Verses For The Week

 Romans 12:17-21-- "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, 'It is mine to avenge, I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Weekend Sermon -- Philippians 4:14-18

      I am glad that it is time again to post the message for the week. It is my hope that you have all had a great week. I thank the Lord for continuing to give me the opportunity to post these messages. 

     Today, we are going to finish our series on the book of Philippians. I have really enjoyed having the chance to share these messages with all of you, and I hope that they have been of benefit to you. 

     As we wrap up Philippians, I want to draw your attention to a couple of points in these last few verses. First of all, Paul makes a point of thanking the people in the church at Philippi for being there for him and helping to support him right from the beginning of his ministry. He tells them in verse 17 that he wants them to have the benefits that come from giving. 

     Giving to the work of the Lord and to charitable causes is something that is necessary and truly rewarding. For the believer, those who give to support the spread of the message of Jesus will have an eternal reward in Heaven because they are building up treasure in Heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

     In order for pastors and missionaries to be able to go and spread the message of Jesus' love, they have to have support. That is where we as believers come into play. I hope that we can all give and support our local churches, and I hope that we can give to support missionaries who take the message of Jesus around the world. It is also important that we give in order to help people have a better life. We must help those who are sick, hungry and in need. When we do good and try to help the least among us, that is what is pleasing to the Lord Jesus. 

     Finally, Paul ends by saying that he wants all those in the church to receive the blessings of God that come from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the source of our blessings. By living as our perfect example, He has shown us how we are to conduct ourselves while living in this world. By dying on the cross, He has taken away our sins. Through His glorious resurrection, He has conquered death, hell and the grave. Through His presence within our hearts, the Lord Jesus provides His peace and His direction that sustains us and guides us until we come to see Him face to face in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him. 

     All that we have comes from God through the Lord Jesus. He has blessed us with innumerable things. We need to give Him all the thanks, glory, honor and praise for who He is and for what He has done. It is my hope that you know Jesus as Savior and Lord. You can know His peace and His forgiveness when you come to Him in repentance and faith and accept Him as the Lord of your life. I hope that you will do that today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a renewal of a problem that I had about twenty years ago. I have always had skin problems when going out in the sun. Over the last few years it hasn't been as bad. But lately, I am having a lot of trouble even going out for a little time. Please pray that this will get better. My arthritis flare has completely cleared up, and I am grateful to the Lord for that. I thank you for your prayers on my behalf. 

     Please pray for the people in Taiwan and China who have been affected by the bad storm. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. Also, as I am writing this message, there are some bad storms brewing in the Atlantic. Please pray that these will not bring harm to people. 

     Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Haiti all need our prayers. 

     Let us keep praying for an end to the current ebola outbreak in Congo.

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

     Next week, I will post the message on Friday as usual. I will start a new series in a couple of weeks. I will post the verses on Tuesday and the next chapter in the Toby book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

