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The first question that you should ask a potential hire.

I just finished watching a movie, What is a Woman?  I saw Matt Walsh traveling our country in an attempt to get “experts” to define: what a woman is.  It wasn’t until he traveled to a remote African tribe that he found his answer.  The tribe considered him pretty stupid to even ask the question.  They all agreed that they were better off in their remote tribe than living in America.

Half of our country cannot define a woman.  It is this half of society that we don’t want to hire in our profession.  We spend a lot of time attempting to describe an animal so that it can properly be found by its owner.  It is difficult enough that we confuse breeds; but if we can’t identify the sex (or gender) of the animal, we might as well just turn all of the dogs (and cats) loose to find their own way home.

It is also members of this group that will accept that a person can be a dog or cat.   That’s right, people are now identifying as animals.  You’ll have to deal with that when someone comes into your shelter claiming to identify as a dog.   You’ll have to decide as to whether you require a license or neutering.

The current dysphoria that we have with gender will eventually find its way to animal shelters.  Suggesting that we use a binary system to identify our animals will cause employee stress, given today’s society.  So, the best way to handle this is to form committees to decide the sex of an animal.

I am reminded that in Roanoke the volunteers insisted that a dog was a Great Dane, because they hated when I referred to a dog as being a Pitbull.  I can’t blame them, 70% of our dogs were Pitbulls.  I agreed to send the dog’s DNA for testing.  Guess what?  The dog was genetically a Pitbull.  100%!

Fortunately, determining the sex of an animal is pretty simple when you look under the hood and are honest with what you see.  Hint:  penis = male.

So, in case you are wondering: a woman is an adult female (with the equipment necessary for birthing a baby).  Sometimes asks for help opening a jar of pickles.  Hint: no penis = female.

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Cat Colonies

One of the newer strategies in reaching a no-kill quota is to remove surrendered cats from an animal shelter and release them into community cat colonies.  The notion is that it is better to allow them a chance to live wild than to kill them.  This strategy is good for the shelter’s statistics by allowing the shelter to show them in the live release column.

At odds with this strategy is the placement of the cats into circumstances in which the cats might die from harsh winter weather or be eaten by coyotes.  Either way, the cats’ deaths do not negatively impact the shelter’s statistics.  The more cats you remove from the shelter, the better the live release rate becomes.  The bad news is that not everyone will believe that this is a humane solution.  The good news is that no matter how much the cats suffer in death, the shelter statistics will look good.

Even if the shelter is maintaining the colony as it should by feeding the cats off of the ground and creating escape routes to keep the cats safe, the colony is going to naturally attract wildlife into the area.  The colony will become an attractant for racoons, skunks and coyotes.

Areas that did not have to deal with nuisance wildlife will begin to experience problems.  It is easy to convince a community to ignore minor wildlife intrusions, but as the cat colonies grow, the nuisances caused by wildlife will also grow.

A shelter’s no-kill strategy can lead to neighborhood pets being killed due to the attracting colony.  The problem with dealing with Mother Nature is that every time humans become involved, we tend to make things worse.  We never seem to be able to see the bigger picture.

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The Four Winds

The phrase “Four Winds” appears throughout the Scriptures and carries both literal and figurative meaning.  These winds can symbolize God’s sovereign power or creation, His judgment, and the universal reach of His plan for humanity.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, winds were frequently recognized as influential forces that brought rain, storms, drought, or locusts.  Biblical writers use these references to the four winds to communicate God’s sovereign ability to gather or scatter nations, send forth His power, or bring judgment or blessings upon people.

Matt 24:31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Rev 7:1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

Jer 49:36And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come.

Ezek 37:9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

Dan 7:2Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Dan 8:8Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Dan 11:4And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Zech 2:6Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord.

Zech 6:5And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

Jer 25:32“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, disaster is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!

Isa 11:12He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Ezek 7:2“And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.

Acts 27:14But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

Rev 20:8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

Ps 78:26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

Jer 18:17Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”

Ezek 5:10Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds.

Ezek 12:14And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.

Ezek 17:21And all the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

Matt 8:26–27And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Mark 4:37–39And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Luke 8:23–25and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Job 1:19and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Ps 148:8fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Prov 25:23The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Eccles 1:6The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

Eccles 11:4He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Isa 27:8Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.

Hos 4:19A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Hos 13:15Though he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing.

