September 28, 2010 - Psalm 36: 5,6 - Animals

"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord."

This Sunday is the blessing of the animals at church. I will bring both my dogs. I love this passage, and even though scholars may disagree with its meaning, I take it to mean that God saves animals too.

Yes, I believe animals have souls. How can I look into Jasper's eyes and think there is no soul there? How can I look at Valentino's sweet little face in the morning and believe there is no soul there? No, anyone who has loved an animal, I think, will agree with me. People have people souls. Dogs have dog souls. Cats have cat souls. I don't know...maybe cockroaches have cockroach souls (but I have to wonder about that). I believe that any living creature that God made has a spark of the Divine in them. Every living creature. Man, in our selfish ego, somehow think God belongs to us alone. Does it not make more sense to value each life God created, and not just our own?

I've had many a conversation about whether or not animals go to Heaven. My usual answer is, "Of course! It wouldn't be Heaven without them!" If we believe that our human loved ones are now well and strong and healthy once again in Heaven, why is it such a stretch to believe that the same goes for our non-human loved ones?

Gandhi said:

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

I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.

If you'll allow me a little soap-box time - millions and millions of creatures that God has created are killed each year by the foolishness of man in allowing rampant birth of kittens and puppies that are simply destined for a life of misery before they are killed at some shelter that doesn't have room for them. People who say they want their children to experience the miracle of birth, then need to take them to the local shelter so they can experience the miracle of death as well. If you have a pet that hasn't been spayed or neutered, then do it. It's part of being a responsible pet owner. It is cruel and a great sin to allow a life to be brought into the world if you have no intention of caring for the life God has given you.

So, yes, God saves humans and animals alike, but in this matter He needs our help.

Blessings, Phoenix

September 27, 2010 - Psalm 120:1 - Help

"When I was in trouble, I called to the Lord;
I called to the Lord, and he answered me."

As I turned to the Book of Common Prayer this morning, this was the lead-off passage for today's Morning Prayer reading. In fact, all of the Psalms today speak of God's help in time of trouble.

I love the Psalms. I love that they don't mince words, nor sugar-coat the trials and troubles of mankind. God is not a Candyland god, some old man with a white beard who sits on a throne and gives his children Sugar Daddys to eat. No, God does what is best for us, and sometimes that is difficult to swallow. But He NEVER means us harm, and in this passage we are reminded that He fights for us as well.

When I was going through my most recent troubles, I would lay on my bed and cry, and weep, and wail and pray God to give me what I wanted, even though I knew what I wanted was wrong, wrong, wrong. As my good friend Renae said to me, you can cry all you want, God is not going to honor this, because its wrong and you know its wrong. She was right, of course. If what you want is wrong, or is simply wrong for you, then God will not grant such a prayer.

But today I am reminded that when we call on the Lord in times of real trouble, He is ready, willing and able to come to our defense. He is there to fight along side us, to fight FOR us, if we only let Him.

I've heard it said that my job is to do the footwork; the results are up to God.

First passages from today's Psalms are these:

120 - When I was in trouble, I called to the Lord;
I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

121 - I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

122 - I was glad when they said to me,'
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."

123 - To you I lift up my eyes,
to you enthroned in the heavens.

See what I mean? God surrounds us on every side, closer than the air we breathe. He is for us, He is with us, He is in us. Rest in the knowledge that God is there for you; all you need to do is turn to Him. Praise the Lord!

Blessings, Phoenix

September 26, 2010 - Judges 5:3 - Sing!

"Hear, O Kings; give ear, O princes;
to the Lord I will sing.
I will make melody to the Lord,
the God of Israel."

This verse is from the song of Deborah, sung by she and Barak,son of Abinoam, after she pounded a tent peg through her enemy's head as he lay sleeping. Oh dear. I think I would feel better about this verse if it were in one of the Psalms of David, where he sings to the Lord simply because the Lord is good, and mighty is his name!

