Snoopy, 1991-2007

Often with a 16-year-old cat, it's just a matter of time. For Snoopy, his time came today.

The circumstances had an odd timing. Almost two weeks ago, I bought a new cat food for Snoopy. His appetite had been downright voracious, and so I thought I'd find him a cat food formulted for his special diet (he had an early history of urinary blockage). He ate some of the new food for the first few days, but he did get sick (and vomited) and never really liked the new food. It turns out that some of the cans I brought home would be part of the Menu Foods pet food recall.

We quickly reverted back to Snoopy's regular brand of cat food. But he never really seemed to get his old appetite back. On Wednesday night he was pretty sick and definitely not sick. I thought for sure he was suffering from kidney failure.

After a visit to the veterinarian and some blood tests, it was determined that there was no urinary blockage, no kidney failure, and no diabetes. However, the vet had felt around Snoopy's belly and thought it didn't feel right, and that perhaps one of the kidneys was quite small. Also, the white blood cell count was too high - indicative of cancer. Even with antibiotics, however, Snoopy's prognosis was not good. The vet said even though Snoopy couldn't really tell us, he probably felt like crap.

With our vet's full support and understanding, and given Snoopy's advanced age, S and I made the very difficult decision not to treat him, and to end the suffering which was only going to get worse anyway. And the cat food? Probably just a coincidence.

We already miss Snoopy very much.

Can't We Just Have a Little Spring Weather?

You just never know about March weather. I checked the high reading on our indoor/outdoor thermometer yesterday - yep, we hit 100° exactly. Meanwhile, at our upcoming vacation destination in the Washington DC area, it is snowing. Can't we just have a little spring weather?

Catch Me If You Can!

Meet the New Granddog

Our daughter J bought a new addition to her family (although her fiancee wasn't altogether thrilled at first).

Her name is Zoe - a Boggle (Boston Terrier/Beagle mix).

Right now she's just a puppy and about the same height but a bit stockier than Princess.
The two dogs get along great.

Call to Discipleship

I have a friend at church whom I don't always see eye-to-eye with. And I'm sure I annoy her at least as often (if not more) than she annoys me. Yet while I don't always agree with her (and I choose to agree to disagree), we have some really profound spiritual moments together.

She has had some real struggles with her health for the last several years, not the least being the breast cancer which started her whole struggle in the first place. I saw her today as she was walking by, and since I hadn't seen her for a couple of weeks (when I'm sure I annoyed her last), I motioned for her to come give me a hug.

Turns out she really needed that hug, the kind that says, "I'm so grateful for this safe, comfortable place because I'm not okay." She just found out that her cancer is back. As we held each other much longer than your typical casual hug, her tears flowed and she shared how she dreaded the stuggle. She said she was tired of fighting. "I know you are, honey," was the only response I had. It was the only response appropriate for that moment. I think it spoke volumes.

So today was obviously one of our profound spiritual moments together. So pray for my friend.

Okay, Would You Believe October?

So our daughter's wedding is probably not next March. She thinks she can swing it (and has the groom about 90% convinced) for October 20.

Makes no difference to me. The sooner they get married, the sooner I'll have a new son-in-law and granddaughter.

Life in the Fast Lane

It's that sort of busy time of year, and it's been sort of busy around here, but a lot's been accomplished.

I borrowed my dad's pole saw (chainsaw-on-a-stick) and trimmed up our mulberry tree real good. February is the best time to do that so you catch them before they bud and bloom. Besides, we had bulk trash pick up. I'm eyeing other trees in the yard now for the next bulk pick up. Fun. I like chainsaws-on-a-stick. Heck, I just like chainsaws.

I had my wife get our healthcare reimbursement figured out, which in turn helped get our medical expenses figured out for taxes. Then I did our taxes (nice and early) and we already have our Federal and state refunds.

Then last week I got to write up my annual performance appraisal for work. Fun (NOT!).

