Posts tagged "Dog":
A Visit with Hulu
Today we went on the bus to visit our friends Sara and Hulu.
Hulu is going to stay a while with Sara. We thought she might have to go to the prison program right away, but it has been decided that she needs to stay outside for a while longer.
We took a short walk around the neighborhood for practice. Nina was working on curbs and ramps, lining herself up properly and keeping me safe. Hulu was working on walking beside Sara and not being distracted by blowing leaves and noisy school children. She had to walk on a metal grate. Nina already knew this device and made a point of us going around it.
Hulu still jumps up and tries to play with me as if I was another dog, using teeth but not hurting. She is such a sweet thing.
Playing in the Water
Hulu has discovered the fun of splashing the water in the community water bowl with her front paws. It causes much human excitement and a tsunami in the dining room. The men at the prison are going to have to break her of this habit. You can't tell a guide dog user "Your new dog will flood the area where you put her bowl."
Nina is unsure about water. This summer we introduced her to a wading pool. She will jump into it, bite the water, but she is not keen on sitting down and refuses to lay in the water.
To be sure, she is a messy drinker. I have her bowl on a tray with a towel underneath the bowls. I have to change the towel frequently as it gets saturated.
Dog News
Today we learned that our new friend, Hulu, will be leaving us sooner than we expected. Next week she is going off for a several month stint in a medium security prison where the men will drill her on her commands. Nina went there, too.
We also learned that Therman celebrated his birthday with 11 other dogs at the school for the blind on the west coast. Therman was raised to be a guide dog, but he is too easily distracted by other dogs when he was in harness. Therman is both Nina's half brother–they have the same father–and her cousin since their mothers are sisters. Therman looked very happy with his dog school friends. They were all sporting birthday gear.
Caitlin: Great Dog, Loyal Friend and Partner in Ministry: A Tribute
Note: I must have written this some time in July, 2006 before I had a regular blog. but it seems appropriate for me to post this on the 33-year anniversary of her birth.
- The Time – January 4, 1994 - July 10, 2006
- The Place – Everywhere I went
- The Situation – Working together, my Seeing Eye dog and me
- My Spirituality – God watch over my dog and me.
1. First Meeting
Caitlin was brought to my room at the Seeing Eye on the afternoon of January 4, 1994. I asked twice how her name was spelled. I would have spelled it Katelyn. Now Caitlin only seems the right way to spell it.
My instructions were to spend time with her, to play with her, to pet her and not to discipline her. We did that for a long time. I was getting tired. Doesn't a dog ever have enough attention? Suddenly, Caitlin just fell over and didn't move. I touched her. She didn't move. I picked up one of her paws. She didn't move.
Oh, no! I thought. I've killed her! How am I going to tell them I killed this $20,000 dog.
I put my hand on her chest. I felt her heart beating. I felt her chest going up and down. She was sound asleep. All the playing and petting and attention had worn her out. At sixteen months old, Caitlin was still very much a puppy and she slept like a kid–out cold.
***#Particulars
- Born September 6, 1992
- Chocolate Labrador Retriever
- Daughter of Walsh and Raisin
- Raised by a fourteen-year-old boy with a mother, brother, father and dog already in the household.
- Died July 10, 2006
2. Let's Go!
From our first meeting, Caitlin and I had a dynamic relationship. In what follows, I don't comment on her guide work in detail. She was excellent
- in her work
- in her visual memory
- in her learning new routes and new routines
Caitlin's greatness as a guide dog makes it possible to remember her with gratitude and laughter.
​* Still A Dog At Heart
Caitlin was a handful from day one. Even at the end, she was incredibly strong and opinionated. I never quite got the knack of a leash correction so I depended far more on persuasion and asserting my position as alpha female.
Caitlin viewed my children as litter mates. I was particularly aware of this the day my daughter came home from school and fixed herself a plate of nachos. She ate them and left her plate and the just-opened cheese on the table. Seeing a yummy opportunity in the unguarded and within reach cheese, Caitlin ate the whole pound. If I had left the cheese, it would have still been there at dinnertime. This, I learned, did not apply to anything left on a surface level with her nose. Food on coffee tables were fair gain.
