A NEW CHAPTER!

To My Very Best Friend, Dakota Marie Souder:

There are so many beautiful pictures of you, I could hardly pick one.  However, I chose this one, because it was at a very good time in your life.  You were vibrant, visual, could hear, chase squirrels and charm the pants off me.

Your birthday was probably sometime in May of 2000.

At that time I was praying for you.  I wanted a dog from God.  And, I got you.  I saw the ad in the Peddlers Post paper.   There were two or three shih tzu’s and I asked God to put the area code of the right one through my mind.  He did, and the rest is history.

It was a Tuesday night the June 27^th, 2000, just before July 4^th and we first went to the lake area up north to find a swim platform.  We decided to get it and were on the way home and I said “let’s get off at the Kendallville exit!” And, we drove to where you lived near Kendallville.  Those people were not so great, but they brought out one puppy and it was not right.  So I asked to see the other one.  You were totally brown with black ears and you had a black beard.  I knew you were the one.  You weren’t white like John thought I would choose, but you were the one!

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It was love at first site.  We have had quite a journey together.  You have warmed my heart with your beauty and how you began turning to cream colors and what a brilliant surprise that was.  You were so gorgeous.  You loved life and everything in it.  Especially squirrels.  What fun that was to go to Eckhart Park and be there all by ourselves.  I would let you out of the car and all I had to say was “Squirrel!”  It was a riot!  You got us in trouble a lot

of times next door at Lakewood Park Church and School. One day, they were all playing ball out in the soccer fields and we were a long way away;  I opened the car door and you heard them way over there.  And, off you went.  How embarrassing that was that I had to run over there and get you.  You would run in circles so I couldn’t catch you.  It was over the top horrible.  Some of the kids would run you until you passed out.  I began to see some future problems right then.  Your breathing issues would be your end. 

There were lots of people in my life who loved you and you loved them.  John, Chris Schnelker, Brenda Bishop, Dotty Miller, Coni Cook, Cindy Heffley, Connie Riser, Lori DeWitt, Kelly and Aly Noble, Maggie Carpenter all my small group ladies;  lots of people will miss you.

It was the summer of 2008 when things began to go south.  John had cancer and I remember it was July 4^th and your daddy went to see Ellen and the kids.  I had a urinary infection and you couldn’t breath.  We both were never quite the same after that with all the stress of that year, even though daddy became cancer free. You were on all kinds of allergy medicine, shots, and then heart medicine. A year later you would start to lose your eye sight. We tried to keep that from happening, but by 2013 it became permanent.  Things changed from 2010 on because then I had to stop taking you to the Pet

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Lodge and find a house/pet sitter.  It took some time, but we did find Maggie Carpenter.   We finally

got out to Burbank – to see Jay Leno etc. and to Chicago at Thanksgiving. 

It has been really fascinating to see how well you did with loosing your site, we went on walks all the time in the woods – I knew you were a cowgirl and I so respected you for that.  So in 2012 I said to you a promise.  Please don’t lose your hearing too, but if you do, I promise to not keep you here out of selfishness.

And, so here we are, saying goodbye or at least waving goodbye until we meet at Rainbow Bridge.

Your beloved groomer gave that to me when Missie Doodle died in June of 2000.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.  When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.  There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.  There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

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The animals are happy and content except for one small thing - - they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.  They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.  His (hers) bright eyes are intent, his(her) eager body begins to quiver suddenly he (she) begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his (her) legs carrying them faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.  The happy kisses rain upon your face, your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.  Then, together, you and your special pet cross the Rainbow Bridge.

TRIBUTE:  I have never had an animal like you.  I even wrote down over 300 words and phrases I knew you understood.  Any other dog will never surpass the respect I held for you.  Your paw prints are forever on my heart.

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DAKOTA MARIE SOUDER

May 22, 2000 -  February 22, 2014

"It came to me that everytime I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them,

and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough all the components of my heart will be dog, and

I will become as generous and loving as they are."  Anonymous

I see other pictures didn't load!

SPEAK IT! PART TWO!

Last week I talked about several components of Speak it!  How the tongue is a very important tool and resource for spreading the word.  It can also be a dangerous tool of spreading the word. 

We read in God's Word so many wonderful promises, and three things I want to be sure we embrace. . .

God is truth. . .

God is Positive. . .

God is bold. . .

And, there is one thing He is NOT!  Negative.  He is also never a liar, nor does He fail at anything.
He tells us clearly in Deut. 31: 8, he will never fail, abandon, or forsake us.  Lassoing our thoughts, taking captive all negative thoughts is a big job for the human being.  So part two concludes with your making a choice.  That choice is to be more like Jesus every day of your life.  In order to do that, you must speak to the enemy and be clear with that liar that he is done messing in your thoughts, and life.  When Jesus shed His blood on Calvary it was for everything we have ever done or could think of doing.  For every thought, for every negative and bad behavior the world has ever thought to use.

