even the animals knew

Not long ago our friend Anna Clark introduced me to Christian author and poet M. Kent Travis.  Kent's blog is worth following in general, but his recent post "Even the Animals Knew" especially grabbed my attention.  Kent acknowledges he's not the biggest "animal person," but his insight is perhaps even more valuable as a result.  I'm grateful to be able to share it here at the beginning of Lent when many Christians are honoring Christ's 40 days in the wilderness ...   

Yesterday was a particularly difficult day for my second daughter.  She was being snippy and unkind to everyone else in the family, even after we explained to her what she was doing.  It was if she couldn't stop herself or didn't even know that she was doing it.

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Buck, a "horse whisperer"

To kick off a few posts on our unique connection to horses, I'm grateful to Nick Olson and Christ and Pop Culture for allowing us to share this poignant review of Buck (Meehl '11), "a powerful documentary that shows how even inhumane circumstances can be redeemed into something beautiful, creative, and compassionate" ... 

Early in the documentary Buck, Dan “Buck” Brannaman tells a crowd of attentive, aspiring horse trainers that there are rarely “people with horse problems” but most often “horses with people problems.”  Yes, Buck is interesting because he’s a primary inspiration for Robert Redford’s 1998 drama The Horse Whisperer, but his story becomes especially fascinating as we learn of what this real-life horse whisperer has endured to become a magical horseman.

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snapshots of animal ministries

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.

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