Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 8

 Chapter 8

 I begin this chapter by stating flat out that I haven't been to too many places.  I am not well traveled.  I remember students in school telling about where they went on summer vacation.  Some of them went overseas to exotic places.  My family stayed pretty much in our area.
     I have never traveled very far outside of the Midwest.  To the north, I have gone as far as South Dakota and Minnesota.  I've been as far south as Arkansas.  Westward, I've gone to the Rocky Mountains, and to the east I've been to Illinois.  There you have it.
     What's nice about these travels is that everywhere I went, Toby always came too.  After a short time in our home, it soon became apparent that Toby was the type of dog who really attached himself to the family.  He would have been totally heartbroken if I had left him in a kennel while I was off enjoying a good time.
     Besides Toby's attachment to me, I also took his special needs into consideration.  Toby needed special food in order to keep his digestive system working properly, and the little guy had pills that he needed to take on a daily basis.  If he wasn't along on the trip, no matter how good the boarding facility, I wouldn't have been able to have any fun for fear that Toby wasn't receiving the proper care.
     For these reasons, if was decided that at all times Toby would accompany me on all vacations and trips.  As you will see, having him along made the trips much more fun and memorable.
     The first trip came along when we took a trip to the Ozarks.  We went down there quite a bit and stayed in Springfield, Missouri.  There was a nice hotel there that offered a golf course, tennis and three swimming pools.
     I was very pleased with the way Toby behaved on this initial trip.  He didn't make any fuss in the car.  We just drove down there peacefully and in comfort. This place didn't care if Toby was with me on the golf course as long as he didn't get on the greens.  He followed me around while I played.  I embarrassed myself greatly as I always do on the golf course.  I think I caught Toby laughing at me on more than one occasion.  It's probably a good thing I can't play golf anymore.  The last time I played about ten years ago, I hooked the ball so bad it went over the safety netting by the course edge and landed in the practice putting area.  I just missed hitting a man in the head.
     At restaurants, I stayed with him out in the car and just ate out there.  On warm days, we would go sit under a shade tree and have a picnic.  I never left Toby alone in the car.  Even with the windows cracked, a car will heat up tremendously.  For a time, I also feared he would be stolen.  At one time, there was a high incidence of pet theft where I live.  Since that time, I've always been afraid to leave any animal unattended for too long.  By the way, a person has to be really sick to steal someone's pet.
     Most of my Mom's family lived in the state of Wyoming, so when my Grandmother was still living, we went out there almost every summer.  The first trip out west with Toby was fun.
     Instead of driving straight through the barren Kansas Plains to Cheyenne, we decided to take a circuitous route and visit the Black Hills and other sites in South Dakota.  Our first stop was in Sioux Falls.
     When we arrived, everyone was worn out from driving.  We didn't plan to do much in town, but I discovered the USS South Dakota monument listed in a travel brochure at the hotel.  All of us went out to see it.
     This monument consists of a concrete outline of the battleship which is built to the ship's exact dimensions.  An interesting museum and gift shop are located in the middle about where the ship's bridge would be.  Toby and I walked around there for a long time.
 We got up early the next morning and headed west.  We decided to make a quick stop in Mitchell to visit their number one attraction, the Corn Palace.  We didn't stay too long because we wanted to make it to Rapid City by the evening.
     The Corn Palace is a really interesting place.  It is definitely worth a visit.  The outside facade of the building is decorated in a different picture each year.  All of the decoration is made of corn and some other grains.  If I remember right, the building is mainly used as an auditorium.