3. ​Surmises
Caitlin could not tell me about her early life. I only knew the few facts I list above in the Particulars. However, I was able to deduce some more information:
- The boys were active. Caitlin wanted to chase bicycles, join the soccer game, play rambunctiously. she seemed familiar with the playing fields around the school.
- The family watched football. She would stop near a television with a game on. The name "Joe Montana" seemed to get a reaction.
- They were junk food junkies. That dog could hear a pretzel bag open anywhere in the house. It was the only people food I ever shared with her and that only near the end. In a shopping mall food court, Caitlin would walk past a discarded piece of hamburger to get to the French fries.
- Along with her command vocabulary, Caitlin knew the phrase Night night.
I brought her home, spread out a blanket on my side of the bed and attached her to her bed chain. She just stood there, apparently not knowing what to do. How do you tell a dog this is your home?
- This is where you live now.
- This is your space.
- It's time for bed.
I said, "Night night." and she laid down.
Even now, it makes me sad. I thought of being a fourteen-year-old boy, trying to be grown-up and yet still very much a boy and saying to your Seeing Eye puppy, "Night night."
Shortly before her death, I had to go out-of-town. I couldn't take Caitlin with me. I left her with friends. I called it going to camp because she had kids and cats to play with and could spend time on the deck watching the traffic go by–all activities she enjoyed. The night before she was to come home, her "counselor" called to say Caitlin seems quite lonely. Would I talk to her on the phone?
What do you say to a dog over the phone? I said Hi and You're a good girl and finally, Night night. That worked. She settled down for the evening.
​* Church Stories
A great deal of our working time was spent in church. Caitlin really didn't care for church. Her favorite part was recessing. She did that with great enthusiasm and speed which often threatened to disrupt the decorum of worship. We were always among the last to recess. Torchbearers, acolites and crucifer as well as the choir needed to precede us.
There are many worship stories to tell. Let me relate three of them. They all happened at First Lutheran Church, Jamestown, new York. They all happened in the nave, a huge room that seats a thousand people, has a choir loft, a balcony and a sixty-five-foot ceiling.
3.1. What Did You Say?
On our first Sunday, all went smoothly until Communion. My responsibility was to stand in front of the chancel steps at the head of the center aisle to administer the common cup to whoever wanted it. Typically, the assisting ministers went up these two steps, crossed the floor at this level and mounted three more wide steps to the alter.
No way, I told the pastor. I can't carry a full chalice of wine in one hand and manage Caitlin in the other. It won't be good liturgy.
I suggested I position myself at my station and someone could then bring me the cup.
I settled Caitlin down along the step so I could stand on her leash and in front of her body. I thought both she and the communicants would be less likely to fraternize this way.
The organist stopped playing. While the pastor was giving Communion to the other assisting ministers at the alter, the choir came down the stairs of the choir loft directly across from Caitlin. In the quietness that comes from reverent waiting, Caitlin stood up and barked.
Chagrinned, I quickly turned to resettle her.
The woman at the head of the choir line took a lot of ribbing. The general consensus was that the choir descending en mass upon Caitlin in their red robes had frightened her. This makes sense to me because people in other than regular clothing made her uneasy.
3.2. I've Heard It All Before
To preach in the nave, I needed to mount nine steps from the chancel. To be seen over the pulpit, I stood on a large wooden box. There was enough room for the two of us. Caitlin loved the place in the very front. It came to a point and was a perfect denfor a dog. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for both my feet and her body. Moving her was often difficult. She knew prime real estate when she saw it. I was very self-conscious about the time it took to reposition her. The entire congregation was standing, waiting for me to announce the Gospel so they could respond and then sit down.
One day she was particularly obstinate. I thought, Oh well, she knows the drill. She'll settle down, and I left her to it. Wrong!
As I began speaking, I heard her moving around. I learned later she stuck her nose through the railing and was sniffing the pastor's hair. He dutifully ignored her. As it turned out, this was a mistake.