Toby -- The Story Of My Friend == Chapter 4

 Chapter 4

     Like me, Toby always had a lot of health problems.  They began a short time after he came to live with me, and they continued throughout his life.  Sickness, and its various cures and palliatives, were a major part of my relationship with my friend.  I'm glad that I was able to take care of him.  Actually, we took care of each other.
     Like I said, Toby's health problems began shortly after his arrival.  One night, I awoke to a horrible sight.  Toby had defecated blood everywhere, and he was extremely weak.  It was a Sunday morning, so I called our veterinarian at home.  He told me to get Toby to his office right away, and I did.  The vet ran several tests on Toby and determined that Toby had ulcerative colitis.  We placed him on a course of medicine and hoped for the best.
     That afternoon, Toby seemed like his normal self as he ran through the house barking at motorcycles.  I thought that he would be fine, and I wasn't worried since he seemed to be making such good progress.
     I was mistaken.  About four days later, Toby had another episode.  Of course, I rushed him to the veterinarian's office, and we began a new course of medication.
     Once again, Toby had a good improvement and returned to his rambunctious and happy self.  But, about four days later, he was ill again and back on his way to the vet's office.  This time, more tests were run.  They confirmed the initial diagnosis.  However, this time, the vet placed Toby on a different type of medication, and he was placed on a different diet.
     I fully expected the symptoms to return,  but this time the treatment worked.  Toby was in good shape.  After a fairly long course of this medication, we decided to gradually reduce the dosage.  When we withdrew too much, Toby got sick again.  We did eventually get Toby down to a lower dosage, but he had to remain on this daily medication for the next 10 years.
     Unfortunately, colitis was just the beginning of Toby's troubles.  When he was a little pup, no one looked after his teeth properly.  He developed a lot of teeth issues because the teeth never had a good foundation for growth.  When I bought Toby, he had so much caked in tartar on his teeth that I had the vet clean them right away.  Even at a young age, some of Toby's teeth were so bad that they had to be removed.
     Sometimes, Toby's roots became inflamed and infected.  He'd develop large swollen places in his jaw.  He eventually lost about half of his teeth.  In order for him to eat properly, I had to soak up his kibble.  In later life, I always bought him canned food.
     One of the worst episodes with Toby's health came about when his kidneys became infected.  He seemed fine one minute, and then the next minute he was violently ill.  I knew that something was drastically wrong.
     I was really worried as we traveled to the vet's office.  The vet gave Toby a penicillin injection and some liquid sulfa medication.  I was told to take Toby home and then bring him back in the afternoon for a re-check.
     I waited anxiously through the day keeping a close eye on my friend.  That afternoon, I took Toby back to the clinic.  He received a second penicillin injection, and our vet also did a complete blood and urine work up.
    The next afternoon, Toby's results showed some kidney damage, but it was not extensive.  We kept Toby on the liquid sulfa, and he improved slowly. It was really hard on both of us, but once again the old boy pulled through.
     Toby had many, many other health problems which I'm not going to go into detail about.  One problem that was so bad and I prayed and prayed about I do want to mention.  Because of the colitis medicine that he took, Toby was susceptible to opportunistic infections because of reduced immunity.  When he was about 7 years old, Toby developed an opportunistic skin problem.  We threw the book at this trying to treat it with little or no success.  All the while I was praying that Toby would be healed of this problem.
     I kept praying and praying for years about this.  Thanks be to God.  Toby was healed of this problem.  He lived the last years of his life totally free from this skin condition.  This incident taught me a lesson in being persistent in prayer just as Jesus taught.
     I didn't mention all of Toby's problems in this chapter to make readers feel depressed.  I included them because Toby's health was an important factor in our relationship.  Caring for Toby and seeing him through these times of trial made us a pair of strong friends.  It was my responsibility to care for Toby, and I made sure I did it to the best of my ability.  He was a joy to take care of never causing any fuss or trouble.  At least not for me.
    One thing I have to mention.  As Toby got to about 3 years of age, he came to the place where he only liked me and didn't really care for anybody else.  He tolerated my parents, but he wouldn't play with them.  He wouldn't let anybody come into my room when I was sleeping.  He was extremely protective.  He also absolutely hated everyone at the vet's office.  If they needed to do a procedure, I had to help.  They were scared to death of him.  However, Toby never so much as showed the slightest flash of anger at me.  I could do anything with him.  To me, he was the best.
     It has always been my belief that God brought the two of us together because we needed each other.  I needed him to be a friend when I was friendless.  Toby needed someone to help him through his many problems.  Our veterinarian said that the majority of his clients wouldn't have gone to the expense and hassle of treating Toby's many problems.  I found it to be a privilege.  I miss him every day.

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 9:9 -- "The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble."

John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Weekend Sermon -- "Philippians 4:10-13"

      Thank you for reading the blog today. I am happy to be able to post the message. Something strange happened with the blog yesterday. I thought I was going to have to delete it because it was messed up. However, things are corrected now. Thanks be to God. I really enjoy posting on here. I've been doing this for almost 15 years. I hope that you get something out of the messages and the verses as well as the other things that I post. 

     Today, we are once again studying the book of Philippians. We will have a message from Philippians today, and then, Lord willing, I will wrap things up next week. After that, I will probably have a couple of topical messages before we start a new series that I have planned. 

     Last week, we focused on what our thoughts should be on. We should take into our minds and hearts only that which is edifying and uplifting. We should not set our focus on the things of this world, but we should set our hearts, minds and thoughts on the things that are above. 

