Marin T. rex

  Today’s BiOY reading includes Numbers 22, which contains the Sunday school favorite, the story of Balaam’s ass, or if you grew up Baptist, Balaam’s donkey. It’s a story made for flannelgraph, a (sort of) light-hearted account in the middle of curses and wars. The best part of the story is that it’s about a donkey who talks. The second-best part is that no one in the story freaks out over the fact that a donkey talks.   When my daughter was small, she had a dream that our dog Taylor could talk. It’s a dream that she still remembers fondly, the very definition of a good dream.   It would truly be amazing (and also horrifying) if animals started to talk to us, could tell us what they think, what they need. For dogs, it might simply be like the Far Side cartoon where they all yell “Hey!” all the time, but I suspect it would be much more, much cooler, and depending on one’s relationship with animals, possibly horrifying. It would be a Very Big Deal and I imagine it would change a lot

  Do to others as you would have them do to you . Luke 6:31   Known as The Golden Rule, today’s BiOY Verse of the Day encompasses much of what we’ve been mulling over these past weeks: acceptance, love, patience, loyalty, effort, consistency. What do we want in a friend? Be that friend.   I always used to tell my kids (altogether now, R, S, and A): “The most interesting people are the people who are interested in you.” Don’t be a creeper, but ask questions; remember the answers to those questions, and be present, be interested. If you realize that you’re dominating the conversation, take a step back and listen instead. This, like yesterday’s advice not to be an idiot, is so simple—or it should be. But looking at our isolated and often mean and divided culture, it’s clear that we are not collectively following Jesus’ very good and simple advice. With my animals, it’s simpler and much easier: I give, and they take, and then they pay me back in cuteness. It’s an arrangement that

  Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” Luke 6:9   In a time of parsing, of lawyering up, of justifying action or inaction, of self-protection at all costs, maybe the question Jesus asks points to a better, simpler approach: should we “save life or destroy it?” Should we “do good or do evil?” Seems so easy, so obvious. I hesitate to quote Jesus Christ and Dwight Schrute in the same context, but here goes: "Whenever I'm about to do something, I think 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would, I do not do that thing.” Words to live by. Don’t be evil. Don’t destroy life. Don’t be an idiot. But evil surrounds us, lives are intentionally destroyed every moment of every day, and there seems to be an abundance of idiocy. Jesus’ simple teaching turns out to be not that simple, apparently, and certainly not so easily adhered to, sometimes especially by those who claim to be hi

But the meek will inherit the land   and enjoy peace and prosperity. Psalm 37:11 We’re halfway through the 40 days of Lent, although I’ve been sort of cheating by not cheating on this daily discipline—I’ve been counting Sundays, which are not actually part of the official 40 days, but are rather “mini-Easters,” a time to celebrate instead of fast. But just now I counted up the days and by my unorthodox (heh) calculations, we should be on Day 24? I’m really, really confused … which is often my state. Lovely. Edit:  apparently I am bad at details (shocking!) and mis-numbered  The verse above, from today’s BiOY reading, is most likely what Jesus was citing on the Sermon on the Mount, when he famously said “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek, not the powerful, will win in the end. That’s hard to fathom in these days of war and violence and hate. But I believe the promise and will do my best to help usher it in. As for Libby, she doesn’t fully realiz

  Today’s BiOY Verse of the Day: Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4  I think a lot of us misinterpret this verse; we choose to read it as a contract: I will be “good,” and God will give me everything I want. If things don’t work out, it’s either my fault (I sink into self-loathing) or God’s (I take up faith-loathing). The danger and insidiousness of “Prosperity Gospel” or “Word of Faith” teaching springs from this sort of mindset, to the detriment of millions and the enrichment of a very few. It’s an easy, even lazy, way to view God and faith. It’s the sort of shortcut thinking I referred to in yesterday’s musings.   So how do I read this verse, this concept? I think that God promises to reward our friendship with the desires he wants us to have: compassion, mercy, and love spring to mind. I also think he wants us to be active, to strive for Earth as it is in Heaven, even though we know it won’t come in our lifetime. I don’t belie

