This Woman Writes by Carolyn Henderson

Half Empty? or Half Full?

Posted on January 6, 2015 by This Woman Writes

The story of the painting September, by Steve Henderson, at Start Your Week with Steve.

Autumn is such a happy time.

September inspirational original oil painting still life flower floral by Steve Henderson

September is a season of completion and beauty — completely full of joy and bounty. Original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

Those who tend to see the glass half-empty point out that it’s a time of everything dying, and the color we enjoy is the last hurrah of the season.

But the lovers of autumn rejoice in that riotous color of fall, as well as in the harvest of bounty that is the result of a promising spring and a full, rich summer. Autumn literally abounds with bounty — fruit and vegetables and flowers; animals that have feasted through the season and are as fat as they will be for the year; gardeners marveling at the result of months of hard work. Autumn is a reminder that time, and hard work, pay off — not with the cold, hard cash that modern society sees as the only thing worth working for, but with God’s own provision.September is a floral and fruit still life that celebrates this feeling of abundance and beauty. A jumbled bundle of Black-Eyed Susans dance around Coneflowers and Zinnias, with a basket of pears standing in an orderly, yet disorderly array, beneath. Not to be forgotten, the apple — the traditional fruit of fall — makes its appearance.

Clear green glass allows us a peek at the green stems of the flowers, a reminder that flowers are not just the blossom, but the whole entity. This is a bouquet that a child would pick — full, complete, with the focus not on sophistication and the blending of colors to match the room decor, but on joy, celebration, and the music of the season.

Half empty? or Half full? How about neither: Autumn is a time of complete and total beauty, joy, and abundance.

September is an original oil painting, 18 x 18 on panel. With the gold-colored frame, included with purchase, it is 24 x 24.

Read the rest, including Steve’s work now on Houzz, the phenomenal interior decorating and renovation site, at Start Your Week with Steve.

See all of Steve’s original and licensed works at Steve Henderson Fine Art. Steve’s work is also available at stores.

Posted in Art, Beauty, Culture, Daily Life, decor, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, floral, home, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, newsletter, painting | Tagged autumn, celebrate, flower, harvest, houzz, painting, september, still life | Leave a comment

Who Rules Our Lives — God, or Church?

Posted on January 5, 2015 by This Woman Writes

Politics, like economics, history, and world news, tend to bore a lot of people, resulting in too few people taking an active and regular interest in what is going on around them.

magental inspirational original oil painting of flamenco dancer by Steve Henderson

Our worship, loyalty, submission, love, and obedience belong, ultimately, to God alone. There is no other to whom we pledge our full allegiance. Magenta, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

The problem is less that the subjects are boring (they’re not!) but they’re made to seem that way, so complicated that the average idiot (that’s you and me) cannot possibly understand the ramifications of the issues at hand and therefore would be better off with something more palatable and at our level, like Paris Hilton’s latest shopping exhibition. (A recent Daily Mail breathlessly reports that she carried THREE cell phones at the same time that she balanced her shopping bag. No wonder we focus so much of our energy on pop culture.)

It doesn’t take much study of politics to grasp the fact that there is no one, perfect man-made system of governing other human beings, and the one we all point to as next to godhead, democracy, doesn’t exist other than on paper, as a great theory.

(In a true democracy, every man and woman’s vote is a voice, and that voice is heeded, but in the system under which I live in the U.S., which calls itself a “republic” [it isn’t that, either], a very few rule the lives of a very many, and anybody who writes their congressional representative [who is usually a lawyer, as opposed to an ordinary person who works at a retail store, say, or a plumber, or an artist] counts themselves heard when they receive back a generic e-mail saying that their comment has been received and docketed, and the Solon will take great pains to meet the needs and desires of his constituents.

Do you believe that? I don’t.)

And while this sounds cynical, this is the nature of man-made government, which in today’s world is primarily consistent of oligarchy (the rule of many by a few), a situation that Jesus accurately described to his disciples in Matthew 20:25-28:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Well, what about it? While high officials exert authority over ordinary people in every man-made nation and kingdom on the planet, does this situation occur in the place where it is not supposed to be — God’s church?

When one defines church as a place, a building, an establishment, a denomination, an organized group, Jesus’s description of the rulers of the Gentiles looks remarkably apt: we have elder boards, and leadership teams, and worship consultants, and pastoral associates, and denominational doctrines, and world councils of churches purporting to speak for all believers, issuing decrees and establishing rules for how members (not fellow brethren) are to behave and believe and perform.