I continued to speak. Then I heard thump, thump, thump! Caitlin had discovered she was loose and was making her way down the pulpit steps. Should I stop and catch her? No, I thought. Both she and the pastor have already heard my sermon at the earlier service. They'll have to figure something out between them. And they did.
3.3. Where Are You Taking Me, Dog?
On another Sunday I was giving the children's sermon. My text was Luke 10:1-11 in which Jesus instructs his disciples to be missionaries before sending them out. I decided we would pretend to be travellers, walking around the nave, stopping at points to go over Jesus' instructions. I asked our organist to play Siyahamba We Are Marching as our walking music as we went from point to point around the nave.
I imagined our trip:
- down the side aisle to the back
- to the center aisle
- onto the other side aisle and
- back up front
Easy, right? Wrong.
All went well until we made for the side aisle to walk back to the front of the nave. I told Caitlin to turn left and she did. The aisle seemed quite narrow. We came to a wall and she stopped. The organist kept playing.
"Where are we?" I whispered to one of the kids.
"Turn left," he said.
I did. We found the wide side aisle and made our way forward, concluding our journey.
What I didn't know, and what, apparently, Caitlin did, is that the nave possesses two additional side aisles against the nave's outside walls. We had stopped where the choir loft juts out. A horizontal aisle leads to the "main" side aisle at this point.
Most of the congregation didn't know we were lost.
The organist couldn't see us when we went down the skinny aisle. He was in the choir loft directly above us at the piano. He had the presence of mind to keep playing until we reappeared.
Nothing like getting lost in your own church while leading worship!
4. One Among Equals
In Caitlin's understanding of human language, dog always meant Caitlin. She considered herself a person. As an individual, she had her own opinions, developed a circle of human friends with whom she had relationships apart from me.
For several years now I have been attending an early morning weekday healing service. We kneel at the alter rail. Caitlin settled herself down next to someone. As the priest anoints and prays for each one individually, members of the healing team lay hands on that person, too, and pray. Caitlin's solution to being skipped was to get the person next to her to pet her.
Recognizing petting when she saw it, sharing the peace was very important to her at this service.
​Final Journey
With some expansion here and some editing there, I use the email I sent out to family and friends Monday, July 10, 2006.
Mother Susan and I took Caitlin to the vet for her final journey at noon today. Caitlin has been failing. This week she stopped eating. Nothing would stay down, even biscuits.
Excursus: Biscuits. Caitlin was very fond of dog biscuits. In the last few months of life, she preferred them to her regular food. The vet suggested I pour low sodium chicken broth over her food. That worked for a while, then even that did not interest her.
Saturday evening I went to the 5 o'clock service at St. Luke's. When I came home, I found Caitlin in bed already. This made me certain we were very near the end. It wasn't dark. It wasn't even six o'clock yet.
Sunday she moved onto the kitchen floor and seemed pretty much out of it. She drank water once. I checked on her regularly throughout the day.
I decided to camp out on the studio floor next to the kitchen overnight. I didn't want her following me into the bedroom. I wasn't sure if she could. I didn't want her to be alone at the end or think I had abandoned her. I wasn't sure if I would wake up often enough to check on her.
During the night, she lost bladder control and seemed unable to stand though I found she could get up to drink more water. I changed towels underneath her to keep her as dry as possible and ran the washer and dryer throughout the night.
After evening worship on Saturday, Susan had said to call on her for whatever I needed so i did. The vet could take us at noon if I wanted to be present when she received her shot.
once the time had been fixed I did normal tasks during the morning. I also took a shower. When I was getting dressed in the bedroom I heard something. It was Caitlin coming to see what I was up to. I had been gone too long. Maybe something was wrong. In Caitlin's mind, I was always likely to need supervision, or at least, that is what I always told myself when I found her waiting outside the bathroom door or watching from her blanket in the bedroom.
Susan and the S t. Luke sexton came to carry her to the car. Caitlin didn't care for this. She tried to get down while we were in the elevator.
She seemed to enjoy being in the van. I petted her. I told her over and over again what a good dog she was.
