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{t:"Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison have put together a parable, ",p:2,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"which is not only humorous, but profound. It helps redefine who ",p:2,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
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{t:"Tony Campolo, ",p:2,x:445,y:216,w:130,h:22},
{t:"Professor Emeritus at Eastern University ",p:2,x:271,y:245,w:303,h:16},
{t:"and author of It’s Friday But Sunday’s Comin’",p:2,x:228,y:268,w:342,h:16},
{t:"Cat and Dog Theology will help you reevaluate your relationship ",p:2,x:90,y:314,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with the Master. This kind of obedience training is what the church ",p:2,x:90,y:337,w:483,h:16},
{t:"needs, especially in 21st century America!",p:2,x:90,y:361,w:311,h:16},
{t:"John ankerburg, ",p:2,x:431,y:386,w:144,h:22},
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{t:"Many Christians today have lost sight of the fact that the ultimate ",p:2,x:90,y:461,w:484,h:16},
{t:"purpose of man is to glorify God. In their marvelous book, Bob ",p:2,x:90,y:484,w:485,h:16},
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{t:"ogy has deteriorated, and how we can be restored to a correct and ",p:2,x:90,y:531,w:484,h:16},
{t:"dynamic belief and trust in our great God and Savior. ",p:2,x:90,y:554,w:395,h:16},
{t:"bill brighT, ",p:2,x:469,y:579,w:106,h:22},
{t:"Founder, Campus Crusade for Christ",p:2,x:300,y:604,w:270,h:21},
{t:"Topics such as feel-good theology, suffering, fairness, “winner’s-",p:2,x:90,y:654,w:479,h:16},
{t:"circle gospel,” wrong priorities, and Christian humanism are dealt ",p:2,x:90,y:677,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with in a fresh way that causes even the most seasoned theologian ",p:2,x:90,y:701,w:484,h:16},
{t:"or missionary to ponder if he or she has not unwittingly been af-",p:2,x:90,y:724,w:480,h:16},
{t:"fected with this self-centered mindset. . . . At first the book’s title ",p:2,x:90,y:747,w:484,h:16},
{t:"made me skeptical about its contents. But once I began reading it, ",p:2,x:90,y:771,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it was one book I could not put down. Its message is so important ",p:2,x:90,y:794,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I now require all my missions students to read it, and recommend ",p:2,x:90,y:817,w:484,h:16},
{t:"missionaries and mission committees to do so as well. ",p:2,x:90,y:841,w:401,h:16},
{t:"marvin J. newell, ",p:2,x:419,y:866,w:156,h:22},
{t:"professor, Moody Graduate School,  ",p:2,x:308,y:895,w:266,h:16},
{t:"as reviewed in EMQ Magazine",p:2,x:342,y:918,w:228,h:16},
{t:"CAT & DOG ",p:3,x:164,y:264,w:350,h:78},
{t:"THEOLOGY",p:3,x:174,y:346,w:312,h:78},
{t:"Revised Edition",p:3,x:210,y:439,w:241,h:43},
{t:"CAT & DOG ",p:4,x:191,y:179,w:292,h:65},
{t:"THEOLOGY",p:4,x:200,y:239,w:260,h:65},
{t:"Revised Edition",p:4,x:222,y:311,w:217,h:39},
{t:"Rethinking ouR Relationship ",p:4,x:169,y:385,w:329,h:18},
{t:"with ouR masteR",p:4,x:235,y:409,w:190,h:18},
{t:"Bob sjogren ",p:4,x:266,y:487,w:134,h:21},
{t:"and",p:4,x:311,y:515,w:38,h:21},
{t:"gerald Robison ",p:4,x:249,y:543,w:168,h:21},
{t:"Authentic Publishing",p:5,x:90,y:206,w:127,h:13},
{t:"We welcome your questions and comments.",p:5,x:90,y:224,w:264,h:13},
{t:"USA",p:5,x:90,y:260,w:30,h:13},
{t:"1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921  ",p:5,x:150,y:260,w:324,h:13},
{t:"www.authenticbooks.com",p:5,x:150,y:278,w:156,h:13},
{t:"UK ",p:5,x:90,y:296,w:25,h:13},
{t:"9 Holdom Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK1 1QR  ",p:5,x:150,y:296,w:396,h:13},
{t:"www.authenticmedia.co.uk",p:5,x:150,y:314,w:164,h:13},
{t:"India ",p:5,x:90,y:332,w:34,h:13},
{t:"Logos Bhavan, Medchal Road, Jeedimetla Village, Secunderabad  ",p:5,x:150,y:332,w:401,h:13},
{t:"500 055, A.P.",p:5,x:150,y:350,w:82,h:13},
{t:"Cat and Dog Theology, Revised Edition",p:5,x:90,y:422,w:252,h:13},
{t:"ISBN-13: 978-1-884543-17-3",p:5,x:90,y:440,w:179,h:13},
{t:"ISBN-10: 1-884543-17-0",p:5,x:90,y:458,w:152,h:13},
{t:"Copyright © 2003, 2005 by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison",p:5,x:90,y:494,w:368,h:13},
{t:"12 11 10 09 08 / 13 12 11 10 9   ",p:5,x:90,y:530,w:195,h:13},
{t:"Published in 2003 by Authentic Media",p:5,x:90,y:566,w:232,h:13},
{t:"All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form ",p:5,x:90,y:584,w:436,h:13},
{t:"without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief ",p:5,x:90,y:602,w:458,h:13},
{t:"quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. ",p:5,x:90,y:620,w:307,h:13},
{t:"All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form ",p:5,x:90,y:656,w:436,h:13},
{t:"without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief ",p:5,x:90,y:674,w:458,h:13},
{t:"quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.",p:5,x:90,y:692,w:303,h:13},
{t:"All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY ",p:5,x:90,y:728,w:473,h:13},
{t:"BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, ",p:5,x:90,y:746,w:457,h:13},
{t:"1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. ",p:5,x:90,y:764,w:470,h:13},
{t:"All rights reserved.",p:5,x:90,y:782,w:115,h:13},
{t:"Cover Design: Paul Lewis",p:5,x:90,y:818,w:157,h:13},
{t:"Interior Design: Angela Lewis",p:5,x:90,y:836,w:182,h:13},
{t:"Edtiorial Team: Michaela Dodd, KJ Larson, Bette Smyth",p:5,x:90,y:854,w:342,h:13},
{t:"Printed in the United States of America",p:5,x:90,y:890,w:236,h:13},
{t:"Author Dedications",p:6,x:215,y:113,w:231,h:32},
{t:"This is dedicated to my wife, Sharon, who has been patient ",p:6,x:120,y:197,w:456,h:16},
{t:"and forbearing with this ol’ Dog. Throughout our time together, ",p:6,x:90,y:221,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God has caused us to grow more like the godly Dogs this book ",p:6,x:90,y:244,w:486,h:16},
{t:"speaks of, and we’ve been “kennel mates” for thirty-three years ",p:6,x:90,y:267,w:486,h:16},
{t:"now. She has served as my friend, mate, navigator, inspiration, ",p:6,x:90,y:291,w:486,h:16},
{t:"provider of sermon illustrations, the mother of my children, and ",p:6,x:90,y:314,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the keeper of my home and heart. I look forward to growing old ",p:6,x:90,y:337,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with her (even though I’ll get there more quickly) and to helping ",p:6,x:90,y:361,w:485,h:16},
{t:"her become all God wants her to be as she does the same for me. ",p:6,x:90,y:384,w:478,h:16},
{t:"Gerald ",p:6,x:521,y:431,w:54,h:16},
{t:"I’d like to dedicate this book to my bride of over twenty years ",p:6,x:120,y:501,w:454,h:16},
{t:"and to my four wonderful, fantastic kids! ",p:6,x:90,y:524,w:305,h:16},
{t:"Debby, you’ve been such a faithful friend, sticking with me ",p:6,x:120,y:547,w:456,h:16},
{t:"in the good times and the bad times. You have lived out Dog ",p:6,x:90,y:571,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Theology to me in such a real, tangible way. Thanks for being ",p:6,x:90,y:594,w:486,h:16},
{t:"such a wonderful friend, such a terrific mother, and such a godly ",p:6,x:90,y:617,w:485,h:16},
{t:"person. I’m so glad you said, “I do,” so many years ago. No hus-",p:6,x:90,y:641,w:480,h:16},
{t:"band could ever ask for more.",p:6,x:90,y:664,w:218,h:16},
{t:"And to Luke, Elise, Abby, and Hunter, you are each so won-",p:6,x:120,y:687,w:449,h:16},
{t:"derful, and I love you so dearly. Thanks for putting up with all ",p:6,x:90,y:711,w:486,h:16},
{t:"of the “recording sessions” I made you go through(!), thanks for ",p:6,x:90,y:734,w:485,h:16},
{t:"all the laughter in our home, and thanks for helping us build such ",p:6,x:90,y:757,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wonderful family memories. I know God is pleased. ",p:6,x:90,y:781,w:386,h:16},
{t:"Bob/Dad ",p:6,x:504,y:827,w:70,h:16},
{t:"Preface ....................................................................................xi ",p:7,x:90,y:297,w:477,h:22},
{t:"Introduction .............................................................................1",p:7,x:90,y:327,w:472,h:22},
{t:"  1. Cat and Dog Theology .........................................................3",p:7,x:90,y:392,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  2.  Some Differences between Cat and Dog Theology ...........11",p:7,x:90,y:422,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  3. Not Incorrect, Just Incomplete ...........................................23",p:7,x:90,y:452,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  4. What’s Different about a Dog? ..........................................33",p:7,x:90,y:482,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  5. How Are Cats Different? ....................................................47",p:7,x:90,y:512,w:472,h:16},
{t:"The Eleven Dangers of Cat Theology ",p:7,x:90,y:565,w:356,h:24},
{t:"—Where Things Go Wrong!",p:7,x:150,y:597,w:237,h:22},
{t:"  6. Feel-Good Theology: Selective Reading and Listening, ",p:7,x:90,y:662,w:439,h:16},
{t:"and Selective Application ...................................................65",p:7,x:120,y:692,w:442,h:16},
{t:"  7. Winner’s-Circle Theology  .................................................77",p:7,x:90,y:722,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  8. Cats Pray Selfish Prayers  ..................................................91",p:7,x:90,y:752,w:472,h:16},
{t:"  9. Robbing God of His Glory during Hard Times  ...............101",p:7,x:90,y:782,w:472,h:16},
{t:"10. Cats’ Growth Is Stunted  ..................................................111",p:7,x:90,y:812,w:472,h:16},
{t:"11. Eternity, Minus 70  ...........................................................117",p:7,x:90,y:842,w:472,h:16},
{t:"Contents",p:7,x:266,y:181,w:129,h:39},
{t:"When Cat Theology Goes From ",p:8,x:90,y:116,w:307,h:24},
{t:"“Incomplete” to “Incorrect”",p:8,x:150,y:146,w:269,h:24},
{t:"12. Wrong Priorities and Selective Theology ........................129",p:8,x:90,y:213,w:472,h:16},
{t:"13. Life Is Supposed to Be Fair  .............................................143",p:8,x:90,y:243,w:472,h:16},
{t:"14. Christian Humanism  ........................................................151",p:8,x:90,y:273,w:472,h:16},
{t:"A New Twist",p:8,x:90,y:326,w:113,h:24},
{t:"—Individually and Corporately Glorifying God",p:8,x:150,y:356,w:406,h:24},
{t:"15. It’s All about You! ...........................................................165",p:8,x:90,y:423,w:472,h:16},
{t:"16. Worship Is Life! ...............................................................177",p:8,x:90,y:453,w:472,h:16},
{t:"17. God’s Greatest Glory! ......................................................187",p:8,x:90,y:483,w:472,h:16},
{t:"Epilogue ................................................................................199",p:8,x:90,y:538,w:472,h:22},
{t:"A Dog’s Glossary of Terms ...............................................203",p:8,x:90,y:568,w:472,h:22},
{t:"Endnotes ...............................................................................205",p:8,x:90,y:598,w:472,h:22},
{t:"xi",p:9,x:560,y:942,w:10,h:17},
{t:"As you read this book, keep in mind that the information in this ",p:9,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:64},
{t:"book is also available through our live seminars, which are held in ",p:9,x:90,y:486,w:483,h:16},
{t:"many countries around the world. UnveilinGLORY, a ministry of ",p:9,x:90,y:510,w:484,h:16},
{t:"ACMC (Advancing Churches in Mission Commitment), has men ",p:9,x:90,y:533,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and women trained and ready to visit churches to teach on Cat ",p:9,x:90,y:556,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and Dog Theology. Consider having them come to your church. ",p:9,x:90,y:580,w:485,h:16},
{t:"It would be a great way to help your church to stop thinking like ",p:9,x:90,y:603,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Cats and start living like Dogs for the glory of God! For more in-",p:9,x:90,y:627,w:480,h:16},
{t:"formation, please visit our web site at www.CatandDogTheology.",p:9,x:90,y:650,w:480,h:16},
{t:"com.",p:9,x:90,y:673,w:36,h:16},
{t:"Preface",p:9,x:274,y:245,w:112,h:39},
{t:"1",p:10,x:563,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"The theme of this book is based on the notable differences be-",p:10,x:90,y:384,w:480,h:64},
{t:"tween what may be two of mankind’s (if not God’s) favorite crea-",p:10,x:90,y:446,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tures: cats and dogs. ",p:10,x:90,y:470,w:153,h:16},
{t:"Knowing that there are animal lovers of each, we hope that no ",p:10,x:120,y:493,w:453,h:16},
{t:"one takes offense at our acknowledging the different traits of these ",p:10,x:90,y:516,w:483,h:16},
{t:"beloved creatures, for certainly no offense is intended. Rather, we ",p:10,x:90,y:540,w:484,h:16},
{t:"merely recognize that the God-given traits of cats and dogs can be ",p:10,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"similar to certain theological attitudes held by many Christians.",p:10,x:90,y:586,w:464,h:16},
{t:"In nature, these attitudes are suitable to both felines and ca-",p:10,x:120,y:610,w:449,h:16},
{t:"nines. But in our theology, some attitudes may draw us closer to ",p:10,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God, and others actually pull us away from Him.",p:10,x:90,y:656,w:358,h:16},
{t:"We hope you learn to differentiate these attitudes, and, as a ",p:10,x:120,y:680,w:456,h:16},
{t:"result, draw closer to the God who delights in you (as well as to ",p:10,x:90,y:703,w:485,h:16},
{t:"cats and dogs!).",p:10,x:90,y:726,w:115,h:16},
{t:"Introduction",p:10,x:243,y:220,w:174,h:39},
{t:"3",p:11,x:563,y:925,w:7,h:17},
{t:"When Debby and I (Bob) lived in Phoenix, Arizona, mowing ",p:11,x:90,y:409,w:484,h:64},
{t:"our front yard took no longer than ten minutes from start to finish, ",p:11,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and that included raking the grass! Because our postage-stamp ",p:11,x:90,y:495,w:487,h:16},
{t:"lawn was so small, we never got a dog. But when we found out we ",p:11,x:90,y:518,w:483,h:16},
{t:"would be moving to Richmond, Virginia, we promised our four ",p:11,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"kids that we would get both a dog and a cat. And we made good ",p:11,x:90,y:565,w:485,h:16},
{t:"on that promise!",p:11,x:90,y:588,w:120,h:16},
{t:"We love our dog and cat.",p:11,x:120,y:611,w:184,h:16},
{t:"Jasmine is a white mixed Labrador. We rescued her from the ",p:11,x:120,y:635,w:454,h:16},
{t:"pound, and she has become a part of our family. She loves to run ",p:11,x:90,y:658,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in the lawn and is the official welcoming committee greeting us ",p:11,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"when we drive up in the car.",p:11,x:90,y:705,w:208,h:16},
{t:"After we had Jasmine, we were on the way to piano practice ",p:11,x:120,y:728,w:455,h:16},
{t:"one day when we saw a sign for kittens. Well, we now have a cat. ",p:11,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Simba too has won his way into our hearts. Simba loves to sleep ",p:11,x:90,y:775,w:485,h:16},
{t:"on the kitchen chairs and can be found on our beds at night.",p:11,x:90,y:798,w:437,h:16},
{t:"But I’ve noticed that dogs and cats are very different.",p:11,x:120,y:821,w:391,h:16},
{t:"Any time I turn into my drive way, my dog Jasmine jumps out ",p:11,x:120,y:845,w:453,h:16},
{t:"of her dog house and runs to the car parading around as the official ",p:11,x:90,y:868,w:483,h:16},
{t:"1",p:11,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"Cat and Dog Theology",p:11,x:167,y:226,w:327,h:39},
{t:"4",p:12,x:90,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:12,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"welcoming committee. She’ll run parallel to the car until it comes ",p:12,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to a stop. Then she barks until I open the door. Once open, she ",p:12,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"puts her front paws into the car where I begin to scratch her behind ",p:12,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the ears. As I do this, her tail begins to wag feverishly. We enjoy ",p:12,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the brief moments together, and it’s evident to anyone watching ",p:12,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that we share a deep bond and love! ",p:12,x:90,y:237,w:267,h:16},
{t:"When I go into my house and walk into the same room where ",p:12,x:120,y:261,w:454,h:16},
{t:"our cat is, there’s no evidence of love from the cat toward me. I’ll ",p:12,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"make a loud kissing noise toward the cat, but the cat won’t even ",p:12,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"acknowledge me. In fact, he doesn’t even move. Any acknowl-",p:12,x:90,y:331,w:479,h:16},
{t:"edgment that he does give me comes in the form of walking over ",p:12,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"toward me and “marking” my leg with his head which is his way ",p:12,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of saying, “I own you, pal.” But then he’ll then go and “mark” ",p:12,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"a chair. (It’s rather humbling to be relegated to the importance ",p:12,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"of a chair in my cat’s life, all I am to my cat is warm-blooded ",p:12,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"furniture!) Yes, they’re quite different.",p:12,x:90,y:471,w:284,h:16},
{t:"There is a big distinction in the way they go outside as well. ",p:12,x:120,y:494,w:445,h:16},
{t:"When Jazzy wants to go outside, she jumps at the kitchen door ",p:12,x:120,y:517,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and barks, letting you know she wants outside. When the door is ",p:12,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"opened, she bolts out the door and runs into the yard.",p:12,x:90,y:564,w:389,h:16},
{t:"When Simba wants out, he stands by the window next to the ",p:12,x:120,y:587,w:455,h:16},
{t:"front door. That is the signal that it is time to let the cat out. So I go ",p:12,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to the front door, open it, and proceed to open the second screen ",p:12,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"door. What does Simba do? Nothing. He just sits there and looks ",p:12,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"outside (knowing full well I’ve opened the door). After staring ",p:12,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"outside for a while, he’ll look inside for a while as if saying, “Am ",p:12,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I sure I really want to go outside?” He’ll then look back outside ",p:12,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and occasionally lick his paw. (I think he’s checking some kind of ",p:12,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"cat watch—I’m not sure.)",p:12,x:90,y:774,w:188,h:16},
{t:"Now, patience isn’t one of my greatest strengths, so I call out ",p:12,x:120,y:797,w:454,h:16},
{t:"his name, make some kissing noises, and wait some more. Again, ",p:12,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Simba looks outside through the window and then looks at the ",p:12,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"open door, then back outside, and then inside. He will repeat this ",p:12,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:13,x:403,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"5",p:13,x:563,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"process a few times. Finally, with no sense of urgency, he will ",p:13,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"cautiously walk over to the inner door and slowly make his way to ",p:13,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the beginning of the great outdoors. And in the process, he’ll take ",p:13,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"great patience to mark the door.",p:13,x:90,y:191,w:233,h:16},
{t:"Yet right before he takes the final steps to his new desti",p:13,x:120,y:214,w:433,h:16},
{t:"-",p:13,x:564,y:214,w:6,h:16},
{t:"nation, he stops and sits. He’ll then look outside, then inside, ",p:13,x:90,y:237,w:475,h:16},
{t:"then outside, then inside, and then back up at me. This too can ",p:13,x:90,y:261,w:474,h:16},
{t:"be repeated a couple of times. All the while I am holding the",p:13,x:90,y:284,w:469,h:16},
{t:"door open and waiting. (Now remember, patience isn’t one of",p:13,x:90,y:307,w:469,h:16},
{t:"my greatest strengths.) I finally get so frustrated that I end up ",p:13,x:90,y:331,w:474,h:16},
{t:"kicking the cat out the door (lovingly, of course, because my ",p:13,x:90,y:354,w:476,h:16},
{t:"kids may be watching me!).",p:13,x:90,y:377,w:204,h:16},
{t:"What I’ve heard others say, I claim is true: dogs have masters, ",p:13,x:120,y:401,w:454,h:16},
{t:"but cats have staff. This is why mankind has traditionally attributed ",p:13,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"characteristics such as loyalty, service, and faithfulness to dogs. ",p:13,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"But cats have acquired traits like independence and aloofness. ",p:13,x:90,y:471,w:487,h:16},
{t:"There’s a joke about cats and dogs that conveys their differences ",p:13,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"perfectly. A dog says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, ",p:13,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"you love me, you must be God.” A cat says, “You pet me, you ",p:13,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.”",p:13,x:90,y:564,w:401,h:16},
{t:"This difference between cats and dogs is very similar to ",p:13,x:120,y:587,w:459,h:16},
{t:"how Christian theology is being lived out today. We call it “Dog ",p:13,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Theology” and “Cat Theology.” Dogs say, “Lord, You love me, ",p:13,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"You bless me abundantly, You gave Your life for me, You must ",p:13,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be God.” Whereas Cats say, “Lord, You love me, You bless me ",p:13,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"abundantly, You gave your life for me, I must be god.”",p:13,x:90,y:704,w:403,h:16},
{t:"Did you notice the little “g” in god? Please note that Cats, ",p:13,x:120,y:727,w:445,h:16},
{t:"or people with this theology, never really say, “I must be God.”",p:13,x:90,y:751,w:468,h:16},
{t:"They know it would be politically and biblically incorrect. ",p:13,x:90,y:774,w:479,h:16},
{t:"That’s why pure Cat Theology is never taught from the pulpit. ",p:13,x:90,y:797,w:474,h:16},
{t:"It is never sung in a song. It is never taught as a seminar. This",p:13,x:90,y:821,w:468,h:16},
{t:"is because while Cats never say, “I must be God,” they do say, ",p:13,x:90,y:844,w:474,h:16},
{t:"“It’s all about me” or “It’s all about us! God did all this for us!",p:13,x:90,y:867,w:468,h:16},
{t:"6",p:14,x:90,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:14,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Life is about us! I must be what God not only died for but lives",p:14,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"for too!”",p:14,x:90,y:144,w:63,h:16},
{t:"Obedience, Glory, and Blessings",p:14,x:90,y:189,w:275,h:18},
{t:"Now, in order to understand how Dog and Cat Theologies ",p:14,x:120,y:213,w:457,h:16},
{t:"differ, you need to understand that both Cats and Dogs want obe-",p:14,x:90,y:236,w:480,h:16},
{t:"dience in their lives but in different ways. Dogs learn to obey their ",p:14,x:90,y:260,w:484,h:16},
{t:"masters. Cats want their masters to obey them. As the joke goes, ",p:14,x:90,y:283,w:485,h:16},
{t:"dogs have masters, but cats have staff. Theologically, Dogs want ",p:14,x:90,y:306,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to obey God, but Cats want God to obey them. ",p:14,x:90,y:330,w:346,h:16},
{t:"DeVern Fromke, in his excellent book Unto Full Stature, says ",p:14,x:120,y:353,w:454,h:16},
{t:"it this way: “Today we are reaping a harvest of man-centered con-",p:14,x:90,y:376,w:479,h:16},
{t:"versions because we are more concerned for man than for God. ",p:14,x:90,y:400,w:486,h:16},
{t:". . . We are more interested in God serving man than man serving ",p:14,x:90,y:423,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God.”1  You can see this attitude reflected in Cats’ prayer lives. ",p:14,x:90,y:446,w:486,h:16},
{t:"The focus is on their lives, their needs, and their wants. Their ",p:14,x:90,y:470,w:487,h:16},
{t:"prayers contain lots of me’s and my’s. (We’ll address this more in ",p:14,x:90,y:493,w:484,h:16},
{t:"later chapters.)",p:14,x:90,y:516,w:108,h:16},
{t:"In Praying Like Jesus, James Mulholland writes, “In December, ",p:14,x:120,y:540,w:456,h:16},
{t:"I addressed my requests to Santa Claus; the rest of the year I pe -",p:14,x:90,y:563,w:480,h:16},
{t:"titioned God. My real concern is how to get God to give me what",p:14,x:90,y:586,w:485,h:16},
{t:"I want. My desire is to manipulate God rather than to know him. ",p:14,x:90,y:610,w:491,h:16},
{t:". . . Prayer is about me: Bless me. Protect me. Take care of me.”",p:14,x:90,y:633,w:480,h:16},
{t:"2",p:14,x:565,y:633,w:5,h:9},
{t:"Martin Luther, a man used by God to spark the greatest reforma-",p:14,x:90,y:656,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion in the history of Christianity, said, “The essence of sin is that",p:14,x:90,y:680,w:486,h:16},
{t:"man seeks his own in everything, even in God.” ",p:14,x:90,y:703,w:351,h:16},
{t:"Yes, Cats are in it for themselves. And they would never",p:14,x:120,y:726,w:429,h:16},
{t:"say it, but if someone or something could give them a bet",p:14,x:90,y:750,w:453,h:16},
{t:"-",p:14,x:564,y:750,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ter life than following Christ, they would seriously consider",p:14,x:90,y:773,w:458,h:16},
{t:"it. Why? For Cats, life is primarily not about God, it is about",p:14,x:90,y:796,w:457,h:16},
{t:"them. Cats are into Christianity far more for what they can get",p:14,x:90,y:820,w:457,h:16},
{t:"out of it than for the opportunity to radiate the glory of the",p:14,x:90,y:843,w:457,h:16},
{t:"King of Heaven.",p:14,x:90,y:867,w:121,h:16},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:15,x:403,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"7",p:15,x:563,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"Dogs say, “No, it’s about God’s glory,” and they learn from",p:15,x:120,y:121,w:428,h:16},
{t:"Paul in Romans. In Romans 15:8–9, Paul speaks about Christ’s ",p:15,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"death. He says: “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of ",p:15,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made ",p:15,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to the patriarchs so that . . .” ",p:15,x:90,y:214,w:211,h:16},
{t:"Stop right there. Note what is happening here. He is proclaim-",p:15,x:120,y:237,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing the reason why Christ came to the earth: to live a perfect life ",p:15,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and die a painful death. This is an important key. What is the rea-",p:15,x:90,y:284,w:479,h:16},
{t:"son? He says, “so that the Gentiles” (odds are that this pertains to ",p:15,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the majority of those reading this book) “might not go to hell.”",p:15,x:90,y:331,w:463,h:16},
{t:"Wrong. That’s not what the text says, but what a perfect place ",p:15,x:120,y:354,w:454,h:16},
{t:"for Paul to have said it! If that’s not what Paul said, then what ",p:15,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"did he say? He said, “so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his ",p:15,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"mercy” (emphasis added). All of us are saved for a reason: so that ",p:15,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we might glorify God for His mercy. There is a purpose to our ",p:15,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"salvation, and that purpose is not just about escaping hell.",p:15,x:90,y:471,w:423,h:16},
{t:"If It Were about Us . . .",p:15,x:90,y:515,w:196,h:18},
{t:"Cats are missing the forest because they are so focused on ",p:15,x:120,y:540,w:445,h:16},
{t:"the trees. They are so focused on the day-to-day glimpses of",p:15,x:90,y:563,w:469,h:16},
{t:"creation that they are missing the big picture. Think about it. If",p:15,x:90,y:586,w:468,h:16},
{t:"you were God and you were going to create an environment for",p:15,x:90,y:610,w:469,h:16},
{t:"humanity, wouldn’t you design everything for them? But when ",p:15,x:90,y:633,w:483,h:16},
{t:"we look around, we see that it’s not designed for us; it’s designed ",p:15,x:90,y:656,w:471,h:16},
{t:"for God. “For by him all things were created: things in heaven ",p:15,x:90,y:680,w:474,h:16},
{t:"and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or",p:15,x:90,y:703,w:468,h:16},
{t:"rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and ",p:15,x:90,y:726,w:405,h:16},
{t:"for him” ",p:15,x:507,y:726,w:67,h:16},
{t:"(Colossians 1:16, emphasis added). He shares it with us, but it’s",p:15,x:90,y:750,w:468,h:16},
{t:"for Him! ",p:15,x:90,y:773,w:70,h:16},
{t:"If it were about us, why did God create three-quarters of the ",p:15,x:120,y:797,w:455,h:16},
{t:"earth to be covered with water? Think about it. We humans can’t ",p:15,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"even exist on three-quarters of the earth’s surface. Think about it. ",p:15,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"If God made this world for us, wasn’t it rather dumb to make it in ",p:15,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"8",p:16,x:90,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:16,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"such a way that we can’t even exist on three-quarters of the earth? ",p:16,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God wasn’t dumb. It’s not for us, it’s for Him!",p:16,x:90,y:144,w:341,h:16},
{t:"And what about everything in the water? That’s for Him too! ",p:16,x:120,y:167,w:454,h:16},
{t:"That’s why when you pull a sword fish out of the water, its colors ",p:16,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"are bright and brilliant and beautiful, but they only last 30 seconds ",p:16,x:90,y:214,w:483,h:16},
{t:"because the sun fades them out. The beauty of a sword fish was ",p:16,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"designed to be seen by God in the water, not by us! Its beauty is ",p:16,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for God. ",p:16,x:90,y:284,w:66,h:16},
{t:"If it were about us, why are there sounds our ears can’t hear ",p:16,x:120,y:307,w:455,h:16},
{t:"while Dogs can hear them. If this life and creation were all about ",p:16,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"us, why would God have done that? Why did God create the eagle ",p:16,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to have better eyesight than we? That doesn’t seem fair. Why can ",p:16,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a baby horse walk at birth, but we humans take nine months just to ",p:16,x:90,y:401,w:483,h:16},
{t:"learn how to crawl? Didn’t God know we had places to go, people ",p:16,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to see, and things to do? (I’m still trying to catch up!)",p:16,x:90,y:447,w:392,h:16},
{t:"Why do our bodies wear out? Why did God design us to be ",p:16,x:120,y:471,w:455,h:16},
{t:"completely dependent on others when we start out, to reach our ",p:16,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"prime somewhere in the middle years, and then to have our bodies ",p:16,x:90,y:517,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and minds wear out as our older years greet us? Why did God create ",p:16,x:90,y:541,w:482,h:16},
{t:"us to need sleep? Did you know that a giraffe sleeps for only five ",p:16,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"minutes at a time, totaling less than two hours a day? God could ",p:16,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"have created us like that, but He didn’t. He chose to have us spend ",p:16,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"eight hours a day horizontal, conked out, and oblivious to the rest ",p:16,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of the world. What a waste of time for those of us “doers.”",p:16,x:90,y:657,w:429,h:16},
{t:"Why are there galaxies we can’t even see? Come on, God, that ",p:16,x:120,y:681,w:453,h:16},
{t:"wasn’t too smart if it were all about us! And why can’t we change ",p:16,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"our appearance like the chameleon? Why can’t we say, “I want ",p:16,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to look African. I want to look Asian. I want to look Caucasian. I ",p:16,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"want to look Latino,” or “Lord, I just want more hair.”",p:16,x:90,y:774,w:399,h:16},
{t:"God created it just the way He likes it because it’s not about ",p:16,x:120,y:797,w:454,h:16},
{t:"us! It’s about Him, and He does it all because it pleases Him!",p:16,x:90,y:821,w:473,h:16},
{t:"“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor",p:16,x:90,y:844,w:469,h:16},
{t:"and power, for you created all things, and for your pleasure ",p:16,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:17,x:403,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"9",p:17,x:563,y:942,w:7,h:17},
{t:"they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11, our",p:17,x:90,y:121,w:469,h:16},
{t:"translation).",p:17,x:90,y:144,w:88,h:16},
{t:"Glimpses in Revelation",p:17,x:90,y:189,w:196,h:18},
{t:"In John’s glimpse of heaven in Revelation 4, we learn some ",p:17,x:120,y:213,w:455,h:16},
{t:"very humbling yet challenging and freeing things. John is seeing ",p:17,x:90,y:236,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the four living creatures giving glory to God in verse 8. They cry ",p:17,x:90,y:260,w:484,h:16},
{t:"out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and ",p:17,x:90,y:283,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). No reference to us humans? ",p:17,x:90,y:306,w:485,h:16},
{t:"None at all. ",p:17,x:90,y:330,w:89,h:16},
{t:"Why didn’t those living creatures of Revelation mention us?",p:17,x:120,y:353,w:460,h:16},
{t:"The answer is simple: they are so caught up in the glory and wonder",p:17,x:90,y:376,w:492,h:16},
{t:"of God that nothing else matters! It is all about God and His won",p:17,x:90,y:400,w:485,h:16},
{t:"-",p:17,x:564,y:400,w:6,h:16},
{t:"derful majesty! (Why would they even care if we exist?) When the",p:17,x:90,y:423,w:491,h:16},
{t:"elders see this happening, they join in. Notice what they say. ",p:17,x:90,y:447,w:449,h:16},
{t:"Whenever the living creatures give glory and ",p:17,x:150,y:495,w:369,h:16},
{t:"honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, ",p:17,x:150,y:520,w:365,h:16},
{t:"who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders ",p:17,x:150,y:545,w:363,h:16},
{t:"fall down before Him who sits on the throne and ",p:17,x:150,y:570,w:365,h:16},
{t:"worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast ",p:17,x:150,y:595,w:363,h:16},
{t:"their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are ",p:17,x:150,y:620,w:365,h:16},
{t:"worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and ",p:17,x:150,y:645,w:365,h:16},
{t:"power; For You created all things, And by Your ",p:17,x:150,y:670,w:365,h:16},
{t:"will they exist and were created.” (Revelation ",p:17,x:150,y:695,w:368,h:16},
{t:"4:9–11 nkJv)",p:17,x:150,y:720,w:94,h:16},
{t:"That phrase “by Your will they exist and were created” could ",p:17,x:120,y:753,w:454,h:16},
{t:"just as easily be translated as “for your pleasure they were created ",p:17,x:90,y:776,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and have their being.”",p:17,x:90,y:800,w:161,h:16},
{t:"Everything that God created, He created for His pleasure! ",p:17,x:120,y:823,w:457,h:16},
{t:"You know what that means? It means the following:",p:17,x:90,y:846,w:383,h:16},
{t:"10",p:18,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:18,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:117,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Dogs	hear	sounds	our	ears	can’t	hear	because	it	pleases	",p:18,x:150,y:117,w:424,h:21},
{t:"Him.",p:18,x:150,y:144,w:37,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:163,w:11,h:21},
{t:"The	majority	of	the	earth	is	covered	with	water	because	it	",p:18,x:150,y:163,w:424,h:21},
{t:"brings pleasure to the Creator.",p:18,x:150,y:191,w:221,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:210,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Eagles	have	better	eyesight	than	humans	because	it	puts	a	",p:18,x:150,y:210,w:424,h:21},
{t:"smile on God’s face.",p:18,x:150,y:237,w:151,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:257,w:11,h:21},
{t:"The	baby	horse	walks	at	birth	while	baby	humans	can’t	",p:18,x:150,y:257,w:424,h:21},
{t:"even crawl for nine months because God wants it that ",p:18,x:150,y:284,w:427,h:16},
{t:"way.",p:18,x:150,y:307,w:35,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:327,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Our	bodies	wear	out	because	it	forces	us	to	put	our	hope	",p:18,x:150,y:327,w:424,h:21},
{t:"in God, the only One who is worthy of glory.",p:18,x:150,y:354,w:331,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:373,w:11,h:21},
{t:"We	sleep	to	remind	us	that	we	are	not	God,	who	neither	",p:18,x:150,y:373,w:424,h:21},
{t:"slumbers nor sleeps.",p:18,x:150,y:401,w:149,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:420,w:11,h:21},
{t:"The	galaxies	exist	in	awesome	splendor	to	bring	plea-",p:18,x:150,y:420,w:420,h:21},
{t:"sure to the One who created them all and has each star ",p:18,x:150,y:447,w:426,h:16},
{t:"named.",p:18,x:150,y:471,w:53,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:18,x:120,y:490,w:11,h:21},
{t:"We	 can’t	 change	our	appearance	because	 if	we	could,	",p:18,x:150,y:490,w:424,h:21},
{t:"we would be so caught up in ourselves, we would totally ",p:18,x:150,y:517,w:425,h:16},
{t:"forget about the One who is worthy of glory, honor, and ",p:18,x:150,y:541,w:425,h:16},
{t:"praise.",p:18,x:150,y:564,w:48,h:16},
{t:"Life is not about us. It is about God!",p:18,x:120,y:602,w:266,h:16},
{t:"11",p:19,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Many years ago, I pastored a church in Australia. Sharon and ",p:19,x:90,y:409,w:484,h:64},
{t:"I had been there long enough for the people to know certain things ",p:19,x:90,y:471,w:483,h:16},
{t:"about us. Two things stuck out about me to one particular couple. ",p:19,x:90,y:495,w:484,h:16},
{t:"They knew I hated certain vegetables, and they knew that I had a ",p:19,x:90,y:518,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sense of humor. They learned that I could not only dish out humor ",p:19,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"liberally, but I could also receive it freely!",p:19,x:90,y:565,w:309,h:16},
{t:"One evening we were having dinner with this couple from our ",p:19,x:120,y:588,w:453,h:16},
{t:"church. The wife had labored hard preparing one of my favorite ",p:19,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Australian desserts, Pavlova. Now for those of you who aren’t ",p:19,x:90,y:635,w:487,h:16},
{t:"familiar with this wonderful delicacy, Pavlova is like a cake, but it ",p:19,x:90,y:658,w:483,h:16},
{t:"has a hard meringue on the outside.",p:19,x:90,y:681,w:260,h:16},
{t:"After wonderful fellowship with dinner, our hostess brought ",p:19,x:120,y:705,w:455,h:16},
{t:"out coffee and dessert. When I saw it, my eyes lit up. Pavlova! I ",p:19,x:90,y:728,w:485,h:16},
{t:"couldn’t wait to take my first bite. While I was engaged in con-",p:19,x:90,y:751,w:480,h:16},
{t:"versation with her husband, she cut me a piece and placed it on ",p:19,x:90,y:775,w:485,h:16},
{t:"my plate.",p:19,x:90,y:798,w:68,h:16},
{t:"When my fork went into the cake, I noticed some small, ",p:19,x:120,y:821,w:437,h:16},
{t:"hard pieces of something but was too engaged to pay any at",p:19,x:90,y:845,w:452,h:16},
{t:"-",p:19,x:564,y:845,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tention to them. I noticed that this couple was looking at me, ",p:19,x:90,y:868,w:463,h:16},
{t:"2",p:19,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"Some Differences between ",p:19,x:135,y:226,w:398,h:39},
{t:"Cat and Dog Theology",p:19,x:167,y:262,w:327,h:39},
{t:"12",p:20,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:20,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"but I was too engrossed to pay attention to that either. But after",p:20,x:90,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"putting it in my mouth, I quickly realized why they were both ",p:20,x:90,y:144,w:463,h:16},
{t:"staring at me! Our hostess had put cauliflower inside the middle",p:20,x:90,y:167,w:457,h:16},
{t:"of the white cake!",p:20,x:90,y:191,w:131,h:16},
{t:"That Pavlova is a perfect parallel to Cats and Dogs in the ",p:20,x:120,y:214,w:457,h:16},
{t:"church today. It is very difficult to tell the difference between a ",p:20,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Cat and a Dog on the outside. Why? On the outside, Cats and ",p:20,x:90,y:261,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Dogs look just alike—you can’t tell by looking which is which. ",p:20,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"They both have invited Christ into their lives. They both go to ",p:20,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"church. They both pray. They both have quiet times. They both do ",p:20,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"everything pretty much the same on the outside. But on the inside, ",p:20,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"there is an entirely different attitude. One says, “It’s all about me,” ",p:20,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and the other says, “It’s all about God.”",p:20,x:90,y:401,w:290,h:16},
{t:"Two Ways to Heaven",p:20,x:90,y:445,w:181,h:18},
{t:"In our churches, one difference between people with Cat",p:20,x:120,y:470,w:440,h:16},
{t:"Theology and people with Dog Theology is clearly seen in what",p:20,x:90,y:493,w:469,h:16},
{t:"moves them toward heaven. Dogs and Cats get to heaven with ",p:20,x:90,y:516,w:475,h:16},
{t:"very different motivations. Although there is only one way to ",p:20,x:90,y:540,w:475,h:16},
{t:"heaven, there can be different reasons for wanting to get there. ",p:20,x:90,y:563,w:462,h:16},
{t:"Cats see the option of hell and walk, or run, away from it. If ",p:20,x:120,y:586,w:455,h:16},
{t:"hell is on the far right and heaven is on the far left, Cats are mov-",p:20,x:90,y:610,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing from the right to the left (going toward heaven); but, they are ",p:20,x:90,y:633,w:484,h:16},
{t:"walking backwards, focused on hell. A Cat says, “I don’t want to ",p:20,x:90,y:656,w:484,h:16},
{t:"go to hell. I don’t want to go to hell. I don’t want to go to hell.”",p:20,x:90,y:680,w:464,h:16},
{t:"Cats find out they can invite Christ into their lives, so they ",p:20,x:120,y:703,w:456,h:16},
{t:"bow their heads and say a prayer. Then they slap some faith onto it ",p:20,x:90,y:727,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and say, “Praise the Lord, we’re not going to hell.” When Cats do ",p:20,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this, they are primarily focused on themselves. Their focus is only ",p:20,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"on their lives. They only catch glimpses of Christ as they glance ",p:20,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"over their shoulders. Although it’s not a bad start, it falls far short ",p:20,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of what God wants. ",p:20,x:90,y:843,w:148,h:16},
{t:"You see, Dogs want to get to heaven for a different reason. ",p:20,x:120,y:867,w:456,h:16},
{t:"SOmE DIffEREnCES",p:21,x:448,y:77,w:122,h:17},
{t:"13",p:21,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Dogs are also moving away from hell toward heaven, going from ",p:21,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the right to the left, but they walk forward. Hell is behind them. ",p:21,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Heaven is in front of them. A Dog says, “I’ve found Someone ",p:21,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"who’s not only beautiful, He is beauty. I’ve found Someone not ",p:21,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"only powerful, He’s almighty. I’ve found Someone who not only ",p:21,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"loves, He is love. I’ve got to give my life to Him.”",p:21,x:90,y:237,w:369,h:16},
{t:"A Dog’s salvation is described in Matthew 13:44: “The ",p:21,x:120,y:261,w:460,h:16},
{t:"kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man ",p:21,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he ",p:21,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"had and bought that field” (emphasis added).",p:21,x:90,y:331,w:331,h:16},
{t:"Notice that the man first found the treasure, and then he went ",p:21,x:120,y:354,w:454,h:16},
{t:"and sold all he had and bought the field. He did all this out of ",p:21,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"joy. In his joy he sold all he had and bought the field. Why? He ",p:21,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"had found a treasure that was of greater worth than all the other ",p:21,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"things he possessed. He joyfully relinquished all other possessions ",p:21,x:90,y:447,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to obtain this one great treasure.",p:21,x:90,y:471,w:235,h:16},
{t:"When we give seminars, we always ask the question, “How ",p:21,x:120,y:494,w:455,h:16},
{t:"many of you know Christians who are totally joyless?” The ",p:21,x:90,y:517,w:489,h:16},
{t:"majority of people in our audiences raise their hands. We have ",p:21,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"discovered one reason why so many Christians are joyless. Their ",p:21,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"salvation is basically fire insurance, and they are merely walking ",p:21,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"away from hell, focused on themselves. They have never discov-",p:21,x:90,y:611,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ered the treasure. Think about it. There is no joy in walking away ",p:21,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"from hell. Relief? Yes. Joy? No.",p:21,x:90,y:657,w:237,h:16},
{t:"Assurance of Salvation",p:21,x:90,y:702,w:195,h:18},
{t:"The very assurance of salvation differs between a Cat and a",p:21,x:120,y:726,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Dog. Many Cats know they are Christians because they “prayed the",p:21,x:90,y:750,w:491,h:16},
{t:"prayer.” A conversation with them could go something like this:",p:21,x:90,y:773,w:471,h:16},
{t:"“So you are a Christian, right?”",p:21,x:120,y:796,w:231,h:16},
{t:"“Oh yes,” says the Cat. “I prayed the prayer. I remember I was",p:21,x:120,y:820,w:461,h:16},
{t:"in sixth grade. The pastor gave the invitation, and something made",p:21,x:90,y:843,w:491,h:16},
{t:"me move out of my seat. I knew it was God. Tears were rolling ",p:21,x:90,y:866,w:497,h:16},
{t:"14",p:22,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:22,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"down my face. I walked up to the front and gave my life to Jesus.”",p:22,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"“How’s your life now?” ",p:22,x:120,y:144,w:181,h:16},
{t:"“Oh, not too good,” says the Cat with a hesitant, hurting voice. ",p:22,x:120,y:167,w:453,h:16},
{t:"“I’m going through a divorce. The kids are taking the brunt of it. I ",p:22,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"don’t want to hurt them, but I just can’t live with that person.”",p:22,x:90,y:214,w:456,h:16},
{t:"“Well, how are your quiet times?”",p:22,x:120,y:237,w:251,h:16},
{t:"“Umm, I’m not having any. I know I should be, but, quite ",p:22,x:120,y:261,w:456,h:16},
{t:"honestly, I’m angry with God, even bitter toward Him.”",p:22,x:90,y:284,w:409,h:16},
{t:"“But you’re a Christian?”",p:22,x:120,y:307,w:187,h:16},
{t:"“Oh yes, I prayed the prayer.”",p:22,x:120,y:331,w:220,h:16},
{t:"This salvation works its way out to the point that when some",p:22,x:120,y:354,w:454,h:16},
{t:"-",p:22,x:564,y:354,w:6,h:16},
{t:"one asks a Cat, “Are you a Christian?” they say, “Yeah, I’m saved!”",p:22,x:90,y:377,w:492,h:16},
{t:"What are Cats communicating? Christianity is all about being saved ",p:22,x:90,y:401,w:495,h:16},
{t:"from hell. Christianity’s focus is to keep them from going to hell, ",p:22,x:90,y:424,w:497,h:16},
{t:"and everything still revolves around their lives. ",p:22,x:90,y:447,w:350,h:16},
{t:"Dogs respond very differently when asked if they’re Christians. ",p:22,x:120,y:471,w:461,h:16},
{t:"A conversation with a Dog might go something like this:",p:22,x:90,y:494,w:417,h:16},
{t:"“Are you a Christian?”",p:22,x:120,y:517,w:168,h:16},
{t:"“Oh yes,” says the Dog. ",p:22,x:120,y:541,w:180,h:16},
{t:"“How do you know?”",p:22,x:120,y:564,w:160,h:16},
{t:"“Oh, I’m passionate for Christ, and I want nothing more than ",p:22,x:120,y:587,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to see His glory shine. I want to see it shine in the work place. I ",p:22,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"want to see it radiate at home, through my family, in every area of ",p:22,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"my life, and I want to see it go to all the nations of the earth.”",p:22,x:90,y:657,w:450,h:16},
{t:"“Did you pray a prayer?”",p:22,x:120,y:681,w:185,h:16},
{t:"“When I was a little kid, I did. But it wasn’t until I got to ",p:22,x:120,y:704,w:456,h:16},
{t:"college that I found God to be so wonderful and so amazing that ",p:22,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"I would willingly and joyfully give up anything and everything to ",p:22,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"please Him!”",p:22,x:90,y:774,w:97,h:16},
{t:"Cats prove their salvation with a prayer they prayed and trust in ",p:22,x:120,y:797,w:465,h:16},
{t:"that to prove they are believers, which they may very well be. Dogs",p:22,x:90,y:821,w:492,h:16},
{t:"demonstrate their salvation by the facts that they hunger for God, ",p:22,x:90,y:844,w:495,h:16},
{t:"want more and more of Him in their lives, and want Him to shine",p:22,x:90,y:867,w:491,h:16},
{t:"through their lives. These desires guarantee that they are believers.",p:22,x:90,y:891,w:489,h:16},
{t:"SOmE DIffEREnCES",p:23,x:448,y:77,w:122,h:17},
{t:"15",p:23,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Prayer",p:23,x:90,y:120,w:58,h:18},
{t:"Cats and Dogs see prayer quite differently too. In fact, Dogs ",p:23,x:120,y:145,w:455,h:16},
{t:"and Cats can pray the exact same prayers but have two distinct ",p:23,x:90,y:168,w:486,h:16},
{t:"meanings. Take, for example, the prayer, “Dear Lord, we just ask ",p:23,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"You to bless our church.” ",p:23,x:90,y:215,w:192,h:16},
{t:"Immediately there should be warning flags. Cats are only ",p:23,x:120,y:238,w:458,h:16},
{t:"praying for their church and not for the greater kingdom of God, ",p:23,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for other churches in their area, or for the world. In many churches, ",p:23,x:90,y:285,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the focus is always (and only) on their church. But aside from this, ",p:23,x:90,y:308,w:483,h:16},
{t:"their prayers can be different. Remember outwardly it is difficult ",p:23,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to tell who is a Dog and who is a Cat in the church. It is only ",p:23,x:90,y:355,w:486,h:16},
{t:"inwardly that we can see the differences. ",p:23,x:90,y:378,w:303,h:16},
{t:"Inwardly, this is what a Cat could be praying: “Father, You ",p:23,x:120,y:402,w:456,h:16},
{t:"know we need a new gymnasium for the youth; and, God, our ",p:23,x:90,y:425,w:486,h:16},
{t:"parking is so crammed, we’re losing people (our numbers are go-",p:23,x:90,y:448,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing down); and, God, the organ is really getting old (not to men-",p:23,x:90,y:472,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion the carpeting). We just ask You to put it on the hearts of some ",p:23,x:90,y:495,w:484,h:16},
{t:"rich people in our church to give until it hurts so that we’ll receive ",p:23,x:90,y:518,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Your blessings.”",p:23,x:90,y:542,w:122,h:16},
{t:"But God could be hearing something far different in the",p:23,x:120,y:565,w:441,h:16},
{t:"same prayer from a Dog. When a Dog says, “Dear Lord, we just",p:23,x:90,y:588,w:469,h:16},
{t:"ask You to bless our church,” he could mean something like this:",p:23,x:90,y:612,w:468,h:16},
{t:"“Lord, give us wisdom in reaching the young people in our area, ",p:23,x:90,y:635,w:477,h:16},
{t:"and give our youth a hunger and vision for taking Your glory ",p:23,x:90,y:658,w:475,h:16},
{t:"overseas; and, Lord, show us which people group You’d like ",p:23,x:90,y:682,w:487,h:16},
{t:"us to adopt; Father, we also pray for a foothold into the inner",p:23,x:90,y:705,w:468,h:16},
{t:"city—we see so little glory shining in that area; and there are so ",p:23,x:90,y:728,w:472,h:16},
{t:"many international families living here, show us how to reach ",p:23,x:90,y:752,w:475,h:16},
{t:"them for Your glory.”",p:23,x:90,y:775,w:160,h:16},
{t:"Cats are basically saying, “Dear Lord, we come boldly before ",p:23,x:120,y:798,w:454,h:16},
{t:"You and ask You to help us build our kingdom.” Cats pray for the ",p:23,x:90,y:822,w:484,h:16},
{t:"things they desire, the things that will make life more comfortable ",p:23,x:90,y:845,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and easy. It sounds like, “Father, please give me . . . , please let me ",p:23,x:90,y:868,w:483,h:16},
{t:". . . , please bring me . . . .” ",p:23,x:90,y:892,w:202,h:16},
{t:"16",p:24,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:24,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Dogs boldly come before God as well, but they say, “Lord, ",p:24,x:120,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"we’re here with great faith because we need things from You to ",p:24,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"help advance Your kingdom. We want to make You famous. We ",p:24,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"know You will answer our prayers.”",p:24,x:90,y:191,w:266,h:16},
{t:"It sounds like, “Father, let Your glory shine in this sickness. ",p:24,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Allow Your glory to shine in how I’m treating my parents, my ",p:24,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"spouse, my kids. Father, Your glory is not shining in South Africa, ",p:24,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"in all of North Africa, in India, or in Pakistan; so, Father, raise up ",p:24,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"laborers to take Your glory to the ends of the earth.” ",p:24,x:90,y:307,w:387,h:16},
{t:"John Piper has referred to the prayer life of many people (Cats) ",p:24,x:120,y:331,w:453,h:16},
{t:"as a domestic intercom, by which a family can ask for requests ",p:24,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"from the kitchen. Prayer is much more than asking God to bring us ",p:24,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"goodies from the kitchen. Yet this is how many Cats use it. Dogs ",p:24,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"use prayer for God’s sake to advance His kingdom, not theirs.",p:24,x:90,y:424,w:454,h:16},
{t:"One church in Colorado lived out Cat Theology by tak",p:24,x:120,y:447,w:424,h:16},
{t:"-",p:24,x:564,y:447,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing money out of the missions fund (God’s kingdom), causing ",p:24,x:90,y:471,w:463,h:16},
{t:"missionaries to not get their support, and putting it toward a",p:24,x:90,y:494,w:457,h:16},
{t:"new organ (their kingdom). They had prayed so hard for a new",p:24,x:90,y:517,w:458,h:16},
{t:"organ that they rationalized away the need for missions and ",p:24,x:90,y:541,w:465,h:16},
{t:"focused on themselves. (This church closed its doors a few",p:24,x:90,y:564,w:459,h:16},
{t:"years later.)",p:24,x:90,y:587,w:86,h:16},
{t:"Do Dogs ever pray for blessings? Yes, but it is not their ",p:24,x:120,y:611,w:458,h:16},
{t:"primary focus; it is a secondary focus. And when they pray for ",p:24,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"themselves, it is usually so that they can have a greater impact in ",p:24,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the lives of others. Do Dogs ever pray for nicer cars and bigger ",p:24,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"homes? Yes, but only when there is a real need for them, not when ",p:24,x:90,y:704,w:483,h:16},
{t:"there is merely a desire for them. ",p:24,x:90,y:727,w:246,h:16},
{t:"Worship",p:24,x:90,y:772,w:74,h:18},
{t:"Worship too is quite different for Cats and Dogs. In Cat ",p:24,x:120,y:796,w:458,h:16},
{t:"Theology, Cats worship Him for what He’s done for them. It ",p:24,x:90,y:820,w:487,h:16},
{t:"sounds like this: “Thank You for all the great things You’ve done ",p:24,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for me. You have provided for me; You have protected me; You ",p:24,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"SOmE DIffEREnCES",p:25,x:448,y:77,w:122,h:17},
{t:"17",p:25,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"have given me this and that and more. Thanks!” Now there’s noth-",p:25,x:90,y:121,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing wrong with that unless that’s all you are thinking about. It’s all ",p:25,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"about you, you, you.",p:25,x:90,y:167,w:150,h:16},
{t:"But in Dog Theology, Dogs worship God primarily for who ",p:25,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"He is and secondarily for what He has done for them. It sounds ",p:25,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"like this: “Oh Father, You are an amazing God. You are both ",p:25,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"merciful and just. Your creativity is awesome and Your splendor ",p:25,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is magnificent. And Father, You are a God of love. You love the ",p:25,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, and You love us! We honor ",p:25,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"You and all that You stand for. May all people worship You for ",p:25,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"who You are!”",p:25,x:90,y:354,w:108,h:16},
{t:"You’ll be amazed at how many songs you’ll now recognize ",p:25,x:120,y:377,w:456,h:16},
{t:"that were written with a Cat-Theology perspective. So many wor-",p:25,x:90,y:401,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ship songs contain the themes of I, me, and my. These songs have ",p:25,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"words that focus primarily on what the worshiper is getting from ",p:25,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the Lord. ",p:25,x:90,y:471,w:71,h:16},
{t:"Are these songs wrong? Not necessarily. It depends on the ",p:25,x:120,y:494,w:456,h:16},
{t:"worshiper’s perspective. A Cat and Dog can sing the very same ",p:25,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"song but with totally different perspectives. A Cat focuses on per-",p:25,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sonal glory while a Dog focuses on God’s glory.",p:25,x:90,y:564,w:355,h:16},
{t:"One pastor heard the “Cat and Dog Theology” message on ",p:25,x:120,y:587,w:456,h:16},
{t:"a Sunday morning. On Monday morning, he went into his office ",p:25,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to get some work done and turned on his music. After five min-",p:25,x:90,y:634,w:479,h:16},
{t:"utes, he was so disgusted with the particular CD he was listening ",p:25,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to—it was full of a Cat’s perspective—that he turned it off. (We ",p:25,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"apologize if this is ruining your music selection!) Understanding ",p:25,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Dog Theology can cause you to rethink your perspective about ",p:25,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"everything in your life!",p:25,x:90,y:751,w:170,h:16},
{t:"Lordship",p:25,x:90,y:795,w:78,h:18},
{t:"Let’s look at another difference between Cat and Dog ",p:25,x:120,y:820,w:461,h:16},
{t:"Theology: Lordship. In Cat Theology, God’s Lordship is very ",p:25,x:90,y:843,w:487,h:16},
{t:"limited. You see, Cats love to serve God when it is fun. They ",p:25,x:90,y:866,w:487,h:16},
{t:"18",p:26,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:26,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"know it is good for their souls and that God is pleased with it. But ",p:26,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"when it quits being fun, they quit calling Him “Lord” and don’t ",p:26,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"serve Him as they should. He is Lord as long as they are being ",p:26,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"blessed. ",p:26,x:90,y:191,w:63,h:16},
{t:"Don’t miss the fact that Cats want to be close to God. They ",p:26,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"want Lordship, but they don’t want it to interfere with their lives. ",p:26,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"When it starts to interfere, He’s no longer Lord. Oh, Cats will ",p:26,x:90,y:261,w:487,h:16},
{t:"keep playing the Christian game. They’ll keep going to church; ",p:26,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"they’ll still say, “Praise the Lord”; but in their hearts, they’ll do ",p:26,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"what makes life comfortable for them. ",p:26,x:90,y:331,w:285,h:16},
{t:"But in Dog Theology, He has complete Lordship—anytime, ",p:26,x:120,y:354,w:444,h:16},
{t:"anywhere, anyplace. Dogs obey even when they don’t want to, ",p:26,x:90,y:377,w:474,h:16},
{t:"even if it means going overseas. Dogs are very aware that when ",p:26,x:90,y:401,w:473,h:16},
{t:"they found the treasure, its value meant more to them than life",p:26,x:90,y:424,w:468,h:16},
{t:"or the things in life! And when Dogs are asked to jump, they ",p:26,x:90,y:447,w:475,h:16},
{t:"only ask how high. They obey wholeheartedly. Why? They have",p:26,x:90,y:471,w:469,h:16},
{t:"found a treasure in God, and their focus is on pleasing Him.",p:26,x:90,y:494,w:438,h:16},
{t:"Half of God",p:26,x:90,y:539,w:101,h:18},
{t:"Here’s another difference between Cats and Dogs: Cats only ",p:26,x:120,y:563,w:455,h:16},
{t:"know “half of God.” What does this mean? They focus on God’s ",p:26,x:90,y:586,w:484,h:16},
{t:"love, mercy, and grace but never on His hatred of sin, wrath, and ",p:26,x:90,y:610,w:484,h:16},
{t:"judgment. A Cat doesn’t want to acknowledge, and therefore ",p:26,x:90,y:633,w:488,h:16},
{t:"doesn’t focus on, any aspect of God that would make life uncom-",p:26,x:90,y:656,w:479,h:16},
{t:"fortable. Just take one of these unwanted aspects as an example, ",p:26,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"like God’s judgment of sin.",p:26,x:90,y:703,w:201,h:16},
{t:"Cats would never think of God judging them. “God wouldn’t",p:26,x:120,y:726,w:439,h:16},
{t:"judge me. He loves me! He died for me! He won’t judge me.”",p:26,x:90,y:750,w:469,h:16},
{t:"Cats in America cannot comprehend the thought that God would ",p:26,x:90,y:773,w:473,h:16},
{t:"judge America in their lifetimes. (They’d never say it, but they ",p:26,x:90,y:797,w:473,h:16},
{t:"almost think God is an American Himself!) They are so focused ",p:26,x:90,y:820,w:473,h:16},
{t:"on God’s love that they have never taken time to realize that God ",p:26,x:90,y:843,w:471,h:16},
{t:"hates their sin.",p:26,x:90,y:867,w:106,h:16},
{t:"SOmE DIffEREnCES",p:27,x:448,y:77,w:122,h:17},
{t:"19",p:27,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"As a nation, America is stuck in Cat Theology. If you really ",p:27,x:120,y:121,w:455,h:16},
{t:"stop and think about it, America is basically communicating to ",p:27,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God the following messages:",p:27,x:90,y:167,w:213,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:27,x:120,y:210,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Lord,	we	don’t	want	You	in	our	government;	we’ve	sepa-",p:27,x:150,y:210,w:419,h:21},
{t:"rated the church from the state.",p:27,x:150,y:237,w:228,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:27,x:120,y:257,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Lord,	we	don’t	want	You	in	our	schools;	sorry,	no	chil-",p:27,x:150,y:257,w:420,h:21},
{t:"dren can pray there.",p:27,x:150,y:284,w:145,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:27,x:120,y:303,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Lord,	we	don’t	want	You	in	our	wombs;	Your	definition	",p:27,x:150,y:303,w:424,h:21},
{t:"of life and ours is very different, and anyway, a woman ",p:27,x:150,y:331,w:425,h:16},
{t:"has to have the right of free choice.",p:27,x:150,y:354,w:258,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:27,x:120,y:373,w:11,h:21},
{t:"And,	Lord,	we	are	going	to	print	pornography	and	send	",p:27,x:150,y:373,w:424,h:21},
{t:"it all over the world, along with our television shows that ",p:27,x:150,y:401,w:424,h:16},
{t:"promote lifestyles contrary to Your Word, because, Lord, ",p:27,x:150,y:424,w:424,h:16},
{t:"we have freedom of speech.",p:27,x:150,y:447,w:205,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:27,x:120,y:467,w:11,h:21},
{t:"But,	dear	Lord,	the	terrorists	are	attacking;	please	bless	us	",p:27,x:150,y:467,w:424,h:21},
{t:"and protect us.",p:27,x:150,y:494,w:107,h:16},
{t:"How hypocritical! Singing “God Bless America” is a contra-",p:27,x:120,y:541,w:449,h:16},
{t:"diction when we have kicked Him out of our government, schools, ",p:27,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and wombs, when we are the number one exporter of pornogra-",p:27,x:90,y:587,w:480,h:16},
{t:"phy, and when we have produced television shows that reek with ",p:27,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lifestyles the Lord abhors. You see, Cats want the perks (God’s ",p:27,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"blessings and protection) but none of the responsibilities (God’s ",p:27,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"laws). It is all about them!",p:27,x:90,y:681,w:192,h:16},
{t:"Dogs are very conscious of the fact that God judges. They saw ",p:27,x:120,y:704,w:453,h:16},
{t:"Him judge David when he counted his fighting men, and seventy ",p:27,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"thousand other men died as a result (1 Chronicles 21:1–17). They ",p:27,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"know God judged Moses for striking the rock when he was sup-",p:27,x:90,y:774,w:480,h:16},
{t:"posed to merely speak to it (Numbers 20:9–12).",p:27,x:90,y:797,w:350,h:16},
{t:"Dogs are aware that His Holiness will not put up with dis-",p:27,x:120,y:821,w:450,h:16},
{t:"obedience in those He loves, and, yes, He judges those He loves ",p:27,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"as well. Dogs see the terrorists’ attack as a loving God sending ",p:27,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"20",p:28,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:28,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"a wake-up call to America, judging a very few (3 thousand in ",p:28,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"the 9/11 attack) so that the rest of America (290 million) would ",p:28,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"repent. Maybe now is the time to change our call from “God, bless ",p:28,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"America” to “America, bless God!”",p:28,x:90,y:191,w:262,h:16},
{t:"Would You Like More Differences?",p:28,x:90,y:235,w:305,h:18},
{t:"For Cats, success is defined by human standards. How",p:28,x:120,y:260,w:431,h:16},
{t:"big is our church? How many baptisms are we having each ",p:28,x:90,y:283,w:467,h:16},
{t:"year? How many come to our Sunday schools? Dogs define",p:28,x:90,y:306,w:464,h:16},
{t:"success by divine standards. The question is not, How big is",p:28,x:90,y:330,w:458,h:16},
{t:"our church? but, Are the people we shepherd obeying the Lord ",p:28,x:90,y:353,w:462,h:16},
{t:"and worshiping Him?",p:28,x:90,y:376,w:158,h:16},
{t:"For Cats, repentance is out, and self-esteem is in. For Dogs, ",p:28,x:120,y:400,w:455,h:16},
{t:"repentance is a part of life, and holiness is in.",p:28,x:90,y:423,w:331,h:16},
{t:"Cats hunger to be entertained in the church. Dogs hunger to ",p:28,x:120,y:446,w:455,h:16},
{t:"worship God and reflect His glory.",p:28,x:90,y:470,w:255,h:16},
{t:"Cats love head knowledge. Bible trivia is fun. They can quote ",p:28,x:120,y:493,w:454,h:16},
{t:"multiple facts found in the Bible, but they are lacking in the area ",p:28,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of application. Dogs love that which draws them closer to God. ",p:28,x:90,y:540,w:486,h:16},
{t:"They are more interested in obeying the Lord than simply know-",p:28,x:90,y:563,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing about Him. ",p:28,x:90,y:587,w:115,h:16},
{t:"Cats want the full picture before they obey God. Dogs are ",p:28,x:120,y:610,w:457,h:16},
