By the power of His Holy Spirit, we can grow to be servant leaders who humbly meet needs and empower those “under” and around us to fulfill God’s purposes for them.  It seems to me that such a focus is far more satisfying than acquiring a “Mulligatawny” or a “Thwerll” in order to garner admiration.

A final comment: Theodore Geisel knew quite a bit about leadership and leaders.  For an excellent and encouraging example, you might want to read, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. 

Our True Selves

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become--because He made us.  He invented us.  He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be....  It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”

                                                                               C.S. Lewis

A Pirate Puppy

A few months ago, I wrote about the anticipation of getting a puppy.  My husband and I had lost our beloved Standard Poodle, and we decided that we were not prepared to live without a dog.  In our case, the acquisition of a puppy also represented a second chance for us as dog owners.  Daisy, our last poodle, was a wonderful member of the family, but having been adopted after many months of neglect and isolation, she had a lack of social skills that we were unable to overcome.  To be sure, a good bit of this handicap was set before she joined us, but undoubtedly we could have done more to help her develop better mental health.

And so, as we looked forward to Lucy, we did everything we could to prepare ourselves.  We read many more books on puppy training than we ever did on child rearing.  Two of those books had most intimidating titles: How To Raise The Perfect Dog and Perfect Puppy in 7 Days.  We researched and discussed various training approaches.  We purchased pouches from which we could conveniently dispense training treats, and we contacted a dog trainer for advice and help.

Eventually, June 17^th arrived, and it was “ready or not, here she comes” time.  We drove to Newark Airport and waited an eternity for her delayed flight to arrive.  Finally, there was a crate with a tiny ball of chocolate fluff inside. 

We signed the necessary paperwork, snatched the crate, and ran outside to a lone grassy spot that we had staked out on our way into the terminal.  I opened the crate, expecting a wriggling puppy to come bouncing out.  Instead, I found myself looking into the crate at an adorable face and two gorgeous hazel eyes quietly staring into mine.  A relationship was born.

Lucy has been with us now for a few weeks.  Living with and training a puppy is exhausting and challenging, rewarding and fun.  As we grow and learn together, it is becoming abundantly clear that training, while important, is not an end but a means.  The goal of training is not to produce a perfect dog, but rather to establish a strong bond and appropriate relationship between dog and master(s).  In discussing our goals with our dog trainer, I realized that my desire to be able to have Lucy confidently off-leash was not merely so that we could take advantage of special times of fun and freedom, but more because of the relationship that off-leash work represents.  I want to do agility training with her, not to compete, but again, because agility training is all about relationship between dog and master.

Lucy’s arrival has reminded me of a vital spiritual truth:  God has created us, in His image, for loving relationship.  That is our goal.  Everything else is simply the means.  In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked to identify the greatest commandment.  He could have alluded to any number of performance-oriented tasks prescribed by the Law.  Instead, He replied: “’YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Does this mean that the rest of the Law does not matter?  Of course not.  The distinction, though, is one of means and end.  The end is loving relationship.  The rest is merely the means to that end.  This is why I sometimes identify myself as a Christian pirate.  In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, we learn that the Pirate’s Code “is more what you call guidelines than actual rules.” 

So it is with my life of faith.  While I respect and honor God’s Word, His commandments are not rules that we must follow in order to achieve righteousness, but rather guidelines that lead us to Him and enable us to be truly and deeply obedient in the way we love Him and one another.  Jesus’s teachings, His commandments, are much like the training exercises we are doing with Lucy.  Our dog training exercises promote a connection and love relationship between us.  My learning to obey my Master draws me into relationship with Him and enables me to learn to love as He loves.  In the Gospel of John, the Apostle records these words of Jesus: “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”  This doesn’t mean that I need to demonstrate or prove my love by keeping my Lord’s commandments.  Rather, it means that since I love my Lord, I will take the means He has given me—His Word—to reach the end He and I both desire, that I would love Him with my whole being and love others with the love He has given me.

Quote for Today

"Books.... Best weapons in the world."

                                       Dr. Who

Millie the Magnificent and Mighty: A Mouse Tale of Redemption

Once upon a time there lived a field mouse named Millie.  Millie was the youngest of 15, and the smallest.  She had exceptionally long whiskers, bright eyes, and a sleek tail.  Millie was proudest, however, of her strength.  Even though she was the smallest in her litter, she called herself Millie the Magnificent and Mighty, and she spent most of her days demonstrating her awesome abilities to anyone who was willing to admire them.

