Rituals

Rituals
April 18, 2011

If the pull of the outside world is strong, there is also a pull towards the human. The cat may disappear on its own errands, but sooner or later, it returns once again for a little while, to greet us with its own type of love. ~Lloyd Alexander

The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat. ~Jules Reynard

Although all cat games have their rules and rituals, these vary with the individual player. The cat, of course, never breaks a rule. If it does not follow precedent, that simply means it has created a new rule and it is up to you to learn it quickly if you want the game to continue. ~Sidney Denham

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. ~Jane Pauley

I was looking for quotes on rituals. However, what more ritualistic animal is there on earth than cats? Those people who don’t own a cat are missing out on saving electricity, since a cat is a furry alarm clock. Cats also condition their humans to feed them when they “demand” it. And cats, whether they meow or not, have trained their humans to give in to their commands – clean my litter box, brush me, pet me, go to bed, and all the other rituals that make human lives interesting when one has a four-legged furry love with paws and a tail.

Since I have no one else in my life, my day sometimes revolves around what Sasha wants or needs at certain times. This morning she was bouncing all over the bed, trying to wake me up. Other times she will come lay with me. Our nightly ritual is for her to lie next to me in bed while I watch television – yes, she has me well trained.

Everyone has rituals, whether they are spiritual or not. One of my spiritual rituals is to read my Bible each morning and pray for my friends, family, and those with special prayer needs. One of God’s rituals is to show me how much He loves me. In return, I thank Him for the blessings He bestows on me. And yes, one of those blessings is Sasha.

May God’s blessings be upon you, your family, friends, and any furkids you may have. This is the High Holy Week in the Christian religion, where God showered His blessings upon us through Jesus’ crucifixion. This was God’s ritual to show humanity He sacrificed His Son, Jesus for our forgiveness of sin. Hallelujah!

Michelle Rose

God and the Beasts of the Earth

My cat Sasha, one sweet but spoiled cat.

God and the Beasts of the Earth
April 16, 2011

"If all the beasts were gone, man would die from loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast, happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth." Chief Seattle

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

I am your servant, LORD, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness. Psalm 119:64-66 Contemporary English Version

Be Still and Know that I AM GOD. Psalm 46:10

So much goes on today that is sad, but that is the world – there cannot be joy without sadness. What makes me the saddest is abuse of women, children, and animals. The abuse of the last two in this group not only makes me sad, but also very angry, since they are the most helpless. I think about the commercial on tv for the largest animal organization in the US. One of the segments has a scraggly looking dog, shivering and looking very sad saying, “Why won’t they stop beating me.” And there are a multitude of animals in equally disheartening situations.

So, what do the above quotes above I know what it is and that is kindness. They are all tied together with a common thread. I’ve always heard the saying, “Practice random acts of kindness.” Well, I believe it’s not just a saying, but a directive to be kind where ever and whenever we can. It’s what God wants for me. I know Jesus treats me with kindness and love? He died for me so that I could be forgiven.

Ok, so many of you know how much I love animals. Why would God create animals if we weren’t to live in harmony with them? Yes, times have changed, but I don’t think God wants us to abuse animal. Notice I said abuse and there is more of that than even I realize. It’s frightening to hear all the news about the way many people treat animals. The destiny of people is inherently tied in with animals and nature. That’s not just my belief. Evidently God believed it to, otherwise why would the Lord have saved all the animals (alive at the time) on Noah’s ark when He destroyed the earth with the Great Flood?

May God rain his blessings upon you, your family, and any furkids you have. I almost sent this God’s Tug out last night, but I was in quite a bit of pain and had to get away from my computer. I’m glad I didn’t. This revised message is more in line with what I wanted to say, than last night’s blog.

Michelle Rose

God's Love

God’s Love
April 13, 2011

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-3 NIV

Great thoughts and a pure heart that is what we should ask from God.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

library.timelesstruths.org/music/The_Love_of_God/ Here are the lyrics of a song that tells about God’s love.

I have this image in my mind of seeing a couple mothers nursing their babies when they were in public places. It touched me because of the beautiful look of love I saw on their faces while doing it. Ok, maybe some of you mothers who have had children and nursed them may not agree with me, but I think this site is one of the most wonderful. And there are mothers who don’t love their babies and children this way. You might think I’m sappy, but it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Then, I segue into thoughts of how much God loves me and it’s beyond my comprehension. My mind can’t contain the whole of this concept because there is no end to how much He loves me. Only through the birth of His Son, who died to become my Saviour can I wrap my mind around how much I’m loved. Some days when I’m feeling down, I have a hard time with the depth of His love, but it doesn’t last long. God never stopped finding ways to show me how much He loves me. It’s incredible to think that someone like me, who doesn’t deserve His love because of my sins, should be forgiven by the blood of Jesus. I am loved by the Father, saved by the Son, and guided by the Holy Spirit. I am guided through this life until I see my Saviour face-to-face. Little babies are miraculous beings – totally dependent upon their families. Sometimes, I crumple in my adulthood and become childlike and needy, just wanting to sit on my Heavenly Father’s lap and have His arms around me. And you know what? He’s never too busy to do that for me because His love endures forever. Hallelujah!

