Sep 22, 2007: Our dogs go to church
In fact, they're at the church right now. There are other dogs that have been in church, too.
(This picture was used as a sermon illustration a while back.)
Today the kids are being a handfull, so I offered to hang with them while my wife heads to the church for some quiet sermon prep time. An empty church is a very quiet place, so she took the dogs for company.
A while back we had both dogs there for a Sunday morning Christmas service. We put a bunch of grandma's fiber-fill from a stuffed animal project on their backs. Instant sheep for the nativity play! Did it look professional? No. Did is stay on the dogs the whole play? No. Was is memorable and funny? Whoa Nelly, yes!
We have a regular attendor who brings her dog to church- almost every Sunday. He's not a guide dog or anything, she just likes to have him around. Since he's well behaved and not a distraction during the service, we don't mind. The kids like to pet him after church is over too. Oh, did I mention that the dog's name is Thor? Ya, the Norse god of war. Ironic for this big, fluffy, teaddy bear.
We've had others come to church. The unwritten rule so far has been "as long as he's not a distraction".
When the dogs are in chruch, we don't go all St. Francis and try to convert them- they're just fun to have around.
While there's still valid open debate on the topic, we're of the oipinion that there will be animals in heaven (Jesus returns riding a while horse, lots of funky animals in Revelation etc.), but not any we've known on earth. (Since only mankind has a soul, only mankind was given God' breath of life, and Jesus only came for Man.) I've heard arguments both ways. I'm open to discussion & pursuasion on the topic.
(This picture was used as a sermon illustration a while back.)
Today the kids are being a handfull, so I offered to hang with them while my wife heads to the church for some quiet sermon prep time. An empty church is a very quiet place, so she took the dogs for company.
A while back we had both dogs there for a Sunday morning Christmas service. We put a bunch of grandma's fiber-fill from a stuffed animal project on their backs. Instant sheep for the nativity play! Did it look professional? No. Did is stay on the dogs the whole play? No. Was is memorable and funny? Whoa Nelly, yes!
We have a regular attendor who brings her dog to church- almost every Sunday. He's not a guide dog or anything, she just likes to have him around. Since he's well behaved and not a distraction during the service, we don't mind. The kids like to pet him after church is over too. Oh, did I mention that the dog's name is Thor? Ya, the Norse god of war. Ironic for this big, fluffy, teaddy bear.
We've had others come to church. The unwritten rule so far has been "as long as he's not a distraction".
When the dogs are in chruch, we don't go all St. Francis and try to convert them- they're just fun to have around.
While there's still valid open debate on the topic, we're of the oipinion that there will be animals in heaven (Jesus returns riding a while horse, lots of funky animals in Revelation etc.), but not any we've known on earth. (Since only mankind has a soul, only mankind was given God' breath of life, and Jesus only came for Man.) I've heard arguments both ways. I'm open to discussion & pursuasion on the topic.
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Rev Kim wrote:
I interned in a church where people had guide dogs in training, where they keep the dog for the first year or two of their lives, socializing them, etc., before they go to official training. They brought them to church, and everyone loved having the dogs around. I for one loved the occasional jingle of collars and tags during the worship service.
Great pics!