Dogs are human, too. Funny

From the Journal of Canine Psychology

Post Training Stress Syndrome - PTSS

Unrealistic expectations from high strung breeds can result in PTSS. Fortunately, PTSS is not a permanent canine psychotic condition. The most common symtoms are aggressive behaviors (excessive barking, growling, snapping and biting) and destructive behaviors (chewing furniture, clawing walls and tearing up lawns and flower beds). Symtoms usually appear immediately after training sessions and disappear after a few hours only to reappear with the next session.

Case Study

Ms. Mallon came to the clinic with her 2 year old wire haired fox terrior - a very active, yet friendly spayed female. It had been house trained as a puppy. Ms. Mallon was distraught because her pet, unlike her neighbor's poodle, could not "do tricks". "All I wanted to do", she explained, "was to teach her not to bark so much, to sit, to roll over, and to play dead with it's paws in the air. I just can't teach her to do anything no matter how hard I work at it. And every time I try she poops under my kitchen table. What can I do?"

I explained to her that some breeds are easily trained, like her neighbor's poodle. Others, especially terrier breeds, seem to have a mind of their own and will probably never "do tricks". Defecating under the table is simply her way of saying no, I don't like this. "She'll be just like she was before when you stop the training. Nothing is wrong with your dog, Ms. Mallon, it just doesn't want to sit down, shut up, roll over and play dead. Dogs are a lot like people."

The Souls of the Martyrs Cry Out

"I saw-----the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you--------avenge our blood?'"

"Vengence is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay." Rev. 6:9-10; Rom. 12:19

When I think about the multitudes of believers, my brothers and sisters, who have died for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I am both humbled and strengthened.

I am humbled because they endured ridicule, persecution, poverty, imprisonment, torture and death for what they believed. And I have it so very easy and live in the lap of luxury.

I am strengthened in my innermost being by their heroic example of faithfulness and the strength of character they displayed.

In my spirit I hear them crying out to me, not for vengence - that belongs to God, but for steadfastness, for faithfullness, for convictions that will not waiver and for a faith that is worth more than life itself.

I hear the martyrs asking;
" Did we give our lives in vain?
Will you so easily lay aside
the very things for which we died?
Will you follow in our train?"

Yes, I will follow in their train.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every thing that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus---"
Heb. 12:1

Friend or Foe?

Sometimes the person we think of as a friend could in reality be our worst enemy; likewise, the person we think of as an enemy could actually be the best friend we ever had.

For instance; The "friend" who supplies you with drugs or assists in other destructive behaviors is not a friend at all. A true friend would never hurt you or help you hurt yourself.

You may consider the cop who gave you a DUI an enemy, when he may haved saved you from permanent brain injury or many years in prison for killing someone in your drunken state. If he indeed saved you from something like that, and there is no way to know, you should look at him as one of the best friends you have ever had.

One of the cruelest things you can do is to tell a "friend" that everything is ok and that they will be all right because you don't want to hurt their feelings or injure your relationship. You may in reality be their worst enemy by withholding information they really need to know.

The Old Testament prophets were killed by those they were trying to help - because the people didn't like the message being delivered. Their friend was considered an enemy. The false prophet told them what they wanted to hear and aided in their destruction. Was he their friend? No, their worst enemy.

Jesus was accused of being demon possessed and doing miracles by the power of Satan because the "religious" people could not handle what He had to say. He was acting as a true friend but was considered an enemy. Actually He is the best Friend anyone could ever have.

Friend or Foe? Take another look from a different perspective. You might want to change your mind about who is friend and who is foe.

The Deepest Theological Truth

A famous and learned theologian was once asked, "What is the deepest theological truth."

His answer: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.



The love of God is greater far than toungue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

When hoary time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call;
God's love, so sure, shall still endure, all measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race - The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the oceans fill, and were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho' stretched from sky to sky.

Frederick M. Lehman

Honesty

"If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it."
--Unknown

"I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."
--George Washington

"Honesty pays, but it doesn't seem to pay enough to suit some people."
--F.M. Hubbard

"I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it."
--Lee Iacocca

"He who is passionate and hasty, is generally honest; it is your cool dissembling hypocrite, of whom you should beware."

"I keep six honest serving men: They taught me all I knew. Their names are WHAT and WHY and WHEN and HOW and WHERE and WHO."
--Rudyard Kipling

"The man who cannot endure to have his errors and shortcomings brought to the surface and made known, but tries to hide them, is unfit to walk the highway of truth."
--James Allen

"The greatest truth is honesty, and the greatest falsehood is dishonesty."
--Abu Bakr

Deceit

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
when first we practice to deceive."

Sir Walter Scott in Marmion

"Lying covers a multitude of sins -- temporarily"

D.L. Moody

"A lie is a snowball: the further you roll it, the bigger it becomes."

Martin Luther

"A half truth is a whole lie."

Yiddish Proverb

"Those who think it is permissable to tell white lies soon grow color-blind."

Austin O'Malley

"The most dangerous untruths are truths moderately distorted."

George Christoph Lichtenberg

"When you stretch the truth, watch out for a snapback."

Bill Copeland

"Beware of the half truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half."

Author Unknown

"The cruelest lies are often told in silence."

Adlai Stevenson

"It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen."

Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Off White

We're doing some remodeling in our home so we've been thinking about colors to spark things up a bit; the interior of our home was entirely white when we bought it. Well, not actually white, it's an off-white called Swiss Coffee. At the paint store you can find a special "white" color pallette with hundreds of shades of white. Each color sample standing alone looks "white". The true shade stands out only when placed next to a color sample that is "pure white".

This spoke to my heart. "Pure white", spiritually speaking, is God's written Word, the Bible and the "Word made Flesh" Jesus Christ - God the Son. Our thinking and the pattern of our lives may not be black, but neither are they "pure white". That's why it is so vital that we keep ourselves in the Word of God. Then the flaws in our thinking and manner of living will show up for what they are, "off white".

Some people look at the Bible and Jesus and "re-invent" both to reflect their own "off white" thinking. Others find objective truth statements through sound exegesis and the application of time honored principles of interpretation. These get a glimpse of "pure white" and with the enablement provided by God's grace make the necessary adjustments in their thinking and manner of life.