     In our section for today, Paul draws his readers' attention to something that is important for all of us. In verse 11 he tells us that he has learned to be satisfied with the things that he has. That is something that I am learning and trying to do. Whether rich or poor or whatever state, I need to thank the Lord for the things that He has given to me. 

     Paul faced it all in his life. He started out as a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was a highly respected person, and I am sure that he had plenty of money. However, as he went about preaching the message of the Lord Jesus after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul faced persecution of high magnitude. He knew what deprivation was. But he did it because he loved the Lord. 

     I haven't faced the things that Paul faced. I have had ups and downs though. All of us have. I went through some really hard financial and emotional times after my parents passed on. I pretty much lost all my savings during the Great Recession. Through it all, I had enough to get by. I thank the Lord for that. 

    Paul knew that he could get through anything with the strength given to him by the Lord Jesus. When Jesus is with us, we can make it through. I know this from my own life. When I faced the hard time with my mother in the hospital for over a month, it was the Lord who gave me the ability to help my dad and get my mother back home. When I faced financial struggles and health struggles, the Lord was with me helping me to overcome and to make it through. Knowing His presence gives us strength to meet the challenges of each day. We can rely on Him, and He is our peace. He will never leave us, and He will never forsake us. 

     In order to help us make it through the problems we face, the Lord has given us our fellow believers. We are to encourage one another and help one another in the best way that we are able. Also, the Lord often sends helpers to us at the right time. That is what happened when the Lord sent me my friend Toby. 

     Our duty is to serve the Lord with all that we have within us. He will be with us. When hard times or good times come, we can keep going and serving the Lord because He is the one who is strengthening us and ordering our steps. 

     If you know the Lord Jesus, you understand what I am trying to say. If you have never come to have a relationship with the Lord, I invite you to give your life to Him today. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that I will be able to get my house fixed. Also, pray that I can find out what is troubling me with my health. Thank you. 

     Pray for people to get along with one another here in the United States. It is a difficult time.

     Remember to pray for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Haiti all need our prayers. Also, remember to pray for refugees around the world. 

     Let us pray for those in Congo dealing with the ebola outbreak. Pray that this will end. 

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

     Next week, we will conclude Philippians. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Toby - The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 3

