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    Encounters with Animals
    Encounters with Animals
    Encounters with Animals
    Ebook85 pages53 minutes

    Encounters with Animals

    By Barbara Linder

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Because of the long-standing focus on sin and redemption, Christians often neglect God’s desire for us to be in loving relationship with Him, with our neighbors near and far, and with animals as fellow creatures.

    In a collection of essays, retired pastor Barbara Linder describes the surprising and inspiring encounters she has had with nine animals—dogs, snakes, squirrels, spiders, bears, eagles, songbirds, elk, and monarch butterflies—while sharing what she experienced during each encounter, what the animal has symbolized in some cultures, and what we can learn from these animals. Included are suggestions for how to compassionately co-exist with our fellow creatures, introspective questions designed to inspire reflection, applicable scripture, and encouragement to spend more time outdoors to sit in silence to become aware of the animals that help us, in their own way, to grow personally and spiritually.

    Encounters with Animals shares personal essays from a retired pastor about her encounters with wildlife and what she has learned from each of them to grow personally and spiritually.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLifeRich Publishing
    Release dateMay 19, 2022
    ISBN9781489741196
    Encounters with Animals
    Author

    Barbara Linder

    Barbara Linder is a retired pastor who spent twenty-five years in ministry. She is an avid traveler who has been to Europe and all fifty states. Today, she relishes living in Loveland, Colorado, where she enjoys hiking, walks with her dog, gardening, attending book club, spending time with friends, doing puzzles, and worshipping on Sunday mornings.

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      Book preview

      Encounters with Animals - Barbara Linder

      Copyright © 2022 Barbara Linder.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

      LifeRich Publishing

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.liferichpublishing.com

      844-686-9607

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

      Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      ISBN: 978-1-4897-4117-2 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4897-4118-9 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4897-4119-6 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2022906565

      LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/18/2022

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 It’s All about Relationships

      Chapter 2 Dogs

      Chapter 3 Snakes

      Chapter 4 Squirrels

      Chapter 5 Spiders

      Chapter 6 Bears

      Chapter 7 Song Birds

      Chapter 8 Bald Eagle

      Chapter 9 Elk

      Chapter 10 Butterflies

      Epilogue

      Bibliography

      Endnotes

      Linda French (Illustrator)

      Illustrations by Linda French

      INTRODUCTION

      But ask the animals and they will teach you; the birds of the air and they will tell you…in [God’s] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

      —Job 12:7,10

      I have always loved animals, large and small, and have never been afraid of any I have encountered. I am saddened by the many species facing extinction due to loss of habitat, pesticides, and global warming. A new understanding of the relationship between humans and animals is emerging and is much needed. That relationship is a major focus of this book.

      Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, is considered one of the greatest intellectual figures in Western history. His concepts remain embedded in Western thinking to this day. He argued that all life could be ranked from lower to higher, with humans at the top. During the Middle Ages, Christian theologians adopted Aristotle’s idea and talked about a great chain of being. When our nation was founded, only white men who owned land could vote. Hierarchical thinking persists and has led to the misuse and abuse of the poor, persons of color, women, and animals.

      Moreover, because of the long-standing focus on sin and redemption, Christians have neglected God’s desire for us to be in loving relationship with Him, with our neighbors near and far, and with animals as fellow creatures. That is an important part of the opening chapters of the Bible and a thread that moves through subsequent chapters.

      In the chapters that follow, the focus is on nine of the animals with which I have had encounters: dogs, snakes, squirrels, spiders, bears, eagles, song birds, elk, and monarch butterflies. I share what I have experienced and learned from those encounters, what the animal has symbolized in some cultures, and what we can all learn from those animals. In the epilogue, I offer some suggestions for co-existing with compassion with our fellow creatures.

      I encourage you to read one chapter at a time, reflecting on the questions at the close of each chapter. If you are a person who journals, I encourage you to do that with the questions. I also encourage you to spend some time outside—whether on your porch or patio, in the back yard, at a nearby park, or on a hiking trail. Take time to sit in silence, quietly listening and seeing, and so becoming aware of the animals above, below, and all around you.

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      1

      IT’S ALL ABOUT

      RELATIONSHIPS

      Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow or reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

      —Matthew 6:26

      For thousands of years, people have pondered the meaning of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? What will give me happiness? Where do I find fulfillment? Finding satisfactory answers to

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