Molly's last week

Tuesday morning Dad drove me to our beach.

And then Stories beach at night. Lots to smell there.

Dog party at the dog park on Wednesday night. Niko and Milo came.

Mocha was there

We had treats and drinks

Taz came too

Last walk with Grampa

Good sleep tonight



Thursday is steak night. Nice night to eat a couple steaks on the porch.

And then to the beach for some more interesting scents.

Friday morning, the last day of summer. Those seagulls wouldn't stand a chance 10 years ago.

Nap by the couch

 And my favourite spot by the table

Last walk with my family

Pizza lunch by the creek.

First one to walk on the new lawn

Molly

Some time ago I wrote about my dog Molly. Today it is with sadness that I write about her life.

Molly is a great dog, she loves us and we love her. She guards our house, she has guarded our children... especially our oldest daughter. When she was born she would sleep by her crib and no one got to her without Molly's approval. This year she helped our youngest daughter get over her fear of dogs by being her lovely self.

When we first got her she was a ball of energy. She would pull you whenever you took her for a walk and if you left the front door open and a cat or dog walked by the house she would take off like a bullet after it. She never attacked a cat or another dog but she was really excited to run up to it as fast as possible.

One night at our old house we left our window open at night. She and I woke up at the same time at a sound. Her head was up and her ears pointed alert to some threat. I could just make her out in the light of the moon. Then I heard the sound of little claws running down our hall on the laminate flooring. A RAT! Molly lept into action and she chased it out of our house in a matter of seconds.

I'll never forget the day when her years started to catch up with her. I took her for a run and instead of pulling me the whole run, on the way back she slowed down and wanted to walk the last part of the run. Molly wasn't a young dog anymore.

When we were selling our house she stayed there alone every night and took care of it until it sold. When we moved in with my parents til our new house could be built my Dad took her for a walk every day. I am so thankful my parents allowed us to bring Molly with us.
Then when we moved into our new house she started to have trouble walking and climbing stairs. So now she spends her days in the house and takes a short walk across the street to go to the bathroom.

When we finally planted our lawn someone left the door open and she quickly marched out into the middle of the lawn and went to the washroom. Now I think maybe she was marking the lawn so there would be no doubt that this was her home.

I hope she doesn't remember the days when I got mad that she got into the garbage or ate our ham or haggis or salmon or cake. Or chewed the door frame of our bedroom. Or when she chased the cats and wouldn't come back when we yelled. I hope she remembers the walks and the times we took her to denman island or the many trips to the beach or to the forest.

It was so hard to make the decision to let her go. But we did and we're counting down the days until her appointment hoping they don't go too fast. We're taking her somewhere special every day and giving her lots of hugs and treats. I feel a deep sadness that is not only for the loss of her companionship. I think maybe its a longing for the past and a fear of the future.

But I'm definitely a miracle man and I see signs. I feel like I saw a sign that this is the right time to let Molly go. She's been such a good dog.

Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth? - Ecclesiastes 3:19-21

God's faithfulness

I'm learning what the real meaning of love is right now.

I looked into a mirror and saw the spectre of my selfish love and it didn't make me feel very good... to say the least.

Mercifully, at the same time I was given a glimpse of how great God's love is.

Before boarding the airplane, You knew me
Maybe I was deformed, maybe I had a few rotten teeth?
But You still left the family that loved You and chose me

I spit in Your face, I kicked and threw little fits constantly
Covered in blood and unwilling to walk You carried me
Did Your heart break when I looked back, unable to grasp what You were offering?

Fear of rejection had built a great wall of stone around my heart
You spoke and Your words fell like a hammer breaking it apart
How great is Your faithfulness and You didn't ignore my crying

Room 1207 is fine but its not my home I know there's something better
I'll close my eyes, put in my earphones and when we land breathe the sea air
How great is Your faithfulness and the price paid to redeem me

Dew falls, the light dawns, Your mercies are new every morning
Streams from a rock, my weakness gone, and now my heart is a wellspring
How great is Your faithfulness, Christ's love flows through me.

