Monday morning I received a call from a nice gentleman who is a mechanic at a local auto dealership.  He had seen my little dog walking by his shop about 25 minutes previously.  Quickly I grabbed Skylar, for it was my day to watch her, and drove to the location.  We called and called his name, and looked thoroughly, but to no avail.  The man, a hispanic gentleman who struggled with my language, was sympathetic.  He said the dog looked scared and lost, and would not let him get too near, and was head North.  I went to every business and home in the vacinity.  One man, a repairman at an auto body shop, told me he saw Bailey on Saturday afternoon, and even fed him a hotdog.  So I looked all around his business.  I told my story to dozens of business owners and residents, and called the name of my little friend a thousand times.  No Bailey.

Monday night and Tuesday was spent at a conference about two hours away.  Late Tuesday afternoon my wife called, crying on the phone.  She had looked everywhere, repeating where I had been, and even some places rather far away.  She had been to the Animal Shelter to see many cute dogs, but not our baby.  She repeatedly checked CraigsList and other lost-and-found sites.  She drove and drove, passed out all of her flyers, and called his name into every dark corner of the neighborhood.  Now she was losing hope and was so very sad.  I left early, getting home at dusk.  Again I canvassed the area, methodically checking every possible area.  I came across about a dozen hispanic men, standing in a backyard conversing after a long day.  One was able to speak English and I told him my story, promising a reward to anyone who could find my dog.  They conversed a bit in their language, and he replied with solemnity that all would keep a lookout for my pet.

I arrived home cold and muddy.  I sat down upon my recliner, and usually Bailey would squeeze between me and the left arm, just sitting quietly and radiating warmth.  And I heard the whistling wind outside.  There was not much conversation.  Obviously hope was fading.  Little Skylar did not understand; she just wanted PaPa to hold her.  And I did, without worrying about any competition for my attention.  After a while I went out for one last slow drive around the area.

I'm trying to continue my morning walks.  They are just not the same without my buddy.  It was spitting snow this morning with the wind cutting right through my jacket.  I walked around the periphery of the adjacent bus yard.  And, yes, I called his name a few times.  I know dogs can be resourceful.  And I know that many people would be glad to have a pet like Bailey.  He is beautiful and very gentle.  Probably somebody found him lost and lonely, snuggled him up to a warm coat, and took him to a home filled with comfort and love.  And kids- Bailey likes kids.  Yeah.  That sounds nice.

And I'll make my rounds again, later today.

 

My little dog is missing.  Sometime this afternoon, between 1 and 6 p.m. he disappeared.  We live on a very busy road and so we generally keep a close eye on him.  However, I made two mistakes which probably contributed to the situation.  A few days ago I gave him a bath and inadvertantly forgot to put his collar and name tag back on.  And yesterday I took Skylar for a walk around the yard, and left the gate open.  So, sometime today during one of his frequent trips to the backyard, he wandered away.  I noticed him missing as I was scraping leftovers into a dish.  It is one of his favorite sounds, and he always comes running.  Not this time.

At first I thought he was likely closed up in a room.  We looked all through the house.  Then we went outside to search.  He has been left outside before, and always stayed close to home, and usually at the door patiently waiting. 

We have been everywhere searching.  I've repeatedly walked and driven through the parking lots of the various factories and businesses, calling his name.  If he were to hear, he would come running.  I've checked the woods, railroad tracks, and up and down all the roads.  I've carefully searched the roadsides, thinking he may have been hit by a car.  He's always been smart enough to stay far from the highway.

I'm thinking that someone picked him up.  He is a cute little dog, a cross of a York Terrier and Pomerranian.  Without a collar and wandering lost, a good soul may have feared for his life and therefore scooped him up.  At least I am hoping that is the story.  Probably he would adapt quickly and well to any loving situation.  Debbie asked if he would think about us.  Probably not- if he gets attention and love, he would thrive.  And that's what I would want.

The family is pretty broken up about the matter.  My wife has lost her voice from several hours of calling for him.  The kids are crying.  And I'm in no mood to finish the touches on my sermon for tomorrow.  I guess I can't skip the preaching because I'm mourning for my dog.  But I kind of wish I could! 