May God’s blessings rain down on you, your families, and furkids (if you have any).

Michelle Rose

Humor in Walking God's Path

Humor in Walking Gods Path
April 10, 2011

Jesus tries to make a point.

Jesus saw a crowd chasing down a woman to stone her and approached them. "What's going on here, anyway?" he asked."This woman was found committing adultery, and the law says we should stone her!" one of the crowd responded."Wait," yelled Jesus. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Suddenly, a stone was thrown from out of the sky, and knocked the woman on the side of her head.
"Aw, c'mon, Dad..." Jesus cried, "I'm trying to make a point here!"

http://www.christian-jokes.net/Jokes/Bible-Humor/144-Jesus-tries-to-make-a-point.aspx

I had no idea what I wanted to write about today, but somehow the thought of Christian humor entered my mind, so I googled it. This made me laugh because the Bible is quite serious on so many things in my faith. However, God never said (or at least I don’t know if it’s said anywhere in the Bible) I always have to be serious. I love humor, at least those which don’t make nasty fun of other people, (i.e. blonde, racial, & ethnic jokes), ones that are just plain cruel, or are just plain dirty. They don’t interest me. Now this is an opinion, but it’s my own – much of society today is too numb about being sensitive to others (not everyone). Maybe that’s why when I hear off-color jokes or ones like I described above, it just turns me off. And the closer I move in my faith toward, the less I want to hear off-color or nasty jokes. Does that make me “a goody-two-shoes”? Maybe. What I care about is doing what the Lord wants me to do and being the kind of person He would have me be. Yes, I love to laugh and studies have shown that laughing can be a pain reliever. When I’m laughing at something genuinely funny, I don’t feel as much pain. The endorphins kick in and I feel like a different person. Isn’t this what my God would have me do? Isn’t this why He created me with a conscience, heart, and soul? For me these are rhetorical questions.

May God bless you, your families, and any furkids you might have.
Michelle Rose

God's Furred and Feathered Ambassadors

Friends, I had no idea what I was going to write tonight. This came from God. What I write here is about my life and my relationship with the Lord.

God's blessings upon you.
Michelle Rose

God’s Furred and Feathered Ambassadors (and those with scales, too) ;~D
April 1, 2011

An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber

If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. ~Chief Seattle of the Suquamish Tribe, letter to President Franklin Pierce

Isaiah 11: 6-9
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (NIV)

So much of my life I’ve spent alone, with the exception of having a four-legged companions – I’ve never been married or had a long-term relationship. God has gifted me with numerous cats, guinea pigs, and a few rats. When I feel lonely, they have cuddled me; sat on my lap; listened when I spoke of joy and sadness; needed me; and accepted me just as I am. It has also caused me great sadness when God took them from me, just as He put them in my life. It’s not that I dislike people, it’s just that for so long I could not relate to my own kind because of my emotional disability. That happened when I was first diagnosed with it, but it still happens sometimes now. I can only be with others for so long then I have to escape to be by myself and with either Sasha or other animals. The words Isaiah uses in this verse are pretty much close to my picture of an idyllic heaven. It’s where I want to be when I leave this earth. I want to run with the wolves, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and other creatures that humans destroy for their own selfish and greedy motives. Creatures, in this life, that mostly are too wild for human companionship. Ok, I’ve gotten off on a bit of a rant here. But, maybe what I see in them, not that I don’t see it in people, are God’s blessings of understanding.

Last night I was watching The Mentalist, with Simon Baker. If any of you watch this show, you’ll understand what I’m talking about here. Patrick Jane, the character played by Baker, is multi-faceted – funny, outrageous and courageous. But something I realized last night was that he is also perceptive to the needs of people and compassionate towards them. Last night’s episode had me in tears, since Jane understands that a medical examiner, who he’s always ridiculed, is dying. It is that compassion, making me love his character. This is how God blesses me with animals – this is how animals are to me (ok, not that people aren’t). This is how God wants me to be toward other people and my lessons come from some humans and many animals. This is the longest God’s Tug I’ve written so far – although I want to keep them brief. Yet, I needed to get it out, since I’m having a bit of a challenging time right now.