{t:"happy to obey the little the Lord gives.",p:28,x:90,y:633,w:284,h:16},
{t:"Cats believe the Church is at peace. Dogs believe the Church ",p:28,x:120,y:657,w:454,h:16},
{t:"is at war.",p:28,x:90,y:680,w:66,h:16},
{t:"Cats believe in arbitrary truth—it changes as the wind changes. ",p:28,x:120,y:703,w:465,h:16},
{t:"Dogs believe in absolute truth—it never changes for them.",p:28,x:90,y:727,w:429,h:16},
{t:"Cats have a “feel-good” theology. Dogs have an “obedience” ",p:28,x:120,y:750,w:454,h:16},
{t:"theology.",p:28,x:90,y:773,w:68,h:16},
{t:"Cats deter their kids from the mission field. Dogs encourage ",p:28,x:120,y:797,w:455,h:16},
{t:"them into the mission field.",p:28,x:90,y:820,w:201,h:16},
{t:"Cats can’t envision a loving God sending anyone to hell. Dogs ",p:28,x:120,y:843,w:453,h:16},
{t:"know that hell exists because God is holy, just, and promises to ",p:28,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"judge sin.",p:28,x:90,y:890,w:71,h:16},
{t:"SOmE DIffEREnCES",p:29,x:448,y:77,w:122,h:17},
{t:"21",p:29,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Some Cats can’t imagine why God would cause anyone to ",p:29,x:120,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"suffer eternally for a finite set of sins. Dogs know that hell is eter-",p:29,x:90,y:144,w:480,h:16},
{t:"nal because an infinite glory has been rejected.",p:29,x:90,y:167,w:343,h:16},
{t:"Cats see an immigrant family moving in next door and think, ",p:29,x:120,y:191,w:454,h:16},
{t:"“There goes the neighborhood.” Dogs see it as an opportunity to ",p:29,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"reveal God’s glory to people from another culture.",p:29,x:90,y:237,w:369,h:16},
{t:"Cats want their children to bring them glory. Dogs want their ",p:29,x:120,y:261,w:454,h:16},
{t:"children to bring God glory.",p:29,x:90,y:284,w:206,h:16},
{t:"Cats see a job as a means of attaining wealth. Dogs see a job ",p:29,x:120,y:307,w:454,h:16},
{t:"as a ministry opportunity.",p:29,x:90,y:331,w:188,h:16},
{t:"Cats think God is a means to an end. Dogs think God is the end. ",p:29,x:120,y:354,w:474,h:16},
{t:"These differences could go on and on.",p:29,x:120,y:377,w:279,h:16},
{t:"Warning",p:29,x:90,y:422,w:76,h:18},
{t:"So are you a Cat or are you a dog? Odds are, you aren’t either, ",p:29,x:120,y:446,w:454,h:16},
{t:"you are somewhere in between.",p:29,x:90,y:470,w:231,h:16},
{t:"Over the years, we’ve seen this material get ‘abused’ by caus-",p:29,x:120,y:493,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ing an “us/them” mentality. Instead of using this to encourage us ",p:29,x:90,y:516,w:485,h:16},
{t:"all to become more like God and live for His glory, some have ",p:29,x:90,y:540,w:486,h:16},
{t:"used it to judge others by calling them “cats” with the implied ",p:29,x:90,y:563,w:486,h:16},
{t:"assumption, “I’m a perfect dog.” ",p:29,x:90,y:586,w:244,h:16},
{t:"As Jim Thurber (our International Director of Unveilin-",p:29,x:120,y:610,w:450,h:16},
{t:"GLORY) says in his version of the live seminar, “We’re all cats ",p:29,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"having moments of ‘dog-dom’!” Or another way of saying it is ",p:29,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that some people are cats with moments of “dog-dom”, some ",p:29,x:90,y:680,w:488,h:16},
{t:"people are dogs who slip back into their “cat-ish” ways! We are ",p:29,x:90,y:703,w:485,h:16},
{t:"all somewhere in between. One sweet elderly lady claimed she ",p:29,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"wasn’t a cat or a dog, but thought of herself as a puppy. It was her ",p:29,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"attempt to address what we are saying here. ",p:29,x:90,y:773,w:324,h:16},
{t:"Never let this be used to create an “us/them” mentality and ",p:29,x:120,y:797,w:456,h:16},
{t:"divide the body of Christ. Remember, there’s cat in all of us to ",p:29,x:90,y:820,w:486,h:16},
{t:"varying degrees. Let us all walk in humility and see it more as an ",p:29,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"“us/us” situation and encourage others, and ourselves, to become ",p:29,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"more like Christ!",p:29,x:90,y:890,w:125,h:16},
{t:"23",p:30,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"3",p:30,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"not Incorrect, Just Incomplete",p:30,x:112,y:226,w:437,h:39},
{t:"Sharon and I (Gerald) have an unusual sense of humor that has ",p:30,x:90,y:409,w:484,h:64},
{t:"run rampant through our marriage and its years of precious memo-",p:30,x:90,y:471,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ries. We are often telling jokes and pulling pranks. (Okay, I tell ",p:30,x:90,y:495,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the jokes and pull the pranks, but she listens and joyfully bears the ",p:30,x:90,y:518,w:484,h:16},
{t:"brunt of the punch line or practical joke.)",p:30,x:90,y:541,w:301,h:16},
{t:"Our sleeping habits vary. She’s a morning person, and I’m",p:30,x:120,y:565,w:439,h:16},
{t:"a night person. I scoot into the bed long after she’s asleep and ",p:30,x:90,y:588,w:474,h:16},
{t:"tumble out long after she’s awake. But I do try to turn down the",p:30,x:90,y:611,w:468,h:16},
{t:"bed for her before she gets there, and I try to make the bed when ",p:30,x:90,y:635,w:472,h:16},
{t:"I get up.",p:30,x:90,y:658,w:60,h:16},
{t:"One day she must have recognized my sneaky smile and ",p:30,x:120,y:681,w:437,h:16},
{t:"asked what I was up to. I just continued smiling and tried not",p:30,x:90,y:705,w:457,h:16},
{t:"to give anything away. She prodded me more about what I had ",p:30,x:90,y:728,w:463,h:16},
{t:"done and what I was thinking. But, again, I just smiled. She",p:30,x:90,y:751,w:458,h:16},
{t:"kept after me until I broke down and told her, “Oh, nothing. ",p:30,x:90,y:775,w:464,h:16},
{t:"I just made the bed for you.” But I guess my snicker kept her",p:30,x:90,y:798,w:458,h:16},
{t:"suspicions up.",p:30,x:90,y:821,w:103,h:16},
{t:"“What have you done?” she asked.",p:30,x:120,y:845,w:255,h:16},
{t:"“Nothing. Just made the bed!” I answered.",p:30,x:120,y:868,w:311,h:16},
{t:"24",p:31,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:31,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"“Did you short-sheet the bed again?”",p:31,x:120,y:121,w:271,h:16},
{t:"“No.”",p:31,x:120,y:144,w:43,h:16},
{t:"“Well, what did you do?”",p:31,x:120,y:167,w:187,h:16},
{t:"“Nothing. I just made the bed.”",p:31,x:120,y:191,w:229,h:16},
{t:"“Did you steal my pillow?”",p:31,x:120,y:214,w:201,h:16},
{t:"“No.”",p:31,x:120,y:237,w:43,h:16},
{t:"“Did you steal the covers?”",p:31,x:120,y:261,w:201,h:16},
{t:"“No.”",p:31,x:120,y:284,w:43,h:16},
{t:"“What did you do?”",p:31,x:120,y:307,w:147,h:16},
{t:"“Nothing. You’re so suspicious.” More snickering and a mis-",p:31,x:120,y:331,w:449,h:16},
{t:"chievous smile continue to ease out of me.",p:31,x:90,y:354,w:311,h:16},
{t:"“I’m going to see.”",p:31,x:120,y:377,w:140,h:16},
{t:"Upstairs she went, and that’s when the laughter poured out ",p:31,x:120,y:401,w:456,h:16},
{t:"of the bedroom. You see I made the bed, but only the half I slept ",p:31,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"on. There it was: straight, neat, and nearly perfect on one side and ",p:31,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"crumpled, tossed, and full of wrinkles on the other.",p:31,x:90,y:471,w:374,h:16},
{t:"My statement, “I made the bed,” was not incorrect, but it was ",p:31,x:120,y:494,w:454,h:16},
{t:"incomplete. It only gave a part of the whole picture, which was a ",p:31,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"distortion of the way it really was.",p:31,x:90,y:541,w:251,h:16},
{t:"On a lot of courtroom television dramas when a person is",p:31,x:120,y:564,w:429,h:16},
{t:"sworn in, they are asked to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and ",p:31,x:90,y:587,w:465,h:16},
{t:"nothing but the truth.” This—the whole truth—provides an ac",p:31,x:90,y:611,w:452,h:16},
{t:"-",p:31,x:564,y:611,w:6,h:16},
{t:"curate picture of something. Cat Theology doesn’t provide an ",p:31,x:90,y:634,w:463,h:16},
{t:"accurate, whole picture of ",p:31,x:90,y:657,w:196,h:16},
{t:"God’s Word, His will, or His ways. ",p:31,x:296,y:657,w:272,h:16},
{t:"Cat Theology is not incorrect, but it is incomplete. And in be",p:31,x:90,y:681,w:451,h:16},
{t:"-",p:31,x:564,y:681,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing incomplete, it is a distortion of what He wants and what He",p:31,x:90,y:704,w:457,h:16},
{t:"has to say to us. Let’s see how this works in the Christian life.",p:31,x:90,y:727,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Cats are saved from hell, but their version of the gospel stops ",p:31,x:120,y:751,w:454,h:16},
{t:"there. Once they’re saved, they think “Hallelujah! Praise God, I’m ",p:31,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"going to heaven.” But for Dogs, getting saved is merely a stepping ",p:31,x:90,y:797,w:474,h:16},
{t:"stone to what the true purpose of life and the gospel is all about",p:31,x:90,y:821,w:463,h:16},
{t:". ",p:31,x:566,y:821,w:9,h:16},
{t:"Dogs are saved from hell for worshiping God and glorifying Him. ",p:31,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"They know that their salvation has a single purpose: to glorify ",p:31,x:90,y:867,w:487,h:16},
{t:"nOT InCORRECT, JuST InCOmPLETE",p:32,x:348,y:77,w:222,h:17},
{t:"25",p:32,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"God by enjoying His presence and worshiping Him. And Dogs ",p:32,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"learn to do that twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.",p:32,x:90,y:144,w:440,h:16},
{t:"Now there is a huge difference between being saved from ",p:32,x:120,y:167,w:454,h:16},
{t:"something and being saved for something. When you are saved ",p:32,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"from something, the focus is on you, what you get out of it. ",p:32,x:90,y:214,w:488,h:16},
{t:"Salvation is all about the following:",p:32,x:90,y:237,w:262,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:280,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	not	going	to	hell",p:32,x:150,y:280,w:152,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:303,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	not	having	to	pay	the	penalty	you	deserve",p:32,x:150,y:303,w:338,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:327,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	getting	God’s	mercy",p:32,x:150,y:327,w:182,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:350,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	receiving	God’s	grace",p:32,x:150,y:350,w:193,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:373,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	getting	to	be	with	God	for	all	eternity",p:32,x:150,y:373,w:306,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:397,w:11,h:21},
{t:"you	having	Christ	prepare	a	place	for	you	in	His	Father’s	",p:32,x:150,y:397,w:424,h:21},
{t:"mansion",p:32,x:150,y:424,w:62,h:16},
{t:"When you are saved for something, you know and agree with ",p:32,x:120,y:455,w:454,h:16},
{t:"all of the above, but your focus is on God. With a God-centered ",p:32,x:90,y:478,w:485,h:16},
{t:"focus, your salvation goes a step further:",p:32,x:90,y:502,w:297,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:544,w:11,h:21},
{t:"pointing	to	God’s	mercy",p:32,x:150,y:544,w:179,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:568,w:11,h:21},
{t:"worshiping	Him	",p:32,x:150,y:568,w:124,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:591,w:11,h:21},
{t:"giving	Him	the	glory	He	deserves",p:32,x:150,y:591,w:247,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:614,w:11,h:21},
{t:"lifting	His	name	on	high	",p:32,x:150,y:614,w:183,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:638,w:11,h:21},
{t:"exalting	Him	for	His	greatness",p:32,x:150,y:638,w:225,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:32,x:120,y:661,w:11,h:21},
{t:"singing	His	praise	for	ever	and	ever",p:32,x:150,y:661,w:261,h:21},
{t:"Now is there anything wrong with being saved from hell? No, ",p:32,x:120,y:703,w:454,h:16},
{t:"but it can’t stop there. By itself, it is incomplete. Cat Theology is ",p:32,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"only about us getting to heaven. Dog Theology includes that but ",p:32,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"also goes beyond it to radiating and revealing the glory of God.",p:32,x:90,y:773,w:464,h:16},
{t:"Prayers",p:32,x:90,y:818,w:66,h:18},
{t:"Incomplete Cat Theology can come out in our prayers. Listen ",p:32,x:120,y:842,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to this prayer: “Dear Lord, thank You for dying on the cross for ",p:32,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"26",p:33,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:33,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"our sins. Amen.” Did you notice the period after “sins”? That ",p:33,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"period stands for “complete; end of thought; it’s done.” There is ",p:33,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"no indication as to why He died on the cross for our sins, and ",p:33,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"therefore it implies that it is about us. That prayer is not incorrect, ",p:33,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"but it is incomplete. ",p:33,x:90,y:214,w:150,h:16},
{t:"When Dogs hear that prayer, they want to cry out, “Finish the",p:33,x:120,y:237,w:472,h:16},
{t:"prayer! Finish the prayer! He died on the cross ",p:33,x:90,y:261,w:333,h:16},
{t:"for our sins so that we ",p:33,x:417,y:261,w:158,h:16},
{t:"might honor Him, we might glorify Him, and so that we might point",p:33,x:90,y:284,w:503,h:16},
{t:"to Him for His mercy!” But Cats are only worried about their sins, ",p:33,x:90,y:307,w:509,h:16},
{t:"so they finish the prayer being thankful their sins have been forgiven ",p:33,x:90,y:331,w:510,h:16},
{t:"and miss the bigger reason of why Christ died for them: “So that the",p:33,x:90,y:354,w:504,h:16},
{t:"Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:9).",p:33,x:90,y:377,w:417,h:16},
{t:"Blessings",p:33,x:90,y:422,w:77,h:18},
{t:"Cat Theology has an incomplete view of blessings. God bless-",p:33,x:120,y:446,w:449,h:16},
{t:"es us for a reason. Genesis 12 reveals why God blessed Abraham ",p:33,x:90,y:470,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(Abram).",p:33,x:90,y:493,w:67,h:16},
{t:"I will make you into a great nation  ",p:33,x:150,y:543,w:262,h:16},
{t:"and I will bless you;  ",p:33,x:180,y:568,w:157,h:16},
{t:"I will make your name great,  ",p:33,x:150,y:593,w:220,h:16},
{t:"and you will be a blessing.  ",p:33,x:180,y:618,w:203,h:16},
{t:"I will bless those who bless you,  ",p:33,x:150,y:643,w:246,h:16},
{t:"and whoever curses you I will curse;  ",p:33,x:180,y:668,w:277,h:16},
{t:"and all peoples on earth  ",p:33,x:150,y:693,w:186,h:16},
{t:"will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2–3, ",p:33,x:180,y:718,w:339,h:16},
{t:"emphasis added)",p:33,x:150,y:743,w:122,h:16},
{t:"God blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing, not just ",p:33,x:120,y:767,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to those around him but to all the peoples of the earth. God blesses ",p:33,x:90,y:790,w:483,h:16},
{t:"us for that same reason. We are blessed to be a blessing. God wants ",p:33,x:90,y:813,w:483,h:16},
{t:"that blessing to pass through us to the very ends of the earth.",p:33,x:90,y:837,w:443,h:16},
{t:"Cats want to gather the blessings in a bucket and keep them ",p:33,x:120,y:860,w:455,h:16},
{t:"for themselves. But blessings were never designed to be hoarded ",p:33,x:90,y:883,w:485,h:16},
{t:"nOT InCORRECT, JuST InCOmPLETE",p:34,x:348,y:77,w:222,h:17},
{t:"27",p:34,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"in a bucket. Dogs see themselves as a garden hose, or pipeline, ",p:34,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"whose purpose is to be filled with water and to carry it elsewhere, ",p:34,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"not as the faucet that only opens and dispenses blessings for itself. ",p:34,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Dogs enjoy the blessings and pass them on to others.",p:34,x:90,y:191,w:387,h:16},
{t:"Dogs see themselves as a conduit, or pipeline, of blessings. ",p:34,x:120,y:214,w:456,h:16},
{t:"They understand that God has a plan for the blessings He presents ",p:34,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to us. God knows whom He wants to bless through you tomorrow, ",p:34,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"next week, next year, and for the rest of your life! He sees through ",p:34,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"you to others and wants others to see Him through you. He desires ",p:34,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to be made known to people of every tongue, every tribe, and ",p:34,x:90,y:331,w:487,h:16},
{t:"every nation. This is one of the key reasons God wants to bless ",p:34,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"you.",p:34,x:90,y:377,w:32,h:16},
{t:"But Cats stop short of the greater goal to be a blessing to oth-",p:34,x:120,y:401,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ers, and that leaves God’s goal incomplete. They like to keep the ",p:34,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"blessings for themselves instead of passing them on. You can see ",p:34,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this incompleteness all throughout the Sunday school lessons we ",p:34,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"are taught from the Scriptures. Take, for example, Daniel in the ",p:34,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"lions’ den. What lesson do we learn from it? God will take care ",p:34,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of us in times of trouble. This lesson is not incorrect, but it is in-",p:34,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"complete. Why? It only focuses on what God is doing for us—His ",p:34,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"desire to bless us. What has been left out is the reason why God ",p:34,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"blesses us!",p:34,x:90,y:611,w:78,h:16},
{t:"You remember the story. The king finds out who the bad guys ",p:34,x:120,y:634,w:454,h:16},
{t:"are, and he takes Daniel out of the lions’ den and throws the bad ",p:34,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"guys in. He then writes a memo from his desk and sends it to all of ",p:34,x:90,y:681,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the kings of the earth saying, “I issue a decree that in every part of ",p:34,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel” ",p:34,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"(Daniel 6:26). What’s happening here? You’ve got a Gentile king ",p:34,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"who is making God famous to all of the other Gentile kings around ",p:34,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the world.",p:34,x:90,y:797,w:74,h:16},
{t:"This is the other lesson we can learn from Daniel and the ",p:34,x:120,y:821,w:457,h:16},
{t:"lions’ den: as God takes care of you, people from different coun-",p:34,x:90,y:844,w:479,h:16},
{t:"tries and cultures will be so impressed that they will go and tell ",p:34,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"28",p:35,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:35,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"others in their country about your God! How do Dogs apply it to ",p:35,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"their lives? They teach that we should get to know the people from ",p:35,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"other countries and cultures living around us and let them see our ",p:35,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lives so that we can make God famous to them. But Cats rarely ",p:35,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"learn that lesson. They seem quite content to “be blessed.” What ",p:35,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"they have learned is not incorrect, but it is incomplete.",p:35,x:90,y:237,w:398,h:16},
{t:"Do you need another example? How about when Solomon ",p:35,x:120,y:261,w:457,h:16},
{t:"asks God for wisdom instead of carnal pleasures and gets bless-",p:35,x:90,y:284,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ings in addition to the wisdom? What do Cats learn from this? As ",p:35,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"they seek wisdom from God, He is going to bless them in addition ",p:35,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to the wisdom. While this is true, it’s only half of the story. What’s ",p:35,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the other half?",p:35,x:90,y:377,w:105,h:16},
{t:"Dogs find it linked to Solomon’s reputation. Solomon was ",p:35,x:120,y:401,w:457,h:16},
{t:"greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings on the face of ",p:35,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the earth. As a result, others came from the farthest regions to see ",p:35,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the wisdom God had given to him (1 Kings 10:23–24). Solomon ",p:35,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"basically held “international wisdom seminars.” (Don Richardson, ",p:35,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the missionary, author, and speaker, coined that phrase.) What ",p:35,x:90,y:517,w:487,h:16},
{t:"does Proverbs tell us about what Solomon taught? “The fear of the ",p:35,x:90,y:541,w:483,h:16},
{t:"lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One ",p:35,x:90,y:560,w:484,h:21},
{t:"is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). Solomon made God famous ",p:35,x:90,y:587,w:487,h:16},
{t:"and blessed the other nations with the knowledge of God.",p:35,x:90,y:611,w:421,h:16},
{t:"How can this apply to us? God has blessed America with ",p:35,x:120,y:634,w:457,h:16},
{t:"some of the greatest insights and technologies so that people from ",p:35,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"all over the world come to our backyard to study. And yet while ",p:35,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"this is a great opportunity to make God famous to the international ",p:35,x:90,y:704,w:483,h:16},
{t:"students living among us, International Students Incorporated is ",p:35,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"telling us that 70 to 80 percent of all international students are ",p:35,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"never invited into an American home. Why? We are steeped in ",p:35,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Cat Theology. Cats are so focused on how they can be blessed ",p:35,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"by God that they never have time to think of people from other ",p:35,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"countries, much less to invite them to become a part of their lives ",p:35,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and from that to make God famous!",p:35,x:90,y:867,w:262,h:16},
{t:"nOT InCORRECT, JuST InCOmPLETE",p:36,x:348,y:77,w:222,h:17},
{t:"29",p:36,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Do you need even more examples? How about being still ",p:36,x:120,y:121,w:457,h:16},
{t:"before God (Psalm 46:10)? You know it; fill in the rest of the ",p:36,x:90,y:144,w:487,h:16},
{t:"verse. “Be still, and _______________ ; ___________________",p:36,x:90,y:167,w:480,h:16},
{t:"______________________________. Odds are you didn’t fill in ",p:36,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the rest of the verse. Oh sure, you got the “know that I am God”",p:36,x:90,y:214,w:468,h:16},
{t:"part, but that’s only the first third of the verse. What does the rest",p:36,x:90,y:237,w:467,h:16},
{t:"of it say? “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted ",p:36,x:90,y:261,w:474,h:16},
{t:"among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” That’s the rest",p:36,x:90,y:284,w:467,h:16},
{t:"of Psalm 46:10, but few people know it.",p:36,x:90,y:307,w:293,h:16},
{t:"Why? Cat Theology has kept us focused only on what God does",p:36,x:120,y:331,w:460,h:16},
{t:"for us and not on what God wants to do in and through us. What",p:36,x:90,y:354,w:491,h:16},
{t:"does the verse mean? It means that as you are still before the Lord, ",p:36,x:90,y:377,w:497,h:16},
{t:"as you are having quiet times alone with Him, as you are worship",p:36,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"-",p:36,x:564,y:401,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing Him for His glory, He wants you to focus on seeing His glory go ",p:36,x:90,y:424,w:495,h:16},
{t:"to all the nations of the earth, for He declares that it will!",p:36,x:90,y:447,w:417,h:16},
{t:"You are to be praying that His glory will shine in the 10/40 ",p:36,x:120,y:471,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Window. You are to be concerned about what is happening in ",p:36,x:90,y:494,w:487,h:16},
{t:"all of the world. You are to be lifting up the needs of the Hindu ",p:36,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"world, the Buddhist world, the Chinese world, and all the other ",p:36,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"areas untouched with the gospel. You are to be asking God for ",p:36,x:90,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"laborers because the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ",p:36,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"What Cats have learned is not incorrect, but it is incomplete. There ",p:36,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is another half of the gospel for Cats to learn!",p:36,x:90,y:634,w:333,h:16},
{t:"There are many more stories in the Bible, but many Christians ",p:36,x:120,y:657,w:453,h:16},
{t:"have only learned half of what there is to learn. As far as lessons ",p:36,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"go, Cats have another half of the Bible to discover! To learn more ",p:36,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"about this, please read Unveiled At Last by Bob Sjogren and get a ",p:36,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"much better understanding of that missing half.3",p:36,x:90,y:750,w:351,h:16},
{t:"Incorrect Examples and Teaching",p:36,x:90,y:795,w:289,h:18},
{t:"Where do we learn much of this incorrect teaching and theol-",p:36,x:120,y:820,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ogy? We learn it from the examples around us. It usually comes ",p:36,x:90,y:843,w:485,h:16},
{t:"not from what is said but from what is not said.",p:36,x:90,y:866,w:346,h:16},
{t:"30",p:37,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:37,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"At a large Christian conference of twenty thousand young ",p:37,x:120,y:121,w:457,h:16},
{t:"people in the early nineties, a telephone call was made to another ",p:37,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Christian conference of a similar size. The audience was waiting ",p:37,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"as the speaker kept saying, “Hello. Hello, are you there?” Finally ",p:37,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the connection was made. “Yes, we’re here.” And then the very ",p:37,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"first words were spoken from the speaker in the United States.",p:37,x:90,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"“How is God blessing?” The response heard was all about ",p:37,x:120,y:261,w:457,h:16},
{t:"God’s blessings to them as a group. All good, all healthy, but ",p:37,x:90,y:284,w:487,h:16},
{t:"something was missing. The question was not incorrect, but it was ",p:37,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"incomplete. Not once did the speaker say, “How is God being ",p:37,x:90,y:331,w:487,h:16},
{t:"blessed?” “How is God being glorified?” or “How is God being ",p:37,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"exalted?” As a result, what was being subtly communicated was ",p:37,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that it is all about us! We are what God died for and lives for. ",p:37,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"It was Cat Theology coming from the main speaker in front of ",p:37,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"twenty thousand people.",p:37,x:90,y:447,w:178,h:16},
{t:"You can hear incomplete Cat Theology and incomplete teach-",p:37,x:120,y:471,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing on Christian radio and from the pulpit. Have you heard the ",p:37,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"analogy of the bird in the birdcage? The story involves a bird feel-",p:37,x:90,y:517,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing cooped up in a cage. The bird is feeling cramped, and it wants ",p:37,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to fly. It wants to spread its wings and be free. But little does the ",p:37,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"bird know that there’s a cat right outside the cage waiting to grab ",p:37,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it. The moral of the story is that the bird needs to stay inside the ",p:37,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"cage for its own good.",p:37,x:90,y:634,w:163,h:16},
{t:"The lesson is supposed to be an analogy of the way many ",p:37,x:120,y:657,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Christians feel cooped up in the laws and desires of God. As a ",p:37,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"result, they think it’s not fair to have to abide within those restric-",p:37,x:90,y:704,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tions. But, just as the bird was safe in the cage, we are safe within ",p:37,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s laws, which were written for our protection.",p:37,x:90,y:751,w:372,h:16},
{t:"Although the above teaching is true, it is incomplete. Could ",p:37,x:120,y:774,w:455,h:16},
{t:"it ever be that God would allow the bird to be killed by the cat? ",p:37,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“No,” we cry, “that would never happen.” Why? We never tend to ",p:37,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"think about it from the cat’s perspective. We like to think it is all ",p:37,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"about the bird (us). God would never want any hardship or harm ",p:37,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"nOT InCORRECT, JuST InCOmPLETE",p:38,x:348,y:77,w:222,h:17},
{t:"31",p:38,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"to come to us. Cats have therefore failed to apply Dog Theology ",p:38,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to the times when God allowed Paul to be beaten multiple times, ",p:38,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Stephen to be stoned to death, or multitudes of Christians to be ",p:38,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"martyred for His glory. ",p:38,x:90,y:191,w:174,h:16},
{t:"Did you notice that when we talk about martyrdom, we talk ",p:38,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"about it in terms of God’s glory? But when we talk about God’s ",p:38,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"blessings, we rarely mention them in the context of His glory. We ",p:38,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"just focus in on the blessings.",p:38,x:90,y:284,w:215,h:16},
{t:"Implications",p:38,x:90,y:329,w:106,h:18},
{t:"This has direct implications on how we pray for our nation. ",p:38,x:120,y:353,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Cats want God to bless America for America’s sake. They envi-",p:38,x:90,y:376,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sion a better economy with bigger homes and lower interest rates, ",p:38,x:90,y:400,w:484,h:16},
{t:"where the taxes are few and the gas is cheap. ",p:38,x:90,y:423,w:333,h:16},
{t:"Dogs want God to bless America not only for the above rea-",p:38,x:120,y:446,w:449,h:16},
{t:"sons but also so that America might be one of the greatest export-",p:38,x:90,y:470,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ers of His glory to all the nations of the earth. Dogs are constantly ",p:38,x:90,y:493,w:484,h:16},
{t:"envisioning a better economy so short-term mission teams have ",p:38,x:90,y:516,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the money to go to the ends of the earth, where finances can be ",p:38,x:90,y:540,w:485,h:16},
{t:"raised up to help the JESUS film get into places where the gospel ",p:38,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"hasn’t been heard, where long-term missionaries can raise their ",p:38,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"full support in under a year’s time, where Third World missions ",p:38,x:90,y:610,w:485,h:16},
{t:"can get a boost from America’s churches to send their laborers out ",p:38,x:90,y:633,w:483,h:16},
{t:"fully supported, and where politicians live holy lifestyles so that ",p:38,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Christianity’s reputation is held in high honor. This is how Dogs ",p:38,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"pray for America.",p:38,x:90,y:703,w:130,h:16},
{t:"Surely by now you’ve heard of the book, if not read, The ",p:38,x:120,y:727,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Prayer of Jabez.4 Having sold millions, it has been a bestseller. ",p:38,x:90,y:750,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Bruce Wilkinson is the author. His heart is that of a Dog. He wrote ",p:38,x:90,y:773,w:483,h:16},
{t:"it for the specific purpose of getting many Christians to ask God to ",p:38,x:90,y:796,w:483,h:16},
{t:"bless their lives and their ministries so that the gospel would get ",p:38,x:90,y:820,w:485,h:16},
{t:"out to the ends of the earth. He is a Dog through and through.",p:38,x:90,y:843,w:450,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately, it is being read by Cats. People are asking God ",p:38,x:120,y:866,w:466,h:16},
{t:"32",p:39,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:39,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"not for greater ministry opportunities but for larger homes, bigger",p:39,x:90,y:121,w:492,h:16},
{t:"raises, and nicer cars. They have missed that God’s blessings are",p:39,x:90,y:144,w:491,h:16},
{t:"for a purpose: to reflect His glory, to make Him famous, and to be a",p:39,x:90,y:167,w:492,h:16},
{t:"blessing to people of every tongue, every tribe, and every nation.",p:39,x:90,y:191,w:476,h:16},
{t:"We have to see beyond the blessings and look into the reasons ",p:39,x:120,y:214,w:453,h:16},
{t:"behind them! Romans 11:36 sums it up completely: “For from ",p:39,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory ",p:39,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"forever! Amen” (emphasis added). How many things? All! Not ",p:39,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"most. Not lots. Not the vast majority of, but all! Now that’s the ",p:39,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"way to see a blessing!",p:39,x:90,y:331,w:160,h:16},
{t:"Think of the two lessons (the one we know and the one we ",p:39,x:120,y:354,w:456,h:16},
{t:"often miss) as two rails of a railroad track. One rail we’ll call “The ",p:39,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Blessings” (which we are all familiar with), the other rail we’ll ",p:39,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"call “Being a Blessing” (which most Christians usually miss).",p:39,x:90,y:424,w:452,h:16},
{t:"Which rail would the Cat be found walking on? That’s right, ",p:39,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the rail marked “The Blessings.” They love the blessings of God ",p:39,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and stay focused on them, but stop there. Where would you find ",p:39,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the Dog walking? Think it through before you answer because the ",p:39,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"answer might surprise you. The Dog would be walking on both ",p:39,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"rails. Dogs enjoy the blessings and are a blessing. ",p:39,x:90,y:564,w:368,h:16},
{t:"Make sure you are clear on this point: Dog theology is not the ",p:39,x:120,y:587,w:454,h:16},
{t:"absence of Cat Theology, rather it is the completion of it! ",p:39,x:90,y:611,w:425,h:16},
{t:"Don’t think that a “Dog Church” is so solely focused on God ",p:39,x:120,y:634,w:454,h:16},
{t:"that humanity gets totally lost in it. No. Not letting people know ",p:39,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of God’s love for them and the blessings that He has for them is, ",p:39,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in and of itself, an incomplete theology as well. A healthy “Dog ",p:39,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Church” would have many lessons and passages on God’s love ",p:39,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and blessings. The difference is that they wouldn’t stop there. ",p:39,x:90,y:751,w:487,h:16},
{t:"They would go further and talk about revealing God’s glory by ",p:39,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"blessings others in the process as well.",p:39,x:90,y:797,w:282,h:16},
{t:"33",p:40,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"4",p:40,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"What’s Different about a Dog?",p:40,x:115,y:226,w:431,h:39},
{t:"“Sir, your kosher meal is here,” the flight attendant said.",p:40,x:90,y:408,w:429,h:64},
{t:"“What?” I said puzzled. ",p:40,x:120,y:470,w:182,h:16},
{t:"“I didn’t order a kosher meal . ",p:40,x:309,y:470,w:227,h:16},
{t:". .” ",p:40,x:547,y:470,w:27,h:16},
{t:"And then I looked to my left. Jeff Liverman (one of my best",p:40,x:90,y:493,w:458,h:16},
{t:"friends) was holding his laugh as hard as he could. He had ",p:40,x:90,y:517,w:466,h:16},
{t:"ordered me a kosher meal since we were on the same flight",p:40,x:90,y:540,w:459,h:16},
{t:"home and simply wanted to get me one more time!",p:40,x:90,y:563,w:373,h:16},
{t:"Months later, I got him back. Together we were speaking ",p:40,x:120,y:587,w:436,h:16},
{t:"in Columbus, Ohio, at a church’s missions conference. There, ",p:40,x:90,y:610,w:463,h:16},
{t:"my other best friend (Chip Weiant) was the CEO of a German ",p:40,x:90,y:634,w:464,h:16},
{t:"family restaurant known for its cream puffs! I told Jeff he had ",p:40,x:90,y:657,w:462,h:16},
{t:"to try these out because they were so good.",p:40,x:90,y:680,w:315,h:16},
{t:"Finally the meal came. We finished our main course and ",p:40,x:120,y:704,w:437,h:16},
{t:"ordered cream puffs. Three identical puffs were put on ",p:40,x:90,y:727,w:395,h:16},
{t:"the table ",p:40,x:506,y:727,w:67,h:16},
{t:"for us. Little did Jeff know that I had asked Chip to have one",p:40,x:90,y:750,w:457,h:16},
{t:"of his employees heavily mix one of them with salt! The puffs",p:40,x:90,y:774,w:457,h:16},
{t:"made it to their right destination, and the moment came.",p:40,x:90,y:797,w:410,h:16},
{t:"Jeff got a small bite on his spoon and lifted it to his mouth. ",p:40,x:120,y:820,w:431,h:16},
{t:"Chip stopped him. “Jeff,” he said, “these are world renown.”",p:40,x:90,y:844,w:458,h:16},
{t:"Jeff then got a bigger bite and placed it entirely in his mouth.",p:40,x:90,y:867,w:447,h:16},
{t:"34",p:41,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:41,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Chip asked, “What do you think?”",p:41,x:120,y:121,w:252,h:16},
{t:"Jeff answered politely, with food still in his mouth, “It’s",p:41,x:120,y:144,w:428,h:16},
{t:". . . um . . . good.”",p:41,x:90,y:167,w:134,h:16},
{t:"I then got Jeff’s attention and said, “Kosher, isn’t it?” Upon ",p:41,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"hearing that, Jeff jumped up, slammed his hands on the table, and ",p:41,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"spit it into a napkin. He knew he had been had!",p:41,x:90,y:237,w:345,h:16},
{t:"Three cream puffs, one was different. Three people sitting ",p:41,x:120,y:261,w:457,h:16},
{t:"in a church—they all look alike. They all act alike. But one can ",p:41,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be very different depending on his heart attitude, depending on ",p:41,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"whom he believes the Bible is all about.",p:41,x:90,y:331,w:293,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that God is the main character of the Bible, and ",p:41,x:120,y:354,w:455,h:16},
{t:"they see how Jesus honored His Father. They know that Jesus ",p:41,x:90,y:377,w:487,h:16},
{t:"lived for the Father’s glory; and therefore, they should too. The ",p:41,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Scriptures tell us that Jesus not only continually pointed to the ",p:41,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Father’s glory, but also He died primarily for the Father’s glory. ",p:41,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Look at John 12:27–28. Jesus was thinking about the pain of the ",p:41,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"cross. He says: “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ",p:41,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I ",p:41,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"came to this hour. Father, . . .”",p:41,x:90,y:541,w:223,h:16},
{t:"Wait! Before we read what comes next, remember, it is in the",p:41,x:120,y:564,w:439,h:16},
{t:"context of the pain, agony, and suffering He is going to endure. ",p:41,x:90,y:587,w:473,h:16},
{t:"This is no insignificant time, especially because He is totally ",p:41,x:90,y:611,w:475,h:16},
{t:"focused on why He has to suffer. Here He gives the ultimate",p:41,x:90,y:634,w:471,h:16},
{t:"reason He is going to go through the coming agony. What does",p:41,x:90,y:657,w:469,h:16},
{t:"He say?",p:41,x:90,y:681,w:58,h:16},
{t:"To emphasize what is being said in this passage, it helps to ",p:41,x:120,y:704,w:456,h:16},
{t:"look at what this text does not say. Notice it doesn’t say, “Father, ",p:41,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"save these kind, wonderful, worthy people from hell; they don’t ",p:41,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"deserve it!” Why? That isn’t Christ’s primary focus as He faces ",p:41,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the cross. Some readers may respond, “If He didn’t say that, if ",p:41,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"He wasn’t focused on us, then what was His focus?” Listen in ",p:41,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"again as we read His next words: “Father, glorify your name!” ",p:41,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(John 12:28, emphasis added).",p:41,x:90,y:867,w:223,h:16},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:42,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"35",p:42,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Now Jesus died for us and He died for the Father’s glory. ",p:42,x:120,y:121,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Which one takes priority? In this passage, Jesus seems to give us ",p:42,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"His answer. He is focused primarily on His Father’s glory. His ",p:42,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Father’s glory is the highest priority. Oh, how Cats hate to hear ",p:42,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"those words, and how comfortable Dogs are with hearing them! ",p:42,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Christ does love us. Never doubt your childhood memories of ",p:42,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” ",p:42,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but we suggest that His love for us is secondary to living for His ",p:42,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Father’s glory.",p:42,x:90,y:307,w:107,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately, too many top Christian songs miss the point ",p:42,x:120,y:331,w:456,h:16},
{t:"theologically when they basically say, “We are the only things ",p:42,x:90,y:354,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Jesus thought about when He went to the cross.” No! When He ",p:42,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"went to the cross, He did so primarily for the glory of His Father.",p:42,x:90,y:401,w:478,h:16},
{t:"Have you considered that this great desire to glorify His Father ",p:42,x:120,y:424,w:453,h:16},
{t:"is the reason why He desires to answer our prayers? “I thought He ",p:42,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"did it because He wants to bless us,” Cats think. That answer is ",p:42,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"not incorrect, but it is incomplete. Dogs know the deeper answer. ",p:42,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"In John 14:13, the Scriptures point us to why Jesus delights in ",p:42,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"answering our prayers. Let’s listen in as He speaks to His follow-",p:42,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ers: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son ",p:42,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"may bring glory to the Father” (emphasis added). ",p:42,x:90,y:587,w:369,h:16},
{t:"Jesus wants to answer our prayers so that His Father will be",p:42,x:120,y:611,w:460,h:16},
{t:"glorified. Jesus has a passion to see His Father exalted, to see His ",p:42,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Father lifted up and praised. Jesus did His work for the glory of the",p:42,x:90,y:657,w:492,h:16},
{t:"Father. In His prayer of John 17:4, Christ says: “",p:42,x:90,y:681,w:378,h:16},
{t:"I have brought ",p:42,x:460,y:681,w:117,h:16},
{t:"you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do”",p:42,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"(emphasis added). Christ did His work to bring His Father glory.",p:42,x:90,y:727,w:474,h:16},
{t:"Defining Glory ",p:42,x:90,y:772,w:133,h:18},
{t:"Glory, just what is it? While we all have a good idea of what it ",p:42,x:120,y:796,w:453,h:16},
{t:"means or at least something that comes to mind when we mention ",p:42,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the word, it is hard to give an adequate definition of glory. And if ",p:42,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we don’t know what it is, how can we discuss it? ",p:42,x:90,y:866,w:363,h:16},
{t:"36",p:43,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:43,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"We liken the challenge of defining glory to dissecting a frog. ",p:43,x:120,y:121,w:454,h:16},
{t:"True, you can learn more about the frog by dissecting it, but in the ",p:43,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"end, the frog dies! Like defining love, you can give it words, but ",p:43,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in doing so, it loses much of the emotion that makes love what ",p:43,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"it is. In the same way, we can strive to define the glory of God, ",p:43,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but in doing so, we may be missing the fullness, the majesty, and ",p:43,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"mystery of what it is all about. Acknowledging the dangers and ",p:43,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"risk, let’s try to move ahead, without killing it!",p:43,x:90,y:284,w:343,h:16},
{t:"Throughout the Bible there are descriptions of God’s glory ",p:43,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"made visible and evident. God’s glory was often associated with a ",p:43,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glorious shining or brilliant light that is referred to as the shekinah ",p:43,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory of God. It appeared when the Old Testament tabernacle was ",p:43,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"dedicated and again when the permanent temple was dedicated. It ",p:43,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was shown in the New Testament when the angels announced the ",p:43,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"birth of Jesus; “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke ",p:43,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"2:9). God’s glory was obvious to the disciples when Jesus was ",p:43,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"transfigured and to Paul when Jesus appeared to him on the road ",p:43,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to Dasmascus. This kind of glory is a display of the presence of ",p:43,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God. This is what Moses wanted to see, but God said it was not ",p:43,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"possible to see His glory in its fullness and live (Exodus 33:18). ",p:43,x:90,y:564,w:473,h:16},
{t:"If you are feeling a little disappointed that you have not expe-",p:43,x:120,y:587,w:449,h:16},
{t:"rienced God’s glory, be patient. The opportunity will come. The ",p:43,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"book of Revelation tells us that in heaven there will be no need of ",p:43,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the sun or the moon, for the glory of the Lamb will provide all the ",p:43,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"light needed (Revelation 21:23). If there is no need of the sun or ",p:43,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"moon, can you imagine how superbly brilliant this will be? This ",p:43,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"will be a light show you won’t want to miss!",p:43,x:90,y:727,w:327,h:16},
{t:"Glory is manifested in the presence of God, but we also see ",p:43,x:120,y:751,w:455,h:16},
{t:"it revealed in His creativity. This is what Psalm 19:1-2 is talking ",p:43,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"about, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim ",p:43,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night ",p:43,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"after night they display knowledge.” By their very existence, ",p:43,x:90,y:844,w:488,h:16},
{t:"God’s creation glorifies Him and declares His glory. ",p:43,x:90,y:867,w:389,h:16},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:44,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"37",p:44,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"We see this, not only in the heavens, but also in the beauty of ",p:44,x:120,y:121,w:454,h:16},
{t:"a flower, in a blade of grass, in the leaves of a tree, in the nut of an ",p:44,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"avocado, in the hardness of a rock, and in the softness of a baby’s ",p:44,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"skin. God is so creative and each expression of His creativity de-",p:44,x:90,y:191,w:479,h:16},
{t:"clares His glory along with the heavens. This is why we, like the ",p:44,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Psalmist can say, “For you make me glad by your deeds, O lord; ",p:44,x:90,y:233,w:484,h:21},
{t:"I sing for joy at the works of your hands” (Psalm 92:4). Singing ",p:44,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for joy at the works of His hands is a way of glorifying God.",p:44,x:90,y:284,w:444,h:16},
{t:"God’s character also reveals His glory. Do you remember ",p:44,x:120,y:314,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Moses’ request of the Lord in Exodus 33? He asked the Lord to ",p:44,x:90,y:337,w:485,h:16},
{t:"show him His glory. How did the Lord respond? The text says, ",p:44,x:90,y:361,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“And the lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front ",p:44,x:90,y:380,w:484,h:21},
{t:"of you, and I will proclaim my name, the lord, in your presence. ",p:44,x:90,y:403,w:484,h:21},
{t:"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have ",p:44,x:90,y:431,w:486,h:16},
{t:"compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” ",p:44,x:90,y:454,w:357,h:16},
{t:"When God speaks of His goodness, he is talking about His ",p:44,x:120,y:484,w:456,h:16},
{t:"character. When God proclaims His name, He is talking about ",p:44,x:90,y:507,w:487,h:16},
{t:"who He is. That is His character. When He says “I will have ",p:44,x:90,y:531,w:487,h:16},
{t:"mercy on whom I will have mercy, compassion on whom I will ",p:44,x:90,y:554,w:485,h:16},
{t:"have compassion,” he’s talking about living out or expressing His ",p:44,x:90,y:577,w:484,h:16},
{t:"character. Moses says, “Show me your glory” and God talks about ",p:44,x:90,y:601,w:483,h:16},
{t:"His character. God’s character reveals His glory.",p:44,x:90,y:624,w:357,h:16},
{t:"In light of the above, we want to define God’s glory (without ",p:44,x:120,y:654,w:454,h:16},
{t:"killing it!) in the following way: ",p:44,x:90,y:677,w:241,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory is defined as any revelation or ",p:44,x:150,y:732,w:371,h:16},
{t:"expression of His excellency in His presence, ",p:44,x:150,y:757,w:368,h:16},
{t:"creativity, and/or character.",p:44,x:150,y:782,w:201,h:16},
{t:"If that is His glory, how do we glorify God? It would be nice to ",p:44,x:120,y:831,w:478,h:16},
{t:"know since the Bible repeatedly commands us to glorify the Lord—",p:44,x:90,y:854,w:503,h:16},
{t:"see Psalm 34:3; Psalm 63:3; Psalm 69:30; and Psalm 86:12.",p:44,x:90,y:877,w:439,h:16},
{t:"38",p:45,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:45,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"To illustrate this, let us draw your attention to the moon. ",p:45,x:120,y:121,w:458,h:16},
{t:"According to an old song, lovers like to stroll “by the light of ",p:45,x:90,y:144,w:487,h:16},
{t:"silvery moon.” But when we think about it, we realize that the ",p:45,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"moon doesn’t give light—it has no light of its own—it merely ",p:45,x:90,y:191,w:487,h:16},
{t:"reflects the light of the sun.",p:45,x:90,y:214,w:200,h:16},
{t:"It is a good analogy for what we do when we give glory to ",p:45,x:120,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"God. Just as the moon does not have light to give, we do not really ",p:45,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"have any glory to give. But, just as the moon reflects the light of ",p:45,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the sun, we can reflect the glory of God.",p:45,x:90,y:307,w:295,h:16},
{t:"When we glorify God, we are reflecting one of those three ",p:45,x:120,y:331,w:456,h:16},
{t:"areas of God—His presence, creativity, and character—back to ",p:45,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Him and other people in some way. ",p:45,x:90,y:377,w:265,h:16},
{t:"Thanking God for all of the good things He has given us ",p:45,x:120,y:401,w:457,h:16},
{t:"reflects His glory and is a reflection of His character. Drawing ",p:45,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"a flower or designing a sky scraper reflects God’s creativity in ",p:45,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"us and glorifies God. Being with someone who is hurting allows ",p:45,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God’s presence in us to be in their lives, and that glorifies God. ",p:45,x:90,y:494,w:468,h:16},
{t:"One of the ways I (Bob) test my teaching, is to see if a child ",p:45,x:120,y:517,w:455,h:16},
{t:"can understand it. I tend to learn more from the children’s sermon ",p:45,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"than from the adult sermon! Therefore I have used my kids to see ",p:45,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"if I am communicating clearly enough. I have found that if chil-",p:45,x:90,y:587,w:480,h:16},
{t:"dren do not understand it easily, it will not “stick” for adults. So, ",p:45,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"if the above was understandable, but you want an easier “handle” ",p:45,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for it, let me tell you the child’s version. Glorifying God means ",p:45,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"living in such a way that will make God famous! ",p:45,x:90,y:681,w:362,h:16},
{t:"There, simple and plain isn’t it? As the subtitle of the book ",p:45,x:120,y:704,w:456,h:16},
{t:"says, “Living Passionately for the Glory of God” simply means, ",p:45,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"living passionately to make God famous! Ask yourself these ",p:45,x:90,y:751,w:489,h:16},
{t:"questions: How am I making God famous to my spouse? How ",p:45,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"am I making God famous to my children? How am I making God ",p:45,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"famous where I work? How am I making God famous to my class-",p:45,x:90,y:821,w:479,h:16},
{t:"mates? How am I making God famous as a single person? How ",p:45,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"am I making God famous driving down the road? ",p:45,x:90,y:867,w:367,h:16},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:46,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"39",p:46,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Just as your heart knows when it’s in love—without a full ",p:46,x:120,y:121,w:457,h:16},
{t:"definition of it—your spirit will know when it is worshiping God ",p:46,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in spirit and truth, when your heart cannot contain the fullness of ",p:46,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"what it is feeling and begins to shout, “I magnify the Lord, I wor-",p:46,x:90,y:191,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ship You, I bow before You and delight in You. Praise the name ",p:46,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of God Almighty, our Lord and Savior”. God will know it too. ",p:46,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Just as when I (Gerald) make a purposeful move to be close to my ",p:46,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wife. I only have to stare intently into her eyes and she will look ",p:46,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"back at me and say, “I know,” even though I did not say a word. In ",p:46,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"that same way, God will know when your heart is full, your spirit ",p:46,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is brimming over, your mind is so focused, and your words too ",p:46,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"inadequate to express, reflect, or radiate His goodness—when all ",p:46,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you can say is “glory!” God will know what’s really inside, and ",p:46,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"He will accept your worship and praise. At that moment, you will ",p:46,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"have glorified Him!",p:46,x:90,y:447,w:145,h:16},
{t:"“Jealous God Ministries”",p:46,x:90,y:492,w:216,h:18},
{t:"The ministry of UnveilinGLORY has not always gone by ",p:46,x:120,y:516,w:458,h:16},
{t:"this name. The original name of our ministry was “Destination ",p:46,x:90,y:540,w:486,h:16},
{t:"2000,” but when the new millennium came, the “expiration date” ",p:46,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"or “shelf-life” of that name expired. At that time, we began to look ",p:46,x:90,y:586,w:483,h:16},
{t:"for a new name for the ministry. We considered everything we ",p:46,x:90,y:610,w:486,h:16},
{t:"could imagine in trying to find the right name. We finally came up ",p:46,x:90,y:633,w:483,h:16},
{t:"with the name “Jealous God Ministries.” (The name was based on ",p:46,x:90,y:656,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Exodus 20:5: “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; ",p:46,x:90,y:680,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for I, the lord your God, am a jealous God.”) We thought it was ",p:46,x:90,y:699,w:484,h:21},
{t:"a great name. ",p:46,x:90,y:726,w:102,h:16},
{t:"So we began to do some market research. With an e-mail list",p:46,x:120,y:750,w:460,h:16},
{t:"of about three hundred names, we asked the question, “What do ",p:46,x:90,y:773,w:497,h:16},
{t:"you think of the name ‘Jealous God Ministries’?” Nine out of ten ",p:46,x:90,y:796,w:497,h:16},
{t:"said it was a terrible name. Even some mature Christians just didn’t",p:46,x:90,y:820,w:492,h:16},
{t:"care for the thought of it. We reminded them that it had a biblical",p:46,x:90,y:843,w:492,h:16},
{t:"reference; they didn’t care. They said this because of the negative",p:46,x:90,y:866,w:492,h:16},
{t:"40",p:47,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:47,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"connotations that the word “jealous” carries with it. Even though ",p:47,x:90,y:121,w:498,h:16},
{t:"it came directly from the second commandment, most people said, ",p:47,x:90,y:144,w:496,h:16},
{t:"“Don’t name it that!” They assumed all jealousy is wrong. ",p:47,x:90,y:167,w:432,h:16},
{t:"Why such a negative reaction? Usually whenever jealousy is ",p:47,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"talked about, there are negative connotations surrounding it. Cain ",p:47,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was jealous of Abel, and a murder resulted. Tonya Harding was ",p:47,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"jealous of Nancy Kerrigan, and a crime resulted. John Hinkley ",p:47,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Jr. was jealous for Jodie Foster’s attention, and an assassination ",p:47,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"on President Reagan was attempted. Whenever we hear about ",p:47,x:90,y:307,w:488,h:16},
{t:"jealousy in the news, it is negative. Could there be a positive jeal-",p:47,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ousy? No way.",p:47,x:90,y:354,w:109,h:16},
{t:"But there can be a positive jealousy. Paul writes in ",p:47,x:120,y:377,w:463,h:16},
{t:"2 Corinthians 11:2: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.” ",p:47,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"There can be a good, healthy, godly jealousy. But is it okay for ",p:47,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God to be jealous for God? Cats fight the idea. Dogs know it is ",p:47,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"scriptural, and without it, nothing would make sense!",p:47,x:90,y:471,w:390,h:16},
{t:"Do you remember a few paragraphs back when Jesus was ",p:47,x:120,y:494,w:457,h:16},
{t:"thinking about all of the pain and suffering He had to go through, ",p:47,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and He said, “Father, glorify your name”? Well in the very next ",p:47,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"verse, God responds to His Son. Now, before we look at what ",p:47,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"He says, think through what you think He might say. Cats would ",p:47,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"guess that He says something like, “Son, I appreciate your want-",p:47,x:90,y:611,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing to glorify Me, but I don’t need all that attention, so let’s focus ",p:47,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"on them.” But that’s not what the Father says. Look at how He ",p:47,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"responds: “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it ",p:47,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"[My name], and will glorify it again’” (John 12:28).",p:47,x:90,y:704,w:380,h:16},
{t:"God is saying, “You’re right, Son, it’s about Me. When the ",p:47,x:120,y:727,w:456,h:16},
{t:"crown of thorns is placed upon Your head, the nails are driven ",p:47,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"into Your hands, and the spear thrust into Your side, when Your ",p:47,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"lifeless body is taken from the cross and placed into the tomb, ",p:47,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"it’s about My glory shining and radiating throughout all creation.” ",p:47,x:90,y:821,w:483,h:16},
{t:"God, the Father, is jealous for His own name.",p:47,x:90,y:844,w:333,h:16},
{t:"When they first hear that, deep down inside, Cats want to cry ",p:47,x:120,y:867,w:454,h:16},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:48,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"41",p:48,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"out, “No, that’s not right. God can’t be jealous for Himself. That ",p:48,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"just can’t be!” Cats tend to assume that God must be on some ",p:48,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"kind of ego trip if He is jealous for Himself. Perhaps God is up ",p:48,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in heaven and just feels bad. He is being self-centered and having ",p:48,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a bad day. They might be wondering, “Does God have a poor ",p:48,x:90,y:214,w:487,h:16},
{t:"self-image? Is God brooding in the heavens, waiting for someone ",p:48,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to praise Him?” ",p:48,x:90,y:261,w:120,h:16},
{t:"How can God be jealous in a good way? In order to understand ",p:48,x:120,y:284,w:453,h:16},
{t:"this, we need to ask a simple question, and that is, Whom does ",p:48,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God live for? Can you imagine God walking the streets of gold, ",p:48,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"scratching His chin, and asking Himself, “Whom should I live ",p:48,x:90,y:354,w:487,h:16},
{t:"for? Hmmm, I’ve got a lot to offer. What should I point to, lift up, ",p:48,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"exalt, and glorify?” Think through it quickly. What could God’s ",p:48,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"options be? Knowing there could be a multitude of answers, we’d ",p:48,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"like to suggest four: creation, the angels, humanity, and Himself. ",p:48,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Let’s think through those.",p:48,x:90,y:471,w:189,h:16},
{t:"All of creation is temporal. It exists for a time but will be gone ",p:48,x:120,y:494,w:453,h:16},
{t:"someday (2 Peter 3:10). So why would an eternal God live for ",p:48,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"something temporal? That just doesn’t make sense. So strike that ",p:48,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"one off the list as a possible option.",p:48,x:90,y:564,w:259,h:16},
{t:"The second option is angels. Why doesn’t He live for the an-",p:48,x:120,y:587,w:450,h:16},
{t:"gels? (There’s nothing in the Rule Book that says Christ couldn’t ",p:48,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"have forgiven Satan’s sin along with the other fallen angels.) ",p:48,x:90,y:634,w:488,h:16},
{t:"Well, there’s been no sign of repentance, and the Scriptures tell ",p:48,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"us there never will be. But the Bible does tell us that Satan came ",p:48,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). So that doesn’t look like a ",p:48,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"very good option.",p:48,x:90,y:727,w:129,h:16},
{t:"What is the third option? Well there’s humanity, mankind, ",p:48,x:120,y:751,w:468,h:16},
{t:"people. Why not live for us? Cats say, “Yes, that makes sense. ",p:48,x:90,y:774,w:498,h:16},
{t:"Christ left his Father’s glory, and He came down to the earth to die",p:48,x:90,y:797,w:492,h:16},
{t:"an agonizing death for us. Since He died for us, He must live for us!",p:48,x:90,y:821,w:492,h:16},
{t:"It must be about us!” But Dogs challenge that and ask, “What does ",p:48,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the Bible say about us that shows we are worth living for?” A quick ",p:48,x:90,y:867,w:496,h:16},
{t:"42",p:49,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:49,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"glance at Mark 7 tells us: “What comes out of a man is what makes",p:49,x:90,y:121,w:491,h:16},
{t:"him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil",p:49,x:90,y:144,w:491,h:16},
{t:"thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, ",p:49,x:90,y:167,w:497,h:16},
{t:"deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils",p:49,x:90,y:191,w:492,h:16},