One hot summer day, Millie was decidedly disappointed with the lack of interest in her athletic prowess.  No one in Whiskerville was the least bit interested in the way she could scale the fence on the north edge of town or jump on and off the tree stumps in the park.  Millie ran laps around the pond, but no one wanted to race.  She did back flips along the stone wall at the south edge of town, but no one applauded.  Dejected and discouraged, Millie dreaded her return to the nest without having made any new conquests or achieving any new reason to boast. 

As the sun began to set, Millie began to make her way through the park.  Although there was no one to near, a careful ear would have heard her grumbling quietly to herself.  “I am the strongest mouse in Whiskerville.  I am the most special mouse my family has ever had.  I can do anything I want.  I am Millie the Magnificent and Mighty!”

The stars began to come out, and as Millie continued her hike home, she began to see lights from the human town on her left.  Millie had heard many warnings about humans—with their traps and their cats—from her parents, aunts and uncles, grand-parents, and great-grand-parents.  No one she knew had ever ventured through the woods and into that forbidden territory. 

That’s when Millie knew what she would do.  She would be not only the strongest mouse in Whiskerville; she would be the bravest.  She would dash through the woods, quietly enter the human world, and snatch something to bring back as a souvenir to prove that she was Millie the Magnificent and Mighty indeed.

The night was still as Millie sped through the forest and skipped on stones to cross a small creek.  Suddenly she found herself in a lovely place.  Soft green grass surrounded her.  Lamps on posts cast a glow along a red brick path.  Millie found herself hopping lightly along a path that was still warm from the afternoon sun. 

It was a beautiful place, and Millie began to think how foolish her friends and family were to avoid the habitations of people.  In her wonder, she even forgot about looking for a souvenir.  She was ready to explore.  Before long, she came to a silvery fence outlined by the light from the lamps.  Millie easily slipped through and found herself on a new, paler, rougher surface.  It wasn’t as nice as the path, but her attention was fixed on the shimmering lights just ahead.  She trotted ahead until she found herself at the edge of a beautiful, blue pool of water.  The lights of the lamps reflected on the water, dancing in its quiet movement.

Suddenly, Millie realized that she was hungry and thirsty.  The water looked so cool and clean that she decided that she just had to get a drink.  Moving to the edge, she leaned over only to find that she could not quite reach the water.  She reminded herself that though she was small she was magnificent and mighty; she stretched herself over the edge so that she could reach the water.

“Just a little more and I will reach the water.”  And with that thought, Millie lost her balance and slipped into the pool.  At first, Millie was not alarmed.  After all, she was a superb swimmer, and the pool wasn’t that large.  Before long, however, Millie realized that she wasn’t big enough and strong enough to pull herself out of the water, and she was becoming as tired as she was wet.

Paddling desperately around the pool, Millie came upon a small strange white object floating on the water.  Using the final shred of her energy, Millie rolled herself on top of the object and lay there gasping for air.  She was safe, for the moment, but she had no way to remove herself from her predicament. 

It was a long night for Millie.  She shivered with the cold until her fur dried.  She became hungrier and hungrier.  She thought about her family’s cozy nest and the neighborhood mouse games that she always rejected with disdain.  She was feeling anything but magnificent and mighty.

Finally, morning came and the sun rose, illuminating Millie stranded on her little white island in the middle of the pool.  Two dogs ran by, fortunately more interested in a squirrel in a tree than in her.  Millie used all her strength, but she just could not move her little boat closer to the edge of the pool.  She was stuck—a hungry, tired, and frightened little mouse.

And so she was when the human walked through the gate and started to work near the pool edge.  As she turned toward the water, the human noticed Millie perched on the pool thermometer.  She looked long and chuckled, much to Millie’s discomfort.  Before too long, the human went away and returned with a net on a long stick. Carefully and gently, she scooped up Millie and her leaf, walked to the creek, and deposited Millie on the other side with a soft plop.

Millie’s legs started to move the instant they hit the ground, and they didn’t stop until she was at home in the nest, munching on a berry before taking a long nap.  She never told anyone about her adventure, but she stopped calling herself Millie the Magnificent and Mighty.  Her family and the mice of Whiskerville began to call her Millie the Modest and Mild-Mannered.

And Millie lived merrily ever after.