But no, Deborah has saved her people with deceit, treachery, trickery and murder. And this, apparently, God approves of. It is a conundrum. The God I know values honesty, integrity, and truth. He values mercy and turning the other cheek and going the extra mile. But here, as in other Old Testament places, dishonesty and worse seems to be not only approved of, but rewarded. It is hard for me to reconcile the two.

But today is Sunday, so I shall put the conundrum aside for a moment and concentrate on the verse itself. Which brings me to singing. When we sing in church, are we singing simply to hear ourselves sing? Are we singing ABOUT the Lord? Are we singing TO the Lord? Are we lifting our voice in song with a wonder in our hearts?

Bless the hymn writers of old! Personally, I find much more power in the old hymns than in some of the newer songs where the same verse is simply repeated over and over, as if the songwriter couldn't think of anything else to say, so they just said it again.

Now, Chip, God rest his soul, was not a singer. He was tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. But when it came time to sing in church, he opened his mouth and he sang. Softly, because he knew he couldn't sing, but still he sang. He sang to God, and I don't think God cared that Chip couldn't carry a tune. He looked in Chip's heart, and saw a love of the Lord there, and that was as pleasing, or perhaps more so, than all the best voices of the angels.

So, today, in church or outside of it, I invite you to lift your voices in song to the Lord! Praise His holy Name! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Blessings, Phoenix

September 25, 2010 - Matthew 6:34 - Do not worry

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

It seems to me that I come back to this verse a lot. Because I AM a worrier. It is silly, I know. Our lives are in God's hands, and He's got everything all worked out. He knows what is best for us, and if we just LISTEN everything will come out just fine. It's not even the listening part that I have a problem with...it's that, God help me, I do like to be in control.

I've heard it said that worry is simply suffering in advance, usually about things over which we have no control. You see a fire engine up the street and pray, Lord, let it not be my house. Well, such a prayer is useless...if its your house, its your house. Such a prayer changes nothing, except that if its not your house, you can say, thank You, God!

So, what do I worry about? I worry about my daughters, are they well? Are they healthy? How are they doing? I worry about my dogs. How will Valentino take the move? Will Jasper go exploring when we get to a new place and not know how to get back? Will they stay healthy? I worry about my finances. Will I have enough when I retire? What will I do if...if...if...
It's never ending.

But here...I would invite you to dust off your Bibles, turn to this passage, and back up. Back up to verse 25 and start reading there. Can we add one single hour to our life by worrying? No. If anything, we shorten our lives by worrying about things that are beyond our control. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. He knows about our families, and our finances, and our dogs and our jobs and what we will eat and wear and do. He knows all that stuff. So, why on earth should I take on such worries?

So, today, I will once again try and throw down the burden of worry, and just let God be God. I was never very good at that anyway...

Blessings, Phoenix

September 23, 2010 - 1 Timothy 6:20

"...guard what has been entrusted to you."

In this verse, I don't think Paul is talking so much about worldly possessions as he is about the things that matter. Worldly possessions pass away; they wear out, or cease to be useful, become outdated. We need to guard those things in our life that truly matter - our families, our friends, our loved ones, our pets.

I had a conversation last night with the owner of a no-kill sanctuary in Arizona. I applied for a caretakers position that does not pay a salary, but does provide a rent-free apartment and utilities. One of the things that attracts me is not only the work, but that I can bring my dogs. I told Moe (the owner) that I'd rather sleep in my car under a bridge than take my dogs to a shelter. My dogs will be welcome there. I need to guard that which God has given me; in this case, my dogs.

When our children are small, we guard them too (or should). We need to guard our relationships with our significant others, our relatives, our friends. These are the things that matter in the long run. But mostly, we need to guard our relationship with God, for that matters most of all. Proverbs 4:23 says
"Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life."