Monday we will check with the animal shelter, put up some signs and perhaps an ad in the newspaper, and continue to look.  Who knows, maybe even tonight he will show up at the door, barking and severely happy to see us?  I've prayed for God's help to find him, even as I thought it to maybe be a bit too trivial for the almighty.  There are grieving parents with missing children.  Considering how my heart is broken over the loss of my little dog, I can only imagine how life-crushing it would be to lose a child.  And I'm not about to try to explain to someone how God helped me to find my dog when He did not help her to find her child.  Still... I pray, because as strange and trivial as it may sound, I know that God cares that we are sad.  God cares, and that is not so trivial.

After searching for quite a while, it got to where I thought I was seeing and hearing him at several places.  And I realized it was time to stop the search for the night.  This is tough.  Debbie was asking how cold it was supposed to get for the night.  I think it will be close to freezing.  We hope Bailey is snuggled up inside a warm home.  He's a good baby, and deserves it.

A favorite story of mine concerning Jesus is the account of the encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery. It reveals so many elements concerning the heart of Jesus. Here it is:

John 8:2-11 NASB
(2) Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.(3) The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,(4) they *said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.(5) "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"(6) They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.(7) But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."(8) Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.(9) When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.(10) Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?"(11) She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."

When it comes to the subject of adultery, the teachings of the Old Testament are pretty clear. And since Jesus and the religious leaders of the day are students of said scriptures, all are quite aware of the ramifications. The adulterer is to be served the death penalty, by stoning (Lev. 20:10, Deut. 22:22). The pious crowd is quite willing to carry out the verdict. At other times the Scribes would be studying the minute details of the Law of God, and the Pharisees would be busy with exacting interpretations of those same rules. However, at this moment they have zealotry in their eyes and stones in their hands, quite willing to kill this woman in the names of God and piety.

Interestingly, Jesus is most concerned with the lack of empathy on the part of these accusers, even more than the breaching of the Law of Moses by this pitiful sinner. These men, with stones in hand, have no clue of their kinship with the woman, for if they did then they would be quicker to forgive and slower to inflict pain.

"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

So, here is the test I must pass in order for me to claim the right to condemn another person. It’s a simple test, with only two questions:

(1) Concerning my own heart and life, am I beyond reproach?
(2) Concerning Jesus, am I absolutely sure that he would pronounce condemnation?

That’s it. If I can answer “Yes” to these two questions, then I can pick up a stone.

Interestingly, Jesus never condemned this woman. With grace, he offered to her forgiveness and another chance. However, he did condemn the Scribes and Pharisees many times and with strong language. “You brood of vipers. You hypocrites…” They hated Jesus. Such people usually do, even as they feign to be his friends. It is rather clear that the best way to be claimed an enemy of God is to seize the right that belongs to Him alone- to condemn the worth of another human being.

And so our little lesson about Adultery can be applied to the subject of Divorce. The scriptures are abundant in opposition to the matter.

Thus the Divorcee stands before us, perhaps defiantly, perhaps fearfully. We gather up our rocks and we say to Jesus, “This person was caught in Divorce, in the very act…” “And The Law says…

He can’t remarry
She cannot hold a position of leadership in the church
They are to be relegated to second-class status. But, we’ll take their money-

And Jesus will look at the accusers, with fire in his eyes, and state: “Let He who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Why are you not in his shoes?
Why has your life turned out differently? Be very carefully with your response, that you do not speak as a Pharisee in what you proclaim. More likely, it is simply and profoundly by the grace of God that you have avoided the snares that have claimed others.

Look at other areas of your life, other events. Granted, this person has a Divorce, considered by some to be a black mark upon his life. Yes, you can give yourself a big smiley face because you passed that test of life! But, how about the other tests? You know, of course, there are other Commandments in addition to this 11^th Commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Divorce”? For example: …no other gods..- Ex. 20:3, …remember the Sabbath…- Ex. 20:8, …Honor thy father and mother…- Ex. 20:12.It

Let’s cut to the chase. If anyone deserves to be stoned, it is the Pharisee, not the adulterer. How dare he be so self-righteous, so opposite of the very heart of Jesus with his stone cold lack of love? The biggest difference between the two is that her sin is public, while his is of the heart. And, apparently, she is closer to finding forgiveness. Yet Jesus is amazing. He tolerates a lot of Pharisees and Scribes in the church of today.