Amos 4:13For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Jonah 1:4But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

I might have gotten a little carried away making my point.  The four winds are seen as agents of change.  In biblical terms, the East Wind is often the bearer of God’s Judgement, bringing harshness and difficulty.  The North Wind symbolizes God’s sovereignty.  The West Wind represents God’s power to renew or reverse the course of human events.  It represents God’s power to save.  The South Wind is a bearer of God’s judgment and revelation. It is a symbol of God’s power.

The Four Winds in Scriptures represent much more than mere meteorological phenomena.  They speak of the fullness and scope of the Creator’s power, the completeness of His plan for both judgment and salvation, and the unifying reach of His redemptive work.  From the Old Testament prophets to the New Testament vision of the end times, the Four Winds underscore the reality that everything – north, south, east, and west – is under the ultimate authority of the One who created heaven and earth.

Throughout the Bible, the winds act singly or in concert with one another to bring about God’s purpose for us. Whether in moments of judgment or consolation, the Four Winds proclaim the sovereignty of the Lord over all creation.  They invite reflection on His capacity to breathe life into spiritually desolate situations, His power to scatter the proud, and His promise to gather the faithful from everywhere under the heavens.

If you wish to learn more, I encourage you to read Mastering and Mobilizing the FOUR WINDS … for Supernatural Intervention and Kingdom Advancement by Dr. Francis Myles.

Lord, please direct my path,  keep my sails full with your gentle winds.

 

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The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit

“And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38-39.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit were intended by God to bring forth the brotherhood of Christians, and yet, when you put Godly things in the hands of mankind, division arose.

One of the most difficult aspects of these gifts is understanding that God has already given them to believers.  I have witnessed services in which people were told to beg God for the gifts.  It is unnecessary to beg for something that you already possess.  The biggest hurdle for believers is to just accept the gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 gives us the 9 gifts:

  1. A word of wisdom: Supernatural insight for decision-making and understanding God’s will.
  2. A word of knowledge: Supernatural information or understanding of truth given by the Spirit.
  3. Faith: A supernatural ability to believe in and expect what is needed beyond ordinary faith.
  4. Gifts of healings: The ability to be an instrument of God’s healing power.
  5. Working of miracles: The supernatural power to perform acts that are beyond ordinary human ability.
  6. Prophecy: The gift of speaking forth God’s message to people.
  7. Discerning of spirits: The ability to distinguish the spiritual realm and identify true or false spiritual influences.
  8. Kinds of tongues: A supernatural ability to speak in a language one has not learned.
  9. Interpretation of tongues: The ability to understand and communicate a message spoken in tongues.

Today, a Christian must arm up against the powers of darkness.  In the day of fake news, having the gift of discernment is handy.  It is hard to decide which of the gifts are most important.  It is easier to decide which ones are least important.  I was a deacon in a charismatic church that believed that if you didn’t speak in tongues, you probably weren’t saved.  As my faith grew, I came to learn that it was the least important gift, unless you have someone with the interpretation of tongues.  And even then, it is no good unless you have the gift of discernment.  It can be amazing as to see something Godly coming out of the hole in our face that spews such wickedness.  Okay, sorry for that tangent.

The Holy Spirit pours Himself out to us in full measure; but our limitations restrict the manifestations of how the Spirit works within us.  It is this Spirit that holds the Church of Christ together, no matter how frayed.  It is easy to spot the differences between denominations, but we are all held together: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

I know, it sounds too simple.  Yet, that just shows how much He loves us.  If you believe in Him, you belong with the rest of us.  Heaven is the place where we stop arguing over doctine.

 

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Reverence

I confess, I was put off by the lack of reverence at a recent church service.  My irritation was ignited by my studies of the Seven Spirits of God in Isaiah 11: 2 – 4.  Our minister was calling people forward to accept Christ, and a group of people were rushing to be the first ones out the door.  Apparently, the parking lot is hard to navigate after a church service.

I liked the gentle manner in which the pastor reminded folks that leading people to Christ is likely the most important part of the service.  He didn’t mention how disruptive these folks are or their lack of reverence.

Don’t think that I don’t know my own faults.  I will have my own list on Judgement Day.  I pray that the lack of reverence isn’t one of them.

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The Seven Spirits of God

2     “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3     And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4     but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth…”  (Isaiah 11: 2-4)

God the Father poured out His Spirit in full measure upon His Son.  In turn, Christ passed along these manifestations of God’s Spirit to His followers.  If you were counting, there are seven independent manifestations of God’s Spirit:

  • The Spirit of the Lord
  • The Spirit of Wisdom
  • The Spirit of Understanding
  • The Spirit of Counsel
  • The Spirit of Might
  • The Spirit of Knowledge
  • The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

 

Jesus received the Spirit in full.  When God fills us with His Spirit, we accept all of His Spirit, and yet few of us can manifest more than a couple of them.  God wants us to have all of them, and they belong to all of us, but sometimes we stand in the way of the Spirit within us.