Speak it!  I plead the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ over my mind, my subconscious, and my body.  Over my entire life, personality, finances everything.  Jesus, I gladly turn my life over to you today.  Use me to bless someone with who you are even if I only act it out, but most of all when I speak it out.  If God's Got It, and you Believe it, then speak it out.  Do not give the enemy a foothold.

Thank you God for Jeremiah 29: 11 where He talks about how He has plans for our life - a life that prospers and has hope for a future in it.  Prosper (according to Pastor Stuart this morning) means balance in every component of our life.  Well being, balance, prudence.  It doesn't always mean you will have wealth.  But wealth is in peace, wealth as in living out a day with God's Got It, so speak it, believe it, receive it, live it!

SPEAK IT!

"DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE, AND THEY WHO INDULGE IN IT SHALL EAT THE FRUIT OF IT (FOR DEATH OR LIFE)!"

Proverbs 18: 21 AMP Version

God's Word in James talks a lot about the tongue and how we can get into trouble or can light up a person's life.  I could write forever about how to use this very important step in exploring the powerful relationship we have with Jesus Christ.  

A).  There is that whole thinking before you open your mouth to Speak It!  Do you? 

Proverbs is full of Godly wisdom about how we talk to others.  We can be a fool and utter critical, damaging things that tear them down.  Or, we can judge them and call them out on it.  We learn in Bible Studies, Church, and in Psychological books, that what we are really doing here is making ourselves look better.  I call it ONEUPSMANSHIP!  As we see in our scripture it is very simple.
We can cause death or life by NOT thinking or praying before we speak it!  I talked with a client yesterday and how desperately he wants to learn to manage that part of his personality.  It isn't easy, and that is why we go to our Lord, we must seek Him and yell Help!  In my clients case he needed a certain medication to calm down that side of the brain and focus.  It is working.  And, now He wants help to learn after 3 decades how to stop that immediate access to his thoughts.

STOPPING OR SLOWING DOWN THAT IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO YOUR THOUGHTS!

You must first want to and our Lord points out many times in his Word, that we must.  And, that He will help!!!

James 3: 2/12

B).  Calling things not as though they were!

Romans 4: 17  " . . . -the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were."

Not much is said about this verse in the general church congregations.  People who discuss this realm of SPEAK IT! are afraid to say. . ."Thank God for the healing of cancer that is in my body, I praise your Name for bringing your healing and life to me!"   Many of us were brought up to believe that to ask such a thing of God was blasphemous and boastful.  Arrogant and Egotistical.  Erik Weimer of Upward Christian Living Book Store SPEAKS IT!  I wrote about this earlier.  He had a very bad bladder situation and no insurance and no money to fix it.  He could die.  He boldly spoke to God this way. . ."You know I don't have insurance or money for the operation, so either you are going to heal me, and in that case I thank and praise you Father God for your touch, or you are going to take me home with you."  God touched him and he hasn't had a kidney or bladder malfunction since.  There are evangelists who would claim they pray, by speaking it, believing it and receiving it.  Therefore they have no colds, sickness or disease.  I have problems with that since God indicates we will have trouble in our lives, the rain comes on the just and unjust.  But I also agree with Erik and how he went about his prayer of knowing that God would do one or the other.  He also commented that God could have provided the money for the operation.  He chose to honor how he spoke it!.

Sometime ago when I saw how negative I could think about things, and even speak negativity, I began the task of changing my thinking and my speaking.  Lassoing your thoughts can be quite the job.  II Cor. 10: 5 shows us that God wants us to take captive our thoughts that trouble and bring on ill actions.  God blesses obedience to all His commands.  I probably should look for a lasso on line and run a picture of it for you.  Visualizing that helps me so much when I start to get a thought that isn't welcomed or good for me.  Thoughts turn into ideas, ideas turn into attitudes, attitudes turn into actions.

THOUGHTS TURN INTO IDEAS!    IDEAS TURN INTO ATTITUDES!  ATTITUDES TURN INTO ACTIONS!

        L   A   S   S   O, TAKE CAPTIVE YOUR THOUGHTS TO BRING OBEDIENCE UNTO GOD.
        
        Watch this week and take into consideration how you might think positive, speak positive, and act with positivity.  (And with this weather, that will take DISCIPLINE!   Discipline is a DISCIPLINE!   I am not done with SPEAK IT!  Yet!