{t:"come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’” (Mark 7:20–23).",p:49,x:90,y:214,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Let’s be honest. Are we worth living for? Dogs realize that ",p:49,x:120,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"in our condition alone, we are not worthy and not worth living ",p:49,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"for. We’ve seen that creation isn’t worthy—it’s temporal. We’ve ",p:49,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"seen that the angels aren’t worthy—they’ve fallen with no sign of ",p:49,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"repentance. We’ve seen that mankind isn’t worthy—we’re sin-",p:49,x:90,y:331,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ful. So what’s left for God to live for? Himself. Why would God ",p:49,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"choose to live for Himself? What does He represent? The Bible ",p:49,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"refers to God in the following ways:",p:49,x:90,y:401,w:265,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:443,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Lord	of	Glory",p:49,x:150,y:443,w:129,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:473,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	King	of	Kings",p:49,x:150,y:473,w:131,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:502,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Great	Physician",p:49,x:150,y:502,w:143,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:531,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Righteous	One",p:49,x:150,y:531,w:136,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:561,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Shelter	from	the	Storm",p:49,x:150,y:561,w:195,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:590,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Architect	and	Builder	of	all	things",p:49,x:150,y:590,w:278,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:619,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Defender	of	widows",p:49,x:150,y:619,w:176,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:649,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Helper	of	the	fatherless",p:49,x:150,y:649,w:198,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:678,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Source	of	eternal	salvation",p:49,x:150,y:678,w:223,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:707,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Alpha	and	Omega",p:49,x:150,y:707,w:160,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:737,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Maker	of	all	things",p:49,x:150,y:737,w:167,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:766,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Good	Shepherd",p:49,x:150,y:766,w:141,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:795,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	Great	Reward",p:49,x:150,y:795,w:129,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:825,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	One	who	holds	the	keys	to	the	gates	of	hell",p:49,x:150,y:825,w:343,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:854,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	God	of	grace",p:49,x:150,y:854,w:122,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:49,x:120,y:883,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	God	of	hope",p:49,x:150,y:883,w:118,h:21},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:50,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"43",p:50,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:117,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	God	of	love",p:50,x:150,y:117,w:114,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:146,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	God	who	gives	endurance",p:50,x:150,y:146,w:217,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:175,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	God	who	blots	out	our	transgressions",p:50,x:150,y:175,w:300,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:205,w:11,h:21},
{t:"a	very	present	help	in	time	of	need",p:50,x:150,y:205,w:254,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:234,w:11,h:21},
{t:"an	awesome	God",p:50,x:150,y:234,w:126,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:263,w:11,h:21},
{t:"a	faithful	God",p:50,x:150,y:263,w:102,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:293,w:11,h:21},
{t:"omniscient",p:50,x:150,y:293,w:80,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:322,w:11,h:21},
{t:"omnipresent",p:50,x:150,y:322,w:90,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:351,w:11,h:21},
{t:"merciful",p:50,x:150,y:351,w:62,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:50,x:120,y:381,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	only	good	God",p:50,x:150,y:381,w:136,h:21},
{t:"Whom would we live for if we had those four options? “Well, ",p:50,x:120,y:431,w:454,h:16},
{t:"that’s a no-brainer,” someone might say. “I’d live for God because ",p:50,x:90,y:455,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of who He is and what He does!” Why would God be any differ-",p:50,x:90,y:478,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ent? If it’s a no-brainer for us, it is a no-brainer for God. God lives ",p:50,x:90,y:501,w:483,h:16},
{t:"for God. He lives to radiate His glory in billions upon billions of ",p:50,x:90,y:525,w:485,h:16},
{t:"different ways.",p:50,x:90,y:548,w:109,h:16},
{t:"“Well,” Cats counter, “then why did Christ die for us?” Dogs ",p:50,x:120,y:571,w:454,h:16},
{t:"know it was for reasons that brought the Father pleasure. First, ",p:50,x:90,y:595,w:473,h:16},
{t:"the image of God resides inside of us. It was the Father who put",p:50,x:90,y:618,w:468,h:16},
{t:"the image inside of us; therefore, as He redeems us, He is re",p:50,x:90,y:641,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:50,x:564,y:641,w:6,h:16},
{t:"deeming His image that is woven into the fabric of who we are. ",p:50,x:90,y:665,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Second, God is fulfilling His initial purpose and plan for us: to ",p:50,x:90,y:688,w:473,h:16},
{t:"have fellowship with Him. Third, God is expressing the very es",p:50,x:90,y:711,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:50,x:564,y:711,w:6,h:16},
{t:"sence of who He is. He is love, and He loves His creation. He is",p:50,x:90,y:735,w:468,h:16},
{t:"expressing that love unconditionally. He is also full of compas",p:50,x:90,y:758,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:50,x:564,y:758,w:6,h:16},
{t:"sion and mercy; therefore, He is living for Himself, expressing ",p:50,x:90,y:781,w:474,h:16},
{t:"Himself and all that He stands for, and radiating His glory.",p:50,x:90,y:805,w:430,h:16},
{t:"Cats have a hard time understanding that. They quickly coun-",p:50,x:120,y:828,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ter and say, “God tells us not to live for ourselves, so it would be ",p:50,x:90,y:851,w:484,h:16},
{t:"completely inappropriate if God were to live for Himself. God ",p:50,x:90,y:875,w:487,h:16},
{t:"44",p:51,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:51,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"can’t live for God!” ",p:51,x:90,y:121,w:149,h:16},
{t:"But Dogs know that rules that apply to creation do not neces-",p:51,x:120,y:144,w:450,h:16},
{t:"sarily apply to the Creator—in the same way that rules in your ",p:51,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"home for children do not necessarily apply to adults. A rule for ",p:51,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"a small child might be, “Don’t take your cereal across the new ",p:51,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"carpet. You can’t handle it. You’ll make a mess of it.” But no one ",p:51,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"will discipline an adult who carries a cereal bowl across the same ",p:51,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"carpet. Why? The adult can handle it without making a mess.",p:51,x:90,y:284,w:449,h:16},
{t:"In the same way, we can’t live for ourselves because in our ",p:51,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"sinful condition, we can’t handle it; we’d make a mess of it. But ",p:51,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God in His righteousness, grace, mercy, and love (and more) can ",p:51,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"live for Himself without making a mess of it. We can’t live for ",p:51,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"ourselves and not sin, but God can. How can God live for Himself ",p:51,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and not sin? He is love. And Dogs know that 1 Corinthians 13 ",p:51,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"tells us, love “does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not ",p:51,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"self-seeking.”",p:51,x:90,y:471,w:101,h:16},
{t:"Cats want to fire back, “Well, if God isn’t boastful, if He’s ",p:51,x:120,y:494,w:456,h:16},
{t:"not proud, if He’s not rude or self-seeking, then how can God ",p:51,x:90,y:517,w:487,h:16},
{t:"live for God?” If God is going to exalt anything that is good, He ",p:51,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"must exalt Himself. Anything less than Himself wouldn’t be the ",p:51,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"best. No matter how good it may be, it’s not the best. It would be ",p:51,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"unworthy. Living for Himself is God’s only option, and it’s not ",p:51,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a contradiction. No one and nothing is “gooder” than God—it’s ",p:51,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"poor grammar but great theology! When God exalts Himself, it’s ",p:51,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"as if He is making the following statements:",p:51,x:90,y:681,w:323,h:16},
{t:"If there are any values that are the best for My ",p:51,x:150,y:729,w:366,h:16},
{t:"creation, any that I want to uphold, any ideals or ",p:51,x:150,y:754,w:365,h:16},
{t:"ethics I esteem, any principles worth living for, ",p:51,x:150,y:779,w:366,h:16},
{t:"any power or creativity worth displaying, any ",p:51,x:150,y:804,w:368,h:16},
{t:"standards worth setting apart—they are Mine.",p:51,x:150,y:829,w:336,h:16},
{t:"Therefore I will live for and protect everything ",p:51,x:150,y:862,w:366,h:16},
{t:"that I stand for. I will exercise My power and ",p:51,x:150,y:887,w:367,h:16},
{t:"WHAT'S DIffEREnT AbOuT A DOG?",p:52,x:354,y:77,w:216,h:17},
{t:"45",p:52,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"creativity, My compassion and My mercy. I will ",p:52,x:150,y:121,w:365,h:16},
{t:"do what I want to do. And because I am love, I ",p:52,x:150,y:146,w:366,h:16},
{t:"want to (and will) love unconditionally. I want to ",p:52,x:150,y:171,w:364,h:16},
{t:"(and will) give sacrificially. I want to (and will) ",p:52,x:150,y:196,w:365,h:16},
{t:"be merciful. And I want to (and will) give grace ",p:52,x:150,y:221,w:365,h:16},
{t:"and peace to those I love. I will do all of this and ",p:52,x:150,y:246,w:364,h:16},
{t:"more because I am a jealous God.",p:52,x:150,y:271,w:247,h:16},
{t:"The Bible calls God “holy.” The word “holy” in Greek often ",p:52,x:120,y:319,w:443,h:16},
{t:"means “consecrated to God,” which means “devoted or dedi",p:52,x:90,y:342,w:463,h:16},
{t:"-",p:52,x:564,y:342,w:6,h:16},
{t:"cated to the service and worship of God.” Now when the Bible",p:52,x:90,y:366,w:469,h:16},
{t:"declares, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, ",p:52,x:90,y:389,w:473,h:16},
{t:"and is, and is to come,” it is actually saying that God is set apart",p:52,x:90,y:412,w:467,h:16},
{t:"for God (Revelation 4:8). God is devoted to the service of God ",p:52,x:90,y:436,w:474,h:16},
{t:"and dedicated to the worship of God. God leaves no doubt in our",p:52,x:90,y:459,w:468,h:16},
{t:"minds that He is completely dedicated to living for His glory. ",p:52,x:90,y:482,w:475,h:16},
{t:"He is unwilling for anything to usurp that place because every",p:52,x:90,y:506,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:52,x:564,y:506,w:6,h:16},
{t:"thing else is something less. This is why He is a jealous God. ",p:52,x:90,y:529,w:475,h:16},
{t:"God even calls Himself by the name “Jealous.” “Do not worship ",p:52,x:90,y:552,w:473,h:16},
{t:"any other god, for the lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous",p:52,x:90,y:572,w:473,h:21},
{t:"God” (Exodus 34:14). He is Holy. He is set apart for Himself. ",p:52,x:90,y:599,w:480,h:16},
{t:"God lives for Himself. ",p:52,x:90,y:622,w:169,h:16},
{t:"This seems to put God in a paradoxical situation. Why? In ",p:52,x:120,y:646,w:456,h:16},
{t:"living for Himself, He is constantly living for others. Yes, that’s ",p:52,x:90,y:669,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the whole reason why He points to Himself—because He is such ",p:52,x:90,y:692,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a giving being, such a giving God. Since He rejoices in living for ",p:52,x:90,y:716,w:484,h:16},
{t:"others, it looks like He is not living for Himself, but He is. He ",p:52,x:90,y:739,w:486,h:16},
{t:"is living out who He is. That’s another reason why He upholds, ",p:52,x:90,y:762,w:486,h:16},
{t:"protects, and lives for His way of life. ",p:52,x:90,y:786,w:282,h:16},
{t:"“So He lives for Himself because He is constantly living for ",p:52,x:120,y:809,w:455,h:16},
{t:"others?” you’re thinking. That’s exactly it! God lives for Himself, ",p:52,x:90,y:832,w:484,h:16},
{t:"expressing mercy, compassion, and unconditional love to us. You ",p:52,x:90,y:856,w:484,h:16},
{t:"see, if God were to live for anyone or anything else, He would ",p:52,x:90,y:879,w:486,h:16},
{t:"46",p:53,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:53,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"be committing idolatry. God lives for God. He is the only being ",p:53,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"worth living for or pointing to.",p:53,x:90,y:144,w:225,h:16},
{t:"This concept was taught to a class of fifth graders to see if",p:53,x:120,y:167,w:438,h:16},
{t:"they could understand the principle. The class was held on a ",p:53,x:90,y:191,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Saturday night, and one particular little girl had obviously been ",p:53,x:90,y:214,w:473,h:16},
{t:"out in the sun all day. Her body was red with sunburn, and I",p:53,x:90,y:237,w:469,h:16},
{t:"could tell her mind was elsewhere. But at the end, every child ",p:53,x:90,y:261,w:474,h:16},
{t:"was asked if they learned something. When it was her turn, she",p:53,x:90,y:284,w:468,h:16},
{t:"surprised everyone by quickly saying, “Yes, I learned that it’s",p:53,x:90,y:307,w:468,h:16},
{t:"okay for God to be self-centered!”",p:53,x:90,y:331,w:251,h:16},
{t:"Although the words she chose carry negative connotations, ",p:53,x:120,y:354,w:457,h:16},
{t:"she was exactly right. It is okay for God to be self-centered. Dogs ",p:53,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"want to understand all of life in terms of God’s glory. Why? Look ",p:53,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"at the texts below.",p:53,x:90,y:424,w:133,h:16},
{t:"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place ",p:53,x:150,y:472,w:366,h:16},
{t:"and gave him the name that is above every name, ",p:53,x:150,y:497,w:364,h:16},
{t:"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ",p:53,x:150,y:522,w:364,h:16},
{t:"in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and ",p:53,x:150,y:547,w:366,h:16},
{t:"every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to ",p:53,x:150,y:572,w:364,h:16},
{t:"the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9–11)",p:53,x:150,y:597,w:359,h:16},
{t:"For from him and through him and to him are ",p:53,x:150,y:637,w:367,h:16},
{t:"all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ",p:53,x:150,y:662,w:367,h:16},
{t:"(Romans 11:36)",p:53,x:150,y:687,w:118,h:16},
{t:"Everything in life—not just in Christianity—will eventually ",p:53,x:120,y:734,w:468,h:16},
{t:"result in glory to the Father, making Him famous! It is the glory ",p:53,x:90,y:757,w:487,h:16},
{t:"that is the end goal; everything else is merely a means toward this",p:53,x:90,y:781,w:492,h:16},
{t:"consummate goal. This is how Dogs are different. They understand ",p:53,x:90,y:804,w:495,h:16},
{t:"that God’s jealousy is not contradictory, hypocritical, or the bad ",p:53,x:90,y:827,w:499,h:16},
{t:"result of an ego problem. It makes sense when you take time to ",p:53,x:90,y:851,w:498,h:16},
{t:"contemplate it. Dogs recognize this and are at peace with it.",p:53,x:90,y:874,w:437,h:16},
{t:"47",p:54,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"5",p:54,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"How Are Cats Different?",p:54,x:159,y:226,w:342,h:39},
{t:"Remember, it’s very difficult to distinguish visually between ",p:54,x:90,y:408,w:486,h:64},
{t:"Dog and Cat Christians. They both go to church. They both can ",p:54,x:90,y:470,w:485,h:16},
{t:"teach Sunday school. They both want to be blessed by God and ",p:54,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"see God work. They both look and act so Christian.",p:54,x:90,y:517,w:377,h:16},
{t:"So what is the difference? The difference is found in their",p:54,x:120,y:540,w:439,h:16},
{t:"emphases, or priorities, in life. There are many ways of talking ",p:54,x:90,y:563,w:473,h:16},
{t:"about this. One is found in asking the simple question, Who is",p:54,x:90,y:587,w:468,h:16},
{t:"the main character in the Bible, God or people? Another way of",p:54,x:90,y:610,w:468,h:16},
{t:"asking it is, Does God exist to serve people, or do people exist",p:54,x:90,y:634,w:468,h:16},
{t:"to serve God? Yet another way is by asking, Is God’s glory the",p:54,x:90,y:657,w:468,h:16},
{t:"highest priority in your life, or does living for someone or some",p:54,x:90,y:680,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:54,x:564,y:680,w:6,h:16},
{t:"thing take a higher priority? The difference is obvious, unless",p:54,x:90,y:704,w:468,h:16},
{t:"you are a Cat.",p:54,x:90,y:727,w:101,h:16},
{t:"Suppose we stopped momentarily and asked you to read ",p:54,x:120,y:750,w:438,h:16},
{t:"Genesis 1. It has been our experience that somewhere between ",p:54,x:90,y:774,w:462,h:16},
{t:"verses 5 and 23, most readers become bored. Why? Many Bible",p:54,x:90,y:797,w:458,h:16},
{t:"readers say their boredom is a result of being familiar with the",p:54,x:90,y:820,w:456,h:16},
{t:"story, but the truth is there are many stories we are familiar",p:54,x:90,y:844,w:457,h:16},
{t:"with, but they do not bore us. Because there are many stories",p:54,x:90,y:867,w:458,h:16},
{t:"48",p:55,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:55,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"that are familiar but not boring, we think there must be another, ",p:55,x:90,y:121,w:460,h:16},
{t:"deeper reason.",p:55,x:90,y:144,w:105,h:16},
{t:"In thinking this through, we’ve come to think that most read-",p:55,x:120,y:167,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ers become bored with Genesis 1 because humanity isn’t there; ",p:55,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“they” aren’t there. And if “they” aren’t there, then “they” get ",p:55,x:90,y:214,w:487,h:16},
{t:"bored! You see, humans don’t get much press until chapter 3, ",p:55,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"which is when things get a little more exciting because then we ",p:55,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"have something to live for: a rescue operation! So why are we ",p:55,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"bored with Genesis 1? In the heart of a Cat, there is the belief that ",p:55,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"mankind is the main character, that the Bible is all about them; ",p:55,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"they live to make themselves famous. And when the Bible doesn’t ",p:55,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"speak about them, Cats tend to be bored.",p:55,x:90,y:377,w:297,h:16},
{t:"Let’s look at a simple illustration that might bring this to life. ",p:55,x:120,y:401,w:454,h:16},
{t:"When Gerald’s wife, Sharon, sees that a new movie starring Sean ",p:55,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Connery has been released, she might suggest that they go to the ",p:55,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"movies. Why? She wants to see and hear Sean Connery. And she ",p:55,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"would be quite disappointed (and bored) if he were not in every ",p:55,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"major scene, because, after all, he is the main character.",p:55,x:90,y:517,w:408,h:16},
{t:"In a similar way, Cats are looking for mankind in every major ",p:55,x:120,y:541,w:454,h:16},
{t:"scene of the Bible. They are searching for that part of the story that ",p:55,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"applies to them. They haven’t been trained to look for God. They ",p:55,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"were trained to read their Bibles asking, “What am I supposed ",p:55,x:90,y:611,w:487,h:16},
{t:"to get from this? How does this apply to my life? How is this to ",p:55,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"affect me?”",p:55,x:90,y:657,w:84,h:16},
{t:"As a result of thinking they are the main characters, Cats",p:55,x:120,y:681,w:439,h:16},
{t:"believe God exists to serve people. And because it is all about",p:55,x:90,y:704,w:468,h:16},
{t:"them, they hunger more for what they can get out of Christianity ",p:55,x:90,y:727,w:472,h:16},
{t:"than anything else. As they read the Bible and see a choice be",p:55,x:90,y:751,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:55,x:564,y:751,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tween God’s glory and His blessings, they naturally want God’s",p:55,x:90,y:774,w:468,h:16},
{t:"blessings more than His glory. ",p:55,x:90,y:797,w:228,h:16},
{t:"Now these choices are not overt but subtle. So if they sense ",p:55,x:120,y:821,w:455,h:16},
{t:"God saying, “Scale back. Don’t buy as big of a house. Don’t get as ",p:55,x:90,y:844,w:483,h:16},
{t:"nice of a car,” they rationalize away the words by saying, “Lord, ",p:55,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"HOW ARE CATS DIffEREnT?",p:56,x:399,y:77,w:171,h:17},
{t:"49",p:56,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"I must have misunderstood. I saw how You blessed Abraham; I ",p:56,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"saw how You blessed David and Solomon; so, Lord, I’m going to ",p:56,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"assume You want to bless me in the same way! Therefore, in the ",p:56,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"name of Jesus, I reject Satan’s attempt to prevent me from enjoy-",p:56,x:90,y:191,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing God and claim by faith this nicer car and bigger home.” They ",p:56,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"end up buying the bigger house and nicer car, racking up lots of ",p:56,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"debt in the process.",p:56,x:90,y:261,w:141,h:16},
{t:"When God says, “I want you to suffer for my name’s sake, ",p:56,x:120,y:284,w:445,h:16},
{t:"to make Me famous,” they think, “Suffer? Suffer? No way. I’m",p:56,x:90,y:307,w:469,h:16},
{t:"sure God wouldn’t want me to do that. He loves me.” And so ",p:56,x:90,y:331,w:475,h:16},
{t:"they do everything they can to make their lives safe, soft, and ",p:56,x:90,y:354,w:474,h:16},
{t:"comfortable. When God’s glory points them to go overseas, ",p:56,x:90,y:377,w:478,h:16},
{t:"Cats say, “Oh Lord, You know I didn’t do well in high-school",p:56,x:90,y:401,w:469,h:16},
{t:"Spanish. There’s no way I can learn Arabic or Cantonese; so, ",p:56,x:90,y:424,w:475,h:16},
{t:"Lord, I tell You what, I’ll make You a deal. I’ll tithe eleven ",p:56,x:90,y:447,w:476,h:16},
{t:"percent; I’ll work with the youth; I’ll do whatever it takes; just",p:56,x:90,y:471,w:468,h:16},
{t:"keep me in this easy, soft, safe, and comfortable lifestyle.” So ",p:56,x:90,y:494,w:474,h:16},
{t:"they will sing about the Father’s glory shining in places where it",p:56,x:90,y:517,w:468,h:16},
{t:"isn’t, but they will never consider going there themselves.",p:56,x:90,y:541,w:424,h:16},
{t:"Cats basically have a feel-good theology. Whatever God ",p:56,x:120,y:564,w:459,h:16},
{t:"can do to make them feel good, they will embrace. Their goal of ",p:56,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Christianity is a safe, soft, comfortable Christian life! Whatever ",p:56,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"makes them uneasy or uncomfortable, they throw out. How did ",p:56,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"this change in emphasis come about? It has everything to do with ",p:56,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the evil one. Satan knows that life and all of creation is about God ",p:56,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and His glory. Therefore, Satan has been trying to rob God of His ",p:56,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory from his very first day of rebellion, and he continues to do ",p:56,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"so through us.",p:56,x:90,y:751,w:103,h:16},
{t:"Donald Barnhouse wrote a challenging book called The ",p:56,x:120,y:774,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Invisible War. In it he looks at the five “I will” passages in ",p:56,x:90,y:797,w:488,h:16},
{t:"Isaiah 14:12–14, believing them to portray Satan’s rebellion. ",p:56,x:90,y:821,w:489,h:16},
{t:"Here he basically says that Satan was taking the worship from ",p:56,x:90,y:844,w:487,h:16},
{t:"other angelic beings and passing it on to God. Barnhouse suggests ",p:56,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"50",p:57,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:57,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"that at some point Satan must have thought, “Was there not some ",p:57,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"worthiness in himself that should be acknowledged? Here is the ",p:57,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"origin of sin.”5 Satan thought he was worthy enough to be made ",p:57,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"famous himself.",p:57,x:90,y:191,w:118,h:16},
{t:"This was his downfall—he thought of robbing God of the ",p:57,x:120,y:214,w:457,h:16},
{t:"glory that was due to the only magnificent Holy One. He is still ",p:57,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"trying to do that today. Satan’s entire existence is based on trying ",p:57,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to rob God of the glory that only He is worthy of.",p:57,x:90,y:284,w:362,h:16},
{t:"In our seminar, we suggest that Satan does this by playing ",p:57,x:120,y:307,w:445,h:16},
{t:"a card game with mankind and passing out a “deck of cards” all",p:57,x:90,y:331,w:468,h:16},
{t:"over the world. These cards are used to get people’s focus off",p:57,x:90,y:354,w:468,h:16},
{t:"God and on other things. He’s done pretty well in North Africa, ",p:57,x:90,y:377,w:473,h:16},
{t:"the Middle East, and throughout Asia by scattering a card called ",p:57,x:90,y:401,w:482,h:16},
{t:"“Islam.” He did pretty well in the former Soviet Union and in ",p:57,x:90,y:424,w:475,h:16},
{t:"China with a card called “Communism.” In many tribal groups, ",p:57,x:90,y:447,w:474,h:16},
{t:"his card is “animism.” “Buddhism” has worked well too, as have",p:57,x:90,y:471,w:468,h:16},
{t:"other false religions. He has lots of cards he has distributed all",p:57,x:90,y:494,w:468,h:16},
{t:"over the world. Even in North America, he isn’t doing too badly. ",p:57,x:90,y:517,w:472,h:16},
{t:"His cards here are “materialism” and, lately, “nationalism.” Other",p:57,x:90,y:541,w:468,h:16},
{t:"cards are “environmentalism,” “sports,” and “entertainment.”",p:57,x:90,y:564,w:450,h:16},
{t:"But what does he do with the Christians? Does he just sit back ",p:57,x:120,y:587,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and give up on Christians and say, “Well, I did okay with the ",p:57,x:90,y:611,w:487,h:16},
{t:"majority of humanity; I guess you just can’t win them all”? No. ",p:57,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Satan never gives up. Just imagine Satan pacing the corridors of ",p:57,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"hell, trying to figure out a way to keep Christians’ eyes off the ",p:57,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"glory of God. ",p:57,x:90,y:704,w:103,h:16},
{t:"“Hmmm,” he says to himself. “What can I do to keep these ",p:57,x:120,y:727,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Christians from focusing on God’s glory. They’ll never go for ",p:57,x:90,y:751,w:487,h:16},
{t:"straight Satan worship. False religions? No, they’ll see right ",p:57,x:90,y:774,w:489,h:16},
{t:"through that one. Hmmm, which card shall I create for them?",p:57,x:90,y:797,w:449,h:16},
{t:"“I know, I’ll switch their focus onto something that is safe and ",p:57,x:120,y:821,w:453,h:16},
{t:"close to God’s heart but take the focus off His glory! I’ll make ",p:57,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"them think it’s all about them! Yes, God did everything for them! ",p:57,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"HOW ARE CATS DIffEREnT?",p:58,x:399,y:77,w:171,h:17},
{t:"51",p:58,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"I’ll blow it way out of proportion so it becomes a focus greater ",p:58,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"than the glory of God itself!” (His eerie laugh echoes through the ",p:58,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"corridors of hell.)",p:58,x:90,y:167,w:128,h:16},
{t:"So what does Satan do? He calls on our natural tendency to ",p:58,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"be self-centered and creates a card that takes one of the ways that ",p:58,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God has chosen to reveal His glory—something safe and close to ",p:58,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s heart, like His desire to bless us—and blows it way out of ",p:58,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"proportion.",p:58,x:90,y:284,w:81,h:16},
{t:"To a Cat, the entire Christian life is all about being blessed by ",p:58,x:120,y:307,w:454,h:16},
{t:"God. They hear, “God wants to bless you! In fact, not only that, ",p:58,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but God did everything for you!” ",p:58,x:90,y:354,w:246,h:16},
{t:"Cats think the following:",p:58,x:120,y:377,w:182,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:58,x:90,y:422,w:11,h:21},
{t:"He	died	to	give	us	the	good	life.",p:58,x:120,y:422,w:235,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:58,x:90,y:455,w:11,h:21},
{t:"The	angels	exist	to	serve	us	and	take	care	of	us.",p:58,x:120,y:455,w:348,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:58,x:90,y:488,w:11,h:21},
{t:"The	church	exists	to	meet	our	needs.",p:58,x:120,y:488,w:268,h:21},
{t:"•	",p:58,x:90,y:522,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	exists	to	take	care	of	us	and	bless	us.",p:58,x:120,y:522,w:305,h:21},
{t:"Where is the glory of God in it? “It’s there,” ",p:58,x:120,y:572,w:356,h:16},
{t:"a Cat yells ",p:58,x:486,y:572,w:91,h:16},
{t:"out. “God gets great glory by blessing me. It’s all about me!",p:58,x:90,y:596,w:458,h:16},
{t:"The more God blesses me, the more glory He gets!” Cats can ",p:58,x:90,y:619,w:464,h:16},
{t:"hardly think of a scenario where God gets glory without bless",p:58,x:90,y:642,w:451,h:16},
{t:"-",p:58,x:564,y:642,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing them. This is where the refined yet subtle change has taken ",p:58,x:90,y:666,w:461,h:16},
{t:"place in a Cat’s priorities. No longer is the focus on ",p:58,x:90,y:689,w:380,h:16},
{t:"God being ",p:58,x:491,y:689,w:84,h:16},
{t:"glorified through His blessings for us. But the focus becomes",p:58,x:90,y:712,w:461,h:16},
{t:"us receiving the blessings from God, and without realizing it, ",p:58,x:90,y:736,w:467,h:16},
{t:"Cats become primary and God’s glory becomes secondary. ",p:58,x:90,y:759,w:469,h:16},
{t:"Satan’s playing card has hit its ",p:58,x:90,y:782,w:232,h:16},
{t:"mark when Cats think, “It’s all",p:58,x:333,y:782,w:228,h:16},
{t:"about us!”",p:58,x:90,y:806,w:75,h:16},
{t:"Does God want to bless us? Yes. He delights in blessing us. ",p:58,x:120,y:829,w:455,h:16},
{t:"But He doesn’t want the blessing to take priority over His glory. ",p:58,x:90,y:852,w:485,h:16},
{t:"He wants His glory to shine through the blessings, not be over-",p:58,x:90,y:876,w:479,h:16},
{t:"52",p:59,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:59,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"looked. Can blessings cause us to see God’s glory as secondary? ",p:59,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Absolutely. And that is what is happening to Cat Christians all ",p:59,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"over the world. They are so caught up in God’s desire to bless ",p:59,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"them that they no longer see the glory of God as their first priority. ",p:59,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Tommy Tenney, in his book The God Chasers, says it this way: ",p:59,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“Ironically, it was the father’s blessing that actually ‘financed’ the ",p:59,x:90,y:237,w:483,h:16},
{t:"prodigal son’s trip away from the father’s face.”6",p:59,x:90,y:260,w:358,h:16},
{t:"What other cards does Satan have for Christians? Well just",p:59,x:120,y:284,w:439,h:16},
{t:"about anything that is safe and close to God’s heart. One such ",p:59,x:90,y:307,w:474,h:16},
{t:"card is the Right-to-Life campaign. Is saving the lives of ",p:59,x:90,y:331,w:447,h:16},
{t:"the ",p:59,x:548,y:331,w:30,h:16},
{t:"unborn pleasing to God? Yes, of course. Can it become a higher ",p:59,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"priority than God’s glory itself? Yes, just ",p:59,x:90,y:377,w:303,h:16},
{t:"watch the newspapers. ",p:59,x:402,y:377,w:168,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately, something that is good and close to ",p:59,x:90,y:401,w:382,h:16},
{t:"God’s heart ",p:59,x:482,y:401,w:94,h:16},
{t:"(saving the unborn) can become such a priority that it allows",p:59,x:90,y:424,w:469,h:16},
{t:"others to justify killing doctors and bombing clinics in the “name",p:59,x:90,y:447,w:468,h:16},
{t:"of Jesus.” Does God condone such actions? No. But Satan can ",p:59,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"cause some believers to be so obsessed with one thing that it be-",p:59,x:90,y:494,w:480,h:16},
{t:"comes the primary focus of what life is all about, and they break ",p:59,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God’s other laws.",p:59,x:90,y:541,w:129,h:16},
{t:"Another such card can be a Cat’s local church. Some Cats think ",p:59,x:120,y:564,w:465,h:16},
{t:"the Christian life revolves around their church. Money is poured ",p:59,x:90,y:587,w:490,h:16},
{t:"into the church, and the focus becomes, How can we get our church ",p:59,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"bigger and bring in more people? We’re trusting God for miracles in ",p:59,x:90,y:634,w:483,h:16},
{t:"this church (with no mention of all the churches down the road). A",p:59,x:90,y:657,w:491,h:16},
{t:"lot of time and emphasis can be given to the youth (What can ",p:59,x:90,y:681,w:449,h:16},
{t:"we do ",p:59,x:528,y:681,w:46,h:16},
{t:"to help our youth so they’ll know and walk with Christ?), but they ",p:59,x:90,y:704,w:490,h:16},
{t:"can end up reaching the youth and not truly getting them focused on ",p:59,x:90,y:727,w:496,h:16},
{t:"the glory of God. The focus can become so obsessive that without",p:59,x:90,y:751,w:491,h:16},
{t:"realizing it, the thought of praying for the pastor and the Sunday ",p:59,x:90,y:774,w:498,h:16},
{t:"morning service in the church down the road never crosses their",p:59,x:90,y:797,w:491,h:16},
{t:"minds. “Why think about praying for them?” a Cat subconsciously ",p:59,x:90,y:821,w:496,h:16},
{t:"thinks. “They’re not a part of our church.”",p:59,x:90,y:844,w:304,h:16},
{t:"You see, Dogs not only pray for their pastor and their church, ",p:59,x:120,y:867,w:442,h:16},
{t:"HOW ARE CATS DIffEREnT?",p:60,x:399,y:77,w:171,h:17},
{t:"53",p:60,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"but they also pray for other pastors and churches in the com",p:60,x:90,y:121,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:60,x:564,y:121,w:6,h:16},
{t:"munity. They know Christianity is about the kingdom of God, ",p:60,x:90,y:144,w:475,h:16},
{t:"and God is represented by other churches as well. Is praying for",p:60,x:90,y:167,w:468,h:16},
{t:"your church on a Sunday morning wrong? No, of course not. But",p:60,x:90,y:191,w:469,h:16},
{t:"it could be incomplete. Cats don’t pray for the other churches",p:60,x:90,y:214,w:468,h:16},
{t:"because they’re only concerned about their own churches. Cats",p:60,x:90,y:237,w:469,h:16},
{t:"need to learn to become more concerned for the greater kingdom",p:60,x:90,y:261,w:468,h:16},
{t:"of God!",p:60,x:90,y:284,w:57,h:16},
{t:"Four Sick People",p:60,x:90,y:329,w:145,h:18},
{t:"Much of this self-centered communication comes to us non-",p:60,x:120,y:353,w:450,h:16},
{t:"verbally or subtly. We want to show you how to spot it using the ",p:60,x:90,y:376,w:485,h:16},
{t:"following story. In 1999, a huge earthquake hit Turkey. Official ",p:60,x:90,y:400,w:485,h:16},
{t:"reports said that eighteen thousand were killed, while thousands ",p:60,x:90,y:423,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of others were physically hurt and many others left homeless. All ",p:60,x:90,y:446,w:484,h:16},
{t:"week, reports were pouring in through all the news stations. It was ",p:60,x:90,y:470,w:483,h:16},
{t:"impossible not to be aware of the earthquake and the relief efforts ",p:60,x:90,y:493,w:484,h:16},
{t:"going on in that country. ",p:60,x:90,y:516,w:185,h:16},
{t:"That first Sunday after the quake was like every other Sunday ",p:60,x:120,y:540,w:454,h:16},
{t:"throughout the year. In America, Christians got up and went to ",p:60,x:90,y:563,w:486,h:16},
{t:"church, fully aware of what was happening in a country thousands ",p:60,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of miles away from them. And what happened?",p:60,x:90,y:610,w:348,h:16},
{t:"One particular church lifted up a prayer. But what did they ",p:60,x:120,y:633,w:456,h:16},
{t:"pray for? Was it for the hundreds of thousands of Muslims injured, ",p:60,x:90,y:657,w:483,h:16},
{t:"some of whom were on the brink of an eternal destiny without ",p:60,x:90,y:680,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Christ? Was it for the millions of homeless people who needed ",p:60,x:90,y:703,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to see the glory of God in Christian aid and relief? No. On this ",p:60,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"particular Sunday, this church prayed for the four people in their ",p:60,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"church who were in the hospital due to sickness.",p:60,x:90,y:773,w:354,h:16},
{t:"Think about it. They prayed for four people in an American ",p:60,x:120,y:797,w:455,h:16},
{t:"city with the best medical facilities, the best doctors, the best equip-",p:60,x:90,y:820,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ment whose eternal destinies were secured through the blood of ",p:60,x:90,y:843,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Jesus Christ, while never once mentioning the situation in Turkey. ",p:60,x:90,y:867,w:483,h:16},
{t:"54",p:61,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:61,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"What got communicated to the people in that congregation? “It’s ",p:61,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"all about us! Let’s worry about our people, our youth, our build-",p:61,x:90,y:144,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ings, our elderly, and not worry about the rest of the world. At our ",p:61,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"church, God is focused on us!”",p:61,x:90,y:191,w:227,h:16},
{t:"As much as God loves us, His focus on us is for revealing that ",p:61,x:120,y:214,w:454,h:16},
{t:"which is primary: His glory. He is focused on refining His glory ",p:61,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in us and in seeing that glory go through us to the ends of the ",p:61,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"earth. We are a vital, significant, yet small part of that. Cats have ",p:61,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"personalized and privatized the gospel too much.",p:61,x:90,y:307,w:358,h:16},
{t:"Would the leadership of that particular church say they ",p:61,x:120,y:331,w:460,h:16},
{t:"weren’t concerned for the world? No, of course not. They know ",p:61,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and love the Lord and the world. But without realizing it, Satan’s ",p:61,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"subtle deck of cards caused this church to communicate some-",p:61,x:90,y:401,w:479,h:16},
{t:"thing they didn’t intend to communicate at all. Remember, it is ",p:61,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"not usually what is said but what is not said. It’s not incorrect; it’s ",p:61,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"incomplete.",p:61,x:90,y:471,w:85,h:16},
{t:"Let us give another example of how subtly our self-centered-",p:61,x:120,y:494,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ness comes into play. This can be seen as Satan uses the “denomi-",p:61,x:90,y:517,w:480,h:16},
{t:"nationalism” card. Christianity can become about “our denomina-",p:61,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion” attracting more people, getting bigger numbers, and having ",p:61,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"more money. It still all revolves around us!",p:61,x:90,y:587,w:316,h:16},
{t:"Due to the large number of requests we receive, our semi-",p:61,x:120,y:611,w:450,h:16},
{t:"nar speakers are exposed to churches of varying denominations. ",p:61,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"At one church, someone stood up and said, “I’m so proud to be ",p:61,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"from this denomination.” Dogs want to cry out, “There’s nothing ",p:61,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wrong with being associated with a denomination, but don’t let ",p:61,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"your pride get in the way!”",p:61,x:90,y:727,w:198,h:16},
{t:"Paul, the senior pastor of a local church in Virginia, got up in ",p:61,x:120,y:751,w:442,h:16},
{t:"front of his entire congregation and said, “Whatever you do, when ",p:61,x:90,y:774,w:471,h:16},
{t:"you get to heaven, don’t tell God you’re with the Assemblies of",p:61,x:90,y:797,w:468,h:16},
{t:"God. He doesn’t care! What He cares about is your walk with ",p:61,x:90,y:821,w:475,h:16},
{t:"Him.” That pastor is a Dog. He understands the greater concept",p:61,x:90,y:844,w:468,h:16},
{t:"of the kingdom of God. It doesn’t matter what denomination ",p:61,x:90,y:867,w:477,h:16},
{t:"HOW ARE CATS DIffEREnT?",p:62,x:399,y:77,w:171,h:17},
{t:"55",p:62,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"you’ve joined. What matters is whether God’s glory is being ",p:62,x:90,y:121,w:476,h:16},
{t:"displayed.",p:62,x:90,y:144,w:74,h:16},
{t:"Good Works Take the Place of His Glory ",p:62,x:90,y:189,w:355,h:18},
{t:"Here is more evidence of how Cat Theology can interfere with ",p:62,x:120,y:213,w:465,h:16},
{t:"our communication. We “shorthand” our communication; that is, ",p:62,x:90,y:236,w:497,h:16},
{t:"we only say part of what we intend, assuming the listeners will fill",p:62,x:90,y:260,w:492,h:16},
{t:"in where necessary. When we “shorthand” our communication, it",p:62,x:90,y:283,w:491,h:16},
{t:"often results in shortchanging God of His glory. This happens when ",p:62,x:90,y:306,w:496,h:16},
{t:"we assume everyone understands that we are talking about the glory ",p:62,x:90,y:330,w:495,h:16},
{t:"of God without ever mentioning it. This should not be done. If we",p:62,x:90,y:353,w:491,h:16},
{t:"don’t specifically mention God’s glory, He rarely gets it.",p:62,x:90,y:376,w:416,h:16},
{t:"I (Bob) was speaking at a seminary, and the president of the ",p:62,x:120,y:400,w:455,h:16},
{t:"seminary got up to introduce me. Yet, before he did, he talked ",p:62,x:90,y:423,w:486,h:16},
{t:"about his recent trip to various other churches and schools just ",p:62,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the day before. In talking about his trip, he mentioned how many ",p:62,x:90,y:470,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of the pastors and professors at those places were graduates from ",p:62,x:90,y:493,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this seminary. (He didn’t mention other graduates or what God ",p:62,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"was doing in other places.) Unfortunately, God’s glory was never ",p:62,x:90,y:540,w:484,h:16},
{t:"specifically mentioned. It was merely assumed that God’s greater ",p:62,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"kingdom was being referenced.",p:62,x:90,y:587,w:230,h:16},
{t:"Yet because God and His glory weren’t mentioned at all, it in-",p:62,x:120,y:610,w:449,h:16},
{t:"advertently put the listeners’ focus, not on God, but on the school. ",p:62,x:90,y:633,w:484,h:16},
{t:"This communicated that they should only get excited about what ",p:62,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is happening through them (what Cats love to do!). He didn’t say ",p:62,x:90,y:680,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that verbally, and he certainly didn’t mean that, but his implied ",p:62,x:90,y:703,w:486,h:16},
{t:"message could take on that meaning.",p:62,x:90,y:727,w:269,h:16},
{t:"Would any of the students or the faculty think that? No, not ",p:62,x:120,y:750,w:455,h:16},
{t:"consciously. Would the president say that? No, not consciously. ",p:62,x:90,y:773,w:485,h:16},
{t:"But subconsciously, the subtle damage was done. Their focus was ",p:62,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to be primarily on the seminary and secondarily on the kingdom ",p:62,x:90,y:820,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of God. Shorthand communication redirects our primary attention ",p:62,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to something other than God.",p:62,x:90,y:867,w:214,h:16},
{t:"56",p:63,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:63,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Four Hands",p:63,x:90,y:120,w:102,h:18},
{t:"Another perfect example of Cat Theology is reflected in Greg ",p:63,x:120,y:145,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Livingstone’s speaking engagement back in 1980 at a large, evan-",p:63,x:90,y:168,w:479,h:16},
{t:"gelical, denominational church. At the time, fifty-two Americans ",p:63,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"were being held hostage at the American Embassy in Iran. He had ",p:63,x:90,y:215,w:484,h:16},
{t:"been invited to speak about Islam, but instead of being asked to ",p:63,x:90,y:238,w:485,h:16},
{t:"give the main message, he was only asked to give the missions’ ",p:63,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"minute. It was a big let down, but his short message was more ",p:63,x:90,y:285,w:486,h:16},
{t:"powerful than the sermon.",p:63,x:90,y:308,w:192,h:16},
{t:"Getting up with very little introduction, he said, “How many ",p:63,x:120,y:331,w:455,h:16},
{t:"of you are praying for the fifty-two Americans held hostage in ",p:63,x:90,y:355,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Iran?” Four thousand people immediately raised their hands. He ",p:63,x:90,y:378,w:485,h:16},
{t:"said, “Wow, that’s great. Now let me ask you another question, ",p:63,x:90,y:402,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and be just as honest because God is watching. How many of you ",p:63,x:90,y:425,w:484,h:16},
{t:"are praying for the 42 million Iranians held hostage to Islam?”",p:63,x:90,y:448,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Four hands slowly went up. “What,” he said, “only four ",p:63,x:120,y:472,w:459,h:16},
{t:"people? What, are you Americans first and Christians second? I ",p:63,x:90,y:495,w:485,h:16},
{t:"thought this was a Bible-believing church,” and then he sat down. ",p:63,x:90,y:518,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(Needless to say, he was never invited back.)",p:63,x:90,y:542,w:330,h:16},
{t:"But he’s right. We can be Americans first and Christians ",p:63,x:120,y:565,w:458,h:16},
{t:"second. We can be more excited about what God is doing in our ",p:63,x:90,y:588,w:485,h:16},
{t:"denomination than what God is doing in His global kingdom. We ",p:63,x:90,y:612,w:484,h:16},
{t:"can be so excited about what is (or isn’t) happening in our church ",p:63,x:90,y:635,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that we actually resent the revival that is taking place down the ",p:63,x:90,y:658,w:486,h:16},
{t:"road.",p:63,x:90,y:682,w:37,h:16},
{t:"It is easy to be a Cat because it involves only good and safe ",p:63,x:120,y:705,w:455,h:16},
{t:"things, which are all close to God’s heart. We wonder, “How ",p:63,x:90,y:728,w:487,h:16},
{t:"could we ever be wrong?” In the Christian life, Cats have will-",p:63,x:90,y:752,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ingly moved the glory of God to second place in order that good ",p:63,x:90,y:775,w:485,h:16},
{t:"things for them might be number one.",p:63,x:90,y:798,w:277,h:16},
{t:"Before we go on to the next section, we want to be sure ",p:63,x:120,y:822,w:418,h:16},
{t:"we ",p:63,x:549,y:822,w:26,h:16},
{t:"are communicating clearly to you. Cat Theology ",p:63,x:90,y:845,w:370,h:16},
{t:"is not wrong. ",p:63,x:469,y:845,w:105,h:16},
{t:"Staying on it is wrong, and some of the application that we learn ",p:63,x:90,y:868,w:481,h:16},
{t:"HOW ARE CATS DIffEREnT?",p:64,x:399,y:77,w:171,h:17},
{t:"57",p:64,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"from it may be wrong, but the theology in and of itself is not",p:64,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"wrong.",p:64,x:90,y:144,w:51,h:16},
{t:"If all you’ve learned up until this point in your life is Cat ",p:64,x:120,y:167,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Theology, your life hasn’t been a waste. You do have more to ",p:64,x:90,y:191,w:487,h:16},
{t:"learn and different applications to draw from the text, but it hasn’t ",p:64,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"been a waste. Press on to preaching the whole gospel of Christ!",p:64,x:90,y:237,w:464,h:16},
{t:"The eleven Dangers of ",p:65,x:143,y:323,w:384,h:44},
{t:"CaT Theology",p:65,x:215,y:373,w:229,h:44},
{t:"—",p:65,x:312,y:423,w:36,h:44},
{t:"Where Things go Wrong !",p:65,x:142,y:478,w:377,h:38},
{t:"61",p:66,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"The United States’ standard railroad gauge, that is, the distance ",p:66,x:90,y:319,w:485,h:64},
{t:"between the rails, is four feet, eight and a half inches. That is an ",p:66,x:90,y:381,w:485,h:16},
{t:"exceedingly odd number. Why four feet, eight and a half inches? ",p:66,x:90,y:405,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Why was that gauge used? It was used because that’s the way they ",p:66,x:90,y:428,w:483,h:16},
{t:"built them in England, and English expatriates built the United ",p:66,x:90,y:451,w:486,h:16},
{t:"States’ railroads. ",p:66,x:90,y:475,w:127,h:16},
{t:"So now you might ask, “Okay, why did the English build ",p:66,x:120,y:498,w:457,h:16},
{t:"them like that?” The first railroad lines in England were built by ",p:66,x:90,y:521,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that is ",p:66,x:90,y:545,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the gauge they used. And why did they use that gauge? The people ",p:66,x:90,y:568,w:483,h:16},
{t:"who built the tramways used the same patterns, templates, and ",p:66,x:90,y:591,w:487,h:16},
{t:"tools that were used for building wagons, which used that same ",p:66,x:90,y:615,w:486,h:16},
{t:"wheel spacing. ",p:66,x:90,y:638,w:113,h:16},
{t:"Now you’re probably wondering, “Why did the wagons have ",p:66,x:120,y:661,w:454,h:16},
{t:"that particularly odd spacing?” Well, if any other spacing had ",p:66,x:90,y:685,w:487,h:16},
{t:"been used, the wagon wheels would have broken on some of the ",p:66,x:90,y:708,w:485,h:16},
{t:"old, long-distance roads in England since that’s the spacing of the ",p:66,x:90,y:731,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wheel ruts in the roads. ",p:66,x:90,y:755,w:175,h:16},
{t:"So you wonder, “Who put the ruts in the roads?” The first ",p:66,x:120,y:778,w:456,h:16},
{t:"long-distance roads in England were built by imperial Rome for ",p:66,x:90,y:801,w:485,h:16},
{t:"its legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? ",p:66,x:90,y:825,w:486,h:16},
{t:"It was the Roman war chariots that made the initial ruts, and ev-",p:66,x:90,y:848,w:480,h:16},
{t:"eryone else had to match them out of fear that their wagons and ",p:66,x:90,y:871,w:485,h:16},
{t:"62",p:67,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:67,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"wagon wheels would be destroyed. Since the chariots were made ",p:67,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"by Rome, they all had the same wheel spacing. And the Roman ",p:67,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"war chariots were just wide enough to accommodate the back ",p:67,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"ends of two warhorses.",p:67,x:90,y:191,w:169,h:16},
{t:"Thus we have the answer to the original question: the United ",p:67,x:120,y:214,w:454,h:16},
{t:"States’ standard railroad gauge of four feet, eight and a half inches ",p:67,x:90,y:237,w:483,h:16},
{t:"was derived from the width of the rears of two horses, which pow-",p:67,x:90,y:261,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ered an imperial Roman chariot. ",p:67,x:90,y:284,w:241,h:16},
{t:"As ridiculous as this seems, there’s more. Here is the rest of ",p:67,x:120,y:307,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the story: When we see the space shuttle sitting on its launch pad, ",p:67,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we see two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main ",p:67,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"fuel tank. These are the solid rocket boosters or SRBs. Thiakol ",p:67,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"makes the SRBs in its factory in Utah. ",p:67,x:90,y:401,w:285,h:16},
{t:"Rumor has it that the engineers who designed the SRBs might ",p:67,x:120,y:424,w:454,h:16},
{t:"have preferred to make them a bit fatter. But the SRBs had to be ",p:67,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"shipped by train from the factory to the launch pad. The railroad ",p:67,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"from the factory ran through a tunnel in the mountains, and the ",p:67,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider ",p:67,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"than the railroad track, and the track is about as wide as two hors-",p:67,x:90,y:541,w:479,h:16},
{t:"es’ behinds. So the major design feature of what is arguably the ",p:67,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"world’s most advanced transportation system was determined by ",p:67,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the width of two horses’ rears! (Some say that this story isn’t true, ",p:67,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"but because it proves a great point, we love to use it!)",p:67,x:90,y:634,w:392,h:16},
{t:"Do you see the importance of laying a proper foundation? ",p:67,x:120,y:657,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Without it, everything else will lean in the improper direction, ",p:67,x:90,y:681,w:487,h:16},
{t:"leading you in the wrong direction! And this is what happens ",p:67,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"when we adopt Cat Theology; it leads us somewhere. We don’t ",p:67,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"realize it, but over time, we get caught up in a very self-centered ",p:67,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"theology that leads to many dangers. In the next section of the ",p:67,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"book, we want to talk about ten symptoms of Cat Theology.",p:67,x:90,y:797,w:439,h:16},
{t:"  1. Cats have a feel-good theology.",p:67,x:120,y:847,w:262,h:16},
{t:"  2. Cats read and listen selectively.",p:67,x:120,y:881,w:261,h:16},
{t:"63",p:68,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"  3. Cats use selective application.",p:68,x:120,y:121,w:250,h:16},
{t:"  4. Cats have a selective theology. ",p:68,x:120,y:154,w:261,h:16},
{t:"  5. Cats have a winner’s-circle gospel.",p:68,x:120,y:187,w:287,h:16},
{t:"  6. Cats think life is supposed to be fair.",p:68,x:120,y:221,w:298,h:16},
{t:"  7. Cats develop wrong priorities.",p:68,x:120,y:254,w:252,h:16},
{t:"  8. Cats pray selfish prayers.",p:68,x:120,y:287,w:215,h:16},
{t:"  9. Cats embrace humanism.",p:68,x:120,y:321,w:214,h:16},
{t:"10. Cats rob God of His glory.",p:68,x:120,y:354,w:225,h:16},
{t:"11. Cats don’t live for eternity.",p:68,x:120,y:387,w:229,h:16},
{t:"65",p:69,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"6",p:69,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"feel-Good Theology: ",p:69,x:178,y:223,w:313,h:39},
{t:"Selective Reading and Listening,  ",p:69,x:148,y:258,w:378,h:30},
{t:"and Selective Application",p:69,x:184,y:286,w:292,h:30},
{t:"Debby and I (Bob) love to take the kids out bike riding as a ",p:69,x:90,y:408,w:485,h:64},
{t:"family. Because we live in the country, the roads are too narrow ",p:69,x:90,y:470,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to safely bike on. So we usually pack both the kids and the bikes ",p:69,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"into our truck and go looking for a great neighborhood to bike in. ",p:69,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"One neighborhood near us has a lovely lake in it. It’s fun to bike ",p:69,x:90,y:540,w:485,h:16},
{t:"around it and look at the houses. One road is both the entrance and ",p:69,x:90,y:563,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the exit—there’s no other way out. ",p:69,x:90,y:587,w:260,h:16},
{t:"On a lovely spring day, we took the kids there. As we started ",p:69,x:120,y:610,w:454,h:16},
{t:"out biking, I took the lead. We loved looking at the beautiful ",p:69,x:90,y:634,w:487,h:16},
{t:"trees and lovely yards of the homes we were passing. Not really ",p:69,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"thinking much about our bearings, I went to the very back of the ",p:69,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"neighborhood and took a left. The homes down that road were ",p:69,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"also lovely. We were amazed as we commented on the style of ",p:69,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"each home and the tremendous care that had been taken in the ",p:69,x:90,y:750,w:486,h:16},
{t:"grooming of the lawns.",p:69,x:90,y:774,w:170,h:16},
{t:"Time flew by. All of a sudden, I noticed that the road we were ",p:69,x:120,y:797,w:454,h:16},
{t:"on was attached to another road. “This is odd,” I thought to my-",p:69,x:90,y:820,w:480,h:16},
{t:"self, “I thought there was only one entrance to this community.” I ",p:69,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"got excited thinking about new areas yet to be discovered. As we ",p:69,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"66",p:70,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:70,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"neared the intersection, I realized what had happened. I had been ",p:70,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"so focused on the homes that I hadn’t noticed the slight turn in the ",p:70,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"road, which eventually led us in a complete loop. We had turned ",p:70,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"180 degrees without even realizing it!",p:70,x:90,y:191,w:277,h:16},
{t:"This is what happens when you are immersed in Cat Theology. ",p:70,x:120,y:214,w:453,h:16},
{t:"You get turned around 180 degrees without realizing it. You start ",p:70,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"off focusing on God and His glory and end up going in the opposite ",p:70,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"direction, saying, “It’s all about me!” This slow, 180-degree turn ",p:70,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"brings major problems with it, and often, we’re not even aware of ",p:70,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"them. ",p:70,x:90,y:331,w:45,h:16},
{t:"Feel-Good Theology",p:70,x:90,y:375,w:172,h:18},
{t:"Without realizing it, many Christians have a filtering process ",p:70,x:120,y:400,w:454,h:16},
{t:"going on in their minds and only focus on and memorize verses ",p:70,x:90,y:423,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that make them feel good. Like going to the refrigerator, they ",p:70,x:90,y:446,w:487,h:16},
{t:"open up their Bibles and only take out passages that make them ",p:70,x:90,y:470,w:485,h:16},
{t:"feel good and leave the other stuff alone. Let us demonstrate how ",p:70,x:90,y:493,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this works.",p:70,x:90,y:516,w:80,h:16},
{t:"If you were to look at some of the favorite verses that Christians ",p:70,x:120,y:540,w:452,h:16},
{t:"memorize, you’d find out that they deal in the areas of comfort and ",p:70,x:90,y:563,w:483,h:16},
{t:"security. Cats love to memorize passages like Psalm 103:11–13:",p:70,x:90,y:586,w:471,h:16},
{t:"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, ",p:70,x:150,y:635,w:345,h:16},
{t:"so great is his love for those who fear him; ",p:70,x:150,y:660,w:317,h:16},
{t:"as far as the east is from the west,  ",p:70,x:150,y:685,w:256,h:16},
{t:"so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  ",p:70,x:180,y:710,w:373,h:16},
{t:"As a father has compassion on his children,  ",p:70,x:150,y:735,w:327,h:16},
{t:"so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.",p:70,x:180,y:760,w:379,h:16},
{t:"But ask them if they’ve ever memorized 1 Peter 2:18, which ",p:70,x:120,y:806,w:455,h:16},
{t:"speaks about being called to suffer. They’ll answer, “No. I’ve ",p:70,x:90,y:830,w:487,h:16},
{t:"been called to suffer? Are you sure?”",p:70,x:90,y:853,w:272,h:16},
{t:"They love to meditate on Matthew 11:28–30:",p:70,x:120,y:876,w:332,h:16},
{t:"fEEL-GOOD THEOLOGY",p:71,x:423,y:77,w:147,h:17},
{t:"67",p:71,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, ",p:71,x:150,y:146,w:363,h:16},
{t:"and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you ",p:71,x:150,y:171,w:364,h:16},
{t:"and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in ",p:71,x:150,y:196,w:364,h:16},
{t:"heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For ",p:71,x:150,y:221,w:366,h:16},
{t:"my yoke is easy and my burden is light.",p:71,x:150,y:246,w:291,h:16},
{t:"But ask them if they’ve meditated on Exodus 20:5, which says ",p:71,x:120,y:292,w:453,h:16},
{t:"that God is a “jealous God” and they’ll say, “No. God is jealous? ",p:71,x:90,y:316,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Are you sure? That doesn’t make sense.”",p:71,x:90,y:339,w:300,h:16},
{t:"They’ll gladly memorize and try to act out Jeremiah 29:11-13:",p:71,x:120,y:362,w:457,h:16},
{t:"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the ",p:71,x:150,y:411,w:364,h:16},
{t:"Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, ",p:71,x:150,y:436,w:364,h:16},
{t:"plans to give you hope and a future. Then you ",p:71,x:150,y:461,w:367,h:16},
{t:"will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I ",p:71,x:150,y:486,w:364,h:16},
{t:"will listen to you. You will seek me and find me ",p:71,x:150,y:511,w:365,h:16},
{t:"when you seek me with all your heart.",p:71,x:150,y:536,w:280,h:16},
{t:"But they don’t know how to act out Matthew 5:23–24, which ",p:71,x:120,y:582,w:454,h:16},
{t:"talks about reconciling differences before you have a quiet time.",p:71,x:90,y:606,w:471,h:16},
{t:"They see Psalm 40:1–3 as true in their lives:",p:71,x:120,y:629,w:324,h:16},
{t:"I waited patiently for the Lord;  ",p:71,x:150,y:677,w:238,h:16},
{t:"he turned to me and heard my cry.  ",p:71,x:180,y:702,w:260,h:16},
{t:"He lifted me out of the slimy pit,  ",p:71,x:150,y:727,w:249,h:16},
{t:"  ",p:71,x:150,y:752,w:9,h:16},
{t:"out of the mud and mire;  ",p:71,x:180,y:752,w:190,h:16},
{t:"he set my feet on a rock  ",p:71,x:150,y:777,w:184,h:16},
{t:"and gave me a firm place to stand.  ",p:71,x:180,y:802,w:260,h:16},
{t:"He put a new song in my mouth,  ",p:71,x:150,y:827,w:248,h:16},
{t:"a hymn of praise to our God.  ",p:71,x:180,y:852,w:220,h:16},
{t:"Many will see and fear  ",p:71,x:150,y:877,w:177,h:16},
{t:"and put their trust in the Lord.",p:71,x:180,y:902,w:223,h:16},
{t:"68",p:72,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:72,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"But they rarely see the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18–20 ",p:72,x:120,y:144,w:452,h:16},
{t:"as true in their lives. ",p:72,x:90,y:167,w:153,h:16},
{t:"They gladly pray the prayer of Jabez:",p:72,x:120,y:191,w:273,h:16},
{t:"Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my ",p:72,x:150,y:239,w:368,h:16},
{t:"territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep ",p:72,x:150,y:264,w:367,h:16},
{t:"me from harm so that I will be free from pain. ",p:72,x:150,y:289,w:366,h:16},
{t:"(1 Chronicles 4:10)",p:72,x:150,y:314,w:142,h:16},
{t:"But never pray the prayer of Paul:",p:72,x:120,y:361,w:249,h:16},
{t:"I want to know Christ and the power of his ",p:72,x:150,y:409,w:369,h:16},
{t:"resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in ",p:72,x:150,y:434,w:370,h:16},
{t:"his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. ",p:72,x:150,y:459,w:367,h:16},
{t:"(Philippians 3:10)",p:72,x:150,y:484,w:131,h:16},
{t:"Why don’t they memorize these other passages? It’s simple. ",p:72,x:120,y:532,w:467,h:16},
{t:"These don’t make them feel good. And Cat Theology is a feel-good ",p:72,x:90,y:556,w:491,h:16},
{t:"theology made up of feel-good passages. A",p:72,x:90,y:579,w:318,h:16},
{t:"s Cats do this, they be-",p:72,x:402,y:579,w:168,h:16},
{t:"gin to selectively listen to God’s teaching and miss the glory of ",p:72,x:90,y:602,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God everywhere.",p:72,x:90,y:626,w:126,h:16},
{t:"Selective Reading and Listening",p:72,x:90,y:670,w:272,h:18},
{t:"You may be familiar with the phrase “God loves you and ",p:72,x:120,y:695,w:457,h:16},
{t:"wants to bless you. God is good all the time.” You’ve probably ",p:72,x:90,y:718,w:486,h:16},
{t:"heard that phrase, or one similar to it, in Christian music. We ",p:72,x:90,y:741,w:487,h:16},
{t:"believe that Satan is not too disturbed when we listen to this, ",p:72,x:90,y:765,w:487,h:16},
{t:"sing it, or recite it. Why? There are some parts missing from this ",p:72,x:90,y:788,w:485,h:16},
{t:"message that Satan knows are key ingredients. What’s missing? ",p:72,x:90,y:811,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory is missing. If all of creation and life are to focus on ",p:72,x:90,y:835,w:485,h:16},
{t:"His glory, where is it in that message? (Here is another example ",p:72,x:90,y:858,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of our “shorthand” in Christian messages.) Some might respond, ",p:72,x:90,y:881,w:485,h:16},
{t:"fEEL-GOOD THEOLOGY",p:73,x:423,y:77,w:147,h:17},
{t:"69",p:73,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"“Hmm, you know, that might be true, but I heard the good part, ",p:73,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the part that says God loves me and wants to bless me, and that is ",p:73,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"what’s important!”",p:73,x:90,y:167,w:139,h:16},
{t:"Let’s place some strategic phrases about God’s glory within ",p:73,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the context of the original phrase and see if it makes any differ-",p:73,x:90,y:214,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ence. (You’ll find the original phrase in italics below.) It now ",p:73,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"reads this way:",p:73,x:90,y:261,w:109,h:16},
{t:"God displays His glory throughout all creation, ",p:73,x:150,y:310,w:366,h:16},
{t:"from the galaxies to the garden, from light to a ",p:73,x:150,y:334,w:366,h:16},
{t:"lion, and from a child’s laughter to the roll of ",p:73,x:150,y:358,w:367,h:16},
{t:"thunder. A thrilling expression of His glory is in ",p:73,x:150,y:382,w:365,h:16},
{t:"the way He loves people of all nations and in the ",p:73,x:150,y:406,w:364,h:16},
{t:"way that God loves you and wants to bless you. ",p:73,x:150,y:431,w:351,h:16},
{t:"And He wants you to enjoy His glory by being in ",p:73,x:150,y:479,w:364,h:16},
{t:"awe of the stars and smelling a rose, by basking ",p:73,x:150,y:503,w:365,h:16},
{t:"in the warmth of the sun and learning the ways ",p:73,x:150,y:527,w:366,h:16},
{t:"of a lion, by delighting in a child’s laughter and ",p:73,x:150,y:551,w:365,h:16},
{t:"listening to the thunder, and by being a blessing ",p:73,x:150,y:576,w:365,h:16},
{t:"to your neighbor and other nations. His glory fills ",p:73,x:150,y:600,w:364,h:16},
{t:"the earth as the waters fill the sea. His glory is in ",p:73,x:150,y:624,w:364,h:16},
{t:"all things. God is good to let us experience and ",p:73,x:150,y:648,w:366,h:16},
{t:"share His glory all the time. ",p:73,x:150,y:672,w:208,h:16},
{t:"Doesn’t that sound different? Even though the original phrases ",p:73,x:120,y:719,w:453,h:16},
{t:"are still there, they are now seen as a smaller part of a greater ",p:73,x:90,y:742,w:486,h:16},
{t:"message—one of God’s glory. God is good all the time, but He ",p:73,x:90,y:766,w:486,h:16},