 Chapter 3

     Toby always was a really playful dog.  He was always looking for and ready to have a good time.  That quality made us quite compatible.
     As I mentioned in a previous chapter, I first bonded with Toby through a game of fetch with some old kite string.  Fetch became an important part of our play time, but we did graduate to better items than kite string.
     The first toy I bought Toby was a small, green alligator.  When I unwrapped the package and gave the gator a sharp squeak, I captured Toby's undivided attention.  His ears stood up more than usual, and he starred intently at this small noisemaker.
     I took the gator and flung it as far as possible across the living room.  Toby dashed after it, pounced on it, and set down to have a good long chew.  He never would return a thrown object back to me.  I would come over to get the gator, and a tug of war ensued.  As always, Toby acquiesced.  With that, our modified game of fetch resumed.  We could play like this for hours.  Finally, both of us would end up breathless from too much gator chasing.
     Toby liked to play with his gator at all times.  He'd squeak it, chew it and fetch it.  Whenever I said, "It's gator time" he knew instantly what that meant.
    I bought Toby several other chew toys over the years.  He had a rubber tennis shoe, a squeaky carrot and some other toys.  Toby never liked these toys as much as his well worn gator.  We played with that old swamp dweller until it finally fell apart.  Sadly, I could never find another gator exactly like it again.
     After gator died, Toby got into the habit of tearing his toys apart, so I didn't leave them out for him all of the time.   One time, I bought him a little rubber beef steak to play with.  The minute I gave it to him he ripped it apart and tried to eat it.  I guess he thought that it was the real thing.
     Besides playing gator, Toby and I engaged in other fun activities like racing.  It was one of our favorite things to do in Toby's younger days.  Out in the backyard, my uncle had an old bathtub that we used as the starting point of our races.  My Mom acted as the referee and official race starter.  Toby and I would stand in anticipation waiting for the signal to cruise to the finish line marked by the rose trellises at the end of the yard.  I always had to hold Toby back as he always tried to gain the advantage.
     When Mom said, "go", we were off and running as fast as possible.  Neither of us wanted to let the other win.  Unfortunately for me, Toby won the majority of these races.  For a little dog, he was lightning fast.  I never would have thought such stubby legs could move so fast.
     Toby had a unique running style.  He didn't move his front and back legs in synchrony as most dogs.  Instead, Toby threw both of this front legs out, and then pushed himself along with both back legs.  It was sort of a bouncing and pouncing motion that looked awkward, but it produced a great deal of speed.
     Toby didn't just race me though.  He liked to race through the house as motorcycles sped down the street in front of the house.
    At one time, before they were outlawed, three-wheeled motorcycles were popular where I live.  The kids would ride fast and loud down the streets and alleys of my community.  These motorcycles drove Toby crazy.  He tried to chase these roaring vehicles down even though he was safe inside the house.
     My house was a long, ranch house that allowed a dog to make a straight shot from end to end without hindrance.  When Toby heard the motorcycles coming, he would start barking, jump to his feet and dash from one end of the house to the other.  In one great leap, he would jump on the chair by the big picture window and bark and growl at this hated nemesis.
     Thankfully, this all ended when the motorcycles were banned.  Toby was relieved that this was all over, and so was I.
     While Toby grew to feeble to play fetch much or race, one game we played right until the end was the most fun of all.  Toby possessed a great sense of smell, and his tracking ability could put a bloodhound to shame.
    The way we tested Toby's tracking was by playing hide and seek indoors and outdoors.  My Mom would distract Toby while I went and hid somewhere.  After I was thoroughly hidden, Mom would say to Toby," Go find Garry", and Toby would be off in search of me.
     Toby always found me.  After a brief glance to see if I was in view, Toby put his nose to the ground and started sniffing out my scent.  From my secure vantage point, I would watch him following my exact track right up to my carefully chosen hiding place.  When he found me, he would jump up and down with excitement.  I really believe that with a little training, Toby could have won some prizes in the AKC tracking competitions.
     Toby loved to play, and I loved to play with him.  We were always trying to think up new ways to have fun.  Toby grew too old to play some of our games, but even when he reached his teens, he was very active and ready to go.
    Don't let anyone tell you that older dogs have no energy or can't learn.  Toby proved that even when they have grown old, dogs still want to play and have a good time.  Give an older dog a chance, and he will become your best friend.

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 56:3 -- "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."

I Peter 5:7 -- "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

Disregard

  If you saw the last post, please disregard. It was posted in error and has been removed. I am not quitting the blog.

The Weekend Sermon -- Philippians 4:8-9

      Thank you for reading the message this week, and thanks be to God for the opportunity to post the message this week. I hope and pray that everyone is having a good week so far. 

     Today, we will continue with our series in Philippians. Last week, we saw that we need to be gentle and kind to one another. We also looked into the fact that we need to give all our anxieties and all of our worries over to the Lord in prayer. When we take things to the Lord, we are entrusting out lives to the one who really has the power and the ability to help us.

     For our message today, I want to focus on two verses that each tell us something important for the living of our lives for the Lord Jesus. First of all, we see in verse 8 that Paul says, "Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise." This is important as we try to keep our minds and hearts focused on the things of God. 

     The things that we allow to come into our minds have an affect on the way the we live. If we put things into our minds that are filled with darkness and negativity, that will cause us to think of things that are sinful and contrary to the will of God. For instance, I know many Christians who watch TV shows and movies that are filled with violence and other things that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures. They keep putting these things into their minds, and it eventually leads a person away from following the Lord. 

     Instead of letting our minds be filled with sinful and worldly things, we need to fill our minds with what is true and with what is good. We need to pay careful attention to what we let in our minds and hearts. We need to watch programs and movies and read things that are in keeping with the Word of the Lord. We all need to keep our attention on what would bring glory to the Lord. 

     One thing that all of us need to fill our minds with is the Word of God. We all need to be reading the Bible more and more. And not just reading but also studying the Word. We need to let the Word of God get down deep within us so that we are not just hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. When the Word of God is within our minds, we will be focused on the things of God, and that will allow all of us to lead lives that bring glory to God. 