But when we define the church as the body of believers — individuals who work together to form one, under the headship of Christ — then the only person whose voice counts is our Father in heaven, God. And His is the ultimate voice in every believer’s life as to how one should act, believe, pray, and be: when His voice counteracts that of “correct church doctrine,” whatever that is, which do we follow?

Because, make no mistake, the two do not always agree.

To read more on this subject, please follow the link to You Don’t Belong to Any Church: You Belong to God at my blog, Commonsense Christianity, BeliefNet.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, Culture, Current Events, Daily Life, decor, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, Life, Lifestyle, Relationships, religion, spirituality | Tagged Christianity, church, government, politics | Leave a comment

Lessons from a Demented Cat: God’s Love

Posted on January 2, 2015 by This Woman Writes

The great thing about having children is that, even when they leave home, they never really do, especially if they live in an apartment that doesn’t allow animals, and they insist upon getting a cat.

Such is the saga at our home these days, and the cat — which is psychotic because it’s a rescue kitty — is a temporary member of our household, until her new owner moves into an apartment that allows cats.

She’s cute but she’s nuts, because she’s afraid all the time of the people who only want to help her. Psycho Kitty, photo credit Steve Henderson Fine Art.

(This is a good time to point out that the cat’s owner is not looking for moving boxes right now, as she apparently has no immediate intention of relocating.)

So we’ve got this cat, and when she isn’t being psychotic — scuttling under furniture and hiding there because she’s afraid — she’s a fabulous lap kitty, because she loves being loved and adored and cuddled and held.

But the problem is, when we’re not holding and cuddling and cooing at her, and if we leave the room for 15 seconds or so, she uses the opportunity to scuttle out of our reach, because despite her love of being loved, she’s not convinced, somehow, that this is what will happen to her.

The parallel to the experience of many Christians is striking:

We all want to be loved, and indeed, that’s the reason that many of us (those who weren’t brought to the faith by the hellfire and damnation message) embraced Christianity, because at one point we were told,

“God is love. He loves you deeply and dearly, and He has a purpose for your life.”

Sounds like a great concept to me, which is why I accepted it so many years ago, but then a funny thing happened on my way to growth in Christ: I got plugged into a system in which I was instructed how to worship, what to read, how to think, and what to say, and because it was so well and subtly done (Protestants don’t have overt rules, but they do have rules), I found myself, years later, little advanced in my thinking about God, and indeed, a bit regressed:

I had embraced Christianity initially because it promised a God of love and acceptance and compassion, someone very different from the God I had been raised to see. But I never pursued that God of love, so busy was I with dodging the rules — attend church, tithe, go to Sunday School, be part of the Saturday work party, get up early for Quiet Time. Even though I never played the game, because I was surrounded by so many team players who did, I always had the feeling that the problem lay with me, somehow, and if only I could submit more to group think (always a bad idea, you know), I would fit in.

Thank God, quite literally, that I never did manage to fit in, and when He called me out to walk independently with Him, I had less to unlearn.

And what we have to unlearn is this false teaching: that God is a God of rules, more concerned that we “have correct doctrine” than that we seek — passionately and persistently — the love that drew us to Him in the first place.

We don’t have to be like Psycho Kitty — longing for love but running away because we’re afraid of our Father in heaven. He loves us as children, not slaves, and the more we grow to understand this, the more we walk about in His household with confidence, not fear.

Are you afraid of God? Do you think, deep down, that He’s playing with you, or ignoring you, or doesn’t really like, or love, you at all? If so, you’re one of many — even and especially among Christians — and I encourage you to follow the link to Psychotic Cats and God’s Love at Commonsense Christianity, BeliefNet.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, Current Events, Daily Life, devotional, Faith, Family, Growth, home, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, religion, self-improvement, success | Tagged cats, Christianity, faith, fear, God, love | 1 Comment

Worshiping the Wrong God

Posted on December 31, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Stop me if you’ve heard this one:

“I don’t want to pray for patience, because if I do, God will send all sorts of bad things my way to teach me!”

It’s supposed to be a joke, a lighthearted look at life with a God whose ways are not our ways, but the problem is, it tends to reinforce our misconception that God really isn’t a very nice, or likable, guy.

