Blogs of The Fast and the Furriest Dachshund Molly

Thankful for Thursdays

8/30/2018

We always enjoy being a part of Brains Thankful Thursday Blog Hop. I always have something to be thankful for. I'm a lucky girl and I know it.

Before Mom and I sat down to write this blog we had a chat about the things we're thankful for. We're blessed, and on our Thankful for Thursdays we slow down, take a moment to think and appreciate what we have.

The moments are the things that Mom and I are realizing we need to start appreciating. With all the rushing here and going there, we don't spend as much time thinking about and living in the moments as we should. We end up missing out on the truly special things in life.

Relaxing in the sunshine, watching the hawks dance in the blue Carolina sky, or simply sitting on the deck listening to the cicadas and owls in the woods. Moments that can't be recaptured because our hoomans have spent their lives rushing from one appointment or engagement to another.

Life is what we have while we're here on this earth. Enjoy your moments with the ones you love while you have them. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Rather than having regrets, make some moments to treasure. The little moments are the most special. Take a walk to the stream take off your socks and shoes stick your feet in the cool running water of the brook. Then again it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you cherish the moments with the ones you love.

We pups are all about living in the moment though so I told Mom I was going to help her start appreciating our moments in life. We spend a lot of time during the fall and winter hiking through our forest and fields. Mom and I enjoy our moments in the quiet of the deep woods. We'll sit and listen to the sounds of nature, watching for deer or fox.

1 Thessalonians 5

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This one has been a challenge for us this week as the thermostat on the AC went out. So Mom and I have come to the conclusion that we're thankful that we can still Manually turn on the air conditioner and we'll be really Thankful when the repair man gets here to replace it. (This goes back to Mom and I's somewhat pessimistic opinion, "Be thankful for what you have as things could always be worse").

Cherish your moments with your loved ones dear friends. Let's take a page from our dogs book and learn to live in the moment and not worry so much about tomorrow or yesterday.

Love and Peace,

Molly and my Mom

Oh yeah, I"m really thankful that I'm such a spoiled girl that I can play with my balls once or twice get spit on them then refuse to play with them ever again. I'll make Mom and Dad get me a new ball out of the wrapper to play with. (Though by the looks of this dog shaming picture my subjects may be planning a revolt. )

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Brokenness

8/26/2018

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When I was a wee pup and had only been with my folks a few weeks Mom noticed some things about me. I was terrified of my shadow, and dogs barking in the distance would set me running for all I was worth back to our house. I didn't respond to direction like any of Mom's previous dogs did.

This went on for some time, causing my Mom to step out of her comfort zone, beginning to research new articles and buying new books on dog behavior and training. (You need to understand my Mom is an old woman who grew up on a farm, had many dogs as well as having trained horses. She honestly thought she'd seen or dealt with about everything one could come across with dogs and a lot with most animals.) The end conclusion being most people would have given up on me, and I more than likely would have ended up at the dog shelter. I definitely was a challenge, luckily I had a Mom who loved challenges.

Which leads us to our subject for this blog. Brokenness,

Had I ended up with someone else, I would have more than likely become a broken dog. What I mean by that is my problems such as they were, could have become monumentally bigger than what they already were. My fears were indeed real and large to me, (obvious to others) and for a brief while almost crippling.

No one can explain the horrifying terror that can grip a soul, and send you running for the protection of your home where you feel your safest, or the insecurities that can wrap their tenacious fingers around your heart making you feel as if the world is a dreadful place.

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Perfect love cast out fear.

That's where Mom started with me. We would sit where I could see my shadow, or hear dogs barking in the distance for sometimes 15- 20 min at a time. Yes initially I'd put up a fight. Mom told me that was fine, I could fight if I wanted to. We were still going to sit here for a little while. Mom said, "She'd still be here waiting for me when I'd given out of fight". When I'd stop fighting, and turn and look at my Mom she'd give me a hug or a pat, talk to me quietly and we'd then go on our way...

Brokenness

I yielded my heart to my Mothers desire. I put my trust in my Mom's plan that things would be ok and that she'd keep me safe.