{t:"is good as He allows us to see, to know, to cherish, and to point ",p:73,x:90,y:789,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to His glory. God wants our focus on His glory, but our selective ",p:73,x:90,y:812,w:484,h:16},
{t:"listening keeps our focus on what God is doing for us. ",p:73,x:90,y:836,w:401,h:16},
{t:"When I (Bob) was speaking at a conference in Liberia, I had ",p:73,x:120,y:859,w:455,h:16},
{t:"just gone over this principle. At the end, the emcee got up and ",p:73,x:90,y:882,w:486,h:16},
{t:"70",p:74,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:74,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"started a familiar chant which goes, “God is good,” and the people ",p:74,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"reply, “All the time.” This was repeated two or three times, and ",p:74,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"then the emcee would reverse the order saying, “All the time,” and ",p:74,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the people would respond, “God is good.”",p:74,x:90,y:191,w:308,h:16},
{t:"As he was beginning this chant, I got up and put my arm around ",p:74,x:120,y:214,w:453,h:16},
{t:"the emcee and said, “You need to be very careful when you say ",p:74,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"this because you can focus on yourself and not God’s glory. Let’s ",p:74,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"start a new phrase. I’ll say, ‘God is jealous,’ and you repeat, ‘All ",p:74,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the time.’ Then I’ll reverse it and say, ‘All the time,’ and you say, ",p:74,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"‘For His glory.’” When the 250 pastors began to shout, “for His ",p:74,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"glory,” you could see a change take place in the crowd. They got ",p:74,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it. It was then that they realized it is all about God. They caught ",p:74,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it because it changed something that was familiar to them and ",p:74,x:90,y:401,w:487,h:16},
{t:"brought the change of focus to the front of their minds.",p:74,x:90,y:424,w:402,h:16},
{t:"Do you want another example? Many of us have used or",p:74,x:120,y:447,w:440,h:16},
{t:"seen memory-verse cards attached to refrigerators or taped to ",p:74,x:90,y:471,w:476,h:16},
{t:"mirrors. We see verses like Ephesians 2:6–7, “And God raised ",p:74,x:90,y:494,w:475,h:16},
{t:"us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms",p:74,x:90,y:517,w:468,h:16},
{t:"in Christ Jesus, . . .” Did you notice that isn’t the whole sentence? ",p:74,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Cats only choose to memorize the part of the sentence that is about ",p:74,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"them. It’s so easy to focus on ourselves as we read God’s Word. ",p:74,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"We choose verses that appeal to us, but we don’t bother memo-",p:74,x:90,y:611,w:480,h:16},
{t:"rizing the parts that don’t point to us. That verse continues with ",p:74,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the words “in order that.” Have you wondered what comes next? ",p:74,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Have you paid attention to it? ",p:74,x:90,y:681,w:222,h:16},
{t:"With the phrase “in order that” comes the reason why God ",p:74,x:120,y:704,w:456,h:16},
{t:"saved you and me. God says there is a purpose for it; there is a ",p:74,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"reason why He saved you. What is it? Why did He save us? The ",p:74,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"rest of the verse completes the thought and answers that question: ",p:74,x:90,y:774,w:484,h:16},
{t:"“In the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of ",p:74,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (v. 7, ",p:74,x:90,y:821,w:485,h:16},
{t:"emphasis added).",p:74,x:90,y:844,w:127,h:16},
{t:"God saved you and me to show off His glory! What an amaz-",p:74,x:120,y:867,w:449,h:16},
{t:"fEEL-GOOD THEOLOGY",p:75,x:423,y:77,w:147,h:17},
{t:"71",p:75,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"ing thought. God must have so much glory, so much grace and ",p:75,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"mercy, that He wanted to express it for all eternity. He created us ",p:75,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"so that He could shower it on us forever and ever and ever!",p:75,x:90,y:167,w:433,h:16},
{t:"Now notice something in this passage. Four times God re",p:75,x:120,y:191,w:433,h:16},
{t:"-",p:75,x:564,y:191,w:6,h:16},
{t:"fers to Himself with “he,” “his,” “his,” and “Christ Jesus.” Four",p:75,x:90,y:214,w:468,h:16},
{t:"times He refers to Himself, and only once does He refer to us. ",p:75,x:90,y:237,w:474,h:16},
{t:"Yet what do we focus in on in this passage? We focus on the",p:75,x:90,y:261,w:469,h:16},
{t:"“us” and say, “Praise God! It’s all about us, God. You died on ",p:75,x:90,y:284,w:474,h:16},
{t:"the cross for us, to lift us up, to seat us with Christ.”",p:75,x:90,y:307,w:381,h:16},
{t:"Well, He did, but it is in the context of expressing His mercy ",p:75,x:120,y:331,w:454,h:16},
{t:"throughout the coming ages. Our selective listening and reading ",p:75,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"seems to filter out the part about God’s plan to display His glory. ",p:75,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Instead, we focus in on the part about us. ",p:75,x:90,y:401,w:304,h:16},
{t:"John 3:16 is another example. Did you know that Dogs and ",p:75,x:120,y:424,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Cats read John 3:16 differently? Below is an example of how a ",p:75,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Dog reads and translates John 3:16. (The parentheses represent ",p:75,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"what a Dog is thinking as he reflects on the passage.)",p:75,x:90,y:494,w:389,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:120,y:538,w:11,h:21},
{t:"“For	God	(The	Alpha	and	Omega,	the	Great	i am, the Lord ",p:75,x:150,y:538,w:423,h:21},
{t:"God Almighty)",p:75,x:150,y:566,w:112,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:120,y:585,w:11,h:21},
{t:"so	loved	(This	God	loves	unconditionally?	Even	when	",p:75,x:150,y:585,w:424,h:21},
{t:"you offend Him? This is amazing!)",p:75,x:150,y:612,w:258,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:120,y:632,w:11,h:21},
{t:"the	world	(Why	us?	We’re	so	sinful	from	birth.	We’re	so	",p:75,x:150,y:632,w:424,h:21},
{t:"impure, so self-centered. Our hearts are desperately sick. ",p:75,x:150,y:659,w:425,h:16},
{t:"Is He sure about this?)",p:75,x:150,y:682,w:164,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:120,y:702,w:11,h:21},
{t:"that	he	gave	his	one	and	only	Son	(He	gave	His	son?	His	",p:75,x:150,y:702,w:424,h:21},
{t:"only son? He takes our punishment upon Himself? He’s a ",p:75,x:151,y:729,w:424,h:16},
{t:"sacrifice? But He’s innocent.)",p:75,x:151,y:752,w:218,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:121,y:772,w:11,h:21},
{t:"that	whoever	believes	in	him	(You	mean	anyone?	Any	",p:75,x:151,y:772,w:424,h:21},
{t:"man, woman, or child? A Hindu? A Muslim? A Buddhist? ",p:75,x:151,y:799,w:423,h:16},
{t:"Any tribal person? This gives so much hope.)",p:75,x:151,y:822,w:334,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:75,x:121,y:842,w:11,h:21},
{t:"shall	not	perish	but	have	eternal	life.”	(He	forgives	every-",p:75,x:151,y:842,w:419,h:21},
{t:"one’s sins? We do not have to pay for all of the bad things ",p:75,x:151,y:869,w:424,h:16},
{t:"72",p:76,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:76,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"we’ve done? We will all be righteous, pure, and holy? He ",p:76,x:150,y:121,w:424,h:16},
{t:"is so full of mercy! He is awesome!)",p:76,x:150,y:144,w:267,h:16},
{t:"Now Cats read John 3:16 as well, but Cats read and translate ",p:76,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"it with a different emphasis (set in parentheses). Here’s how a Cat ",p:76,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"reads the text:",p:76,x:90,y:237,w:102,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:76,x:120,y:280,w:11,h:21},
{t:"“For	God	(Yeah	okay,	great,	it’s	about	God.	Now	let’s	get	",p:76,x:150,y:280,w:424,h:21},
{t:"on with it.)",p:76,x:150,y:307,w:80,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:76,x:120,y:327,w:11,h:21},
{t:"so	loved	the	world	(Hey,	that’s	us!	It’s	about	us!	This	is	",p:76,x:150,y:327,w:424,h:21},
{t:"wonderful! God did everything for us!)",p:76,x:150,y:354,w:287,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:76,x:120,y:373,w:11,h:21},
{t:"that	he	gave	his	one	and	only	Son	(Yeah!	Now,	let	me	",p:76,x:150,y:373,w:424,h:21},
{t:"think, oh yeah, “Celebrate Jesus, celebrate.” We don’t ",p:76,x:150,y:401,w:427,h:16},
{t:"have to repeat that a bunch of times, do we?)",p:76,x:150,y:424,w:328,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:76,x:120,y:443,w:11,h:21},
{t:"that	whoever	believes	in	him	(Hey,	that’s	us again! This is ",p:76,x:150,y:443,w:423,h:21},
{t:"great. God is doing all this for us!)",p:76,x:150,y:471,w:253,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:76,x:120,y:490,w:11,h:21},
{t:"shall	not	perish	but	have	eternal	life.”	(Oh	boy,	eternal	",p:76,x:150,y:490,w:424,h:21},
{t:"life. I can’t wait. When I get to heaven, I hope I’m going ",p:76,x:150,y:517,w:424,h:16},
{t:"to get a great big house, lots of acreage near a beautiful ",p:76,x:150,y:541,w:425,h:16},
{t:"waterfall maybe; and I want lots of rooms, big rooms, and ",p:76,x:150,y:564,w:423,h:16},
{t:"I hope we can still watch TV and play tennis and golf. I’m ",p:76,x:150,y:587,w:423,h:16},
{t:"going to have so much fun there. What a God!)",p:76,x:150,y:611,w:346,h:16},
{t:"You can obviously see a big difference. Dogs are amazed that ",p:76,x:120,y:657,w:454,h:16},
{t:"God loves, period. It’s not just that He loves them but that He ",p:76,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"loves anyone and everyone—Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and ",p:76,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"others. Cats are only focused on the fact that God loves them. ",p:76,x:90,y:727,w:487,h:16},
{t:"They can’t see beyond themselves. ",p:76,x:90,y:751,w:260,h:16},
{t:"Selective Application",p:76,x:90,y:795,w:179,h:18},
{t:"The truth is, Cats rarely read, much less memorize, passages ",p:76,x:120,y:820,w:455,h:16},
{t:"that speak of hardships in life because it doesn’t make them feel ",p:76,x:90,y:843,w:485,h:16},
{t:"good. And if they only focus in on what makes them feel good, ",p:76,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"another symptom arises. We call that “selective application.”",p:76,x:90,y:890,w:447,h:16},
{t:"fEEL-GOOD THEOLOGY",p:77,x:423,y:77,w:147,h:17},
{t:"73",p:77,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"If Cats are only reading and listening to select portions of",p:77,x:120,y:121,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Scripture, it makes sense that they can only apply select portions",p:77,x:90,y:144,w:492,h:16},
{t:"of Scripture to their lives. So out of selective reading and listening, ",p:77,x:90,y:167,w:497,h:16},
{t:"selective application is born. In selective application, Cats only ap",p:77,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:77,x:564,y:191,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ply the parts of Scripture that speak to their own benefit, the parts of",p:77,x:90,y:214,w:493,h:16},
{t:"Scripture that speak of blessings. A Cat’s tendency is to apply only ",p:77,x:90,y:237,w:496,h:16},
{t:"those parts of Scripture that add to their sense of well-being.",p:77,x:90,y:261,w:442,h:16},
{t:"At a leadership meeting in Arizona, some professionals were ",p:77,x:120,y:284,w:455,h:16},
{t:"teaching the leaders of Frontiers how to become better leaders in ",p:77,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"their organization. The expert in leadership started off his intro-",p:77,x:90,y:331,w:479,h:16},
{t:"duction like this:",p:77,x:90,y:354,w:123,h:16},
{t:"“Did God have a plan for Abraham’s life?” ",p:77,x:120,y:402,w:321,h:16},
{t:"(The obvious answer was yes.) ",p:77,x:120,y:427,w:231,h:16},
{t:"“Did God have a plan for Moses’ life?”",p:77,x:120,y:452,w:289,h:16},
{t:"(The obvious answer was yes.) ",p:77,x:120,y:477,w:231,h:16},
{t:"“Did God have a plan for David’s life?”",p:77,x:120,y:502,w:293,h:16},
{t:"(The obvious answer was yes.) ",p:77,x:120,y:527,w:231,h:16},
{t:"“Did God have a plan for Paul’s life?” ",p:77,x:120,y:552,w:286,h:16},
{t:"(Again, the obvious answer was yes.) ",p:77,x:120,y:577,w:279,h:16},
{t:"“Does God have a plan for your life?”",p:77,x:120,y:602,w:279,h:16},
{t:"(The implied answer is yes!)",p:77,x:120,y:627,w:209,h:16},
{t:"Someone should have raised a hand and said, “Excuse me, ",p:77,x:120,y:674,w:456,h:16},
{t:"excuse me, it’s pretty arrogant of me to think that I’m on the level ",p:77,x:90,y:697,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of Moses. These were single individuals that God chose out of ",p:77,x:90,y:721,w:486,h:16},
{t:"an entire nation. Here I sit with seven others who are hearing the ",p:77,x:90,y:744,w:485,h:16},
{t:"same message; how can we all be a Moses, a David, an Abraham, ",p:77,x:90,y:767,w:484,h:16},
{t:"or a Paul? These were individual men chosen to lead an entire ",p:77,x:90,y:791,w:486,h:16},
{t:"nation. Is God asking all of us to relate to Moses? It would seem ",p:77,x:90,y:814,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to be a better fit if I were to relate to some of the everyday people, ",p:77,x:90,y:837,w:484,h:16},
{t:"maybe relating to the masses living under Egyptian captivity as ",p:77,x:90,y:861,w:486,h:16},
{t:"slaves their entire lives.” ",p:77,x:90,y:884,w:185,h:16},
{t:"74",p:78,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:78,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Let’s think about this situation. Ten generations lived under ",p:78,x:120,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Egyptian captivity. (Four hundred years in captivity, divided by ",p:78,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"forty, the general length of a generation. That means there were ",p:78,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"ten generations.) And only one gets to go free! When Cats want to ",p:78,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"teach a lesson from this period of history, what do they focus on? ",p:78,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"They focus on the one that gets freedom and assume God wants ",p:78,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"all of us free too! ",p:78,x:90,y:261,w:130,h:16},
{t:"Dog Theology begs us to raise other questions: Did God love ",p:78,x:120,y:284,w:454,h:16},
{t:"the other generations in slavery? “Absolutely!” you say. Did God ",p:78,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"have a plan for their lives? “Definitely,” you respond. What was ",p:78,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God’s plan for their lives? (Cats don’t like this part.) To be born a ",p:78,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"slave, to live as a slave, and to die as a slave was His plan for their ",p:78,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lives. Why? It isn’t about them; it is about His purposes. One of ",p:78,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the reasons was that God used their captivity to teach future gen-",p:78,x:90,y:424,w:480,h:16},
{t:"erations to be kind to people from other countries living around ",p:78,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"them. Read Deuteronomy 24:18. ",p:78,x:90,y:471,w:244,h:16},
{t:"So why don’t Cats apply to their lives the life lesson of the ",p:78,x:120,y:494,w:456,h:16},
{t:"first nine generations? By using selective application, only the last ",p:78,x:90,y:517,w:483,h:16},
{t:"one has something desirable for their lives. They naturally want ",p:78,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to apply and focus on it without considering that there may be life ",p:78,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lessons to learn from the first several generations.",p:78,x:90,y:587,w:364,h:16},
{t:"Let’s be honest about this. How many sermons or lessons",p:78,x:120,y:611,w:430,h:16},
{t:"have you heard (or given) about Egyptian captivity ",p:78,x:90,y:634,w:398,h:16},
{t:"and free-",p:78,x:500,y:634,w:70,h:16},
{t:"dom? How many of them focused on Moses and getting out",p:78,x:90,y:657,w:460,h:16},
{t:"of slavery, and how many focused on those who were born in ",p:78,x:90,y:681,w:464,h:16},
{t:"slavery, lived in slavery, and died in slavery? Certainly we can ",p:78,x:90,y:704,w:461,h:16},
{t:"teach the lesson of freedom from slavery. Or we can teach a",p:78,x:90,y:727,w:458,h:16},
{t:"very different lesson: one that says, God wants you to live, eat, ",p:78,x:90,y:751,w:460,h:16},
{t:"breathe, and die in slavery to teach future generations a lesson. ",p:78,x:90,y:774,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Admittedly, it won’t be a big seller, but it’s a valid lesson and ",p:78,x:90,y:797,w:461,h:16},
{t:"one that probably needs to ",p:78,x:90,y:821,w:195,h:16},
{t:"be heard and accepted. ",p:78,x:296,y:821,w:169,h:16},
{t:"It’s all about ",p:78,x:474,y:821,w:100,h:16},
{t:"God and not us!",p:78,x:90,y:844,w:117,h:16},
{t:"We’re not doing the family of God any favors by only prepar-",p:78,x:120,y:867,w:450,h:16},
{t:"fEEL-GOOD THEOLOGY",p:79,x:423,y:77,w:147,h:17},
{t:"75",p:79,x:556,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"ing them for the good, happy, and blessed events in life. Disaster, ",p:79,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"crises, sorrow, frustration, and more are each a part of life, and ",p:79,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Cat lessons don’t prepare us for them. In fact, some Cats teach ",p:79,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that Christians are exempt from these events. If that were true, ",p:79,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"someone needs to visit the prophets, the disciples, Paul, Daniel, ",p:79,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"David, Stephen, the early saints who were martyred, and Job and ",p:79,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"tell them to get with the program!",p:79,x:90,y:261,w:247,h:16},
{t:"Is either lesson wrong? No. But one is neglected (not incor-",p:79,x:120,y:284,w:449,h:16},
{t:"rect, just __________) due to selective application. This is not the ",p:79,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"only place in the Bible where Cats have used selective applica-",p:79,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion. There are lots of stories where the lessons they have chosen ",p:79,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to teach are positive, yet there are other lessons to be learned from ",p:79,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the same passage. For instance, why aren’t we taught lessons like ",p:79,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the following?",p:79,x:90,y:424,w:106,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:467,w:11,h:21},
{t:"Your	siblings	are	going	to	sell	you	off	as	a	slave	so	that	",p:79,x:150,y:467,w:424,h:21},
{t:"God can use you in a foreign land (the story of Joseph).",p:79,x:150,y:494,w:407,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:513,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	to	marry	a	person	from	another	cul-",p:79,x:150,y:513,w:420,h:21},
{t:"ture just so you can bond with your in-law and show her ",p:79,x:150,y:541,w:425,h:16},
{t:"kindness after your spouse dies (the story of Ruth).",p:79,x:150,y:564,w:374,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:583,w:11,h:21},
{t:"You	are	to	be	a	prophet	to	the	church,	jailed,	and	you	",p:79,x:150,y:583,w:424,h:21},
{t:"won’t see fruit for most of your years of ministry (the ",p:79,x:150,y:611,w:427,h:16},
{t:"story of Jeremiah).",p:79,x:150,y:634,w:137,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:653,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	our	country	to	be	invaded	and	devastated	",p:79,x:150,y:653,w:424,h:21},
{t:"to get the gospel outside of it (the dispersion).",p:79,x:150,y:681,w:336,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:700,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	to	be	thrown	into	a	blazing	fire	to	",p:79,x:150,y:700,w:424,h:21},
{t:"show His power (the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and ",p:79,x:150,y:727,w:427,h:16},
{t:"Abednego).",p:79,x:150,y:751,w:86,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:770,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	to	be	stoned	to	death	(the	story	of	",p:79,x:150,y:770,w:424,h:21},
{t:"Stephen).",p:79,x:150,y:797,w:69,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:79,x:120,y:817,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	to	be	forcefully	taken	from	your	home,	",p:79,x:150,y:817,w:424,h:21},
{t:"become the leader of another country, and then be cheated ",p:79,x:150,y:844,w:435,h:16},
{t:"and thrown into a lions’ den (the story of Daniel).",p:79,x:150,y:867,w:364,h:16},
{t:"76",p:80,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:80,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"•	",p:80,x:120,y:117,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	a	famine	to	come	to	your	land	so	that	",p:80,x:150,y:117,w:424,h:21},
{t:"you might move to another country and share your faith ",p:80,x:150,y:144,w:425,h:16},
{t:"(Abraham’s first missionary journey to Egypt in Genesis ",p:80,x:150,y:167,w:425,h:16},
{t:"12:10).",p:80,x:150,y:191,w:52,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:80,x:120,y:210,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	to	become	a	slave	to	reach	out	to	",p:80,x:150,y:210,w:424,h:21},
{t:"other people (the young girl in 2 Kings 5).",p:80,x:151,y:237,w:310,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:80,x:121,y:257,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	test	you	by	having	 all	of	your	assets	taken	",p:80,x:151,y:257,w:424,h:21},
{t:"away, having your children killed, and inflicting you with ",p:80,x:151,y:284,w:424,h:16},
{t:"severe pain (the story of Job).",p:80,x:151,y:307,w:217,h:16},
{t:"•	",p:80,x:121,y:327,w:11,h:21},
{t:"God	might	want	you	in	jail	to	share	your	faith	with	others.	",p:80,x:151,y:327,w:424,h:21},
{t:"He might want you beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, ",p:80,x:151,y:354,w:423,h:16},
{t:"naked, cold, hungry, and beaten with thirty-nine lashes ",p:80,x:151,y:377,w:427,h:16},
{t:"multiple times (the story of the apostle Paul).",p:80,x:151,y:401,w:331,h:16},
{t:"Why aren’t we commonly taught these lessons? Frankly, they ",p:80,x:121,y:447,w:465,h:16},
{t:"don’t sell well. If they don’t sell well, then, of course, church at",p:80,x:91,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:80,x:565,y:471,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tendance would be low. With low attendance, low income results. ",p:80,x:91,y:494,w:496,h:16},
{t:"With less money, you can’t do more things for the kingdom. ",p:80,x:91,y:517,w:447,h:16},
{t:"The bottom line is Cat Theology is incomplete. We are missing ",p:80,x:121,y:541,w:465,h:16},
{t:"so much. If you’re honest, you’ll realize that Cat Theology is spread",p:80,x:91,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:80,x:565,y:564,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing. It is rampant in our churches like a silent, deadly cancer. ",p:80,x:91,y:587,w:451,h:16},
{t:"77",p:81,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"7",p:81,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"Winner’s-Circle Theology",p:81,x:150,y:226,w:359,h:39},
{t:"If God has a purpose, can it cost us our lives? Have you ever ",p:81,x:90,y:329,w:486,h:64},
{t:"wondered what happened to the fifty-six men who signed the ",p:81,x:90,y:391,w:488,h:16},
{t:"Declaration of Independence? According to a story circulating ",p:81,x:90,y:415,w:487,h:16},
{t:"on the internet, five signers were captured by the British as trai-",p:81,x:90,y:438,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ran-",p:81,x:90,y:461,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War. ",p:81,x:90,y:485,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought in ",p:81,x:90,y:508,w:487,h:16},
{t:"the Revolutionary War and died from wounds sustained in the ",p:81,x:90,y:531,w:487,h:16},
{t:"war. They signed and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their ",p:81,x:90,y:555,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sacred honor.",p:81,x:90,y:578,w:98,h:16},
{t:"What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and ",p:81,x:120,y:601,w:462,h:16},
{t:"jurists; eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large-planta",p:81,x:90,y:625,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:81,x:564,y:625,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tion owners. All were men of means, well educated, and with much ",p:81,x:90,y:648,w:495,h:16},
{t:"to lose. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing ",p:81,x:90,y:671,w:497,h:16},
{t:"full well that if they were captured, the penalty would be death.",p:81,x:90,y:695,w:464,h:16},
{t:"Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw ",p:81,x:120,y:718,w:454,h:16},
{t:"his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his ",p:81,x:90,y:741,w:487,h:16},
{t:"home and properties to pay his debts, and he died in rags.",p:81,x:90,y:765,w:421,h:16},
{t:"Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was ",p:81,x:120,y:788,w:455,h:16},
{t:"forced to move his family constantly. He served in Congress with-",p:81,x:90,y:811,w:479,h:16},
{t:"out pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were ",p:81,x:90,y:835,w:485,h:16},
{t:"taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals and sol-",p:81,x:90,y:858,w:480,h:16},
{t:"diers also looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, ",p:81,x:90,y:881,w:485,h:16},
{t:"78",p:82,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:82,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.",p:82,x:90,y:121,w:346,h:16},
{t:"At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr. noted that ",p:82,x:120,y:144,w:458,h:16},
{t:"British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for ",p:82,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to ",p:82,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.",p:82,x:90,y:214,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The en-",p:82,x:120,y:237,w:449,h:16},
{t:"emy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart ",p:82,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their thir-",p:82,x:90,y:284,w:479,h:16},
{t:"teen children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were ",p:82,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"laid waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, ",p:82,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. ",p:82,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. ",p:82,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.",p:82,x:90,y:401,w:325,h:16},
{t:"Such are the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. ",p:82,x:120,y:424,w:465,h:16},
{t:"These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-",p:82,x:90,y:447,w:491,h:16},
{t:"spoken men of means and education. These men had a firm reliance",p:82,x:90,y:471,w:491,h:16},
{t:"on the protection of divine providence, yet they suffered and died. ",p:82,x:90,y:494,w:497,h:16},
{t:"Did that divine providence let them down? No, not at all. God ac",p:82,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"-",p:82,x:564,y:517,w:6,h:16},
{t:"complished all that He wanted, and liberty was established in a new",p:82,x:90,y:541,w:492,h:16},
{t:"country that would reflect and spread His glory. God’s goal was to ",p:82,x:90,y:564,w:495,h:16},
{t:"accomplish this, not to save the fortunes, families, or fame of the",p:82,x:90,y:587,w:492,h:16},
{t:"men involved. God has other goals too, and they don’t necessarily ",p:82,x:90,y:611,w:496,h:16},
{t:"include our fame and fortune. They might, but they might not. God ",p:82,x:90,y:634,w:496,h:16},
{t:"lives for God, and we are here to radiate His glory.",p:82,x:90,y:657,w:372,h:16},
{t:"Cultural Blinders",p:82,x:90,y:702,w:150,h:18},
{t:"American Cats would never think that God would ask any be-",p:82,x:120,y:726,w:449,h:16},
{t:"liever to suffer like that because they interpret the Scriptures while ",p:82,x:90,y:750,w:483,h:16},
{t:"wearing “cultural blinders;” that is, they interpret the Scriptures ",p:82,x:90,y:773,w:486,h:16},
{t:"only in light of the past forty to sixty years of American history. ",p:82,x:90,y:796,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Let’s do a quick rundown of what has happened in those years.",p:82,x:90,y:820,w:462,h:16},
{t:"We have put men on the moon. We have built planes that ",p:82,x:120,y:843,w:457,h:16},
{t:"can take hundreds of people around the world within twenty-four ",p:82,x:90,y:866,w:484,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:83,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"79",p:83,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"hours. We have seen the fall of the Soviet Union and won a war ",p:83,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in the Gulf. Desktop and laptop computers are commonplace. Cell ",p:83,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"phones are now used by high schoolers. And throughout much of ",p:83,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this, we have had a bullish stock market that has increased much ",p:83,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of America’s wealth. Sure there have been exceptions (the terror-",p:83,x:90,y:214,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ist acts of September 11, 2001, being one of them), but basically ",p:83,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"things have gone well.",p:83,x:90,y:261,w:164,h:16},
{t:"What do we learn, without even realizing it, from our recent ",p:83,x:120,y:284,w:455,h:16},
{t:"track record? In light of technological advances, we can dream up ",p:83,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and make anything. With our enemies defeated, we always expect ",p:83,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to come out on top. Our bullish stock market has taught us to ",p:83,x:90,y:354,w:487,h:16},
{t:"only expect the best. As a result, whether we like it or not, Cats ",p:83,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"always relate to the winner, the victor, and the champion in the ",p:83,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Scriptures. ",p:83,x:90,y:424,w:83,h:16},
{t:"And Cats, like the fastest horse at the end of a race, expect to ",p:83,x:120,y:447,w:454,h:16},
{t:"be in the winner’s circle. They always relate to the major character; ",p:83,x:90,y:471,w:483,h:16},
{t:"they never relate to the minor characters—those aren’t the famous ",p:83,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"ones. They want and expect life to be safe, soft, easy, comfortable, ",p:83,x:90,y:517,w:483,h:16},
{t:"secure, and they expect to always come out on top. They believe ",p:83,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that’s just what God wants for all of us.",p:83,x:90,y:564,w:289,h:16},
{t:"Dogs look for lessons outside the winner’s circle. They also ",p:83,x:120,y:587,w:467,h:16},
{t:"look at the minor characters. What do we mean by that? Well, let’s",p:83,x:90,y:611,w:491,h:16},
{t:"look at a simple example: Job. You all know the story of Job. God ",p:83,x:90,y:634,w:496,h:16},
{t:"allows Satan to take away everything he has except his life. What",p:83,x:90,y:657,w:491,h:16},
{t:"lesson do Cats learn from this? There are times when God is going ",p:83,x:90,y:681,w:496,h:16},
{t:"to test you. “Wait a second,” you might think to yourself, “I thought",p:83,x:90,y:704,w:492,h:16},
{t:"everything was supposed to be safe, soft, easy, comfortable, secure, ",p:83,x:90,y:727,w:496,h:16},
{t:"and that I should always come out on top.”",p:83,x:90,y:751,w:314,h:16},
{t:"It turned out that way for Job in the end. Job doubled his pos-",p:83,x:120,y:774,w:449,h:16},
{t:"sessions and got back the same number of children, thus doubling ",p:83,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the number of his children for all eternity. But that’s a Cat’s ",p:83,x:90,y:821,w:488,h:16},
{t:"winner’s-circle lesson. Is there anything for Dogs to learn outside ",p:83,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the winner’s circle? Yes. You see, Dogs ask, “Why don’t we ever ",p:83,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"80",p:84,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:84,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"relate to Job’s kids?” “What?” you’re probably saying to yourself ",p:84,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"as you read this, “Relate to Job’s kids? They all died. Are you ",p:84,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"crazy?”",p:84,x:90,y:167,w:55,h:16},
{t:"That’s the whole point. Why do we always relate to the one ",p:84,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"who comes out alive in the end? Why do we always relate to the ",p:84,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"one who is the main character in the story? Dogs think, “Hey, we ",p:84,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"don’t have to. We can relate to anyone in the text who can teach ",p:84,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"us a life lesson.” ",p:84,x:90,y:284,w:125,h:16},
{t:"The tough question needs to be asked, Did God love Job’s ",p:84,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"kids as much as Job? The obvious answer is yes. Did God have ",p:84,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"a plan for their lives? Not as obvious, but the same answer still ",p:84,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"stands, yes. What was it? To answer that, let’s assume Job’s kids ",p:84,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"made it to heaven (they had a godly father) and had a talk with ",p:84,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God. The conversation might have gone something like this:",p:84,x:90,y:424,w:443,h:16},
{t:"Kids: Lord, do you mind if we have a few moments with You?",p:84,x:120,y:447,w:460,h:16},
{t:"Lord: Oh, of course. Absolutely!",p:84,x:120,y:471,w:240,h:16},
{t:"K: Umm, Lord, we’re kind of curious—why did we all die at ",p:84,x:120,y:494,w:454,h:16},
{t:"the same time?",p:84,x:90,y:517,w:109,h:16},
{t:"L: Oh, I love you all so much, and I allowed you all to come ",p:84,x:120,y:541,w:455,h:16},
{t:"home early.",p:84,x:90,y:564,w:86,h:16},
{t:"K: Lord, just why exactly did You do that?",p:84,x:120,y:587,w:315,h:16},
{t:"L: I wanted to reveal My glory by teaching your father a lesson.",p:84,x:120,y:611,w:468,h:16},
{t:"K: What! (they say incredulously). You took us home early ",p:84,x:120,y:634,w:456,h:16},
{t:"just to teach our father a lesson?",p:84,x:90,y:657,w:236,h:16},
{t:"L: Yes, that’s right.",p:84,x:120,y:681,w:143,h:16},
{t:"K: “But, God, my brothers and I had a business, and it was ",p:84,x:120,y:704,w:456,h:16},
{t:"just starting up. It was going really well,” says one. And the oldest ",p:84,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"adds, “Yes, Lord, and I was going to inherit my father’s business.” ",p:84,x:90,y:751,w:483,h:16},
{t:"One daughter remarks, “Yes, Lord, and I was dating this person, ",p:84,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and we were going to get married and have kids.” Her little sister ",p:84,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"adds, “And, God, I was hoping to get married too.” And another ",p:84,x:90,y:821,w:485,h:16},
{t:"one says, “I was hoping to go into the ministry. I had all these ",p:84,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"plans.” And then in unison they all say, “In the midst of all this, ",p:84,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:85,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"81",p:85,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"you wanted to teach our father a lesson? What about us?” ",p:85,x:90,y:121,w:426,h:16},
{t:"L: I’m sorry you’re so confused. You see, it’s not about you. ",p:85,x:120,y:144,w:455,h:16},
{t:"It’s about My plan and revealing My glory in a myriad of ways. ",p:85,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"And I allowed you to die early so that I could reveal My glory ",p:85,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through your father.",p:85,x:90,y:214,w:147,h:16},
{t:"K: But, Lord, it just doesn’t seem fair!",p:85,x:120,y:237,w:281,h:16},
{t:"L: Well, just to let you know, the way I run My creation is not ",p:85,x:120,y:261,w:454,h:16},
{t:"based on fairness; it is based on revealing My glory. And in what I ",p:85,x:90,y:284,w:483,h:16},
{t:"did through your father, My glory shone brightly; but here, I have ",p:85,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"something for each of you.”",p:85,x:90,y:331,w:205,h:16},
{t:"Then God rewards them in ways they never would have imag-",p:85,x:120,y:354,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ined! They are speechless but finally mutter some words.",p:85,x:90,y:377,w:419,h:16},
{t:"K: What? We get all this?",p:85,x:120,y:401,w:189,h:16},
{t:"L: Yes, I love you so much, and you played your roles so well ",p:85,x:120,y:424,w:454,h:16},
{t:"in being a part of revealing My glory.",p:85,x:90,y:447,w:275,h:16},
{t:"K: But, God, we don’t deserve all this!",p:85,x:120,y:471,w:284,h:16},
{t:"L: I know. But it has never been based on what you deserve ",p:85,x:120,y:494,w:455,h:16},
{t:"either. Giving you this continues to radiate and reflect My glory, ",p:85,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and that is what it has been about from the beginning. Some I ",p:85,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"bless with things, some I allow to be persecuted, and some I bring ",p:85,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"home early—it’s all a beautiful stained-glass window revealing ",p:85,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"My glory.",p:85,x:90,y:611,w:73,h:16},
{t:"You see, Cats only focus on God’s blessings while on earth. ",p:85,x:120,y:634,w:455,h:16},
{t:"“Where are the blessings in these seventy years that I’m alive?” ",p:85,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"they ask. Dogs realize that their lives can be in ruins for those sev-",p:85,x:90,y:681,w:479,h:16},
{t:"enty or so years, and eternity is where the Lord’s glory is greatly ",p:85,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"revealed in their lives. The apostle Paul writes, “For our light and ",p:85,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far ",p:85,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Therefore, relating to ",p:85,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Job’s kids is just as viable as relating to Job. Are there lessons ",p:85,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"outside the winner’s circle in other passages?",p:85,x:90,y:821,w:331,h:16},
{t:"Let’s talk about David’s sin of counting his fighting men in ",p:85,x:120,y:844,w:456,h:16},
{t:"1 Chronicles 21. Satan got David to count how many men he had. ",p:85,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"82",p:86,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:86,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"The Lord wasn’t pleased with this at all. David wanted to point to ",p:86,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"himself, his country, and his people, and he didn’t want to give ",p:86,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the Lord the glory for all the victories. (Even great men like David ",p:86,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"can be Cats sometimes and anger a jealous God.)",p:86,x:90,y:191,w:359,h:16},
{t:"So what happened? The Lord killed seventy thousand men. ",p:86,x:120,y:214,w:456,h:16},
{t:"This time it was directly initiated by the Lord, not the Lord using ",p:86,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Satan, but the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 21:14 we read, “So the Lord ",p:86,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell ",p:86,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"dead.”",p:86,x:90,y:307,w:47,h:16},
{t:"What do Cats learn? Don’t take pride in your numbers. Hence, ",p:86,x:120,y:331,w:453,h:16},
{t:"churches are not to take pride in how many attend their services, ",p:86,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"how many they baptize, or how many come to Sunday school. ",p:86,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"That, believe it or not, is a winner’s-circle lesson because David ",p:86,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is still alive in the end.",p:86,x:90,y:424,w:166,h:16},
{t:"What lesson is there to learn outside of the winner’s-circle? ",p:86,x:120,y:447,w:456,h:16},
{t:"A Dog also relates to the seventy thousand men who died and to ",p:86,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"their widows and children. What lesson can a Dog learn from this ",p:86,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"passage? My life may be called upon to be a sacrifice. Whether the ",p:86,x:90,y:517,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Lord calls you to a people group who has never heard the gospel ",p:86,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"or you dying because of someone else’s sin, the idea of being a ",p:86,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"sacrifice on behalf of someone else’s actions is very theologically ",p:86,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sound to a Dog.",p:86,x:90,y:611,w:116,h:16},
{t:"Can you imagine the conversations David’s men might have ",p:86,x:120,y:634,w:455,h:16},
{t:"had with God?",p:86,x:90,y:657,w:107,h:16},
{t:"Men: Lord, why did You bring us all home at once? We ",p:86,x:120,y:681,w:458,h:16},
{t:"weren’t even fighting a war.",p:86,x:90,y:704,w:207,h:16},
{t:"Lord: David sinned.",p:86,x:120,y:727,w:147,h:16},
{t:"M: What? David sinned, and we were all punished for his sin?",p:86,x:120,y:751,w:457,h:16},
{t:"L: I don’t see bringing you into My presence as punishment. ",p:86,x:120,y:774,w:455,h:16},
{t:"But if you’d like to see it like that—that is what happened.",p:86,x:90,y:797,w:429,h:16},
{t:"M: Oh, Lord, we’re sorry. You’re wonderful . . . but why ",p:86,x:120,y:821,w:457,h:16},
{t:"didn’t You take him home?",p:86,x:90,y:844,w:201,h:16},
{t:"L: Because I had a greater plan for his life.",p:86,x:120,y:867,w:313,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:87,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"83",p:87,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"M: What about our lives?",p:87,x:120,y:121,w:187,h:16},
{t:"L: I had a plan for your lives as well.",p:87,x:120,y:144,w:270,h:16},
{t:"M: Well, what was it?",p:87,x:120,y:167,w:162,h:16},
{t:"L: To die when David sinned, and to serve as an impetus for ",p:87,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"his repentance.",p:87,x:90,y:214,w:109,h:16},
{t:"M: But, Lord, that just doesn’t seem fair.",p:87,x:120,y:237,w:300,h:16},
{t:"L: Well, I have never run My kingdom based on fairness.",p:87,x:120,y:261,w:420,h:16},
{t:"Dogs also learn from this passage that God sometimes al-",p:87,x:120,y:284,w:449,h:16},
{t:"lows spouses to die young. (Please note, this doesn’t make it any ",p:87,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"easier emotionally, but understanding God’s ways brings peace ",p:87,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and healing more quickly.) Children can realize that their moms ",p:87,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"or dads may be called on by God to serve the King in this way as ",p:87,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"well. Again, coping with the death of a loved one is never easy, ",p:87,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but trusting in God’s high purposes makes it easier to worship and ",p:87,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"thank God after it has happened.",p:87,x:90,y:447,w:238,h:16},
{t:"A conversation between God and a widow of one of David’s ",p:87,x:120,y:471,w:455,h:16},
{t:"men might have gone something like this:",p:87,x:90,y:494,w:307,h:16},
{t:"Wife: Lord, why did You take my husband home halfway ",p:87,x:120,y:517,w:457,h:16},
{t:"through my life?",p:87,x:90,y:541,w:122,h:16},
{t:"Lord: David sinned.",p:87,x:120,y:564,w:147,h:16},
{t:"W: Why didn’t You take David home?",p:87,x:120,y:587,w:285,h:16},
{t:"L: Because I had a greater plan for his life.",p:87,x:120,y:611,w:313,h:16},
{t:"W: But what about my life?",p:87,x:120,y:634,w:204,h:16},
{t:"L: I had a plan for your life too.",p:87,x:120,y:657,w:232,h:16},
{t:"W: What was it?",p:87,x:120,y:681,w:122,h:16},
{t:"L: To raise your children as a widow, trusting in Me to be a ",p:87,x:120,y:704,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Father to the fatherless, leaning on Me for all of your needs, com-",p:87,x:90,y:727,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing to Me in your greatest times of hurt, and allowing Me to heal ",p:87,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"you. And in how you lived, My glory would be radiated brightly ",p:87,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"through you.",p:87,x:90,y:797,w:93,h:16},
{t:"With Cat Theology, it is very difficult to think through the ",p:87,x:120,y:821,w:456,h:16},
{t:"idea that God could call us (or our loved ones) home early as a part ",p:87,x:90,y:844,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of revealing His glory. With Dog Theology, it isn’t.",p:87,x:90,y:867,w:379,h:16},
{t:"84",p:88,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:88,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Do you want to learn outside the winner’s circle from other ",p:88,x:120,y:121,w:455,h:16},
{t:"texts? Another example can be found in Numbers 16. The Israelites ",p:88,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"have left Egypt, yet they are still not in the Promised Land. In this ",p:88,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"passage, some of the leaders are challenging Moses’ leadership ",p:88,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and direction. In response, Moses basically says, “If what I say ",p:88,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"is true, then these men will die an unusual death, not a normal ",p:88,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"death. If what I say is false, they will die a normal death; they ",p:88,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"will live out their years” (Numbers 16:29–30, our translation). ",p:88,x:90,y:284,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Immediately, the earth opens, and Korah dies. But that’s not all. ",p:88,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Look more closely at what it says. ",p:88,x:90,y:331,w:255,h:16},
{t:"“So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and ",p:88,x:120,y:354,w:478,h:16},
{t:"Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with ",p:88,x:90,y:377,w:507,h:16},
{t:"their wives, children, and little ones at the entrances to their tents”",p:88,x:90,y:401,w:505,h:16},
{t:"(Numbers 16:27). What? The wives and children died as well? That’s",p:88,x:90,y:424,w:503,h:16},
{t:"what the text says. God took them home too. Let’s imagine an infant",p:88,x:90,y:447,w:504,h:16},
{t:"having a conversation with God. It’s one of Korah’s children.",p:88,x:90,y:471,w:451,h:16},
{t:"Child: Excuse me, Lord, but do You mind me asking You ",p:88,x:120,y:494,w:457,h:16},
{t:"some questions?",p:88,x:90,y:517,w:120,h:16},
{t:"God: No, I’d love to answer any questions.",p:88,x:120,y:541,w:315,h:16},
{t:"C: Lord, just why exactly did we all die at such a young age? ",p:88,x:120,y:564,w:452,h:16},
{t:"G: Your father sinned against Me.",p:88,x:120,y:587,w:250,h:16},
{t:"C: Our father sinned, and we had to die? Why us and our ",p:88,x:120,y:611,w:457,h:16},
{t:"mother too? Why not just take our father?",p:88,x:90,y:634,w:307,h:16},
{t:"G: I place a very high value on the family unit and the father’s",p:88,x:120,y:657,w:461,h:16},
{t:"leadership in that unit; and, I wanted to give Israel a warning sign. ",p:88,x:90,y:681,w:490,h:16},
{t:"C: You took our lives as a warning sign? ",p:88,x:120,y:704,w:304,h:16},
{t:"G: That’s right.",p:88,x:120,y:727,w:113,h:16},
{t:"C: But that doesn’t seem fair.",p:88,x:120,y:751,w:215,h:16},
{t:"Do these words sound harsh: God killed them as a warning ",p:88,x:120,y:774,w:456,h:16},
{t:"sign? Read the text that follows; we didn’t just make it up. “The ",p:88,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, ",p:88,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And ",p:88,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"they served as a warning sign” (Numbers 26:10).",p:88,x:90,y:867,w:359,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:89,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"85",p:89,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"Here is a Cat’s lesson: If you are God’s chosen one, then He ",p:89,x:120,y:121,w:455,h:16},
{t:"will take care of those who challenge you. But this may be only ",p:89,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"half the lesson God has for you. Dogs learn the Cats’ lesson plus ",p:89,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"something more: Wives and children may pay a price for their ",p:89,x:90,y:191,w:487,h:16},
{t:"husband’s or father’s disobedience, and God places a high value ",p:89,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"on the leadership of a father and husband.",p:89,x:90,y:237,w:306,h:16},
{t:"This is an important additional lesson, and it is one that can be ",p:89,x:120,y:261,w:453,h:16},
{t:"taught from this Scripture. How this lesson would change the way ",p:89,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wives pray for their husbands and citizens for their leaders! This ",p:89,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"could also change the way children pay attention to their father’s ",p:89,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"ways. It’s a lesson seen easily by those who have been through ",p:89,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"persecution and hard times, but it’s a lesson most Americans miss ",p:89,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"because of Cat Theology.",p:89,x:90,y:401,w:187,h:16},
{t:"Do you need another example? How about Exodus, the story ",p:89,x:120,y:424,w:455,h:16},
{t:"of the ten plagues? The firstborn in each household died. Exodus ",p:89,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"12:29 tells the story: “At midnight the lord struck down all the ",p:89,x:90,y:467,w:485,h:21},
{t:"firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the ",p:89,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, ",p:89,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.” Who struck them ",p:89,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"down? The lord took the firstborn.",p:89,x:90,y:560,w:261,h:21},
{t:"The Cat’s lesson is: Judgment comes on our tormentors. And ",p:89,x:120,y:587,w:454,h:16},
{t:"again, while that may not be incorrect, it is incomplete. The Dog’s ",p:89,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"additional lesson is: Our children may die because of our leader’s ",p:89,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sin. ",p:89,x:90,y:657,w:30,h:16},
{t:"You see, we always envision ourselves as relating to the ",p:89,x:120,y:681,w:458,h:16},
{t:"Hebrews—God’s chosen ones—but never to the ones who get ",p:89,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"judged. God treats all peoples equally. Yes, He rescued the Hebrews ",p:89,x:90,y:727,w:482,h:16},
{t:"from Egyptian captivity, but He also rescued the Philistines from ",p:89,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir. God loves all nations equally. ",p:89,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"(The book Unveiled At Last shows this so clearly in chapters four ",p:89,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and five.) And just as the Egyptians’ firstborn died in judgment, ",p:89,x:90,y:821,w:485,h:16},
{t:"so could ours.",p:89,x:90,y:844,w:102,h:16},
{t:"Do you remember what happened to the little ones when ",p:89,x:120,y:867,w:458,h:16},
{t:"86",p:90,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:90,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Herod thought the Israelite king was born? He had all the Hebrew ",p:90,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"children in that region killed. God allowed the sinfulness of one ",p:90,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"man to hurt His people. Although God’s love is infinite for each ",p:90,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"one of us, we’ve taken the gospel way too “personally.” It’s about ",p:90,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory; it’s not about us.",p:90,x:90,y:214,w:219,h:16},
{t:"There are more examples. Consider the Israelites wandering ",p:90,x:120,y:237,w:455,h:16},
{t:"in the desert. The Israelites moved about in the desert for forty ",p:90,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"years until all those who had been adults when they left Egypt ",p:90,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"died because they had not obeyed the Lord. ",p:90,x:90,y:307,w:323,h:16},
{t:"A Cat’s lesson is: God will bless me if I obey and trust, and ",p:90,x:120,y:331,w:455,h:16},
{t:"He will chastise me if I don’t. And, as usual, that’s not incorrect, ",p:90,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but it is incomplete. The Dog’s additional lesson is: My father’s ",p:90,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"sins may have consequences in my life. We can’t relate to this in ",p:90,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"our culture; it’s quite the opposite for us. Today everyone wants ",p:90,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to stand alone and not be affected by anything anyone else does. ",p:90,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"But this just isn’t reality. We like to imagine we can quote Cain ",p:90,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and get by with it (“Am I my brother’s keeper?”), not realizing ",p:90,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that, in fact, we are!",p:90,x:90,y:517,w:146,h:16},
{t:"Other Cultural Blinders",p:90,x:90,y:562,w:206,h:18},
{t:"But it is not just America that is afflicted with cultural blind-",p:90,x:120,y:586,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ers. Other countries have their own as well. Let’s look at other ",p:90,x:90,y:610,w:486,h:16},
{t:"cultural blinders and see some other viewpoints. What if instead ",p:90,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of looking at the past forty years of American life, we looked at ",p:90,x:90,y:656,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life from the perspective of Christians in China. What experiences ",p:90,x:90,y:680,w:483,h:16},
{t:"would shape their interpretations of Scripture? Perhaps persecu-",p:90,x:90,y:703,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion, jail sentences, torture, the constant fear of being found out, ",p:90,x:90,y:726,w:485,h:16},
{t:"or the fear of being beaten. When they open the Scriptures, they ",p:90,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"have a totally different perspective of what the Word of God says. ",p:90,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Why? Their blinders, or their cultural filtering systems, are very ",p:90,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"different from ours. ",p:90,x:90,y:820,w:148,h:16},
{t:"They relate to the apostle Paul’s beatings and imprisonments. ",p:90,x:120,y:843,w:460,h:16},
{t:"They relate to singing in the jail cell. They understand what it is",p:90,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:91,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"87",p:91,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"like to be dropped in a basket outside a window to escape the au -",p:91,x:90,y:121,w:480,h:16},
{t:"thorities. They know what it is like to see innocent women and ",p:91,x:90,y:144,w:487,h:16},
{t:"children killed for no reason. Martyrs are common. They relate to ",p:91,x:90,y:167,w:490,h:16},
{t:"David’s fighting men. They relate to the widows of the fighting ",p:91,x:90,y:191,w:492,h:16},
{t:"men. They relate to the firstborn of Egypt who all died in the tenth ",p:91,x:90,y:214,w:490,h:16},
{t:"plague. They constantly see themselves with their backs against ",p:91,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the Red Sea and nowhere to run. To them, this is the norm.",p:91,x:90,y:261,w:432,h:16},
{t:"Now let’s not just look at Christianity in the past forty years, ",p:91,x:120,y:284,w:454,h:16},
{t:"let’s look at Christianity in any period of time and see what might ",p:91,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"have shaped Christians’ cultural blinders. Let’s go to the first three ",p:91,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"hundred years after Christ walked on earth. If we were to look at ",p:91,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"these born in ad 79, ad 120, ad 160, or ad 233, what would their ",p:91,x:90,y:373,w:485,h:21},
{t:"experiences be? ",p:91,x:90,y:401,w:121,h:16},
{t:"All we have to do is look in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs to find ",p:91,x:120,y:424,w:455,h:16},
{t:"some very interesting and unnerving events, nothing at all like ",p:91,x:90,y:447,w:487,h:16},
{t:"what we expect from God. Under Emperor Nero’s reign, Christians ",p:91,x:90,y:471,w:482,h:16},
{t:"were sewn inside wild animal skins and torn to their death by ",p:91,x:90,y:494,w:487,h:16},
{t:"fierce dogs. Others were put in shirts stiff with wax and tied to ",p:91,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"poles in Nero’s gardens where they were set on fire to provide ",p:91,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"light for his parties.7",p:91,x:90,y:564,w:148,h:16},
{t:"Under Marcus, the cruelties of persecution were so inhumane ",p:91,x:120,y:587,w:454,h:16},
{t:"that many who watched them shuddered with horror and were ",p:91,x:90,y:611,w:487,h:16},
{t:"astonished at the courage of those who suffered. Some martyrs ",p:91,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"had their feet crushed in presses and were then forced to walk ",p:91,x:90,y:657,w:487,h:16},
{t:"over thorns, nails, sharp shells, and other pointed objects.8 Under ",p:91,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Lucious, a woman named Ryas had boiling tar poured over her ",p:91,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"head and then was set on fire, as was her mother, Marcella, and ",p:91,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"her sister.9",p:91,x:90,y:750,w:76,h:16},
{t:"A Christian named Julian was arrested for simply being a ",p:91,x:120,y:774,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Christian. He was put into a leather bag with several snakes and ",p:91,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"scorpions and then thrown into the sea.10 An evangelist named ",p:91,x:90,y:820,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Lucien had his arms and legs tied and then stretched with pulleys ",p:91,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"until his joints dislocated. Then he was scourged with a wire whip, ",p:91,x:90,y:867,w:483,h:16},
{t:"88",p:92,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:92,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"had boiling oil and pitch (tar) poured on his naked body, and fire ",p:92,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"applied to his sides and armpits. After these tortures, he was put ",p:92,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"back into prison where he soon died.11",p:92,x:90,y:167,w:279,h:16},
{t:"This is what some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have ",p:92,x:120,y:191,w:455,h:16},
{t:"gone through. Persecution has been rampant. It started when the ",p:92,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"apostle Paul, then known as Saul, approved of Stephen’s death. ",p:92,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"So how did these early Christians view the Christian life? What ",p:92,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"was their life perspective? They may have instantly related to the ",p:92,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"defeated, the persecuted, and the beaten down in the Scriptures, ",p:92,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"hoping for the day in the future when they would be victors.",p:92,x:90,y:331,w:440,h:16},
{t:"You and I are going to meet those people when we get to ",p:92,x:120,y:354,w:457,h:16},
{t:"heaven, but I wonder if we will be able to relate to them at all. If ",p:92,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you are a Cat, you won’t be able to, nor will you understand why ",p:92,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God allowed it to happen. If you are a Dog, you’ll see that God ",p:92,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"allowed it because His glory shone through them, and you’ll be ",p:92,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"able to compare it with how God’s glory was shining through you ",p:92,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"as well. Dogs of any generation can relate to each other because ",p:92,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"they know God’s glory is the common thread that not only runs ",p:92,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"through the Word of God but also throughout time!",p:92,x:90,y:541,w:376,h:16},
{t:"America has only been a nation for two hundred years, yet we ",p:92,x:120,y:564,w:454,h:16},
{t:"expect that the way we see things today is the way it is supposed ",p:92,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to be throughout time. We want to live victoriously both now and ",p:92,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"forever. We’re very egocentric to think that way. For this reason, ",p:92,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it’s rare to find martyrs in our culture. We’re not willing to pay the ",p:92,x:90,y:657,w:483,h:16},
{t:"price; we think we are, but in fact, most of us are not. We’ve been ",p:92,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"indoctrinated with the idea that inconvenience equals the absence ",p:92,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of blessing and the absence of God’s will in our lives. Therefore, ",p:92,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we cannot welcome martyrdom. Cat Theology in this area has it ",p:92,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"so wrong.",p:92,x:90,y:774,w:72,h:16},
{t:"But we’ve not always been like this. Some Americans did ",p:92,x:120,y:797,w:457,h:16},
{t:"conclude that life was about reflecting God’s glory. They lived ",p:92,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to radiate the glory of God and make Him famous. That’s why ",p:92,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the first wave of missionaries sent out in the late 1700s and early ",p:92,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"WInnER'S-CIRCLE THEOLOGY",p:93,x:387,y:77,w:183,h:17},
{t:"89",p:93,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"1800s took all their belongings in a casket. They knew that as ",p:93,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"soon as they arrived on foreign soil, they had about two years to ",p:93,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"live.",p:93,x:90,y:167,w:32,h:16},
{t:"Two years was the typical life expectancy because they didn’t",p:93,x:120,y:191,w:461,h:16},
{t:"have the advantages of modern medicine in those days. They knew",p:93,x:90,y:214,w:491,h:16},
{t:"they would probably die from some disease, and that is why they ",p:93,x:90,y:237,w:497,h:16},
{t:"took all their belongings, not in luggage, but in a casket. They knew",p:93,x:90,y:261,w:492,h:16},
{t:"life was for the glory of God; it was not for them. They knew it",p:93,x:90,y:284,w:491,h:16},
{t:"could be hard, there could be persecution, there could be trials, it",p:93,x:90,y:307,w:492,h:16},
{t:"wouldn’t be easy, and they would have an early death. ",p:93,x:90,y:331,w:403,h:16},
{t:"Imagine the homes of Christians during the difficult periods of ",p:93,x:120,y:354,w:453,h:16},
{t:"history. If you were to check out Bible verses on the walls of those ",p:93,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Christians’ homes, you’d find them to be quite different, we’re ",p:93,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"sure. What Bible verses would be on the walls of those who, in the ",p:93,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"first three hundred years of Christendom, went through burnings, ",p:93,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"were put in skins and tortured by wild animals, became living ",p:93,x:90,y:471,w:487,h:16},
{t:"torches for Nero, or found themselves crushed and their bones ",p:93,x:90,y:494,w:487,h:16},
{t:"dislocated? Maybe they would be verses like the following:",p:93,x:90,y:517,w:436,h:16},
{t:"All men will hate you because of me, but ",p:93,x:150,y:564,w:372,h:16},
{t:"he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ",p:93,x:150,y:587,w:377,h:16},
{t:"(Matthew 10:22)",p:93,x:150,y:611,w:123,h:16},
{t:"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in ",p:93,x:150,y:657,w:367,h:16},
{t:"Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)",p:93,x:150,y:681,w:361,h:16},
{t:"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little",p:93,x:150,y:727,w:369,h:16},
{t:"while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds",p:93,x:150,y:751,w:369,h:16},
{t:"of trials. These have come so that your ",p:93,x:150,y:775,w:300,h:16},
{t:"faith—of ",p:93,x:443,y:775,w:71,h:16},
{t:"greater worth than gold, which perishes even ",p:93,x:150,y:799,w:369,h:16},
{t:"though refined by fire—may be proved genuine ",p:93,x:150,y:823,w:366,h:16},
{t:"and may result in praise, glory and honor when ",p:93,x:150,y:847,w:366,h:16},
{t:"Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6–7)",p:93,x:150,y:872,w:290,h:16},
{t:"90",p:94,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:94,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Found on their walls would be verses detailing the themes of ",p:94,x:120,y:144,w:454,h:16},
{t:"persecution, endurance, and hope in spite of trials and suffering ",p:94,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"unto death. They probably expected Christianity to be like that for ",p:94,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"all time! They probably could never have imagined a country like ",p:94,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"America where it is safe and comfortable to follow Christ.",p:94,x:90,y:237,w:427,h:16},
{t:"Note the stark contrast between those verses and the ones we ",p:94,x:120,y:261,w:454,h:16},
{t:"are so familiar with in our homes. Ours tend to deal with blessings, ",p:94,x:90,y:284,w:483,h:16},
{t:"favor, and victory in the present time. Theirs dealt with survival ",p:94,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and hope for the future in spite of current distress. Cats want a life ",p:94,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of security, ease, and victory. Why? They are so used to being in ",p:94,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the winner’s circle that they always expect life to come out rosy. ",p:94,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"When it doesn’t, they just can’t understand what God is doing. ",p:94,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Other nations and Christians from other periods of time read the ",p:94,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Scriptures with entirely different sets of blinders. ",p:94,x:90,y:447,w:364,h:16},
{t:"Is either right or wrong? No. But we must be careful that we ",p:94,x:120,y:471,w:455,h:16},
{t:"don’t say that our culturally-blinded Cat Theology is the only ",p:94,x:90,y:494,w:487,h:16},
{t:"gospel for all generations and all peoples. We must be constantly ",p:94,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"willing to learn from others and to see things differently. There ",p:94,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"are times when God brings peace to our land, and there are times ",p:94,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"when God allows our enemies to overtake us in judgment. There ",p:94,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"are times when individuals enjoy great honor, and there are times ",p:94,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"when some are slaves. Just because we enjoy one aspect of God’s ",p:94,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"blessing, we must not think that everyone, everywhere, all the ",p:94,x:90,y:657,w:487,h:16},
{t:"time receives the same form of blessing. Remember, blessed are ",p:94,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"those who are persecuted.",p:94,x:90,y:704,w:189,h:16},