Excursus: Vans. At the Seeing Eye the dogs are brought to and from the kennel for their training in vans. When in class, both human and dog are transported to and from their training routes in vans. Caitlin loved traveling in a van. One day when my daughter had taken her out for me, there was an open van in the parking lot from the local cable company. Caitlin jumped in, ready to ride. I'm glad a van played a part in her final journey.
When we arrived at the vet's, Caitlin turned herself around to be ready to get out of the door. She sat up and looked out the window. She walked into the room which has an entrance from the parking lott so you don't have to go through the waiting room. I had not thought it necessary to bring her leash. I expected we would carry her.
Like all good funeral folk, the clinic personnel have it down.
- Write the check first.
- Tell them what you want to do with the body first.
After the injection, it takes about two minutes for unconsciousness. Caitlin stuck her nose in the technician's business. What was she doing? Caitlin was always good about shots. In fact, the vet's never bothered her. The groomer's on the other hand … they got you wet and touched your feet. Yuck!
Gently, I pulled her nose away. Susan and I prayed. God watch over my dog and me. I began speaking to her about this final journey, reminding her of all the places we had gone together.
"She's gone," the tech interrupted.
Caitlin's head dropped. She was still warm. It was as if she was asleep. We got her settled on the table so I could step away.
5. ​Final Arrangements
I decided to have Caitlin cremated to keep her near me. I've always thought people who did this were carrying things a bit too far, however, I decided it is what Caitlin would want –to be with me. I always thought she should have a proper interment.
The ASPCA which handles animal cremation in this area returned Caitlin's ashes in a sealed jewelry box. I bought a dog tag in the shape of a dog head with angel wings and tied it onto the latch with a leather thong I received at Lenten worship to bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity(Lorica)
I set the box on the bookshelf Chip made for me which stands near my desk where I am writing this now. Caitlin often laid between me and the bookshelf. Several angel figurines surround the box.
6. ​Some Final Thoughts
There are many more stories to tell about Caitlin. These are some of my favorites and seem to fit with my theme of faith journey.
Losing her has been like losing a part of myself. All of my daily living seems to have been wrapped around her. I feel as if I am unraveling in her absence.
Caitlin was never a comfort.
- If I was anxious, she was anxious.
- When I sneezed, she came to be reassured I was all right.
- When I left her, she waited, sometimes for hours, at the door for myreturn.
- If I went into a room, she followed.
- When I was working somewhere, she was present, stretching herself outon the floor so I had to climb over her in order to get somewhereelse.
Caitlin told jokes. They were dog jokes, of course, quite childish. Blocking my path was one of them.
Another way she understood humor was harness on, harness off. I taught this to nursery school children.
When Caitlin was in harness, she was working. She laid on the floor very still. When her harness was off, she was at play and could be petted. The children processed it as a game.
"Put the harness on!" they cried. I would. Caitlin became like a statue.
"Take it off!" With her harness off, she rolled onto her back and put her feet in the air. The children swarmed all over her.
The more we played, the more correct Caitlin became with her harness on and the wilder she became when the harness was taken off. She and the children loved the game.!
- Caitlin taught me about interdependence and loyalty.
- She taught me how to be present to someone else without speaking.
- She taught me how much she meant to other people. I received cards,phone calls and memorials to mark her passing and to honor her lifeamong us.
- She was one of God's creatures who did God's will unquestioningly.
Meeting Hulu
We met Hulu today. Nina and I got off the bus and went to the car. Hulu was waiting in the passenger footwell. Nina got into the back. Immediately Nina and Hulu met each other over the console. It took Sara and I a little bit to get both girls settled in their respective places.
We drove to the coffee shop. Although the temps were in the 50s, we sat outside by the fire pit. It was too noisy inside. The dogs behaved themselves though Hulu needed a lot of encouragement to be still. She is still learning.
When we went back to the house, the dogs had fun playing. Lots of roughhousing.
We will visit again soon.
Looking Forward to Meeting Hulu
I am looking forward to meeting Hulu. She is a five-month black Lab who is in training to become a guide dog. I am certain Nina will have fun playing with her.
Labor Day 2025
On Labor Day we went to Doctor's Park. We had a lovely time.
