Boss or Leader?

                                                BOSS OR LEADER

 I stood next to four men who were helping another man buy a computer for his wife.

 The thoughtful gift giver questioned whether the wife would like certain features. A ‘helper’ piped up with a sarcastic tone – “Oh, yeah, well who is the boss in your house?”

“That’s right, I’m the boss! “ The others added their dittos, some turning with                sarcastic looks to the female customers in the store;  “Well, I’m the boss in my house.”  “Yep, yep, the man is the boss, what he says goes. Get her this one.”

Is it any wonder the only other female in the store and I left in disgust without doing any business?

As I got back onto the highway, I felt the Lord get my attention, and begin to speak to me. “Did you hear those men in there?”  

“Yes, Lord and I didn’t like it”

 “Well, don’t get upset, did you ever hear Me say the man was the boss?”

“Well, Lord, you said the man was the leader.”

“That’s right. What is the difference between a leader and a boss?”

“Hmmmm….is there a difference, Lord?”

“You tell me.”

“Hmmmm….”

Well, my dear reader, what do YOU think?  Please take time to ponder that question before going on…

I’ve met too many people who see themselves as authority and want to “lord it over” others. Actually too many don’t even know the meaning of ‘lording’.

Let us look at Jesus as the ultimate Lord for an example. He is the Shepherd who leads His flock.

When I first became aware of Jesus as Lord, I was getting pressured from the enemy to do some things I thought were doubtful. Not knowing where this feeling came from, I consulted a known Christian. She told me it was pretty safe in judging where a certain feeling was coming from by asking oneself if they thought they were ‘being led’ or ‘being driven’. “You see the enemy will ‘drive’ us. The Lord will ‘lead’ us.”  I no longer felt pushed to buy a six-pack at 10 AM.

John 10:3-4: “He leads them out. He goes before them, the sheep follow Him for they know him.”  Notice they follow him because they know him, not because they fear him. There is a difference. They know him as a gentle and wise love; not as boss. They are not driven, but they choose to follow.

“You can not teach what you do not know; you can not lead where you will not go.”

                                                                                   – anonymous

The New Testament reading in John is confirmed in the Old Testament:  (Deut 9:3) “Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you…”.

 Are you being driven, or are you being led?

 The devil is a hard taskmaster, he will drive and push.

The Lord is a gentleman, He leads.

Leading means just that, follow me if you will. Leaders always leave that option open. Bosses use a driving force.  A leader takes responsibility for the mistakes made by those under him; a boss points the trail of blame downward.

Another example: To be the head and not the tail, means the head blazes the trail and makes the path easy for the tail to follow. If the head drives the tail, things are in reverse, remember that – ladies especially!   I say that because, if the male is supposed to be the ‘authority’, it is the male who most often misuses that authority – remember that – men especially !  

Want to be a good leader?  Follow the Best Leader – Jesus who is known for leading in love, with the option not to follow always open. It’s called freedom of choice. “I give you this day a choice between a blessing and a curse”  Deut. 11:26

 So, are you a boss or a leader?

….and that was my lesson initiated in the computer shop!

If you are not bashful and wish to do something interesting to further the knowledge of the difference between boss and leader, go to a large public gathering with a clipboard to do a street survey.  The responses will be either educational or surprising.  The information I received doing it makes material for another column.

DO DOGS GO TO HEAVEN?

 DO DOGS GO TO HEAVEN?

–         M.A. LaClair

Do dogs go to heaven?

We are told in Titus 3:9 to avoid stupid controversies (RSV) and to not get involved in arguing over unanswerable questions and controversial theological ideas (The Living Bible)

First let me say that I don’t think asking whether dogs go to heaven is a stupid question, nor do I believe it is unanswerable from Scripture. The writer of Ecclesiastes asked this question thousands of years ago. His pondering of old gives us clues for our positive answer today.

I’ve heard numerous people, and some denominations, say animals don’t have a spirit and therefore cannot go to heaven.  Let’s put that statement to rest once and for all.

Eccl 3:21 “Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?” RSV

This is saying that the beasts (animals) do indeed have a spirit.

Eccl 12:7 “Then shall dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  NKJV

emphasis mine. This is not saying all will live in Heaven, but all will return for judgment

Chapter eleven and chapter sixty-five of the Prophet Isaiah each describe the new heaven and the new earth: he who dies at 100 will be considered a mere youth; the wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like an ox. We don’t see that in this world, so it relates to the next.  Animals will be there who will neither harm nor destroy.