     Our next stop was Chamberlain by the Missouri River.  I live near Kansas City, so I've seen the Missouri River many times.  However, the river at Chamberlain is extremely wide.  The water seemed to be much clearer than down by where I live.  The surrounding scenery is also much more eye pleasing.
     We came across a nice rest area.  It was situated on top of a hill that afforded a grand view of the river and the surrounding countryside.  This area had several picnic tables that were covered by steel poles in order to resemble a giant tee-pee.  Toby and I walked all around through the park and had an enjoyable lunch.  I was going to go farther, but Toby was getting too hot.  He never could stand very much heat.
     The next stop on our South Dakota excursion was the Badlands.  This is a spectacular sight.  One can drive through the area and see the devastating effects of erosion on the Great Plains.  The area looks like a section of mini-mountains carved out of the barren landscape that surrounds it.
     Toby and I got out to explore.  We walked quite a way down one of the trails taking in the sights.  I was worried about rattlesnakes, so I didn't want to go to far.  Toby was crazy when it came to going after things.  Once, there was a big black snake in the back yard by the garden.   Toby went after that snake barking.  Toby was in the fenced part of the yard, and the snake crawled just outside the fence.  However, it started turning back towards Toby.  I dispatched the snake.  Black snakes aren't poisonous, I didn't want to mess with a snake that was.
     When we arrived in Rapid City, we had a hard time finding a place to stay that accepted pets.  We finally found a place that on the outside appeared to be a dump, but the rooms were very nice.  The restaurant's buffet was great.  Toby and I ate our dinner, and then we went for a long walk.  We really enjoyed South Dakota.
     The next morning, we decided to explore around Rapid City.  We went to a place called Dinosaur Park.  At this park, there are several life-size dinosaurs made from concrete.  The park is up on a little hill.  My Dad is so scared of heights, that he wouldn't even get out of the care.  As we were coming down from the park, my Dad buried his head in his lap so he didn't have to look out the window.  Toby must have thought that my Dad looked ridiculous because Toby jumped up into the front seat and kept licking my Dad's head  and barking until my Dad sat back up in the seat.
     Traveling through the Black Hills was fun.  Toby and I stopped at one place and looked at the bison.  One of the bison at the farm was friendly and let me pet him.  He and Toby sniffed one another.  Knowing Toby, I thought that he might decide to try to go after the bison, so I got him out of there in short order.
     After more sight seeing in nature, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore.  This was the one part of the trip that I did not enjoy.  It was so crowded, you couldn't hardly move.  Toby came with me, they allowed dogs at that time.  We couldn't walk five feet without someone bothering Toby.  People would reach down and try to pet him without even asking.  One person poked him in the eye.  Toby growled.  Who can blame him?  The two of us got the heck out of there.  Another thing that I hated about the place is that at least twenty people must have asked me if that was the kind of dog Queen Elizabeth has.  I was about ready to put a sign on Toby saying, Queen Elizabeth has a corgi like this.   We went back to the car and escaped the madness.  Mom and Dad came back an hour or so later and said how great a time they had.  The best time that Toby and I had there was our nap time when we got back to the car.
     We left South Dakota and arrived for an uneventful stay at my Grandma's house.  We did go out to visit my uncle's ranch about 40 miles outside of Cheyenne.  We were supposed to have a picnic at his house.  All the time we were there, my uncle kept telling me about how many rattlesnakes were around the place.  Toby and I wished we had stayed in town.  We couldn't even enjoy our meal.  I kept watching for those darn snakes.  Needless to say, when everyone decided to walk around the ranch, we stayed at the house.   Neither one of us cared much for the outdoors.  I remember someone saying once that they were an avid indoorsman.  That would describe Toby and me.
     We returned from our trip through Nebraska which is about as exciting as Kansas.  Toby and I never went back to visit South Dakota.  I wish we would have.  It is a nice place.