{t:"Our own cultural blinders lead us to think, “This is the way ",p:94,x:120,y:727,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the Christian life should be for all time!” That’s wrong. God has ",p:94,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"different ways of revealing and reflecting His glory. Be open to all ",p:94,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of the ways He chooses to do this.",p:94,x:90,y:797,w:250,h:16},
{t:"91",p:95,x:556,y:925,w:14,h:17},
{t:"8",p:95,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"Cats Pray Selfsh Prayers",p:95,x:156,y:226,w:348,h:39},
{t:"China is an amazing place right now because of what God is ",p:95,x:90,y:349,w:485,h:64},
{t:"doing! Seven thousand people are coming into God’s kingdom ",p:95,x:90,y:411,w:487,h:16},
{t:"every day! The gospel is exploding over there. On top of that, the ",p:95,x:90,y:434,w:484,h:16},
{t:"church is being trained!",p:95,x:90,y:458,w:173,h:16},
{t:"Groups are quietly going into some of the homes of the ",p:95,x:120,y:481,w:459,h:16},
{t:"Chinese and training leaders in the basics of God’s Word. These ",p:95,x:90,y:504,w:485,h:16},
{t:"leaders are from sixteen to thirty years of age. Of these, the best ",p:95,x:90,y:528,w:485,h:16},
{t:"evangelists are single women who walk for days to get to these ",p:95,x:90,y:551,w:486,h:16},
{t:"meetings and then spread the message in cities, fleeing right be-",p:95,x:90,y:574,w:479,h:16},
{t:"fore the secret police discover what they are doing.",p:95,x:90,y:598,w:374,h:16},
{t:"But in this explosion, there has been a price. Men and women ",p:95,x:120,y:621,w:442,h:16},
{t:"have been beaten so severely that their bones have been broken. ",p:95,x:90,y:644,w:473,h:16},
{t:"Pastors have been put in prison for years. Some are missing and ",p:95,x:90,y:668,w:473,h:16},
{t:"assumed to be dead. Others have been openly murdered. It hasn’t",p:95,x:90,y:691,w:468,h:16},
{t:"been easy. God’s glory has been revealed at a price.",p:95,x:90,y:714,w:380,h:16},
{t:"At an international human rights conference, a house-church ",p:95,x:120,y:738,w:455,h:16},
{t:"leader from China gave a rousing appeal to Christians world-",p:95,x:90,y:761,w:479,h:16},
{t:"wide to pray for the Chinese church. At the time, he was the first ",p:95,x:90,y:784,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Chinese house-church leader to visit Western churches. During ",p:95,x:90,y:808,w:486,h:16},
{t:"his passionate address, he related that he had spent twelve years in ",p:95,x:90,y:831,w:484,h:16},
{t:"prison and that God had miraculously healed his legs, which had ",p:95,x:90,y:854,w:485,h:16},
{t:"been broken in torture.",p:95,x:90,y:878,w:166,h:16},
{t:"92",p:96,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:96,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"How did he ask the Western world to pray? Did he ask God ",p:96,x:120,y:121,w:444,h:16},
{t:"to bind the Communist government so that there would be free",p:96,x:90,y:144,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:96,x:564,y:144,w:6,h:16},
{t:"dom of religion? Did he ask us to pray that the beatings would ",p:96,x:90,y:167,w:474,h:16},
{t:"stop? Did he ask for the fall of the government? No. Contrary to ",p:96,x:90,y:191,w:472,h:16},
{t:"the way Cats tend to think, he said, “Don’t pray for the persecu",p:96,x:90,y:214,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:96,x:564,y:214,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tion to stop. Pray that the church will stand strong in the face of",p:96,x:90,y:237,w:467,h:16},
{t:"persecution.” ",p:96,x:90,y:261,w:103,h:16},
{t:"Why would he say that? He knows that persecution can help ",p:96,x:120,y:284,w:455,h:16},
{t:"make the church reflect God’s glory in a greater way. This is their ",p:96,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"goal: to become more like Christ, not to have a safe, soft, comfort-",p:96,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"able lifestyle. ",p:96,x:90,y:354,w:103,h:16},
{t:"Cats want to be like Christ too, but they prefer to do it through ",p:96,x:120,y:377,w:453,h:16},
{t:"safe, soft, comfortable means. And because of this, Cats tend to ",p:96,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"pray selfish prayers. In James 4:2–3, the Scriptures say, “You do ",p:96,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not ",p:96,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend ",p:96,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"what you get on your pleasures.”",p:96,x:90,y:494,w:241,h:16},
{t:"This sums up a Cat’s prayer life. Cats focus on what they can ",p:96,x:120,y:517,w:454,h:16},
{t:"get, using prayer to advance their agenda/kingdom (a safe, soft, ",p:96,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"comfortable lifestyle) and not to advance His agenda/kingdom ",p:96,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"(revealing His glory in all areas of life to all peoples of the world). ",p:96,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Why is this? While they know God wants to bless them, their ",p:96,x:90,y:611,w:487,h:16},
{t:"mistake comes in misunder-",p:96,x:90,y:634,w:232,h:16},
{t:"standing what the blessings are. ",p:96,x:90,y:657,w:237,h:16},
{t:"They wrongly assume that the ",p:96,x:90,y:681,w:239,h:16},
{t:"blessings fall solely into the fol-",p:96,x:90,y:704,w:232,h:16},
{t:"lowing categories: getting lots ",p:96,x:90,y:727,w:240,h:16},
{t:"of things, eliminating trouble ",p:96,x:90,y:751,w:243,h:16},
{t:"from their lives, and having ",p:96,x:90,y:774,w:244,h:16},
{t:"a safe, soft, comfortable life! ",p:96,x:90,y:797,w:242,h:16},
{t:"(Remember, Cats still want to ",p:96,x:90,y:821,w:240,h:16},
{t:"see God glorified, but it is not ",p:96,x:90,y:844,w:239,h:16},
{t:"their highest priority.)",p:96,x:90,y:867,w:161,h:16},
{t:"Figure 1",p:96,x:442,y:665,w:47,h:12},
{t:"CATS PRAY SELfISH PRAYERS",p:97,x:392,y:77,w:178,h:17},
{t:"93",p:97,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"If we were to graph a Cat’s prayer life, it would look some",p:97,x:120,y:121,w:433,h:16},
{t:"-",p:97,x:564,y:121,w:6,h:16},
{t:"thing like Figure 1. On the left is comfort. The more the line goes",p:97,x:90,y:144,w:471,h:16},
{t:"up, the more comfort there is. On the right is God’s glory. The ",p:97,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"more glory God gets, the more the line moves to the right. The",p:97,x:90,y:191,w:473,h:16},
{t:"line drawn equally between the two shows a relationship that",p:97,x:90,y:214,w:469,h:16},
{t:"brings equal amounts of God’s glory and our comfort. In other",p:97,x:90,y:237,w:469,h:16},
{t:"words, when we get comfort, we give an equal amount of glory ",p:97,x:90,y:261,w:474,h:16},
{t:"to God. We’ll call that the “prayer line.”",p:97,x:90,y:284,w:295,h:16},
{t:"Cats assume that this is the only way God wants to answer",p:97,x:120,y:307,w:439,h:16},
{t:"their prayers. So their prayer line is linear. And each prayer",p:97,x:90,y:331,w:468,h:16},
{t:"for God’s glory is a prayer that is also for greater comfort and ",p:97,x:90,y:354,w:474,h:16},
{t:"ease in lives. But could the ",p:97,x:359,y:377,w:218,h:16},
{t:"prayer line ever go down ",p:97,x:359,y:401,w:218,h:16},
{t:"like Figure 2? “No,” Cats ",p:97,x:359,y:424,w:221,h:16},
{t:"want to say to themselves. ",p:97,x:359,y:447,w:215,h:16},
{t:"It could never happen that ",p:97,x:359,y:471,w:220,h:16},
{t:"way because they would be ",p:97,x:359,y:494,w:217,h:16},
{t:"getting less comfort, and ",p:97,x:359,y:517,w:220,h:16},
{t:"God would never want that. ",p:97,x:359,y:541,w:212,h:16},
{t:"And they’ll quote Scripture ",p:97,x:359,y:564,w:218,h:16},
{t:"to back it up: Jesus died ",p:97,x:359,y:587,w:218,h:16},
{t:"to give us an abundant life ",p:97,x:359,y:611,w:218,h:16},
{t:"(John 10:10). By His stripes ",p:97,x:359,y:634,w:216,h:16},
{t:"we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). ",p:97,x:359,y:657,w:212,h:16},
{t:"He died to set us free (John 8:32). Jeremiah tells us that God has ",p:97,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a plan to prosper us, not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). And Psalm",p:97,x:90,y:704,w:468,h:16},
{t:"91 tells us that He will cover us with His wings and protect us. ",p:97,x:90,y:727,w:473,h:16},
{t:"“These verses apply to all people all the time,” they say. So, no, ",p:97,x:90,y:751,w:472,h:16},
{t:"the prayer line could never go that way.",p:97,x:90,y:774,w:291,h:16},
{t:"“But wait a minute,” Dogs say. “God allowed His Son, Jesus, ",p:97,x:120,y:797,w:442,h:16},
{t:"to suffer hardship.” “That’s the whole point,” Cats cry. “He did ",p:97,x:90,y:821,w:473,h:16},
{t:"it to His Son so it wouldn’t have to be done to us.” We have the",p:97,x:90,y:844,w:468,h:16},
{t:"Figure 2",p:97,x:176,y:422,w:47,h:12},
{t:"94",p:98,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:98,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"right to expect God’s blessings in our lives. We have the right to ",p:98,x:90,y:121,w:472,h:16},
{t:"expect the prayer line to go up and never point down.",p:98,x:90,y:144,w:391,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that although a safe, soft, and comfortable life ",p:98,x:120,y:167,w:457,h:16},
{t:"can point to God’s glory, it is the glory that is the higher priority, ",p:98,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"not the safe, soft, comfortable life. And suffering can point to that ",p:98,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"same glory. If suffering is going to result in greater glory, then ",p:98,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"dogs yield to suffering in their lives so that the glory can shine in ",p:98,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a greater way! Let’s talk about three commonly misunderstood ",p:98,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"areas where God’s glory can shine brightly: physical ailments, ",p:98,x:90,y:307,w:487,h:16},
{t:"discipline, and suffering or persecution.",p:98,x:90,y:331,w:291,h:16},
{t:"Physical Ailments",p:98,x:90,y:375,w:152,h:18},
{t:"John describes a scene where the disciples engaged in a theo-",p:98,x:120,y:400,w:450,h:16},
{t:"logical discussion with Jesus. It says: “As he went along, he saw a ",p:98,x:90,y:423,w:484,h:16},
{t:"man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, ",p:98,x:90,y:446,w:483,h:16},
{t:"this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” (John 9:1–2). ",p:98,x:90,y:470,w:486,h:16},
{t:"You see, the disciples had a theological problem. They believed ",p:98,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that sin directly causes all the suffering in the world. So how could ",p:98,x:90,y:516,w:483,h:16},
{t:"a man be born blind? Either the man sinned in his mother’s womb ",p:98,x:90,y:540,w:484,h:16},
{t:"or his parents sinned.12",p:98,x:90,y:563,w:165,h:16},
{t:"But Jesus had a different answer because He saw it from a ",p:98,x:120,y:586,w:456,h:16},
{t:"different perspective. He related everything, not to sin, but to His ",p:98,x:90,y:610,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Father’s glory. To more fully understand this, remember that God ",p:98,x:90,y:633,w:484,h:16},
{t:"has formed each of us in the womb. (Psalm 139:13–16: “For you ",p:98,x:90,y:656,w:485,h:16},
{t:"created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s ",p:98,x:90,y:680,w:486,h:16},
{t:"womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; ",p:98,x:90,y:703,w:484,h:16},
{t:"your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was ",p:98,x:90,y:726,w:486,h:16},
{t:"not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I ",p:98,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my ",p:98,x:90,y:773,w:485,h:16},
{t:"unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your ",p:98,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"book before one of them came to be.”)",p:98,x:90,y:820,w:283,h:16},
{t:"This is the same for the man born blind. God did not say. ",p:98,x:120,y:843,w:457,h:16},
{t:"“Oops!” when he came out blind. No. He created him blind. Why? ",p:98,x:90,y:867,w:483,h:16},
{t:"God wanted His glory to be revealed. Jesus knew this and took it ",p:98,x:90,y:890,w:484,h:16},
{t:"CATS PRAY SELfISH PRAYERS",p:99,x:392,y:77,w:178,h:17},
{t:"95",p:99,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"directly to His Father’s glory. He responded in verse 3: “‘Neither ",p:99,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so ",p:99,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that the work of God might be displayed in his life’” (John 9:3). ",p:99,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"He was born blind for the glory of God!",p:99,x:90,y:191,w:293,h:16},
{t:"Just ask yourself the question, Is God capable of healing ",p:99,x:120,y:214,w:447,h:16},
{t:"Joni Eareckson Tada? The answer is obviously yes. But God ",p:99,x:90,y:237,w:477,h:16},
{t:"has been gaining far more glory by leaving her paralyzed since ",p:99,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"1967. Her paralysis will be gone when she enters eternity, but ",p:99,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"more glory is being given to our Father by her current state. ",p:99,x:90,y:307,w:476,h:16},
{t:"Is that fair? Well, let’s go back to the basics of this book. Life",p:99,x:90,y:331,w:468,h:16},
{t:"isn’t designed to revolve around us; hence the question, Is that ",p:99,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"fair to us? isn’t a valid question. Life wasn’t designed to be fair. ",p:99,x:90,y:377,w:472,h:16},
{t:"Life was designed to be a series of opportunities to point to and ",p:99,x:90,y:401,w:473,h:16},
{t:"reveal God’s glory. And Joni’s experience radiates our Father’s",p:99,x:90,y:424,w:468,h:16},
{t:"glory tremendously!",p:99,x:90,y:447,w:149,h:16},
{t:"Therefore, when we look at ailments, we can ask God for",p:99,x:120,y:471,w:440,h:16},
{t:"healing, but we must also realize that if the ailment or infirmity ",p:99,x:90,y:494,w:473,h:16},
{t:"will bring God more glory (either in the eyes of others or to pre",p:99,x:90,y:517,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:99,x:564,y:517,w:6,h:16},
{t:"pare us for eternity with Him), God might choose to allow it to ",p:99,x:90,y:541,w:474,h:16},
{t:"stay in our lives. It is the glory we need to focus on, not the ail",p:99,x:90,y:564,w:461,h:16},
{t:"-",p:99,x:564,y:564,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ment. The apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to take away ",p:99,x:90,y:587,w:473,h:16},
{t:"an ailment. And how did the Lord respond? He said: “My power",p:99,x:90,y:611,w:469,h:16},
{t:"is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God was ba-",p:99,x:90,y:634,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sically saying, “Paul, I’ll get more glory in you and through you, ",p:99,x:90,y:657,w:472,h:16},
{t:"by you keeping this ailment in your life than if I take it away;",p:99,x:90,y:681,w:468,h:16},
{t:"I’m going to leave it.” Yet so many Cats live with ailments and ",p:99,x:90,y:704,w:473,h:16},
{t:"predicaments in defeat, not realizing they were given them to ",p:99,x:90,y:727,w:475,h:16},
{t:"point to God’s glory in a greater way, and that glory is ",p:99,x:90,y:751,w:428,h:16},
{t:"being ",p:99,x:529,y:751,w:47,h:16},
{t:"robbed from God!",p:99,x:90,y:774,w:133,h:16},
{t:"Discipline",p:99,x:90,y:819,w:84,h:18},
{t:"Let’s look at the second area in which God’s glory is",p:99,x:120,y:843,w:430,h:16},
{t:"not usually seen, and that is discipline. The Scriptures are",p:99,x:90,y:866,w:458,h:16},
{t:"very clear that those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines",p:99,x:90,y:890,w:459,h:16},
{t:"96",p:100,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:100,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"(Hebrews 12:5–6). ",p:100,x:90,y:121,w:147,h:16},
{t:"Now if God lived for us, if His goal were to make our lives safe, ",p:100,x:120,y:144,w:465,h:16},
{t:"soft, and comfortable, then this discipline stuff wouldn’t be a part of",p:100,x:90,y:167,w:492,h:16},
{t:"His packaged plan. But it is a part of it because His goal is ",p:100,x:90,y:191,w:439,h:16},
{t:"not our ",p:100,x:519,y:191,w:56,h:16},
{t:"comfort; His goal for us is to reflect His glory. And there are times",p:100,x:90,y:214,w:492,h:16},
{t:"when discipline makes that happen. Again, the prayer line on the ",p:100,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"graph goes down. ",p:100,x:90,y:261,w:134,h:16},
{t:"Many people know of the picture of Jesus carrying a lamb ",p:100,x:120,y:284,w:434,h:16},
{t:"on His shoulders. But few know the meaning behind it. It is",p:100,x:90,y:307,w:458,h:16},
{t:"found in the story “The Lamb’s Broken Leg” as told by William",p:100,x:90,y:331,w:458,h:16},
{t:"Branham. This is an old shepherd story that was told in Jerusalem ",p:100,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in the Holy Lands of a shepherd carrying a sheep. Another shep-",p:100,x:90,y:377,w:479,h:16},
{t:"herd asked, “Why are you carrying it?”",p:100,x:90,y:401,w:287,h:16},
{t:"“It’s got a broken leg.”",p:100,x:120,y:424,w:168,h:16},
{t:"“How did it do that? Fall over a cliff?”",p:100,x:120,y:447,w:284,h:16},
{t:"“No, I broke its leg.”",p:100,x:120,y:471,w:153,h:16},
{t:"The other shepherd said, “Why, you’re a cruel shepherd to ",p:100,x:120,y:494,w:456,h:16},
{t:"break that sheep’s leg.”",p:100,x:90,y:517,w:172,h:16},
{t:"“No, I love it. It was going astray and I couldn’t make it obey ",p:100,x:120,y:541,w:454,h:16},
{t:"me. So I broke its leg so it would have to depend on me. I carry it, ",p:100,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"feed it, and stay close to it. Through this process, it will learn to ",p:100,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"depend on me, look to me, and stay with me.”13",p:100,x:90,y:610,w:347,h:16},
{t:"God’s desire is to see ",p:100,x:120,y:634,w:205,h:16},
{t:"His glory reflected perfectly ",p:100,x:90,y:657,w:225,h:16},
{t:"through us. He sometimes ",p:100,x:90,y:681,w:236,h:16},
{t:"needs to give us less comfort ",p:100,x:90,y:704,w:228,h:16},
{t:"(so the prayer line goes down)",p:100,x:90,y:727,w:217,h:16},
{t:"in order for us to realize it is ",p:100,x:90,y:751,w:228,h:16},
{t:"about Him. And that frees us to ",p:100,x:90,y:774,w:219,h:16},
{t:"radiate His glory in our lives!",p:100,x:90,y:797,w:217,h:16},
{t:"What loving parent doesn’t ",p:100,x:90,y:821,w:233,h:16},
{t:"discipline their children when ",p:100,x:90,y:844,w:221,h:16},
{t:"they get out of hand? This is ",p:100,x:90,y:867,w:228,h:16},
{t:"Figure 3",p:100,x:457,y:697,w:47,h:12},
{t:"CATS PRAY SELfISH PRAYERS",p:101,x:392,y:77,w:178,h:17},
{t:"97",p:101,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"the same as God disciplining a nation when it strays far from",p:101,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"Him. All of this happens that we might better reflect His charac",p:101,x:90,y:144,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:101,x:564,y:144,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ter in our lives and our culture. After that discipline, many times",p:101,x:90,y:167,w:467,h:16},
{t:"the prayer line goes back up, showing that God will give us more",p:101,x:90,y:191,w:468,h:16},
{t:"comfort with the greater glory (Figure 3). (But it may not.)",p:101,x:90,y:214,w:430,h:16},
{t:"Suffering or Persecution",p:101,x:90,y:259,w:208,h:18},
{t:"Let’s look at a third way in which many Christians miss God’s",p:101,x:120,y:283,w:461,h:16},
{t:"glory: suffering or persecution. When Jesus taught about being ",p:101,x:90,y:306,w:499,h:16},
{t:"blessed in Matthew 5, He said something that would sound strange ",p:101,x:90,y:330,w:484,h:16},
{t:"if the average person really stopped to think about it. He said:",p:101,x:90,y:353,w:452,h:16},
{t:"Blessed are those who are persecuted because ",p:101,x:150,y:400,w:368,h:16},
{t:"of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of ",p:101,x:150,y:423,w:369,h:16},
{t:"heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, ",p:101,x:150,y:446,w:365,h:16},
{t:"persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil ",p:101,x:150,y:470,w:367,h:16},
{t:"against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, ",p:101,x:150,y:493,w:365,h:16},
{t:"because great is your reward in heaven, for in the ",p:101,x:150,y:516,w:364,h:16},
{t:"same way they persecuted the prophets who were ",p:101,x:150,y:540,w:364,h:16},
{t:"before you. (Matthew 5:10–11)",p:101,x:150,y:563,w:230,h:16},
{t:"We’re blessed when we are persecuted? But persecution ",p:101,x:120,y:610,w:459,h:16},
{t:"doesn’t make our lives more comfortable; it doesn’t make them ",p:101,x:90,y:633,w:486,h:16},
{t:"easier. That’s okay. Jesus is still saying that we are blessed. What ",p:101,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this means is that there are some kinds of blessings that God wants ",p:101,x:90,y:680,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to come our way that point the prayer line down. In winner’s-",p:101,x:90,y:703,w:479,h:16},
{t:"circle theology, we view our heritage and how we interpret the ",p:101,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Bible only in light of the past forty to sixty years, and, in doing so, ",p:101,x:90,y:750,w:483,h:16},
{t:"we forget the ages past. In a similar way, we forget what God has ",p:101,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"allowed to happen to believers in previous times.",p:101,x:90,y:797,w:359,h:16},
{t:"Remember, God has historically allowed tragic things to hap",p:101,x:120,y:820,w:454,h:16},
{t:"-",p:101,x:564,y:820,w:6,h:16},
{t:"pen to His children in order to expand His kingdom and reveal His",p:101,x:90,y:843,w:491,h:16},
{t:"glory. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of ",p:101,x:90,y:867,w:378,h:16},
{t:"Foxe’s Book of ",p:101,x:459,y:867,w:116,h:16},
{t:"98",p:102,x:90,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:102,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Martyrs and read it. The ",p:102,x:90,y:121,w:207,h:16},
{t:"graphs of the martyrs in ",p:102,x:90,y:144,w:212,h:16},
{t:"that book would look like ",p:102,x:90,y:167,w:205,h:16},
{t:"Figure 4.",p:102,x:90,y:191,w:66,h:16},
{t:"Tremendous glory is ",p:102,x:120,y:214,w:179,h:16},
{t:"given to God in times of ",p:102,x:90,y:237,w:205,h:16},
{t:"persecution. God allows ",p:102,x:90,y:261,w:211,h:16},
{t:"the sins of this world to ",p:102,x:90,y:284,w:206,h:16},
{t:"work in such a way as to ",p:102,x:90,y:307,w:204,h:16},
{t:"reveal His glory. Does ",p:102,x:90,y:331,w:212,h:16},
{t:"God want people to be ",p:102,x:90,y:354,w:209,h:16},
{t:"persecuted? Will there be ",p:102,x:90,y:377,w:205,h:16},
{t:"persecution in heaven? To both questions, the answer is no. Could ",p:102,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it have been stopped here on earth? Yes. But God knew He’d get ",p:102,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"more glory by allowing it to happen. God uses both good and evil ",p:102,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for His glory.",p:102,x:90,y:471,w:99,h:16},
{t:"You, O lord, keep my lamp burning; ",p:102,x:150,y:513,w:281,h:21},
{t:"my God turns my darkness into light.",p:102,x:180,y:541,w:273,h:16},
{t:"(Psalm 18:28, emphasis added)",p:102,x:150,y:564,w:229,h:16},
{t:"We sent Timothy, who is our brother and ",p:102,x:180,y:611,w:338,h:16},
{t:"God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of ",p:102,x:150,y:634,w:366,h:16},
{t:"Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your ",p:102,x:150,y:657,w:366,h:16},
{t:"faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these ",p:102,x:150,y:681,w:365,h:16},
{t:"trials. You know quite well that we were destined ",p:102,x:150,y:704,w:364,h:16},
{t:"for them. In fact, when we were with you, we ",p:102,x:150,y:727,w:367,h:16},
{t:"kept telling you that we would be persecuted. ",p:102,x:150,y:751,w:364,h:16},
{t:"(1 Thessalonians 3:2–4, emphasis added) ",p:102,x:150,y:774,w:306,h:16},
{t:"Remember that this is not restricted to ages past, but it occurs",p:102,x:120,y:821,w:461,h:16},
{t:"now in other places. (Check out a persecuted Christians’ web page, ",p:102,x:90,y:844,w:496,h:16},
{t:"such as EMP.org.) But when Cats see anything happening where ",p:102,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"their prayer lines would go down (like that of a martyr), they try ",p:102,x:90,y:891,w:498,h:16},
{t:"Figure 4",p:102,x:428,y:120,w:47,h:12},
{t:"CATS PRAY SELfISH PRAYERS",p:103,x:392,y:77,w:178,h:17},
{t:"99",p:103,x:555,y:942,w:14,h:17},
{t:"to help God see things their ",p:103,x:90,y:121,w:211,h:16},
{t:"way by saying, “Look, Lord, ",p:103,x:90,y:144,w:213,h:16},
{t:"You’d get the same amount ",p:103,x:90,y:167,w:211,h:16},
{t:"of glory if instead of having ",p:103,x:90,y:191,w:215,h:16},
{t:"my prayer line go down and ",p:103,x:90,y:214,w:214,h:16},
{t:"to the right, You had it go up ",p:103,x:90,y:237,w:214,h:16},
{t:"and to the right” (Figure 5).",p:103,x:90,y:261,w:202,h:16},
{t:"Little do they real-",p:103,x:120,y:284,w:175,h:16},
{t:"ize that what they are re-",p:103,x:90,y:307,w:205,h:16},
{t:"ally doing is praying selfish ",p:103,x:90,y:331,w:209,h:16},
{t:"prayers. Their graphs look ",p:103,x:90,y:354,w:213,h:16},
{t:"something like Figure 6.",p:103,x:90,y:377,w:179,h:16},
{t:"God is getting little to no glory, but they are getting tremendous ",p:103,x:120,y:401,w:452,h:16},
{t:"comfort and security. And the sad thing is they are still saying, ",p:103,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“Praise the Lord!” and “Isn’t God great!” But in reality, they’ve ",p:103,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"lost the Lordship of Christ in their lives because their primary ",p:103,x:90,y:471,w:487,h:16},
{t:"concern is for their safety and comfort. Cats can be “Christian” ",p:103,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"on the outside (praying, going to church, teaching Sunday school) ",p:103,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"but be so far from glorifying God.",p:103,x:90,y:541,w:250,h:16},
{t:"Dogs don’t live this way. Dogs constantly ask, “What will ",p:103,x:120,y:564,w:457,h:16},
{t:"give God more glory?” and their prayers are geared to maximizing ",p:103,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory in their lives. If it ",p:103,x:90,y:611,w:230,h:16},
{t:"means tough times, Dogs are ",p:103,x:90,y:634,w:232,h:16},
{t:"aware that God often causes ",p:103,x:90,y:657,w:234,h:16},
{t:"them in the lives of His chil-",p:103,x:90,y:681,w:225,h:16},
{t:"dren. But don’t misunderstand ",p:103,x:90,y:704,w:230,h:16},
{t:"us, Dogs aren’t masochistic. ",p:103,x:90,y:727,w:235,h:16},
{t:"They don’t eagerly want to be-",p:103,x:90,y:751,w:225,h:16},
{t:"come martyrs, but at the same ",p:103,x:90,y:774,w:230,h:16},
{t:"time, they don’t shy away from ",p:103,x:90,y:797,w:228,h:16},
{t:"it. It’s about God’s glory; it’s ",p:103,x:90,y:821,w:231,h:16},
{t:"not about us.",p:103,x:90,y:844,w:94,h:16},
{t:"Figure 5",p:103,x:440,y:130,w:47,h:12},
{t:"Figure 6",p:103,x:450,y:647,w:47,h:12},
{t:"101",p:104,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"9",p:104,x:319,y:173,w:22,h:41},
{t:"Robbing God of His Glory  ",p:104,x:147,y:226,w:382,h:39},
{t:"during Hard Times",p:104,x:201,y:262,w:259,h:39},
{t:"In Sierra Leone, several courageous church-planting teams",p:104,x:90,y:385,w:460,h:64},
{t:"were showing The JESUS Film in an area involved in a civil",p:104,x:90,y:447,w:459,h:16},
{t:"war. Conditions deteriorated rapidly, and rebels overran the",p:104,x:90,y:470,w:458,h:16},
{t:"district. The film team had just hidden their equipment when ",p:104,x:90,y:494,w:464,h:16},
{t:"four of their members were captured by the rebels and com",p:104,x:90,y:517,w:453,h:16},
{t:"-",p:104,x:564,y:517,w:6,h:16},
{t:"mandeered as slaves.",p:104,x:90,y:540,w:154,h:16},
{t:"For months they were forced to carry rebel equipment and sup-",p:104,x:120,y:564,w:450,h:16},
{t:"plies from place to place. Their shoes were taken to keep them from",p:104,x:90,y:587,w:492,h:16},
{t:"fleeing. As they marched long distances, deep cuts opened on their",p:104,x:90,y:610,w:492,h:16},
{t:"bare feet. Severe infections set in, spreading up their legs. One of the",p:104,x:90,y:634,w:493,h:16},
{t:"team members finally approached a soldier and told him he could ",p:104,x:90,y:657,w:497,h:16},
{t:"go no further because the pain was so great. The soldier responded ",p:104,x:90,y:680,w:496,h:16},
{t:"by putting an AKA rifle to his head and killing him. H ow could ",p:104,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God use this for His glory? And did the remaining team members ",p:104,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"still trust in God, declaring His sovereignty?",p:104,x:90,y:750,w:325,h:16},
{t:"Eventually, the rebels found the hidden projection equipment ",p:104,x:120,y:774,w:454,h:16},
{t:"and a copy of the film in their own language. They ordered the ",p:104,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"team members to set up the equipment and show the film. After ",p:104,x:90,y:820,w:485,h:16},
{t:"watching The JESUS Film, a few of the soldiers became Christians ",p:104,x:90,y:844,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and were so impressed that they showed it to their commander. ",p:104,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"102",p:105,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:105,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"He in turn ordered the film to be shown to all rebels in the area! ",p:105,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Several trusted Christ. Before being released, the “slave” film-",p:105,x:90,y:144,w:480,h:16},
{t:"team members became “chaplains” to the rebels and discipled ",p:105,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"them in their new-found faith.",p:105,x:90,y:191,w:220,h:16},
{t:"The entire time, God had a plan. He knew what He was",p:105,x:120,y:214,w:426,h:16},
{t:"doing. (He always knows what He is doing.) And during all",p:105,x:90,y:237,w:454,h:16},
{t:"the hard times that come our way, He asks us to continually ",p:105,x:90,y:261,w:459,h:16},
{t:"put our faith in Him because this gives Him glory.",p:105,x:90,y:284,w:368,h:16},
{t:"To help us understand more about learning ",p:105,x:120,y:307,w:340,h:16},
{t:"to give God ",p:105,x:475,y:307,w:101,h:16},
{t:"glory during tough times, we need to talk about something ",p:105,x:90,y:331,w:461,h:16},
{t:"called “potential glory.” To understand what that is, let’s think ",p:105,x:90,y:354,w:454,h:16},
{t:"about a $100 bill. If you were offered a crisp new $100 bill, ",p:105,x:90,y:377,w:458,h:16},
{t:"would you want it? Of course you would! (Please play the",p:105,x:90,y:401,w:454,h:16},
{t:"game; it helps the reading go a lot easier!) But if it were wad",p:105,x:90,y:424,w:445,h:16},
{t:"-",p:105,x:564,y:424,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ded up, crushed in a hand, and rolled into a small ball, would ",p:105,x:90,y:447,w:456,h:16},
{t:"you still want it? Of course you would because it’s still worth ",p:105,x:90,y:471,w:456,h:16},
{t:"$100. And what if the $100 bill were thrown to the floor and ",p:105,x:90,y:494,w:458,h:16},
{t:"stomped on several times, would you still want it? Again your",p:105,x:90,y:517,w:452,h:16},
{t:"answer would be a resounding yes, because it’s value hasn’t",p:105,x:90,y:541,w:453,h:16},
{t:"changed!",p:105,x:90,y:564,w:67,h:16},
{t:"What if that $100 bill’s name were used in vain, and some",p:105,x:120,y:587,w:417,h:16},
{t:"-",p:105,x:564,y:587,w:6,h:16},
{t:"one was cursing and swearing with it. Would you still want it?",p:105,x:90,y:611,w:452,h:16},
{t:"Of course, you say again. But why? Why would ",p:105,x:90,y:634,w:361,h:16},
{t:"you still want ",p:105,x:465,y:634,w:109,h:16},
{t:"it? The answer is because it’s still worth one hundred dollars!",p:105,x:90,y:657,w:451,h:16},
{t:"No matter what we do to the bill, it still retains its value. You ",p:105,x:90,y:681,w:455,h:16},
{t:"can trample on it, you can abuse and misuse it, you can yell at",p:105,x:90,y:704,w:451,h:16},
{t:"it and take its name in vain; but, no matter what you do to that",p:105,x:90,y:727,w:451,h:16},
{t:"bill, it doesn’t lose its value.",p:105,x:90,y:751,w:207,h:16},
{t:"This same principle applies to God’s glory. No matter",p:105,x:120,y:774,w:426,h:16},
{t:"what we do to God’s glory, its value is always there. People",p:105,x:90,y:797,w:452,h:16},
{t:"may trample on it and drag it through the mud. They might",p:105,x:90,y:821,w:454,h:16},
{t:"repeatedly use our Lord’s name in vain, but no matter what",p:105,x:90,y:844,w:453,h:16},
{t:"they do, God’s glory never loses its value. Through dire cir",p:105,x:90,y:867,w:446,h:16},
{t:"-",p:105,x:564,y:867,w:6,h:16},
{t:"RObbInG GOD Of HIS GLORYDuRInG HARD TImES",p:106,x:250,y:77,w:320,h:17},
{t:"103",p:106,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"cumstances, we may not see His glory shining, but it’s still",p:106,x:90,y:121,w:452,h:16},
{t:"there. God’s glory never loses its value or its presence. Like",p:106,x:90,y:144,w:452,h:16},
{t:"breaking through the clouds as you take off in an airplane on ",p:106,x:90,y:167,w:457,h:16},
{t:"a cloudy day and realizing that the ",p:106,x:90,y:191,w:262,h:16},
{t:"sun is still shining, God’s",p:106,x:369,y:191,w:189,h:16},
{t:"glory shines no matter how many clouds are in our lives.",p:106,x:90,y:214,w:416,h:16},
{t:"Since we were created to radiate His glory, and it can shine",p:106,x:120,y:237,w:423,h:16},
{t:"through any difficult situation, our goal in life should be to ",p:106,x:90,y:261,w:458,h:16},
{t:"seek His glory through ",p:106,x:90,y:284,w:177,h:16},
{t:"every phase and circumstance of life, ",p:106,x:277,y:284,w:285,h:16},
{t:"even if we’re taken as slaves by guerrilla forces. Cats look at",p:106,x:90,y:307,w:451,h:16},
{t:"difficult circumstances and excuse their reaction to it by say",p:106,x:90,y:331,w:445,h:16},
{t:"-",p:106,x:564,y:331,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing, “We’re only human.” While this is true, God didn’t call us",p:106,x:90,y:354,w:451,h:16},
{t:"to be human. He created us that way, and then He called us to ",p:106,x:90,y:377,w:457,h:16},
{t:"be holy. That’s a difficult thing to do, but that’s our calling. ",p:106,x:90,y:401,w:441,h:16},
{t:"Now we want to define “potential glory” as glory that can ",p:106,x:120,y:424,w:429,h:16},
{t:"be given to God reflecting His perfect sovereignty and honor",p:106,x:90,y:447,w:446,h:16},
{t:"-",p:106,x:564,y:447,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing Him in any situation. But it can also be overlooked and ",p:106,x:90,y:471,w:459,h:16},
{t:"not radiated back to God and therefore lost. Potential glory ",p:106,x:90,y:494,w:460,h:16},
{t:"is all around us wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, and ",p:106,x:90,y:517,w:459,h:16},
{t:"whatever our situation or circumstance. God is always there",p:106,x:90,y:541,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and always at work. Scripture reminds us: “For from him and ",p:106,x:90,y:564,w:458,h:16},
{t:"through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36).",p:106,x:90,y:587,w:408,h:16},
{t:"How many things? All things! This includes anything ",p:106,x:120,y:611,w:436,h:16},
{t:"from changing a baby’s diaper to looking at the clouds, from",p:106,x:90,y:634,w:453,h:16},
{t:"driving down a road to watching your child’s soccer game or",p:106,x:90,y:657,w:453,h:16},
{t:"ballet recital, from smelling a rose to watching a sunset, and ",p:106,x:90,y:681,w:457,h:16},
{t:"even from being captured as a slave to dealing with a life-",p:106,x:90,y:704,w:464,h:16},
{t:"threatening illness. We can either correctly see it, radiate it",p:106,x:90,y:727,w:451,h:16},
{t:"back to God, and say, “God, you are amazing,” or we can try ",p:106,x:90,y:751,w:458,h:16},
{t:"to bear up under the circumstances, not recognizing His hand ",p:106,x:90,y:774,w:458,h:16},
{t:"at work in our lives and not radiating it to God. We can miss",p:106,x:90,y:797,w:452,h:16},
{t:"the glory of God and not give Him the credit He deserves. We",p:106,x:90,y:821,w:453,h:16},
{t:"may overlook His activity and sovereignty as we’re focused on ",p:106,x:90,y:844,w:456,h:16},
{t:"trying to escape the difficult times. The potential opportunity ",p:106,x:90,y:867,w:456,h:16},
{t:"104",p:107,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:107,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"for giving God glory evaporates in front of us. We call this",p:107,x:90,y:121,w:452,h:16},
{t:"“robbing God of potential glory.”",p:107,x:90,y:144,w:245,h:16},
{t:"Potential glory is lost most often through hard and difficult ",p:107,x:120,y:167,w:456,h:16},
{t:"times—those times we don’t get the safe, soft, and comfortable ",p:107,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"lifestyle we expected. These occasions provide opportunities for ",p:107,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"radiating God’s glory, but we miss them. Why? The reason is that ",p:107,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we simply haven’t learned that God is Lord over Satan’s “pinball ",p:107,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"games.” ",p:107,x:90,y:284,w:64,h:16},
{t:"Satan’s “pinball games”? What do we mean by that? You may ",p:107,x:120,y:307,w:453,h:16},
{t:"remember the old pinball games that had a steel ball that rolled ",p:107,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"around the game table. As it rolled, it would strike electric posts ",p:107,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that would make the ball careen out of control in any number of ",p:107,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"directions, thereby bumping it into another electronic post, which ",p:107,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"did the same. The ball was bumping and careening out of control. ",p:107,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Sometimes life’s situations seem like that. Life seems to run by ",p:107,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"only to bump into a circumstance that sends it careening in an-",p:107,x:90,y:471,w:479,h:16},
{t:"other direction into other situations. Life seems out of the control ",p:107,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of God’s hand and will. ",p:107,x:90,y:517,w:178,h:16},
{t:"This is what happened with The JESUS Film team. It looked ",p:107,x:120,y:541,w:455,h:16},
{t:"like a worst-case scenario that God totally turned around for His ",p:107,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"glory. Yes, there was suffering in the process, but that’s a small ",p:107,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"price to pay for revealing God’s glory in such a significant way, ",p:107,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"not to mention that our suffering is not worthy of being compared ",p:107,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with the rewards God will give to us (Romans 8:18). God can ",p:107,x:90,y:657,w:487,h:16},
{t:"always use these difficult times for His glory. And they are hap-",p:107,x:90,y:681,w:479,h:16},
{t:"pening all the time.",p:107,x:90,y:704,w:141,h:16},
{t:"Not long ago, there was a shooting at Columbine High School. ",p:107,x:120,y:727,w:453,h:16},
{t:"Did God cause it? No. Was there potential glory there? Yes. Not ",p:107,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"only was God’s glory there, but God also used the situation to re-",p:107,x:90,y:774,w:480,h:16},
{t:"veal His glory! When a few of the Columbine High School students ",p:107,x:90,y:797,w:482,h:16},
{t:"went on a shooting spree, killing other students and a teacher, Cats ",p:107,x:90,y:821,w:483,h:16},
{t:"were asking, “Where were you, God?” They didn’t see that God ",p:107,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"had CNN broadcast the funerals live around the world and the ",p:107,x:90,y:867,w:487,h:16},
{t:"RObbInG GOD Of HIS GLORYDuRInG HARD TImES",p:108,x:250,y:77,w:320,h:17},
{t:"105",p:108,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"gospel was heard in countries where missionaries are not allowed. ",p:108,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Many non-Christian youths committed their lives to the Lord. ",p:108,x:90,y:144,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Many Christian youths rededicated their lives to Christ through ",p:108,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the “Yes, I Believe” campaign, and many churches grew closer ",p:108,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"together. God got tremendous glory through the sinful free-will ",p:108,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"acts of students who were prompted by Satan’s leading.",p:108,x:90,y:237,w:408,h:16},
{t:"Not long after that, another pinball hit the news. It was as ",p:108,x:120,y:261,w:457,h:16},
{t:"if Satan said, “If I can’t contain God’s glory in a school, I’ll do ",p:108,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it in a church. I’ll hurt those Christians where they’ll feel it the ",p:108,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"most.” So in Texas, in the Fort Worth area, a gunman walked into ",p:108,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a Baptist church during a Wednesday-evening prayer service and ",p:108,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"began shooting innocent people. Again Cats were saying, “Where ",p:108,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"were You, God?” But God said, “I can use it for My glory. I can ",p:108,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"glorify Myself in this, and I will.”",p:108,x:90,y:424,w:248,h:16},
{t:"What few people realize is that before this tragedy occurred, ",p:108,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the pastor, Brother Al, said, “Lord, do whatever it takes to expand ",p:108,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this ministry.” (Although God doesn’t need our permission to ",p:108,x:90,y:494,w:488,h:16},
{t:"work in our lives, let us provide a word of warning here: be very ",p:108,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"careful what you pray for—you just might get it!) After the tragic ",p:108,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"incident, God had Pastor Al appear on television on “Larry King ",p:108,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Live” and share the gospel with a potential audience of over 200 ",p:108,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"million people (significantly more than his typical Wednesday-",p:108,x:90,y:611,w:479,h:16},
{t:"evening church attendance!). Again CNN broadcast the funeral, ",p:108,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and thirty-five people in Japan (that we’ve heard of) gave their ",p:108,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"lives to Christ as a result. Teachers led children to Christ within ",p:108,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the public school system. The church was flooded with e-mail ",p:108,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"asking, “How can I have your peace?” The end result? God got ",p:108,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"tremendous glory through something that otherwise would have ",p:108,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"been pure tragedy. ",p:108,x:90,y:774,w:140,h:16},
{t:"Cats so often miss the glory of God because they are so fo-",p:108,x:120,y:797,w:449,h:16},
{t:"cused on what people are getting out of it. They see the death ",p:108,x:90,y:821,w:487,h:16},
{t:"and heartfelt pain but never take their attention off of it and think ",p:108,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"about what God could be getting out of it. Let’s take it a step fur-",p:108,x:90,y:867,w:479,h:16},
{t:"106",p:109,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:109,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"ther to help you understand how difficult times are pregnant with ",p:109,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"potential glory by saying, “The tougher it gets, the more glory ",p:109,x:90,y:144,w:487,h:16},
{t:"goes to God.” If we could put this on a graph it might look like ",p:109,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Figure 7:",p:109,x:90,y:191,w:66,h:16},
{t:"The graph shows “Difficult Times” going up. As tough cir-",p:109,x:120,y:562,w:449,h:16},
{t:"cumstances come into our lives, the line moves upwards. Moving ",p:109,x:90,y:585,w:484,h:16},
{t:"from left to right, you find “Potential Glory,” that is, the degree or ",p:109,x:90,y:609,w:484,h:16},
{t:"amount of glory that God can get. As our difficult times increase, ",p:109,x:90,y:632,w:484,h:16},
{t:"our potential for radiating God’s glory grows! ",p:109,x:90,y:655,w:341,h:16},
{t:"So as the graph shows, if we have a little bit of a hard time, ",p:109,x:120,y:679,w:455,h:16},
{t:"we have the potential to give God a small degree of glory. As we ",p:109,x:90,y:702,w:484,h:16},
{t:"have greater difficulty, we have a greater opportunity to give God ",p:109,x:90,y:725,w:484,h:16},
{t:"greater glory. And if we have an extremely hard time, we can ",p:109,x:90,y:749,w:487,h:16},
{t:"give God extreme glory. The greater the degree of difficulty, the ",p:109,x:90,y:772,w:485,h:16},
{t:"greater the potential for giving our Father glory. ",p:109,x:90,y:795,w:356,h:16},
{t:"Although Dogs aren’t out looking for hard times, when they ",p:109,x:120,y:819,w:455,h:16},
{t:"do come, Dogs see them as opportunities to reveal more of God’s ",p:109,x:90,y:842,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory! But when there are times that God’s glory doesn’t shine ",p:109,x:90,y:865,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Figure 7",p:109,x:307,y:245,w:47,h:12},
{t:"RObbInG GOD Of HIS GLORYDuRInG HARD TImES",p:110,x:250,y:77,w:320,h:17},
{t:"107",p:110,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"through more and greater blessings, how do Cats tend to respond? ",p:110,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"When there is deep emotional hurt, when there is cancer, when ",p:110,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"there is a rape, when there is an early death, then they cry, “Foul! ",p:110,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God, that’s not fair!” and are totally unaware of the potential for ",p:110,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"glorifying God. In fact, if they aren’t being blessed, they think ",p:110,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"they have no reason to glorify God.",p:110,x:90,y:237,w:260,h:16},
{t:"When things aren’t fair for Cats, they begin to blame God for ",p:110,x:120,y:261,w:454,h:16},
{t:"what happens. As a result, Cats get bitter toward God, resentful, ",p:110,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and even angry at Him. Typically Cats never stop to consider that ",p:110,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"these are blessings in disguise or opportunities designed to allow ",p:110,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"them to point to God’s glory in a greater way. And this is the very ",p:110,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"purpose of life! As these situations arise, Christians can reveal ",p:110,x:90,y:377,w:487,h:16},
{t:"His glory and His supremacy by thanking Him, praising Him, and ",p:110,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"worshiping Him. But because Cats don’t see it that way, potential ",p:110,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory is lost. Glory that could have been radiated to God is gone, ",p:110,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and we’ve robbed a jealous God of His glory. ",p:110,x:90,y:471,w:339,h:16},
{t:"Imagine that you’re driving down the road late at night, and ",p:110,x:120,y:494,w:455,h:16},
{t:"you get a flat tire. God knew it was going to happen (that’s what ",p:110,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"His sovereignty is all about). How are you going to respond? Are ",p:110,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"you going to say, “God, this is rotten timing as far as I’m con-",p:110,x:90,y:564,w:480,h:16},
{t:"cerned, but I know You’re in control; I’m going to trust You and ",p:110,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"praise You for this”? (Oh, how that faith and trust in God displays ",p:110,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"His glory!) And will you begin to sing the Doxology, “Praise God ",p:110,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"from whom all blessings flow . . .”? No, most of the time we act ",p:110,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"like Cats, focusing on what we get out of it and quietly cursing ",p:110,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the situation. And the moment we begin to do that, we are robbing ",p:110,x:90,y:704,w:483,h:16},
{t:"God of His glory.",p:110,x:90,y:727,w:129,h:16},
{t:"One woman’s daughter became a quadriplegic. To take",p:110,x:120,y:751,w:427,h:16},
{t:"care of her daughter this woman had to change everything, ",p:110,x:90,y:774,w:461,h:16},
{t:"quitting her job and becoming a full-time caretaker. How did ",p:110,x:90,y:797,w:458,h:16},
{t:"this mother respond? She could have said, “Lord, this means",p:110,x:90,y:821,w:453,h:16},
{t:"I’m going to have to quit my job. I’m going to have to live at",p:110,x:90,y:844,w:451,h:16},
{t:"a lower lifestyle and take care of my daughter full time, but I",p:110,x:90,y:867,w:451,h:16},
{t:"108",p:111,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:111,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"know this will build character in me and make me more like",p:111,x:90,y:121,w:453,h:16},
{t:"You. It’s going to be excruciatingly hard, but I’m going to ",p:111,x:90,y:144,w:460,h:16},
{t:"trust You through it all. I will demonstrate to others what it",p:111,x:90,y:167,w:452,h:16},
{t:"means to develop the heart of a servant.”",p:111,x:90,y:191,w:299,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately, she did not. She believed the lie that Satan ",p:111,x:120,y:214,w:428,h:16},
{t:"whispered into her mind, saying it was all about her, and her",p:111,x:90,y:237,w:452,h:16},
{t:"life was now destroyed. So she went to a gun store, asked to see ",p:111,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"a gun, put a bullet into it, and pulled the trigger, killing herself. ",p:111,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Here was a woman who had the opportunity of a lifetime to give ",p:111,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"glory to God by living sacrificially for someone else. But she be-",p:111,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"lieved Satan’s lie that it was all about her, and God was robbed ",p:111,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"of glory.",p:111,x:90,y:377,w:63,h:16},
{t:" Imagine a favorite water hole that kids use for swimming. ",p:111,x:120,y:401,w:456,h:16},
{t:"One child jumps into the water headfirst and hits something just ",p:111,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"below the water level that breaks her neck. Naturally everyone ",p:111,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"concerned will call this a tragedy and even more so when they ",p:111,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"discover the child will be permanently paralyzed. We could leave ",p:111,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the situation here and cry over the unfortunate incident for years ",p:111,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to come, or we can look for God’s glory. Is it there? Certainly it ",p:111,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is! Just ask Joni Eareckson Tada about it. ",p:111,x:90,y:564,w:307,h:16},
{t:"Joni’s story was made famous in a book by that name, and ",p:111,x:120,y:587,w:448,h:16},
{t:"her fame has increased in dramatic ways through the last de",p:111,x:90,y:611,w:452,h:16},
{t:"-",p:111,x:564,y:611,w:6,h:16},
{t:"cade or so. But it’s not really her fame but her testimony that",p:111,x:90,y:634,w:457,h:16},
{t:"has been so whole-heartedly received. Through her difficulties, ",p:111,x:90,y:657,w:460,h:16},
{t:"she has continued to look to, praise, and worship the Lord. ",p:111,x:90,y:681,w:466,h:16},
{t:"Because of this tragic set of circumstances, she developed a",p:111,x:90,y:704,w:458,h:16},
{t:"testimony that has been heard by millions! God’s glory has",p:111,x:90,y:727,w:459,h:16},
{t:"been thrust into the limelight! As a result of this accident, she",p:111,x:90,y:751,w:456,h:16},
{t:"has been given a ministry that far surpasses anything she could ",p:111,x:90,y:774,w:461,h:16},
{t:"have dreamed of. Joni has given God tremendous glory through ",p:111,x:90,y:797,w:461,h:16},
{t:"it all. It’s true: the greater the degree of difficulty, the greater",p:111,x:90,y:821,w:455,h:16},
{t:"glory God can receive.",p:111,x:90,y:844,w:166,h:16},
{t:"Cassie Bernall was a young girl who was shot at Columbine ",p:111,x:120,y:867,w:455,h:16},
{t:"RObbInG GOD Of HIS GLORYDuRInG HARD TImES",p:112,x:250,y:77,w:320,h:17},
{t:"109",p:112,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"High School. Although she died, her story, her testimony, and ",p:112,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory live on. At a recent UnveilinGLORY seminar, I ",p:112,x:90,y:144,w:488,h:16},
{t:"(Gerald) met the grandparents of Cassie (Lee and J. J. Jorgensen), ",p:112,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"who were there to say that Cassie’s death not only provided an ",p:112,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"opportunity to proclaim the worth, value, and glory of God, but it ",p:112,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"has drawn them into ministry as well. These grandparents now get ",p:112,x:90,y:237,w:483,h:16},
{t:"invited to schools all over the nation to speak to and meet students ",p:112,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"as they proclaim the value and glory of God. ",p:112,x:90,y:284,w:331,h:16},
{t:"When confronted with the proposition that Cassie has had more",p:112,x:120,y:307,w:460,h:16},
{t:"opportunity for ministry, more impact, and more influence for God’s",p:112,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"glory through her death than she might have had with her life, these",p:112,x:90,y:354,w:492,h:16},
{t:"sweet, loving grandparents immediately agree that her death ",p:112,x:90,y:377,w:450,h:16},
{t:"was a ",p:112,x:530,y:377,w:45,h:16},
{t:"tragedy, but God is receiving great glory through it!",p:112,x:90,y:401,w:380,h:16},
{t:"Do you want another positive story? There was a missionary ",p:112,x:120,y:424,w:455,h:16},
{t:"family working with Turks in Euro Asia. They were fluent in the ",p:112,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"language and were the only missionaries the Turks trusted. Then ",p:112,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the husband (and father) was diagnosed with cancer. Although ",p:112,x:90,y:494,w:487,h:16},
{t:"his church brought him home and gave him the best medical ",p:112,x:90,y:517,w:488,h:16},
{t:"care possible and the best prayer coverage that they knew how to ",p:112,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"provide, the Lord saw that He would gain more glory out of this ",p:112,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"man’s death than his life. This man left behind a wife and three ",p:112,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"daughters.",p:112,x:90,y:611,w:75,h:16},
{t:"How did his wife respond? Did she say in anger, “Lord, here",p:112,x:120,y:634,w:439,h:16},
{t:"we are, giving our entire lives to You, sacrificing everything ",p:112,x:90,y:657,w:476,h:16},
{t:"to reach out to these precious people, and now You give us",p:112,x:90,y:681,w:469,h:16},
{t:"this? Whose side are You on?” No. In the depth of her pain, she",p:112,x:90,y:704,w:468,h:16},
{t:"considered herself a privileged woman and said, “Someone has",p:112,x:90,y:727,w:469,h:16},
{t:"got to go and show those precious Turkish women how to raise",p:112,x:90,y:751,w:469,h:16},
{t:"children as a widow, and God is calling on me to do it.” Right",p:112,x:90,y:774,w:468,h:16},
{t:"now in Turkey, there is a widow with her daughters, radiating ",p:112,x:90,y:797,w:475,h:16},
{t:"the glory of God day after day simply because of a Dog’s at",p:112,x:90,y:821,w:463,h:16},
{t:"-",p:112,x:564,y:821,w:6,h:16},
{t:"titude and outlook!",p:112,x:90,y:844,w:139,h:16},
{t:"But God’s glory can be missed, and many times it is. There is ",p:112,x:120,y:867,w:454,h:16},
{t:"110",p:113,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:113,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"so much glory that is not consciously and cheerfully radiated back ",p:113,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to God, and God is robbed. All because Cats think life is all about ",p:113,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"us. We suppose life was meant to be safe, soft, easy, and comfort-",p:113,x:90,y:167,w:480,h:16},
{t:"able. As a result, when something hard comes into our lives we ",p:113,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"cry out, “God, that’s not fair!” We need to learn that life was never ",p:113,x:90,y:214,w:483,h:16},
{t:"designed to be fair. It was designed to be a series of opportunities ",p:113,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to reflect and radiate God’s glory.",p:113,x:90,y:261,w:248,h:16},
{t:"We have a choice as to how we respond to every life situa -",p:113,x:120,y:284,w:450,h:16},
{t:"tion. We can argue with fate, curse God, shout how unfair it is, ",p:113,x:90,y:307,w:454,h:16},
{t:"and wish it never ",p:113,x:90,y:331,w:129,h:16},
{t:"happened (robbing God of His glory); or we",p:113,x:228,y:331,w:333,h:16},
{t:"can relinquish ourselves to God’s hands and seek His glory in ",p:113,x:90,y:354,w:456,h:16},
{t:"spite of the evil that may take place around us. ",p:113,x:90,y:377,w:345,h:16},
{t:"When it rains, the farmer and the city-dweller respond dif-",p:113,x:120,y:401,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ferently. The farmer thanks God for the rain he needed for his ",p:113,x:90,y:424,w:487,h:16},
{t:"crops while the city dweller curses it for interfering with his plans. ",p:113,x:90,y:447,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Outlook and attitude determine if the rain is a blessing or a curse. ",p:113,x:90,y:471,w:483,h:16},
{t:"In the same way, Dogs and Cats can have an opposite outlook ",p:113,x:120,y:494,w:454,h:16},
{t:"on the events in life. Dogs have found that many events that look ",p:113,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"like curses are merely blessings in disguise. There is the potential ",p:113,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to give God glory in every circumstance. Recognizing this is the ",p:113,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"fulfillment of your purpose in life can bring you great satisfaction, ",p:113,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"while ignoring it can fill you with great frustration. It is our prayer ",p:113,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that you don’t rob God of His glory!",p:113,x:90,y:634,w:267,h:16},
{t:"111",p:114,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"10",p:114,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Cats’ Growth Is Stunted",p:114,x:163,y:226,w:334,h:39},
{t:"One of my (Bob) wife’s greatest strengths is hospitality. ",p:114,x:90,y:351,w:488,h:64},
{t:"Debby loves to host people in our home and always makes them ",p:114,x:90,y:414,w:485,h:16},
{t:"feel special. She does this not only for people who visit our home ",p:114,x:90,y:439,w:484,h:16},
{t:"but also for people in our neighborhood. Wshen new neighbors ",p:114,x:90,y:464,w:486,h:16},
{t:"move in, they soon find a plate of homemade cookies or a freshly ",p:114,x:90,y:489,w:484,h:16},
{t:"baked pie on their doorstep. For Debby, it’s a fun way of showing ",p:114,x:90,y:514,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory to others, not to mention that it is “proper etiquette.”",p:114,x:90,y:539,w:477,h:16},
{t:"Rules of etiquette help us treat others with respect and give us ",p:114,x:120,y:563,w:454,h:16},
{t:"appropriate guidelines when we want to let others feel welcomed ",p:114,x:90,y:586,w:484,h:16},
{t:"or thanked. While Debby is demonstrating etiquette when she ",p:114,x:90,y:609,w:488,h:16},
{t:"bakes a family a pie, she does it because she wants to do that for ",p:114,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"them, not because she feels like she has to. ",p:114,x:90,y:656,w:318,h:16},
{t:"But sometimes, without knowing it, “proper etiquette” keeps ",p:114,x:120,y:679,w:455,h:16},
{t:"many Cats from experiencing the fullest Christian life that they ",p:114,x:90,y:703,w:486,h:16},
{t:"can have. Why? Well, for example, when people have you over ",p:114,x:90,y:726,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for dinner, the most polite thing you can do is to thank them and ",p:114,x:90,y:749,w:485,h:16},
{t:"invite them over for dinner at a later time. This form of dinner eti-",p:114,x:90,y:773,w:480,h:16},
{t:"quette—thanking them and returning the favor—summarizes how ",p:114,x:90,y:796,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Cats live out their Christianity. Without thinking in these terms, a ",p:114,x:90,y:819,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Cat is basically saying, “Since Christ died on the cross for me (He ",p:114,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"did something nice for me), I should thank Him and at least live ",p:114,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"112",p:115,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:115,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"for Him (I should return the favor).” A Cat asks, “Isn’t that what ",p:115,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"living for Christ with a thankful heart is all about?”",p:115,x:90,y:144,w:376,h:16},
{t:"Now Cats know they can never fully pay God back, so they ",p:115,x:120,y:167,w:455,h:16},
{t:"try to pay back whatever they can. This comes as they try to live ",p:115,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the Christian life on their own, as best they can. Because of this, ",p:115,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Cats don’t grow to their full potential. They can’t. Why? Their ",p:115,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"growth is stunted. Returning the favor takes away the power of ",p:115,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"living the Christian life. ",p:115,x:90,y:284,w:179,h:16},
{t:"“Help-Me” Prayers",p:115,x:90,y:329,w:167,h:18},
{t:"When I (Bob) was in college, I used to type out my prayers. ",p:115,x:120,y:353,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Many prayers went like this:",p:115,x:90,y:376,w:209,h:16},
{t:"Lord, help me to be holy.",p:115,x:120,y:400,w:185,h:16},
{t:"Lord, help me to love You more.",p:115,x:120,y:423,w:241,h:16},
{t:"Lord, help me to be bold in sharing my faith.",p:115,x:120,y:446,w:329,h:16},
{t:"Lord, help me to become more like You. (And on and on they ",p:115,x:120,y:470,w:454,h:16},
{t:"went.)",p:115,x:90,y:493,w:46,h:16},
{t:"One day as I was praying, I felt the Lord say to me, “Bob, ",p:115,x:120,y:516,w:456,h:16},
{t:"what are you asking Me to do?” ",p:115,x:90,y:540,w:238,h:16},
{t:"I replied, “Lord, what do You mean? I’m asking for Your ",p:115,x:120,y:563,w:457,h:16},
{t:"help. I can’t do this on my own.”",p:115,x:90,y:587,w:241,h:16},
{t:"“Yes,” His Spirit gently nudged me, “but what does that ",p:115,x:120,y:610,w:458,h:16},
{t:"mean?”",p:115,x:90,y:633,w:55,h:16},
{t:"“I don’t get it, God,” I said. “I need Your help. I can’t do it ",p:115,x:120,y:657,w:455,h:16},
{t:"without You.”",p:115,x:90,y:680,w:104,h:16},
{t:"“But what does that mean?” He said again.",p:115,x:120,y:703,w:314,h:16},
{t:"And then it hit me like a ton of bricks! I had been asking God ",p:115,x:120,y:727,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to help me. I was trying to return the favor of eternal life by living ",p:115,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for God on my own power and strength. I never would have put a ",p:115,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"percentage on it, but let’s say that I was trying to live 70 percent ",p:115,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in the power of the flesh (as the Bible calls it) and was asking God ",p:115,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to complete the other 30 percent. ",p:115,x:90,y:843,w:245,h:16},
{t:"And somehow (though I never would have said it) I thought ",p:115,x:120,y:867,w:455,h:16},
{t:"CAT'S GROWTH IS STunTED",p:116,x:403,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"113",p:116,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"that when I got to the “heavenly Olympics” and the medals were ",p:116,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"given out, I would get the gold (after all I had done 70 percent of ",p:116,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the work) and Christ would be standing next to me with the silver ",p:116,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(He had helped me do the additional 30 percent of the work). And ",p:116,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I was going to say to Him, “Thanks, Jesus, I couldn’t have done ",p:116,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it without you.”",p:116,x:90,y:237,w:115,h:16},
{t:"Little did I know that I was living like a Cat and that it was ",p:116,x:120,y:261,w:455,h:16},
{t:"limiting my spiritual growth. In John 15:5 Jesus says: “I am the ",p:116,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he ",p:116,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (empha-",p:116,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sis added). I never really understood what that “nothing” meant, ",p:116,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"especially since we can put men on the moon, we can create com-",p:116,x:90,y:377,w:480,h:16},
{t:"puters that sort through tons of information in a nanosecond, we ",p:116,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"can save premature babies—there are tons of things humans can ",p:116,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"do without acknowledging God.",p:116,x:90,y:447,w:236,h:16},
{t:"But it dawned on me that it meant “nothing of eternal signifi-",p:116,x:120,y:471,w:450,h:16},
{t:"cance.” Trying to live 70 percent of the Christian life on my own ",p:116,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was limiting God to bringing about only 30 percent of growth in ",p:116,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"my life. He wanted me to grow more, but, like a Cat, I didn’t trust ",p:116,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Him for my growth. I thought I had to struggle for it by myself. ",p:116,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Therefore, 70 percent of the potential spiritual growth in my life ",p:116,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"wasn’t happening.",p:116,x:90,y:611,w:134,h:16},
{t:"When I realized this, a passage from the Bible jumped out at ",p:116,x:120,y:634,w:455,h:16},
{t:"me and has changed my life. It says: “A new heart also will I give ",p:116,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away ",p:116,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of ",p:116,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk ",p:116,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” ",p:116,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"(Ezekiel 36:26 kJv, emphasis added).",p:116,x:90,y:774,w:271,h:16},
{t:"“Cause-Me” Prayers",p:116,x:90,y:819,w:178,h:18},
{t:"God wants to cause us to walk with Him! When I realized ",p:116,x:120,y:843,w:456,h:16},
{t:"what that verse meant, a huge burden was lifted from my shoul-",p:116,x:90,y:866,w:479,h:16},
{t:"114",p:117,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:117,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"ders. No longer was the burden of living the Christian life on my ",p:117,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"shoulders. It was on God’s. He was the One who was responsible ",p:117,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for causing me to live a life pleasing to Him. And as He provided, ",p:117,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"He would get the glory, becoming more famous in our eyes! After ",p:117,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that, I changed my prayers. They are now like this:",p:117,x:90,y:214,w:373,h:16},
{t:"Lord, cause me to be holy.",p:117,x:120,y:237,w:195,h:16},
{t:"Lord, cause me to love You more.",p:117,x:120,y:261,w:250,h:16},
{t:"Lord, cause me to be bold in sharing my faith.",p:117,x:120,y:284,w:338,h:16},
{t:"Lord, cause me to become more like You. (And on and on ",p:117,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"they go.)",p:117,x:90,y:331,w:65,h:16},
{t:"“So should we do nothing and give it all to God?” Cats ask. ",p:117,x:120,y:354,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that the balance between our effort and God’s effort is ",p:117,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"found in Colossians 1:29. It says: “To this end I labor, struggling ",p:117,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”",p:117,x:90,y:424,w:403,h:16},