There's two types of Brokenness on this earth my friends and furiends. There's the brokenness that the world inflicts on us, (pain, hurt, bitterness and fear) that can easily be compounded, and there's the Brokenness of a heart yielded to God. Trusting that He's always there, to bind our wounds, calm our fears and pick us up our of our deepest, darkest pits of terror.

Mom and Dad have never figured out how I ended up with some of the fears that I had. They finally decided it didn't really matter. What matters is what I am today, and the changing power of love, and patience.

God showed my Mom and Dad His love and patience for them. They in turn showed His love and patience to me.

I am a testimony of what can be accomplished with a yielded heart and loving pawrents.

The same crippling fears can break a humans heart just as easily as they were breaking mine. May we all remember we have a loving God who desires to take away our fears, and give us something, (someone=Himself) real to hold onto, to have faith in. Someone to just sit with us until our fears subside.

Don't believe the lies that tell you your faith isn't big enough, or your fears and failures are too large. He's there with you, holding you in the middle of your fears and your failures, telling you it will all be ok, just as my Mom was with me.

Perfect love cast out fear.

Love and Peace,

Molly and my Mom

5 Comments

Thankful for Thursday

8/23/2018

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We have a lot to be thankful for here at our house this Thursday. Being thankful is something Mom and I try to remember to do on a daily basis. We both learned a long time ago regardless to how dire a situation can seem, things could always be worse. Sounds a bit pessimistic we know, but it is true.

Today we're extremely thankful for the cooler temperatures that visited us over night. It's a lovely 61 degrees outside and we have all our windows open. The peaceful sounds of nature are coming through the windows and a lovely breeze is gently blowing the curtains to and fro. ~Ahhhh~ Falls getting closer.

We're thankful that soon Mom and I can resume our walks through the quite woods and fields here around the house. Fall, winter and early spring are our favorite seasons. Mom and I look forward to the first true cool day of fall with all the eager anticipation of school children looking forward to spring break. For us it's like being set free after a summer of being confined inside.

The older we get the more philosophical we become and we understand the same God that sends the sunshine allows the rains that comes into our lives at times. We're trying to be thankful for some of the challenges we've experienced lately. We will say if not for our challenges, we'd never have been able to witness for ourselves some of His amazing miracles that He's done for us.

We are thankful for a living God who understands our troubles, who loves us unconditionally, and who even sends us the cooler temperatures so we can get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature that's around us.

So dear friends and furiends, what are you thankful for on this Thankful Thursday?

Love and Peace,

Molly and my Mom

3 Comments

Getting Messy

8/10/2018

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Hello friends and furiends. :-) How have you been? We hope you've been doing well and that life is treating you good. This is honestly our prayer for all our furiends.

This has been a bit of a rough week for my Mom. She picked up a stomach bug Sunday and hasn't been up to snuff all week. This is a strange thing to see here at our house as Mom is really a go, go, go sort of person. She walks her 4 miles on the treadmill every day, takes care of me and my Dad, fixes lunch and tries to get a little cleaning done in-between. She tried her best to keep to her usual routine , but it simply didn't work this week. She just felt too bad.

With all this going on Mom got a phone call from a special sister in her Sunday school class. It seems a very old and dear friend of my Mom's adult son killed himself. She immediately called to offer her condolences and to see if there was anything she could do to help.

This is when my Mom found out she was completely unprepared to offer any true words of comfort to her dear friend in her time of need. The only thing she could tell this heartbroken woman who had just lost her eldest son was, "We may never know why God allows the things to happen that happen in our lives, the only thing we do know is He is with us while we go through them".

With Mom being under the weather and not up for a 4 mile daily trot on the treadmill this week she had time to think about her inability to offer this woman any true words of comfort during her time of grief.

This lead Mom to remember the scripture Romans 12

“Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:9-15).

Weep with those that weep. That was what Mom focused on. Weeping with those that weep. Maybe, that was all she was supposed to have done... Simply weep with her friend.

