my careless contagion

My favorite dog (a chihuahua) on TikTok recently passed away. I was filled with grief for the little creature and her people. Dogs mean a lot to mankind, and have for eons. They are wonderful animals, and earned the distinction "man's best friend" for a reason. We all know that. Here are some conclusions I came to about dogs, and there is a human application, as well, if you're so inclined.  For my work, I'm often in people's backyards, so naturally meet a lot of dogs. I think about them a lot. One principle is people's perception of their animals versus a stranger's perception. How many times was I told, "Oh, he's nice," only to have a dog attempt to tear me limb from limb? There is a dichotomy in that. Dogs are a protective force, fierce when protecting their people. It's their job. Always was, though we don't need them much for that anymore. They are loyal and gentle with their own but brutal toward outsiders. I qualify as an o...

    *When most kids were into New Kids on the Block or Madonna, or even Milli Vanilli, my favorite musician was Steve Green. I thought he had a wonderful, God-given talent and used it accordingly. I was a kid. I could listen to the radio. But I liked Steve Green. Before my great falling away (when I was so discouraged at the age of 17), my heart burned for God. I wanted to know Him more than anything or anyone. I read my children's Bible and I loved the stories; they just came alive to me. I also struggled with so many childhood fears. Reading my Bible assured me that God had the answer to my fears. My childhood was not good, but I knew God could make the most out of my life. I read so many other books about God because our church had a wonderful bookstore. And, my mom was the most voracious reader I had ever seen, so we had a considerable library of books about the Christian walk. I thought I had a good idea of what God had planned for my life. Then a s...

*Generator, from the album of the same name (released in 1992) by Bad Religion, is one of my favorite Bad Religion songs. Of course, if you were to ask me what my favorite Bad Religion song was when I was in high school, I would have said, "Whichever one I'm listening to right now." Honest, sure, but a pointless answer.  If I'm going to talk about the most influential band in my life, then I have to find a starting point.  I was in an accident during my junior year of high school. While coming back from pheasant hunting with my brother, I slid off an icy road after applying my brakes. My brother Jon wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I was. My little Honda turned sideways and went off the road on the opposite side. If there had been an oncoming car, we would have been toast. Fortunately, we simply rolled onto our top in a ditch. I was suspended upside-down in my seat, flailing about (like a bat, Jon said) trying to "eject" myself. Once I found my se...