{t:"The phrase “I labor” refers to us going through the motions. ",p:117,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"I’ve finally learned that, yes, I need to have a quiet time; yes, I ",p:117,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"need to be in God’s Word; but unless God meets me there, nothing ",p:117,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is going to happen. And if I’m not going through those motions, ",p:117,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"then God doesn’t have the opportunities to cause the growth to ",p:117,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"take place. Dogs know that growth in the Christian life comes as ",p:117,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"we take steps toward giving God opportunities to make changes in ",p:117,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"our lives. If we don’t give Him those opportunities, nothing will ",p:117,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"come about.",p:117,x:90,y:634,w:89,h:16},
{t:"The phrase “his energy” refers to God empowering us during ",p:117,x:120,y:657,w:454,h:16},
{t:"those times. This happens when we pray things like, “Lord, I’m ",p:117,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"going to go out and share my faith today, but unless You speak ",p:117,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through me and touch people’s hearts, nothing is going to hap-",p:117,x:90,y:727,w:479,h:16},
{t:"pen,” or “Lord, I’m going to have a quiet time, but unless You ",p:117,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"meet me there, it will be like dry shredded wheat.” Dogs know ",p:117,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that we go through the motions, and God brings about 100 percent ",p:117,x:90,y:797,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of the growth and gets all the glory. This pleases a jealous God! ",p:117,x:90,y:821,w:485,h:16},
{t:"If we don’t go through the motions, then God doesn’t have the ",p:117,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"opportunities to cause our growth.",p:117,x:90,y:867,w:251,h:16},
{t:"CAT'S GROWTH IS STunTED",p:118,x:403,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"115",p:118,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Growth in All Areas of Life",p:118,x:90,y:120,w:234,h:18},
{t:"I found that this applies in every area of life, even the most ",p:118,x:120,y:145,w:456,h:16},
{t:"basic. For years I tried to “fall in love with God,” not really know-",p:118,x:90,y:168,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing what to do. But God even wanted to work in that area of my ",p:118,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life. Deuteronomy 30:6 says: “The Lord your God will circumcise ",p:118,x:90,y:215,w:483,h:16},
{t:"your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may ",p:118,x:90,y:238,w:485,h:16},
{t:"love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” God ",p:118,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wants to circumcise our hearts to love Him. He will cause us to ",p:118,x:90,y:285,w:485,h:16},
{t:"love Him. So even in the most basic areas of the Christian life, ",p:118,x:90,y:308,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that one of the first steps is to call on God to cause us ",p:118,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to love Him!",p:118,x:90,y:355,w:93,h:16},
{t:"This even applies to marriage. Debby is an extremely beauti-",p:118,x:120,y:378,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ful woman—that’s one of the reasons I married her. I did this in ",p:118,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"part (I’ve come to realize later) because I had a poor self-image. ",p:118,x:90,y:425,w:485,h:16},
{t:"I wanted other guys to look at her next to me and to say, “Wow, ",p:118,x:90,y:448,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you’ve really got a babe!” But that puppy love wore off as our ",p:118,x:90,y:472,w:486,h:16},
{t:"marriage continued. As with any couple, our marriage began to ",p:118,x:90,y:495,w:486,h:16},
{t:"move from the honeymoon stage to the reality stage, and I began ",p:118,x:90,y:518,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to struggle with loving her as I should. ",p:118,x:90,y:542,w:287,h:16},
{t:"And then I relearned the lesson all over again. I had been try-",p:118,x:120,y:565,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing to love my wife in my own power and strength. I repented and ",p:118,x:90,y:588,w:484,h:16},
{t:"began to pray, “Lord, cause me to love my wife the way I should.” ",p:118,x:90,y:612,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Today we have a healthy marriage, and all of the credit and glory ",p:118,x:90,y:635,w:484,h:16},
{t:"goes to God. ",p:118,x:90,y:658,w:97,h:16},
{t:"This principle applies not only to the big areas of life (loving ",p:118,x:120,y:682,w:454,h:16},
{t:"God, loving your spouse, etc.) but also to the little areas. That ",p:118,x:90,y:705,w:487,h:16},
{t:"is another place where Cats stunt their growth. This happens in ",p:118,x:90,y:728,w:486,h:16},
{t:"activities that Cats commonly do, when they’ve “been there and ",p:118,x:90,y:752,w:485,h:16},
{t:"got the T-shirt.” So they begin to rely on their own power in these ",p:118,x:90,y:775,w:484,h:16},
{t:"little areas.",p:118,x:90,y:798,w:80,h:16},
{t:"Cats begin to think things like: “I’ve driven to work a thousand ",p:118,x:120,y:822,w:453,h:16},
{t:"times; I don’t need God’s help.” “I’ve flown all over the world; I ",p:118,x:90,y:845,w:484,h:16},
{t:"know nothing will happen to the plane.” “I’ve taught this Sunday ",p:118,x:90,y:868,w:484,h:16},
{t:"116",p:119,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:119,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"school lesson lots of times; it’ll come out all right.” “I’ve seen this ",p:119,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"problem before; I know how to handle it.” “I know how to do my ",p:119,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"job; I don’t need to pray about it.”",p:119,x:90,y:167,w:250,h:16},
{t:"The things we’ve done thousands of times can cause us to ",p:119,x:120,y:191,w:457,h:16},
{t:"rely on our strength and not trust in the Lord for His power and ",p:119,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"strength. And when we do that, we’re working in the power of ",p:119,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the flesh. That doesn’t please a jealous God. What does please ",p:119,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Him, and what Dogs pray is, “Lord, I’ve given this talk a thousand ",p:119,x:90,y:284,w:483,h:16},
{t:"times. You’ve demonstrated that You love to use it, but I’m still ",p:119,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"100 percent dependent on You to speak through me and to change ",p:119,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lives.” “God, I’m looking to You to empower me today as I do the ",p:119,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"laundry, act as a taxi driver, go shopping, make dinner, and do the ",p:119,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"dishes.” “God, I need You at the office today. I know I could do ",p:119,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it all in my own power and strength, but I don’t want to because I ",p:119,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"don’t want to live my life in the power of the flesh.”",p:119,x:90,y:447,w:382,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that when God has you over for dinner, there’s ",p:119,x:120,y:471,w:456,h:16},
{t:"only one response: “God, thank you. You are so very kind. Could ",p:119,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"You have me over for breakfast too?” And then when He has you ",p:119,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"over for breakfast, you say, “Lord, thanks again. Could You have ",p:119,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"me over for lunch?” And then after His faithful provision, you ",p:119,x:90,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"ask, “Lord, could You have me over for dinner?”",p:119,x:90,y:587,w:360,h:16},
{t:"In America, we would wear out our welcome acting this way! ",p:119,x:120,y:611,w:454,h:16},
{t:"But with God, it never wears out. Why? The more we come to ",p:119,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God, the more glory He gets by providing for us day after day. ",p:119,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God wants you to bring every aspect of your life to Him and to ",p:119,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"trust in His future empowerment.",p:119,x:90,y:704,w:243,h:16},
{t:"Now I realize that when I get to the heavenly Olympics, I ",p:119,x:120,y:727,w:457,h:16},
{t:"won’t be getting any of the medals. Jesus will get the gold for 100 ",p:119,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"percent of the work, and I won’t even be on the podium. All of the ",p:119,x:90,y:774,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory goes to God!",p:119,x:90,y:797,w:137,h:16},
{t:"117",p:120,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"11",p:120,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Eternity, minus 70",p:120,x:207,y:226,w:247,h:39},
{t:"One Sunday I (Gerald) used my best friend, Ken, a pair of ",p:120,x:90,y:351,w:486,h:64},
{t:"walkie-talkies, and a very long rope to help my congregation ",p:120,x:90,y:413,w:488,h:16},
{t:"understand the length of eternity. I asked him to take one of the ",p:120,x:90,y:436,w:485,h:16},
{t:"walkie-talkies and the roll of rope and begin walking across the ",p:120,x:90,y:459,w:486,h:16},
{t:"auditorium. It wasn’t long before Ken was not only past the last ",p:120,x:90,y:483,w:485,h:16},
{t:"row of seating but was out in the foyer. He looked back in and ",p:120,x:90,y:506,w:486,h:16},
{t:"asked “How far do you want me to go?” and I replied, “Keep ",p:120,x:90,y:529,w:487,h:16},
{t:"going until you run out of rope, and then, call me on the radio.” ",p:120,x:90,y:553,w:485,h:16},
{t:"A few moments later the radio beeped and Ken said, “I’m in the ",p:120,x:90,y:576,w:485,h:16},
{t:"parking lot and I’ve got the end of the rope in my hand. What ",p:120,x:90,y:599,w:486,h:16},
{t:"now?” I radioed back, “Get two spools of rope from my car, tie ",p:120,x:90,y:623,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the ends together, and keep walking.” As the church service con-",p:120,x:90,y:646,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tinued, a little later the radio beeped again. This time Ken said he ",p:120,x:90,y:669,w:484,h:16},
{t:"was at the street. I told him to head toward the major intersection ",p:120,x:90,y:693,w:484,h:16},
{t:"about a block away and to call me back when he was there. The ",p:120,x:90,y:716,w:485,h:16},
{t:"service continued until it was interrupted again by Ken announc-",p:120,x:90,y:739,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing he was at the intersection and had enough rope to get across ",p:120,x:90,y:763,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the road. I told him to go ahead. ",p:120,x:90,y:786,w:239,h:16},
{t:"In actuality, this was a living parable, for Ken was still stand-",p:120,x:120,y:809,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing in the foyer of the church, but everyone in the church had ",p:120,x:90,y:833,w:487,h:16},
{t:"a vivid mental picture of him being at the busy intersection and ",p:120,x:90,y:856,w:486,h:16},
{t:"where he was headed. Moments later, another call. Ken told us ",p:120,x:90,y:879,w:486,h:16},
{t:"118",p:121,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:121,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"all that he still had plenty of rope and was now down at a local ",p:121,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"fast-food shop and was actually ordering at their walk-up window ",p:121,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"placing an order for a drink. Everyone smiled and acknowledged, ",p:121,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"“That’s Ken!”",p:121,x:90,y:191,w:104,h:16},
{t:"Next, I picked up my end of the rope and tied a knot about ",p:121,x:120,y:214,w:456,h:16},
{t:"seven inches from the end and told the congregation that the ",p:121,x:90,y:237,w:488,h:16},
{t:"seven-inch span of rope represented our 70 years of life on planet ",p:121,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"earth. The rest of the rope represented eternity. It gave a splendid ",p:121,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"illustration of the foolishness in planning your life for a mere 70 ",p:121,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"years when eternity is so indescribably long. This is also a great ",p:121,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"illustration of how a Cat plans his life and his relationship with ",p:121,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God!",p:121,x:90,y:377,w:37,h:16},
{t:"Cats put the majority of their attention and planning on ",p:121,x:120,y:401,w:448,h:16},
{t:"gathering to themselves all the ingredients they think are nec",p:121,x:90,y:424,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:121,x:564,y:424,w:6,h:16},
{t:"essary to make this life—this 70 years on earth—as safe, soft, ",p:121,x:90,y:447,w:475,h:16},
{t:"easy, and comfortable as possible. Admittedly, they also give",p:121,x:90,y:471,w:468,h:16},
{t:"attention to the eternity, but only to be sure they arrive there! ",p:121,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"As we mentioned earlier, Cats have used Jesus as their “Fire",p:121,x:90,y:517,w:469,h:16},
{t:"Insurance” from hell and their “Free Pass” for Heaven, but they ",p:121,x:90,y:541,w:473,h:16},
{t:"have taken little time to prepare for the coming relationship with ",p:121,x:90,y:564,w:472,h:16},
{t:"God Himself.",p:121,x:90,y:587,w:99,h:16},
{t:"On the other hand, Dogs are planning for eternity—the l-o-",p:121,x:120,y:611,w:450,h:16},
{t:"n-g haul. They know that 70 years here on this earth is nothing ",p:121,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"compared to eternity. In studying the comparison, they realize, ",p:121,x:90,y:657,w:487,h:16},
{t:"“The life I was really created for must begin after I die!” ",p:121,x:90,y:681,w:419,h:16},
{t:"To a Dog, life here on this earth is like the tryouts for a team ",p:121,x:120,y:704,w:454,h:16},
{t:"along with the pre-season. Trying out for the team is coming to ",p:121,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"know Christ. Once you’re on the team (they’ve got a personal ",p:121,x:90,y:751,w:487,h:16},
{t:"relationship with Christ), the pre-season begins; this is the grow-",p:121,x:90,y:774,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing and maturing process of a believer. When they die, the real ",p:121,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"season starts and they finally arrive for what they were truly cre-",p:121,x:90,y:821,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ated for—eternity! ",p:121,x:90,y:844,w:141,h:16},
{t:"What are they created for? They see that they are going to be ",p:121,x:120,y:867,w:454,h:16},
{t:"ETERnITY, mInuS 70",p:122,x:449,y:77,w:121,h:17},
{t:"119",p:122,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"a bride to Christ (Ephesians 5:32 and Revelation 19:7) and will ",p:122,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"rule and reign over angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). Although Dogs are ",p:122,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"basically clueless to what this means specifically, they still take it ",p:122,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"seriously and realize that it must mean something and something ",p:122,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"very significant! Consequently they must prepare for it.",p:122,x:90,y:214,w:407,h:16},
{t:"Therefore dogs take seriously verses that say, “our days are ",p:122,x:120,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"like the evening shadow” (Psalm 102:11), “our lives are a mere ",p:122,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"breath, a fleeting shadow” (Psalm 144:4), and “our lives are like ",p:122,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"grass” (Psalm 103:15l). Therefore they live, as the Scriptures tell ",p:122,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"them, as “strangers and aliens” (1 Peter 2:11) during the “pre-",p:122,x:90,y:331,w:480,h:16},
{t:"season games” knowing that all they learn here on the earth will ",p:122,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"help them for when life begins!",p:122,x:90,y:377,w:230,h:16},
{t:"The story Jesus told of the rich young man is so important for ",p:122,x:120,y:401,w:454,h:16},
{t:"us to learn. Do you remember the story? A rather wealthy young ",p:122,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"man with his life before him asked Jesus what he needed to do in ",p:122,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"order to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to sell all that he had and ",p:122,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"follow Him. The price was too high for this young man to pay—he ",p:122,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"wasn’t willing to give up the safe, soft, easy, and comfortable life ",p:122,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"as a payment for why he was really created. He walked away sor-",p:122,x:90,y:541,w:479,h:16},
{t:"rowful. How sad that he was so close to the 70 years of life here ",p:122,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that he couldn’t see the length of forever and plan for it. He found ",p:122,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"his solace in the things of the here and now rather than in the God ",p:122,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of the there and then.",p:122,x:90,y:634,w:155,h:16},
{t:"In terms of more modern day martyrs, Jim Elliot stands out ",p:122,x:120,y:657,w:456,h:16},
{t:"and his writings have served as words of wisdom for us. Jim was ",p:122,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"killed by the Auca Indians he went to serve, but before he died, he ",p:122,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"shared some of his visions an words of eternity. One of his more ",p:122,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"famous quotes is, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to ",p:122,x:90,y:751,w:483,h:16},
{t:"gain what he cannot lose.”",p:122,x:90,y:774,w:193,h:16},
{t:"Jim Elliot was looking at eternity, and he knew he couldn’t ",p:122,x:120,y:797,w:454,h:16},
{t:"lose it. He saw everything here on this earth as something he could ",p:122,x:90,y:821,w:483,h:16},
{t:"not keep. He looked forward to the day he would have no separa-",p:122,x:90,y:844,w:479,h:16},
{t:"tion from his Master. He didn’t mind giving up “the good life”, ",p:122,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"120",p:123,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:123,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"the things of life, or even life itself, if it meant he was able to share ",p:123,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the heart of God.",p:123,x:90,y:144,w:124,h:16},
{t:"This is what Paul wrote about in the New Testament. He said ",p:123,x:120,y:167,w:454,h:16},
{t:"he was torn between remaining in this world and going on to be ",p:123,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with Christ (Philippians 1:21-24). The only reason he was willing ",p:123,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to remain here is that it was helpful to those to whom he was ",p:123,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"ministering. His real desire was to sit with Christ, to see Him as ",p:123,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"He is, and to enjoy His companionship! ",p:123,x:90,y:284,w:295,h:16},
{t:"In simple terms, Dogs live for eternity. Cats live for the 70 or ",p:123,x:120,y:307,w:454,h:16},
{t:"so years here on this earth.",p:123,x:90,y:331,w:195,h:16},
{t:"Let us go on record saying there is nothing wrong with prepar-",p:123,x:120,y:354,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ing for life in this world or in enjoying it! God does love you, and ",p:123,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the gift of life is a treasure to be enjoyed. The things of this life ",p:123,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"are often the fruit of our labor and the reward of hard work. God’s ",p:123,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"word even tell us to enjoy it (1 Timothy 6:17), they are not to be ",p:123,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"denied. But their value in our eyes is never to come anywhere ",p:123,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"close to the value we prize in our Lord. ",p:123,x:90,y:494,w:292,h:16},
{t:"This is what God is telling us in Luke 14:26. We are to hate ",p:123,x:120,y:517,w:455,h:16},
{t:"our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, even our ",p:123,x:90,y:541,w:485,h:16},
{t:"own life if we are to be a disciple of Christ. Christ is not talk-",p:123,x:90,y:564,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing about literally hating these people. Rather He is saying, your ",p:123,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"love for me should be so strong that your love for others would ",p:123,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"look like a hatred. This is where many Cats fall short. They enjoy ",p:123,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"people and the gifts from God far more than the God Himself.",p:123,x:90,y:657,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Because their love for God isn’t stronger than their love for ",p:123,x:120,y:681,w:455,h:16},
{t:"others, Cats don’t believe God when he says “Do not store up for ",p:123,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy . . . but ",p:123,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). ",p:123,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Cats are so near-sighted, they can’t delay their gratification. For ",p:123,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"them, life is the season and heaven is second best—retirement! ",p:123,x:90,y:797,w:465,h:16},
{t:"A sign of maturity is being able to appreciate delayed grati-",p:123,x:120,y:821,w:449,h:16},
{t:"fication. A Cat’s immaturity needs immediate gratification. Jesus ",p:123,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"said He was going to prepare a place for us and “if it was not so, ",p:123,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"ETERnITY, mInuS 70",p:124,x:449,y:77,w:121,h:17},
{t:"121",p:124,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"I would have told you”(John 14:2). In other words, this is really ",p:124,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"true. But, Cats remain short-sighted and short in their patience. ",p:124,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"They demanding their treasures now, at the expense of those to ",p:124,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"come.",p:124,x:90,y:191,w:44,h:16},
{t:"God thinks in terms of eternity when He speaks and when He ",p:124,x:120,y:214,w:454,h:16},
{t:"makes promises. In the book of Job, God promised to double all ",p:124,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Job’s possessions. He did double the amount of possessions, but ",p:124,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"when it came to Job’s children, he only gave him as many as he ",p:124,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"had to start with. Did God lie? Of course not! God was looking ",p:124,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"at eternity. In eternity, Job will have all the children that died in ",p:124,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"addition to those he was given later, thereby doubling the number. ",p:124,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"If God thinks and speaks in terms of eternity, not just the short ",p:124,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"lifetime we have here, then it only makes sense for us to adopt the ",p:124,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"same perspective.",p:124,x:90,y:424,w:130,h:16},
{t:"Please make no mistake about it, life is a gift and it is to be ",p:124,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"enjoyed! Remember, Cat Theology is not incorrect, it’s just in-",p:124,x:90,y:471,w:479,h:16},
{t:"complete. When we “live for the 70” instead of both the 70 years ",p:124,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of life here and the eternity that lies beyond, we have cheated ",p:124,x:90,y:517,w:487,h:16},
{t:"ourselves of the greater gift and greater rewards. Without prepar-",p:124,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing and longing for the forever-to-come we will certainly have ",p:124,x:90,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"misspent the 70 years God has given us.",p:124,x:90,y:587,w:294,h:16},
{t:"Eternity, minus the 70 years of this life, is a very, very long ",p:124,x:120,y:611,w:455,h:16},
{t:"time for which we not only need to be prepared, but longing for. ",p:124,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Life is not about the 70 or so years here on this earth. Life begins ",p:124,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"after we die! We need to prepare ourselves for that life which will ",p:124,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"last eternally.",p:124,x:90,y:704,w:98,h:16},
{t:"When CaT Theology goes",p:125,x:112,y:323,w:435,h:44},
{t:"from ",p:125,x:291,y:373,w:89,h:44},
{t:"“inComple Te” To “inCorre CT ”",p:125,x:90,y:423,w:479,h:44},
{t:"125",p:126,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Up until this time we have said that Cat Theology is not incor-",p:126,x:90,y:346,w:480,h:64},
{t:"rect, it is simply incomplete. We’d like to graphically show that ",p:126,x:90,y:408,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to you at this point.",p:126,x:90,y:431,w:142,h:16},
{t:"Remember on page 47 we talked about whether Jesus died for ",p:126,x:120,y:455,w:454,h:16},
{t:"us or His father’s glory? If we make Jesus God (which He is) and ",p:126,x:90,y:478,w:484,h:16},
{t:"try to diagram it, it would look something like this:",p:126,x:90,y:501,w:374,h:16},
{t:"126",p:127,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:127,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"But in cat theology, we take away the glory part, and have it ",p:127,x:120,y:151,w:455,h:16},
{t:"only look like this:",p:127,x:90,y:174,w:138,h:16},
{t:"This is not incorrect, it is simply incomplete. We have violated ",p:127,x:120,y:610,w:453,h:16},
{t:"Deuteronomy 4:2 which says, “Do not add to what I command ",p:127,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the ",p:127,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Lord your God that I give you.” This is subtracting from God’s ",p:127,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"law and is why we have the dangers that we have.",p:127,x:90,y:704,w:366,h:16},
{t:"But, can Cat Theology ever move from being incomplete to in-",p:127,x:120,y:727,w:450,h:16},
{t:"correct? The answer is “yes.” If you “overdose” on Cat Theology, ",p:127,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"your Christian theology will be wrong. When does this happen?",p:127,x:90,y:774,w:468,h:16},
{t:"When mankind replaces God on the throne, the glory of God ",p:127,x:120,y:797,w:454,h:16},
{t:"is forgotten, and we think God is at man’s feet, ready and there ",p:127,x:90,y:820,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to serve Him. Now, let us make it very clear. God never gets off ",p:127,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"127",p:128,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"His throne, but this is the way mankind often interprets the “good ",p:128,x:90,y:151,w:484,h:16},
{t:"news.” Diagramming that would look something like this:",p:128,x:90,y:174,w:425,h:16},
{t:"When this happens, Cat theology moves from being merely ",p:128,x:120,y:574,w:456,h:16},
{t:"“incomplete” to “incorrect.” The following chapters describe ",p:128,x:90,y:597,w:490,h:16},
{t:"some of the dangers that have gone “wrong.”",p:128,x:90,y:621,w:330,h:16},
{t:"129",p:129,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"12",p:129,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Wrong Priorities  ",p:129,x:220,y:226,w:236,h:39},
{t:"and Selective Theology",p:129,x:161,y:262,w:339,h:39},
{t:"Time was running out, and I (Gerald) was late for a theology ",p:129,x:90,y:385,w:486,h:64},
{t:"class. I was huffing and puffing when I slid into my desk and ",p:129,x:90,y:447,w:487,h:16},
{t:"looked up at the board to see what I had missed. There on the ",p:129,x:90,y:470,w:486,h:16},
{t:"board was the phrase: God is NOWHERE. I began to think it was ",p:129,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"one of those liberal theological statements: God is no where. But ",p:129,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"as I listened to the class discussion, I rudely discovered that my at-",p:129,x:90,y:540,w:480,h:16},
{t:"titude had caused me to interpret the message incorrectly. It didn’t ",p:129,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"say, God is no where, but rather, God is now here.",p:129,x:90,y:587,w:368,h:16},
{t:"Attitude and predisposition can cause us to look at everyday ",p:129,x:120,y:610,w:455,h:16},
{t:"events and come to a specific, and sometimes wrong, conclusion. ",p:129,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"A Cat’s Theology provides a foundation for thought that inevita-",p:129,x:90,y:657,w:480,h:16},
{t:"bly leads to setting the wrong priorities.",p:129,x:90,y:680,w:291,h:16},
{t:"Typical Prayers",p:129,x:90,y:725,w:136,h:18},
{t:"It was a typical Sunday school class like all the others. The lay ",p:129,x:120,y:749,w:453,h:16},
{t:"leader started the class by asking, “Are there any prayer requests?” ",p:129,x:90,y:773,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Then there was the uncomfortable silence. Finally someone broke ",p:129,x:90,y:796,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the ice. ",p:129,x:90,y:819,w:57,h:16},
{t:"“Yes, could we pray for my aunt, please? She fell down and ",p:129,x:120,y:843,w:455,h:16},
{t:"broke her hip this past week.”",p:129,x:90,y:866,w:218,h:16},
{t:"130",p:130,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:130,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"“Okay, who wants to pray for Alice’s aunt, anybody? (A long ",p:130,x:120,y:121,w:454,h:16},
{t:"pause.) Okay, thank you. Any other requests?”",p:130,x:90,y:144,w:342,h:16},
{t:"“Yes, John is still struggling with leukemia. Let’s not forget ",p:130,x:120,y:167,w:455,h:16},
{t:"about him.”",p:130,x:90,y:191,w:86,h:16},
{t:"“Yes, thanks. Who wants to pray for John? Thank you.”",p:130,x:120,y:214,w:411,h:16},
{t:"“Umm, I heard that the report came back from the hospital, ",p:130,x:120,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"and Debby still has cancer. They’ve tried everything now. We’re ",p:130,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"just hoping for a miracle.”",p:130,x:90,y:284,w:192,h:16},
{t:"“Who wants to pray for Debby? Thank you. And let’s be sure ",p:130,x:120,y:307,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to keep the dinners going over to her house. See Cheryl if you ",p:130,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"want to sign up. Anything else?”",p:130,x:90,y:354,w:240,h:16},
{t:"“Yes. Mike’s oldest son was out riding around with a bunch of ",p:130,x:120,y:377,w:453,h:16},
{t:"friends after the football game, and well, you know how kids can ",p:130,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"be. They got a little crazy and ended up getting into an accident. ",p:130,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"His son is in the hospital. He was beat up pretty badly, but he’s ",p:130,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"going to be okay. But we should still pray for him.”",p:130,x:90,y:471,w:378,h:16},
{t:"One by one, the requests were given. It proved beyond a shad-",p:130,x:120,y:494,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ow of a doubt that Cats and Dogs have very different priorities. ",p:130,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"You see, if in your heart you are a Cat Christian, your first thought ",p:130,x:90,y:541,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is about yourself, your wants, your needs, and your concerns. And ",p:130,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"one of the first places it will show up is in your prayer life. Let’s ",p:130,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"look at what a Cat’s priorities really are.",p:130,x:90,y:611,w:295,h:16},
{t:"First Priority",p:130,x:90,y:655,w:113,h:18},
{t:"The first priority of a Cat is prayed loudly in churches and ",p:130,x:120,y:680,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Sunday schools around the world. This is because the number-one ",p:130,x:90,y:703,w:483,h:16},
{t:"priority is shared by all Cats. And that number-one priority is this: ",p:130,x:90,y:726,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Cats want to be alive and have good health for themselves and ",p:130,x:90,y:750,w:486,h:16},
{t:"those to whom they are emotionally attached. Really. Check it ",p:130,x:90,y:773,w:487,h:16},
{t:"out yourself. Listen to the prayer requests in your church from the ",p:130,x:90,y:796,w:484,h:16},
{t:"pulpit and in your Sunday school. What do you hear? You usually ",p:130,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"hear prayers for the health of those in the church. (Remember the ",p:130,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"prayers that one church prayed after Turkey’s earthquake?)",p:130,x:90,y:866,w:434,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:131,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"131",p:131,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"This is just as true from the pulpit as it is from the lay people. ",p:131,x:120,y:121,w:454,h:16},
{t:"In almost every church we attend, the prayers from the front are ",p:131,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for the health of the people in the church. What are they nonver-",p:131,x:90,y:167,w:480,h:16},
{t:"bally communicating? The highest priority is that the people in ",p:131,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"their church stay alive and have good health. This desire for life ",p:131,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and health has taken a higher priority than the glory of God. This ",p:131,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is wrong.",p:131,x:90,y:261,w:68,h:16},
{t:"Nathan Lutz is a man I highly respect who lives in Arizona. He ",p:131,x:120,y:284,w:453,h:16},
{t:"was my pastor for many years when Debby and I lived in Arizona. ",p:131,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"I remember having a conversation with him where he wrestled ",p:131,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"with the passion Cat Christians can have for living. He described ",p:131,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a prayer meeting he had attended. It was for missions. The prayers ",p:131,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"were slow and laborious. It was like pulling teeth to get some of ",p:131,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"them to pray for the simplest things. And then it happened. The ",p:131,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"focus changed.",p:131,x:90,y:447,w:109,h:16},
{t:"Someone broke the rules and prayed for something other ",p:131,x:120,y:471,w:458,h:16},
{t:"than missions—someone in the church who was in the hospital ",p:131,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and close to death. Then the prayer meeting came alive. Those ",p:131,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"who were slow to pray for advancing God’s kingdom overseas ",p:131,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"had no problem going before the throne of the Almighty to beg ",p:131,x:90,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Him to heal their friend from church. Whereas, just a few minutes ",p:131,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"earlier, it seemed like the prayer meeting was almost dead, life ",p:131,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"now overflowed. The prayers were loud, boisterous, and full of ",p:131,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"conviction. ",p:131,x:90,y:657,w:86,h:16},
{t:"What happened? The priority of missions (a low priority in ",p:131,x:120,y:681,w:456,h:16},
{t:"a Cat’s life) was replaced by a Cat’s highest priority: the life and ",p:131,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"health of those in the church. Now, they really had something to ",p:131,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"pray about.",p:131,x:90,y:751,w:82,h:16},
{t:"And what is so sad about a Cat’s number-one priority is that ",p:131,x:120,y:774,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the prayers for their lives and health rarely mention God’s glory. ",p:131,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"They are not praying, “Oh Father, for the sake of Your name and ",p:131,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for Your great reputation, heal this person. Oh Father, bring Your ",p:131,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"name great glory by taking away the cancer.” No, it’s all focused ",p:131,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"132",p:132,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:132,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"on the person getting healed. In their theology, they demand God’s ",p:132,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"healing because they think it’s all about them.",p:132,x:90,y:144,w:337,h:16},
{t:"I’ve heard of too many people who have lost their lives to ",p:132,x:120,y:167,w:456,h:16},
{t:"sickness because they would not go see a doctor. What was their ",p:132,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"reasoning? God was going to heal them by faith, and they didn’t ",p:132,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"need a doctor or any outside help. They went before God, expect-",p:132,x:90,y:237,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing in full faith for God to heal them. Claiming Scripture after ",p:132,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Scripture, they presumed to know God’s will.",p:132,x:90,y:284,w:335,h:16},
{t:"What was really happening? They were simply living out a ",p:132,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"wrong theology that said people’s lives are God’s highest priority. ",p:132,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Life is all about them. God would heal them because it is all about ",p:132,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"them. They expect God to give them seventy years or more. And if ",p:132,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"it doesn’t happen that way, then there must have been something ",p:132,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"wrong with the faith of the person who died. They have selectively ",p:132,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"listened and selectively applied scripture for so many years that ",p:132,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory is an absent priority. Suggest the idea that God may ",p:132,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"get more glory by taking them home early, and watch for their ",p:132,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"reactions. They tend to think God would never do that.",p:132,x:90,y:517,w:401,h:16},
{t:"If there is a healing, then they praise God and give Him great ",p:132,x:120,y:541,w:454,h:16},
{t:"glory. Why? God did what He was supposed to do: He healed ",p:132,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"the person. “He is faithful,” they cry. But without realizing it, ",p:132,x:90,y:587,w:487,h:16},
{t:"what they are saying is that God is faithful to them, (not Him). ",p:132,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"He did what they expected Him to do—as if God is supposed to ",p:132,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"bow down to us. God is under no obligation to be faithful to our ",p:132,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"expectations; God is only required to be faithful to Himself, and ",p:132,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Cats have trouble with that.",p:132,x:90,y:704,w:202,h:16},
{t:"Rarely is God’s glory the focal point of every area of Cats’",p:132,x:120,y:727,w:460,h:16},
{t:"lives. If someone dies early (and they don’t blame it on the person’s",p:132,x:90,y:751,w:492,h:16},
{t:"lack of faith), then they just shake their heads and say, “Well, I",p:132,x:90,y:774,w:491,h:16},
{t:"guess God’s glory is in there somewhere. We can’t figure it out, but",p:132,x:90,y:797,w:492,h:16},
{t:"all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.”",p:132,x:90,y:821,w:463,h:16},
{t:"One of the most balanced sermons I heard on this topic of ",p:132,x:120,y:844,w:456,h:16},
{t:"faith healing and God’s sovereignty was from Paul Goodman ",p:132,x:90,y:867,w:488,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:133,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"133",p:133,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"(who pastored a church in Mechanicsville, Virginia). Paul was ",p:133,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"giving the sermon on a very solemn occasion. Steve Watkins, a ",p:133,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"dear friend of Paul and the head deacon at their church, had come ",p:133,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"down with cancer. Rarely does a church rally behind their loved ",p:133,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"ones as much as this church did. Through the anointing of oil by ",p:133,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the elders and through the prayers of the church members, Steve ",p:133,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and his family were lifted up continually. ",p:133,x:90,y:261,w:307,h:16},
{t:"Yet God saw that bringing Steve home at the young age of ",p:133,x:120,y:284,w:456,h:16},
{t:"forty-one (leaving behind a wife and three boys) was going to ",p:133,x:90,y:307,w:487,h:16},
{t:"bring Him more glory than healing him. Because Steve saw God’s ",p:133,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"glory as a higher priority than his own life, he was able to ac-",p:133,x:90,y:354,w:479,h:16},
{t:"cept this with grace. At the funeral, Paul preached about Steve’s ",p:133,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"struggle to hold on to life for his sake and his family’s sake and his ",p:133,x:90,y:401,w:483,h:16},
{t:"desire to glorify the Lord in whatever way God chose.",p:133,x:90,y:424,w:397,h:16},
{t:"Dogs know that this is the balance. We have the right to ask ",p:133,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"God for healing and life, but we must also yield that right if our ",p:133,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"heavenly Father would gain more glory by taking anyone of us ",p:133,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"home early. It’s about God’s glory; it’s not about our healing.",p:133,x:90,y:517,w:452,h:16},
{t:"Many times the process (trusting God to be glorified in such ",p:133,x:120,y:541,w:455,h:16},
{t:"an ordeal) is just as glorious as the product (the death or healing ",p:133,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"itself). But for a Cat, the glory of God isn’t one of their top priori-",p:133,x:90,y:587,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ties (this is why it is incorrect). So they never give up the right ",p:133,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to live until there is no choice left for them. They never wrestle ",p:133,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with the apostle Paul’s words “To live is Christ and to die is gain” ",p:133,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(Philippians 1:21). In fact, Cats don’t believe that verse at all.",p:133,x:90,y:681,w:451,h:16},
{t:"Second Priority ",p:133,x:90,y:725,w:138,h:18},
{t:"So, if wanting to stay alive and be healthy is a Cat’s first ",p:133,x:120,y:750,w:457,h:16},
{t:"priority, what’s the second priority? We are convinced that the ",p:133,x:90,y:773,w:486,h:16},
{t:"number-two priority of Cats is their desire to be safe and secure. ",p:133,x:90,y:796,w:485,h:16},
{t:"How does this work itself out in their day-to-day lives?",p:133,x:90,y:820,w:404,h:16},
{t:"This security lies in the area of having good finances (a steady ",p:133,x:120,y:843,w:453,h:16},
{t:"monthly income, a nice retirement package), insurance for disas-",p:133,x:90,y:866,w:479,h:16},
{t:"134",p:134,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:134,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"ters, and a nice home. If Cats have all of this, then they’ll start to ",p:134,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"think about what they can do to serve the Lord. But note that it is ",p:134,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"after they get all of these things.",p:134,x:90,y:167,w:236,h:16},
{t:"How do we know this? It’s easy to find out. Challenge some",p:134,x:120,y:191,w:433,h:16},
{t:"-",p:134,x:564,y:191,w:6,h:16},
{t:"one to go overseas and serve the Lord. How do they respond?",p:134,x:90,y:214,w:469,h:16},
{t:"“Do mission agencies have retirement programs? Is it safe over",p:134,x:90,y:237,w:468,h:16},
{t:"there? I could never raise support. I could never leave my job.”",p:134,x:90,y:261,w:468,h:16},
{t:"Their number-two priority has been challenged, and they fight",p:134,x:90,y:284,w:469,h:16},
{t:"to keep it.",p:134,x:90,y:307,w:72,h:16},
{t:"Also look at the “white flight” that has happened over the years ",p:134,x:120,y:331,w:453,h:16},
{t:"in many larger cities. Churches that were the pillars of downtown ",p:134,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"areas have moved their main buildings to the suburbs. What is the ",p:134,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"reasoning? It’s not safe anymore in the inner city. Hence, they ",p:134,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"need to relocate. What does it communicate nonverbally? Security ",p:134,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is one of their top priorities! ",p:134,x:90,y:447,w:210,h:16},
{t:"Third Priority",p:134,x:90,y:492,w:122,h:18},
{t:"If Cats have their lives and health accompanied with safety ",p:134,x:120,y:516,w:444,h:16},
{t:"and security, Cats want more than anything else to be blessed. ",p:134,x:90,y:540,w:474,h:16},
{t:"The goal is a safe, soft, comfortable lifestyle that honors God. ",p:134,x:90,y:563,w:474,h:16},
{t:"(The emphasis though is on the safe, soft, comfortable part rather",p:134,x:90,y:586,w:468,h:16},
{t:"than on the honoring God part, but it all comes in the same sen",p:134,x:90,y:610,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:134,x:564,y:610,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tence—that’s why it’s so hard to tell the difference between the",p:134,x:90,y:633,w:468,h:16},
{t:"cat and dog theology in all of us!)",p:134,x:90,y:656,w:247,h:16},
{t:"Now many of these prayers aren’t the ones asked for in Sunday ",p:134,x:120,y:680,w:453,h:16},
{t:"school. Rarely is anyone going to get up and say, “Please join me ",p:134,x:90,y:703,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in asking God to give me the two free Super Bowl tickets that the ",p:134,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"potato chip company is giving away. God knows what a fan I am, ",p:134,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"so could you please ask God that those two would go to me out of ",p:134,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"all the people in this country?” Or how about, “Could you please ",p:134,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"join me in trusting God for more money? We really want to get ",p:134,x:90,y:820,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that second home on the lake. We’re so close, but we need a little ",p:134,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"bit more. So please join me in this prayer.”",p:134,x:90,y:867,w:314,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:135,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"135",p:135,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"No, those aren’t the types of prayer requests that we pray out ",p:135,x:120,y:121,w:454,h:16},
{t:"loud, but Cat spending patterns and lifestyles show that this really ",p:135,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is how they structure their priorities. They are in it for themselves. ",p:135,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"All you need to do is go to the average white, middle or upper-",p:135,x:90,y:191,w:480,h:16},
{t:"middle class church and walk through the parking lot to see what ",p:135,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"kinds of cars many of them drive. Most are geared toward what ",p:135,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"they really want—comfort and ease. Now there is nothing wrong ",p:135,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with a comfortable lifestyle and enjoying the fruit of one’s labor ",p:135,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"unless it becomes a higher priority than the glory of God, which ",p:135,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is incorrect.",p:135,x:90,y:331,w:86,h:16},
{t:"To further confirm this third priority, check out Cats’ social ",p:135,x:120,y:354,w:455,h:16},
{t:"calendars. What do they do with their free time? Is it all spent ",p:135,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"on themselves, golfing, tennis, or shopping? Or do you see them ",p:135,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"running first to an international friend’s home to pick them up to ",p:135,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"play golf, to play tennis, or to take them shopping and buying their ",p:135,x:90,y:447,w:483,h:16},
{t:"friend something as well? Are they going to prayer meetings and ",p:135,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"helping out with the youth, or is the great majority of their free ",p:135,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"time spent solely on the things they want to do?",p:135,x:90,y:517,w:349,h:16},
{t:"Let’s also not forget to look at the square footage of our homes. ",p:135,x:120,y:541,w:453,h:16},
{t:"This can be another indicator of what our priorities are. Size and ",p:135,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"space is something we expect, with all children “needing” their ",p:135,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"own rooms. Again, there is nothing wrong with large homes, but ",p:135,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"rarely do we hold on to them lightly, ready and willing to give them ",p:135,x:90,y:634,w:483,h:16},
{t:"up at any time to go and serve our heavenly Father as He sends us ",p:135,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"into the world. No. Cats are primarily in this Christianity thing for ",p:135,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"themselves. God has become a great (and spiritual) means toward ",p:135,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a Cat’s goal of selfish living. No wonder Christ talked about being ",p:135,x:90,y:727,w:483,h:16},
{t:"wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing.",p:135,x:90,y:751,w:260,h:16},
{t:"Fourth Priority ",p:135,x:90,y:795,w:137,h:18},
{t:"So what is a Cat’s fourth priority? It is this: Cats believe that ",p:135,x:120,y:820,w:454,h:16},
{t:"the local church is there only to meet their needs. In simple words, ",p:135,x:90,y:843,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the church exists for them! This is incorrect. Cats want their felt ",p:135,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"136",p:136,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:136,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"needs to be met by the local church. They’re not interested in their ",p:136,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"real needs or the real needs of the world. ",p:136,x:90,y:144,w:302,h:16},
{t:"Have you ever seen what often happens when a pastor sees ",p:136,x:120,y:167,w:456,h:16},
{t:"sin in a church member’s life and seeks to address it biblically by ",p:136,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"confronting the person? What do Cats do? Usually they go church ",p:136,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"shopping, looking for the next church that will satisfy them and ",p:136,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"where they can be comfortable, where they can go to church and ",p:136,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"still enjoy their sin. Why? In Cat Theology, the church is there to ",p:136,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"give them strokes, to please them, and to make them feel comfort-",p:136,x:90,y:307,w:480,h:16},
{t:"able—not to be “judgmental.”",p:136,x:90,y:331,w:220,h:16},
{t:"In Cat Theology, tithing is seen as a payment for services",p:136,x:120,y:354,w:460,h:16},
{t:"rendered. If they like the services (i.e., what the church is doing ",p:136,x:90,y:377,w:498,h:16},
{t:"for them and their family), then they’ll attend and give a certain ",p:136,x:90,y:401,w:498,h:16},
{t:"percentage to the church (not to the Lord). They only give to special",p:136,x:90,y:424,w:492,h:16},
{t:"funds if they will benefit from that project. If they have kids, they’ll",p:136,x:90,y:447,w:493,h:16},
{t:"help pay for the swing sets. If they don’t, they won’t. Theirs is a",p:136,x:90,y:471,w:492,h:16},
{t:"quid-pro-quo relationship—they pay for what they get.",p:136,x:90,y:494,w:402,h:16},
{t:"Cats would never consider giving to something outside of ",p:136,x:120,y:517,w:457,h:16},
{t:"their local needs because it wouldn’t benefit them. When the real ",p:136,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"needs of the world are exposed, Cats want to quietly and politely ",p:136,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"nap. And when the plate is passed around to give to missions, they ",p:136,x:90,y:587,w:483,h:16},
{t:"will break their own rules of just giving to local needs but only to ",p:136,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"relieve themselves of guilt. When the church wants to equip them ",p:136,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to minister to others, they run and complain. Why? It makes them ",p:136,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"feel too uncomfortable, and Cats don’t like to get outside of their ",p:136,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"comfort zones. ",p:136,x:90,y:704,w:113,h:16},
{t:"Fifth Priority ",p:136,x:90,y:749,w:119,h:18},
{t:"Depending on what denomination you come from, a Cat’s ",p:136,x:120,y:773,w:456,h:16},
{t:"fifth priority could be the statistics of their local church, or to ",p:136,x:90,y:796,w:474,h:16},
{t:"put it another way, the health of their local church. These Cat",p:136,x:90,y:820,w:468,h:16},
{t:"churches are constantly asking questions like, How many did ",p:136,x:90,y:843,w:476,h:16},
{t:"you have in Sunday school last week? How many salvation deci",p:136,x:90,y:866,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:136,x:564,y:866,w:6,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:137,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"137",p:137,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"sions did you have last year? How many baptisms did you hold ",p:137,x:90,y:121,w:474,h:16},
{t:"last month?",p:137,x:90,y:144,w:85,h:16},
{t:"To see if this is true in your own church, just look at the weekly ",p:137,x:120,y:167,w:453,h:16},
{t:"bulletin or check out the annual report and see what is primary. Is ",p:137,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it all about the glory of God, or is it all about numbers? You can ",p:137,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"usually get a pretty clear idea about what really drives the church. ",p:137,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Now is there anything wrong in having a focus on baptisms and ",p:137,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"numbers? No, not at all. But as you are well aware, it can become ",p:137,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a god in and of itself . . . this is wrong.",p:137,x:90,y:307,w:282,h:16},
{t:"In one part of greater Atlanta, there is an apartment complex ",p:137,x:120,y:331,w:455,h:16},
{t:"where seventy-five languages are spoken. What a ministry oppor-",p:137,x:90,y:354,w:479,h:16},
{t:"tunity to see our Father’s glory radiate! But one missions pastor in ",p:137,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Atlanta confessed that he was not allowed to talk about this min-",p:137,x:90,y:401,w:479,h:16},
{t:"istry opportunity. Why? If the ministry took place on a Sunday ",p:137,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"morning, the numbers of those attending their church would go ",p:137,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"down. This would mean their church’s position in the denomina-",p:137,x:90,y:471,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion wouldn’t be as high. ",p:137,x:90,y:494,w:187,h:16},
{t:"It was pure Cat Theology at its best. They were more wor-",p:137,x:120,y:517,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ried about their position in the denomination than about revealing ",p:137,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory to the lost. They would only minister to those without ",p:137,x:90,y:564,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Christ as long as it wouldn’t interfere with their standing. ",p:137,x:90,y:587,w:425,h:16},
{t:"Low Priorities",p:137,x:90,y:632,w:122,h:18},
{t:"Somewhere on down the priority list of a Cat is the glory of ",p:137,x:120,y:656,w:455,h:16},
{t:"God—just where, only they know. But it is usually an afterthought. ",p:137,x:90,y:680,w:483,h:16},
{t:"After a healing or some other blessing, they glorify God (because ",p:137,x:90,y:703,w:484,h:16},
{t:"He lived for them). After all, who wouldn’t praise a God whose ",p:137,x:90,y:726,w:485,h:16},
{t:"sole focus is their health and blessings and who made the world to ",p:137,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"revolve around them? ",p:137,x:90,y:773,w:164,h:16},
{t:"But if the blessings don’t come or if there is no healing, then ",p:137,x:120,y:796,w:455,h:16},
{t:"they cry out, “God, where were You?” What they are basically ",p:137,x:90,y:820,w:486,h:16},
{t:"saying is, “God, where were You when we were in need?” Rarely ",p:137,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"do Cats pray about or talk about God’s glory before the answer ",p:137,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"138",p:138,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:138,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"to their prayer comes. And when God doesn’t work in the way ",p:138,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"they were expecting, when their prayers aren’t answered in the ",p:138,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"way they were hoping, most just shake their heads and say, “I just ",p:138,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"don’t get it. I know He’s faithful, but I just don’t get it.”",p:138,x:90,y:191,w:410,h:16},
{t:"Why the struggle? They expect the faithfulness of God to be ",p:138,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"focused on them, their health, their lives—God was supposed to ",p:138,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"make them famous. They have no concept that God is faithful ",p:138,x:90,y:261,w:487,h:16},
{t:"to His glory. Only after scratching their heads for a while will ",p:138,x:90,y:284,w:487,h:16},
{t:"they begin to think about His glory and slowly and incredulously ",p:138,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"ask, “Now, how can God get glory out of this?” And even after ",p:138,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"asking the question, they won’t have a good answer. It will be ",p:138,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"something safe and scriptural like, “Well, all things work together ",p:138,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for good for those who love the Lord,” or “God will get glory ",p:138,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through all of this somehow,” or “We’ll only know why when we ",p:138,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"get to heaven.”",p:138,x:90,y:447,w:110,h:16},
{t:"Far below the glory of God in their list of priorities is a Cat’s ",p:138,x:120,y:471,w:454,h:16},
{t:"desire for missions. Why? It requires personal involvement, and ",p:138,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that means way too much sacrifice. Also there’s usually a lot of ",p:138,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"guilt associated with it. Hence, when Cats are forced to address ",p:138,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"missions, they’ll say things like, “What about all the needs of ",p:138,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"people right here?” or “Don’t throw away all the talents God has ",p:138,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"given you by going overseas,” or, the best one, “Why ruin their ",p:138,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"culture by changing their religion?”",p:138,x:90,y:634,w:261,h:16},
{t:"Dog Priorities",p:138,x:90,y:679,w:119,h:18},
{t:"Dogs, on the other hand, have a very different set of priori",p:138,x:120,y:703,w:433,h:16},
{t:"-",p:138,x:564,y:703,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ties. A Dog’s first and foremost priority is that God would be",p:138,x:90,y:726,w:468,h:16},
{t:"glorified. Dogs not only have this as their first priority, but it is ",p:138,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"also their passion.",p:138,x:90,y:773,w:131,h:16},
{t:"Dogs start out their prayers with words that basically com-",p:138,x:120,y:796,w:449,h:16},
{t:"municate, “Lord, for the sake of Your great name . . .” They are ",p:138,x:90,y:820,w:485,h:16},
{t:"constantly asking for God’s glory to shine in the events taking ",p:138,x:90,y:843,w:486,h:16},
{t:"place. Dogs also ask questions before any event that takes place ",p:138,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:139,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"139",p:139,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"like, “What will God get out of this?” or “Where is God’s glory in ",p:139,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"all of this?” or “How will this make God famous?”",p:139,x:90,y:144,w:373,h:16},
{t:"When Dogs are faced with a life-threatening situation, they ",p:139,x:120,y:167,w:456,h:16},
{t:"pray confidently and very boldly, “Lord, if You are going to get ",p:139,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"more glory by taking me home early, do it.” Death is not a scary ",p:139,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"thing. “Lord, if it brings You more honor and glory to take my ",p:139,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"spouse’s life away so that I have to raise a family by myself—that’s ",p:139,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"okay. Show me how to live.”",p:139,x:90,y:284,w:213,h:16},
{t:"These types of prayers aren’t prayed joyously. But they are ",p:139,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"prayed from the heart with deep conviction that it is about God’s ",p:139,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory, not about their own comfort, ease, and safety. Dogs some-",p:139,x:90,y:354,w:479,h:16},
{t:"times realize that, like our Lord, they must sacrifice their own joy ",p:139,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and pleasure for the advancement of God’s kingdom. At the heart ",p:139,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of it, Dogs have a passion for God’s glory.",p:139,x:90,y:424,w:312,h:16},
{t:"Now Dogs are not masochistic. They too like the blessings ",p:139,x:120,y:447,w:456,h:16},
{t:"that Jabez prayed for, and they aren’t shy about asking for them. ",p:139,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"But at the heart of it is God’s glory. Before praying for a large ",p:139,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"house, Dogs are mindful of how it might be used for God’s glory. ",p:139,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"So they go before God’s throne, asking for a larger house “for the ",p:139,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"sake of His name.”",p:139,x:90,y:564,w:139,h:16},
{t:"When thinking about purchasing a tent, camper, or time share, ",p:139,x:120,y:587,w:453,h:16},
{t:"they are motivated by the idea that days or weeks spent together ",p:139,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"as a family will result in a stronger family unit, giving their chil-",p:139,x:90,y:634,w:480,h:16},
{t:"dren a greater sense of security in God and in the family. So they ",p:139,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"stretch their budget, believing that God will be pleased with their ",p:139,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"motivation for the purchase.",p:139,x:90,y:704,w:206,h:16},
{t:"When thinking about adding on to a church building, Dogs ",p:139,x:120,y:727,w:456,h:16},
{t:"think secondarily about what it will mean to them and their kids. ",p:139,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Primarily they think about the new people who will be attracted ",p:139,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and brought into the kingdom and the new money that will be ",p:139,x:90,y:797,w:487,h:16},
{t:"raised for missions and advancing God’s kingdom.",p:139,x:90,y:821,w:373,h:16},
{t:"But remember that Dogs will give up those things quickly if ",p:139,x:120,y:844,w:455,h:16},
{t:"God’s kingdom would be more advanced in some other way. If ",p:139,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"140",p:140,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:140,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"they feel led to go overseas, they’ll quickly give up the large home. ",p:140,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"If they see it doing harm to God’s reputation, they’ll get rid of the ",p:140,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"boat, the tent, the camper, the car, and anything and everything. ",p:140,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Dogs don’t allow anything to detract from God’s glory shining in ",p:140,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and through them.",p:140,x:90,y:214,w:133,h:16},
{t:"And in light of missions, contrary to Cats, Dogs realize that ",p:140,x:120,y:237,w:457,h:16},
{t:"God’s greatest glory will shine when people from every tongue, ",p:140,x:90,y:261,w:498,h:16},
{t:"tribe, and nation are worshiping God. (For more on this subject, be",p:140,x:90,y:284,w:492,h:16},
{t:"sure to read Unveiled at Last by Bob Sjogren and Let the Nations Be ",p:140,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Glad by John Piper.) 14 As a result, a Dog’s highest priority is seeing ",p:140,x:90,y:330,w:492,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory go out to all the peoples of the earth.",p:140,x:90,y:354,w:361,h:16},
{t:"Dogs are always open to the possibility of personally serving ",p:140,x:120,y:377,w:454,h:16},
{t:"God overseas or supporting someone who does. But if they are ",p:140,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"called to stay home, then giving the children of their church a ",p:140,x:90,y:424,w:487,h:16},
{t:"vision for all nations is a high priority. Asking God for laborers to ",p:140,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"go into the harvest field is a constant prayer. Sacrificial giving for ",p:140,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the sake of other nations happens regularly. Short-term mission ",p:140,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"trips get funded. Long-term service overseas is always a possibil-",p:140,x:90,y:517,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ity. Dogs can’t wait to be in heaven around the throne with people ",p:140,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"from all nations!",p:140,x:90,y:564,w:122,h:16},
{t:"The priorities of Dogs and Cats are very different. Priorities",p:140,x:120,y:587,w:461,h:16},
{t:"show up in their lifestyles, their motivations, and their thought lives. ",p:140,x:90,y:611,w:496,h:16},
{t:"As a result of this, Dogs and Cats also pray very different prayers.",p:140,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Selective Theology",p:140,x:90,y:679,w:158,h:18},
{t:"Over time, wrong priorities give berth to a very selective ",p:140,x:120,y:703,w:458,h:16},
{t:"theology. By using selective theology, Cats justify those tough ",p:140,x:90,y:726,w:487,h:16},