The reason that Charlie Kirk was such a great man is that he manifested so many of those Spirits in his life.  It is no wonder that we looked up to him—his love for God, his love for his family, and his love for Country.  Charlie manifested the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

So? What are these Spirits?

  • The Spirit of the Lord gives us boldness because it is when we are inspired by the Spirit of the Lord. Some think that the Spirit of the Lord is “a still, small voice.” Because that is how they know Him.  But, He’s the Spirit of boldness. This Spirit brings authority and power.
  • The Spirit of Wisdom gives us knowledge that is beyond ourselves. Wisdom is a force providing divine insight into the plans and purposes of God.  It is understanding spiritual realities. It gives us the ability to see what is missing and helps us make good judgments.
  • The Spirit of Understanding goes hand in hand with Wisdom because Understanding gives us the ability to comprehend what the Spirit of Wisdom has revealed to us. It allows us to see from God’s perspective.  Revelation, or understanding, means to bring light to hidden things.  This understanding brings forth prophets (small “p”).
  • The Spirit of Counsel is simply God’s advice for a plan of action, showing us what to do by providing us with continual guidance, keeping us on the right path.
  • The Spirit of Might gives us boldness to turn the Spirit of Counsel outward. It gives you the courage to do what God calls you to do with overpowering and extraordinary power.
  • The Spirit of Knowledge shares with us information that is beyond our ability to comprehend. It is as if God has given us a library card to His library.  It gives us access to information that makes fools out of the intellectuals of our generation.  It provides the kind of knowledge that you want to act upon.  It is the knowledge that brings awareness.  More importantly, it brings us the will of God.
  • The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord brings us reverence. It keeps us from becoming casual before God.  We are constantly reminded in the Bible that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When the Spirit of reverence enters a place, things change.  Yield yourself to this Spirit so that you can walk in reverence and humility.

 

Understanding the Seven Spirits of God gives you a better understanding of walking in the fullness of God.

Charlie, thank you for being an example for the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

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Property Rights

One of the problems that we face in our self-righteous world is making moral decisions that exceed the confines of the law.  Recently, a veterinarian was convicted of theft in Michigan for refusing to return a dog to a homeless man.  The veterinarian felt that the local animal welfare organizations would not do proper justice in investigating the welfare of the dog.  She further went on to exclaim that it was her ethical duty as a veterinarian to take the dog, and besides, the dog wasn’t licensed.  Okay, that was pretty lame.

The veterinarian’s “act of kindness” backfired when a Grand Rapids jury convicted the veterinarian of theft.  Her defense attorney spoke to the Associated Press that, “What is right and what is legal are not always the same thing.”  If she gets any jail time, she will get an opportunity to review her actions and determine if “being right” was worth it.

Animals are considered personal property.  By law, only animal control organizations have the authority to take legal possession of a person’s pet, following a practice of exercising due process.

In a perfect world, the court could order the veterinarian to return the dog.  But, it turns out for whatever reason, this “humane act” resulted in the euthanasia of the dog.  This kind of weakens the resolve that the veterinarian was actually performing an act of kindness.  We are all left wondering if the dog was better off with the involvement of the veterinarian.

The feelings that you have about this should feel oddly familiar; we experience this every day.  We have front row seats to some of the worst pet owners in our communities.  Yet the property status of a pet is no different than a person owning a car.  And yet, if you are doing your job right, you can prove to your community that there is a difference:  you are much less likely to go to jail for mistreating your car.  The veterinarian should have trusted her local animal welfare professionals.

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Police Officer Shoots Dog

I have spent a career working with Police Officers and dogs.  Police Officers tend to overreact to dogs acting aggressively.  Police Officers seem to have some notion of self-preservation.  Unlike Animal Control Officers, Police Officers don’t get a lot of practice in being attacked by dogs.  As such, they perceive a doggy threat much higher than an Animal Control Officer would.

Police Officers work with a continuum of threat assessment, but that assessment protocol doesn’t work well with animals.  In a perfect world, an officer might first consider a nonlethal means of handling dogs.  They have little or no experience in testing pepper spray or a taser on dogs, so it makes sense that their gun might be the first tool they grab.  They know, from experience, that their gun is an effective tool.

In that same perfect world, dog owners would be smart enough to reel their dog in (or even place it on a leash) when an officer approaches.  Dogs die because officers don’t want to be bitten.  Dogs die due to stupid owners.