Riverside Muse inspirational original watercolor painting of woman by river with shawl licensed prints at iCanvasART and Framed Canvas Art, Amazon.com, Art.com, Allposters.com, by Steve Henderson

Understanding who God is, is a lifetime process involving much time alone, in meditation, with Him, Riverside Muse, original watercolor painting by Steve Henderson, licensed prints at art.com, amazon.com, allposters.com, Framed Canvas Art and iCanvasART.

After all, when we ask Him for something we need — like patience, faith, hope, or wisdom — He fulfills the order in the most unpleasant way possible. It’s along the lines of a parent, when asked by his child to give him bread, giving him a stone instead. Or tossing a snake at him when the child asks for fish.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Someone who knows a whole lot about God, Jesus, is recorded as saying it first, in Matthew 7:11:

“How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Jesus adds.

It doesn’t take much time reading the gospels, especially that of John, to get the idea that 1) Jesus has a very close relationship with His Father and 2) He wants us to have that same close relationship.

What hinders us, however, is something that did not hinder Jesus, because He knew, intimately, who God is; we, however, carry about misconceptions of God, based upon our misinterpreted way of thinking, and belabor under the thought that He plays with us — like a puppeteer — all in the name of making us better people.

But just as no earthly father, of any intelligence or wisdom, expects his child to grow in trust and love with him by teasing the child, or confusing the child, or exasperating the child, so also does God NOT act this way.

Although we think He does. And we justify the hurt we feel we receive at God’s hand by consistently misinterpreting Isaiah 55:8 — “God’s ways are not our ways, you know!”

That they aren’t — they are BETTER than our ways, and it is a lifetime journey of prayer, contemplation, and communing with our Father to truly learn the depth and scope of His mercy, compassion, and grace for us. This is a strong element of what we are seeking when Jesus tells us, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

If you belabor under the misconception of a God who is constantly displeased with you, please read the article complementing this one, Finding the True God When We Worship the Wrong One, at Commonsense Christianity, BeliefNet.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, Culture, Current Events, Daily Life, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, home, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, painting, Relationships, religion, self-improvement, spirituality | Tagged Christian, God, patience, pray, Steve Henderson, worship | Leave a comment

Why Flowers Are More Important Than Stock Options

Posted on December 30, 2014 by This Woman Writes

The story of the painting, Rhapsody of Roses, by Steve Henderson at Start Your Week with Steve.

Rhapsody of Roses is a floral song of exuberant joy, capturing color and form against a soft setting of light against textile. The roses themselves, in various stages of emergence, burst forth in silent song, a reminder to us that nature speaks, and sings, and teaches.

Rhapsody of Roses inspirational original oil painting of floral flower still life by Steve Henderson

Flowers are a reminder of both the beauty and fleetingness of life. Rhapsody of Roses, original oil painting by Steve Henderson

We forget this, surrounded by a modern life of buildings, sidewalks, and man-made creations. And while the things that man creates can be beautiful, their beauty derives from the natural world around them: the stateliness of a skyscraper reminds us of a giant forest tree; the undulating lines of a fountain follow the seemingly random shapes within a field of flowers and bushes.

The more we stay inside, and the more we insulate ourselves from the outside world of nature, the more important it is that we remain connected to it, because the outside world — this place of flora and fauna, of sunlight and breeze, of clouds and rain — binds us to a reality beyond, and better than, spreadsheets and growth charts and stock options and commerce.

The sky is a free gift to all of us, as is the air that we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, but when we step too far away from the reality of real — living, breathing life and nature — we absorb ourselves in the pursuit of profit and the worship of all things technological. Flowers are a reminder that life is meant to be beautiful, but it is also short — and if we do not take time to, literally, stop and smell and appreciate the flowers, we will miss out on the things that really matter.

Read the rest — Steve’s art at AllPosters.com, Happy New Year, at Start Your Week with Steve.

Rhapsody of Roses is an original oil painting, 18 x 36, by Steve Henderson.

See all of Steve’s original paintings at his website, Steve Henderson Fine Art. Steve also licenses his work, and makes it available in a number of online retail stores.

Manufacturers, to license Steve’s work on your products, contact Carolyn@SteveHendersonFineArt.com, or Steve’s agents at Art Licensing International.