In today's busy, keep to yourself, and avoiding any situations that might become "messy" lifestyle people don't really weep with those that are weeping anymore do they? You know what I mean don't you? Mom will be the first to tell you she and Dad try to not get "close" to many people for fear of the responsibilities that go with that closeness.

Here's the thing though friends, we're all one body in Christ. When one part grieves, the entire body is affected by the pain. This is clearly stated in

1 Corinthians12:25-26

25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

This is something Mom and I have been talking about this week and we've both had our little epiphanies. You see we dogs do indeed have empathy for each other and even other species when they are hurting either physically or emotionally. We show our concern with no reservations at what it may cost us in time, or effort. We simply show compassion to those that need it.

It's not the same with hoomans, they feel their lives are too busy, they don't have the time, the people may become "clingy." Please don't thing we're trying to shine a spot light on your or anyone's lives really. We're not. This is simply something Mom and I have talked about this week brought about by a friends loss and grief and how to respond to that in a Godly way.

We stumbled across a wonderful article on practical ways to weep with those that weep. We're going to share that here

3 Practical Ways to Weep with Those Who Weep (Click here to read this wonderful article). (1)

1. They came to the funeral.

2. They stocked our pantry.

3. They prayed like our friends.

This is the thing dear friends and furiends, if you read the 3 high points of the article posted above, the way you weep with those that weep is you let down your guard, you open your hearts and most of all you become their friends.

We can't be one body in Christ if we don't develop relationships, and yes, relationships are messy. They can become inconvenient and time consuming. They also can become rewarding, life enriching and most of all we're showing Christ to others, honestly isn't that what being a Christian is all about?

Mom has called her friend a couple of times and each time this lady has begged Mom to simply pray for her and her family. This is another key thing that's incredibly important, prayer.

Praying for one another is such a simple thing, yet very powerful. (2)" God gives us instructions to pray for others in several places in the Bible. The apostle James tells us to “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

The apostle Paul encourages us to intercede for Church members and ministers, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Paul exhorts us “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2,).

Jesus Christ even commanded, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, ).

"Why does God want us to pray for others? Because intercessory prayer reflects God’s own character of outgoing love and mercy. God wants us to think like He does, and praying for others helps us to think beyond ourselves and to grow in compassion for others."

1 Timothy 2:1

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people

Ephesians 6:18

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

When we pray we are speaking to our Father, who longs to have a relationship with His children. When we pray for others, we are reflecting our Fathers heart back to him. He loves to see His children caring for and loving His and our family.

Jesus got personal with people when He was on this earth. He had relationships that got messy. He got involved anyway, because He was showing His people, His love, and His heart, and He ask us to pray for others, as He does.

I'd like to leave you with a quote I read in an article shared by my pastor on his FB page
.
(3) " However, in everything that is done, we need to make sure that Jesus is at the center. It is a also a reminder that there are hurting people sitting in your congregation. There are people whose marriages are crumbling, people whose finances are deteriorating, people whose children are rebelling and people, like me, whose husband has passed away after a brutal fight with cancer. And these people are not impressed with the stage lighting. They could care less about the coffee flavor. They don’t need to be pumped or hyped. They need and are desperate for Jesus."

(I'd encourage you to read the entire article here Your Church Needs This More Than a New Coffee Bar)

What I'd like to reiterate here is, There are people who need someone to be a friend, and keep them in prayer. Regardless to how" messy" a relationship might be.

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves].

We totally understand how difficult it is to open yourself up to all that goes with possibly becoming involved in others lives. Trust us we do, no one is more reserved or shy than my Mom, and she does enjoy a "quite routine life".

Sometimes, God wants us to step out of our comfort zone by simply doing His will, (getting involved in peoples lives) putting others and their needs before ourselves; and maybe in the process get a little messy by showing others Gods love, and compassion.

Love and Peace,

Molly and my Mom

Quotes and Links

(1) Practical Ways to Weep with Those Who Weep

(2) Intercessory Prayer: How Does God Want Us to Pray for Others?

(3) Your Church Needs This More Than a New Coffee Bar

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Thankful for Thursdays

Brokenness

Thankful for Thursday

Getting Messy

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