Revelation mentions riders on horses coming from heaven. There are horses in heaven and animals in the new world. To me, all this confirms that there are animals at peace in heaven. Don’t worry, there will be no threatening dogs, only peaceful ones, just as the lion will be.

In addition I pose two more theories:

First, there will be trees and rivers in Heaven, and many jewels form the foundations, and Heaven’s gates are made of pearls.  Do non living jewels have spirits or a soul?  Does water?  Yet, Scripture tells us these things are in Heaven. We will see further on in this article that Scripture also tells us trees will talk and sing.

Second, most animals are more in tune with the spirit world than a lot of men. In this life a dog can sense evil intent in man. A horse can sense the spirit of fear. Not all people like cats because they think some of them are spooky.

Do animals know God?   What about the serpent in the Garden? What about Balaam’s donkey who saw an angel?*  Today, some animals are more obedient through instinct than mankind is through intelligence!

About the future, Scripture says:

Isa 11:6   “…   the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. (NIV)

Yes, there will be animals at peace in heaven.

Our dogs and other pets who have been more loyal and obedient to the voice of the Lord in the here and now, and more loving to others in this world than possibly we ourselves have been, do have a place in the more perfect world to come. Scripture reveals it.

Third, the Scripture found in the Old Testament confirms itself in the New Testament.

Rom 8:18-22:

“For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his children (those humans which have been saved by Grace). 20 For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and decay –the things that overcame the world against its will at God’s command-will all disappear, 21 and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children ( humans saved by Grace) enjoy.  22 For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event.” TLB  (emphasis mine)

http://theproverbs120column.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/trees-talk-cry-and-they-sing/

With access to the Amplified Version one will find this statement reinforced as it regards the balance of creation.  These statements confirm that God has a special place for all His creation, moreover He makes humans the vanguard of all that He created.

“Study to show thyself approved, a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)  Do dogs go to heaven?  I believe the above study shows us that we will see in heaven those dogs who were faithful to us here on earth. If you are afraid of dogs here on earth, please be assured that only peaceful dogs will be there, for in Heaven, all are at peace!

I strongly recommend the book HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo, now an international best seller, where a child who visited Heaven in a near death experience tells of his seeing Jesus and other things in Heaven.   One of the things was his Father’s Grandfather and his dog – etc….

Also *Dr. David Dosa, a geriatrician at the Steere House Nursing and Rehab Centre in Providence, Rhode Island published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 about “OSCAR THE CAT.” He finally published the non-fiction book by the same name. It is about Oscar the cat who predicted which patients were going to die and when and did so with more accuracy than experienced nurses.  His article may be found on line. His book may be found or ordered most anywhere.

As an aside: The Old Testament tells us the trees cry (Zech 11:2); trees will clap their hands, the rivers and hills will rejoice (Is 55:12); Joshua’s rock was a witness because it heard (Josh 24:27) (Luke 19:40); See the authors article: SCIENCE PROVES THE BIBLE: TREES TALK, CRY AND THEY SING.  

New Testament Scripture does tell us that:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, the wonders HE has prepared for those who love Him! “ (1 Corinthians 2:9)

* Numbers 22:21-28 Balaam’s donkey speaks

P.S.   See additionally the recent post ANIMALS WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD for more assurance, that if you will be in heaven, you will see there with you, your faithful dog (cat) or your faithful horse (etc.)  One may also wish to see on this site: WILL MY HORSE BE IN HEAVEN? which incorporates much of the material herein but which also includes information special to horses.
May I direct you to my article which says it is alright to trap mice in mousetraps – scripture included – ‘we are to have dominion over animals’. This article includes an explanation given to my grand-daughters when they ‘caught me’ setting a mouse trap. It includes their reactions. It contains what many have called ‘delightful learning’.
https://looklistenthink.wordpress.com/category/animals/killing-mice-in-mousetraps/

P.P.S.  I’d like to refer readers to another site about dogs and animals in heaven – a lovely story in Guidepost’s Angels on Earth magazine on-line – it is a warm story, and the comments from their readers which follow their article are most interesting.

P.P.P.S.  I now recommend the author Gary Kurz and his book on animals and heaven.  I’ve just reviewed his  COLD NOSES AT THE PEARLY GATES. and would suggest it to you.     I’m sure this book may be found on Amazon. Happy continued reading.  / M.L.

