The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. (Psalm 145:9, NIV, emphasis added)
The meaning of Easter has been mostly lost in our culture, dissolved into a flurry of fluffy yellow candy, hunts for plastic eggs and the ever famous four-legged, long-eared emblem of the season.
Earlier this year I bumped into Christian author Lori A. Moore on Twitter, who most recently has written a book for children called Grady the Gray Cat(Tate Publishing '11). I don't know of many books for children written by fellow believers with a strong message of concern for animals in general, or the value of adopting a pet in particular. So I was grateful to Lori when she sent me a copy to review for not one sparrow.
Following up on recent posts which have featured ideas for and examples of churches, small groups and faith coalitions which appreciate and care for animals, here are a few more snapshots of real-life ministries in action ...
First is a brief but meaningful clip from Graffiti 2 Community Ministries in the South Bronx, New York, which features North American missionary Andrew Mann and his trained therapy dog 'Proof' (see screenshot below). In God's grace, Proof helps open doors to people and their hearts which might not be accessible otherwise, as Andrew illustrates. Click on this link and the "Proof God Exists" video to watch.
Last Summer I bumped into Susan Isaacs on Twitter, an actor, comedian and author of Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir(FaithWords '09) who hails from the Lutheran tradition of faith. Having written a rather vulnerable memoir of my own, I can relate a bit to the title, and like Susan believe that God can handle our honesty and even anger with Him in difficult questions and seasons; in fact, they can help our faith and relationship with Him develop and become more authentic over the long run.
When we e-met, Susan sent me a link to a blog post she'd written earlier that Summer about the death of her dear cat Honey, whom she spent the last 12 years of her life with - through some very awkward and difficult years (and human relationships), and some happier and redemptive experiences as well. Honey was adopted from a kitten rescue, at a time when Susan says she "was trying to heal from some behaviors, like smoking, drinking and dating awful men," and in need of a companion to love and "be responsible for." She writes endearingly of finding Honey:
Jason Clark, who pastors a Vineyard church in London and leads a doctoral program in Global Missional Leadership for George Fox Seminary, has also hosted blog series in recent years on the connection between our faith and animal welfare, with contributions from myself and other friends. Jason was kind enough to allow us to repost this touching reflection which he wrote after the passing of his dog Charlie, on the powerful lessons he learned from him and the unique individuality and place which Charlie took in Jason's family ...
So last wednesday night, we went out as a family and scattered our labrador Charlie's ashes in his favourite park. Carrying my beloved labrador in a box whilst I carried so many memories of him with me.
Today being Memorial Day, it seems appropriate to honor not just the veterans who have served our country with such faithfulness and sacrifice (thank you), but also some of the companion animals who have befriended and served their military humans with an inspiring faithfulness and sacrifice of their own.
Sadly, many of the dogs who served alongside military personnel in wars past were not allowed to return home with the soldiers, and were subsequently abandoned or even euthanized as this National Geographic video portrays, featuring tremendously moving interviews with Vietnam vets (shared by Peter Spiegel and Conservative Animal Advocate):
It was just over a year ago that an earthquake devastated Haiti, and just over a week ago (March 11) another massive earthquake rocked northeastern Japan, followed immediately by a 33-foot tsunami. Entire towns were wiped out, and more than 7,000 have been reported dead and another 11,000-plus are still missing. In addition to serious meltdown and radiation concerns at one of the area's nuclear plants, hundreds of thousands who survived the immediate impact of the disaster have been displaced and are especially vulnerable to other health concerns.
It all seems too much to take in or make sense of. And I admit, in the course of hectic week I haven't been able to focus on or pray for the still-unfolding tragedy as I should have, even its impact on God's nonhuman creatures. While the suffering and vulnerability of so many people is obviously of foremost concern, I'm grateful to some of not one sparrow'sprayer group members and other friends who have also brought the tremendous needs of animals in Japan to my own and others' attention. The following video by Angela Mitchell & Papua Piig paints a poignant picture:
An absolutely beautiful and affecting poem from our friend Catherine Windsor on her sympathetic relationship with a feral or stray neighborhood tom cat ...
She calls me Tawny Tom and does not chase me away nor do brown-earth eyes stare balefully ...
She has no tail that bristles nor does her back arch at my coming or going or staying ...
The following post was written by our friend Kendra Langdon Juskus at Flourish for their blog series Cultivating Community. "How Your Church Can Help Shelter Animals Find Their Way Home" is full of excellent motivation and advice, including from another friend Christine Gutleben of the Humane Society's Faith Outreach, and draws such a model connection between churches and the needs of God's creatures, and their caretakers, in their community ...
“If 10 percent of folks who purchase pets from pet stores would adopt instead, there would be no animals in shelters,” says Christine Gutleben, director of Faith Outreach for the Human Society of the United States (HSUS). “It’s a really solvable problem.”
In three of the remaining questions, we'll be looking at specific categories of animals, starting with some of those closest to many of our hearts, and homes. The question, on our FAQ page at least, is actually: "Do you just care about pets, or other animals also?" And here's the response posted there:
April 3, 2012
