I worry about the dog pee on the floor. We haven’t had a dog in almost two years here in our home. But our previous dog Max would pee all over the place. (Come to find out he had a pretty bad bladder issue that needed fixing…) So I have continuously shampooed our carpets in the 6 years we’ve lived here. But I can still tell that there is pee damage. Gross. I hate it! And when our baby came along, I freaked out about the carpets. (And who has $2K+ to get new carpets now days?) So, I still am embarrassed about the carpet. But not only does it have old pee, but it also has a 2 year old’s tornado’s-worth of raisins, crackers, etc, etc. But our guests continue to come over & enjoy themselves. So, I’m trying to relax about the flooring. (But it’s tough!)

Another thing I have worried about in the past… the drainage. I’m not talking about plumbing. I’m talking about getting physically and emotionally tired. You see, I’m one of those people that gets really, really exhausted being around lots of people all the time. I didn’t grow up in a big family so maybe that has something to do with it. I really get my R & R by being by myself a little bit.. taking a walk or reading a good book really helps me revive. But there is something about actively participating with your community that really changes people (and me!) for the better. Some people feed off of being around people 24/7. They really get recharged by it. (I think I’m married to one of those types of people!) So another source of anxiety about the looming guest visits was knowing that I’d be on the spot, having to entertain and talking for several hours. Pillow please.

Last week there was a renewal in my commitment to do a little more practicing ‘hospitality.’ I’m pretty sure we had a new person over every day/evening. It was a little tiring, but man was it awesome. I kinda said in my heart to God, that whomever comes across our path this week that we’d invite them over (in some cases they’d invited themselves over!). It was great because of those awesome people and also because I didn’t get freaky beforehand.

I know lots of people who can handle a constant stream of visitors coming over to their home at all hours of the day and night. I don’t think I can hang with that. But I do feel more comfortable than ever before with enjoying others here. Heck, that’s what our house is for anyway, right?? (Other than it being a place to sleep & eat & build up our family…)

How are you practicing hospitality, hmm?

Have you ever had to put down a dog or pet? This is my first time. I was actually pretty ok with the whole thing. We discovered last Thursday about his condition. I didn’t cry. We set the appointment for Saturday morning to put him down. Again, I felt really strong and certain about this decision. Friday past, and I was still ok. Everyone else seemed quite shook about. I didn’t know what was wrong with me to be honest! It wasn’t until I set foot in the vet’s office that I lost it. Wow, the experience was unreal.

I wrestled with guilt afterwords. And, well I just missed him.

I know this story isn’t new. People do this every day. But wow, this was a difficult experience.

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Many of you are familiar with my dog, Max. When some of you think of him, you think of a cute, cuddly brown beagle. But when others of you out there think of Max (you know who you are), a streak of fear runs through you. Recently, Brent and I have really gotten into the National Geographic show called The Dog Whisperer. Cesar Milan is a dog ‘psychologist’ who really understands dog behavior and instincts. It’s quite amazing when you watch an episode where a 120 lb. German Shepherd changes from a crazy, ravenous, attacking killing-machine into a trustworthy, loveable creature. Is Cesar a magician? Does he give the dogs steaks when the cameras are off? Actually, this dog trainer is so sold out to his belief that he is the pack leader, that he’ll confront the scariest of dogs, even to the point of getting bit several times. But inevitably, the dog will change because this guy will not give up his belief that he’s in charge, not the dog.

The primary goal Cesar has is to “train owners and rehabilitate dogs.” Episode after episode, you see that it’s the owners who really have the problem – not the dogs. Cesar tells the owners that they must assume the position of pack leader, and project this leadership in how they interact with their dogs. Out of control dogs is usually a result of owners who do not believe they’re the pack leader. And you know what? His approach seems to work. Brent and I have started doing some of the Dog Whisperer techniques, and Max has started to change. (If you don’t believe me, come over and see for yourself!) It really has come down to us taking ownership of our role as pack leader and not giving up. [Some dogs seem to naturally understand this whole 'submissive' thing from the start. (Have you met Sabi?) However, more dominating, male dogs, such as my beast, need to be reminded of this… a lot.]

OK. Did I mention there’s a point to all this?

I find that one of the most encouraging teachings of Jesus is when he told a huge group of people that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matthew 5). What a revolutionary way of thinking. We can be the agents of influence and penetrate our society to bring glory to our Father in heaven. But this only happens when we allow ourselves to actually believe what Christ is saying. Jesus knew He was the Son of God, and He brought about change that continues to this day in the lives of millions. He didn’t give up on his role as the Savior of the world. And He wants us to believe and not give up on our role as an ambassador of Christ’s love in this world.

Paul told the believers that they are the holy ones, chosen by God to do good things in this world (see Ephesians 1 and 2). Me holy? …. Bringing change to this world? Again, a totally new way of thinking for the early Christians (and for us modern-day ones too), who had been raised to believe that God would accept only those the synagogue leaders approved of. (Didn’t really matter what God thought.) In his book Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell states “this affirming and claiming of truth wherever you find it is all through the writings of Paul (p. 79).” Paul knew that he was chosen and called holy by God, and he acted on that reality. The result? Paul founded many important churches in the darkest of places, teaching others to believe and act on what God believes about them.

So what about you? When you read the Bible, do you actually believe what it’s saying about you? Is that belief evident by your thoughts, responses, and actions? Is there change really going on in your world because you believe what Jesus says about you is actually real? Trust me, I certainly struggle with walking out what God says about me. I haven’t gotten it down yet myself. But what if we could really take hold of that substance of faith, and apply God’s reality to our lives, right now? The ‘troubles’ we deal with would pale in the light of God’s truth. And the things we are most afraid of will look totally silly because we are now standing on God’s reality. We sold out to it, and now things are different. We know who we are, because it’s who God has called us to be. And just like with my crazy dog Max, change will indeed start happening. Because I believed the truth about who I am.

(P.S. If you want to know why I titled this “Tsst!” you’ll have to catch an episode of The Dog Whisperer….)

-Sell a house in 1 month

-Write another screenplay in 2-4 weeks

-Direct another summer-long youth program at church, 8-10 weeks, starting in June

-Produce our animated short film (I’ll tell you the name later!)

-Start a high school by this fall at our church (yes, it’s probably happening)

-Create our two businesses (Synergy / TCS) to be self-sustaining by this fall

-Organize & facilitate PodCampAZ – It’s the weekend of November 3rd, so I’ve got time!

-Blog (why do I forsake it so?!)

-Travel with a bunch of teenagers to cities in Arizona and Californa & Mexico (but Mexico is with a bunch of 20-somethings)

-Make sure the dog looses weight & gets an x-ray on the paw

-Podcast, Podcast, Podcast

-Read, Read, Read

-Write, Write, Write

Well, off to another event! Pray for us!

:0)