     Now, moving on to our second verse in our passage for the day. In verse nine, Paul tells the Philippians to follow him as an example of how to live for the Lord. In essence what Paul is saying is that they could look to him as he follows Christ. Paul is not saying to look at him and not at Jesus. 

     Jesus is our ultimate example of how to live and behave in the world. We read about how He acted in certain situations, and we do likewise. We read and comprehend His teachings and commandments, and then we put them into practice in our lives. There are holy people that are great examples of putting the life and teachings of Jesus into practice. Paul and the other apostles are good examples. In all things, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. If we do what He did in the world, we cannot and will not go wrong. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying about my being able to come up with the finances for my roof. Thank you

     We need to be in deep prayer in regard to the situation in Ukraine as well as Israel and Gaza. Let us really focus in our prayers this week on peace for these people. Let us also pray for peace in Sudan. 

     Pray for the people in north central Kansas who were affected by the terrible flooding. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. They had ten inches of rain in one day that caused rapid flooding. 

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

     Next week, I will probably finish up Philippians, but it may take an extra week. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and I will post the book chapter on Wednesday. May God bless you all.  

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

 This is the next installment in my book about my friend Toby.

Chapter 2

     My first days with Toby weren't idyllic.  I was certainly glad to have him, but he wasn't too excited about this new situation.  The moment that Toby set foot in my home he immediately ran and hid under the dining room table.  No amount of persuasion on my part could produce a corgi.
     Toby wouldn't eat, drink or play.  I was disappointed, and I thought that maybe this new relationship might not work out.
     After a couple of days, Toby would venture out from his lair to eat a bite or two or go out to the bathroom.  Sadly, he began demonstrating some behaviors that made me wonder about his past.
     I noticed that if I walked near him, or if I lifted up my foot, he would cringe as if I was going to kick him.  Once, I picked up a newspaper from off the floor by my Dad's chair, and Toby ran like a flash back under the table and wouldn't come back out until I put the newspaper down.
     About two or three weeks passed, and I can't say that Toby and I made too much progress.  He didn't want to play, and for the most part, he remained firmly encamped under the dining room table.  My folks thought that I should get a puppy instead of this dog.  I wasn't about to do that, and I'm glad that I didn't listen to that piece of advice.
     One afternoon, I decided to clean out the utility room in the back of the house.  Actually, I'd been ordered to get my junk out of there and put it in the garage.  I had several rolls of old string and some old kites that were in disrepair.  At one time, I did a lot of kite flying, but I wasn't into that much anymore.  I grabbed several bundles of string and headed out to the garage.  On my way, the clumsy person that I am, I dropped the whole batch on the dining room floor.
     No sooner had the balls of string hit the floor, a red and white streak flew from underneath the table, grabbed a ball of string and dashed into the living room.  I ran after Toby, and he dropped the string.  I picked up the string, and Toby stood starring at me.  I threw the ball of string across the living room, and Toby tore after it.  He wouldn't bring the string back to me, but if I went and picked it up and threw it, he would chase after it.  By the way, as smart as Toby was, he never got the hang of retrieving.  We played with that old ball of string until we were both falling down tired.
     That time of play changed everything between us.  From that moment on, Toby was my friend for life.  We played together every day.  I bought him an alligator toy that squeaked and we played our version of fetch with that thing until it fell apart.  We went everywhere together.  From that day on, Toby started sleeping right beside my bed every night, and no one had better come in that room while I was asleep.  We became fast friends and never looked back.
     I owe a lot to kite string and patience.

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 119:49 -- "Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope."

Proverbs 23:18 -- "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

Weekend Sermon -- "Philippians 4:5-7"

      Thank you for reading the message this week. I've noticed that the blog readership has been down the last few posts. I hope that you are not getting tired of going through Philippians. I have a couple more sermons on this book before we are finished, and then we are moving on to something else. I do pray for you all every day, and I hope that you are all doing well. 

     Last week, we ended the message discussing Paul's admonition to the people to be glad in the Lord. We can always be glad knowing that Jesus has redeemed us from our sins. We can be glad knowing that one day we will be with Him forever and forever. Thanks be to God. 