If I were to make the world a better place, I would let the officer take a small bite and then sue the owner for a million dollars.  The dog would live, and the officer could take a nice fishing trip.  And, who knows, maybe the owner learns something in the process.  I know, that’s a long shot.

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Pet Limit Laws

As with most laws, pet limit laws exist because some people lack the common sense to understand their limits. This blog is the result of a seizure of 97 dogs in our community. The notion of pet limit laws is the belief that as the number of animals that increase at a residence, the issue of animal-related complaints rise. Many communities enact pet limits in preparation for the idiots who come into their communities lacking the necessary common sense needed when people group together.

Pet limit laws can be found either in the local zoning code or in the animal control ordinance. Most limit the number of pets to less than a half dozen (over six months of age). As an incentive, many communities allow people to own more sterile pets than fertile ones. The idea is that people who spay/neuter their pets are generally more responsible than those who don’t.  Exemptions are often given to people who are fostering animals for the animal shelter.

A large number of pets at a specific residence increases noise related to pets and odor related to pet waste. Given these issues, it is understandable that people make animals one of the issues that are most reported to city/county councils. The worst part of people owning too many pets is when the government has to step in. Most public animal shelters are unprepared for a large influx of animals. So it comes down to one person’s lack of common sense creates a crisis for those who have to deal with it.

If I sound a little harsh here, it is because I have dealt with my share of pet seizures resulting from stupid people owning pets. From a professional perspective, there are a lot more stupid people in our communities than you could ever imagine; unless you are living next to one, and then you know.

It will be interesting to see how our community deals with this latest seizure. Will they address pet limits due to a single idiot, or do we need a few more incidents of our shelters being overburdened?

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DEI in Animal Shelters

Animal Shelters were practicing DEI far longer than it being accepted in business. If you look at the position statements of most national animal welfare organizations, you’ll find a statement of breeds. These statements began to materialize when communities were banning breeds that posed a risk to public safety.

We began to see statements claiming that “There are no bad dogs.” Or, “All breeds are the same.” I cannot help but feel that the people who wrote these position statements never worked in the business of animal control. Not all dogs are bad, but the ones that are can inflict varying amounts of injury. Some breeds, although aggressive by nature, can only inflict minimal injury. Some breeds have the propensity to inflict larger amounts of injury or even death. It is this last group of animals that communities wanted to ban.

Breed bans began with pitbulls because that is the breed that has always attracted the worst owners. It is tragic that you have to ban a breed based on who owns the breed but “it is what it is.” The early pitbull owners were attempting to breed their dogs for aggression and many of those deleterious genes remain in the pitbull’s gene pool.

Due to reputation, pitbulls began to accumulate in animal shelters and quickly overwhelmed the shelters. It was not uncommon to see pitbulls making up over 70% of the dogs in shelters. It became difficult to place pitbulls and shelters felt that the only way to get a pitbull adopted is to lie about the dog. It problem became so great in Virginia that laws had to be created to insure that animal shelters were not misrepresenting their dogs. No longer could an animal shelter lie about the aggressive behaviors that previous owners experienced with the dogs that they had surrendered.

The battle over adoptions and public safety became a war zone. While working in Virginia, I ended my career by deciding public safety was more important than adoption numbers. When dogs (pitbulls) became aggressive towards staff, the best (only) solution was to end the dog’s life. Keeping the public safe was more important that keeping your adoption numbers up. If you are going to lose your job, do it protecting your own species.

Before the laws were created in Virginia, a prospective dog owner would be safer getting a dog from a newspaper ad that getting the dog from an animal shelter. The ad would allow the prospective owner to have a sit down with the previous owner to get a first-hand account of the dog’s behavior.

I’d like to report that animal shelters are honest when dealing with prospective pet owners. The problem is that pitbulls still make up the greatest percentage of dogs in our shelters and philosophies have changed to eliminate euthanasia. The longer that a pet remains in an animal shelter the greater the chances that a dog will become aggressive. If euthanasia isn’t an option, then lying to prospective pet owners may be the only option that animal shelter staff have in moving the dog out of their shelter.  Keep in mind that their statistics are often more important than your safety.

I have preached over and over about integrity, but lying about a dog’s previous behavior is where animal shelters first begin to strip away their integrity. Once the first layer of integrity is removed, the remaining ones are easier to strip away. As such, if someone is thinking of adopting an animal from an animal shelter, it might be a good idea to take along an animal control officer before committing to a particular animal.  If one isn’t available, ask to see the intake paperwork (anything that might have been offered by the previous owner).