Blessings, Phoenix
posted by Phoenix MaryGrace Hocking @ 8:50 AM 0 comments

September 22, 2010 - Ecclesiasticus 39:12-15 & 32,33 - Praise

From the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach:

"I have more on my mind to express;
I am full like the full moon.
Listen to me, my faithful children, and blossom
like a rose growing by a stream of water.
Send out fragrance like incense,
and put forth blossoms like a lily.
Scatter the fragrance, and sing a hymn of praise;
bless the Lord for all His works.
Ascribe majesty to His name
and give thanks to Him with praise,
with songs on your lips, and with harps;
...
So from the beginning I have been convinced of all this
and have thought it out and left it in writing:
All the works of the Lord are good,
and He will supply every need in its time."

Of all the books of the Apocrypha, I think I like Ecclesiasticus the best. There is such comfort there. Wherever I turn, there is reassurance that God is in control, God is in command, and what is required of me is not to battle (for the battle belongs to the Lord), but to praise. What is asked of me is to be like incense, a sweet fragrance to the Lord, a wafting of peace and an emissary of His love.

This passage especially speaks to me because I hate fighting. I hate battling. I hate conflict. I know sometimes all of those things are necessary in this world, but I hate it all the same. I would far rather see the good in people; spread the joy of the Lord wherever I go; be of good cheer and positive energy.

Sometimes it's important to stand up for what one believes in. It is important to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, especially children and animals. It is important to speak truth to power, even when such truth is unpopular or rejected. God does not call us to be wimps. But even though He does call us to be warriors, in a sense, He does not call us to fight His battles for Him, and I am very aware of the seeming contradiction there.

If you've been following my blog for a while you'll remember this passage from "The Peaceable Kingdom" by Jan de Hartog. It is many years out of print now, but if you can find one in a used book store or at the library, I highly recommend it. Historical fiction, but based on fact, "The Peaceable Kingdom" is the story of how the Quakers got started. The beginning of the book details some of the life of George Fox, yes, but more than that it chronicles the life of Margaret Fell, with whom I identify.

At one point in the book, Margaret Fells' husband, in a desparate attempt to show her where her fascination with the Quakers will lead, takes her on a tour of the worst hell hole in all of England, the dungeons of Lancaster Castle. Children, huddled deep in the bowels of the castle, are particularly disturbing. Margaret runs to Fox, demanding an answer. How can a loving God allow such things to happen?

Fox's answer cuts to the chase, and has stayed in my heart for years. "Stop crying for proof of God's love! Prove it thyself! How else dost thou think He can manifest His love? Through nature? Through the trees, the clouds,the beasts in the field,the stars? No, only through beings capable of doing so: ourselves. In the case of those children in the cage, about to be hanged, it is thou He touched. All He has to reach those children is thee!"

So, yes, God calls us to fight a worldly fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. But he also calls us to be like His incense, spreading His love to all we meet. For in the end,
"All the works of the Lord are good, and He will supply every need in its time."

Blessings, Phoenix

September 21, 2010 - Ecclesiastes 3:1 - Time

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."

Sometimes we think the times we are in are the only ones we're ever going to have. If we are riding high on the hog, well, it will always be this way - nothing can stop us now! And if we are scraping the bottom of the barrel, we can't even see daylight for the muck about us, or in us.

But the truth is that not much lasts forever. Relationships bud, grow, grow old, get stale, end. Finances wax and wane. Friendships flourish, or go south. It helps to remember that whatever you are going through right now, God has something else in mind.

Ok, so where am I going with this? God does not want us to stagnate. He doesn't want us to be too comfortable right where we are. How can we grow if we see the same four walls? Do the same thing forever and amen? Associate with the same people; go to the same places? What growth is there in that?

Of course, this is coming from a woman is a nomad at heart and always has been. As soon as I get comfortable in a place, I want to go somewhere else. As soon as I learn a job really well, I want to do something else. About the only thing this doesn't apply to in my life are my friends, because once I'm your friend, I'm your friend forever, unless something drastic happens to change that.

So, if you are in a season of change, like I am right now, just go with it. Put God in the driver's seat and see where He takes you. That's what I plan to do!

Blessings, Phoenix