Monday, July 26, 2010

Max on Monday revived: Skunk-Vader

I started this blog with an occasional post from my dog, Max. He is a critter with a personality of his own. Part baby-dog, part fierce defender of the area in view of our home, he has not posted much due to his busy schedule of napping, begging, and chasing any animal which dares to enter our backyard. Also, it seemed incongruous to post about such serious matters as the Bible alongside these oft silly observations of canine behavior. However, I think I may resume it, with all due respect, as comic relief. Sometime the subjects which I write about here are so intense (although I have yet to do them justice), that I need a laugh once in a while. You might, too.

Now, the story of the invader. For some time now, I have been dreading that which I knew would ultimately occur: the meeting of Max and the invader-skunk...hereafter known as Skunk-Vader. Many nights around 10 p.m., Max would suddenly become alert and start running crazily from the front to the back of the house, wanting to get out and chase/eat/play with whatever was currently making its way through our backyard. I usually would check just to see that everything was alright, but not let him out, because soon after, the smell of skunk would waft through the air. Well, he was out running in the backyard at about that time the other night, playing with one of our sons, when the meeting finally occurred. Somewhere between the shed and the compost pile, Skunk-Vader shot Max with a load of stink. My son brought Max inside to tell us about it, and the show was on. Needless to say, the smell followed them inside, and my quick-thinking husband sequestered Max within the computer room and kitchen by closing a door. I hopped onto the computer and quickly found an article about deskunking a dog. Of course, although the recipe called for things which were fairly common, we had none of the ingredients at hand, so I jumped into the car to take a quick run to the store. Meanwhile, my husband made sure that the skunk was no longer in the backyard, and got out the galvanized tub and some old towels.

At the store, I roamed the aisles looking for hydrogen peroxide, which was not in any of the places which I thought it should be: near hair coloring, first aid, cleaning or baby supplies. To my dismay, I still could detect a faint skunk odor, and realized that in the few moments I had spent in its presence, it had penetrated my long hair, which in the humidity had billowed out into thousands of smell-catching tentacles. It was very embarrassing to have to ask the guys stocking the shelves where the peroxide was, while smelling like that. Thankfully, there were few customers in the store, so I was able to get onto a line with only one person ahead of me. The faint smile of the elderly cashier let me know that it was not my self-conscious imagination which led me to believe that the smell had, indeed, followed me into the store. On the way home, I had the car windows open and the air-conditioning on in order to keep the car fairly ventilated. Twice (in a 5 minute car ride), I passed places where other skunks had led attacks. Apparently there had been a coordinated invasion of this otherwise suburban area. I rushed inside and started spraying Lysol in order to combat the stink which had made its way into the living room. Then my husband and I washed Max with a thankfully effective solution of peroxide, dish detergent and baking powder, being sure to not get it into his eyes and ears. Max was undaunted by his experience and struggled powerfully at first to avoid the dreaded BATH, as he always does. Then he settled down and let us scrub him, as he also always does. As we did, I wondered if the peroxide would bleach his black coat in some way. Well, it didn't. In fact, it left his coat quite black and shiny, surprisingly. The recipe was amazingly successful (http://www.ehow.com/how_4540377_remove-skunk-smell-from-dog), and Max was left with only a faint smell near his mouth, because he couldn't drink this solution and he as yet does not know how to gargle. The skunk also had been a juvenile, and was not yet as stinky as it undoubtedly would be one day, although it had made a valiant effort. Let's just say that I hope it will find an alternate route for its nocturnal journeys in the future, and that Skunk-Vader II: The Return of the Stink will never be written.

Special thanks to Dawn dish detergent, baking powder, and hydrogen peroxide for combining in such an effective bath brew, and to Citrus Magic Solid Air Freshener (Beaumont Products, Inc of Kennesaw, Georgia (USA) for somehow getting the skunk smell out of our home in just a day or two. No, I am not being compensated in any way to write that! Just relieved that it is over and appreciative of products which actually work.

Genesis 12:2 You will be a blessing

Despite a lot of bad press to the contrary, the world has benefited in the extreme from the presence of the descendants of Abram (Abraham). Even a quick glance over the history and accomplishments of this nation will reveal the blessings which have resulted from the grace of God which is often poured out through the Jewish people. The number of Jewish Nobel Prize winners is unusually high. In searching for some information on this matter, I came across a very interesting website: www.jinfo.org. (Someday soon I will learn how to link to sites! Until then, you will have to type them in yourselves.) I have not read through the whole site, so I do not know if everything there is, um, 'kosher'...but it certainly has some interesting material about the impact of the Jewish nation upon various disciplines of the world. Take a moment to take a look and judge for yourself.

Needless to say, the greatest blessing which has come through the Jewish people (although this is, actually and ultimately, through the grace of God) is the knowledge of the true God. Plenty more on this as we go along, especially as we get to discussions of the Messiah. I believe He is the ultimate blessing to arrive via the Jewish nation.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Genesis 12: I will make your name great

By the time Genesis 13 rolls around, Abram had already begun to gain quite a bit of wealth in livestock, silver and gold. After his adventure in Egypt, Abram wisely headed back toward the promised land, passing through the Negev and gradually making his way back to the area between Bethel and Ai, where he had previously built an altar to God. His nephew Lot was still with him, and Lot had also become a man of substance, with flocks, herds and tents. In fact, the place where they were staying could not support the both of them, and inevitably, quarrels broke out between the herdsmen of both men. This is not good in itself, for, as Abraham noted: "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers." (Genesis 13:8 NIV) Also, since the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living nearby, they could not afford to become enemies and risk further conflict.

Generously, Abraham gave Lot the pick of the land. Lot could have insisted that Abram pick first; after all, Abram was his uncle, and his elder. However, Lot took one look at the plain of the Jordan, which seemed like Eden in its well-watered lushness, and chose for himself the whole plain. So Lot set out for the east, while Abram stayed in Canaan.

It may have seemed that Abram got the worst of the bargain. Someone once wrote that "Lot chose grass, while Abram chose grace." For, nearly as soon as Lot left, God said: "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever." (Genesis 13:14-15) God also promised Abram that his offspring would be like the dust of the earth..that is, more than he could count. God told Abram to walk through the land, and Abram moved near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, and built an altar to the LORD. We get the sense that God is beginning to make good on His promise to make Abram's name great. Further events in Genesis 14 will continue this trend, but for a moment, let us skip ahead to the present and note that Abraham's fame has indeed spread throughout the world, most particularly as a man of faith who obeyed God, and also as a pivotal figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islamic history. God did, indeed make Abram's name great.

As for choosing grass versus grace, I always felt kind of sorry for Lot, whose ownership of land near Sodom will be temporary at best. However, Genesis 13:13 (NIV) indicates that it was a well-known fact that "the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD." So Lot went into this decision with his eyes open. In fact, it seems that his eyes were almost all he used to make this decision. It looked good, so he went for it. More about Lot is coming up later. Interestingly, Scripture later calls Lot a righteous man, who is concerned about the great sin around him. Yet he could not keep himself from being pulled into it.