     Today, I want us to focus first on verse 5 that states, "Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here." We always need to be gentle and kind to everyone that we meet. I believe that one of the aspects or behaviors of being a Christian that draws many people to want to know more about Jesus is when we who are His followers act in a gentle and kind manner. When we are bombastic and hurtful, that is a turnoff to others. It makes them not want to know more about the Lord Jesus. 

     We need to be gentle with each other and help one another. It really doesn't help to get down on people and have a condemning nature. It is always better to speak words that heal and not words that hurt. 

     One of the reasons that we should be gentle and kind and good witnesses of the love of Jesus is because the Lord will soon be here. Jesus could come back at any moment. We all who call Him Lord want Him to find us behaving in the manner that He did when He returns in power and great glory. 

     In verse 6, Paul tells us not to worry, but to offer up everything to the Lord in prayer. It is hard for me not to worry. I need to confess that I am someone who worries about things. I do try to get a handle on it, and the only thing that does any good is to put things in the hands of the Lord in prayer. There are many things in my life that are completely beyond my control. I have to pray that the Lord will work and move in my life for His honor and His glory. 

     When we have circumstances in our lives that bring worries and struggles, that is when we need to pray the most. The Lord is the one who has the power to do all that we can ask or imagine. 

     Finally, Paul tells us that when we pray and give things over to the Lord, we can have peace that no one can understand. That peace comes from the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus working in our lives. It comes from knowing that whatever we go through, Jesus will never leave us and He will not forsake us. No matter what happens here, we can have peace knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for us where we can be with Him forever and forever.

     Let us all do good to one another and care about one another. Let us pray for God's will to be done in our lives. And let us live in the peace that only Jesus can bring. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am working on a couple of book projects. Please pray for me as I work to get these done.

     Please pray for those dealing with fires in Canada, the US and Spain. Pray that the fires will be brought under control. 

     Pray for those who in Afghanistan affected by the earthquake. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Let us pray for peace. Pray for Ukraine. Continue to pray for peace in Israel and Gaza. Pray for the release of the hostages and pray that people will get the food aid that they need. Remember to also keep praying for peace in Sudan and pray for aid to come to Sudanese refugees. 

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

     Next week, we will continue in Philippians. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

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

 I have decided to repost the book I wrote about my friend Toby. It has been seven years since I posted it here on the blog, so it is definitely time that I do it again. I will post one chapter a week until I have posted them all. Here is the intro and chapter one. 

Toby --The Story of My Friend

Introduction

     I have known some interesting dogs in my life.  A few stand out vividly in my memory.  My Mother's collies were exceptionally beautiful.  She wanted a collie dog like Lassie since the time she was a little girl.  Her dream came true.  Blazer was a fantastic collie.  He was so magnificent that he won a collie specialty dog show.
     One crazy dog we had was Buster the English bulldog.  He was so wild when he was a puppy that he chewed a hole in the kitchen wall.
     My Father's favorite dog was Abraham the Rottweiler.  We bought him from a Jewish man who had a litter of three male puppies who he named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Some people think that all Rottweilers are nasty, but Abraham was the sweetest dog one could ever meet.
     This book tells the story of the best dog that I have ever known.  His name was Toby, and, as far as I'm concerned, he was the greatest dog that ever lived.  He was a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Before Toby came into my life, I didn't really care much for the corgi breeds.  I thought that they looked silly with their short legs and long bodies.  After having been with my friend, that old opinion has changed dramatically.
     Toby came into my life when I needed a friend.  I needed someone to be there for me in a non-judgmental way.  The two of us shared most of the important events in my early life during the almost twelve years that we were together.  A corgi runs through most of my memorable experiences.
     In the chapters that follow, I will recount many of the special times that Toby and I shared together.  I hope that as you read about our special relationship that you will think back with fondness about the special animal that blessed your life.