I brought my WFPB lunch while the others ate sandwiches.–pub
A Long Morning Walk with Nick
Nick, my Seeing Eye dog, and I took a walk this morning.
Now I know that taking a walk with your dog is not a novel experience for any dog owner. What was significant about this walk was that it took place immediately after my breakfast and before my exercise class at the senior center.
Normally I would have listened to my podcast app while sucking down at least one large cup of coffee. Instead, I skipped my morning coffee and got walking.
Our walk lasted about 40 minutes. We walked a route we just learned from our friend Sandy, but we walked it backwards. Nick trotted right along and got very excited when I chose to walk on the other side of Terrace Avenue. Nick had not walked down this side of the street yet.
I'm not sure how long the route is, maybe over 2 miles.
We have not been able to walk for several days because of our schedule and the rain. As it was not raining and it was fairly cool, it was a wonderful time to walk.
Rainy Day
It's been very warm here. It won't last, of course. Much of the snow has melted. There are large expanses of water to walk through. Elwood and I have been able to take some long walks. We've gotten very wet. yesterday i was able to go out only in a sweatshirt. But today it rained and we did not go out. Elwood was very annoyed with me. I've been annoyed with my computer so we haven't been good company for each other.
Doings Today
Today Elwood went to Pet Smart for his quarterly top dog treatment. I went to the cosmetology department at MATC for a pedicure, manicure, eyebrow waxing and hair cut. This is a good plan. I will have the same person cut my hair next time which is good because we are trying to straighten everything out from some poor hair cuts previously. I get to listen in on what the instructors tell the student and who knows, maybe I can learn something to tell another operator. I'm hoping the instructors learn my hair. I was also able to get Elwood a new bone and his food on sale as well as get a regular customer discount.
I brought my GPS with me. I forgot to turn it on at first and it takes a good 20 minutes sometimes to find the GPS signal, but when it did I could listen in as we drove around. My friends made certain I could landmark everywhere we went and gave me exact names. I even have their house marked. What is very cool about traveling this way is that I learned where the West Town Mall is, that Target is nearby and that Pet Smart and other places are near where the kids looked at an apartment for me. They decided it was a car-friendly area, not a pedestrian-friendly area. We all figured out it was far out of town. I would not have known all of this if I had left the GPS home.
I also had it on when my friend brought me home. We were stopping off at the library to pick up my books so I won't have to go anywhere tomorrow when the deep freeze will be upon us. I knew where we were and to say where to turn.
Elwood got a red bow to wear out of the spa. He showed more interest in a new bone and chewed happily.
We ate in a nice restaurant with numerous soup choices. They prepare all their soups gluten-free, adding noodles or rice as a GF alternative when the soup is served. Must keep the noodles and rice from getting gummy, too. I had French garden with basil on top and wonderful crusty bread and butter.
We also had a chance to stop at a second-hand store. I found a canister for Willie Street Coop bulk items and some warm tops including a purple tunic made of Italian yarn.
I just take Ellwood...
I just took Elwood out. He jumped onto my lap between me and the netbook. So I unplugged it and set it on his back. He jumped off.
(I think was an early program to record and transform your voice to text. Lots of errors I've corrected on September, 27, 2025. This little post made me smile. I'm sure I tried to type while the computer was on Elwood's back as a joke.)
Happy Birthday, Elwood!
Today is Elwood's 4th birthday. He was sung to last night at church and greeted this morning from St. Luke's Bible study. His birthday gift was unintentional. I changed clothes quickly last night before church and dropped them on the floor. Elwood found jeans and a sweatshirt when he came home and curled himself up on them. He was still there this morning. Such love. This was not his style when I first met him.
More Adventures
Not to be daunted, we went out again today and went to the Post Office. This is a very confusing place. It was a former A&P from what I understand. Lots of stations, people, and automatic doors. One difficulty is getting outside again. You have to go to the out for the door to open. Dogs expect to go out the door they came in.