  Libby and I have a long way to go in this whole training process. We had our third session today, and now we are both exhausted and in need of a nap. She is snuggled up against me as I write this. We had mixed success today. She was sort of weird and seemed extra stressed. It’s just a lot. She is a lot. And I, a fan of shortcuts, am accepting that there will be none here. No amount of love will circumvent the need for order, boundaries—rules. And learning/enforcing the rules is going to take a lot of work.   Makes me think of faith. It’s easy to talk about the love of God. Less easy to talk about the expectations of God. In the modern Christian church, I think some of us have turned what is supposed to be a relationship into something pretty one-sided: God loves us (which we appreciate!!), while we live our lives on our terms, content in simply being loved. Rules are old-fashioned and don’t really apply in our enlightened age; only love given and grace bestowed matter.   Of cou

  From today’s BiOY commentary on Luke 4, the account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert: “ All these temptations revolve around control – control of our appetites, control of our ambitions, and control of our lives. ” Control. It’s one of my strong suits. Ask my kids, my spouse, my friends, my family … I can micromanage like no one else, usually backed up with sound reasoning as to why I need to be on charge in this (not that!!) exact way. Everyone really enjoys it. Libby also enjoys being in control of her environment. Life moves along swimmingly as long as certain parameters are maintained. A steady, quiet routine, void of interruptions or outsiders suits her just fine, thank you. And when her preferred boundaries are crossed, everyone will pay. Can I relate? 😒 The problem is, Libby’s life remains exceedingly small with this measure of control, and so stressful (!!) when things veer outside the unreasonable and unfriendly standards she has set. And what she doesn’t realize

  Today’s BiOY commentary quotes John Wesley: “ Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”   Doggos and I are in the mountains, doing our homework, bracing for more intensive training tomorrow. We’re inward-focused, not doing any good for anyone at the moment, unless we count the people Libby won’t bite in the future. This time really feels quite self-indulgent.  This time, this week, this season of life; this empty nest, this stepping away and stepping back from over-commitment and over-involvement … At what point is taking the time to consider simply an excuse to excuse myself? And while I’m the answer to none of the world’s problems, there are moments and issues that I can impact. My smallness is no excuse. Back to this day. In my tiny sphere of influence of the moment, here’s what I know: we went for a hike, stopping to dig up and chew pine cone

  From today’s BiOY commentary:   “ Often, those who know most speak least. When we are talking, we are usually merely repeating what we already know. When we are listening, we may learn something new.”   Today's commentary ties the various passages together along the theme of Intimacy , Simplicity , and Obedience , as these traits relate to hearing God.   With dogs on my mind, of course the word “obedience” jumped out at me. We started our new, more intensive, training yesterday. It was as stressful as I had feared, but once again I was struck at how EASY it looks when the trainer is confident and focused, and the trainees are respectful. When our trainer was in charge, the dogs responded correctly every time. Every. Time. It’s something to behold. When control was handed over to me, things got chaotic. My tone was not correct, I was focused on too many things, and while my dogs clearly love me, it seems that they don’t have a lot of respect for me. Super. We have the in

  My whole being will exclaim,   “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,   the poor and needy from those who rob them.” Psalm 35:10   As we see the world today and always, with the continually un-rescued poor and needy, and “the strong” usually prevailing, this verse rings a bit hollow. People of faith might explain that it’s aspirational, not meant to be taken literally. Skeptics might simply see it as further support for their skepticism. And the faithful skeptic? It makes this one sad and frustrated and angry. While I get the “now but not yet” aspect of faith (sort of the definition of faith, I suppose), why doesn’t God step in directly and save the Ukrainian people, the Yemeni people, the addicted, the abused, the hungry, the poor …? The Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven? Why pray for it if it never seems to get here, if the innocent will always still suffer? It’s a question for the ages, one that’s never really been answered withou

    The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 This blessing, perhaps the best-known, from Numbers, puts me in mind of my favorite extra-biblical blessing, the Prayer of Saint Patrick. I will share it yet again this year, even though it does not address silly dogs and their overwrought owners at all. But it is comforting and profound and true, and I will meditate on it as the beasties and I have a few days of solitude and peace in the mountains.   Prayer of Saint Patrick I arise today Through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, Stability of the earth, Firmness of the rock. I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear t