{t:"passages or sticky situations by interpreting the Scriptures the ",p:140,x:90,y:750,w:487,h:16},
{t:"way they want. Remember, this kind of reasoning is based on the ",p:140,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"premise that it’s all about us. With this incorrect foundation come ",p:140,x:90,y:796,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wrong thology.",p:140,x:90,y:820,w:112,h:16},
{t:"For instance, let’s take the topic of divorce. Maybe you’ve ",p:140,x:120,y:843,w:456,h:16},
{t:"heard a loving someone, a mother perhaps, as she tries to comfort ",p:140,x:90,y:866,w:484,h:16},
{t:"WROnG PRIORITIESAnD SELECTIvE THEOLOGY",p:141,x:278,y:77,w:292,h:17},
{t:"141",p:141,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"her son or daughter who is facing a possible divorce. “Look, if ",p:141,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"it’s not working out and you’re experiencing deep emotional pain, ",p:141,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"God wants you happy,” she says. “So although it’s not the best, go ",p:141,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"ahead and get a divorce. Just do it. God doesn’t want you miser-",p:141,x:90,y:191,w:480,h:16},
{t:"able like this.” ",p:141,x:90,y:214,w:111,h:16},
{t:"There wasn’t a word in there about God’s desire or His glory; ",p:141,x:120,y:237,w:454,h:16},
{t:"it was all about the person’s happiness. Does God want people ",p:141,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to be happy? Yes, God wants us happy, more than we could ever ",p:141,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"imagine! But He wants us happy in Him as we obey Him. Because ",p:141,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"we leave out the “in Him” (not incorrect, but incomplete), it moves ",p:141,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"from being incomplete to being incorrect (wanting our happiness ",p:141,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in our spouse and not God himself.) God will not justify sin just ",p:141,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"because it makes someone happy. It is our happiness in Him that ",p:141,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"He is concerned about, not merely our happiness alone.",p:141,x:90,y:424,w:406,h:16},
{t:"Other hot topics fit here too. Let’s look at the topic of homo-",p:141,x:120,y:447,w:449,h:16},
{t:"sexuality. Some might say, “This is the way that God designed ",p:141,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"me. If God made me this way, I guess it’s okay. After all, I’m ",p:141,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"going to be faithful to my partner. And what harm is really being ",p:141,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"done anyhow?”",p:141,x:90,y:541,w:114,h:16},
{t:"With a people-centered theology, the answer is none. But if ",p:141,x:120,y:564,w:456,h:16},
{t:"your focus is on the glory of God, you’d not only be getting a ",p:141,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"different answer, you’d also be asking a different set of questions. ",p:141,x:90,y:611,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God is clear. He doesn’t approve of homosexuality. That’s not ",p:141,x:90,y:634,w:487,h:16},
{t:"the way God designed humanity to work, even if it isn’t harming ",p:141,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"anyone. And if God isn’t pleased, it shouldn’t be done. It’s not ",p:141,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"about what we like or want. We must remember, everything is ",p:141,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"here for His pleasure, not ours. If it doesn’t please God, don’t do ",p:141,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it, no matter how “politically correct” it looks.",p:141,x:90,y:751,w:339,h:16},
{t:"These issues move from the micro (small topics in our theol-",p:141,x:120,y:774,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ogy) to the macro (big topics in our theology), with things like ",p:141,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"annihilation theology. Annihilation theology states that after a ",p:141,x:90,y:821,w:488,h:16},
{t:"certain period of time, God simply annihilates those who are in ",p:141,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"hell. He’s a God of love and doesn’t want them to suffer for long. ",p:141,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"142",p:142,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:142,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"The thinking behind it is this: I know I’ve sinned, but my sin isn’t ",p:142,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that big. Why should anyone have to pay an eternal penalty for a ",p:142,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"finite sin? Temporal sin cannot be worthy of infinite penalty. If ",p:142,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"I’m going to hell, I should just pay for a certain amount of sin, and ",p:142,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"then God probably zaps me and I no longer exist. ",p:142,x:90,y:214,w:366,h:16},
{t:"Note that annihilation theology focuses on people, a Cat",p:142,x:120,y:237,w:429,h:16},
{t:"theologian’s delight! It tries to find an acceptable solution, one",p:142,x:90,y:261,w:456,h:16},
{t:"that doesn’t give us too much discomfort yet answers the bigger",p:142,x:90,y:284,w:457,h:16},
{t:"question of what happens to sinners who are suffering eternally ",p:142,x:90,y:307,w:461,h:16},
{t:"after death. Annihilation theology stems not from what God ",p:142,x:90,y:331,w:466,h:16},
{t:"said but from Cat Theology. Cats end up saying something dif",p:142,x:90,y:354,w:451,h:16},
{t:"-",p:142,x:564,y:354,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ferent from what God said.",p:142,x:90,y:377,w:198,h:16},
{t:"What Cats have failed to realize is that it’s not about the years ",p:142,x:120,y:401,w:454,h:16},
{t:"of sin they may have committed in their lifetimes. It’s about an ",p:142,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"eternal God who is infinitely glorious, and that glory has been ",p:142,x:90,y:447,w:487,h:16},
{t:"rejected. Because the glory they have offended is infinite, their ",p:142,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"penalty will be eternal. Dogs focus on an eternal God with infinite ",p:142,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory; Cats focus on people and the sin they’ve committed.",p:142,x:90,y:517,w:432,h:16},
{t:"Cat Theology can come up with other examples of erro",p:142,x:120,y:541,w:424,h:16},
{t:"-",p:142,x:564,y:541,w:6,h:16},
{t:"neous thinking that go way beyond the Word of God. Let’s",p:142,x:90,y:564,w:459,h:16},
{t:"look at Universalism. Universalism asks, How could a loving ",p:142,x:90,y:587,w:464,h:16},
{t:"God send anybody to hell? He must not if He’s a God of love. ",p:142,x:90,y:611,w:463,h:16},
{t:"Therefore, everyone will get to heaven. If this is true, then ",p:142,x:90,y:634,w:465,h:16},
{t:"there’s no real need for missions. People will go to heaven ",p:142,x:90,y:657,w:466,h:16},
{t:"anyway. If it is all about people, God is just going to let every",p:142,x:90,y:681,w:450,h:16},
{t:"-",p:142,x:564,y:681,w:6,h:16},
{t:"body into heaven! Surely God wouldn’t want, or allow, anyone",p:142,x:90,y:704,w:458,h:16},
{t:"to suffer. (Remember, it’s about people!) Cats overlook God’s",p:142,x:90,y:727,w:457,h:16},
{t:"sense of justice.",p:142,x:90,y:751,w:116,h:16},
{t:"With selective theology, Cats eliminate whatever could endan",p:142,x:120,y:774,w:454,h:16},
{t:"-",p:142,x:564,y:774,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ger humanity in a broad way. They rationalize it away and choose",p:142,x:90,y:797,w:491,h:16},
{t:"theologies that are “politically correct” and safe for them. They ",p:142,x:90,y:821,w:499,h:16},
{t:"interpret Scripture the way they choose, and tolerance becomes the",p:142,x:90,y:844,w:491,h:16},
{t:"key. Make everyone happy. Why? Cats think, “It’s all about us.”",p:142,x:90,y:867,w:474,h:16},
{t:"143",p:143,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"13",p:143,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Life Is Supposed to be fair",p:143,x:144,y:226,w:371,h:39},
{t:"Children can add such perspective to life (and give great ex-",p:143,x:90,y:349,w:480,h:64},
{t:"amples to use as an introduction to the chapter of a book)! As I ",p:143,x:90,y:411,w:485,h:16},
{t:"(Bob) am writing this book, I am at a “boot camp” for ninety chil-",p:143,x:90,y:434,w:480,h:16},
{t:"dren, ages seven to eighteen, who are training for an outreach pro-",p:143,x:90,y:458,w:479,h:16},
{t:"gram through our church. Our group, Bridge Builders, has taken ",p:143,x:90,y:481,w:485,h:16},
{t:"over the church for one week. All ninety kids, along with many ",p:143,x:90,y:504,w:485,h:16},
{t:"parents, are sleeping on the floors, showering outside in bathing ",p:143,x:90,y:528,w:485,h:16},
{t:"suits in temporary showers, eating together, praying together, and ",p:143,x:90,y:551,w:484,h:16},
{t:"worshiping together. ",p:143,x:90,y:574,w:156,h:16},
{t:"Every day, all ninety get trained in choreography so they can ",p:143,x:120,y:598,w:454,h:16},
{t:"dance to songs. They then go out and perform in public places, ",p:143,x:90,y:621,w:486,h:16},
{t:"using that as a springboard to share their faith. While we do this ",p:143,x:90,y:644,w:485,h:16},
{t:"every year, this year there’s a little difference. We’ve got a new ",p:143,x:90,y:668,w:485,h:16},
{t:"leader teaching the choreography. You see, this is my kids’ third ",p:143,x:90,y:691,w:485,h:16},
{t:"year, and they know what to expect. Last year my two older ones ",p:143,x:90,y:714,w:484,h:16},
{t:"were kept out of dancing to certain songs because of their age. It ",p:143,x:90,y:738,w:485,h:16},
{t:"was only for the older kids. All last year we kept hearing, “But ",p:143,x:90,y:761,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that’s not fair. We can do it just as well.” They were pretty much ",p:143,x:90,y:784,w:484,h:16},
{t:"correct, but those were the rules.",p:143,x:90,y:808,w:238,h:16},
{t:"But now they are older. They came with a new perspective. ",p:143,x:120,y:831,w:444,h:16},
{t:"Yes, this year things were going to be different because they ",p:143,x:90,y:854,w:485,h:16},
{t:"were going to be needed in every song. But a snag came up. ",p:143,x:90,y:878,w:476,h:16},
{t:"144",p:144,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:144,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"James, this year’s choreographer, is new to Bridge Builders. He",p:144,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"doesn’t know the “rules,” and he doesn’t need to. He has his own ",p:144,x:90,y:144,w:472,h:16},
{t:"rules. And his rules say that all kids of all ages are going to dance",p:144,x:90,y:167,w:467,h:16},
{t:"in these songs. Now my older kids are saying the same thing as ",p:144,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"last year to a different tune. “Hey, that’s not fair! We had to ",p:144,x:90,y:214,w:475,h:16},
{t:"wait; they should too.” What wasn’t fair last year (because they ",p:144,x:90,y:237,w:473,h:16},
{t:"couldn’t have it) should now be the rule (because now they’re",p:144,x:90,y:261,w:469,h:16},
{t:"included)!",p:144,x:90,y:284,w:75,h:16},
{t:"My kids go through a lot of anguish because of one simple ",p:144,x:120,y:307,w:456,h:16},
{t:"principle. They think life is supposed to be fair. They got this from ",p:144,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the Cat Theology around them. This is another one of its great ",p:144,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"dangers, which is incorrect. Cats always think life is supposed to ",p:144,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be fair. When it’s not, when they encounter the traumas of daily ",p:144,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life, they cry out, “Oh, but that’s not fair, God.” ",p:144,x:90,y:424,w:354,h:16},
{t:"Is God Fair?",p:144,x:90,y:469,w:108,h:18},
{t:"To gain greater insight and understanding into this trouble-",p:144,x:120,y:493,w:449,h:16},
{t:"some situation, we’re going to look at three case studies of people ",p:144,x:90,y:516,w:484,h:16},
{t:"in the Bible who encountered various ways of revealing God’s ",p:144,x:90,y:540,w:486,h:16},
{t:"glory: the first is Jabez, whose story is told in 1 Chronicles 4:10, ",p:144,x:90,y:563,w:485,h:16},
{t:"(the now-famous book entitled The Prayer of Jabez is based ",p:144,x:90,y:586,w:488,h:16},
{t:"on this passage); the second is a nameless young girl found in ",p:144,x:90,y:610,w:487,h:16},
{t:"2 Kings 5:1–15; and the third is Stephen, who is probably more ",p:144,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"familiar. His story is found in Acts 6–7. ",p:144,x:90,y:656,w:296,h:16},
{t:"Let’s look at our first case study. We don’t know much about ",p:144,x:120,y:680,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Jabez. The Bible only records a short mention of his birth and a ",p:144,x:90,y:703,w:485,h:16},
{t:"prayer he prayed. The paragraph given to his story tells us Jabez ",p:144,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"cried out to God, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my ",p:144,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so ",p:144,x:90,y:773,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that I will be free from pain” (1 Chronicles 4:10). ",p:144,x:90,y:797,w:367,h:16},
{t:"As we analyze his prayer, we find it’s made up of five simple ",p:144,x:120,y:820,w:454,h:16},
{t:"requests, not unlike the ones that we may pray.",p:144,x:90,y:843,w:344,h:16},
{t:"LIfE IS SuPPOSED TO bE fAIR",p:145,x:394,y:77,w:176,h:17},
{t:"145",p:145,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"1.  Bless me. ",p:145,x:120,y:121,w:98,h:16},
{t:"2.  Enlarge my territory. ",p:145,x:120,y:151,w:181,h:16},
{t:"3.  May Your hand be with me. ",p:145,x:120,y:182,w:234,h:16},
{t:"4.  Keep me from harm. ",p:145,x:120,y:213,w:180,h:16},
{t:"5.  I want zero pain. ",p:145,x:120,y:244,w:150,h:16},
{t:"How does God respond to this? After all we’ve talked about ",p:145,x:120,y:291,w:455,h:16},
{t:"so far, this sounds like a prime example of a Cat’s “It’s–all–about–",p:145,x:90,y:314,w:480,h:16},
{t:"me” prayer. So how does God deal with this man? Does He say, ",p:145,x:90,y:337,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“Hey buddy, buck up. I’m going to send My Son to the cross ",p:145,x:90,y:361,w:487,h:16},
{t:"where He’ll endure great pain. He’s going to have nails driven ",p:145,x:90,y:384,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through His hands and feet. He’s going to be crowned with thorns, ",p:145,x:90,y:407,w:483,h:16},
{t:"whipped and lashed until blood is coming out of His back, and ",p:145,x:90,y:431,w:486,h:16},
{t:"He’s going to sweat blood. Remember this: All who desire to be ",p:145,x:90,y:454,w:485,h:16},
{t:"godly and live godly lives will be persecuted. You need to get ",p:145,x:90,y:477,w:486,h:16},
{t:"used to that, so toughen up. Learn to bear your own cross!” ",p:145,x:90,y:501,w:438,h:16},
{t:"He could have said that, but He didn’t. As we read on, we find ",p:145,x:120,y:524,w:465,h:16},
{t:"that God granted his request. He what? He granted his request?",p:145,x:90,y:547,w:491,h:16},
{t:"Yes, you read that right. (You probably already knew that because, ",p:145,x:90,y:571,w:485,h:16},
{t:"odds are, you’ve read The Prayer of Jabez). God, in essence, said, ",p:145,x:90,y:594,w:489,h:16},
{t:"“You’ve got it, the whole nine yards. It’s yours, and I want you to ",p:145,x:90,y:617,w:497,h:16},
{t:"have it!” (Nowhere in this book have we said, “God doesn’t want",p:145,x:90,y:641,w:491,h:16},
{t:"to bless you.” We’re only cautioning against focusing on the idea",p:145,x:90,y:664,w:491,h:16},
{t:"that God lives for you and lives to bless you, as though that were a",p:145,x:90,y:687,w:491,h:16},
{t:"higher priority than radiating His own glory.)",p:145,x:90,y:711,w:332,h:16},
{t:"Next, let’s move on to our second character. We don’t know ",p:145,x:120,y:734,w:455,h:16},
{t:"her name, so we’ll have to be satisfied with just calling her a ",p:145,x:90,y:757,w:487,h:16},
{t:"young girl. Her story is found in 2 Kings 5. As we begin reading, ",p:145,x:90,y:781,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we need to be aware of the context. This young Jewish girl was ",p:145,x:90,y:804,w:485,h:16},
{t:"taken captive in war to a foreign land and enslaved. Her mistress ",p:145,x:90,y:827,w:485,h:16},
{t:"was the wife of Naaman, the second in command of the enemy ",p:145,x:90,y:851,w:486,h:16},
{t:"146",p:146,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:146,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"army. That man, who was greatly responsible for all her woes, ",p:146,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"contracted leprosy. She then spoke to her mistress about him.",p:146,x:90,y:144,w:449,h:16},
{t:"In order to better understand this girl’s predicament, keep in ",p:146,x:120,y:167,w:455,h:16},
{t:"mind some of the behind-the-scene activities. After having heard ",p:146,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"story after story about what has happened in French-speaking ",p:146,x:90,y:214,w:488,h:16},
{t:"West Africa during some of their recent civil wars, we can almost ",p:146,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"guarantee that the following is well within the possibility of what ",p:146,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"happened to this young girl. In front of her, Naaman or his men ",p:146,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"probably commited the following acts:",p:146,x:90,y:307,w:284,h:16},
{t:"1. ",p:146,x:120,y:354,w:18,h:16},
{t:"raped her mother",p:146,x:150,y:354,w:125,h:16},
{t:"2. ",p:146,x:120,y:386,w:18,h:16},
{t:"killed her father",p:146,x:150,y:386,w:117,h:16},
{t:"3. ",p:146,x:120,y:417,w:18,h:16},
{t:"killed her older brothers ",p:146,x:150,y:417,w:181,h:16},
{t:"4. ",p:146,x:120,y:449,w:18,h:16},
{t:"raped her and took her away to be a slave ",p:146,x:150,y:449,w:308,h:16},
{t:"Think of all the emotional baggage this young girl carried ",p:146,x:120,y:504,w:457,h:16},
{t:"inside herself. Talk about dysfunctional! Whew, she would be off ",p:146,x:90,y:527,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the chart! Now it might make sense if we were to read that she ",p:146,x:90,y:551,w:486,h:16},
{t:"said to her mistress, “It serves him right.” While that would be ",p:146,x:90,y:574,w:486,h:16},
{t:"an understandable response to a series of unfair events, it’s not ",p:146,x:90,y:597,w:486,h:16},
{t:"what she said. Instead, she said, “If only my master would see the ",p:146,x:90,y:621,w:484,h:16},
{t:"prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy” ",p:146,x:90,y:644,w:486,h:16},
{t:"(2 Kings 5:3). ",p:146,x:90,y:667,w:106,h:16},
{t:"Did we read that correctly? This girl probably went through ",p:146,x:120,y:691,w:455,h:16},
{t:"all of the heartbreak and turmoil listed above, and yet she still ",p:146,x:90,y:714,w:487,h:16},
{t:"knew forgiveness? She still had a heart for God’s glory? Yes, that ",p:146,x:90,y:737,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is what the text says. What resulted from her kindness? You know ",p:146,x:90,y:761,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the story. Naaman went to the prophet and got healed. Then he ",p:146,x:90,y:784,w:486,h:16},
{t:"stood before the prophet and said, “Now I know there is no God in ",p:146,x:90,y:807,w:483,h:16},
{t:"all the world except in Israel” (2 Kings 5:16).",p:146,x:90,y:831,w:333,h:16},
{t:"This man, a Gentile, the “number two” man in authority ",p:146,x:120,y:854,w:437,h:16},
{t:"in his country’s army, stood up and testified about the God of",p:146,x:90,y:877,w:457,h:16},
{t:"LIfE IS SuPPOSED TO bE fAIR",p:147,x:394,y:77,w:176,h:17},
{t:"147",p:147,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Israel. Naaman, a Gentile leader, acknowledged God just be",p:147,x:90,y:121,w:452,h:16},
{t:"-",p:147,x:564,y:121,w:6,h:16},
{t:"cause a young girl knew forgiveness ",p:147,x:90,y:144,w:271,h:16},
{t:"and had a heart for God’s",p:147,x:375,y:144,w:186,h:16},
{t:"glory! ",p:147,x:90,y:167,w:50,h:16},
{t:"Third, let’s move on to the life of Stephen, found in Acts 6–7",p:147,x:120,y:191,w:456,h:16},
{t:". ",p:147,x:566,y:191,w:9,h:16},
{t:"You are probably familiar with the story of Stephen. The Bible ",p:147,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"says Stephen was full of grace and power. It tells us that he did ",p:147,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"great wonders and performed miraculous signs among the people. ",p:147,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"But the Sanhedrin opposed him, and they got others to lie about ",p:147,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"him. He was arrested and taken into court. ",p:147,x:90,y:307,w:314,h:16},
{t:"As the public heard his testimony, many covered their ears, ",p:147,x:120,y:331,w:444,h:16},
{t:"yelled at the top of their voices, rushed at him, dragged him out",p:147,x:90,y:354,w:468,h:16},
{t:"of the city, and stoned him. Stephen was stoned to death even ",p:147,x:90,y:377,w:475,h:16},
{t:"though he was full of God’s grace and power. (Isn’t it interesting ",p:147,x:90,y:401,w:471,h:16},
{t:"that you can be full of the power of God and still be stoned to ",p:147,x:90,y:424,w:474,h:16},
{t:"death?)",p:147,x:90,y:447,w:53,h:16},
{t:"The Wrong Question",p:147,x:90,y:492,w:180,h:18},
{t:"Now let’s review. We’ve looked at three lives. One was com-",p:147,x:120,y:516,w:449,h:16},
{t:"pletely blessed (Jabez), one lived through a hell-on-earth experi-",p:147,x:90,y:540,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ence in order to touch a Gentile’s life (the young girl), and one ",p:147,x:90,y:563,w:486,h:16},
{t:"was full of God’s power and grace and yet was stoned to death ",p:147,x:90,y:586,w:486,h:16},
{t:"(Stephen)—three totally different lives. ",p:147,x:90,y:610,w:293,h:16},
{t:"Now here’s a simple question for you: Which life was God ",p:147,x:120,y:633,w:456,h:16},
{t:"fair to? The one He completely blessed, the one who had to go ",p:147,x:90,y:656,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through suffering to touch a Gentile, or the one who was stoned ",p:147,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to death? While that is a question most people would accept, it’s ",p:147,x:90,y:703,w:485,h:16},
{t:"really the wrong question to ask. Life wasn’t designed to be fair. ",p:147,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Where did we ever get that idea?",p:147,x:90,y:750,w:241,h:16},
{t:"Life was designed to be a series of events to reveal God’s ",p:147,x:120,y:773,w:457,h:16},
{t:"glory and point us and others to that glory. That is what life is all ",p:147,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"about! Paul writes, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you ",p:147,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If that is ",p:147,x:90,y:843,w:484,h:16},
{t:"true, that our purpose is to live for His glory, let’s ask a different ",p:147,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"148",p:148,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:148,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"question: Which of these lives pointed themselves or others to ",p:148,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory? The one completely blessed? The young girl who ",p:148,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"touched a Gentile’s life? Or the man full of God’s power and ",p:148,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"grace who was still stoned to death? ",p:148,x:90,y:191,w:269,h:16},
{t:"Naturally the answer is that all three glorified God. One did it",p:148,x:120,y:214,w:461,h:16},
{t:"by asking God to bless him. God did. And Jabez gave God glory for",p:148,x:90,y:237,w:491,h:16},
{t:"it. This demonstrated the grace and benevolence of God as a Father. ",p:148,x:90,y:261,w:496,h:16},
{t:"The young Jewish girl knew forgiveness even though she had gone",p:148,x:90,y:284,w:491,h:16},
{t:"through a hellish life. All of this greatly pointed to God’s glory liv",p:148,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:148,x:564,y:307,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing through her. She was used to influence a Gentile man of great",p:148,x:90,y:331,w:491,h:16},
{t:"authority and to show God’s desire to reach people from all nations. ",p:148,x:90,y:354,w:496,h:16},
{t:"The third one we still talk about today as an example of a man who ",p:148,x:90,y:377,w:496,h:16},
{t:"saw such value in God that he was willing to die for it.",p:148,x:90,y:401,w:400,h:16},
{t:"Paul understood this idea. Look again, even more closely, at ",p:148,x:120,y:424,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Romans 11:36, “For from him and through him and to him are ",p:148,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"most things.” Is that what it says? No! The Bible doesn’t say, ",p:148,x:90,y:471,w:487,h:16},
{t:"“most things;” it says, “all things.” “For from him and through ",p:148,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"him and to him are all things.” How many is all? Well, it’s all. ",p:148,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"All—not some, a lot of, or a great majority of. It’s all!",p:148,x:90,y:541,w:396,h:16},
{t:"The trees are to point us to God; the heavens declare His ",p:148,x:120,y:564,w:457,h:16},
{t:"glory; the uniqueness of His botanical creations demonstrate His ",p:148,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"creativity; the birth of a child is marvelous, and a lion’s roar points ",p:148,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to God. Car accidents are to point us to God; cancer is to point us ",p:148,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to God; heart attacks are to point us to God; an early death is to ",p:148,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"point us to God. All things are to point us and others to Him—not ",p:148,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"most, a lot of, or even the vast majority of, but all things.",p:148,x:90,y:704,w:418,h:16},
{t:"R. C. Sproul, in his book The Invisible Hand, says it this ",p:148,x:120,y:727,w:458,h:16},
{t:"way: “For the Christian, every tragedy is ultimately a blessing, ",p:148,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"or God is a liar.” 15 That is, everything, not just the good things, ",p:148,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"is designed to bring us to God. Anything that brings us to our ",p:148,x:90,y:797,w:487,h:16},
{t:"knees is a blessing because life is designed to help us come to ",p:148,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"a one-on-one encounter with the living God. And if something ",p:148,x:90,y:844,w:487,h:16},
{t:"happens that causes us to get down on our knees, it is ultimately ",p:148,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"LIfE IS SuPPOSED TO bE fAIR",p:149,x:394,y:77,w:176,h:17},
{t:"149",p:149,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"a blessing because it points us to what life is all about—knowing ",p:149,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Him, worshiping Him, and praising Him. ",p:149,x:90,y:144,w:307,h:16},
{t:"There is nothing that can come into a Dog’s life that cannot ",p:149,x:120,y:167,w:455,h:16},
{t:"point him or her to God. Hence, life is all about pointing to the ",p:149,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"glory of God in the midst of blessings and in the midst of tough ",p:149,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"times. It all brings about opportunities to glorify God. That is why ",p:149,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Corrie ten Boom could still worship God in a German concentra-",p:149,x:90,y:261,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion camp.",p:149,x:90,y:284,w:77,h:16},
{t:"A Dog’s key verse is found in Habakkuk 3:17–18:",p:149,x:120,y:307,w:369,h:16},
{t:"Though the fig tree does not bud  ",p:149,x:150,y:356,w:248,h:16},
{t:"and there are no grapes on the vines,  ",p:149,x:180,y:381,w:276,h:16},
{t:"though the olive crop fails  ",p:149,x:150,y:406,w:201,h:16},
{t:"and the fields produce no food,  ",p:149,x:180,y:431,w:237,h:16},
{t:"though there are no sheep in the pen  ",p:149,x:150,y:456,w:274,h:16},
{t:"and no cattle in the stalls,  ",p:149,x:180,y:481,w:195,h:16},
{t:"yet I will rejoice in the lord,  ",p:149,x:150,y:502,w:223,h:21},
{t:"I will be joyful in God my Savior.",p:149,x:180,y:531,w:249,h:16},
{t:"Cats, on the other hand, only see blessings as being from God, ",p:149,x:120,y:564,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and they expect blessings, to always come out on top, and to al-",p:149,x:90,y:587,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ways be winners. When the bad things come, they make a cross ",p:149,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with their two fingers, as if resisting a vampire, and say, “Get thee ",p:149,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"behind me, Satan.” Dogs know that Christ didn’t promise ease and ",p:149,x:90,y:657,w:483,h:16},
{t:"comfort in this life or that Christianity would be easy. Life was ",p:149,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"designed to be a series of opportunities to live out and radiate the ",p:149,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"glory of God!",p:149,x:90,y:727,w:100,h:16},
{t:"151",p:150,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"14",p:150,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Christian Humanism",p:150,x:187,y:226,w:286,h:39},
{t:"Eight words literally changed my adult life. I (Bob) remem-",p:150,x:90,y:349,w:479,h:64},
{t:"ber them clearly. They came at the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant on ",p:150,x:90,y:411,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Alma School Road in Mesa, Arizona, just north of the Superstition ",p:150,x:90,y:434,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Freeway (Route 60). It was just on the right, heading north. We ",p:150,x:90,y:458,w:485,h:16},
{t:"didn’t go there often, but we did enjoy it. The memory is vivid in ",p:150,x:90,y:481,w:484,h:16},
{t:"my mind. Debby and I needed a date alone as a couple. Our four ",p:150,x:90,y:504,w:485,h:16},
{t:"young kids were under the age of six, so it was our turn. We had ",p:150,x:90,y:528,w:485,h:16},
{t:"picked up the babysitter and were out for the night. Little did I ",p:150,x:90,y:551,w:486,h:16},
{t:"know what was coming.",p:150,x:90,y:574,w:178,h:16},
{t:"I somehow sensed something was wrong. I figured the date ",p:150,x:120,y:598,w:456,h:16},
{t:"would fix it. But no date could ever have fixed this problem. We ",p:150,x:90,y:621,w:485,h:16},
{t:"started talking about trivial things, but there was something miss-",p:150,x:90,y:644,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing. We were halfway through dinner when the words came. They ",p:150,x:90,y:668,w:484,h:16},
{t:"were bolts of lightning out of the sky, sending up a warning flare ",p:150,x:90,y:691,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that I needed to heed.",p:150,x:90,y:714,w:157,h:16},
{t:"“Honey,” Debby finally said, “I need to tell you something.”",p:150,x:120,y:738,w:445,h:16},
{t:"“What is it?” I said, hoping to myself that it would be some-",p:150,x:120,y:761,w:449,h:16},
{t:"thing I could fix quickly (like a man from Mars!).",p:150,x:90,y:784,w:364,h:16},
{t:"She hesitated, then finally said, “You’re no fun to live with ",p:150,x:120,y:808,w:456,h:16},
{t:"anymore.”",p:150,x:90,y:831,w:76,h:16},
{t:"I was stunned. “Me, no fun?” I thought to myself. I’d never",p:150,x:120,y:854,w:460,h:16},
{t:"thought of it that way. I was way too busy raising up laborers for",p:150,x:90,y:878,w:492,h:16},
{t:"152",p:151,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:151,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"the Muslim world to think about having fun. These were eternal",p:151,x:90,y:121,w:491,h:16},
{t:"destinies I was worrying about—I didn’t have time to have ",p:151,x:90,y:144,w:463,h:16},
{t:"fun. ",p:151,x:543,y:144,w:32,h:16},
{t:"Little did I know that I was steeped in “evangelical humanism.” But",p:151,x:90,y:167,w:492,h:16},
{t:"before we even look at that, let’s talk about humanism as a whole.",p:151,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Humanism is defined as a system of thought or actions con-",p:151,x:120,y:214,w:449,h:16},
{t:"cerned with the interests and ideals of people. Translating that ",p:151,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"definition into simpler terms, we might assert that humanism pro-",p:151,x:90,y:261,w:479,h:16},
{t:"claims that the reason for all existence is humanity’s happiness. ",p:151,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"It’s all about us and making certain we are happy. ",p:151,x:90,y:307,w:370,h:16},
{t:"Humanism says if you want to take drugs, that’s okay as long ",p:151,x:120,y:331,w:454,h:16},
{t:"as you’re happy! If you want to sleep around, that’s okay too as ",p:151,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"long as you’re happy! And if you want to cheat on your taxes, ",p:151,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that’s understandable as long as you’re happy! Just make sure you ",p:151,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"are happy. Humanism has so permeated our culture that it has even ",p:151,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"quietly crept into our Christianity, creating two types of Christian ",p:151,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"humanism. The first type of Christian humanism is one we call ",p:151,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“liberal humanism.” The second type is “evangelical humanism.” ",p:151,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Let’s begin by looking at liberal humanism.",p:151,x:90,y:517,w:321,h:16},
{t:"Liberal Humanism",p:151,x:90,y:562,w:162,h:18},
{t:"Liberal Christian humanism says, The chief end of Christianity ",p:151,x:120,y:586,w:452,h:16},
{t:"is the happiness of people here on earth. This is incorrect. Liberal ",p:151,x:90,y:610,w:484,h:16},
{t:"churches and denominations have embraced liberal humanism. A ",p:151,x:90,y:633,w:484,h:16},
{t:"liberal humanist would say that Christ died to make us happy now, ",p:151,x:90,y:656,w:483,h:16},
{t:"here on earth! The goodness of God is focused on mankind. God ",p:151,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"made all of creation for us. Jesus died to give us the good life. ",p:151,x:90,y:703,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Angels exist to serve people. I go to church because I’ve got needs ",p:151,x:90,y:726,w:483,h:16},
{t:"that can be met there. God exists to take care of me and bless me! ",p:151,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"It’s all about me.",p:151,x:90,y:773,w:124,h:16},
{t:"A perfect example of this is seen in two of my son’s friends",p:151,x:120,y:797,w:428,h:16},
{t:"who are also brothers. They have a special TV show that they ",p:151,x:90,y:820,w:463,h:16},
{t:"love to watch, but their mom (our close friend as well) is very ",p:151,x:90,y:843,w:482,h:16},
{t:"careful about how much time they spend in front of the televi",p:151,x:90,y:867,w:451,h:16},
{t:"-",p:151,x:564,y:867,w:6,h:16},
{t:"CHRISTIAn HumAnISm",p:152,x:428,y:77,w:142,h:17},
{t:"153",p:152,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"sion and how much time they spend in God’s Word. So she",p:152,x:90,y:121,w:460,h:16},
{t:"made a deal with her sons. They could watch their half-hour of",p:152,x:90,y:144,w:457,h:16},
{t:"television if, prior to the show, they had spent half an hour in ",p:152,x:90,y:167,w:462,h:16},
{t:"God’s Word. ",p:152,x:90,y:191,w:100,h:16},
{t:"Well guess what? They started reading their Bibles on a ",p:152,x:120,y:214,w:459,h:16},
{t:"regular basis! Why? They wanted to watch a television show. ",p:152,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"The emphasis was on what they wanted, not on the fact that God ",p:152,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"was someone wonderful to spend time with. This motivation and ",p:152,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"thinking is so typical of Cats. They play the Christian game with ",p:152,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God so that they can be blessed! In their hearts, Cats are basically ",p:152,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"saying, “Lord, I became a Christian because I wanted You to bless ",p:152,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"me. So bless me, Lord; pour it on!”",p:152,x:90,y:377,w:259,h:16},
{t:"If, as Cats think, the purpose of God and all creation is to bless ",p:152,x:120,y:401,w:453,h:16},
{t:"us, and our purpose is to be blessed, how can we best be blessed? ",p:152,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"The liberal Cat humanist would say, “God wants to bless us with ",p:152,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"things and good health.” Many Cat Christians are certain that is ",p:152,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"what the Christian life is all about. God blessed Abraham with a ",p:152,x:90,y:494,w:485,h:16},
{t:"long life and things. God blessed Solomon with things when he ",p:152,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"only asked for wisdom, and He gave him a long life. It must be all ",p:152,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"about things and a long life.",p:152,x:90,y:564,w:204,h:16},
{t:"Admittedly, not many liberal Cat humanists would openly say ",p:152,x:120,y:587,w:453,h:16},
{t:"this, but in private it would seem they believe it and live it. With ",p:152,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"regard to “things,” this is the card of “materialism” that Satan has ",p:152,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"dealt to them. Their prayer lives are solely focused on asking God ",p:152,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for things! As a result, Satan has deceived many into focusing on ",p:152,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the good life while missing the holy life. He deludes them into ",p:152,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"thinking the good life is the same as the Christian life, and the ",p:152,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"easier, softer, and more comfortable it is, the more spiritual you ",p:152,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"must be. With regard to a long life, this is the card of “health.” ",p:152,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Many people believe that if they don’t live to the ripe old age of at ",p:152,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"least seventy, there must be sin in their lives.",p:152,x:90,y:821,w:328,h:16},
{t:"Why is Satan happy when Christians seek God for good things ",p:152,x:120,y:844,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and a long life? The focus is no longer on God or His glory. This ",p:152,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"154",p:153,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:153,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"is why it is wrong. The Cat is basically saying, “Give me what I ",p:153,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"want, then I’ll praise You.” While the idea insinuates that God ",p:153,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"will receive glory, it’s contingent upon us getting the stuff we ",p:153,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"desire. In actuality, Cats live for themselves, not God. ",p:153,x:90,y:191,w:399,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately we see this all too often. It manifests itself in ",p:153,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"the form of “health and wealth theology.” And it often encourages ",p:153,x:90,y:237,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Christians to “name it and claim it!” It tells us that God wants ",p:153,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"us to be rich. It focuses on trusting God to supply all our needs ",p:153,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"with His riches. These things may not be incorrect, but they are ",p:153,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"very incomplete in their message. The focus of these messages is ",p:153,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"not on God. The focus is on people! Is it wrong to be rich in this ",p:153,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"world? No. But if the riches take you away from focusing on God ",p:153,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and His glory, then your priorities are mixed up, your theology is ",p:153,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"wrong, and God is not pleased. Remember, He is a jealous God.",p:153,x:90,y:424,w:469,h:16},
{t:"But it is not only things that Satan gets us to focus on. Along ",p:153,x:120,y:447,w:430,h:16},
{t:"with the wrong priorities, Satan gets liberal humanists to focus",p:153,x:90,y:471,w:457,h:16},
{t:"on the simple ideal ",p:153,x:90,y:494,w:145,h:16},
{t:"of being happy! There was a young pastor",p:153,x:243,y:494,w:312,h:16},
{t:"of a struggling church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose wife",p:153,x:90,y:517,w:457,h:16},
{t:"abruptly left him. He went before the elders and asked them",p:153,x:90,y:541,w:458,h:16},
{t:"what he should do. The elders got together and talked about it. ",p:153,x:90,y:564,w:461,h:16},
{t:"In weighing the pros and cons, they considered how it would ",p:153,x:90,y:587,w:473,h:16},
{t:"affect him to try to save the marriage and how it would affect",p:153,x:90,y:611,w:457,h:16},
{t:"the church. Should he leave and try to save the marriage or",p:153,x:90,y:634,w:458,h:16},
{t:"stay and let her go? They concluded that the best thing for him",p:153,x:90,y:657,w:457,h:16},
{t:"and the church was to let her go so he could stay in Pittsburgh. ",p:153,x:90,y:681,w:461,h:16},
{t:"They did not consider how it would affect God or His reputa",p:153,x:90,y:704,w:452,h:16},
{t:"-",p:153,x:564,y:704,w:6,h:16},
{t:"tion. Their shortsighted focus was centered on the happiness of",p:153,x:90,y:727,w:473,h:16},
{t:"the pastor and the church.",p:153,x:90,y:751,w:188,h:16},
{t:"Too many Christians have received advice from one who is ",p:153,x:120,y:774,w:456,h:16},
{t:"reputed to offer “biblical” counseling only to find that advice ",p:153,x:90,y:797,w:488,h:16},
{t:"says, God wants you happy, and since this marriage is tearing you ",p:153,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"up, go ahead and get a divorce. What does this type of counsel ",p:153,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"communicate? Life is all about being happy! And if your marriage ",p:153,x:90,y:867,w:483,h:16},
{t:"CHRISTIAn HumAnISm",p:154,x:428,y:77,w:142,h:17},
{t:"155",p:154,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"isn’t working out, if you’ve tried to reconcile and things just aren’t ",p:154,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"getting better, get rid of the marriage. Drop it. You’ll be happier ",p:154,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"divorced. It’s all about you.",p:154,x:90,y:167,w:202,h:16},
{t:"Evangelical Humanism",p:154,x:90,y:212,w:198,h:18},
{t:"Liberal Christianity is not alone in embracing humanism. ",p:154,x:120,y:236,w:458,h:16},
{t:"Evangelical Christianity has been influenced by it too. Satan has a ",p:154,x:90,y:260,w:484,h:16},
{t:"special card for evangelical, spirit-filled Cats. He knows that evan-",p:154,x:90,y:283,w:480,h:16},
{t:"gelical Cats don’t focus on health and material things as much as ",p:154,x:90,y:306,w:484,h:16},
{t:"others may, so he focuses their attention on the salvation of others. ",p:154,x:90,y:330,w:483,h:16},
{t:"“That’s right,” he says, “it’s not about things; it’s about minister-",p:154,x:90,y:353,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing and giving to others, so they can have eternal life too!”",p:154,x:90,y:376,w:430,h:16},
{t:"While it is true that one of the ways God chooses to reveal ",p:154,x:120,y:400,w:456,h:16},
{t:"His glory is by having us reach out to others, Satan gets our atten-",p:154,x:90,y:423,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion focused on these things to such a degree that saving the lost ",p:154,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"becomes a greater priority than God and His glory. This is wrong. ",p:154,x:90,y:470,w:484,h:16},
{t:"This unique way of revealing the glory of God can be blown out ",p:154,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"of proportion so greatly that it can take over the entire Christian ",p:154,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life. To keep us motivated and focused in this area, Satan continu-",p:154,x:90,y:540,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ally reminds us, “Don’t forget the lost; it’s about the lost. They’re ",p:154,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"going to hell. Focus on the lost.”",p:154,x:90,y:587,w:239,h:16},
{t:"While liberal Christian humanism says, Christianity is",p:154,x:120,y:610,w:440,h:16},
{t:"about making people happy while they are on earth, evangelical",p:154,x:90,y:633,w:468,h:16},
{t:"Christian humanism says, The chief end of Christianity is the",p:154,x:90,y:657,w:469,h:16},
{t:"happiness of people after they die. In other words, make sure",p:154,x:90,y:680,w:469,h:16},
{t:"people don’t go to hell!",p:154,x:90,y:703,w:172,h:16},
{t:"Did you catch the difference? One focuses on people before ",p:154,x:120,y:727,w:455,h:16},
{t:"death, and one focuses on people after death. But both focus on ",p:154,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"people. Why would Satan encourage us to think this way? It re-",p:154,x:90,y:773,w:479,h:16},
{t:"places God and His glory as the supreme center of our lives! Our ",p:154,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"attention is on making sure people don’t go to hell after they die. ",p:154,x:90,y:820,w:484,h:16},
{t:"So we do everything we can to save people from hell. We motivate ",p:154,x:90,y:843,w:483,h:16},
{t:"people into missions through guilt with comments like, “Thirty-",p:154,x:90,y:867,w:480,h:16},
{t:"156",p:155,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:155,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"seven thousand Muslims died today and immediately went to hell. ",p:155,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"What did you do about it?” And all the while, Satan is telling us, ",p:155,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“People are going to hell unless you step out to do more, give ",p:155,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"more, or go to the mission field.” ",p:155,x:90,y:191,w:247,h:16},
{t:"Right now, your mind may be reeling. You may be trying to ",p:155,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"figure out what could possibly be wrong with keeping people out ",p:155,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of hell, and you may be ready to toss this book aside. But stay with ",p:155,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"us because the truth of this may set you free from guilt. ",p:155,x:90,y:284,w:409,h:16},
{t:"Is there anything wrong with saving people from hell? Of ",p:155,x:120,y:307,w:457,h:16},
{t:"course not. Then how can it be bad? It is bad in the same way ",p:155,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that everything else has been bad. It can replace the priorities of ",p:155,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"seeing, knowing, and enjoying God’s glory and doing everything ",p:155,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for His glory. It removes God’s glory from its place of primacy ",p:155,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and puts people in its place. This can be seen in many areas of the ",p:155,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Christian life.",p:155,x:90,y:447,w:100,h:16},
{t:"At one large missions conference in England, there were ",p:155,x:120,y:471,w:458,h:16},
{t:"times for the missionaries to share about their ministries. Some ",p:155,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"had messages of victory; others only gave prayer requests for vic-",p:155,x:90,y:517,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tory. Each one who spoke about people coming to know Christ ",p:155,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"(and churches that were started) received a tremendous round of ",p:155,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"applause. The auditorium erupted with cheers. But missionaries ",p:155,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"who talked about walking with God, yet who hadn’t seen fruit ",p:155,x:90,y:611,w:487,h:16},
{t:"among their target people, received no applause. What was be-",p:155,x:90,y:634,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing communicated nonverbally at this missions conference? It’s ",p:155,x:90,y:657,w:486,h:16},
{t:"primarily about people coming to know Christ and a little about ",p:155,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the glory of the Father. ",p:155,x:90,y:704,w:173,h:16},
{t:"For those missionaries who had learned the language, perse-",p:155,x:120,y:727,w:449,h:16},
{t:"vered in building relationships, stayed on the field in spite of frus-",p:155,x:90,y:751,w:479,h:16},
{t:"tration and fatigue, were revealing the glory of God through their ",p:155,x:90,y:774,w:484,h:16},
{t:"patience and pain, and only gave prayer requests—there was no ",p:155,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"celebration for them. At that meeting, it wasn’t about God’s glory ",p:155,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"shining through their perseverance; it was about the lost world and ",p:155,x:90,y:844,w:483,h:16},
{t:"getting them into heaven.",p:155,x:90,y:867,w:186,h:16},
{t:"CHRISTIAn HumAnISm",p:156,x:428,y:77,w:142,h:17},
{t:"157",p:156,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Frontiers, a missions organization, seeks to counter this. ",p:156,x:120,y:121,w:448,h:16},
{t:"They start off their mission statement by saying, “Our passion ",p:156,x:90,y:144,w:482,h:16},
{t:"is to glorify God by planting churches that lead to movements",p:156,x:90,y:167,w:469,h:16},
{t:"among all Muslim peoples.” The first and primary focus is on ",p:156,x:90,y:191,w:475,h:16},
{t:"the glory of God. Then they talk about how they do that through ",p:156,x:90,y:214,w:472,h:16},
{t:"reaching Muslims.",p:156,x:90,y:237,w:136,h:16},
{t:"When mankind was first created, Adam and Eve worshiped ",p:156,x:120,y:261,w:456,h:16},
{t:"God. They had one-on-one intimacy with the living God. They ",p:156,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"sought Him and wanted to walk in the garden with Him in the cool ",p:156,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of the day. But when sin entered, Adam and Eve were separated ",p:156,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"from God. No longer did they desire fellowship with Him; instead, ",p:156,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"they hid from His presence.",p:156,x:90,y:377,w:203,h:16},
{t:"But Jesus’ death brought salvation, and while mankind no ",p:156,x:120,y:401,w:457,h:16},
{t:"longer has to die without hope, neither do we have to live without ",p:156,x:90,y:424,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s fellowship. The cross was designed to not only save us ",p:156,x:90,y:447,w:487,h:16},
{t:"from hell but also bring us back into fellowship with God in order ",p:156,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to restore us to that one-on-one intimacy and our worship of Him. ",p:156,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Remember, it’s about walking toward heaven, not walking away ",p:156,x:90,y:517,w:485,h:16},
{t:"from hell!",p:156,x:90,y:541,w:73,h:16},
{t:"But Satan has many people stuck on the theme of saving ",p:156,x:120,y:564,w:458,h:16},
{t:"people from hell. Evangelical Cats can become so focused on ",p:156,x:90,y:587,w:487,h:16},
{t:"saving people from hell that they tend to forget glorifying God ",p:156,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"through their marriage, their parenting, and their own worship. ",p:156,x:90,y:634,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Evangelism and reaching people has become an end in itself, not ",p:156,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"a means toward the overall goal of glorifying God. Their focus is ",p:156,x:90,y:681,w:484,h:16},
{t:"on saving people rather than bringing them to the throne of God. ",p:156,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Again, Cats have been deceived by Satan. ",p:156,x:90,y:727,w:312,h:16},
{t:"You can see examples of this on a regular basis. Unfortunately, ",p:156,x:120,y:751,w:440,h:16},
{t:"it is not all that uncommon to hear of wives leaving their hus",p:156,x:90,y:774,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:156,x:564,y:774,w:6,h:16},
{t:"bands while they are in seminary. What is going on there? The ",p:156,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"husband can become so consumed in preparing to minister to ",p:156,x:90,y:821,w:476,h:16},
{t:"people that he forgets to reveal the glory of God in his marriage. ",p:156,x:90,y:844,w:477,h:16},
{t:"And when he is finally ready to minister, the wife can think, “If",p:156,x:90,y:867,w:468,h:16},
{t:"158",p:157,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:157,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"this is the way it is going to be our entire married life, I’m out",p:157,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"of here.” ",p:157,x:90,y:144,w:70,h:16},
{t:"You can also see this in the lives of some pastors. Their kids ",p:157,x:120,y:167,w:455,h:16},
{t:"are rebellious, their marriages are failing, and their lives are a ",p:157,x:90,y:191,w:487,h:16},
{t:"wreck, but they think that’s just the price they have to pay for ",p:157,x:90,y:214,w:486,h:16},
{t:"saving people for Jesus. They are focused on bringing others to ",p:157,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Christ but not on showing, displaying, and radiating God’s glory ",p:157,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in their personal and home lives. Sometimes we’re so impressed ",p:157,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with their ministries that we excuse everything else. We look at ",p:157,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"people being won to Christ and think, “How can I challenge that?” ",p:157,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Many don’t get challenged and end up divorcing years later. But ",p:157,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you can and should challenge it because our lives are not about ",p:157,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"people; they are about revealing God’s glory in every area of our ",p:157,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lives and to all the nations of the earth!",p:157,x:90,y:424,w:286,h:16},
{t:"God is glorified when we reach out to people but not when it",p:157,x:120,y:447,w:460,h:16},
{t:"replaces a glorious, jealous God on His throne. Too many mission",p:157,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"-",p:157,x:564,y:471,w:6,h:16},
{t:"aries have come home from the field so consumed with reaching ",p:157,x:90,y:494,w:497,h:16},
{t:"their target people for Christ that they’ve overlooked godliness in ",p:157,x:90,y:517,w:498,h:16},
{t:"their marriage and parenting. Then once they are home, they end ",p:157,x:90,y:541,w:497,h:16},
{t:"up getting a divorce. Why? They forgot to demonstrate the glory ",p:157,x:90,y:564,w:497,h:16},
{t:"of God in their marriages. They forgot to show the glory of God in ",p:157,x:90,y:587,w:496,h:16},
{t:"their parenting. They were so consumed with reaching others for",p:157,x:90,y:611,w:491,h:16},
{t:"Christ, that in the process, they dropped other priorities, responsi",p:157,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:157,x:564,y:634,w:6,h:16},
{t:"bilities, and obligations that were just as precious.",p:157,x:90,y:657,w:366,h:16},
{t:"You see, to some degree, Cats have deified humanity. If we ",p:157,x:120,y:681,w:455,h:16},
{t:"are liberal Christian humanists, we put ourselves on the throne ",p:157,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"with God and possibly even kick Him off without realizing it. ",p:157,x:90,y:727,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Why? There is not enough room for us, Him, and all those things ",p:157,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"He blesses us with. ",p:157,x:90,y:774,w:145,h:16},
{t:"But if we’re evangelical humanists, we’ve put the lost world ",p:157,x:120,y:797,w:455,h:16},
{t:"on the throne. Because it looks so Christian, so spiritual, so good, ",p:157,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and it seems to be pleasing to God, we are rarely challenged on ",p:157,x:90,y:844,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it. But the lost world should never replace God on His throne. ",p:157,x:90,y:867,w:487,h:16},
{t:"CHRISTIAn HumAnISm",p:158,x:428,y:77,w:142,h:17},
{t:"159",p:158,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"With Christian humanism, there is a liberal form and there is an ",p:158,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"evangelical form. We must guard against living in either extreme, ",p:158,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"for both have replaced God with people.",p:158,x:90,y:167,w:295,h:16},
{t:"The Rescue Mission versus the Treasure Hunt",p:158,x:90,y:212,w:393,h:18},
{t:"I (Bob) finally figured out why I rarely share my faith with ",p:158,x:120,y:236,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Americans. (Put me around international people, no problem, ",p:158,x:90,y:260,w:488,h:16},
{t:"but Americans?) I realized that I didn’t have “good news” to tell ",p:158,x:90,y:283,w:485,h:16},
{t:"anyone!",p:158,x:90,y:306,w:59,h:16},
{t:"Think about it. What was I going to say, “Hey John, do you ",p:158,x:120,y:330,w:455,h:16},
{t:"want to receive Jesus Christ into your life, guaranteeing you eter-",p:158,x:90,y:353,w:480,h:16},
{t:"nal salvation? And then you too can have your wife tell you that ",p:158,x:90,y:376,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you’re no fun anymore. You too can be worried about one billion ",p:158,x:90,y:400,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Muslims going to hell. You too can burn your candle at both ends ",p:158,x:90,y:423,w:484,h:16},
{t:"trying to ‘save’ every one of them, and you too can walk around ",p:158,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"under the weight of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese world, wor-",p:158,x:90,y:470,w:479,h:16},
{t:"rying about all those going to hell. Accept this gospel, and you can ",p:158,x:90,y:493,w:483,h:16},
{t:"be a perfect candidate for burnout and have a mild depression for ",p:158,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"most of the remainder of your life!”",p:158,x:90,y:540,w:262,h:16},
{t:"That isn’t good news for me or anyone else. That is why my ",p:158,x:120,y:563,w:455,h:16},
{t:"wife sat me down and had a forthright talk with me. The Bible ",p:158,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"reminded me: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in ",p:158,x:90,y:610,w:485,h:16},
{t:"a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy ",p:158,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). ",p:158,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I realized that for the majority of my Christian life, I had been on ",p:158,x:90,y:680,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a rescue mission saving Muslims from hell. I hadn’t been on a ",p:158,x:90,y:703,w:486,h:16},
{t:"treasure hunt seeking and delighting in the true and living God. ",p:158,x:90,y:727,w:486,h:16},
{t:"And there is a huge difference between the two. Sure I had quiet ",p:158,x:90,y:750,w:485,h:16},
{t:"times. Sure I worshiped the Lord. But it was an occasional glance ",p:158,x:90,y:773,w:484,h:16},
{t:"over my shoulder in the morning, and then for the rest of my day, ",p:158,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I was facing hell, seeking to rescue people.",p:158,x:90,y:820,w:315,h:16},
{t:"Mark it well. Many evangelicals are on rescue missions, not",p:158,x:120,y:843,w:439,h:16},
{t:"treasure hunts. The purpose of the ministry of UnveilinGLORY",p:158,x:90,y:867,w:474,h:16},
{t:"160",p:159,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:159,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"is to prevent people from living that kind of life. Why? We know",p:159,x:90,y:121,w:468,h:16},
{t:"the danger of a life that has people as its focus and not God. We",p:159,x:90,y:144,w:468,h:16},
{t:"don’t want you to live your life busy on a rescue mission saving ",p:159,x:90,y:167,w:472,h:16},
{t:"people from hell and forgetting the glory of God in other areas. ",p:159,x:90,y:191,w:473,h:16},
{t:"We’d rather your life be seen and understood as one that has",p:159,x:90,y:214,w:469,h:16},
{t:"found the treasure and points others to the treasure hunt. Those",p:159,x:90,y:237,w:468,h:16},
{t:"who have found the treasure will naturally want to encourage",p:159,x:90,y:261,w:469,h:16},
{t:"others to join them. Those who are merely on a rescue mission ",p:159,x:90,y:284,w:474,h:16},
{t:"can lose their families, their ministries, and their very lives while",p:159,x:90,y:307,w:467,h:16},
{t:"trying to save others.",p:159,x:90,y:331,w:153,h:16},
{t:"When Greg Livingstone took over the leadership of a mission ",p:159,x:120,y:354,w:454,h:16},
{t:"agency, he decided to go and visit the missionaries on the field. ",p:159,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"When he arrived, he figured out why Muslims weren’t coming to ",p:159,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"know Christ. He figured the Muslims were saying, “Hey, you’re ",p:159,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"walking around depressed with tons of guilt on your shoulders. ",p:159,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Life looks terrible for you. Whatever it is you’ve got, I don’t want ",p:159,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"it.” Some of those missionaries he encouraged to go home and feel ",p:159,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"good about themselves.",p:159,x:90,y:517,w:172,h:16},
{t:"Contrary to all liberal and evangelical humanism, Dogs say the ",p:159,x:120,y:541,w:453,h:16},
{t:"chief end of Christianity is not to be happy (either before or after ",p:159,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"death), but rather it is to glorify God. Happiness is not the primary ",p:159,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"product of the Christian life; it is a byproduct of delighting in God. ",p:159,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"If you receive the gift of happiness while you glorify God, that’s ",p:159,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"great. But happiness is not the primary goal; it is secondary.",p:159,x:90,y:657,w:439,h:16},
{t:"We are here to point to, to radiate, and to reveal His glory in ",p:159,x:120,y:681,w:455,h:16},
{t:"a multitude of ways. When we see God’s glory shining through ",p:159,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"us and realize that it is what life is all about, we can find joy in ",p:159,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the fact that we are fulfilling the very purpose for which we were ",p:159,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"created!",p:159,x:90,y:774,w:59,h:16},
{t:"a neW TWisT",p:160,x:245,y:323,w:201,h:44},
{t:"—",p:160,x:312,y:373,w:36,h:44},
{t:"inDiv iDually anD Corpora",p:160,x:120,y:416,w:362,h:38},
{t:"Tely ",p:160,x:492,y:416,w:58,h:38},
{t:"glorifyin g goD ",p:160,x:214,y:454,w:241,h:38},
{t:"163",p:161,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"When you go into the military, an interesting thing happens. ",p:161,x:90,y:319,w:485,h:64},
{t:"They change you completely. They do this by cutting your hair, ",p:161,x:90,y:381,w:485,h:16},
{t:"giving you a new set of clothes to wear, and breaking you down ",p:161,x:90,y:405,w:485,h:16},
{t:"physically and emotionally, only to build you back up. Within ",p:161,x:90,y:428,w:487,h:16},
{t:"months there’s a whole new you!",p:161,x:90,y:451,w:243,h:16},
{t:"In a similar sense, this is what we have tried to do to you ",p:161,x:120,y:475,w:457,h:16},
{t:"in this book. We’ve constantly told you, “It’s not about you, it’s ",p:161,x:90,y:498,w:485,h:16},
{t:"not about you, it’s not about you,” hopefully stripping you down ",p:161,x:90,y:521,w:485,h:16},
{t:"emotionally to the point where you are willing to focus on God ",p:161,x:90,y:545,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and His glory. And now that you understand this, we want to tell ",p:161,x:90,y:568,w:485,h:16},
{t:"you something new: it’s all about you! What? It’s all about us? ",p:161,x:90,y:591,w:486,h:16},
{t:"How can that be?",p:161,x:90,y:615,w:127,h:16},
{t:"In the next chapter, we want you to see that the best way you ",p:161,x:120,y:638,w:454,h:16},
{t:"can individually glorify God is by delighting in Him and in Him ",p:161,x:90,y:661,w:485,h:16},
{t:"alone! And in doing that, you’ll find your greatest joy. Living pas-",p:161,x:90,y:685,w:479,h:16},
{t:"sionately for God’s glory and seeking your greatest happiness are ",p:161,x:90,y:708,w:484,h:16},
{t:"not mutually exclusive!",p:161,x:90,y:731,w:173,h:16},
{t:"In chapter 15, we want you to learn how to see life in a",p:161,x:120,y:755,w:439,h:16},
{t:"totally different way: as one big worship service for the King. ",p:161,x:90,y:778,w:474,h:16},
{t:"We have taught this material to thousands of believers and are",p:161,x:90,y:801,w:468,h:16},
{t:"constantly getting reports of changed lives. Our lives too are be",p:161,x:90,y:825,w:461,h:16},
{t:"-",p:161,x:564,y:825,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing changed. As you read this, we hope that you become more",p:161,x:90,y:848,w:469,h:16},
{t:"like a Dog as well.",p:161,x:90,y:871,w:136,h:16},
{t:"164",p:162,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:162,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"In the last chapter, we hope that you’ll make the transition from",p:162,x:120,y:121,w:461,h:16},
{t:"individually glorifying God through your personal delight in Him to ",p:162,x:90,y:144,w:495,h:16},
{t:"corporately bringing Him the greatest glory possible as a part of the ",p:162,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"human race. The latter is done only one way: by redeeming people",p:162,x:90,y:191,w:491,h:16},
{t:"from every tongue, tribe, and nation! Global glory will take on a",p:162,x:90,y:214,w:491,h:16},
{t:"whole new perspective as you begin to fall in love with God in fresh ",p:162,x:90,y:237,w:496,h:16},
{t:"ways and seek to take His glory to the nations! In a nutshell, you’ll",p:162,x:90,y:261,w:492,h:16},
{t:"discover that true Dogs are world Christians!",p:162,x:90,y:284,w:329,h:16},
{t:"165",p:163,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"15",p:163,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"It’s All about You!",p:163,x:205,y:226,w:250,h:39},
{t:"Her name was Jennifer. She was young, employed, and mar-",p:163,x:90,y:408,w:480,h:64},
{t:"ried to a wonderful man. Like every young bride, she had lots of ",p:163,x:90,y:470,w:485,h:16},
{t:"plans—their own home with a white picket fence, nice cars, and ",p:163,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"beautiful furniture. It was the great American dream. Life was go-",p:163,x:90,y:517,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ing her way. But over the span of a few years, Jennifer’s life began ",p:163,x:90,y:540,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to change. She and her husband began to drift apart, without even ",p:163,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"realizing it. And then her greatest fear became a reality: another ",p:163,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"woman came into the picture. Her husband committed adultery. ",p:163,x:90,y:610,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Jennifer was emotionally crushed and soon divorced. All of her ",p:163,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"dreams were shattered.",p:163,x:90,y:657,w:168,h:16},
{t:"Through all of this, Jennifer began to seek after God. She had ",p:163,x:120,y:680,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to. She had nowhere else to go. She found she had nothing left, ",p:163,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and as a result, cried out to God for a relationship with Him. She ",p:163,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"also began to hunger for God’s Word as never before. Throughout ",p:163,x:90,y:750,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the entire ordeal, Jennifer became a strong Christian. Today she ",p:163,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"is in full-time Christian work, serving on the staff of Frontiers, ",p:163,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"a mission agency that works to plant churches throughout the ",p:163,x:90,y:820,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Muslim world.",p:163,x:90,y:844,w:108,h:16},
