celebrating the resurrection of Christ with a season of suffering

Many thanks to Lauren Merritt of The Christian and Creation ~ Glorifying the Creator for shining a light on the unintended consequences many of our common Easter pets experience:

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.

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chosen by a horse

To close out a series on the special connection we have with horses, I wanted to share one of the more poignant animal-themed books I've read, and one of the first I reviewed for not one sparrow. Susan Richards'
Chosen by a Horse is an honest and beautiful account of two intertwined stories of tragedy and redemption, the memoir of a scarred middle-aged woman wrapped around an unexpected adoption of an abused and emaciated racing horse breeder.

Susan's own story had quite a few ghosts in it, along with two horses of her own, when she suddenly got a call from a local chapter of the SPCA that several horses needed immediate rescue and housing from a filthy and derelict Standardbred farm.  The horse she ends up taking home, appropriately called Lay Me Down, fights to restore her health while at the same time demonstrating an unbelievably tender and loving spirit despite all she'd gone through. 

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War Horse

Updated on February 9, 2012 by Ben DeVries

Many thanks to Lauren Merritt of The Christian and Creation, and a horse trainer and riding consultant, for this very insightful review of the recent blockbuster film War Horse (Touchstone '11) ...

As a horse trainer, I have always gone into horse movies with a heavy dose of skepticism.  Even some of the most beautiful movies ever directed can fall apart for me when the references to riding, training, or care of horses are incorrect.  I imagine doctors or nurses have a similar experience when they watch medical dramas on television.  The movie magic shatters for a moment when a soldier mounts his horse from the wrong side, or a doctor is shown galloping a horse over rocky roads for miles only to arrive at his destination with a sound, unlathered horse.

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19th century British Evangelicals on cruelty to animals

Following our two historic and extraordinary examples of early 19th century British Evangelicals speaking out in a strong way against cruelty toward God's creatures.  First is the passionate poem "On Cruelty to Brute Animals," from a Friendly Hints poetry section of The Evangelical Magazine, 1806:

A MAN of kindness to his beast be kind;
But brutal actions shew a brutal mind.
Remember, he who made thee made the brute;
Who gave thee speech and reason, form'd him mute:
He can't complain; but God's omniscient eye
Beholds thy cruelty,—he hears his cry.
He was design'd thy servant and thy drudge;
But know,—that his Creator is thy Judge!

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closing tracks, a win for all

It was great to see Citizen Link, a Focus on the Family affiliate, address horse and dog racing earlier this year in a blog post by Chad Hills.  In "Closing Tracks, A Win for All," Hill mentions some of the harsh realities which racing horses and dogs can face, including whipping in the case of horses and inhumane warehouse kennelling for greyhounds, and all too frequent injury and euthanasia for both of these noble creatures.

Hills also mentions the gambling machine supporting both racing industries, even gambling unrelated to the actual races: "Today, if a track survives, it’s likely dependent on revenue from highly addictive slot machines.  Empty stands surrounding the tracks replay past generations’ entertainment to a mere handful of spectators like a dusty, broken record."

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suffering doesn't have to be human-like

Liz Jakimow is another Christian friend recently bumped into on Twitter, and very thoughtful host of the blog (with a great title, I should add) God and Gum Nuts: Ecotheology and Creation Care from an Australian Perspective.  I'm grateful to Liz for sharing the following from it ...

"Wow, I wish I could speak whale." (Dory, Finding Nemo)

Finding Nemo is one of my favourite children's movies.  The main reason for that is, while the animals often act in very human ways, they also act in very animal ways.  It is educational, as well as entertaining.

But another reason why it is such a great movie is that it has a compelling storyline and believable characters.  These are characters we can relate to and characters we can cheer for.  We are pleased for Dory when she remembers things.  We feel for Nemo as he gets taken from home.  We want Marlin to find Nemo, but also to let Nemo go.  And, if you're a big sook like me, we cry when Nemo and Marlin eventually get reunited.

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Japan, animals in the aftermath

Updated on March 22, 2011 by Ben DeVries

Updated on April 3, 2011 by Ben DeVries

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's prayer 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:

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introducing the not one sparrow prayer group

A little over a year ago, we launched a companion animal suffering and grief support group on Facebook with the help of moderator Denise LaChance.  A number of personal experiences and losses shared by others led into that group, which has been a personal and compassionate resource available to not one sparrow community members and other friends we've met along the way.  I hope you'll look it up if you haven't yet.

Similarly, the idea and need for a more general prayer group has been building as well.  A couple of you thoughtfully approached me with the suggestion several months ago now, and while I was grateful for it, I kept waiting for the time and right person to come along and take the lead, a trusted friend who shared not one sparrow's values and mission, who also had a passion for prayer and the time to keep up with the group.  I'm still hoping and praying for such a person, but have come to a point where the group cannot be put off any longer in the meantime.

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childhood pets

Lee Erickson, a good friend to not one sparrow, left the following very candid and admirable comment about children and pets on Lauren Merritt's post last April on the disposable treatment of Easter pets.  I asked if we could share it as part of our current series on companion animals ...

Memories come flooding back about my own childhood pet experiences, and my husband's pet duck Peepers.  Back in the '50's, our parents brought us home baby ducklings at Easter, and turtles and goldfish for birthdays to make us squeal with delight.  But alas, neither of our parents taught us a thing about properly caring for them.  And every one of them died an untimely death for all the reasons Lauren mentioned.

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faq #8, do you just care about pets, or other animals also?

Thank you to everyone who's followed along with our faq series.  I hope some of the questions we've tackled so far (starting way back with "is caring for animals a valid Christian concern?" and "don't we have other priorities as Christians?") have helped lay a bit of a foundation for thinking about animals, and the many issues which surround their welfare, in a way which honors them and their Creator. 

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:

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