    ‘ The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ Psalm 34:18   If you read my Lenten thoughts last year, you’ll know that I learn about God by looking at my relationship with my weird and somewhat broken pets. It might seem silly, even sacrilegious, but illustrations help me understand deep concepts more than just words do. And hey, Jesus taught with parables, so I’m in good company.   It might also seem strange, shallow, even, to focus on an animal when there’s so much human suffering in the world. For the record: I believe that any human life is infinitely more valuable than any animal’s, no matter how loved that animal might be. And really, whether the animal is loved or not is irrelevant; sentient animals, like humans, are valuable and precious and worthy of love and protection—their value is not conferred but rather is inherent. More significantly, the most invisible, unloved human is just as valuable and worthy as you or I.   An

  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. Luke 1:52   Libby was a refugee. Homeless due to no fault of her own. Abused and neglected by those with more power. An underdog (I am so sorry), powerless, humble.   She still sees herself this way sometimes, I think. But she’s none of those things—she belongs. She’s a passport holder, a permanent resident, an equal peer of the dogizens (again, I am so sorry) of the land, with all of the rights and privileges so bestowed. She has been raised up, saved, accepted. The moments she accepts her place are my favorite moments, and they motivate me to continue to run towards, rather than away from, the need (thank you, Susan O’Rourke for those exactly right words).   #lent2022 #repentandbelieve #bibleinoneyear #libby

  Today’s reading begins the account in Luke of Jesus’ birth. Mary doesn’t remind me of myself, but Joseph reminds me of Ken. He’s gracious and patient and hard-working and loving and faith-filled. If there is a clear “right thing to do,” Ken is going to do it. Today happens to be our 30th anniversary, so it’s the perfect day for me to brag about him. And I will do that while also discussing dogs! My favorites.   When we first got Feynman, we slowly realized that he was going to be a Very Big Deal and also Quite Expensive. One day, after another specialist appointment, I gave Ken a Feynman update. Ken had been pretty silent during the update, which bothered me a bit, and I maybe felt a teensy bit judged. So I blurted out, “Look. I am PERFECTLY aware that I am using these dogs to fill a void. But I LIKE taking care of creatures that need to be cared for! And I FULLY acknowledge that I thrive on a certain amount of chaos. So before you feel the need to point any of this out to me, I

  My son, keep my words   and store up my commands within you.  Keep my commands and you will live. Proverbs 7:1-2   Libby is the first non-golden retriever we’ve had. Calvin and Feynman are, respectively, our 3rd and 4th goldens. We are a golden family, and our goldens have always been notoriously poorly trained. My excuse over the years has been, “They’re goldens! What’s the worst that can happen? They’ll be annoying and might steal your lunch, but nobody’s going to get hurt!”   Enter Libby. Ryan had a DNA test done on her, and she is 0% golden retriever. She is, instead, mostly German shepherd (ruh roh), with husky, coonhound, and Australian cattle dog mixed in. So that means she is dominant, vocal, stubborn, and smart. These are not qualities we’re used to dealing with in our pets. We prefer derp. I’ve always admired dog owners whose dogs respond instantly to commands. I’ve never aspired to this level, but I’ve always admired it and felt a teensy bit ashamed at my gen

  I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. Leviticus 26:6 This reminds me of the verse from Micah that George Washington liked to quote: “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig-tree, and no one will make them afraid.” Powerfully aspirational words and concept for a young country, and just as powerful and longing-filled for today. George Washington most likely (ok, definitely) did not have yellow street dogs in mind when he worked these words into speech after speech, but they fit into our musings on becoming safe and accepting belonging. Peace has been granted to Libby, and no one is actively trying to make her afraid, and yet she has not gotten the memo. In the moments when it’s just us and things are calm, though, Libby drops her guard and sometimes forgets she’s “supposed” to be afraid. Those are the moments of freedom, the moments of joy.   And as for me? The truth is that when I momentarily forget that I

  ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you’ Psalm 32:8   Since Libby’s “bitey-ness” has become more of a reality than a fear, we have stepped up the training regimen. Just this morning I got a new schedule from our trainer, and it is intense. Our trainer, unlike God, will not counsel us with a “loving eye,” but rather with an intimidating Austrian accent and military strictness. My tendency to anthropomorphize my dogs (helloo!!) will be called out, and my leash skills will be mocked. Libby will be stressed and maybe a little bit angry. Feynman will be cheerfully resentful and will try workarounds to every ask. Calvin will simply be entitled and uncooperative. I will dread each session and be exhausted after each session. It’ll be a blast. But … we’ll all emerge less scary and/or irritating, which is a strange goal, to be honest, a bar far lower than I’d have aspired to when we got our first puppy 22 years ago (RIP Tay

  How abundant are the good things   that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all,   on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 I woke up early this morning, thinking about dogs. It’s rather sad. We’ve been away from them for almost a week. They are doing doing just fine, as am I, but I miss them! I miss my gentle Calvin and my ridiculous Feynman and my difficult Libby. Ken loves me well, but sometimes he does not gaze at me lovingly, and he doesn’t usually follow me around the house, and as far as I know, he has never waited by the door, staring out the window, while I’m gone. (If he starts to do any of these things, rest assured that we will seek immediate professional help.)   That’s the thing about dogs—they can’t speak to us, but they can absolutely communicate, and mine communicate love and need all day long. Calvin and Feynman also communicate their confidence in their place—they know they belong. Libby, on the other hand, sti

  From today’s BiOY commentary: “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), who was imprisoned for eight years for criticising Stalin, wrote, ‘The line separating good and evil passes, not through states, nor through classes, nor between political parties... but right through every human heart – and through all human hearts.’”   Good and evil and the human heart … today’s global events remind us—if we need reminding—of humans’ propensity for evil. It’s simply undeniable—and chilling, both on the macro and micro scale. While I look outward at the horror, I also look inward, and I do not like what I see.   I think that’s one of the reasons that dog people are dog people—there is no evil in the heart of a dog, no matter how hard you look. There might be unfortunate genetics or lack of training or behavioral problems arriving from abuse, but even the meanest dog, the most truly Bad Dog, is an innocent, easily forgiven. That’s part of their soulful draw for me. To me, they are hope and innocen

  Lent 2022, Day 7 Today’s BiOY reading is heavy:    Jesus in the garden, friends letting him down and the crucifixion coming (Mark 14), and dire warnings and prohibitions (Leviticus 17 & 18). Even the wisdom passage (Psalm 31) is heavy and full of dread.    I simply cannot think of an appropriate way to draw any parallels with my little disaster-mutt. So I think I I’m going to deviate from the plan and just tell you a little bit about Libby. Maybe we’ll find a little challenge or encouragement somewhere, and maybe we won’t. Let’s find out After hearing about Libby from Ryan and seeing photos of her, Ken and I finally were able to get to Seattle to meet her in late 2020 and help Ryan move into his apartment (after living basically on the floor for months, since his furniture was stuck in Canada, thanks to Covid.     When Ken and I got to Ryan’s apartment, Libby took an immediate dislike to us. I won’t go into all the details, but it was sad and scary and frustrating and made everyt

  Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,   for you are my refuge. Psalm 31:4 There’s that old joke about dogs thinking their people are god, and cats thinking that they (the cats) are gods. Not too sure about cats, but I’m pretty sure it’s true with dogs. We are their experience of God, be it vengeful, violent, indifferent, exacting, or loving.  I am Libby’s safe place, her protector and refuge. Sometimes that looks like quiet snuggles together or extended playtime and freedom, or simply meeting her basic needs. But sometimes it looks like a tether. If there’s going to be lots of potential bitees around us and we can’t get away, Libby is literally tethered to me. She hates it. (I don’t love it either. It tends to be chaotic and loud.) She of course hasn’t figured out that the tethering gives her freedom and quite literally, life.    Nor can she understand    that I am protecting others from her chaos, whilst also protecting her from the consequences of that chaos. Libby would p