Verses For The Week

 James 1:12 -- "Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

Psalm 73:26 -- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks"

      Thanks for reading the message this week. I hope that everyone has had a great week. I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post the message this week. 

     Since we finished our series on the book of Philippians, I've been having topical messages for the last couple of weeks, and that is what I am going to do today. When I was listening to something on the radio this week, the verses that I am going to be posting about today were brought up. I was really touched by these verses in a way that I haven't been before.

     Isaiah chapter 42 gives a description of the ministry of the coming Messiah. In verse 3 Isaiah writes, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out." 

     One of the things that you should note is that Matthew in his Gospel likes to show us and tell us how Jesus fulfilled in His ministry the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. In Matthew 12, we are told that Jesus fulfilled this particular prophecy when He healed the sick from the large crowd that was following Him and listening to His teachings. 

     This week, I was thinking about the significance of a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out. A bruised reed is a reed that is about to die out. Some would just go ahead and break it off and put it to an end. A smoldering wick is just barely putting out smoke. It isn't lighting up anything, it is just stinking the place up. It would be normal to just put it all the way out and total extinguish the little bit of fire that was remaining. 

     What does this mean for us as people? There are a lot of people who are hurt in this world. They are bruised reeds. Life has dealt them a bad hand. They have had one bad thing after another happen to them, and they are barely hanging on. These are the people that Jesus helped so much during His ministry here on this earth. He cared about the ones that other people had given up on and didn't really care about in the first place. He healed the sick and ministered to the least of those among us. He didn't turn anyone away from His love and His kindness. He was always there to help everyone, even those about ready to give up. 

     There are many people today who are struggling and having a hard time. Jesus is there to be with you and help you. He loves you and He cares about you. Turn to Him in every hour of difficulty. Seek His comfort and His help. He wants to help you in every way.

     Now, a smoldering wick He will not put out speaks to me not of the physical life and its battles but of the spiritual life. There are people who where once really on fire for the Lord. There whole life was about serving Jesus and living a holy life that is pleasing to Him. However, they have cooled way down in their fervor for serving the Lord. They may have fallen so far into sin and selfishness that there isn't much spiritual life left within them. Jesus wants to help. He is not there to condemn. 

     If you feel that you are about to burn out spiritually, tell Jesus. Ask Him to renew His presence in your life. He has not given up on you. He knows that you can get back on track again, and He is there to help you.

    This needs to be how we feel about people in our lives. Let us not give up on people. Let us help those who are knocked down by life in so many ways. Let us help those who are in a spiritually bad place to get back on track with the Lord. Let all of us help bring healing and wholeness to the world for all just like Jesus did and does. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a really hard time healthwise again. The arthritis in my hand is really severe right now, and I am having other issues as well. Please be in prayer. Thank you. 

    I want to thank the Lord that the remaining hostages have been freed. Aid is coming into Gaza, and there is a ceasefire. Let us be thankful, and let us pray that peace will hold in that part of the world. 

    Let us continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan. Let us pray for Haiti as well. 

    Please pray for those in Alaska who were affected by the typhoon remnants. Pray that they will get the aid that they need. 

    For our prayer focus countries this week let us pray for those in the nations of Suriname and Mauritius. Pray that many will come to know Jesus and His love and forgiveness. 

    Next week, I will post another topical message. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and the book about Toby chapter on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

     