Posted in Art, Beauty, Culture, Daily Life, decor, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, floral, home, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, newsletter, painting, self-improvement, success | Tagged allposters.com, flower, nature, painting, rhapsody, Steve Henderson | Leave a comment

3 New Year’s Resolutions for Christians

Posted on December 30, 2014 by This Woman Writes

The problem with New Year’s resolutions isn’t that they’re easy to make and difficult to keep — which is true on both counts — it’s that we feel like such failures when we fall, and give up, mid-February, on the notion of changing for the better.

For this reason, I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. This is not to say, however, that I don’t purpose to change myself — I do, all the time, with this major caveat:

Midday Tea inspirational original oil painting of woman in victorian house by Steve Henderson

When we hear a gentle knock, we stop what we’re doing and listen. Midday Tea, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

I don’t worry about changing me.

I let God change me.

And that He does. Some nine years ago, He approached the process with a purpose beyond anything you’d read about in a pop-Christian book. Gently, yet inexorably, He used the circumstances in my life to drive me back to Him, and because I spent a significant amount of time fretting, worrying, railing, ranting, and being incredibly anxious, it took awhile for certain life lessons to get through and stick.

But God is patient, and while I was more than ready for lesson time to be all over now, thank you, His day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years to a day. He kept teaching, and eventually, I began learning.

And what I learned taught me three things, three resolutions it is worthy to ask for, because when we ask God, it’s not up to us to see the resolutions through; it’s up to Him.

These are the three New Year’s resolutions worth making:

1) God, wake me up.

2) God, open my eyes.

3) God, unstop my ears.

If you’re ready, in 2015, to walk a narrower path than you thought imaginable, to a higher and better place than you dreamed you could reach, then pray these three prayers.

My prayer is that God’s people will do so, and thereby effect a change — a real change, not the kind of “revival” change that comes and goes after some evangelical speaker campaign that fills football stadiums with weeping people, but a real change, brought about as each individual believer meets with his Father in private, and gives his life, skills, abilities, dreams, and strength over the the One who granted them in the first place.

Please read the full story, which is different than this article, in my Commonsense Christianity article at BeliefNet, Three New Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep.

This is a good time, as well, to say two things to the readers of this column:

1) Thank you, for reading me. Thank you for commenting, thank you for reaching out. I am grateful for you.

2) I am an ordinary, unfunded person who writes what I write because I believe the 21st century evangelical Christian movement to be infected by false teachers and unscrupulous people out to make money — no, not the humble teacher in your church, but yes, possibly that aggressive leader who learned at a big seminary and talks more about “church growth” and “group dynamics” than he does God’s love.

I write to spark discussion, to encourage questioning, to foster doubts against doctrines that need to be doubted, to empower ordinary people to read the Bible for themselves and pray directly to God — with the understanding that He hears and answers them.

I am grateful for every share, every like, ever plus-one, every means of letting others know what I write. If you like something, if it speaks to you, then please, pass it on.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Growth, home, homeschooling, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, New Year's, prayer, religion | Tagged Christian, God, New Year, prayer, resolution | Leave a comment

Does Leaving Church Mean Leaving Our Friends?

Posted on December 24, 2014 by This Woman Writes

For many people, the one thing that stands between their leaving a church situation that is not working for them, or staying within and being unhappy, is friendship.

Afternoon Tea inspirational original oil painting of young woman and little girl in meadow with chickens in background by Steve Henderson, licensed prints at Great Big Canvas, iCanvasART, Framed Canvas Art, amazon.com, and art.com.

Friends come in all shapes, ages, and demographics, and we can find them successfully outside of church. Afternoon Tea, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed prints at Great Big Canvas, iCanvasART, Framed Canvas Art, amazon.com, and art.com.

Understandably, wherever we spend our time is where we make friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and social connections, and in a society that is increasingly distant and preoccupied, church is one of the major sources of fellowship.

We found this in our own lives — living in a very small town where there aren’t a lot of groups to belong to (as if we would have, honestly), meant that we relied upon our local church as the major source of our fellowship.

Not a good idea, because when we became increasingly dissatisfied with the way things were going in that local body and found ourselves discussing, every day, why we continued to stay there, we kept coming back to the issue of social interaction:

“All of our friends go to that church. If we leave, we’ll lose them!”

