This past Sunday, I shared an illustration involving my wife's cat. I have my suspicions that the fiend is actually taking presents meant for me out from under our tree and hiding them! Why else would there be plenty of presents for everyone else in the family under our tree, yet very few for me?! If you think about it, my friends, I have arrived at the only conceivable explanation! In any event, I got to wondering if other Pastors have cat problems like I do. So I did a little research. And here is what I found out.
It appears that I am not alone. Other Pastors have their share of cat problems as well. In fact, one story seemed to stand out above all others. So, here it is: the definitive story about a Pastor and his cat, posted here by another humble Pastor whose only real fault is that he does not care for the presumptuous and ungrateful feline dwelling in his own home (but which he nonetheless is forced to tolerate because the beast is under the protection of his very own wife). It seems as if…
A certain Pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his yard and was afraid to come down. The Pastor coaxed and offered warm milk, etc... The kitten would not come down, and the tree was not sturdy enough to climb; so he decided to tie a rope to his car and pull it until the tree bent down where he could reach for the kitten.
So that is exactly what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he did so, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!”; and the kitten sailed out of sight.
The Pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. Nobody had seen the kitten. So he prayed, “Lord I just commit this kitten to your keeping”, and went about his business.
A few days later he was grocery shopping and met one of his church members. He looked in her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this particular woman was a cat-hater and everyone knew it; so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”
She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and then told how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the mom finally told her, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”
She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really Pastor, you just won’t believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying right out of the clear blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.”*
I'm glad this little girl's prayers were answered, even if it was for a cat. All jokes aside, though, I am always thankful as Christmas day unfolds. The reason? Because when men and women desperately needed a gift from Heaven, God did not forget us. He heard our prayers and sent a gift to us - right down from Heaven! Of course, the essential story of Jesus' own coming to earth from Heaven is recorded in Luke 2:1-20.
But there is more to the story. In Luke 2:21-38, we learn that Joseph and Mary next took their new son to the Temple for the required religious rituals. And there, we find the story of two wonderful individuals: Simeon and Anna.
These two persons had each been desperately praying for a long time for the Messiah to come. And then, voila, one day, He was set down right in their very midst! And the best part is that they recognized this and knew that their prayers had been answered!
Of course, the same holds true for you and me. Jesus Christ did not come down out of Heaven for just a few select individuals, but for all men and women everywhere. And that includes you and me! For my part, I have joyfully recognized the coming of the Messiah. Have you? I hope so. Because if you have, then you too have reason to rejoice. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
*NOTE: Obviously, the cat story above, available widely and many forms on the internet, is a fictional piece intended for humorous and/or illustrative purposes. Cf.: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/kitten-from-heaven.htm.
This particular version is taken from Mark Magill, and can be found on his blog, which is located on his web page called “Minute Messages” at: http://wordforlife.com/b2e/blog1.php/2012/08/05/the-pastor-s-cat. And no, I would never dream of flinging my wife’s cat off into the wild blue yonder.
On second thought, if your child is really praying for a cat, maybe we can work something out here - sort of a win/win for both parties... Just kidding!!! (In case my beautiful wife, who we all know has a wonderful sense of humor, just happens to read this particular blog post.)
It appears that I am not alone. Other Pastors have their share of cat problems as well. In fact, one story seemed to stand out above all others. So, here it is: the definitive story about a Pastor and his cat, posted here by another humble Pastor whose only real fault is that he does not care for the presumptuous and ungrateful feline dwelling in his own home (but which he nonetheless is forced to tolerate because the beast is under the protection of his very own wife). It seems as if…
A certain Pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his yard and was afraid to come down. The Pastor coaxed and offered warm milk, etc... The kitten would not come down, and the tree was not sturdy enough to climb; so he decided to tie a rope to his car and pull it until the tree bent down where he could reach for the kitten.
So that is exactly what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he did so, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!”; and the kitten sailed out of sight.
The Pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. Nobody had seen the kitten. So he prayed, “Lord I just commit this kitten to your keeping”, and went about his business.
A few days later he was grocery shopping and met one of his church members. He looked in her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this particular woman was a cat-hater and everyone knew it; so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”
She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and then told how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the mom finally told her, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”
She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really Pastor, you just won’t believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying right out of the clear blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.”*
I'm glad this little girl's prayers were answered, even if it was for a cat. All jokes aside, though, I am always thankful as Christmas day unfolds. The reason? Because when men and women desperately needed a gift from Heaven, God did not forget us. He heard our prayers and sent a gift to us - right down from Heaven! Of course, the essential story of Jesus' own coming to earth from Heaven is recorded in Luke 2:1-20.
But there is more to the story. In Luke 2:21-38, we learn that Joseph and Mary next took their new son to the Temple for the required religious rituals. And there, we find the story of two wonderful individuals: Simeon and Anna.
These two persons had each been desperately praying for a long time for the Messiah to come. And then, voila, one day, He was set down right in their very midst! And the best part is that they recognized this and knew that their prayers had been answered!
Of course, the same holds true for you and me. Jesus Christ did not come down out of Heaven for just a few select individuals, but for all men and women everywhere. And that includes you and me! For my part, I have joyfully recognized the coming of the Messiah. Have you? I hope so. Because if you have, then you too have reason to rejoice. Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
*NOTE: Obviously, the cat story above, available widely and many forms on the internet, is a fictional piece intended for humorous and/or illustrative purposes. Cf.: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/kitten-from-heaven.htm.
This particular version is taken from Mark Magill, and can be found on his blog, which is located on his web page called “Minute Messages” at: http://wordforlife.com/b2e/blog1.php/2012/08/05/the-pastor-s-cat. And no, I would never dream of flinging my wife’s cat off into the wild blue yonder.
On second thought, if your child is really praying for a cat, maybe we can work something out here - sort of a win/win for both parties... Just kidding!!! (In case my beautiful wife, who we all know has a wonderful sense of humor, just happens to read this particular blog post.)