It is time for us to drop the stones, and the pretense.

It was a blunt question. And I appreciate that those who know me as pastor can be so honest in seeking help. I replied that, goodness, it is a tough question and one I cannot answer with a brief conversation in the hallway. I shared a few broad insights: there are biblical guidelines for acceptable divorce, the Bible tells us “God hates divorce”, marriage is intended as a serious covenant that includes God and becomes even more serious when children are involved. Most importantly, we made an appointment to sit down and talk about the matter.

We were standing in the foyer of the church. I asked my fellow church member to look around at the dozen or so people who were still milling around in the sanctuary. I pointed out that many of these, who are vibrant Christians and church leaders, have been divorced. And I mentioned Larry, a man who has visited our church several times, and is a member of a fundamentalist church down the road. Larry entered into a quick and, by hindsight, unwise marriage. It ended in divorce, and knowing a little about the situation, most likely it was a necessary termination. His church frowns greatly upon divorce. Apparently it is incredulously considered by them to be one of the “dirtier” sins. He has been forced to resign all of his church leadership positions, basically relegated to second-class status. I think our church could treat him better.

I think divorce is, ultimately, a decision for the ones who are directly involved. I guess you could say I am Pro-Choice when it comes to divorce.
*I do not live with those people.
*I do not know the turmoil, pain, and injury involved.
*I do not know how hard they have worked in trying to enable their relationship to survive.
*I do not know the ultimate injury to be inflicted upon children by staying together as opposed to divorce.
*I do not know how deeply the parties have sought God’s guidance as they have moved to this point.
When I am given the opportunity as pastor, minister, and friend to walk alongside the parties involved, perhaps then I can be more clear in my judgment of the propriety of the final decision. However, most likely I will not.

Too many people divorce. Why? There are all kinds of reasons.
*They marry when too young and immature. I am generally opposed to entering into marriage before one is in his mid-twenties.
*They marry before truly knowing the other person. I believe “shacking up” is injurious to the personal relationship and the institution of marriage, but I do believe in the value of a long engagement.
*They marry with a poor respect for the meaning of marriage. I believe it is a sacred connection, an intended lifetime union between two mature persons who know one another thoroughly, are absolutely in love, and invariably committed to make it work.
*They marry without a serious and mutual spiritual agreement inherent to the relationship. When two persons have in common an active and ongoing love for God, and both allow the love of God to be inherent to the fiber of the marriage, then it is highly likely the marriage will work well.
*They allow serious challenges to become reasons for divorce instead of reasons to work harder. Through the years it is not easy. Emotions come and go. Personalities clash. Over the course of a decade or two, most likely we all will do something qualifying as extremely stupid and by strict definition grounds for divorce. However, sometimes they can be worked through. A marriage of any worth deserves at least the effort.

Some reasons for divorce I understand very much, even sometimes advise.
*Multiple incidents of adultery evidence a basic lack of respect.
*I have no tolerance for physical abuse of any kind.
*Emotional abuse is often an excuse, and I believe sometimes invented in the mind of the accuser. However, there are persons who are controlling, manipulative, cold, and even evil in their treatment of someone they are supposed to love with all their heart. If this is ongoing, it seems to be a cruel and unnecessary fate for anyone. And when this is toward children, it is absolutely reprehensible.

If you know someone who is going through a divorce, he may or may not be at fault. Perhaps the divorce is the combination of the fault of all parties involved? I can assure you this is likely someone who is hurting deeply. If you are close enough to the situation, there is the miniscule possibility you have earned the right to interject your opinions about the matter. Likely you have not. God has- but you are not God! Love the persons. Be a friend. Pray. By all means, reserve righteous opinion and the pharisaic tendency to inflict punishment. This is a human being of whom we speak, going through probably the most painful time of his life. Love. Just love.