Chapter 1

     When I was growing up, I was ill much of the time.  I had a condition known as hypogammaglobulinemia that left my immune system very weak.  I was especially susceptible to respiratory illness such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
     Because of my illnesses, a lot of the kids at my school didn't want to have too much to do with me.  I always had good dog friends though.
     Early in 1985 when I was 16, I found myself with no dogs to call my friends.  Furthermore, I was also facing some very hurtful issues at an extremely legalistic and cultic church my parents attended.  I was right in the pressure cooker since I also attended the school operated by this same church.  Each day, I was subjected to a stifling and rigid environment.  My spirit was crushed, and a great weight of depression descended upon me.
     It is like being in hell to every day walk on eggshells in fear of violating the tiniest rule and then facing punishment and humiliation.  For instance, I once received detention for wearing a white shirt to school on the wrong day.  White shirts were only to be worn on Tuesday and Thursday.  Red shirts had to be worn on the other days.
     Students were constantly warned not to be worldly.  No music was allowed except Christian music, and that did not include contemporary, Christian music.  Television was an instrument of the devil.  If you mentioned a television show you may have watched it was an automatic two day detention.
     Instead of Christmas being a time of joy, it was a time of sadness.  Christmas trees were idols, and Santa Claus was a false god.
     Someone in my physical condition faced even greater condemnation since sickness was seen as a punishment from God.  If you were sick, obviously there was great sin in your life, and God was punishing you in order to bring you to repentance.
     Throughout these years, I lived in fear, and I never felt any unconditional love.  From what I knew, love was based on performance.  Be good, get good grades, follow the rules and you were loved.  Step out of line, and the hammer falls.
     Bad health and crazy religion were getting too much for me.  I say this with all candor,  I doubt that I'd be writing today if on a Sunday in January of 1985 I hadn't read an advertisement in the Kansas City Star that changed my life forever.
     Sunday, after church, I decided to read the dogs for sale section in the paper.  My attention snapped to full focus when I saw one advertisement in particular that read:

            Corgi for sale--1 1/2 year old male.  Housebroken.  $150

     This was great.  An adult dog who was smaller and already house trained.  From the phone number listed in the ad, I knew that he wasn't very far away.
     I found myself in some difficulty, however, when it came to convincing my parents that going to look at this dog was a good idea.  Neither of my parents wanted a dog.  They didn't like corgis either.
     After about an hour of persuasion, as I dreaded every moment that my new dog might be heading to another home, I finally convinced my Mom to at least let me call and get some more information.
     The lady who placed the ad said that this dog had been purchased as a show dog, but his feet were too small according to the breed standard.  Also, the dog was primarily her son's dog, and since he'd gone off to college, she was selling the dog.  By the way, she said the dog's name was Toby.  I was sold right then.  I always liked that name for a dog.
     We made arrangements to go look at Toby that same afternoon.  My Dad wasn't excited about getting out in the January cold, but he came along with us to the home of Toby.
     The house was in a very, rural area, and the roads were icy and not well plowed.  The drive leading up to the house was treacherous, and I remember the car sliding.
     As we got out of the car, we were greeted by a great chorus of barking.  All along the back of the house were rows of kennels housing various dogs.  Near the house, a small, red and white dog came bounding toward me barking.  A yell from the house turned the corgi around in his tracks.  We followed him inside.
     After the customary greetings, Toby's owner showed me some of the ribbons he'd won at puppy shows.  She said that Toby loved hanging out with teenage boys, and that one of Toby's favorite activities was herding the neighbor's cows.  All this time, Toby was hiding under the sofa.
     Finally, we coaxed him out of hiding.  If you can love a dog at first sight, I loved Toby.  He had short legs with white on each paw and a solid white chest.
     When my folks said that I could have him, I was thrilled.  Toby's soon to be former owner was thrilled too.  She said that two other families had been there before us, but both passed Toby up.  Their loss.  He was mine now.
     As I look back, I realize that it was grace that brought Toby and me together.  Others had come to see him before me.  Either of those families could have seen Toby's great character, and I've have never known about him.  What caused me to look through the paper for dogs that afternoon?  What made me even consider a corgi, a breed I'd never been particularly fond of?  I believe it was all God's grace.  He knew that we needed each other more than either of us knew at the time.

Prayer Request

      Would you please pray that the storms predicted for my area tonight will not be bad. Thank you. I have started to feel better, so thank you for your prayers in that matter. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 23:6 -- "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Luke 6:36 -- "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."