In Need of Rescue

"Whiskey" - Before and After

Luke 15:20-24
"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began."

I have a rescue English Cocker here right now named “Whiskey”. Whiskey was found wandering the streets of a Chicago suburb. He was so fat he looked like a whiskey barrel with legs, hence his name. Whiskey was pretty scruffy when he was found…dirty, matted, in need of serious grooming. I groomed him up with the help of a friend and underneath all that curly, matted fur was a beautiful boy! With the support of the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America (ECSCA), the national breed club of which I am a member, Whiskey was treated by a vet for a severe bronchial infection and he is now recovering here at “Golden Gait”, surrounded by all his new friends. Whiskey is happy to be clean, fed, cared for, and loved….but you know what? I think I am just as blessed to have had the opportunity to give, to love, and to help a soul that was lost….and now is found. What joy it brings me to think I was able to play even a small part in helping to “save” his life.

We don’t know the circumstances surrounding how Whiskey got lost. Perhaps he had irresponsible owners. Or, maybe he finally figured out a way to escape his yard so he could chase that cat! (Whiskey is a big time cat chaser). No matter the reason, the fact still remains he was lost…and in need of rescue.

Sometimes I think we too get “lost”…sometimes on purpose, sometimes through circumstances which seem out of our control. We wander about, looking for “home”…empty, hurting, hungry…hungry not for food, but for love. We often try to fill this void with all the world seems to offer, only to discover we are left unsatisfied still…empty, wounded, and searching again.

There is one who sees our wanderings, who sees our emptiness, who sees our pain…he is our heavenly Father who yearns deeply to “rescue us”. The parable of the prodigal son told by Jesus shows us a Father who saw his son while he was “still a long way off” and he delighted at his son’s return home. He didn’t care where the son had been or what he had done, but only that his son was home. The Father’s desire was to shower his son with blessings and affection and love, for his son was lost and now was found! How great was the Father’s love!

Do you need rescue? Do you feel lost? God doesn’t care how you got where you are….whether it was of your own doing or through circumstances out of your control. No matter the reason, God desires to rescue you and to welcome you home. God is not the evil “dog catcher” in the sky who wants to put a noose around your neck and lead you away to “jail”. No, God is as Jesus described Him…the Father who sees you from still a long way off, who feels love and compassion for you, who wishes to run to you, to embrace you, to kiss you and to care for you. If you can see God like this, you are probably more likely to “come when you are called”….and to be rescued yourself….like Mr. Whiskey Barrel.

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Cocker See, Cocker Do

I Corinthians 15:33
“Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Well, that didn’t take long…my little “Hope” has learned new things from her big sister, “Groovy”. In my last article, Time for an Obedience Class, I shared how Groovy has been “testing me” and not coming in from outside when I call her. No sooner did I finish writing the article did my 7 month old “Hope” begin to travel down the same road. If there is one thing I have learned in 16 plus years breeding and raising dogs is that not all behavior is genetic, but much of it is learned….not just from humans, but often from other dogs who share the home (multi-dog homes). Younger, more impressionable dogs often look to the older dogs for guidance as to appropriate and/or acceptable behavior. Bad behavior, such as peeing on the floor, barking excessively, digging, destroying things, and yes, not coming when the master calls, can often quite easily “rub off” on the yet untrained dog. The younger dog can further learn other, more serious, behaviors from doggy peers such as wariness of strangers, object guarding, crate possessiveness, fence fighting, or even general “irritability” issues. Even for dogs, the scripture holds true, “Bad company corrupts good morals”! On the positive side, if a young dog grows up around other dogs that are happy, outgoing, accepting of strangers, obedient, responsive, and relatively quiet, they have a much better chance of becoming “good dogs”, like their more positive role models. This is what makes a “dam” worth her weight in gold in a breeding program if she herself possesses a sound mind and a gentle heart to pass on and to teach her “children.”

The great Book of Psalms starts right off in Chapter 1 verse 1, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” Sounds pretty and poetic, doesn’t it? But do we heed its practical advice? When we search for direction, for what to do, or for what to think on a matter, who do we ask? When we know something is wrong and we do it anyway because “everyone else is doing it”, what path are we traveling down and with what company? Do we sit by while injustice occurs and even join in on the contempt of the “weak”? Sarcasm and ridicule can often be quite contagious.