All this in light of our upcoming vacation plans. My wife has an aunt who lives in Maryland - right smack dab between Washington and Baltimore. Can you say "sightseeing?" I've never been to Washington, but I've always wanted to go there. And we'll see a bit of Baltimore also. It's kind of ironic - I've been to five national capitals in my travels, but never our own. Being the history buff that I am, I am really looking forward to this trip.

False Prophet Identified

"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." -Matthew 24:23-25

Take a good look at the picture on the right - this is exactly what Jesus warned us about. This is a false prophet. This is a false Christ. Sounds crazy?

Meet Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, a pastor in Miami who claims to be Jesus Christ incarnate. And he has the number 666 tattooed on his arm. Now that's odd. And the scary thing is that a lot of people believe him.

De Jesus preaches that there is no devil and no sin. I don't know what Bible he's preaching from, but the New International Version has a combined 466 specific references to "devil" and "sin," as well as 46 references to "Satan." And that's not including other references to the devil including "serpent," "beast," "evil one," etc. That's a lot of references to something that doesn't exist (did you know that cats are not mentioned in the Bible? yet they exist!).

Satan is the Great Deceiver, and perhaps the biggest lie he perpetrates is that he doesn't exist. Trust me, he does.

But wait, it gets even more twisted. Not only does De Jesus claim to be Christ incarnate, but also the antichrist! How can he be both?

Then there's the matter of the "666" tattooed on his arm. While the number 666 is associated with the devil, De Jesus claims it's all just a misunderstanding. Well, let's see. Revelation 13:18 states: "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast [the devil], for it is man's number. His number is 666." Sorry, there's no mistake about this verse; 666 is associated with Satan. Unfortunately, De Jesus' followers do not have the wisdom to discern that. In fact, De Jesus thinks the antichrist is a great guy.

De Jesus also preaches, "The Antichrist is not the devil; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth." True. The Antichrist is not the devil. 2 John 1:7 says, "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he was not replaced by deceivers. The work of Christ was placed in the hands, feet, mouths, and hearts of his followers. Nor did Jesus leave us in a spiritual vacuum after he left, for he promised us in John 14:26 : "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

De Jesus - I wonder if that's his real name, or one he concocted to ease his deceit? But one thing is sure - he is an antichrist in the true definition. He shmoozes his congregation along the path of evil. They hear what they want to hear. He exploits their ignorance. By telling them there is no devil and no sin, they have no God to fear. In the end, he will only lead them - and himself - to destruction.

How do they allow this to happen to themselves? How do they allow this inherently evil man to control their very souls? Quite simple. They don't know their Bible. And Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda knows this.

If you wish, check out the full story on CNN.

Meanwhile, I close with this passage: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

In other words, get into the Word, my friends. The Bible is your best protection against scheisters like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Joseph Smith, and Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda.

Keep watch, my brethren. Be vigilant.

New Additions Coming to the Family

Well, it's Valentine's Day, and he popped the question. Our older daughter, J, has been dating R for about six months now. And tonight they are engaged.

S & I have been commenting on how much we like R and what he's done in J's life. We look forward now to having him as our new son-in-law (the first one was such a disappointment and continues to excel in mediocrity).

This makes for a ready-made granddaughter as well - R has a three-year-old girl. K and our grandson J get along great as well.

Looks like a March wedding next year!

Maxine's Solutions

From an e-mail I received recently:

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, wild animals attacking humans in Florida. Not me. I concentrate on solutions to problems. The result is a win-win-win situation:

1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border

2. Use the dirt to raise the levees in New Orleans

3. Put the Florida alligators in the moat.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

What The...? The Defense of Marriage Initiative

I don't yell at the TV very often, but I did last night. Married couples would be required to have children within three years or their marriage would be annulled. What the...? Excuse me?

According to this news report, "Initiative 957 was filed by the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance. That group was formed last summer after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington's ban on same-sex marriage."