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 7

 Chapter 7

     If you know anything about Welsh Corgis, you are already aware that they were originally bred by the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Wales to nip at the heels of cattle and sheep as they were being driven to market or from one field to another.  Because of this inbred ability, many corgis have retained the herding instinct to this present day.  Some corgis even win various herding titles awarded by the American Kennel Club and other organizations.
     Toby definitely had the ancient blood of his corgi ancestors running through his veins .  He had a strong desire to herd.  Mostly, he wanted to herd me.  I always told everyone that he must have thought that I looked like a sheep.
     Toby wasn't a traditional herder.  He never tried to nip at my heels.  His method of pointing me in the proper direction was to grab hold of my pant or pajama leg then pull and let go.  Sometimes, he would just grab and release.
     One never knew when the old herding instinct would kick in.  At anytime, anyone in the family, but mostly me, could be mistaken for a white, woolly creature.
     What was really funny is when Toby would herd me places my parents wanted me to go.  For instance, if I was in my room and my Mom called that dinner was ready, Toby would make sure that I made it to the dinner table quickly.  I think that he was just as excited about dinner as I was because he might get some left over goody.
     Toby also liked to evoke his herding talents when the phone rang, and I was at the opposite end of the house.  When the phone rang, I'd head for the phone with Toby nipping my pant leg in an effort to speed my arrival.  It actually slowed me down.  He didn't know that, or at least he didn't care.  He wanted some excitement out of even the most mundane and trivial event.
     Toby also loved to herd the vacuum cleaner.  Whenever I got out the vacuum, Toby would wait until it started and then he would bounce over and bite at the end of it as I made it go back and forth across the carpet.  He would hop at it, dart away then return for another quick bite.  This made vacuuming quite difficulty, but it was also a lot of fun.
     While not necessarily a herding behavior, Toby also exhibiting the behavior of grabbing my pant leg and trying to pull me back inside the door when I was going out.  He didn't want me to leave.  The only reason that I could come up with for this behavior was that it was part of the herding instinct to keep his charge from straying.
     One other crazy herding type behavior Toby possessed manifested whenever I would bring the groceries in from the car.  I would try to bring in the groceries, and Toby was just crazy barking and herding me along.  He would jump up and try to get the grocery bags out of my hand.  Once he succeeded.  He got hold of the bag and ripped that sucker wide open.  The bread fell out, and Toby grabbed the bread and went running with it through the house.  Before I could get the bread, Toby shook and shook the package sending slices of bread flying throughout the living room.  I don't know what got into him.  My bringing in the groceries was a really big deal to him for some reason.  He wanted to know what was in those sacks.
     Another cute action of Toby's was his desire to follow me everywhere I went and never let me out of his sight.  My Mom always said that Toby wasn't happy if I wasn't at home for him to keep his eye on me.  We had a really close relationship.  In some ways, we were like brothers, and we both missed each other on the very few occasions when we were apart.
     If I was on the couch watching TV, Toby would always be right next to me.  If I got up, even for just a minute, he came along.
     He always had to be by me.  If I was working in my office or sitting at the kitchen table, he would be there.  When I started working from home all day, Toby stayed in the office for hours.  When he was old, he slept so soundly that sometimes he wouldn't notice when I left for some other part of the house.  I didn't want to wake him up, so I just let him sleep.  It wouldn't be long before he'd be up looking for me.
    As Toby grew older, He also made it known that he wasn't very happy if anyone else got too close to me.  If anyone, including my parents, tried to approach me, Toby would growl until I told him that it was OK.  I was under his complete protection.  I just want to state that Toby wasn't mean.  He never hurt anyone.  He just always looked out for me.  I always felt safe when he was with me.
     These incidents point to the fact that Toby was a fine herder with good instincts.  More importantly, it is another demonstration of the fun and good times we had together and the love we shared.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 6:10 -- "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I Peter 2:15 -- "For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people."

Weekend Sermon -- "Be Like Him"

      Thank you for taking the time to once again stop by to read the message for the week. I am glad to report that I am feeling quite a bit better, so thank you for your prayers. I hope that all of you are doing very well. I also want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message. 

     Today, I want to bring a message centered on two passages. The first is Ephesians 5:1-2 that states, "Do as God does. After all, you are His dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered His life for us as a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. The second passage is from I John 4:8 that reads, "God is love, and anyone who doesn't love others has never known Him."

     I've entitled the message for today, be like Him. That is what our verse from Ephesians is telling us to do. Those who have come to know the Father through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ are called to be like Him. Jesus is God come in the flesh. Jesus said that if you have seen me you have seen the Father. So, when the Bible says, as it does here, that we are to do as God does, we are to look to Jesus. We are to see what He did, and we are to do it. 

     One translation puts it a little bit differently. It says that we are to be imitators of God. We are to be imitators of Jesus. That is what it means to be a Christian. We look to Jesus. We see how he lived and what He did. We are to follow His teachings and commandments and be like Him in the world. 

     Now, how do we do as God does, or do as Jesus would do in this world? The answer is in both of our passages for today. We are to live in love. We are to love others, and we are to express the love of the Lord in thought, word and deed. Jesus said that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

     The Father demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us. His love moved Him to make the ultimate sacrifice in order that we might be redeemed. 

     Jesus lived a life of love and demonstrated love throughout His time of ministry on this earth. He cared about people. He healed them and helped them. He taught us to love others by living lives of non-violence and service to others. Jesus loved everyone including those that the religious people of His day tried to exclude. Jesus was and is the man of love. 

     We are to be like Him. We are to be people who love God and love others. We are to be the ones out spreading love and goodness in this world in the same way that Jesus did. That means doing good to the least of those among us as Jesus taught. That means helping this world to be a better place. Being a person of love means telling others about Jesus. It means speaking words that heal and not words that hurt and tear down. Loving others as Jesus loved means lifting people up and helping them be all that they can be for His honor and glory. 