The orphan <>< #2

This is a remix of something I wrote quite awhile ago but I'm thinking about again...

Imagine if you lived in a place where you had to kill your baby if he was a boy.

And then you had a baby boy.

You hid him but it would only be a matter of time before you were discovered. If he is discovered he'll be drowned in the river. Fear strikes you as you ponder that. Looking at his little face you know what you need to do and it breaks your heart. I'm sure you'll never forget how he looked at you when you laid him in the basket and pushed it gently out into the river.

Was he smiling, thinking it was a game? Was he crying?

Fear and dismay filled your heart as he drifted out of sight. Your daughter followed the basket closely along the shore, eyes alert for danger. She must ensure this package reaches its destination but what if they catch her and connect her with the baby? You could lose two children today. How did you go through with it?

The Orphan - Newsboys

Maybe I push when I'm meant to be still
Maybe I take it all to personal
Jesus, how to reconcile
The joyful noise
The ancient land
The tug from some invisible hand
The dying mother weaving bulrushes
Along the Nile

Float her basket over the sea
Here on a barren shore
We'll be waiting for
A tailwind to carry an orphan's cry
Don't you worry, child
I wrote a lullaby

I try to settle, but I just pass through
A rain dog, gypsy a wandering Jew
All those homes were not ours
Then I slept one night in Abraham's field
And dreamt there was no moon
The night he died
Counting stars
Selah

Building you a home
Building you a home
Building you a home
We're building you a home
Selah
Lam. 5:3 - We have become orphans and waifs

For me this story opens a a small window into God's heart. What He must feel as he weaves our spirits and places them in our fragile bodies to be floated into the world with the desire that we will one day return to Him. He has promised that we won't be left orphans, He sent His Spirit to watch and guide us across the sea. Comfort us and run interference with the crocodiles.

John 14:18 - I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you
Rom 8:15 - For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father"

God's plans are perfect. Not only did Moses survive but he became the instrument of God's freedom for the people of Israel, a spider in Pharoah's palace. There are two key messages that I take away from all this; One is that we are children of God and heirs to His blessing and if heirs then joint-heirs with Christ. Imagine for one moment the best parent on earth... how much more will God look after and love His own children? The second is that my earthly children are really God's children and I am their spiritual foster parent... no pressure!

Now return to the Nile. You look up and see your daughter running towards you, she's crying and your heart sinks, you fear the worst... No, she's carrying something... and smiling...? Tears of joy are falling when she returns your baby boy to your arms. Alive and safe!

Up from the stoney ground

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. - Isaiah 52:13 - 53:7

The youth pastor at our church preached recently on Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and then how He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He drew a connection between that and the common saying tt March sometimes comes in as a lion and goes out like a lamb... I have never thought about that before.
 
This year where I live, March came in like a lion, roared most of the month and then went out like a lion as well. Perhaps thats fitting as well. Jesus allowed Himself to be mocked, spit upon, tortured until ultimately His body was marred more than any man. Throughout all this and when He defeated death and ascended into heaven He was definitely still the Lion of Judah. This makes what He willingly endured even more amazing.
   
But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour. - John 12:23-26

Twilight

Today in church the kids in youth group were relating something that was emotional for them. 

Some time ago they had been helping out at one of the retirement homes in town. They were discussing with the people there what their wishes were. To many of the people that lived there, their greatest wish was simply that their family would come and visit them.

"Do you know someone that stares at the walls..."

Entanglement

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. - Hebrews 12:1-13

A few things strike me about this passage; we are encouraged to cast aside evertthing that hinders and entangles us, run with endurance, endure punishment as necessary, take strength and make "straight paths for our feet".

One of the most common injuries in a workplace are slips, trips and falls. And anyone who works on a ship knows this can be fatal. Best case scenario you twist your ankle and render yourself unfit for service, worst case scenario, you trip and fall overboard. So a constant effort is made to ensure every rope and other hazard is coiled up and stowed away. The vessel must always be kept shipshape and ready for action.The mariner that ignores this, puts himself and others in danger.