Well, in the first place, when we were honest with ourselves we realized that we did have friends outside the church. It’s just that church was so convenient, putting so many friends (acquaintances, actually) in one spot at one time, that we could get a lot of interaction done, successfully and efficiently.

(I and my family are Americans, you know. It takes a lot to train ourselves out of the negative aspects of our culture.)

In the second place, when we continued to be honest with ourselves, we had to admit that what we were getting, in our 68 minute dose of concentrated fellowship, wasn’t fellowship at all: from the moment we stepped in and were handed the bulletin, our time was controlled, and the amount of informal, unsupervised, uncontrolled interaction with other people was limited to the few minutes before the first song ushered in Worship Service Time.

“What fellowshipping are we actually going to be losing?” we asked ourselves.

The upshot is, it is possible to to leave church, and even if you have wrapped every relationship you think exists around the building and the closed group of people in it, you can build a life — a social life — outside of that system. Indeed, if it is time for you to leave and this is the only thing holding you back, you’ll find — looking back in retrospect — that there was no reason to wait so long.

Please read the full story (this is a customized variation created off of it, so while it can be read on its own, I’d encourage you to see the original because it is different) at my Commonsense Christianity blog at BeliefNet, “If I Leave Church, Will I Lose All My Friends?”

For more of my writing and a DVD art instruction by my Norwegian Artist, Steve Henderson, click on the images below.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, church, Culture, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, homeschooling, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, painting, Relationships, religion, self-improvement, spirituality | Tagged BeliefNet, Christian, church, fellowship, friends, social life, Steve Henderson | Leave a comment

All Wrapped Up in Christmas? Do It Right.

Posted on December 23, 2014 by This Woman Writes

The story of the painting, All Wrapped Up, by Steve Henderson at Start Your Week with Steve:

All Wrapped Up catches Santa in the midst of a frenzy of paper and ribbons, to the point that he is one with his background. Too many of us understand the concept of last-minute shopping, and the stress and hurry of the holiday season.

All Wrapped Up inspirational original oil painting of Santa Clause at Christmas Holiday by Steve Henderson

It’s so easy to get lost in the maze of holiday activity, that we don’t stop and remind ourselves what we’re celebrating in the first place. Santa doesn’t lose sight of this. All Wrapped Up, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

Not so Santa. While Christmas is his life, it is not his job, but rather, his joy and his privilege. We would all empathize if Santa looked stressed and overworked, given all that he has to do — yet he doesn’t, because he always keeps in mind the reason, and the significance, of the season. What joy is there in giving gifts, when gift-giving is a chore?

Because he understands this, Santa stops in the midst of all that he is doing and looks at the gift he holds in his hand: a little lamb. No doubt destined for a little child, this lamb is a reminder to all of us why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Arguably, we can debate back and forth whether Jesus was REALLY born on December 25, or we can reflect that this all started as a pagan holiday and it doesn’t really mean anything, but ultimately, most people who celebrate Christmas know that it is a time of joy, peace, hope, and love.

And nothing embodies that sense of joy, peace, hope, and love more than the Lamb who came to earth, as a baby (does the official date really matter?), and gave us the ultimate gift of Himself.

Merry Christmas, all year round.

Read the rest — Steve’s Art in Stores, affordable original art, at Start Your Week with Steve.

All Wrapped Up is an original oil painting at Steve Henderson Fine Art. It is available as a gift card through Give Write Cards.

Find the books and DVDs below at Amazon.com by clicking on the image.

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, Christmas, Culture, Current Events, Daily Life, decor, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, newsletter, painting, religion, shopping, simple living | Tagged Christmas, gift, Jesus, Lamb, Merry Christmas, Santa, Steve Henderson | Leave a comment

Leaving Church

Posted on December 22, 2014 by This Woman Writes

Leaving church — whether a specific fellowship or the industrial model altogether — is not a decision people make lightly.

Nor is it one that others take well, and if you are in the process of dropping out of a particular body or the entire conventional, establishment fellowship (i.e., multiple weekly meetings at a specific building with a closed group of like-minded people), you will no doubt engender the censure of others.

Gathering Thoughts inspirational original painting of young woman wading through ocean surf by Steve Henderson, licensed prints at Great Big Canvas, iCanvasART, amazon.com, art.com, and Framed Canvas Art

Leaving church — whether an individual fellowship or the contemporary corporate system — is not a decision that any committed Christian takes lightly. Gathering Thoughts, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed works at Great Big Canvas, amazon.com, art.com, Framed Canvas Art and iCanvasART.

As a person who has left, successfully and happily, the 21st century corporate church — and to clarify for those who are happy in their existing church fellowship, not all churches look this way — albeit an increasing number of them, especially the mega-models, look like a business, act like a business, and generate money from their “customers” like a business — I have walked through the disapproval, fielded Hebrews 10:25 (“Forsake not the assembling of one another“), and made it to a good place of walking with Christ, learning and absorbing the love and grace of God, and studying Scripture — confidently — on my own.

Wow. That was a long sentence. I don’t think I could survive without the dash.

What I can survive without, however, is the Sunday morning dash that we did for so many years — getting the kids up and dressed, eating a quick bite, leaving the dishes in the sink to greet us after we got back — 68 minutes later — from a place where we sat and stared straight ahead, standing when we were told, singing what was put in front of us, and listening to a message we were encouraged to take notes on.

One of the most memorable messages was one I heard more than once, in more than one church:

“You must take time and arrive here in a calm, spiritual state of mind. Parents — you mothers, really — it’s up to you to lay out the children’s clothes the night before. If you’re properly organized — and God is the God of order — Sunday mornings should not be stressful.”

Great. That’s the kind of spiritual teaching I really needed.

Actually, the kind of spiritual teaching I needed was the kind I really didn’t want — a close, intimate walk with God that derives out of the pain, suffering, and hurt that is a part of life down here, and when that pain, suffering, and hurt hit bad, we found ourselves in the outside of the circle, looking in. After awhile, we thought to ourselves, “What if we turned around and walked the other way? Where would it take us?”

It took our family to an alternative, independent way of worshiping God, one that healed wounds and encouraged growth. And while our path isn’t the right one for everyone, worshiping God in spirit and truth — which means asking uncomfortable questions, wrestling with God like Jacob did, and insisting upon the real thing instead of the best looking substitute — is the path of all believers.

Please read the full story at my Commonsense Christianity blog at BeliefNet, Are You in the Process of Leaving Church?

The Misfit Christian kindle and paperback book by Carolyn Henderson at Amazon.com

There’s nothing wrong with being a misfit Christian, depending upon what it is that you’re trying to fit into. Digital and paperback at Amazon.com

Posted in Art, blogging, Christian, church, Culture, Current Events, Daily Life, devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Family, fine art, home, homeschooling, inspirational, Life, Lifestyle, painting, religion, self-improvement, simple living, spirituality | Tagged Christian, church, fellowship, leaving church, spiritual, teaching | Leave a comment

Dogs, Cats, or People — Which Are Smarter?

Posted on December 20, 2014 by This Woman Writes

It’s time to bring to a close the age-old debate about whether dogs or cats — and the people who prefer one to the other — are smarter.

Something for Everyone inspirational original oil painting of Santa and a cat with a mouse by Steve Henderson

Cats are smart, but we do observe that this one is fascinated by a fake mouse. Detail from Something for Everyone, original painting by Steve Henderson.

Not because the general populace has accepted the final resolution of the issue (easy — cats, paws down), but because we have a more pressing question:

Are house cats smarter than humans?

I know — you were expecting something more profound, but as we learn as we age, some of the deepest issues seem simple.

My whole point behind the question has to do with a quote from author Neil Gaiman, whose observation caught my eye:

“I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.”

Anybody who has owned a cat knows that they do their own thing, and getting even two of them to agree on something we want them to do — or for that matter, getting even one cat to do something that we want it to do — is a feat indeed.

And yet, getting a number of humans — thousands, or even millions, of them, to do the same thing at the same time is something that happens every evening when whatever it is on TV comes on, and households wrap their entire existence around the next half hour, 45 minutes, or 2 hours.

This has been a part of our culture and lifestyle for so long — 70 years or so since the TV was willingly invited into our homes, 100-plus years since movies entered general human existence — that we consider it normal and can’t see any problem with it. But how many people seriously contemplate the term, “mass media,” and wonder just who the masses are (it’s us, you know).

Please read the rest at my Commonsense Christianity blog at BeliefNet, Are House Cats Smarter Than Humans?

All Christians should be misfits, but as humans, we’re so concerned about fitting in, that this is what we make our priority. Kindle and paperback at amazon.com.