It was leaving the Post office that proved to be a challenge for Elwood–or more to the point, getting back on the sidewalk. He made a grand tour of the parking lot and we had a nice chat with a man from Australia from his accent back at the Post office. Eventually, we got back on track and went off to the library to return a book and pick up another book. We has some miscommunication about what a clear sidewalk is and about ice and not going into the street. I tend to be unreasonable if I think there is a possibility about going out into the street and Elwood maintains that icy sidewalks are not what he considers suitable for walking. I try to make up for my dis stress by congratulating him on all good work just as enthusiastically as I fussed about staying on the sidewalk. There is one area he likes to tramp through the snow coming back. I don't know what he is avoiding. I of course sink down further in the snow than he does.
Then the fun began. We crossed the street. The angle was a little strange. I wanted to go a particular direction. I think he did not. The GPS advised we were going in a direction I did not want to go and I figured Elwood did want to go. I turned around and we wandered. Eventually, I figured out we had recrossed the street and may have been walking on the bike path. Then again, we may have been walking on the side of the street. I will give Elwood the benefit of the doubt here though we did not cross a snow bank to get across the street eventually. The cool part was that the GPS could tell me how far I was from our corner. I kept pressing the button and eventually we were approaching it. I suggested right and Elwood turned appropriately. The challenge then became crossing safely. It was windy. I had on a hood. I knew we were in the right place not only because of the GPS but by a car which turned. I'm sure Elwood knew exactly where the crosswalk was. Some cars passed and then it was our turn. Zip. And zip all the way home. Elwood was glad to get back.
I did not mention in a previous post that we also managed to get locked out New Year's Day. I buzzed a neighbor. I didn't realize I was on the wrong row of buttons and buzzed someone on the other side of the building. She was nice enough not only to let me in but to step outside her door to see if I had indeed come inside.
The Women of Madison
Happy New Year to everyone!
I haven't posted for a while. Life is like that.
The kids were here Christmas Eve. We went to church together. Brian thought there was a lot of singing. If you wanted a service with lots of singing, this was it. A very good service for people who are not necessarily "into" church or who may think differently than you about church. It had singing, candle lighting, kids and the Christmas story as well as a play about how the Christmas story characters were just ordinary people like us.
The soup was a great success with people taking leftovers home. I decided's ed I need to work a little more on the soup choices. i picked 3 heavy soups and that was way too much in the stomach so a lighter soup choice needs to be found.
It's been very cold here and we've had over 38 inches of snow already. The Sunday before Christmas the wind chill was -35.
With the snow blocking routes and Elwood's creativity, I have found myself in need of help. The women of Madison have come through for me. One woman drove me to the library because the path I was on was snow-blocked. Another woman stopped her car to re-direct us as we were in no man's land along the side of a major road. She made sure we knew where we were before returning to her car.
It is very cold today but lots of people were out, especially on the bike path. I heard someone say,"We have 5 miles to go." I don't know if there was a New Year's walk in progress.
I now have GPS. Sited people can have GPS for under $100. I got GPS for under $1000. It is a dedicated unit and very simple which is what I wanted. There are cheaper solutions on cell phones, but I (a) bounced someone out of his application by fiddling with his phone and (b) I couldn't imagine myself messing around with commands on a phone at a corner in 4 degree weather like there was outside today. I can find out where I am by pushing one button with my gloves on if necessary.
I recorded our route today and learned I had walked over 2.25 miles. I need to walk more, for Elwood's sake as well as to deal with the weight which is creeping up due to inaction.
Bear in mind, the average snowfall in Madison has been 51 inches though last year they had 100. The head of the meteorology department at UW Madison does not think it will be 100 this year, but with 40 inches or so on the ground already who knows.
Writing from Glendale
I'm writing this from Glendale having come here on the bus yesterday. Tomorrow is our cookie bake. It turns out I am making the base for the Italian wedding soup for lunch. I also have to see if I can still make cookies.
I understand there is a big snowstorm on the east coast. We have had snow, too and it is very, very cold.
Wednesday we went to the library. It was the first clear day in a while. I wanted to get a book before it got sent back to its originating library and I had several to return. I also thought it would get us out.