PEDDLING MILQUE TOAST CHRISTIANITY TO OUR YOUTH

PEDDLING MILQUE TOAST CHRISTIANITY TO YOUTH WHO NEED MORE
– M. LaClair

I want to use your house telephone to call my parents in Arizona,” called the strange youth from across the road.

“Yeah, sure, are you crazy or what?”, I replied in a friendly echo.

The event was a large gathering of questionable young people who had come to town for an equally questionable rock concert. We had erected Christian witness signs in our own yard sandwiched between the farm field used for overflow parking and the event itself. The youth was shouting at me from across the street. I think you get the picture here. He added, “You have to let me because you are a Christian.” He had a group of observers and he was obviously taunting me. Standing in our yard we were guarding our tool barn and people-watching the group.

“Just because one declares Christianity doesn’t make one a doormat for you or anybody else, don’t even think about ordering me around, who do you think you are?” I said in a manner to be heard the distance.

“You’re supposed to help me – give me anything I want,” he yelled carelessly. His observers were silent.

Too often we let Christianity be defined by non Christians. How unwise!

With firm conviction, this time I shouted back across the street, both to him and to his observers, “WHEN I BECAME A CHRISTIAN I WAS GIVEN THE FREEDOM TO SAY “NO” TO A LOT OF THINGS, AND I’M SAYING IT TO YOU NOW BUDDY, SO HIT THE ROAD!”

How strangely silent he was. He didn’t expect that kind of reply and his observers cheered me boisterously while playfully slapping their friend around! His group moved on, except for a few who hung back.

In moderate tones this is what I heard three or four others say to each other “Now THAT is a type of Christianity I could go for,” as they kicked stones and contemplated what was said. “I wish that lady lived near our town, I’d like to talk with her at length some time.” “Yeah, I’d probably go with ‘ya. Look we’re losing them, come on, let’s get movin’ if we loose ‘em in this huge crowd we might never find ‘em. Let’s go.”

Christ makes us strong; not to peddle milque toast Christianity to our youth. Selah!

“…And Subdue the Earth”

…And Subdue the Earth
By Mary A. LaClair

OK, so I’ve been trapping invading mice, chipmunks and those destructive red squirrels.
My Grand-daughter asked, “Gram, you’re killing some of God’s creatures?” As an adolescent, she must have been brainwashed by the liberals in the teachers’ union, who only think they know more than the three R’s. Time to set that record straight!
“Yes, child, yes I am – when God created mankind He told us to have dominion over the animals, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. We are not to let the animals have dominion over us.”
Teachers need to stick to the 3 R’s.
“In the winter, chipmunks come in the cellar and destroy the roots of wintering plants and even chew up our potatoes; in the attic, storage items are being chewed into and items destroyed; they can also chew on wires and insulation doing damage which could cause a fire. In the summer, they eat my patio tomatoes before I do. They have a home in the woods. To let them live and have total freedom around my own shelter, would be giving them improper dominion. That’s not going to happen at my house. It’s time I rule over those creatures of the earth which invade my territory.”
A peaceful Eutopia will come in its time; but not in this age!
“Gen 1:28 “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…”
Mankind is to subdue earth to keep it in proper order, and not let animals overrule him.
Animals have instinct. Birds fly south in winter and fly back north in breeding season. Bears and turtles know when to hibernate. They listen to God, sometimes better than we listen. If God tells them when to hibernate and when to take flight, He speaks to them; they listen. I’m sure many are told not to go near man’s habitation because many animals have a natural fear of man. If they are disobedient, they pay the price. “But,” my grandchildren say, “death for one act of disobedience?”
“It’s not one act, it’s a lifestyle when they take up residence and destroy man’s crops and homes. Don’t get used to a lifestyle of sin, children. Take a lesson from the animals. Hear and obey God. In the meantime, I will obey and subdue my little corner of the earth even when it means trapping naughty chipmunks and mice. I will not let them subdue me, for that is getting it backwards.”
It’s an oxy-moron that most people who claim to love nature know the least about the balance-of-nature, to the point they try to totally curtail natural predators. I consider this violating the rules of their own mother nature goddess; for instance, in preventing domestic dogs from the natural act of pursuing other animals, ground hogs and moles are allowed to eat gardens from the roots; coy dogs come close to residences, raising gooseflesh in the middle of the night with their loud and eerie howling. To let them continue unchallenged is to let them dominate and subdue us.

“There is a time for everything,…a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build…” Ecclesiastes 3:2-3