Mike Milo's Journal

This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002.  He was born with 3  legs – 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which needed to be amputated.  He, of course, could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

His first owner also did not think that he could survive.  Therefore, he was thinking of ‘putting him to  sleep.’  By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted  to take care of him.
She is determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself.  Therefore she named him ‘Faith’.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements.  Later, she used peanut  butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around.  Even the other dog at her home helped encourage Faith to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jump to move forward.  After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now.  No matter where he goes, he attracts people.  He is now becoming famous on the international scene.  He has appeared  on various newspapers and TV shows.

There is even one book entitled ‘With a little faith’ being published about him.  He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellew has  given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to  preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul’.

I’ve been working on a commissioned short film for about 6 mos. now about Jesus and this is a piece of art I had to do for it…

Tonight at the dinner table we were listening to Christmas Carols while eating when The Twelve Days of Christmas came on. My daughter Megan scrunched up her nose. ” I don’t get this song.” she said. “I thought there was only one day of Christmas.” She was right. And I had no answer. But a quick trip to good ol’ Google brought up this. (reprinted below)

This is kinda cool. I did not know this. Did you?

In the not-so-tolerant past, music and poetry were often used as media of expression for ideas that were not in fashionable with the contemporary powers that be. Mother Goose rhymes were disguised political commentaries of their day. The Twelve Days of Christmas was written along similar lines. While “surfing”, I happened on this history of the carol. There was no author cited:

The English began writing carols in the 15th century, but later the Puritans suppressed these religious songs altogether. After Christmas was restored in England, festive songs praising feasting and good will developed. During this time, Catholics in England could not openly practice their faith. So, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” became popular as a Catechism song for young Catholics, according to Ann Ball’s book, “A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals.”

• Instead of referring to a suitor, the “true love” mentioned in the song refers to God.
• The “me” receiving the presents is symbolic of every baptized person.
• The partridge in the pear tree is Jesus Christ, and in the song, He is symbolically presented as a mother partridge who feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings. The other symbols carry their own religious meanings:
• Two turtle doves: The Old and New Testaments
• Three french hens: Faith, hope and charity
• Four calling birds: The four Gospels
• Five gold rings: The first five books of the Old Testament or the Torah
• Six geese a laying: The six days of creation
• Seven swans a-swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
• Eight maids a-milking: The eight Beatitudes
• Nine ladies dancing: The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
• Ten lords a-leaping: The Ten Commandments
• Eleven pipers piping: The eleven faithful disciples
• Twelve drummers drumming: The twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed

How interesting and sad that a song written to secretly remind Christians about the doctrines of their faith was disguised so well that after 400 years, the secular world more identifies with this carol than do Christians who are mostly unaware of its origins and meanings.

The freedom to exercise our faith in this country is still amazing. Cherish it this Christmas!
—

This came from my Pastor’s sermon last week and I think it’s fitting for what I’ve been going through.

Maybe you’re going through the same thing?
People think that they don’t have enough talent for God to use them.

Moses stuttered.
David’s armor didn’t fit.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.
Jacob was a liar.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was single and poor.
Abraham was too old.
Titus was too young.
Peter had a big mouth.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out, depressed, and suicidal.
John the Baptist did not know how to dress.
Martha was a worrywart.
Mary was lazy.
Sampson had long hair.
Noah had a drinking problem.

See? You may be really messed up but it’s cool… you’re in good company!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Everyday he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him  from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, “God! How could you do this to me?”

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the  island! It had come to rescue him! “How did you know I was here?,” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives….even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

I am so glad that I had kids! My daughters are beautiful and sweet and funny and smart. They make me a proud father.

It’s interesting to note that being a father is really the only thing that has allowed me (forced me) to grow up. It’s alos given me a way to understand God’s grace for us, or for me at least. I have often wondered how God can forgive me for being the ass that I am, the things that I repeatedly do wrong and the trouble that I cause myself and His Kingdom. then I look at my daughters and mine reationship and I suddenly understand ti all. god feels the same way about me that I do about my kids. Sure they do stuff that ticks me off and that I think is bone-headed. sure, sometimes I want to yell at them. sure they annoy me at times. But even if they drove a car through our home and in to the pool I would still love them.Still forgive them and still eventually be fine with it. I believe God is the same way.

Yeah He hates when you act like an idiot, yeah He hates it when you do something He specifically told you to not do. Does He still love you? Sure! Does He still want to be with you? Of course! Is He mad at you? Sometimes. But He still loves you no matter what you do. some people think that there is no way that God can forgive them for the stuff they have done in ther lives. “Oh I could never go to church, it’d fall down when I walked inside.” I have heard that phrase more than once but the truth is that God, like a true Father, you no matter what sort of crap you get yourself into and He’s always ready to give you a hug when you need it.

So this Fathers Day, I say thank you to the original Father… God.

…and of course to my own Father who never yelled at my brother and I when we crashed through a hallway wall and into a closet. Or when we yell at him for not visiting us enough or not taking our advice when we all invested in a restaurant and he lost it.

I love my dad, regardless, just like he loves me.

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there., it is one of the greatest gifts you can receive.

Man this so so true!