Today I had lunch with surrogate and auntconi, who were traveling through on their way to Florida.  We enjoyed a nice meal at a favorite place of mine, SweetTomatoes.    Of course I had to take my fantastic granddaughter along, and she stole the show, as usual.  My blogging buddies expended considerable effort to entertain my little one.  And they presented her with a cute and annoying little gift, something I previously did not know to exist, a MushaBelly Chatter.  It's a chubby little sheep, somewhat reminiscent of surrogate in appearance, that bleats a strange and unsettling little drawl when squeezed.  Of course, maybe surrogate behaves in a similar manner?  One day I must ask a fellow and anonymous blogger if this is true?  Anyhow, Skylar has dragged the gift around for much of the day, innocently annoying dear ole PaPa.  Thanks, my friends.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a t-Blog gathering?  It's rather unlikely, I imagine, because most of us are working, broke, and likely a good bit of both.  Still, it would be nice.  I'll volunteer my place for the meetings!

Tomorrow, I'll be making a trip to pick up my mom.  She is having a tough time and needs to spend some time with us and also with my brother's family in nearby Marietta.  I wish a lot of things- that we would be in closer proximity, that I would have abundant financial resources to more fully meet her needs, that she would be more able to care for herself, etc.  But, it is what it is, and I know it is a privilege to do what I can.  So I do not begrudge this opportunity to care for her.  Here is what I know will happen, for the situation has played out before:  Mom will stay for a day or two, then insist upon returning to her difficult and lonely place.  She still has her faculties and health, and so we will have to take her back home.  Sometimes I wonder if she is simply getting even with me for all of my crazy behavior as a teen and young adult?

Our fellow-blogger, kurtmaddox, has asked some challenging questions about the Bible.  I intend to write some blogs in response, perhaps a series seeking to answer some of the tough questions about the Bible.  Stay tuned.

And, thanks for being part of what I consider to be the best blogging community around.  And, a big thanks to Nick and Rocky for not pulling the plug on this place! 

Just went into the local convenience store and noticed a new addition to the decor, an inch-thick shield of plexiglas between customer and clerk.  The lady was attentive and tried to say something, and I did not comprehend.  She spoke with a thick accent, but I can usually adapt to such broken English.  However, her safety coccoon rendered antiseptic any attempt at communication or human contact.  I simply cupped my ear and quizzically smiled.  She pointed to the barrier and asked, "You no like?"  I replied, "No, but I understand." 

The store is less than a half mile from my home and church.  We are in a rapidly transitioning neighborhood.  Those with upward mobility are moving further into the suburbs.  Hispanics and Asians are replacing them.  The homes continue to generally look nice, although some may have a dozen or more occupants.  More common are graffiti, broken-down cars, and pedestrians walking the streets.  In this once quaint community, crime has become a problem.  A fearsome tactic of the gangs is the home invasion, in which they simply storm a house in the middle of the night to terrorize and pillage.  And, so the corner convenience store is not a safe place to work.  A young lady making $8 per hour should not be expected to risk her life.  I'm sure the owners feel fortunate to have a capable employee.  The plexiglas, antiseptic transaction, and empty feeling all become unfortunate necessities.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to be in another community on Sunday morning at church time.  Running out of time, I was driving around looking for a place to worship.  I drove by a nice little church where people were filing into the door.  They had a chain-link fence with razor wire encircling the property with a sliding gate entering the parking lot.  I kept on driving.

I hate barriers.

I took a Sunday off to go see my mom, which meant driving across the state on Sunday morning.

Anyway, along the way I stopped at a fast food restaurant for breakfast.  A couple of ladies were standing in line in front of me, obviously dressed for church.  We chatted a bit, and they were exuding fine Christianity in all matters of deportment.  However, something happened in the kitchen and the orders were backing up.  The ladies began to fret- it was almost time for Sunday School, and they had yet to receive their sausage biscuits.  The little girl across the counter became the brunt of their anxiety, and of course she could do nothing to speed the process.  I simply watched and chuckled within.  Although I was in back of the line, apparently what I ordered was readily available, and so I proceeded to pick up my order in front of the incredulous women.  One of them, ruffled and redfaced, said she guessed she would just have to go teach Sunday School without having breakfast.  Her ample girth told me she could probably afford to skip several meals.  I smiled and told her the Lord probably would not mind if she was a little late for church.  She gazed at me with a crazed look suggesting I should be glad she did not have a knife and fork in hand, stomped out to her car, and drove away.  As I watched her slow-roll a stop sign, I was pretty sure that in ten minutes she would be hugging necks and telling of how she had suffered for the Lord at Hardees.  

I asked the girl across the counter if I could have the lady's sandwich?  She had already paid for it.