{t:"Larry Crabb, in his excellent book Shattered Dreams, basi-",p:163,x:120,y:867,w:449,h:16},
{t:"166",p:164,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:164,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"cally tells us that God is in the business of shattering our dreams.16",p:164,x:90,y:120,w:480,h:16},
{t:"Cats can’t understand this because they think, “God doesn’t shat-",p:164,x:90,y:144,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ter our dreams; He loves us!” But Dogs understand it. Dogs know ",p:164,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"that God wants to shatter every dream we have that is not of Him. ",p:164,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God wants us to have the very best, and the very best happens to ",p:164,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be Himself. Anything less than that is settling for second best, and ",p:164,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Christ didn’t die to give us second best. Therefore, He does (or ",p:164,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"allows) whatever it takes to get us to give up our inferior dreams ",p:164,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and begin to seek Him as our only source of joy. This is what God ",p:164,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"allowed to happen in Jennifer’s life. The great American dream ",p:164,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"was replaced with an unending hunger for Him!",p:164,x:90,y:354,w:351,h:16},
{t:"In Cat and Dog Theology, we have been constantly telling ",p:164,x:120,y:377,w:457,h:16},
{t:"you, “It’s not about you.” What have we meant by that? Simply ",p:164,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that it is not about you finding your life’s meaning and purpose ",p:164,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"in things other than God and His glory. Now that you understand ",p:164,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"this, we want to tell you, “It is about you!” It’s about you being ",p:164,x:90,y:471,w:485,h:16},
{t:"your happiest in God and God alone.",p:164,x:90,y:494,w:270,h:16},
{t:"No one communicates this better than John Piper. To write a ",p:164,x:120,y:517,w:455,h:16},
{t:"chapter that adequately describes this as well as he does is chal-",p:164,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"lenging, especially since his book Desiring God communicates ",p:164,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"it so well.17 In this chapter, you’ll find many of the Scriptures ",p:164,x:90,y:587,w:487,h:16},
{t:"and principles he uses. We encourage you, if you haven’t read ",p:164,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Desiring God, to get it, read it (two, three, and four times), and ",p:164,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"allow God to use it to change your life!",p:164,x:90,y:657,w:288,h:16},
{t:"Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God doesn’t want you ",p:164,x:120,y:681,w:444,h:16},
{t:"happy. Cats might think that this is what Cat and Dog Theology ",p:164,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is trying to say, but it is not. In fact, the Bible (and this book)",p:164,x:90,y:727,w:467,h:16},
{t:"says just the opposite. Jesus came to give us an abundant life",p:164,x:90,y:751,w:468,h:16},
{t:"(John 10:10). But this abundant life is not found in things; in",p:164,x:90,y:774,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:164,x:564,y:774,w:6,h:16},
{t:"stead, it is discovered in God Himself! By delighting in Him, we",p:164,x:90,y:797,w:468,h:16},
{t:"will experience the greatest happiness and joy available in this",p:164,x:90,y:821,w:468,h:16},
{t:"life. Yes, the Bible does talk about dying to oneself, but ",p:164,x:90,y:844,w:425,h:16},
{t:"this is ",p:164,x:525,y:844,w:50,h:16},
{t:"different from finding your joy in God alone. Look at the texts",p:164,x:90,y:867,w:468,h:16},
{t:"following.",p:164,x:90,y:891,w:75,h:16},
{t:"IT'S ALL AbOuT YOu!",p:165,x:444,y:77,w:126,h:17},
{t:"167",p:165,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but ",p:165,x:150,y:121,w:363,h:16},
{t:"whoever loses his life for me will fnd it. (Matthew ",p:165,x:150,y:142,w:363,h:20},
{t:"16:25, emphasis added)",p:165,x:150,y:171,w:173,h:16},
{t:"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or ",p:165,x:150,y:219,w:365,h:16},
{t:"sisters	or	father	or	mother	or	children	or	felds	for	",p:165,x:150,y:240,w:364,h:21},
{t:"my sake will receive a hundred times as much ",p:165,x:150,y:269,w:364,h:16},
{t:"and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29, ",p:165,x:150,y:294,w:370,h:16},
{t:"emphasis added)",p:165,x:150,y:319,w:122,h:16},
{t:"Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come ",p:165,x:150,y:367,w:364,h:16},
{t:"after me, he must deny himself and take up his ",p:165,x:150,y:392,w:366,h:16},
{t:"cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to ",p:165,x:150,y:417,w:364,h:16},
{t:"save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his ",p:165,x:150,y:442,w:367,h:16},
{t:"life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24, emphasis ",p:165,x:150,y:467,w:364,h:16},
{t:"added)",p:165,x:150,y:492,w:49,h:16},
{t:"If we lose our lives for Christ’s sake (for His glory), we find ",p:165,x:120,y:539,w:455,h:16},
{t:"life! In Luke 9:24, the original Greek word is translated “save.” ",p:165,x:90,y:562,w:486,h:16},
{t:"When you go to a Greek dictionary, that word is translated “to ",p:165,x:90,y:586,w:486,h:16},
{t:"save, i.e., deliver or protect—heal, preserve, save (self), do well, ",p:165,x:90,y:609,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be (make) whole.”18 When we are saving our lives, we are making ",p:165,x:90,y:632,w:484,h:16},
{t:"them whole, preserving them, and protecting them! It is in sync ",p:165,x:90,y:656,w:486,h:16},
{t:"with Matthew 16:25. We’ll “find it!” Life was meant to be found! ",p:165,x:90,y:679,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God is basically saying, “I want you to die to finding your joy in ",p:165,x:90,y:702,w:485,h:16},
{t:"everything but Me.”",p:165,x:90,y:726,w:148,h:16},
{t:"Broken Cisterns",p:165,x:90,y:770,w:139,h:18},
{t:"Unfortunately, most Cat Christians are doing the reverse. ",p:165,x:120,y:795,w:458,h:16},
{t:"They are delighting in everything but God and claiming it to be ",p:165,x:90,y:818,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the abundant Christian life. This is what we tried to address in the ",p:165,x:90,y:841,w:484,h:16},
{t:"first two-thirds of this book. God speaks directly to this problem ",p:165,x:90,y:865,w:485,h:16},
{t:"168",p:166,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:166,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"in Jeremiah. Lets look at it together. He says: “My people have ",p:166,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living ",p:166,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot ",p:166,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13).",p:166,x:90,y:191,w:210,h:16},
{t:"Here God is using a cistern as a teaching tool. The American ",p:166,x:120,y:214,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Heritage Dictionary defines cistern as “a receptacle for holding ",p:166,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"water or other liquid, especially a tank for catching and storing ",p:166,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"rainwater.” Because water was always a need (and many times a ",p:166,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"scarcity in Old Testament times), many people would dig holes in ",p:166,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the ground to collect rainwater. The holes would fill up during the ",p:166,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"rainy season, and then the people would use the water for drinking ",p:166,x:90,y:354,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and cooking. The well that Joseph was thrown into was probably ",p:166,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a dry cistern (Genesis 37:24). (Note that a cistern is different from ",p:166,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a spring. A spring has water continually flowing up into it. Its ",p:166,x:90,y:424,w:487,h:16},
{t:"supply never needs refilling, whereas a cistern constantly has to ",p:166,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"be filled.)",p:166,x:90,y:471,w:71,h:16},
{t:"God tells His people through His prophet Jeremiah that they ",p:166,x:120,y:494,w:455,h:16},
{t:"committed two sins. The first was rejecting the spring of living ",p:166,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"water—God Himself. This is what Cats have done today. This ",p:166,x:90,y:541,w:487,h:16},
{t:"is what Cat Theology is all about and why this book has been ",p:166,x:90,y:564,w:487,h:16},
{t:"written. They have rejected their first love of Christ and have put ",p:166,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"themselves or others on the throne. The second sin was that they ",p:166,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"dug cisterns for themselves, cisterns that leak! Let’s look at these ",p:166,x:90,y:634,w:484,h:16},
{t:"leaky cisterns.",p:166,x:90,y:657,w:104,h:16},
{t:"What kind of cisterns do Cats dig? Well, the answer to that ",p:166,x:120,y:681,w:456,h:16},
{t:"question is found by asking another question. What delights a ",p:166,x:90,y:704,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Cat? When you find where a Cat finds joy, there you will find a ",p:166,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"cistern! Cats find their joy outside of God. Though they still go to ",p:166,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"church and have quiet times, this is not where their joy is. Doing ",p:166,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"those Christian activities is more of a duty for them than a delight. ",p:166,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"A Cat’s joy comes from other sources. What types of sources?",p:166,x:90,y:821,w:457,h:16},
{t:"For men, much joy can come from sports. Whether it is watch-",p:166,x:120,y:844,w:450,h:16},
{t:"ing their favorite football team, sitting down to watch the World ",p:166,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"IT'S ALL AbOuT YOu!",p:167,x:444,y:77,w:126,h:17},
{t:"169",p:167,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Series, or going golfing or fishing, most men find more joy in ",p:167,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"sports than they ever do in the Lord. Is it wrong to get excited ",p:167,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"about going fishing or watching a game? No. But when you look ",p:167,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"forward to the next fishing trip or game more than to spending ",p:167,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"time with God, you’ve somehow crossed that line. God is not your ",p:167,x:90,y:214,w:483,h:16},
{t:"first love. The sport is. For other men, it can be cars, boats, or ",p:167,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"homes. The more things they have, the more they feel like “real ",p:167,x:90,y:261,w:485,h:16},
{t:"men,” and the more satisfied they are.",p:167,x:90,y:284,w:277,h:16},
{t:"For women, it can be clothes or relationships. It can be find-",p:167,x:120,y:307,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing joy in their children or the way their home looks. For young ",p:167,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"people, it can be sports, movies, the Web, instant messaging, or ",p:167,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"people of the opposite sex. All of these things can give them more ",p:167,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"joy than they find in God. ",p:167,x:90,y:401,w:194,h:16},
{t:"Both men and women can find too much joy in their jobs or ",p:167,x:120,y:424,w:455,h:16},
{t:"careers. Many people pour much of their lives into their careers ",p:167,x:90,y:447,w:485,h:16},
{t:"because that is where their self-image gets the most strokes. (They ",p:167,x:90,y:471,w:483,h:16},
{t:"want those strokes because deep down inside, it’s about them.) ",p:167,x:90,y:494,w:486,h:16},
{t:"They spend sixty, seventy, even eighty hours a week at their jobs. ",p:167,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"To them, that is living! ",p:167,x:90,y:541,w:173,h:16},
{t:"But God looks at all these activities and declares that those ",p:167,x:120,y:564,w:456,h:16},
{t:"who primarily seek them are digging their own cisterns. They dig ",p:167,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"them in hopes of finding joy, but they leak. How do they leak?",p:167,x:90,y:611,w:459,h:16},
{t:"While at Penn State University, I (Bob) majored in Campus ",p:167,x:120,y:634,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Crusade and minored in my studies. Unfortunately, I learned very ",p:167,x:90,y:657,w:490,h:16},
{t:"few things while there. (But a lot of lives were changed!) One of the",p:167,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"few things that I learned was the “IFD disease.” The “I” stands for",p:167,x:90,y:704,w:486,h:16},
{t:"idealization. One of the symptoms is that we envision how much ",p:167,x:90,y:727,w:491,h:16},
{t:"joy it would bring us to have a new car, a new stereo, or a new ",p:167,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"house. And then once we get it, it’s not what we thought it would ",p:167,x:90,y:774,w:490,h:16},
{t:"be. The car was great for the first week, but then it lost its appeal. ",p:167,x:90,y:797,w:491,h:16},
{t:"The stereo was fantastic for the first month, but then we didn’t ",p:167,x:90,y:821,w:487,h:16},
{t:"listen to it as much as we thought we would. The home was ideal, ",p:167,x:90,y:844,w:490,h:16},
{t:"but after a few months, it was just like any other home. And after",p:167,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"170",p:168,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:168,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"the realization that these things aren’t satisfying, we get the “F” ",p:168,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"part of the disease: frustration. All of a sudden, the empty hole that",p:168,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"was there before we had those things is back. And so we go after",p:168,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"more toys to fill that hole but find them lacking too. Eventually the",p:168,x:90,y:191,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“D” sets in: demoralization. We are once again empty, wondering ",p:168,x:90,y:214,w:490,h:16},
{t:"what, if anything, can bring us true, lasting joy.",p:168,x:90,y:237,w:347,h:16},
{t:"My (Gerald) mother left me with a tidbit of wisdom and a ",p:168,x:120,y:261,w:456,h:16},
{t:"chuckle to go along with it. She said, “I want what I want when ",p:168,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"I want it. When I’ve got what I want, I don’t want what I’ve got, ",p:168,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"so I didn’t really want what I wanted when I wanted it!” Little did ",p:168,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"she know that she was paraphrasing a portion of Scripture from ",p:168,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Proverbs that says, “The eye of man is never full.” When God says ",p:168,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"our cisterns “cannot hold water,” this is what He is referring to. ",p:168,x:90,y:401,w:469,h:16},
{t:"We are going after so many things, yet once we get them, they ",p:168,x:120,y:424,w:453,h:16},
{t:"don’t satisfy us. They leak. And as a result, we eventually need ",p:168,x:90,y:447,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the bigger home, the faster car, or the nicer stereo in order to raise ",p:168,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"our joy level. We are constantly seeking to fill that leaking cistern. ",p:168,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"We read the Sunday advertisements before we read God’s Word. ",p:168,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"We get more excited about items on sale than meeting with God. ",p:168,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"And we are so busy seeking after those things that we have little ",p:168,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"time for God. ",p:168,x:90,y:587,w:103,h:16},
{t:"God only gets the leftover time. If we have free time, we’ll",p:168,x:120,y:611,w:460,h:16},
{t:"squeeze in a quiet time. But meeting with God (and therefore learn",p:168,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"-",p:168,x:564,y:634,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ing to delight in Him) is always the second priority. (It amazes",p:168,x:90,y:657,w:491,h:16},
{t:"me how some people can spend six hours on the golf course on a",p:168,x:90,y:681,w:491,h:16},
{t:"Saturday but not find time to adequately meet with God.)",p:168,x:90,y:704,w:419,h:16},
{t:"Unfortunately, before the frustration sets in, a Cat feels satis-",p:168,x:120,y:727,w:449,h:16},
{t:"fied (they think they’ve got the abundant Christian life). And at ",p:168,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that point, a Cat’s Christian life is similar to eating out at some ",p:168,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Mexican restaurants. How is that? You sit down, you order your ",p:168,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"food, and out come salsa and chips. So, you stuff yourself for a ",p:168,x:90,y:821,w:486,h:16},
{t:"while with chips and salsa, and when the main meal comes, quite ",p:168,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"honestly, you’re not hungry!",p:168,x:90,y:867,w:209,h:16},
{t:"IT'S ALL AbOuT YOu!",p:169,x:444,y:77,w:126,h:17},
{t:"171",p:169,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"This is how Cats are. “A two-hour quiet time?” a Cat cries ",p:169,x:120,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"out. “Isn’t that rather extravagant? Isn’t meeting with God for ten ",p:169,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"minutes every other day enough? An all-night prayer meeting? ",p:169,x:90,y:167,w:487,h:16},
{t:"What have you got to pray about that takes all night? You can’t ",p:169,x:90,y:191,w:485,h:16},
{t:"want that many things; that’s selfish!”",p:169,x:90,y:214,w:279,h:16},
{t:"God doesn’t want this for our lives. This is why He ",p:169,x:120,y:237,w:461,h:16},
{t:"says:“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his ",p:169,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). God knows that the ",p:169,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"things of this world can’t truly satisfy us. This is why He said that ",p:169,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we need to die to ourselves. He doesn’t want us to seek one dream ",p:169,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"after another and get frustrated and demoralized in the process. ",p:169,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"That isn’t the abundant life He wants for us.",p:169,x:90,y:377,w:323,h:16},
{t:"Spring of Living Water",p:169,x:90,y:422,w:199,h:18},
{t:"Contrary to the broken cistern, God says He is like the spring ",p:169,x:120,y:446,w:454,h:16},
{t:"of living water. The beauty of the spring is that you never have ",p:169,x:90,y:470,w:486,h:16},
{t:"to refill it. It has a constant supply of water for those who want ",p:169,x:90,y:493,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to drink! Remember, God is infinite. And if He’s infinite, there ",p:169,x:90,y:516,w:486,h:16},
{t:"is an infinite amount of Him that we can get to know and enjoy. ",p:169,x:90,y:540,w:485,h:16},
{t:"We will never get to the point of spending time with God and say, ",p:169,x:90,y:563,w:484,h:16},
{t:"“Okay, I’ve been there and done that; this is old.”",p:169,x:90,y:586,w:364,h:16},
{t:"In John 4, Jesus talked to the woman at the well about living ",p:169,x:120,y:610,w:455,h:16},
{t:"water. She asked Him what He was talking about. Listen to His ",p:169,x:90,y:633,w:485,h:16},
{t:"answer: “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be ",p:169,x:90,y:657,w:483,h:16},
{t:"thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never ",p:169,x:90,y:680,w:485,h:16},
{t:"thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring ",p:169,x:90,y:703,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13–14, emphasis ",p:169,x:90,y:727,w:488,h:16},
{t:"added).",p:169,x:90,y:750,w:54,h:16},
{t:"God wants us never to be thirsty again. He wants us so satis-",p:169,x:120,y:773,w:450,h:16},
{t:"fied in Him and Him alone that we will not go after the things of ",p:169,x:90,y:797,w:485,h:16},
{t:"the world to find happiness. We will not search for sexual rela-",p:169,x:90,y:820,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tionships outside of marriage; we will not covet things to satisfy ",p:169,x:90,y:843,w:485,h:16},
{t:"us. We will be so content to see God and His glory that life will ",p:169,x:90,y:867,w:485,h:16},
{t:"172",p:170,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:170,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"be abundant in the truest sense. We will want to reflect Him and ",p:170,x:90,y:121,w:485,h:16},
{t:"His glory everywhere because we will be so satisfied in Him! And ",p:170,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the more we are satisfied in Him alone, the more we reflect His ",p:170,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"value and the more glory goes to Him! The motto of John Piper’s ",p:170,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"ministry, Desiring God Ministries, is “God is most glorified in us ",p:170,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"when we are most satisfied in Him.”",p:170,x:90,y:237,w:267,h:16},
{t:"Although Cats would say they want to be satisfied in God, ",p:170,x:120,y:261,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Cats don’t have the patience for it. Cats always want a quick fix, ",p:170,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"and the things of this world can give it to them. Those quick fixes ",p:170,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"are all around them, from next weekend’s football game to the ",p:170,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"new movie coming out at the theater to the mall down the road. ",p:170,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"But finding the spring of living water takes time. There are no ",p:170,x:90,y:377,w:486,h:16},
{t:"quick fixes with God.",p:170,x:90,y:401,w:158,h:16},
{t:"Look at Proverbs 2:1–5:",p:170,x:120,y:424,w:177,h:16},
{t:"My son, if you accept my words  ",p:170,x:150,y:474,w:244,h:16},
{t:"and store up my commands within you,  ",p:170,x:180,y:499,w:298,h:16},
{t:"turning your ear to wisdom  ",p:170,x:150,y:524,w:208,h:16},
{t:"and applying your heart to understanding,  ",p:170,x:180,y:549,w:315,h:16},
{t:"and if you call out for insight  ",p:170,x:150,y:574,w:221,h:16},
{t:"and cry aloud for understanding,  ",p:170,x:180,y:599,w:247,h:16},
{t:"and if you look for it as for silver  ",p:170,x:150,y:624,w:251,h:16},
{t:"and search for it as for hidden treasure,  ",p:170,x:180,y:649,w:295,h:16},
{t:"then you will understand the fear of the lord  ",p:170,x:150,y:670,w:340,h:21},
{t:"	",p:170,x:150,y:695,w:4,h:21},
{t:"and	fnd	the	knowledge	of	God.	(emphasis	added)",p:170,x:180,y:695,w:365,h:21},
{t:"Did you notice the “if / then” clause? The “if” part is challeng-",p:170,x:120,y:747,w:449,h:16},
{t:"ing. If we store up His commands within us (memorizing Scripture ",p:170,x:90,y:771,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and meditating), if we turn our ears to wisdom and apply our hearts ",p:170,x:90,y:794,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to understanding (sitting under biblical teaching on a steady basis), ",p:170,x:90,y:817,w:483,h:16},
{t:"if we call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding (making ",p:170,x:90,y:841,w:484,h:16},
{t:"our schedules revolve around our quiet times, not the other way ",p:170,x:90,y:864,w:485,h:16},
{t:"around), if we search for God’s Word like a hidden treasure (note ",p:170,x:90,y:887,w:484,h:16},
{t:"IT'S ALL AbOuT YOu!",p:171,x:444,y:77,w:126,h:17},
{t:"173",p:171,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"how different that is from giving God our leftover time), then we ",p:171,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"will find God. Dogs understand that seeking the spring of living ",p:171,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"water takes time and won’t bring instant results. They know that ",p:171,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"FedEx (when it absolutely has to be there overnight) is rare when ",p:171,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"seeking God. ",p:171,x:90,y:214,w:101,h:16},
{t:"I wait for the lord, my soul waits,  ",p:171,x:150,y:260,w:262,h:21},
{t:"and in his word I put my hope.  ",p:171,x:180,y:289,w:234,h:16},
{t:"My soul waits for the Lord  ",p:171,x:150,y:335,w:204,h:21},
{t:"more than watchmen wait for the morning,  ",p:171,x:180,y:364,w:323,h:16},
{t:"more than watchmen wait for the morning.” ",p:171,x:180,y:389,w:326,h:16},
{t:"(Psalms 130:5–6, emphasis added)",p:171,x:150,y:414,w:254,h:16},
{t:"Wait for the Lord;  ",p:171,x:150,y:460,w:143,h:20},
{t:"be strong and take heart  ",p:171,x:180,y:489,w:184,h:16},
{t:"and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14, emphasis ",p:171,x:180,y:510,w:353,h:20},
{t:"added)",p:171,x:150,y:539,w:49,h:16},
{t:"I waited patiently for the lord.” (Psalm 40:1, emphasis ",p:171,x:150,y:585,w:411,h:21},
{t:"added)",p:171,x:150,y:614,w:49,h:16},
{t:"Yes, lord, walking in the way of your laws,  ",p:171,x:150,y:660,w:335,h:21},
{t:"we wait for you;  ",p:171,x:180,y:689,w:127,h:16},
{t:"your name and renown  ",p:171,x:150,y:714,w:177,h:16},
{t:"are the desire of our hearts.” (Isaiah 26:8, emphasis ",p:171,x:180,y:739,w:381,h:16},
{t:"added) ",p:171,x:150,y:764,w:54,h:16},
{t:"We should seek God like pirates seeking for hidden treasure. It ",p:171,x:120,y:812,w:453,h:16},
{t:"doesn’t happen in a day. Sometimes it can take an entire lifetime. ",p:171,x:90,y:836,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Waiting for the Lord is what Dogs are comfortable doing. (Cats ",p:171,x:90,y:859,w:485,h:16},
{t:"174",p:172,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:172,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"hate to wait.) This is why Dogs expect UPS—an Unrelenting, ",p:172,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Patient Search. They know that “soul waiting” exposes their soul ",p:172,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to God. It helps them (and God) show how much they truly hunger ",p:172,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"after God. Soul waiting also shows the value of God to you. If you ",p:172,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"wait for something for years, it must be very valuable to you. But ",p:172,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"if you give up after a few minutes, it isn’t very valuable. (Because ",p:172,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Cats don’t want to wait on God, they are nonverbally commu-",p:172,x:90,y:261,w:480,h:16},
{t:"nicating, “God, You’re not worth waiting for.”) This is why the ",p:172,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Scriptures command us to delight in God!",p:172,x:90,y:307,w:307,h:16},
{t:"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: ",p:172,x:150,y:356,w:343,h:16},
{t:"Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)",p:172,x:150,y:381,w:189,h:16},
{t:"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! ",p:172,x:150,y:431,w:305,h:16},
{t:"(Philippians 3:1)",p:172,x:150,y:456,w:122,h:16},
{t:"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in ",p:172,x:150,y:506,w:357,h:16},
{t:"you. (Psalm 40:16)",p:172,x:150,y:531,w:140,h:16},
{t:"One thing I ask of the lord,  ",p:172,x:150,y:577,w:215,h:21},
{t:"this is what I seek:  ",p:172,x:180,y:606,w:145,h:16},
{t:"that I may dwell in the house of the lord  ",p:172,x:150,y:627,w:311,h:21},
{t:"all the days of my life,  ",p:172,x:180,y:656,w:174,h:16},
{t:"to gaze upon the beauty of the lord  ",p:172,x:150,y:677,w:272,h:21},
{t:"and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)",p:172,x:180,y:706,w:318,h:16},
{t:"“But just how exactly do you rejoice in the Lord?” cries a ",p:172,x:120,y:752,w:457,h:16},
{t:"Cat. In his book A Hunger For God, John Piper basically says, ",p:172,x:90,y:776,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“Fast from whatever pleases you more than God.”19 For some that ",p:172,x:90,y:799,w:484,h:16},
{t:"may mean fasting from shopping; for some it may mean fasting ",p:172,x:90,y:822,w:485,h:16},
{t:"from television; for others it may mean fasting from the Internet. ",p:172,x:90,y:846,w:485,h:16},
{t:"IT'S ALL AbOuT YOu!",p:173,x:444,y:77,w:126,h:17},
{t:"175",p:173,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Whatever keeps you so content that you don’t want God, fast from ",p:173,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"it! We agree with him wholeheartedly. But we hope to answer that ",p:173,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"Cat’s question more in the next chapter.",p:173,x:90,y:167,w:292,h:16},
{t:"177",p:174,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"16",p:174,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"Worship Is Life!",p:174,x:226,y:226,w:208,h:39},
{t:"Orel Herschiser was a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. ",p:174,x:90,y:397,w:485,h:64},
{t:"In 1988, he had an incredible season. He pitched a shutout game ",p:174,x:90,y:459,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in August followed by five more shutouts in the regular season, ",p:174,x:90,y:482,w:486,h:16},
{t:"as well as multiple shutout innings. He kept his opponents from ",p:174,x:90,y:506,w:485,h:16},
{t:"scoring an earned run in fifty-nine consecutive innings. ",p:174,x:90,y:529,w:409,h:16},
{t:"In the National League playoffs against the New York Mets, ",p:174,x:120,y:552,w:455,h:16},
{t:"Orel continued to dominate hitters, pitching more than twenty-",p:174,x:90,y:576,w:480,h:16},
{t:"four innings and another complete game shutout in the final game! ",p:174,x:90,y:599,w:483,h:16},
{t:"In the World Series against the Oakland A’s, Orel had another ",p:174,x:90,y:622,w:486,h:16},
{t:"complete game victory in game five that clinched the Series for ",p:174,x:90,y:646,w:486,h:16},
{t:"the Dodgers. At the end of the season, Orel was awarded the Cy ",p:174,x:90,y:669,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Young award and two MVP awards, one for the National League ",p:174,x:90,y:692,w:484,h:16},
{t:"playoffs and the other for the World Series.",p:174,x:90,y:716,w:318,h:16},
{t:"During one of the playoff games, the TV cameras zoomed ",p:174,x:120,y:739,w:457,h:16},
{t:"in on Orel in the dugout between innings. They could tell he was ",p:174,x:90,y:762,w:484,h:16},
{t:"singing softly to himself but couldn’t decipher the song. The ",p:174,x:90,y:786,w:488,h:16},
{t:"announcers wondered what he was singing and commented that ",p:174,x:90,y:809,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Orel’s record certainly gave him something to sing about.",p:174,x:90,y:832,w:423,h:16},
{t:"When Orel was on “The Tonight Show” a few days later, the ",p:174,x:120,y:856,w:454,h:16},
{t:"host asked him to sing the song he had been caught singing on ",p:174,x:90,y:879,w:486,h:16},
{t:"178",p:175,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:175,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"tape. The audience roared its approval at this suggestion. So on ",p:175,x:90,y:121,w:486,h:16},
{t:"national TV, Orel softly sang these words:",p:175,x:90,y:144,w:311,h:16},
{t:"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; ",p:175,x:120,y:194,w:318,h:16},
{t:"  Praise Him, all creatures here below; ",p:175,x:90,y:219,w:335,h:16},
{t:"  Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host; ",p:175,x:90,y:244,w:330,h:16},
{t:"  Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.",p:175,x:90,y:269,w:377,h:16},
{t:"In the midst of a baseball game, Orel had been singing praises ",p:175,x:120,y:317,w:454,h:16},
{t:"to God.20",p:175,x:90,y:340,w:64,h:16},
{t:"At the end of chapter 1, we looked at Revelation 4:11 and ",p:175,x:120,y:364,w:456,h:16},
{t:"translated it to say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive ",p:175,x:90,y:387,w:483,h:16},
{t:"glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and for ",p:175,x:90,y:411,w:486,h:16},
{t:"your pleasure they were created and have their being.”",p:175,x:90,y:434,w:401,h:16},
{t:"God created everything for His own pleasure. That means ",p:175,x:120,y:457,w:457,h:16},
{t:"all of the stars are here for God’s pleasure. This earth is here for ",p:175,x:90,y:481,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God’s pleasure, along with the sun and the moon. The trees and ",p:175,x:90,y:504,w:485,h:16},
{t:"flora are here for God’s pleasure. The birds and insects are here ",p:175,x:90,y:527,w:485,h:16},
{t:"for God’s pleasure. Anything and everything you can think of is ",p:175,x:90,y:551,w:485,h:16},
{t:"here for God’s pleasure.",p:175,x:90,y:574,w:177,h:16},
{t:"Cats want to know how that “anything” relates to them (be-",p:175,x:120,y:597,w:450,h:16},
{t:"cause life is all about them). They are constantly asking the ques-",p:175,x:90,y:621,w:480,h:16},
{t:"tion, “What do I get out of that?” Dogs ask a different question ",p:175,x:90,y:644,w:486,h:16},
{t:"because they know everything is here for Him. Hence they ask, ",p:175,x:90,y:667,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“What does God get?” (WDGG?) Because of this, Dogs are con-",p:175,x:90,y:691,w:479,h:16},
{t:"stantly holding worship services throughout their days, because in ",p:175,x:90,y:714,w:484,h:16},
{t:"everything they do, they are relating to God. This is not the way ",p:175,x:90,y:737,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it is with Cats.",p:175,x:90,y:761,w:105,h:16},
{t:"Cat Worship",p:175,x:90,y:805,w:110,h:18},
{t:"Make no mistake about it, Cats worship. But it is merely a ",p:175,x:120,y:830,w:456,h:16},
{t:"part of their lives. Cats worship only during specific times. These ",p:175,x:90,y:853,w:484,h:16},
{t:"times occur on Sunday mornings at church, during their personal ",p:175,x:90,y:876,w:485,h:16},
{t:"WORSHIP IS LIfE!",p:176,x:468,y:77,w:102,h:17},
{t:"179",p:176,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"quiet times, or when they are listening to worship music. And ",p:176,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"what do they worship God for? Their worship is primarily focused ",p:176,x:90,y:144,w:483,h:16},
{t:"on thanking Him for what He’s done for them. (Remember, it’s all ",p:176,x:90,y:167,w:483,h:16},
{t:"about them. It’s like a cancer; they’ve got it and don’t even realize ",p:176,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"it.) Their favorite songs have a lot of me’s, my’s, and I’s in them. ",p:176,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"And when they aren’t worshiping God for what He’s done for ",p:176,x:90,y:237,w:487,h:16},
{t:"them, everything else is just “regular life.” ",p:176,x:90,y:261,w:316,h:16},
{t:"Dogs worship God too. But when they worship on Sunday ",p:176,x:120,y:284,w:456,h:16},
{t:"mornings or during their personal quiet times, they primarily focus ",p:176,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"on who He is, not so much what He’s done for them. Songs like ",p:176,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“How Great Thou Art” and “Holy, Holy, Holy” are very familiar ",p:176,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to them not because they’re catchy tunes that make them happy, ",p:176,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"but because they rightfully exalt God for who He is! And when ",p:176,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"they’re finished with their worship service, their worship doesn’t ",p:176,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"stop. Dogs don’t know a “regular life” outside of God’s glory. To ",p:176,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a Dog, worship is life itself!",p:176,x:90,y:471,w:205,h:16},
{t:"When I (Bob) got married, someone encouraged me to get a ",p:176,x:120,y:494,w:455,h:16},
{t:"hobby so I could take my mind off work. As a result, I took up ",p:176,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"woodworking. I bought some old tools and began to build. My ",p:176,x:90,y:541,w:486,h:16},
{t:"first project was a small tray for my new bride. We still use it. I ",p:176,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"eventually progressed to the point where I took on a huge project. ",p:176,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I decided I was going to build my own roll-top desk. For various ",p:176,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"reasons, I used no plans, and I would only use scrap lumber I ",p:176,x:90,y:634,w:487,h:16},
{t:"gathered on the burn piles of the condominiums going up around ",p:176,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"us. Today it sits in our home.",p:176,x:90,y:681,w:213,h:16},
{t:"When people walk in and see that desk, they say to my wife, ",p:176,x:120,y:704,w:478,h:16},
{t:"“Wow, that’s a beautiful desk. Where did you get that?” My wife",p:176,x:90,y:727,w:502,h:16},
{t:"responds with the truth, “My husband made that desk ",p:176,x:90,y:751,w:398,h:16},
{t:"from scratch.” ",p:176,x:470,y:751,w:105,h:16},
{t:"When I hear the word “scratch,” I follow my cue and (try to) humbly ",p:176,x:90,y:774,w:508,h:16},
{t:"walk in at that time. And when I get there, they say, “You made that",p:176,x:90,y:797,w:504,h:16},
{t:"from scratch?” At that point in time, they are honoring me for the work ",p:176,x:90,y:821,w:509,h:16},
{t:"of my hands. When I realized what was going ",p:176,x:90,y:844,w:336,h:16},
{t:"on, a light went off in ",p:176,x:418,y:844,w:163,h:16},
{t:"my head. “Why can’t I honor God for the work of His hands?”",p:176,x:90,y:867,w:459,h:16},
{t:"180",p:177,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:177,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"Since I have begun to think that way, I have discovered a ",p:177,x:120,y:121,w:457,h:16},
{t:"multitude of ways for life to be a worship service. One time I was ",p:177,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"driving my car down the 605 highway on my way to San Diego ",p:177,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with my daughter, Elise (my kids get one trip a year with Dad). On ",p:177,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the side of the road, we noticed beautiful flowers. So we stopped, ",p:177,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"got out, and picked one.",p:177,x:90,y:237,w:176,h:16},
{t:"As we made our way back to the car, we began to study the ",p:177,x:120,y:261,w:455,h:16},
{t:"details of the flower. I said, “Look, Sis. Look at those colors. ",p:177,x:90,y:284,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Look at the purples and the greens—at how beautiful it is. And ",p:177,x:90,y:307,w:486,h:16},
{t:"would you have ever thought to put these two colors together? ",p:177,x:90,y:331,w:486,h:16},
{t:"This didn’t happen by accident you know; God painted this. God ",p:177,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is a masterful artist. And look at the leaves. Look how green they ",p:177,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"are. Look at the veins. Feel the tiny hairs on the stem. And smell ",p:177,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"it, Sis. Doesn’t it smell wonderful?”",p:177,x:90,y:424,w:264,h:16},
{t:"What was happening? For ten minutes on the side of the 605 ",p:177,x:120,y:447,w:455,h:16},
{t:"highway, my daughter and I held a worship service because we ",p:177,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"were asking one question: What does God get out of this?",p:177,x:90,y:494,w:423,h:16},
{t:"But I wasn’t always that way. When I was steeped in my evan-",p:177,x:120,y:517,w:449,h:16},
{t:"gelical-humanism days, I vividly remember someone giving me a ",p:177,x:90,y:541,w:484,h:16},
{t:"rose and telling me how beautiful it was. When I got that rose, I ",p:177,x:90,y:564,w:485,h:16},
{t:"took one look at it and threw it over my shoulder to the ground. ",p:177,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Why? It didn’t have anything to do with reaching Muslims for ",p:177,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Christ. I literally didn’t have any time for smelling the roses!",p:177,x:90,y:634,w:446,h:16},
{t:"And aquariums? I hated aquariums. I would look at one fish, ",p:177,x:120,y:657,w:443,h:16},
{t:"go to the next tank, then to the next, and work my way through ",p:177,x:90,y:681,w:473,h:16},
{t:"it as fast as I could, always aware of where the exit was. Oh how",p:177,x:90,y:704,w:468,h:16},
{t:"I was bored with aquariums! But now, I can’t get out of them! I ",p:177,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"love aquariums! I love them because I look at God’s creativity ",p:177,x:90,y:751,w:474,h:16},
{t:"and I am awed! I imagine God thinking through the different ",p:177,x:90,y:774,w:486,h:16},
{t:"fish he made, from the swordfish to the sunfish, some with ugly ",p:177,x:90,y:797,w:473,h:16},
{t:"faces and others with plain faces. And then I’m amazed at His",p:177,x:90,y:821,w:469,h:16},
{t:"creativity with the octopus and the way it can change its color to ",p:177,x:90,y:844,w:472,h:16},
{t:"match its environment. ",p:177,x:90,y:867,w:173,h:16},
{t:"WORSHIP IS LIfE!",p:178,x:468,y:77,w:102,h:17},
{t:"181",p:178,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"I also love His colorful designs on the fish. I delight in the ",p:178,x:120,y:121,w:456,h:16},
{t:"stripes and the way He gently blends His colors. He is the master ",p:178,x:90,y:144,w:484,h:16},
{t:"painter. I laugh at the sea horse. I’m staggered by the whale. The ",p:178,x:90,y:167,w:485,h:16},
{t:"crabs can make me smile. And the beauty of a jellyfish swim-",p:178,x:90,y:191,w:479,h:16},
{t:"ming—no art mankind has ever made has come close to that! It ",p:178,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"used to be that time in the aquarium dragged; now it flies. I can’t ",p:178,x:90,y:237,w:484,h:16},
{t:"get out of aquariums because I am overcome by His creativity, ",p:178,x:90,y:261,w:486,h:16},
{t:"and I keep thinking about the joy our Father must have had during ",p:178,x:90,y:284,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Genesis 1:20–21.",p:178,x:90,y:307,w:127,h:16},
{t:"As I sit here at my son’s flag-football practice, writing on my ",p:178,x:120,y:331,w:454,h:16},
{t:"laptop, I’m watching a beautiful sunset. God’s gentle blending of ",p:178,x:90,y:354,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the pinks and grays are amazing! His design in the cloud patterns ",p:178,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is so creative. I am thanking Him and praising Him for the sunset. ",p:178,x:90,y:401,w:484,h:16},
{t:"I am holding a mini-worship service watching a sunset at my son’s ",p:178,x:90,y:424,w:483,h:16},
{t:"flag-football practice. (We constantly try to teach this to our kids ",p:178,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"by getting them to say, “Look what God is painting in the sky!”)",p:178,x:90,y:471,w:473,h:16},
{t:"Sharon and I (Gerald) enjoy sharing life experiences with ",p:178,x:120,y:494,w:458,h:16},
{t:"each other as well. While driving in the car, if I see a gorgeous ",p:178,x:90,y:517,w:486,h:16},
{t:"sunset, I’ll pick up my cell phone and call her and encourage ",p:178,x:90,y:541,w:487,h:16},
{t:"her to look at it. Since we’ve been impacted with God’s glory, ",p:178,x:90,y:564,w:486,h:16},
{t:"our conversations have taken quite a turn. I used to say, “Look ",p:178,x:90,y:587,w:486,h:16},
{t:"at the beautiful sunset!” But now she hears, “Look at the beauti-",p:178,x:90,y:611,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ful sunset; God sure does good work!” The more you begin to ",p:178,x:90,y:634,w:486,h:16},
{t:"focus on God and His glory in the work of His hands, the more ",p:178,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life comes alive—conversations change and your appreciation of ",p:178,x:90,y:681,w:485,h:16},
{t:"God’s handiwork grows. But those are not the only things we see. ",p:178,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"There’s another dimension!",p:178,x:90,y:727,w:202,h:16},
{t:"When we (Bob and Debby) lived in Arizona, we owned a ",p:178,x:120,y:751,w:457,h:16},
{t:"house that had a door to the garage that was very difficult to close. ",p:178,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"You really had to slam it shut, and with four small children, it was ",p:178,x:90,y:797,w:484,h:16},
{t:"rarely closed. Usually the air conditioning escaped. The day fi-",p:178,x:90,y:821,w:480,h:16},
{t:"nally came when I found the time to fix it. After getting the proper ",p:178,x:90,y:844,w:483,h:16},
{t:"screws, I put them through the hinges and drilled them in, hoping ",p:178,x:90,y:867,w:484,h:16},
{t:"182",p:179,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:179,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"to catch at least two, if not three, studs. Finally after all nine were ",p:179,x:90,y:121,w:484,h:16},
{t:"drilled, I held my breath and closed the door. To my joy (things ",p:179,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"don’t usually work out the way they’re supposed to on the first ",p:179,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"try—Murphy’s Law always follows me), the door closed without ",p:179,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"even the slightest hesitation! It was fixed.",p:179,x:90,y:214,w:305,h:16},
{t:"I know this sounds dumb, but I would go out there at certain ",p:179,x:120,y:237,w:455,h:16},
{t:"times and open the door just so I could close it! I got so much joy ",p:179,x:90,y:261,w:484,h:16},
{t:"out of having the door work right! Then it hit me again. If I’m ",p:179,x:90,y:284,w:486,h:16},
{t:"getting so much joy out of having something work right, I bet God ",p:179,x:90,y:307,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is also getting joy out of having things work right! And if He is ",p:179,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"getting joy out of it, why can’t I?",p:179,x:90,y:354,w:242,h:16},
{t:"When God first changed my (Gerald’s) focus toward His ",p:179,x:120,y:377,w:458,h:16},
{t:"glory, even my prayer life drastically changed. My wife would ",p:179,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"probably rather I not tell this story, but it is important to me. We ",p:179,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"had a dog named Punkie. While taking her for a walk so she could ",p:179,x:90,y:447,w:484,h:16},
{t:"do her “business,” I noticed that she was having difficulty. She ",p:179,x:90,y:471,w:486,h:16},
{t:"would squat and nothing would happen. She walked a little farther ",p:179,x:90,y:494,w:483,h:16},
{t:"and nothing happened. She tried to walk while still squatting, and ",p:179,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"nothing happened. So I prayed that God would heal my dog.",p:179,x:90,y:541,w:443,h:16},
{t:"I was struck with the realization that nothing in my prayer ",p:179,x:120,y:564,w:457,h:16},
{t:"acknowledged God, His handiwork, His creation, or His glory. I ",p:179,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"knew I had to pray again but differently this time. Now I prayed, ",p:179,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"“Lord, you blessed us with this little dog, and what a joy she has ",p:179,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"been. But, Lord, she’s having trouble now. This little body You ",p:179,x:90,y:657,w:485,h:16},
{t:"created with such splendor and so many little organs and tissue ",p:179,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"that work to show off Your glory, Lord, is not showing it off right ",p:179,x:90,y:704,w:484,h:16},
{t:"now. I’m asking You to make these parts that You designed work ",p:179,x:90,y:727,w:484,h:16},
{t:"the way You intended. Show off what You made, and allow it to ",p:179,x:90,y:751,w:485,h:16},
{t:"work right!” ",p:179,x:90,y:774,w:95,h:16},
{t:"I shouldn’t have been amazed, but Punkie squatted and did ",p:179,x:120,y:797,w:456,h:16},
{t:"her thing at that very moment. Okay, so it’s a little crude, and it’s ",p:179,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"a story I don’t share from every pulpit, but it certainly shows how ",p:179,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory can be seen in any of life’s experiences!",p:179,x:90,y:867,w:386,h:16},
{t:"WORSHIP IS LIfE!",p:180,x:468,y:77,w:102,h:17},
{t:"183",p:180,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"Delight in What God Delights In",p:180,x:90,y:120,w:277,h:18},
{t:"So now when we (Debby and Bob) see a couple holding hands ",p:180,x:120,y:145,w:453,h:16},
{t:"on a walk with their children, we know that God is up in heaven ",p:180,x:90,y:168,w:485,h:16},
{t:"smiling because the family unit is working the way it was designed ",p:180,x:90,y:191,w:483,h:16},
{t:"to work. And if God is smiling, we can smile too! When we see a ",p:180,x:90,y:215,w:484,h:16},
{t:"mother or father loving a child with kisses and hugs, we feel joy ",p:180,x:90,y:238,w:485,h:16},
{t:"because we know God is joyful. And this has changed our lives!",p:180,x:90,y:261,w:471,h:16},
{t:"We used to hold our children in our arms and think about the",p:180,x:120,y:285,w:439,h:16},
{t:"next meeting, tomorrow’s plans, or the lost Muslim world, and ",p:180,x:90,y:308,w:474,h:16},
{t:"we never really enjoyed our kids. Now when we hold them, we ",p:180,x:90,y:331,w:485,h:16},
{t:"are worshiping God by thanking Him for a father-son relation",p:180,x:90,y:355,w:462,h:16},
{t:"-",p:180,x:564,y:355,w:6,h:16},
{t:"ship or a mother-daughter relationship. We are awed by the idea",p:180,x:90,y:378,w:468,h:16},
{t:"that He entrusted us to love these children and train them in His",p:180,x:90,y:402,w:468,h:16},
{t:"ways. We delight in spending time with them (even though it",p:180,x:90,y:425,w:469,h:16},
{t:"is never enough!), in watching them practice football or dance",p:180,x:90,y:448,w:468,h:16},
{t:"in ballet and tap, and in seeing them grow and develop. And ",p:180,x:90,y:472,w:476,h:16},
{t:"now we know why God gave us grandchildren: to have a second ",p:180,x:90,y:495,w:473,h:16},
{t:"chance.",p:180,x:90,y:518,w:55,h:16},
{t:"When a husband dates his bride of fifteen years, God smiles. So ",p:180,x:120,y:542,w:452,h:16},
{t:"can we. When a young man dates a young girl and treats her with ",p:180,x:90,y:565,w:484,h:16},
{t:"holiness and respect, God smiles. So can we. When the seasons ",p:180,x:90,y:588,w:486,h:16},
{t:"change like clockwork, God smiles. And we can enjoy them too. ",p:180,x:90,y:612,w:485,h:16},
{t:"When two people reconcile and forgive each other, God is smil-",p:180,x:90,y:635,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing. And if we learn about it, we too can share that joy. Whatever ",p:180,x:90,y:658,w:484,h:16},
{t:"is working right, the way God designed it to work, gives God plea-",p:180,x:90,y:682,w:480,h:16},
{t:"sure. Everything was created for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). ",p:180,x:90,y:705,w:485,h:16},
{t:"If you know that He is smiling about something, then smile with ",p:180,x:90,y:728,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Him. It’s not about you; it’s about Him! Christian Dogs celebrate ",p:180,x:90,y:752,w:484,h:16},
{t:"with God in the joy He has!",p:180,x:90,y:775,w:203,h:16},
{t:"Do we need more examples? Listening to music can be one ",p:180,x:120,y:798,w:457,h:16},
{t:"big worship service. This is not because of the beat or the tune, ",p:180,x:90,y:822,w:498,h:16},
{t:"although that may add to it. But the whole idea of a piece of metal",p:180,x:90,y:845,w:492,h:16},
{t:"pulled tightly across some wood and then rubbed by horse’s hair so ",p:180,x:90,y:868,w:496,h:16},
{t:"184",p:181,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:181,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"that it vibrates air molecules that go into the wood and eventually ",p:181,x:90,y:121,w:497,h:16},
{t:"reach some skin in my ear which vibrates a drum that sends a signal",p:181,x:90,y:144,w:492,h:16},
{t:"to my brain, and I interpret that as music—what a miracle! What a",p:181,x:90,y:167,w:491,h:16},
{t:"God! And it’s not just one pitch; I can hear thousands of different",p:181,x:90,y:191,w:492,h:16},
{t:"tones. Some blend together nicely. Some contrast with each other. ",p:181,x:90,y:214,w:497,h:16},
{t:"And somehow I know which ones sound nice and which are off. It’s",p:181,x:90,y:237,w:491,h:16},
{t:"amazing! I am in awe of the God who created sound!",p:181,x:90,y:261,w:389,h:16},
{t:"And then think of sight. Sure, the eighth grade taught us all ",p:181,x:120,y:284,w:456,h:16},
{t:"about rods and cones. But somehow deep down inside, I thought ",p:181,x:90,y:307,w:485,h:16},
{t:"that the signals sent from those rods and cones were sent into the ",p:181,x:90,y:331,w:484,h:16},
{t:"brain, played on a projector, and someone was inside the brain ",p:181,x:90,y:354,w:486,h:16},
{t:"watching it. No. Somehow the gray matter determines an object ",p:181,x:90,y:377,w:485,h:16},
{t:"as an image that makes sense. Unbelievable! Dogs come to the ",p:181,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"realization that just to be able to see is worthy of worship! What ",p:181,x:90,y:424,w:485,h:16},
{t:"an awesome God we have!",p:181,x:90,y:447,w:197,h:16},
{t:"Fall is a wonderful time—watching the Lord paint leaves that ",p:181,x:120,y:471,w:454,h:16},
{t:"were once green with life. I love how He can take a green tree and ",p:181,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"paint only a corner of the leaves bright orange or yellow! My fall ",p:181,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"drives take me down the road, glimpsing tree after tree and declar-",p:181,x:90,y:541,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing, “Lord, how creative You are!” A big smile comes across my ",p:181,x:90,y:564,w:484,h:16},
{t:"face.",p:181,x:90,y:587,w:35,h:16},
{t:"The next time you get bored, take a nature walk around your ",p:181,x:120,y:611,w:455,h:16},
{t:"house. Look at a bush. Are some parts of it thriving with life while ",p:181,x:90,y:634,w:483,h:16},
{t:"others are dead? Study it. Think about it. Learn from it. The Lord ",p:181,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"designed it that way. What does it tell you? I’ve done this and ",p:181,x:90,y:681,w:486,h:16},
{t:"found that God is quite happy with life and death together. Both ",p:181,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"life and death are the same to God.",p:181,x:90,y:727,w:255,h:16},
{t:"Gary Taylor helped start Frontiers, a missions agency which ",p:181,x:120,y:751,w:467,h:16},
{t:"plants churches throughout the Muslim world. Over time, the ",p:181,x:90,y:774,w:456,h:16},
{t:"Lord ",p:181,x:535,y:774,w:40,h:16},
{t:"called us in separate directions, but I (Bob) always kept in touch ",p:181,x:90,y:797,w:489,h:16},
{t:"with him. Once when we were both at an international council of",p:181,x:90,y:821,w:491,h:16},
{t:"Frontiers to honor Greg and Sally Livingstone, Gary and his wife",p:181,x:90,y:844,w:491,h:16},
{t:"Carolyn shared about their son’s battle with cancer. One of the sto",p:181,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"-",p:181,x:564,y:867,w:6,h:16},
{t:"WORSHIP IS LIfE!",p:182,x:468,y:77,w:102,h:17},
{t:"185",p:182,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"ries that I have never forgotten was Carolyn’s portrayal of their son, ",p:182,x:90,y:121,w:496,h:16},
{t:"Derek, lying in a hospital bed battling cancer, close to death, and ",p:182,x:90,y:144,w:498,h:16},
{t:"holding his newborn nephew. Life and death together—something ",p:182,x:90,y:167,w:496,h:16},
{t:"the Lord is not afraid to position together. I’ve seen it on bushes and ",p:182,x:90,y:191,w:496,h:16},
{t:"trees, and now I was hearing about it in my friend’s son. Oh what a",p:182,x:90,y:214,w:492,h:16},
{t:"picture of the glory of the Lord!",p:182,x:90,y:237,w:234,h:16},
{t:"If you’re easily bored with nature walks, go to your kitchen ",p:182,x:120,y:261,w:444,h:16},
{t:"and pull out an orange, a grape, a watermelon, or a cupcake and ",p:182,x:90,y:284,w:473,h:16},
{t:"taste it! Have you stopped to realize that God didn’t have to give",p:182,x:90,y:307,w:468,h:16},
{t:"you taste buds? But He did so you could taste His glory! You see, ",p:182,x:90,y:331,w:471,h:16},
{t:"God could have made everything taste the same, like chicken. ",p:182,x:90,y:354,w:481,h:16},
{t:"He could have made it all bland and tasteless, like water. But",p:182,x:90,y:377,w:468,h:16},
{t:"He didn’t. He wanted you to taste a chocolate-covered straw",p:182,x:90,y:401,w:463,h:16},
{t:"-",p:182,x:564,y:401,w:6,h:16},
{t:"berry, barbecue, peach nectar, butter pecan, and more. Each taste",p:182,x:90,y:424,w:468,h:16},
{t:"should bring an exclamation of admiration of His handiwork. ",p:182,x:90,y:447,w:476,h:16},
{t:"Maybe instead of just thanking God for your provision of food, ",p:182,x:90,y:471,w:473,h:16},
{t:"you should stop in the middle of a meal you are enjoying and ",p:182,x:90,y:494,w:475,h:16},
{t:"tell God how great He is for allowing you to have the sensation ",p:182,x:90,y:517,w:474,h:16},
{t:"of taste.",p:182,x:90,y:541,w:58,h:16},
{t:"God’s glory is all around us. It can be seen in so many ways. ",p:182,x:120,y:564,w:454,h:16},
{t:"Never stop looking for it. Never stop hungering for it. Never stop ",p:182,x:90,y:587,w:484,h:16},
{t:"being awed by it! Radiate to God the glory He is worthy of! Life ",p:182,x:90,y:611,w:485,h:16},
{t:"should be one big worship service. And depending on whether you ",p:182,x:90,y:634,w:483,h:16},
{t:"are a Dog or a Cat, everything will take on a different meaning.",p:182,x:90,y:657,w:465,h:16},
{t:"So what do Dogs actually do differently when life is one ",p:182,x:120,y:681,w:458,h:16},
{t:"big worship service? The answer may shock you: not much. But ",p:182,x:90,y:704,w:485,h:16},
{t:"whatever they do, they do it with a whole new attitude! They wash ",p:182,x:90,y:727,w:483,h:16},
{t:"dishes thinking, “This is pleasing to God.” They work thinking, ",p:182,x:90,y:751,w:486,h:16},
{t:"“This is the role that God has given me as the caretaker for this ",p:182,x:90,y:774,w:485,h:16},
{t:"family.” They change diapers thinking, “I’m taking care of the ",p:182,x:90,y:797,w:486,h:16},
{t:"ones that God has entrusted to me, and I know this pleases God.” ",p:182,x:90,y:821,w:484,h:16},
{t:"They drive to work wondering, “How can I reflect God’s glory ",p:182,x:90,y:844,w:486,h:16},
{t:"in how I drive, and in how I see His glory in the sights around ",p:182,x:90,y:867,w:486,h:16},
{t:"186",p:183,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:183,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"me?” They watch a child at the airport holding a parent’s hand and ",p:183,x:90,y:121,w:483,h:16},
{t:"inwardly yell, “Yes, that’s the way God designed it to be!” They ",p:183,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"fix a wonderful dinner for their family saying, “This is the role the ",p:183,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Lord has me in, and it is reflecting His glory. I am at peace with it ",p:183,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"and satisfied with it!”",p:183,x:90,y:214,w:158,h:16},
{t:"Dogs do everything that Cats do. Their lives are parallel in ",p:183,x:120,y:237,w:456,h:16},
{t:"every way except one: their mindset! They do everything as an act ",p:183,x:90,y:261,w:483,h:16},
{t:"of worship to God and to make Him smile. This is because they ",p:183,x:90,y:284,w:485,h:16},
{t:"define everything in terms of God’s glory! (See A Dog’s Glossary ",p:183,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"of Terms.)",p:183,x:90,y:331,w:77,h:16},
{t:"Life was designed to be one big worship service as we live for ",p:183,x:120,y:354,w:453,h:16},
{t:"and reflect the glory of the Lord. But with Cat Theology, we have ",p:183,x:90,y:377,w:484,h:16},
{t:"turned it around so that we no longer worship the Lord. We’ve ",p:183,x:90,y:401,w:486,h:16},
{t:"been busy worshiping ourselves. Oh how we need to dive into ",p:183,x:90,y:424,w:486,h:16},
{t:"Dog Theology and once again worship the Lord for who He is and ",p:183,x:90,y:447,w:483,h:16},
{t:"not for what He can give to us. Tommy Tenney aptly describes a ",p:183,x:90,y:471,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Cat’s focus when he asks whether we are looking for God’s hand ",p:183,x:90,y:494,w:484,h:16},
{t:"(to see what He will give us) or God’s face (to delight in being in ",p:183,x:90,y:517,w:484,h:16},
{t:"His presence).",p:183,x:90,y:541,w:104,h:16},
{t:"It is our hope and prayer that your life will be radically changed ",p:183,x:120,y:564,w:453,h:16},
{t:"by the contents of this book. And maybe you’ll have good news ",p:183,x:90,y:587,w:485,h:16},
{t:"to tell others for the very first time! Oh Father, please make it ",p:183,x:90,y:611,w:486,h:16},
{t:"happen. Amen.",p:183,x:90,y:634,w:111,h:16},
{t:"187",p:184,x:548,y:925,w:22,h:17},
{t:"17",p:184,x:308,y:173,w:44,h:41},
{t:"God’s Greatest Glory!",p:184,x:174,y:226,w:313,h:39},
{t:"When I (Gerald) was serving as a pastor in the Netherlands, ",p:184,x:90,y:407,w:481,h:64},
{t:"a few of the folks in our church were devoted admirers of Corrie",p:184,x:90,y:469,w:468,h:16},
{t:"ten Boom, a Dutch woman who was imprisoned by the Germans",p:184,x:90,y:492,w:475,h:16},
{t:"during World War II for hiding Jews. These church members ",p:184,x:90,y:516,w:486,h:16},
{t:"served as volunteer guides in Corrie’s old home, which guests",p:184,x:90,y:539,w:469,h:16},
{t:"can still visit today and hear her tale of survival, hope, and faith. ",p:184,x:90,y:562,w:471,h:16},
{t:"Corrie’s story has been retold on film and in print as ",p:184,x:90,y:586,w:385,h:16},
{t:"The Hiding ",p:184,x:486,y:586,w:87,h:16},
{t:"Place, and Corrie has shared her story and testimony around ",p:184,x:90,y:609,w:477,h:16},
{t:"the world through her own ministry and as a guest of Billy ",p:184,x:90,y:632,w:477,h:16},
{t:"Graham.21",p:184,x:90,y:656,w:74,h:16},
{t:"The story began when someone informed the Nazis that ",p:184,x:120,y:679,w:459,h:16},
{t:"Corrie’s strong Christian family were hiding Jews in their home. ",p:184,x:90,y:702,w:485,h:16},
{t:"They were discovered, and Corrie and her family were sent to ",p:184,x:90,y:726,w:487,h:16},
{t:"a concentration camp. Corrie lost her entire family but not her ",p:184,x:90,y:749,w:487,h:16},
{t:"faith. She lived on and told others about the God who not only ",p:184,x:90,y:772,w:486,h:16},
{t:"allowed her to survive but also empowered her to forgive those ",p:184,x:90,y:796,w:486,h:16},
{t:"who persecuted and tormented her.",p:184,x:90,y:819,w:257,h:16},
{t:"Long after the war, Floyd McClung of YWAM visited Corrie ",p:184,x:120,y:842,w:454,h:16},
{t:"ten Boom (who was seventy years old). He noticed she had just ",p:184,x:90,y:866,w:485,h:16},
{t:"188",p:185,x:90,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"CATAnD DOG THEOLOGY",p:185,x:90,y:77,w:167,h:17},
{t:"purchased new luggage. Floyd, very surprised to see a lady of ",p:185,x:90,y:121,w:487,h:16},
{t:"Corrie’s age buying luggage, asked her why she had made this ",p:185,x:90,y:144,w:486,h:16},
{t:"purchase. Corrie told him that an angel had visited her in a vision. ",p:185,x:90,y:167,w:484,h:16},
{t:"When he inquired as to why the angel had come, she told him that ",p:185,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"God had sent the angel to let her know that she had ten more years ",p:185,x:90,y:214,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to live. So Corrie went out and celebrated by purchasing brand ",p:185,x:90,y:237,w:486,h:16},
{t:"new luggage.",p:185,x:90,y:261,w:97,h:16},
{t:"Five years later, Corrie’s health diminished to the point that",p:185,x:120,y:284,w:438,h:16},
{t:"she suffered greatly and had very limited mobility. While in the",p:185,x:90,y:307,w:468,h:16},
{t:"hospital in terrible pain, Floyd came to visit again. In their con",p:185,x:90,y:331,w:461,h:16},
{t:"-",p:185,x:564,y:331,w:6,h:16},
{t:"versation, he was told that a second angel had visited her. This",p:185,x:90,y:354,w:468,h:16},
{t:"angel had informed her that the pain and agony she was going ",p:185,x:90,y:377,w:475,h:16},
{t:"through was going to result in her death, and that she was never",p:185,x:90,y:401,w:468,h:16},
{t:"going to get better. Corrie had protested, telling the angel that",p:185,x:90,y:424,w:468,h:16},
{t:"she had five more years to live. The angel ",p:185,x:90,y:447,w:316,h:16},
{t:"responded by saying ",p:185,x:415,y:447,w:157,h:16},
{t:"that her heavenly Father was aware of this but had sent the angel",p:185,x:90,y:471,w:468,h:16},
{t:"to tell her that He was willing to take her home early. With that, ",p:185,x:90,y:494,w:472,h:16},
{t:"Corrie was faced with a troubling decision: go on to be with the",p:185,x:90,y:517,w:468,h:16},
{t:"Lord or endure incredible suffering and pain for another five",p:185,x:90,y:541,w:469,h:16},
{t:"years?",p:185,x:90,y:564,w:46,h:16},
{t:"How would you reply? Maybe the same way we would. We ",p:185,x:120,y:587,w:455,h:16},
{t:"would choose to avoid the pain, escape the hardship, and eliminate ",p:185,x:90,y:611,w:483,h:16},
{t:"the suffering. Why would anyone choose anything different? It’s ",p:185,x:90,y:634,w:485,h:16},
{t:"at times like this when we discover what people are made of. And ",p:185,x:90,y:657,w:484,h:16},
{t:"we learn what made Corrie ten Boom different. ",p:185,x:90,y:681,w:351,h:16},
{t:"Corrie answered the angel with a question, “Which will bring ",p:185,x:120,y:704,w:454,h:16},
{t:"my Father the greatest glory? Going to be with Him now or endur-",p:185,x:90,y:727,w:480,h:16},
{t:"ing the five years of suffering?” The angel said, “Staying here and ",p:185,x:90,y:751,w:484,h:16},
{t:"enduring five more years.” And with that, Corrie gave her answer, ",p:185,x:90,y:774,w:483,h:16},
{t:"“Then that is what I choose.”",p:185,x:90,y:797,w:213,h:16},
{t:"How could she have made such a decision? What made her ",p:185,x:120,y:821,w:456,h:16},
{t:"so different? Simply this: Corrie didn’t live for her own ease and ",p:185,x:90,y:844,w:484,h:16},
{t:"comfort; she lived for the glory of her Father.",p:185,x:90,y:867,w:333,h:16},
{t:"GOD'S GREATEST GLORY!",p:186,x:413,y:77,w:157,h:17},
{t:"189",p:186,x:548,y:942,w:22,h:17},
{t:"What came of those five years? While Corrie ten Boom had ",p:186,x:120,y:121,w:455,h:16},
{t:"been a household name among millions of Christians around the ",p:186,x:90,y:144,w:485,h:16},
{t:"world before that time, God used those last years to seal in the ",p:186,x:90,y:167,w:486,h:16},
{t:"hearts and minds of many more people a picture of what it means ",p:186,x:90,y:191,w:484,h:16},
{t:"to live faithfully. Corrie has shown that life is to be lived for our ",p:186,x:90,y:214,w:485,h:16},
{t:"Father’s glory and not for ourselves—even if it means enduring ",p:186,x:90,y:237,w:485,h:16},
{t:"pain and suffering.",p:186,x:90,y:261,w:137,h:16},
{t:"This causes us to ask a very simple question, How much glory ",p:186,x:120,y:284,w:453,h:16},
{t:"do we want to give to God? Do we want to give him some glory, a ",p:186,x:90,y:307,w:484,h:16},
{t:"lot of glory, or maximum glory? We will assume that since you’ve ",p:186,x:90,y:331,w:483,h:16},
{t:"made it this far in the book, you are committed to bringing your ",p:186,x:90,y:354,w:485,h:16},
{t:"heavenly Father maximum glory. How do we do that? The answer ",p:186,x:90,y:377,w:483,h:16},
{t:"is found in world evangelization when we ask, “What does God ",p:186,x:90,y:401,w:485,h:16},
{t:"get out of it” rather than, “What do people get out of it?”",p:186,x:90,y:424,w:415,h:16},
{t:"Global Glory",p:186,x:90,y:469,w:112,h:18},
{t:"In order to understand what God gets out of world evange-",p:186,x:120,y:493,w:449,h:16},
{t:"lization, we need to look at another question and that is, What ",p:186,x:90,y:516,w:487,h:16},
{t:"happens to our vision of God when we worship God with people ",p:186,x:90,y:540,w:485,h:16},
{t:"from other cultures? Have you ever experienced worshiping God ",p:186,x:90,y:563,w:485,h:16},
{t:"with someone from another culture? In our seminars, we ask for a ",p:186,x:90,y:586,w:484,h:16},
{t:"show of hands of how many people have done this. We usually get ",p:186,x:90,y:610,w:483,h:16},
{t:"quite a few. And we ask those who raise their hands, “What did it ",p:186,x:90,y:633,w:484,h:16},
{t:"do to your vision of God?” ",p:186,x:90,y:656,w:201,h:16},
{t:"We always get the same answer. “It got bigger,” they say in ",p:186,x:120,y:680,w:455,h:16},
{t:"various forms, meaning God got more glory when they worshiped ",p:186,x:90,y:703,w:484,h:16},
{t:"Him with people from other cultures. There is a principle hidden ",p:186,x:90,y:727,w:485,h:16},
{t:"in those answers and that principle is: God gets more glory when ",p:186,x:90,y:750,w:484,h:16},
{t:"He unifies that which is diverse. ",p:186,x:90,y:773,w:240,h:16},
{t:"In other words, take two diverse things and unite them in ",p:186,x:120,y:797,w:457,h:16},
{t:"the name of Jesus Christ, and God gets more glory.