  What is gained if I am silenced,   if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you?   Will it proclaim your faithfulness? ¹⁰ Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;   Lord, be my help.  Psalm 30:8-10 Given Libby’s tough start and circuitous route to being rescued and finding a permanent home, it’s sort of a miracle that she wasn’t euthanized somewhere along the way. It seems that absolutely everyone she encountered, post-rescue, was determined to see her live. We are benefiting from their faith and optimism and are determined to prove their hunch about this little street dog correct.  On this first Sunday of Lent, the first mini-Easter of the season, a day when we celebrate instead of fast, in anticipation of the full celebration to come, this plea for help and promise of life are timely for all of us.  You turned my wailing into dancing;   you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, ¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.   Lord my God, I will praise you forever

From the commentary in today’s BiOY:  Holiness is not a matter of outward appearance. It is a matter of the heart. It’s hardly worth the time it takes to write these words to point out that we are a culture obsessed with outward appearance. Younger, fitter, more beautiful, more filtered, better-pedigreed. Holiness, kindness, wisdom, generosity … these traits are not widely looked for or valued. Understatement.  Libby is a street-dog yellow … street dog. She is soulful and cute but she will win no beauty pageants. She would not even be  allowed  to compete in a proper dog show.    Her heart, on the other hand, is gorgeous. She loooooves me. She looooves our family. But even she of the generous heart is concerned with outward appearance, taking an immediate dislike to tall men with dark hair. And by “dislike,” I mean “spiky sharp hatred.” We assume it has to do with her early life, and we are working on helping her, but the current reality is that she makes snap (ha) judgments based on a

From today’s Bible in One Year (BiOY) commentary:   We live in a society of instant gratification. Instant meals. Instant messaging. Instant cash. Instant loans. Instant fake tans. Instant fortunes won. There is a great danger of short-termism. The passages for today remind us that God is the ‘everlasting God’ (Isaiah 40:28). God views things through a wide-angled lens: he takes a long view and he wants you to enjoy a lifetime of his favour (Psalm 30:5). Libby is neither a short-term commitment, nor a short-term project—no quick fixes here. We have to take the long view with her, which has turned out to be a gift—and also a promise. She is safe, we will not abandon her, and we will always, always come back. That’s a good starting point. The manners will come.  I told Libby all of these things this morning as Ken and I headed out for about a week, to visit our son, see my mom, and celebrate our anniversary. Not sure if Libby understood, but I felt better. She will have a fun time with o

The last time I did this, I used daily prompts by Sarah Bessey. This time I’m going to try something different, while still borrowing from a thinker I admire. This year I’m going to be picking a prompt from the daily reading in the Bible in One Year app, put out by Holy Trinity Brompton, a Church of England church we love and attend whenever we’re in London. The link to the app is below. Highly recommend. Also, the link to my blog (such as it is) is below and in my profile. I’m going to try to get the 2020 Lenten thoughts there once I can figure out how to use my computer.  For today, I am choosing the verse of the day from today’s reading, Psalm 29:11:  The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Libby is physically strong, but not emotionally strong. And hers is not a peaceful soul. We are quite sure that she suffered severe abuse in her early life, leading her to be very anxious and slow to trust. She can be prickly and bitey and barky and off-put

  Ash Wednesday In 2020 I did a daily Lenten reflection centered on the concept of being rescued and coming home.   In it I introduced and discussed (and obsessed over) our ridiculous rescue dog, Feynman.   I enjoyed the daily discipline and got some nice feedback. So, me being me, I took Lent 2021 off.   But this year, as the world is waking back up, I thought it would be nice to have another go.   Plus, we now have another, even more ridiculous, rescue dog to talk about, so that’ll be fun.  Meet Libby.   Our son Ryan adopted her during deep lockdown, when all the shelters were empty and everyone was desperate for Covid pets.   Somehow Libby made her way from the streets of a Texas border town all the way up to Seattle and into Ryan’s small apartment and large heart.   They loved each other.   Ryan (quite literally) saved Llibby, and Libby did her part in saving Ryan’s good humor and sanity during the months of being isolated.   It was a good fit, initially—for like an hour.   But t