Christian reflections on Ohio tragedy

By now there's a good chance you've heard some news of the awful events which took place in Central Ohio early last week.  Terry Thompson, previously convicted of animal cruelty and other criminal charges, set 50-plus animals free from his private exotic animal collection at Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, including lions, leopards, bears, wolves, primates and 18 endangered Bengal tigers.  Thompson then tragically took his own life, and 49 of the free-roaming animals were killed by local police, naturally untrained to deal with such a crisis involving so many foreign and dangerous animals.

You can get a good overview of Thompson's history with animals and Ohio's lax legislation with respect to exotic animal possession, and failure to require Thompson to relinquish his collection, in a CNN.com article and accompanying video "Friend: Animal farm owner under stress" (from which the following screenshot is taken).

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one starfish

I've wanted to share the following video and poem by way of encouragement for a few months now, but a dialogue thread in our prayer group makes me wonder if God might have had today in particular in mind.  It's so easy to get discouraged in caring for animals, with so much more cruelty and suffering looming behind every compassionate step forward, and often fighting our own limitations and insecurities along the way (Lord knows I battle them myself).

This short story might be familiar, it's adapted from Loren Eiseley's "The Star Thrower" in his book The Unexpected Universe.  Commonly known as the "starfish story," this version is set to gentle music and images, and reminds of the important truth that even one person or animal helped is more than worth our effort and sacrifice: 

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Proverbs, the righteous, and caring for animals

The following meaningful reflection on one of the most pointed verses calling us to care for God's creatures comes by way of Betty Miller, cofounder and president of Bible.com Ministries.  It's part of her daily devotional on the book of Proverbs, God's Wisdom for Daily Living, and I'm grateful to Bible.com for allowing us to share it here ...

Proverbs 12:10-11 (KJV):
10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

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small things that have no words

I saw this homemade cross-stich at a wonderful, Christian-owned B&B appropriately called "Almost Home" where Cheryl and I were blessed to spend a night last week, not far from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford, Virginia.  The cross-stitch dates back to 1953 with the artist initials N.R.H., and features a beautiful traditional prayer which I had not come across before:

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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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two cents worth, March 1 '11

Hi everyone, and sorry for the long layoff between newsletters.  We've been very active in other respects however, and here are a few highlights from early 2011 ...

new prayer group...  A long time in the making, we launched a much needed not one sparrow prayer group on Facebook last week.  So often we're confronted by instances of animal suffering, personal or massive in scale, both of which can be overwhelming and deflating.  We hope the prayer group will encourage us all to share these burdens with each other, and to pray individually and collectively for the needs of God's creatures and those who care for them.  So far, it's off to a wonderful and enheartening start.  Please read our introduction to the group, and consider joining with us!

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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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gentle nudges

I'm sorry for the long gap in posts.  A week of planned vacation turned into two more unplanned, as I've been working through some issues related to not one sparrow's administrative structure and sustainability.  I'll share more soon, but would appreciate your prayer as I continue to try to piece together the way forward.  In the meantime, here's some good-natured animal humor which has put a smile on my face in recent days.

The first video, "Tortoise Helps Tortoise," reminds me how I'm grateful for those who have helped nudge me back on my feet, especially my family and one friend in particular these past few weeks (via LOLcats):

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oil spill prayer journey: dorsal fins & beach gatherings

I wanted to pass along Scott Williams' final posts on our trip to the Gulf of Mexico, and thank him once again for the time and care he put into recounting each stage of our journey ...

Although Friday wore me out, I got up early Saturday morning to go back to Orange Beach before setting out on the next steps of our prayer journey.  The picture that I saw was no better than the afternoon before. The rain the night before had failed to wash away either the oil or its stench from the beach.  Wave after wave of oil still washed ashore.

Furthermore, there was now dead wildlife to be found on the shore.  First, a blue-clawed crab, dead with oil on its body.

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oil spill prayer journey: tears and shock

Scott and I left New Orleans yesterday afternoon, completing our week-long oil spill prayer trip.  It was a humid and draining week with much to take in, even discouraging at times, but with many meaningful moments as well.  Following is Scott's recap on the middle two days of our trip, the second of which marked our greatest exposure to the oil itself ...

On Thursday, our gulf coast prayer journey began appropriately.  We had a chance to pray on the beach of Grand Isle one last time before moving along.  We worked our way from Grand Isle, Louisiana all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi.  The road included much beautiful scenery.  The way was scattered with rivers, marshes, bayous, forests, and some great trees.

Upon arrival at Gulfport, we headed straight to the beach.  There we found a pier and walked to the end to see the condition of the water (which was totally clear of oil).

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