If we watch carefully who we walk, stand, and sit around, we are told we can be blessed. Blessed….defined in the Greek as “happy, prosperous, fortunate, and enviable”. What a promise! But, we’ll never see that promise until we choose to follow God, to keep company with Him, and to seek to surround ourselves with those who will lift us up, not bring us down.

I am not losing “Hope”…she and “Groovy” have taken a momentary “detour” down a dead end path. But, they still have the grand matriarch “Joy” to help keep them in line and to give them something positive to imitate. “Joy” is as blessed as any dog can be blessed...and I am blessed to keep her company.

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Time for an Obedience Class

Psalm 40:8
“I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

I have a one year old English Cocker Spaniel named “Groovy”. She is a very playful and silly girl. I love her temperament and personality, well, except for maybe one thing. Groovy loves life so much that often times when she is called to come in from outside, she will not want to come in because she would rather stay outside and play. It was sort of cute when she was 6 months old to see her little wheels turning like “Ummmm….do I have to? I REALLY want to stay out here and play!” She’d dance around with her ears perked and eyes alert and wide. Then, I would have to walk out and get her…sometimes even chase her. Now, at a year old, she still stands outside when it is time to come in, but she stands real still with a pitiful look of “Awww….I was having so much fun and now it’s over!!” I still have to walk out to get her, only this time I do not have to chase her. She knows she will not win this “stand off”. I scoop her up, I cradle her in my arms, I give her smooches, and I assure her there will be more fun again later. She kisses back.

Obedience to the Lord is often a rough road to walk….at first. Early on, in our immaturity (or perhaps ignorance), we disobey God by backing away from Him and holding tight to that which we think we so badly want or need in life. We cling to our “moment”, we try to justify why we should be free to enjoy our “moment”, and we fight to keep our “moment”. When we mature a bit more, we begin to obey because we know God is the Authority…but, we still don’t like it and we still don’t understand why God has put a “restriction” on our personal freedoms. While it is good we obeyed, we have not yet moved into obeying from the heart…which is what God is really after. Why? Because when we get to the point where we obey from the heart, we are at a point where there is no “fighting”, but rather peace and joy. There is peace in not always having to understand the complete wisdom in what God asks of us through simply trusting that God is good, that His love is great, and that He has our best interest at heart. And, there is joy…joy because we know our obedience is pleasing to Him.

Where are we on our road to complete surrender to God and His will and His ways? My girl “Groovy” has traveled the rocky road to now the gravel road, but I am sure she’ll be cruising down that smooth, paved road very soon….especially when she realizes there is a free flowing stream of doggy biscuits awaiting her around that next bend. Perhaps God has our fondest delights and dreams awaiting us around the next bend on our journey? I suspect He does….if we will obey from our heart….and go there.

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Hair to be Different

Matthew 10: 29-31
“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

The most frequently asked question when non-doggy people come to our house and see all my English Cocker Spaniel dogs and/or puppies is, “HOW do you tell them all apart??!!!”. I find this such an odd question because they all look different to me! I can tell you which one is a bit more “stocky”, which one is a slightly different shade of color than the next, which one has rounder eyes than the next, which one has a certain spot of white on the chest, which one has a swirl in the hair on the shoulder…I could go on and on. Beyond appearances, I can also tell you which one is shy, which one is bold, which one is silly, and which one “thinks too much”. Though they were made in the image of their sire and dam, they are each uniquely beautiful and special to me.

God tells us “the very hairs on your head are all numbered”. Wow. I have never gotten to the point of numbering the fur on my dogs! All of mankind and all the wondrous diversity, yet God knows each of us down to the very hairs on our head. Sometimes we can feel so insignificant and irrelevant in life, like if we disappeared perhaps nobody would notice. My friend, God would notice. He knows not just our outward appearance, but the very thoughts and secrets of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). He knows our fears, our insecurities, and our weaknesses. But, He also knows our gifts, our talents, and our strengths. We are not insignificant to God. We are valuable to Him - more than a “flock of sparrows” and more than even a herd of happy, wiggly tailed English Cockers! We are uniquely beautiful, made in His image, and individually crafted….so that collectively, God can masterfully paint Himself a magnificent canvas of the glorious “body of Christ”.

Recognize your beauty to God, value your purpose for His purpose. Let God use you to “color His world".

