THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

In ancient times, before smog and the bright lights of the city blocked the stars, people in various parts of the world, looked at the sky and “connected the dots.” Today, we call them constellations. Some animals they saw were dogs within Canis Major and Canis Minor. The Internet tells us that the brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. In the summer, Sirius, the “dog star,” is in conjunction with the sun and rises and sets with it. “The ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, dog days, after the dog star.” The dog days of summer occur between early July and early September, or more narrowly, between July 3 and August 11. However broad we identify it, the dog days of summer are often seen as a period of stagnation or inactivity. Are these your dog days, Friend?
Our nation, and indeed the world, is in a period of profound change. We must be alert and actively involved in God’s church and the nation He inspired and designed, to insure that any change is a continuation of the constitutional design for America and not a radical departure. We are evolving as a nation and that can take us down an uncharted path into something we were never intended to be or it can expand and embrace a deeper commitment WITHIN the spirit of the nation that was carved out for us over two-hundred years ago. If we must have our dog days at this time of year, please make them watch dog days, dogs that never sleep, are forever on patrol around the territory we call home, and loudly bark when intruders would attempt to sneak into our land and cause havoc and irreparable damage. Let us pray:

“Dear father God, holy is your name. May your kingdom come to our nation and raise us above politics and strife so that your will may be done for the freedom and benefit of all your people. Like any good watch dog, we ask that the hackles on the back of our neck rise when danger is near. May we hold our ground when you call us to stand-firm and not stand-down. Let us be open to expanding our concept of freedom to include all those who legitimately live within our borders, encouraging them to be the very best they can be, supporting them with our love and walking beside them as they aspire to become who you intended them to be. No one has to be one-down so we can be one-up, for you have created us all equally. You shine your love, grace, and salvation on all of us. I pray that we can radiate your love to all those around us so they are free to find solutions to their own problems, as free people have always done. Forgive us when we have held tightly to what we believe is ours. May our watch dog nature not forget to share with those around us. We don’t have to be forced to love our neighbor as ourselves. We have been a generous people and we pray to return to the spirit of extravagant generosity once again. In the name of Jesus, your son, our savior, the giver of our all-inclusive love, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“Copyright 2009 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to his love. Let me tell you mine.”