My good friend Al sent me the following:

Location:  Cochise Terrace RV Resort, Bensen, Arizona.

Annie, my German shepherd, was enjoying her morning walk when a retired, K-9 police officer on his motorcycle stopped to admire her.   I quickly thought, this is not good!    She did not like motorcycles or police type attitudes. Was I ever wrong…. he shut off his motorcycle, reached out his hand, and caressed her muzzle.   Annie looked up at him and simply stared.   His voice broke.   She brushed away his hand and put her muzzle on his thigh and rested there.

I said, ” She just doesn’t do that!”    He said, “I just lost my K-9 partner last week of kidney failure.” They’d had 12 years together; both had been shot at different times, and both retired together. (They carried their wounds well.)

He and I both broke down.    We were two grown men crying like youngsters.    Annie had sensed his grief and responded gently to him. We both learned how deep a shepherd’s “intuition” and sensing goes.   I walked away asking God to give me some of that empathy and acknowledgement of people in their hurts.

The Scripture is full of such in the prophets, the disciples, the Lord, and others.   Spiritual life and devotion lead the way!

1 Corinthians 12:26

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it

Jeremiah 8:21

For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Time is brutal and doesn’t give anyone a break. Mick Jagger will turn 80 in July of next year. He only looks that age from the neck up. Paul McCartney hasn’t caused a girl to faint since 1973. Dolly says she can’t do tours anymore. Where are Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash? I think I met Johnny’s brother “No Cash.”  Have you looked at Willy Nelson lately? He looks worse than I do.

Time. Whatever did it do to all of us? Is it possible we’re running out of it?  It only gave us a ride with the intent of delivering us to the last station where the track ends the journey. When someone says, “Give it some time.”  My reply is, “I’m running out of time.”

1 John 2:17

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Give it some thought.

Gary

After I mentioned that we were going for a ride, Lady and I would walk out of the house towards my truck. Usually, I would park so the rear of the Tacoma was first; I would let down the tailgate and she would happily jump in.  For some reason, however, I had backed in. As I was heading for the back of the truck, I heard a loud, scratching sound.  I turned to see her on the hood. She was a creature of habit.

Doing something by habit doesn’t always mean it’s the right choice this time.

1 Timothy 5:13

Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.

Hebrews 10:25

not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Habits can cost you.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Are you ready for another story about my dog, Lady? One day I was going into the post office to get the mail. Lady was waiting on the back of my Tacoma pick up, which was her favorite spot in all the world. A young girl who looked like she was twelve months pregnant commented on the beauty of my dog and asked if she could pet her. I said, “Sure.” and continued to my mailbox while she went outside. When I turned, I saw her recoiling as all of Lady’s teeth were frighteningly on display. I sure misjudged that one.

I didn’t know the girl and sure hope the baby came out all right.  I was especially glad that it didn’t make an appearance in that parking lot. I learned a lesson about decision-making from that time on.

Philippians 1:9-10 

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Give it some thought and think before you can cause harm to others.

Gary

She sure was a special dog, our Lady. One of our neighbors had a big German Shepherd that was a lap dog. When the dog passed away, the couple was heartbroken. One day the man was sleeping on his couch with his arm behind his head when he awakened to a slippery tongue sliding across his arm. With eyes wide open now, he said to himself, “This can’t be. My dog is dead.” With what few hairs he had standing up on his head, he turned and came face to face with our dog, Lady. She had gone through an open basement door, climbed the stairs to another open door, and showed him her sympathy.

She was just a dog, but she cared for those who were hurting. If a dog can do that, how much more should we be concerned for the feelings of others.

By the way, the brush that Lady had carried home previously was returned to its rightful owner.

Philippians 2:4 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Galatians 6:2 

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Our neighbor had a chihuahua that looked like it weighed about three ounces. It seemed to want to bark at anything that moved, even our dog, Lady. Now our dog weighed forty pounds from the time we got her till the day she died. This chihuahua would have only been a mouthful for her. The interesting thing is that Lady always made believe the nuisance didn’t exist. That little thing was never molested by our dog.

There are so many annoying things in life that we as Christians should never pay any attention to. We need to avoid these situations at all cost. It’s not worth the taste it will leave in your mouth.

Titus 3:2

to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

1 Timothy 6:20

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”

Give it some thought.

Gary

Here’s another story about Lady, my favorite dog. One day we saw her coming up the drive with a dog brush in her mouth. Paula never saw such a nice brush and commenced grooming her. That dog knew that looking good was important.

She was just a dog, but how many Christians realize we need the tools to look good.  They should not only be found but used.

1 Peter 3:3-4

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Take the brush of the Word and apply it to your life.

Think about it.

Gary

P.S., It was discovered the brush belonged to a neighbor and was returned.