Did I tell you that I was on vacation last week, at beautiful Hilton Head Island, and that my wife returned home after a couple of days and left me all alone for four very, very long days?  Has the point been made in previous blogs?  And I am neither whining or complaining, and I did have a great time.....all by myself in that big, roomy, quiet vacation home.  Instead, I would like to share with you some quick thoughts on a few movies I watched during those long, lonely, but happy days.  And nights.

Ghost
Sometime in the near future, this movie must surely set a record for number of times shown on cable television.  I remember long, long ago sitting in a motel room and crying as Sam said "Ditto" and floated up to heaven.  My wife almost caught me, but I was able in the nick of time to flip the sheet over my head.  Of course, this time I had no worry, since she was 250 miles away and sound asleep, leaving me to blather in front of a TV at 2:00 in the morning.  It's a good flick.  I like to see the little demons crawl from the sewers to grab the recently deceased bad guys.  I think Whoopi is awfully funny.  If you get a chance, see this flick.  Heck, of course you will get a chance- it is likely showing on multiple channels at this very moment.

Halloween IV: The Return Of Michael Myers
I did not know this one even existed.  And now I know why- it is bad, very bad, even at 3:30 in the morning.  I remember the first Halloween movie.  It was so scary, and I'm not even referring to Jamie Lee Curtis' face.  I guess a good presentation and scary theme can only be milked for so long.  The Mummy sequals became digressively worse.  Same with Abbott & Costello, and Rocky.  Same with the Clintons.

Back-To-Back episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger
It comes on at 9 in the morning, a sufficient companion for breakfast when no one else is around, when you've been isolated on an island far, far from your mate.  The quality of the show is portended by the fact that Chuck Norris performs the theme song.  He plays a Texas Ranger who kicks the snot out of the bad guys.  To paraphrase some president, somewhere: Never before in the history of mankind has so little talent within so bad of a show continued for so long to make so much money for so bad of an actor.  Oops- even as I write, I'm reminded of the need to remove the Mike Huckabee sticker from my wife's car.

River Of No Return, Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe
This came on in the middle of the day, so I got me a bowl of ice cream and watched it for a while.  These guys managed to float down a raging river upon a raft and fall in love.  I cannot remember a lot about the movie, except that Mitchum seemed a bit stiff, and I guess that was the accepted persona of the heroes of the old cowboy flicks.  And Marilyn Monroe?  Toward the end, just before being swept into the arms of Mitchum and carried back to the ranch, she performed a sad ballad.  As I remember she was dressed in a saloon-girl outfit and the camera panned up and down, and very closely.  And as I said, I only faintly remember.  As I was eating my butter pecan, and thinking about all the rivers to be crossed on the trip back home, I was thinking of how Marilyn Monroe couldn't hold a candle to my sweet wife.

The Jerk: Steve Martin
I saw this one, about 40 years ago.  It was funny back then.  Now that I am much older, and more mature, and my wife is not around to be a civilizing influence, it's still funny.  There's nothing particularly subtle about the film, which I think was the first for Steve Martin.  I'm sure his family films are considered touching and heart-warming by many, and equally sure they have made Martin a ton of money.  But he is not particularly gifted as a serious actor.  Like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy, he is a comic, and that's where he shines in performance.  I'm ready for Jerk II, and would gladly sit in a motel room and watch it on late-night television.

Timecop: Jean Claude Van Damme
It is supposed to be a peek into the future.  Can you believe how hideous looking is the supposed car of the future?  It makes my Chevy Vega look absolutely wonderful.  I think Van Damme is the prototype for Arnold Swarzeneggar.  He cannot act, but I do like him.  And he has a knot on his forehead.  I kid you not- just "google" an image and check it out.  It is big, probably the result of a kick in the head at a karate meet somewhere in the past.  I watched the entire movie.  The bad guy was a crooked Republican politician trying to cheat his way to the top- surprise!  More than once he knocked Jean Claude in the head, with no results other than an ugly knot.  After the movie, I went to the mirror to check out my own forehead.  No knot.  And if I had a knot, and if my wife were present, I wondered if she would even notice.

Later, I went to the movie theatre to see Rambo and Cloverfield.  Since I'm running a bit long, I will tell you about those movies later.  (Hint: Save your money on the latter).