     Sadly, so much of what people see among those who say they are Christians are unloving and hateful things. Hateful and mean words and actions toward other races and ethnic groups. Cruelty towards the poor and the homeless. Violence and warlike attitudes. These things aren't in keeping with being like God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. 

     If you want to know how to be what God wants you to be, look at Jesus. When you want to know how to act or behave in any situation, ask what Jesus did or what He would do in that circumstance or if facing that issue. If Jesus would do it, that is what we should do. If He wouldn't act in that way, then neither should we. At all times, let us live in love and follow the path of love set before us by God come in the flesh the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     As I mentioned, I am feeling better. Please keep praying that I can find a better job. Thank you.

     Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar all need peace. 

 We need to pray that those affected by natural disasters will get the aid and the help that they need. 

      For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Chad and Laos. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post another topical message. I may do that for a few weeks and wait to start a new series after the first of the year. However, I am still undecided. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and the next chapter of the Toby book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

"Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 6

 Chapter 6

     One unpleasant activity that Toby and I both hated was dodging tornadoes.  We lived right in the heart of tornado alley, so every spring there was a constant stream of severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings.
     The house we lived in didn't have a basement, so my parents purchased a small, metal storm shelter that was supposed to hold four people.  It was creepy.  When I was in that thing, I felt like I was is some sort of a coffin.
     My Mom was so afraid of tornadoes that she would have us go down into the storm shelter all the time.  I couldn't stand being down in that shelter, so I would wait in the house or I'd stay out and see if the storm was coming.  I tried to put Toby down in the shelter in advance, but he hated it too.  He would try to climb the ladder and get out of there to find out where I was.  Usually, we just waited it out together.  There was one time, when the two of us were together while I was doing school at home when we almost waited too long.
     There had been a tornado watch issued early in the morning, which is rather rare, so we were expecting bad weather.  My Mom kept calling me about every five minutes from her work to see if any storms were coming.  I wasn't too worried about the weather, so I wasn't really paying too much attention.
     At about 11:00am, the tornado siren went off in town.  Toby went crazy barking, and I jumped up from behind my desk and went to find out what was happening.  The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for my county.
     I picked up Toby, and the two of us headed for the storm shelter.  When we got outside, I really didn't see much.  I decided to wait with Toby above ground and see what happened.  The two of us walked around to see if we could spot anything in the distance.  It wasn't even raining.
     We were across the yard from the shelter when almost immediately the entire sky turned green.  The two of us ran as fast as we could to the storm shelter.  I opened it up just as the rain started to absolutely pour down.  I picked Toby up and made my way down the ladder into the shelter pulling the door shut behind me.
     Just as I pulled the door shut, the hail started.  From the sound of the pounding on the shelter door, I could tell that the hail was huge.  Toby and I went to the far end of the shelter and huddled there together.  We could hear the wind picking up and it was roaring like a furnace.
     I was scared, but Toby was never afraid of anything.  He was growling at the hail, wind, thunder and lightning.  Holding on to him, I wasn't afraid anymore.  We waited down in the storm shelter for about thirty minutes.  After that time, curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to stick my head out and see if it was clear.
     When I emerged, the sun was already back out.  It didn't reveal a pleasant site.  I picked up Toby and went up the ladder out of the shelter.  We had missed the tornado.  That tornado went just north of us through farm fields.  However, the hail and the wind caused a lot of damage.  Two of our air conditioning units were pounded to bits.  Our garden was totally ruined.  All of the tomatoes were destroyed.  Also, one of our apple trees and one of the pear trees in the orchard were uprooted.  In town, several trees were uprooted and the siding was blown off one of the businesses.
     The major damage was to the agricultural interests.  All of the corn in the surrounding area was destroyed.  The large hail stripped all of the ears right off of the stalks.
     I sat with Toby on the back steps, and I just held on to him.  I was glad we made it to the shelter, and that we were together.
     That's the closest I've ever come to a tornado in the state of Kansas.  The closest I ever came to a tornado was in the state of Wyoming when we were out visiting my grandparents.  I watched that tornado absolutely destroy the Buffalo Ridge section of Cheyenne.
     No matter what the storm, I was glad that Toby was around.  Like I said, he was never afraid of anything.  When he wasn't afraid, it helped me not to be afraid.