Well, they're digging up alongside Wingra Creek. The intersection of Park and Wingra is not well shoveled and the sidewalk was deteriorating as we approached. I decided to go back. Elwood, who does not like backtracking, suggested we cross Wingra at South. There's a crosswalk and the down curb was shoveled. Normally I don't do this because there is not a stop sign on Wingra nor a light, but traffic was light enough and slow enough I thought we could manage it. Then I discovered the snowbank along the bike path. Okay, we'll walk along it to Fish and get onto the sidewalk there. I also found half a dozen cars parked along the road. Go around. Eventually we found where someone had shoveled through the snow to the bike path./ Much joy.
Our next surprise, or at least mine, was finding myself crossing a street and continuing on open sidewalk. Well, I thought it was open sidewalk. It turned out to be one of the lanes on the main street. In Elwood's defense, the opposite curb was plowed in and only a cut less than the width of a dog gave access to the sidewalk.
But here we were, in the street and we needed to get off of it. So we climbed the snowbank, me on hands and knees because it was too high to step over and too dense to slog through. This happened twice more on our return trip. Boy was I sore. I don't use those muscles. I did have that wonderful feeling of snow on my pant legs I remember from childhood. I haven't felt that for a long time and was quite surprised to find it locked away in memory.
Some of you are not receiving my emails. I'm sending them. Please check junk folders and add me to your white list or receive email from this person list.
I am using the new little netbook I got recently with St. Luke's purse gift. It is easy to carry with me and J. resolved some of my issues with it last night. It has a web cam so hopefully skype calls using it will have video. My home system defaults to my telephone which does not have video but I will see how the wireless connection behaves when I return and we'll go from there.
Weekly Message - Working
I shared this message with The Judson Fellowship: An American Baptist Church and member of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists this morning in Jamestown, New York.
Biblical texts for today:
- Psalm 66;
- John 14:8-14.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Can you believe it? Can you really believe it? Jesus says to us today: "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to [God] (John 14:12 NRSV).
Do you believe–do you really believe–that we can do greater things than Jesus? That is what our Scripture says this morning. It says that we will do greater things than Jesus did.
I don't know which is more fantastic, more astonishing, more preposterous–that we are capable of doing greater things than Jesus or that Jesus is speaking this Word to us today. Look around you. Jesus is saying this little band of believers gathered here this morning will do greater things than Jesus did in his lifetime on earth!
Do you believe this? Can you really say it out loud? Can you?
And more importantly, do you? Do you believe it? Do you act every minute of every day that you will do greater things than Jesus?
Let's find out. Try this sentence: I __ (say your own name out loud) will do greater things than Jesus.
How does that sound to you? Fantastic? Astonishing? Preposterous? Irreverent? Blasphemous?
How about scary?
Let's think for a minute what Jesus did. Give me some examples.
(Here are a few samples:)
- Cured a man of his demons (Mark 5:1-20);
- Cured a woman of a twelve-year flow of blood (Mark 5:25-34);
- fed the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44);
- walked on water (Mark 6:45-52);
- Gave Bartimaeus his sight (Mark 10:46-52);
- Raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
And we can do greater things than these?
Thursday night we read an article together from March's InSpiritor. 54 American Baptist churches and a number of like-minded individuals have declared themselves to be welcoming and affirming to "all persons without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity". In response, there's a proposal to "disfellowship" all Welcoming and Affirming churches from their respective associations and refuse to allow these same churches to associate with other churches non-geographically. A consultant to the General Board of ABC-USA has talked about "acceptable losses". Our General Secretary has called on us to be bridge builders rather than people who put up walls between us; to be Baptists who focus on the work. (The link is no longer active.)
"Disfellowship" is not a nice word–much less a real word. I began to ask myself if "fellowship" is a verb. Certainly not in English. In Greek perhaps–the original language of our New Testament? Well, yes, there's a verb and it means "I share." "Disfellowship" means, therefore, an unwillingness to share.
Well, The Judson Fellowship knows about sharing. We've been dubbed "the sharers": the people who don't want to put their resources into real property but want to reach out to other people, to put the money into work. Isn't that what Welcoming and Affirming is all about–sharing God's love with all people? Isn't that the work?
Fellowship is such a hard thing to maintain. It is so much easier to walk away. Isolation seems preferable: no arguments, no wrestling with our consciences, no struggling with what it means to be Jesus' disciples or how to love each other when we hold opposite views, no change, no growth, no work.
When I first got Caitlin–when we were still at the Seeing Eye–I bought a Nylo bone for her. It was just a toy for her to chew on. I hesitantly held it out to her. Those powerful jaws closed tightly on it. She seemed to be saying, "Mine!" Dogs don't share. Toddlers don't share. As adults, we make decisions about with whom we want to share. We have our own bank accounts, own our own homes in which we live with other people or not. Some of us may share clothing–jackets, sweaters, maybe even shirts, but I wonder about items like underwear. Toothbrushes are definitely out. We all have our limits.
Jesus says to us today, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to [God]."
What sort of works is Jesus talking about? Not necessarily miracles: these works are not signs or wonders. It's work plain and simple–the kind of work that raises a sweat or provides a service. Jesus says our works, our deeds, our toil, our labor, our services, our sweat equity will be greater than any works Jesus did.
The old adage says: If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. We may be inclined to ask, "What's the fine print here?" The offer that comes in the mail that says, "Here's a check for a thousand dollars for you," also says, "Cash it and you've agreed to pay it back at considerable interest."
When Philip says, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied (NRSV); that will be enough for us (NIV); that is all we need (CEV); something in me says, "Oh yes. Show us! That would be wonderful!" To be caught up in God would be to put all my troubles aside. I would be filled with love and a peace beyond words. That is all I need I tell myself!
Jesus, however, finds fault with Philip. Jesus finds fault with me, too. You and I and The Judson Fellowship are called to "greater works than these," not blissful contemplation. We are not to shirk the work.
To see Jesus is to see God. Unlike Philip, we are not reclining at table with Jesus in Jerusalem around the year 30. We are here in Jamestown, New York, May 1, 2005. Shortly we will eat a loaf of bread together and share a cup. It is in the words at our table, in the passing of food and drink, in the sharing of this meal, that we will know Jesus is in our midst. We will see Jesus in each other's face, feel Jesus' touch as we are handed food and drink and we hand food and drink to another person. Jesus is present in the simple act of sharing. Jesus is present in the work.
Think how different we are. Only a few of us are biologically related. Think how little we have in common. Jesus is the one who binds us together, who enables us to share our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our troubles and our fears with one another.
It's fantastic. It's astonishing. You wouldn't have believed it if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, if you hadn't touched it with your own hands, if you hadn't experienced it for yourself.
Sharing together is one of the greater things Jesus is talking about today. Bringing very different people to be partners together is what Jesus is talking about today. Inclusion is what Jesus is talking about today. This is the work Jesus is talking about today. That is why I find "disfellowshipping" so offensive.
Relationships are difficult enough with the people we love. Relationships with people we don't agree with are very hard. I know. I'm experiencing this right now. I would rather just hang out with people who like me, who agree with me, who support me, who approve of me. Jesus' words call out to me to do something more, something fantastic, something astonishing, something preposterous. Jesus calls me to share with others: people who don't like me, who don't agree with me, who don't support me and who don't approve of me.
The greater things than all the miracles we named at the beginning is "love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples" (John 13:34b-35). It's sweaty, gut-wrenching work.
There's no way around it–Christian love is work. There's a lot of risk involved. Feelings get hurt. Self-esteem and confidence fall through the floor. Minds get changed. Truths we once thought were incontrovertible turn out to be falsehoods.
I have one caution: Risk-taking in relationships does not extend to putting yourself in harm's way in domestic relationships. Jesus does not intend for us to be in abusive relationships: spiritual, emotional or physical. If you are in one, get out. If you need help, ask. There is no situation that you can't get out of. You don't have to stay. Get out.
What I am talking about today is those voluntary associations we respond to because we believe God has called us together to be a community of Christian love and to continue Christ's ministry of building the Kingdom of God on earth. One way I believe we do that is working so that some day all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity will say, "Blessed be God, because [God] has not rejected my prayer or removed his [or her] steadfast love from me" (Psalm 66:20. This is the greater work Jesus calls us to do today.
Amen.