What happens when you put 20 youth, 12 dogs, 1 cat, a sprinkling of adults in a room with Qdoba? Wild times! 

Thats what it felt like last Sunday. Sheri invited the youth to bring their animals to celebrate the Feast of St Francis and let all the furry friends be blessed. It was a fun time, not quiet, lots of laughs. My favorite part was hearing each of the youth name something in the fur companion they loved, that I truly could see in them.

We all have these furry friends in our lives, if not in our immediate home at least through others. The animal world provides such a wonderful different lens for us to see our world, see ourselves, and even our spirituality.

Job 12.7 "But ask the animals, now, and they shall teach you; the birds of the sky and they shall tell you." (World English Bible) Job realizes that the animals, all of creation acknowledges and celebrates the Divinity of the Creator. As well, it changes a perspective of humans having all the answers, and the animals needing to learn from us. Indeed we have so much to learn from them. There are some who believe that in our technologically advanced society, it is only in returning to nature and creation that we can bring healing to our planet and our human relationships.

Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, shares this concept in his book, Animal Manifesto: Expanding our Compassionate Footprint. It is in healing these relationships, we are able to expand our compassion to humans. He shares such changes will only help heal our world and ourselves. "Unlike our carbon footprint, our compassion footprint is something we need to make bigger. If we try to bring forth our innate compassion with every being we meet, we will always be making progress and expanding our compassion footprint in the world."

Throughout scripture the profound relationships we cultivate ad share with animals have been highlighted and is expanded from Creator, to humans, to all animal species. From Genesis to Revelations, animals are described their narrative in creation to inclusion in the restoration of the new earth. They are highlighted in metaphors that illustrate, the compassion of each person of the Trinity. They (along with humans) are given rest on the sabbath and value and protection during Jubilee. The prophets use the animal relationships as illustrations of the peaceable kingdom and the animals are named and included in the covenants of peace. We all have connections to these creatures around us! If we are open to see them and learn from them.

In August of 2015, we have a unique opportunity to dive deeper in our experience by swimming with the dolphins in the wild in Bimini, Bahamas. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. If you are interested, please contact me.

I invite each of you to open your eyes and notice the other species that co exist on this planet with us, and ask what can I learn from you today?

Blessings