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Covered in Kisses

John 4:23 (New King James Version)
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

Over the years I have had many people watch my dogs interact with me and then comment, “Look how much they adore you!”, to which I'd reply, jokingly, “Oh yes, they worship me!”. Little did I realize how much this casual comment would later teach me.

My husband recently shared with me the definition of the Bible’s Greek word for “worship”. The first definition listed in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance for the word “worship” is this: to kiss, as a dog licking his master’s hand. Oh my!! I immediately thought of my dogs and all their licking. They really DO worship me!! And, they are not content with just a lick of the hand, but they must get to my face too! As I thought more about this newly discovered definition of worship, I began to ask myself the question: Why DO my dogs insist on licking me?

I believe my dogs lick me, first and foremost, as an act of reverence. My dogs think I am GREAT! Not great as in “she’s really cool”, but great as in all powerful, all wonderful, all mighty, all magnificent. There is no one and no thing bigger in their eyes than me. I also believe my dogs lick me out of a heart of thanksgiving for who I am to them – their provider, their protector, their good master. I suppose some would say all this “worship” could make one into an egomaniac. I have to be honest, it does feel good to know the love I have given has been accepted…and reciprocated, even through their simple expression of “worship”, the licking of my hand.

John 4:23 says GOD is seeking true worshipers to worship Him. Are we “worshipers”? What kind of “worship” do we give our Good Master? Do we “drive through” once a week, wave hello from a distance, sing a quick song, recite a few memorized prayers, eat a cracker, and tell him on our rush out, “See ya next week!”? Or, if we do actually make time to approach Him, do we stay only long enough to dump our problems so we can hurry off to make more? Do we really believe He is bigger than our problems anyway? What if we really did start to see Him and experience Him for who He truly is and who He wants to be in our life? What if we made the time to sit at His feet and simply awe at the GREATNESS of His power, His wonder, His might, and His magnificence? Can our heart purpose to be thankful for all He is to us - our provider, our protector, our good and loving Master? Do we approach His hand with boldness and confidence and trust, or do we approach His hand as a dog approaches the hand of a stranger, cautious and distrusting?

Lord, let us purpose to know you as our GOOD Master today. Let us purpose to magnify you in all Your majesty and splendor, for you truly are GREAT. Let us let you love us more deeply, to the point we reciprocate that love back to you, and on to others.

Lord, we desire to become the true worshipers you seek, sitting adoringly at your feet…..and taking every opportunity to kiss our master’s hand.

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Joy in the Morning

Psalm 30:4-5
"Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."

It's morning....time to let the dogs out. I'm still groggy and my body is still moving slow. Oh, but those dogs, from the young ones to the old ones....morning is an exciting time for them! Its a new day! They aren't thinking about yesterday when they got in trouble for digging holes or for tearing apart their bed. They aren't wondering if I am still mad at them. They aren't thinking about that scuffle they had with one of their siblings over the much coveted hedge hog stuffie. They aren't wondering if their brother is still mad at them or whether they should still be mad at their brother. And, they sure aren't wasting any energy thinking about whether or not it's going to rain today and mess up their "plans"! No, its morning and its a NEW day!!

OK...so I know dogs don't "think" like we do...but sometimes I think we as humans can think too much!! We spend so much of our time today thinking about what happened yesterday. We think about how we disappointed someone close to us, or how they disappointed us. We think about that argument we had with our parent, our spouse, our friend, or our boss. Are they still mad at me? Am I, or should I, still be mad at them? I WAS right, you know. Is God still mad at me for when I blew it yesterday and acted "ugly", or for that fill-in-the-blank thing I did 10 years ago?

The Psalm here says God's anger lasts for a moment. Wow. He's GOD and even HE only lets his anger last a moment with us. If God can "forgive and forget" in a moment, why do we carry for days or weeks or years that "grudge" and that unforgiving heart toward that person who "wronged" us? Or, worse, toward God because things didn't go the way we thought they should and HE didn't seem to care (or so we thought).

God does not dwell on the past, and He doesn't live in the past. He lives today, with the forward looking attitude toward us of "His favor lasts a lifetime". He gives us a NEW day, each day, to live in His favor. We may weep for the night, but as my little cockers know full well, "joy comes with the morning".....if we choose to let it, and live in it.