Here's the details:

• If passed by Washington voters, the Defense of Marriage Initiative would:
  add the phrase, “who are capable of having children with one another” to the legal definition of marriage;


• require that couples married in Washington file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage automatically annulled;


• require that couples married out of state file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage classed as “unrecognized;”


• establish a process for filing proof of procreation; and


• make it a criminal act for people in an unrecognized marriage to receive marriage benefits.¹

These people have absolutely no clue what a marriage is. And now that the people of the great state of Washington have spoken up and taken a stand in favor of marriage, this bunch of sore losers has taken their fight to a new low. Let's hope this initiative goes down in flames.

---

¹http://www.wa-doma.org/Default.aspx

A Lesson in Rolling Your "R's"

We sing quite a bit of Latin in our church choir, and that entails rolling our R's.

Here's a Super Bowl ad for Taco Bell that demonstrates how that is done:

Super Bowl XLI: Pushing the Envelope?

Once again, the Super Bowl raised some eyebrows this year, both good and bad. And it was more of what happened off the field than on it that grabbed peoples' attention.

The Snickers Commercial
This ad featured two auto mechanics inadvertently kissing while sharing a Snickers bar, then trying to make up for their error by acting more masculine. Gay rights groups are protesting because they think this is gay-bashing. Others would say it promotes the gay lifestyle. Personally I thought it was tasteless and disturbing. M&M Mars has pulled this ad off of the airwaves and it appears it is no longer on their website.

General Motors Robot Contemplates Suicide

I thought this was a cute commercial - until the despondant robot jumps off a bridge. Of course it was all a dream and, of course, robots would never do that. But again, the message that was conveyed was disturbing, implying that suicide was okay. Perhaps it was art imitating life, especially when you consider that GM (and other car makers) are essentially committing suicide with their business practices.

Prince's Halftime Performance [link]
Not since Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction have we had a controversy with the halftime show. The controversy here was the point at which the shadow of Prince and his custom-made guitar were projected against a large sheet of fabric which had a phallic connotation.

Now I've never been a fan of Prince, but I thought he performed wonderfully. I can also see - quite clearly - what is implied by the offended masses. But I also see it for what it really is - a man and his guitar. That's really the only way one can properly play a guitar, and I don't believe any other meaning was intended. What I questioned more was: What was up with that thing on his head?

So another Super Bowl passes - and again, the envelope was pushed. We live in a society where the envelope of morality is constantly pushed; it's just expressed more artistically at the Super Bowl.

Next year the Super Bowl will be played just a few miles from my house. At least it won't rain - unless they forget to close the roof and it's raining (now that would be a controversy!).

Nobody's Perfect - But That's Okay

Some convicting words I heard in this morning's sermon:

"Raise your hand if you're perfect." No hands went up. "Raise your hand if you would like to be more Christ-like." Most - if not all - hands went up.

See, here's the thing. If you're not perfect and you want to be more Christ-like, that means you've got some work to do on yourself. I know I do. But that's okay. The Bible is full of instruction on how to be a better person.

...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ♦ Romans 12:2

Saddam's Cat: A Little Sick Humor

Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing this from an email I got.

I Thought It Was A Bit Cold This Afternoon!

You know, it's fun to watch meteorologists in action. When the weather does something unexpected, it's just another reminder that God is in control.

This morning was a prime example. Sunny skies had been forecast. It rained. Then it cleared up. Then it clouded up again about late afternoon. And in some places it snowed. That's a bit unusual here in the desert.

Tonight's forecast is calling for snow down to 2000 feet, with heavy snow possible as far down as 2500 feet. Hmmm.

Yep, It's Still Cold (for Phoenix)

Amazingly the temperature this afternoon has climbed into the lower 50's. This morning before I left for church our thermometer read 28^o. And tonight is supposed to be even colder!

Surprisingly, I didn't have to scrape ice off my car - we just don't have a lot of moisture right now.

The nice thing is that I won't have to rake much more in the backyard. I've seen these hard freezes take the leaves off of a mulberry tree in pretty short order. I was a little dissappointed to see quite a bit of yellow leaves on the tree this morning. But when I got home from church, they were all down! Hallelujah! Now I can get ready to prune that sucker.