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

Me and My Shadow

Psalm 63:6-8 (New King James Version)
"Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. "

I tell anyone looking to get an English Cocker Spaniel that they should only get one if they like a dog to be their shadow. English Cockers (at least my kennel lines) follow you EVERYWHERE. If you get up from the couch, they’ll get up and follow you. If you head to the bathroom, they’ll follow you. In fact, if you close the bathroom door on them, they’ll crouch down and sniff under the door until you open it! You will never find your “Engi” much further than an arms length away at any given time. Your presence is their joy. Your presence is where they find rest, peace, pleasure, and comfort. My old “Champ” dog was like this. He could be in the deepest of sleep at my feet and if I stood up and left the room, somehow he knew my presence had left him and he awoke and sought me out. He was not “insecure”; he just delighted to be with me! He was my shadow for 15 years. My current old girl, Glory, is 14 years old and is essentially blind and mostly deaf now. Yet, even in her present condition, she knows when I am near….or not, and will seek for me if she stretches out her nose and cannot find my leg. I delight in knowing she “needs” me, and it is never a burden to care for her and help guide her and keep her safe throughout the day. She sleeps by my side each night, right where Champ slept before he passed on last year.

This world and this life can often throw so much at us, so many burdens and cares and problems. Psalm 63:7 gives us hope, “Because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice”. God IS our helper and rest, peace, pleasure, and comfort is available to us in the safety of the shadow of His wings. But, it is our choice to go there, to remain there. How do we do this? The next verse gives us the way, “My soul follows close behind You, Your right hand upholds me.” God doesn’t have a choke collar on us, dragging us behind Him forcing us to follow Him, any more than I had a choke collar on my Champ or Glory forcing them to follow me. My dogs purpose to follow me. Why…because my right hand upholds them. That is, my hand holds good things for them – a pet, hug, care, provision, safety, love. If we truly believed we would find these things in God’s loving presence, in the shadow of His wings, would we purpose to seek Him more earnestly? Would we purpose to follow behind Him more closely? I think we would.

I want to be like an “Engi” to God….receiving His love, resting at His feet, sleeping by His side…and never farther than an arm’s length away.

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

My Daily Bread, Their Daily Kibble

Matthew 6:11
"Give us this day our daily bread"

I have a mulberry tree which hangs over my back fence. The berries are now ripe and the dogs love to snack on the fallen berries. They eat for a while and then go play. They stop back later, they eat some more, and then go play. I suppose if dogs had opposable thumbs it might cross their minds to gather up a big pile and bring some in for a late night snack or store some away for another day in case I forgot to feed them their morning kibble. But alas, they seemed content to just eat what they wanted from the tree and then go off to play….without worry there might not be any more berries later.

Last week I had snacked on mulberries off that tree, right there in the yard while I thought about God’s goodness and reflected on the simple joys of life. Today though, while watching the dogs eat the fallen berries, I had the grand thought of gathering and filling a BIG tasty bowl of them for myself for later. Mmmm, berries and ice cream for dinner…it’ll be so yummy! Later, when I went to wash the bowl of berries, there appeared a small spider, then another, then a little beetle looking thing, and another. I reluctantly continued washing and then tried to eat some (after all, I had worked so hard to fill that big bowl!). Nope…couldn’t do it…couldn’t get the visions of spiders and beetles out of my head.

There’s something to that “daily bread” concept God so often teaches us in His Word. As master of my dogs, it is my responsibility (without burden) to give my dogs their daily kibble meals. In fact, they wake me each morning to remind me of this task! Jesus told us in Matthew 6:11 to pray to our Father, our Good Master, this prayer: “and give us this day, our daily bread”. There is nothing wrong with asking God to this day, provide my daily bread, and then trust Him to do just that! Often though, we go far beyond this with the “more is better” mentality (like I did with the mulberries!). Or, we worry there won’t be enough for tomorrow and so we hoard. Neither is faith.

Today my dogs taught me about God. They taught me it’s ok to pray for provision and to believe for God’s blessing. They taught me to give thanks for what is given…instead of coveting what is not. They taught me to not worry for tomorrow, but to enjoy the fruit of today, for as long as it is called today. Oh, and they taught me that some things are better eaten right off the tree, right then and there, before you notice the bugs. ;-)

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak