Sponsor Message and Introduction to Biblical Worldview of Government and Truth
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Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview, the U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you, and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Exploring Biblical Truth and God's Creation: Stewardship and Care for Animals
This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. Good morning. And I am so grateful, to be on air this morning talking about biblical truth, the things of God and the biblical worldview of all of the things that touch and concern our lives and also God's creation. And you know, on some of these programs, we like to take a step back from news of the day and headlines and talk about a, ah, topic that, is something that you should carry with you beyond just, today. And then of course, the headlines change tomorrow. And today I want to talk about caring for the animals and what we can do to steward God's creation. And there's a very personal reason that I want to get into this. But, but before we get into that, I want to, to talk about how the Bible gives us a very clear reason to care about animals. They belong to God and he entrusted their care to us.
Biblical Mandate for Animal Stewardship: God's Creation and Our Responsibility
And so in Genesis we see that God created the animals and he calls his creation good. He gives humanity dominion over them, not as permission to just do whatever we want to exploit or abuse them, but as a responsibility to govern creation wisely. And in Genesis 2:15, God places Adam in the garden to work and to keep it. So this starts establishing a pattern that we see throughout Scripture of stewardship and, and care. And so you may be thinking, well, you know, I'm not a huge fan of animals. I've never had a pet. I've never really, you know, worked with them. that's okay. But we need to also recognize and appreciate how we should respect animals, care for them, and to, treat them especially humanely. And for those of you, who have had pets, dogs, cats. my, my little brother and his new wife just got two birds. And so we get bird updates on the fam chan and it's really cute. and they just love birds. we, we know how special, God's creation can be to humanity. And Scripture shows us that God's concern extends to animals themselves. Psalm 36 says that God preserves both people and animals. And in Jonah 4, God points to the people of Nineveh and even their many animals as part of what moved him to show compassion. Jesus also tells his listeners that not one sparrow is forgotten before the Lord. That's in Luke 12. And the Father feeds the birds of the air in Matthew 6. These passages remind us that animals are not insignificant to their creator. We also see in Revelation that Jesus returns on a white horse. We see the lion laying down with the lamb. We see that animals are part of the new heaven and the new earth. God cares about them.
Righteousness, Mercy, and Compassion: Connecting Animal Care to Christian Faith and Values
And the Bible also connects righteousness with how we treat them. Proverbs 12:10 says, whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast. the Sabbath command even gave animals rest alongside their human masters in Exodus. And these aren't just incidental details. They show that God's people are to exercise authority with mercy and to treat the creatures under their care with kindness. So this doesn't mean that how. Some on the left say that animals are equivalent in, a moral status to human beings. Human beings alone are made in the image of God and have a unique dignity and moral worth. But recognizing that distinction should only deepen our sense of responsibility as humans toward animals, not excuse cruelty or indifference, and not turn a blind eye to animals in need. Jesus himself said, if your oxen is stuck in a ditch even on the Sabbath day, go rescue him. Animals are part of God's good creation, and caring for them is one way we honor the Creator who made them. So a biblical culture of life should include compassion for animals, loving them, rejecting abuse, and taking responsibility for the pets we welcome into our homes, and also acting as faithful stewards of the world God has entrusted to us. So, a lot of you who listen regularly know that I have my two dogs, Todd and Copper. I've had dogs my whole, they are so, near and dear to me and came into my life at a time that I really, needed dogs in my life and needed, you know, someone here with me. And, when I was going through all of the drama of lawfare, and they've just been amazing.
Personal Stories of Animal Rescue: A German Shepherd's Journey and the Call to Action
but this Past week I saw just on a random social media post, you know, God can even work through the algorithms. A dog who was set to be euthanized last Friday, through no fault of his own. He's not aggressive anything. He's a sweet German shepherd, about 2 to 3 years old. His name is Stanley. And I just could not let that happen. And so even though he's in California, I'm in Florida. He's just another Californian that needed Florida's rescue. So, I ended up contacting that person who connected me with a rescue, who went and tagged him. I paid the adoption fee. He's now at a foster home, in California until I can get him here to Florida and is just doing incredible. And I'm so grateful to be the one person that didn't look away and didn't say, well, that someone else's problem or, well, I'll pray for him, but I can take action. I had $150 to pay. That's not much right to pay for his adoption fee and for his rescue. And, I'm so grateful for that. So with that story, I posted some stuff on social media. And my good friend Mark Meckler, who you all know, with the Convention of States project, is. He is, one of, I would say one of my best friends in the political space for a long time. We've known each other almost a decade. he reached out to me and we were talk about, this, this rescue dog, and he was sharing his own heart and compassion for animals. So I asked Mark to join me this morning to talk about this really important topic. And, Mark Meckler, thank you so much for joining me. And, I'd love to get, you know, your thoughts on, why compassion and care for animals is so personal to your Christian faith as well.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, well, thanks for having me, Jenna. And it was great to connect with you over this.
The Spiritual and Emotional Benefits of Loving Animals: Unconditional Love and Lessons for Faith
It's funny because we know each other politically, right? And in the political is so messy and mean and aggressive and vicious that you got to have something else in your life. And of course, for you and I, that anchor point is our faith. And God created all the animals. And in my life, animals have always been a place of respite. And you know, Patti and I, we're big Great Dane fans and we've been married 33 years. We got our first Great Danes on our honeymoon. I can't literally imagine a household without animals. And animals give me peace. They give me comfort. They remind me of the thing that's most important, literally, which is love, because animals give absolutely unconditional love. They don't care if you're successful. They don't care if you're wealthy. They don't care what you look like. They don't. They, you know, they care what you feel like, and that if you're sad, they sense it and they will give you comfort. But this just absolutely unconditional love. And I also think that animals give humans an opportunity to practice that kind of love. And what I mean by that is, when you get a dog, especially if you're in, you know, anywhere up to midlife, you are likely to outlive that dog. So when you get that dog, what you're buying, and you know you're getting this, whether you foster or you get a purebred or whatever, you're buying pain, because you know that that dog will depart this earth before you do. And this is especially true with us with our great names, because the big breeds, like Great Danes, the giant breeds, they don't live very long. Maybe eight years, ten years, man. if you're lucky outside, you get 11 years. We've had that with a couple of our great names over the years. But, you know, that pain is coming. And so for me, I call loving a dog loving with reckless abandon. Because you just know the pain is coming. It's not forever, but you're willing to do it. Because the value of that relationship, that absolutely unconditional love, the fact that they meet you at the door every time you come home, that they snuggle with you when you're in a bad mood, that they look at you exactly the same no matter what, how you've behaved or how you're feeling. It's an incredible thing. And I think that's a special gift from God to humans.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, it's so true. And, you know, when I, first got taught in copper and I had a few people, tell me after just a few months, like, you can just tell in looking at their faces the way they looked at me, that they just absolutely love you, Jenna. And, you know, and to me, it. It's a beautiful reflection of a form of worship about dogs just want to be in your presence all the time. Their life revolves around everything that you do, for them. And when you treat them well, they. They are just so thankful. And they, you know, they don't need much, except for love and care. And what they provide in return is just, so amazing. But. But it's a reflection as well. Maybe a Lesson for us about how much our life should revolve around our master and how we should just want to be in the presence of the Lord 24. 7. And we know wherever, he is, there we want to be also. And, you know, the more that, I have had dogs in my life, especially, these two in particular, I can just see in them, some of those same things and those attitudes that I should have, toward our Lord and Savior and toward our master. And obviously, you know, not exactly the same comparison, but, but there's. So that dogs can teach us. And you're right. we often, ah, for.
The Profound Bond with Animals: Accepting Loss and Honoring Their Lives with Compassion
For the most part, I mean, we outlive our animals, and that's anticipated. but I love the. The saying that you can find this all over social media. I don't know who was the first one to say it, but, a dog is part of your life, but you are their whole life. And to give a dog a great life, you know, or a cat or a bird. But, But I think especially dogs, I mean, they're man's best friend for a reason. that's just a wonderful bond and a wonderful thing.
Mark Meckler: Yeah. And I think, you know, for anybody who's had dogs for any measure of time and has lost dogs, it's obviously difficult and sad. And one of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard. Somebody wrote something from the perspective of the dog and said, don't be sad. Just take everything I've taught you and give that to the next dog. M.
Jenna Ellis: That's. That's so.
Mark Meckler: It's actually, I get choked up talking about it. I'm such a softy. Haven't had great names. I've lost a lot of them. You know, we're on number seven. I've got Doc and Winston right now. So they're number six and seven. And so there are five that came before them that we've had to walk through that process with. anybody who's been through it understands what I'm talking about. You. It's such a hard decision to make when they come to end of life. And the one thing, if there's anybody out there struggling with that, you know, follow your conscience. Do we got to do. Remember, it's for the dog, it's not for you. And then be with them. This is a hard thing. End of life of a dog. Go to that vet, or you have the vet come to your house, which is the easiest way if you can do that.
End-of-Life Decisions for Pets: Compassion, Presence, and the Importance of Companionship
I think it's best for the Dog come to your house and when that moment comes, you know, your dog's in too much pain, struggling too bad, and you've got to do that deed at the end of life, you, you just got to be with them.
Mark Meckler: I think we owe that to our companions. And I've heard of people, you know, they just go to the vet and drop their dog off and leave and I just can't imagine doing that. They didn't leave us at any point during our lives, certainly during the most difficult times, they've always been by our side. So we need to make sure that we repay that by being with them until the very end.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. So true. And I've, I've lost a number of dogs, in, in my life as well. When I get choked too. Just thinking about, is really hard. But you know, you go and you stay with them because that's their, their moment. And you know, dogs know and you know that they know. But to go and to make sure that you're with them and that they know that they're not abandoned is, is, is everything. And so when we talk about, you know, the, the horrific nature of how some people treat animals, you know, when we're talking about rescues and I don't know Stanley's story, I have no idea how he came to be in, this California rescue, but just because nobody came for him, they, they were gonna kill him and how tragic that is.
Expanding Compassion: How Christians Can Help Rescue Animals and Support Pet Charities
And so, you know, we also, as, as Christians need to also consider what we can do to help save animals that maybe we're not personally bonded with yet. M. But I mean, I haven't even met Stanley yet as, as we're recording this and and yet I feel great love and compassion for him. but you know, you may not be able to, to foster a dog, adopt a dog, but you can still help, you can still, give to pet charities. I've, I've done that. I know you do that, Mark. you can still, do whatever you can and, and potentially consider if you're looking at getting a dog. you know, rescues can be hard, but they can be some of the best dogs you'll ever get.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, you know, we, so usually because we're more purebred folks, we bought from breeders. my last Great Dane that I lost, his name was Levi. he was named after an American hero of mine, Levi Preston from the American Revolution.
Navigating Rescue Dogs: A Personal Story of Adoption, Challenges, and Learning
And I found him online and it was just sort of random. I had lost a Dane. And by the way, this is Something I recommend to people. When you lose a dog, don't wait a long time to get a new dog. There's not a appropriate grieving period. It's not like you've lost a spouse or something. And the best thing you can do is fill that spot in your heart with another dog. And so we had lost a Great Dane, and I was out looking and I found him online. It was about 18 months old and very unusual for a Great Dane. He had bright blue eyes. It's not normal eye coloring for a Great Dane. And I just fell in love with him immediately. And so my wife acceded to my emotions and went to take a look at him, and we fell in love with him. And that's a really important rescue story. You don't know what you're getting. There's baggage that come with any rescue dog. They could be abused, they could be reactive dogs. There's all kinds of stuff. And so it's important that you're cautious about that. It's best if you get them from a foster that does this all the time and knows a dog and has spent time with the dog. That was not the case with this dog. And so we picked him up and we brought him home. And he was great. He was immediately great. I brought him home.
A Rescue Dog's Attack: A Frightening Incident and the Immediate Aftermath
He was just wonderful and loving, and all he wanted to do was be near us. We nicknamed him Thumper because every time he would walk near him, his tail would thump on whatever he was laying on. And the very first weekend I had him, I took him out for a long walk and I took him out into a sort of a wilderness area. And I took him off lead bad idea. And he attacked another dog. And I was so blown away, and I'm so traumatized. He didn't do any damage to this dog. It was a little puppy, picked it up in his mouth. I mean, he's a big dude and he's no damage. And we're having trouble getting in the Lego. Eventually, he let go. The dog was screaming bloody murder. Not. Not a scratch, not a puncture, nothing. And I returned him.
Learning from Mistakes: Integrating Rescue Dogs and Understanding Their Needs for Success
I completely freaked out. And I thought, I can't have this dog in my house. I don't know what he's going to do. And, you know, I took him back to the rescue and I returned him. And that night, I literally. I had one of the worst nightmares of my entire life. And in the nightmare, I was actually being scolded by the Lord. And he said, you prayed for this dog, and I brought you this dog. And this is what you do. Like, if anything happens, if it's not perfect the way you think perfect should be, you discard the dog. And I was so freaked out by that. And I'm not trying to say the Lord was speaking to me. I don't know, maybe I was just having a nightmare, But I was so compelled by that dream. I woke up the next morning, said, we have to go get. I can't. I just can't do this. And this is what I asked for. I asked for a new great date in my life. I got a new Great Dane in my life, and then I just walk away on the first difficulty. And so we brought him home, and I just realized over time, I had done everything wrong. If you bring home a foster, you do not want to take that foster out in public for a couple of weeks at least. You generally don't even want people coming over your house. Because what you want to do is you want to bond with them. You want to give them stability. You want to show them you're the pack leader. You want them to understand that they're safe. I've taken a dog out on a walk, had no idea what was going on. He had been traumatized. He'd been through all this stuff. He'd been through rescues. He'd lost his family. Everything's insecure for him in that moment. And he doesn't trust you because you're not his pack leader yet. And so I put him in an impossible situation, and so I brought him back. I learned all this stuff about how to integrate a rescue into your home. My other dog adopted him immediately, so that was fine. And ultimately, he ended up being a fantastic family pet for many years. But you have to understand, when you bring a dog into your home, that's a rescue. That's different than bringing home a puppy. You really have to do some reading, figure out how to integrate a rescue in your home, and then do it correctly to give them the best chance.
The Demanding Yet Rewarding Nature of Pet Ownership: Training and Mutual Understanding
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And what a great story. And I so appreciate you sharing that, because it is true that, a lot of people expect, dogs to just behave immediately or. Well, I'm giving them commands. Why aren't they, you know, why aren't they responsive or, or even. Even puppies? Bringing them into your home. They chew on things. You know, there. There is. It's a significant responsibility, but it's also so rewarding, and you can go through that process, with them. And also recognizing what does this individual dog need? And what is he, trying to tell me? What how should I, behave towards the dog? And, you know, in. In my, training, I got taught in Copper from the time they were nine weeks old. And, And yet, you know, we still went through training. And, and I still, you know, just, just the other week we got a new trainer here in Florida to, to even accentuate, you know, their, their commands, what they can do and what they respond to. And, And it is a process. And it. It also, I realized, was not just training them, but also training me to understand, okay, when they, When they bark, they're trying to tell me something, or when they nudge a certain way, they're trying to tell me something, and I need to be responsive as well. And often we tend to, as a society look at animals and pets as filling our needs, but we fail to see what their needs are. And it goes both ways, and it has to. And, and. And that's, you know, one really sad phenomenon that is just far too, too prevalent in our society of abandoning dogs just because we decide we don't have enough time or, I'm so glad that you went back for him, Mark. but, you know, where.
The Cycle of Abandonment and Responsibility: Why We Must Commit to Our Pets
Where we say, okay, I can't handle this. I don't know what to do. So I'm just going to, you know, just say I'm done. And there's too often kind of that mentality. So many, rescue dog stories are that their families just dropped them off because they weren't puppies anymore. And that is so sad. I mean, when you bring a dog in, unless, you know, there is a really, really valid reason, like some dogs just aren't adoptable because they're too aggressive. I get that. but for the most part, you know, especially when you're getting from a breeder or a puppy, the responsibility is on you to train and to discipline and to understand. And we need to take that responsibility, so seriously so that we can, in turn show the care and stewardship of, you know, these great, wonderful animals that God has brought into our lives.
Guest Interview: Mark Meckler Discusses Caring for God's Creatures and Animal Stewardship
we need to take a break here really quick, but I'm speaking with Mark Meckler, who's a good friend, you know him, from the Convention of States. That's a great project you should be involved in. We've talked about that extensively and will continue, here on American Family Radio Network work. But today we're talking about caring for God's animals. And we'll be right back. Hi, I'm Jenna Ellis. Did you know that this content is listener supported. Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net give that's afr.net give welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And I'm here with my special guest, Mark Meckler, who is with the Convention of States Project. But we're talking today about caring for and loving God's creatures, in the animal kingdom and the responsibilities of that.
Stewardship of Pets and Rescue Animals: Addressing the 'Fur Baby' Debate
We have to steward our pets well and that we should get involved as much as we can in helping rescue animals in need, whether that is, simply paying for their care, paying for their adoption fee, giving them a day off. You can go to a local shelter, take a dog out for a day and give them a day away from their kennel. you can foster or you could even adopt, and that is a wonderful way that we can steward God's creation wisely and well. And one of the things, Mark, that I've seen, you know, in a lot of the conversation about animals on social media, my friend Matt Walsh, who, you know, I respect in a lot of ways, you know, conservative commentator over at Daily Wire. one of the things that I really disagree with him is that he has gone so far in the, the life debate because we agree that that dogs and pets are not children, they're not human children, they're not equivalent, to raising a family. I don't disciple my dogs and raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I train them, I am a, a master to them in a way that children, we have a very, we have a parent relationship. It's a very, very different thing. And so in this culture where yes, we have unfortunately started this trend of replacing having families with, agree with him on, on that he goes too far to mock people who love their pets as fur baby owners and to say that you know, he doesn't even like dogs. And and he says, you know, dogs don't even belong anywhere in public.
Balancing Love for Animals with Human Responsibilities: A Response to Matt Walsh
And, and to go so far as to diminish the value and the God given responsibility that humans have to care for the animals he's given us. So, so with this Mark, I mean, how do you balance that, you know, as a parent, a grandparent, but also a loving owner of animals? And a response to Matt Walsh.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, well, I mean first of all, there's some of it where I agree with Matt and I know you do as well. And you mentioned that, like, they're not our children, they don't replace children. That's a very unhealthy aspect if you look at them as some kind of replacement for relationships in your life. Where I would differ is it is a very deep emotional bond. And I don't. Matt almost doesn't recognize any deep emotional bond, so I understand that. But that dog, human bond especially, and I don't have cats, so I can't speak to cats, but I think it's probably the same is incredibly important.
The Spiritual Significance of the Human-Animal Bond: Peace, Comfort, and Divine Responsibility
And it's not only important to us from just like I like my dog or I love my dog, it's important from a spiritual sense when things are really difficult in my life. And I know you've through a lot and I know your dogs were there for you when you went through a lot. And mine have been too. There is a sense of spiritual peace that I get from being with my dogs. And if I want to calm my thinking and calm my senses, and even if my goal is to go to prayer with the Lord, I try to clear my head and be calm when I go to prayer with the Lord. That's where I hear the most. My dogs are actually a tool for that. And I use them to calm me when I'm feeling too stressed out. Everything's over the top, I can't handle it. And it helps me, frankly, in my relationship with the Lord to have that calming influence in my life. I also think that there is a real parallel to children, which is when you bring a child into your life, you have the ultimate responsibility there. When you bring a dog or a cat or any other pet into your life, a horse, whatever, is, you have a similar form of responsibility. That animal is completely dependent on you. You must eat it, you must make sure it has water, you must give it what it needs so that it will thrive. And I think the Lord actually expects that of us. Don't have animals if you're not willing to do that stuff. And so I would just disagree with Matt. I think there is a deep and abiding love that we have for animals. I think that is a two way relationship and I think it comes with similar responsibilities having children.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, yeah, I completely agree.
Valuing Animal Relationships: Beyond Self-Interest and Embracing God's Good Creation
And you know, well, our culture shouldn't be replacing, pets with having a family. Neither should we be ignoring the value and the responsibility of the stewardship of animals and the blessings of those relationships. Because unlike, the, the other ways that you can spend your time and money very selfishly frankly. in a lot of ways. and, and the, the shopping experiences or the travel or the, you know, whatever that is very self serving. I mean it doesn't have to be bad. I mean I love going on vacation as much as anybody but but those types of, you know, inanimate objects, an airplane is never going to love you back. You don't have a relationship, you know, with, with your travel and you do with your animals. And you know, this is a unique relationship that God has created. And again back in Genesis he calls it good. And and here before the fall and you know, we also see, as I mentioned, in the earlier segment, we see animals in the new heaven and the new earth. And God loves his, his creation, his animals. And we can benefit so much in our spiritual lives from that relationship as well and from the care that, that they provide and also the responsibility that they give. I mean I know when I was going through all of the lawfare and everything, it was hard get out of bed in the morning and see what people were saying about me, you know, on social media or answer all of the reporters, questions and you know, wonder am I going to survive this? And just all of these, you know, overwhelming things, that were crashing down on me and my dogs were there saying I need to go on a walk and I need to be fed this morning and excited about it and giving me a reason to say, let's get up, go outside, see the beautiful Florida sunshine, take a walk and seeing that my dogs are happy regardless. I mean if you have ever been around a dog, they just have the most beautifully simple way of looking at life. They are so excited about everything. I mean it doesn't even matter where we're going. I, tell my dogs, you know, if we're going on a car ride, they have no idea where we're going. They're just like, yay, we get to come and stick their head out the window and you can't help but, but see that joy and then partake in that, which is just a wonderful gift God has given us.
The Gift of Animal Companionship: Finding Joy and Discipline in Their Presence
And you know, I know I would not have, have survived that whole trial nearly as, you know, well and you know, in some parts as unwell as I did, but nearly as well without the gift of the presence, the discipline, the schedule and the the necessities that my dogs not only required from me, but what they gave to me, especially during that time and they still do. And. And I think we shouldn't ever diminish that opportunity that we have to have that relationship. Mark. And so, you know, for people who are listening to this and they say, okay, well, you know, either they. They have dogs, they understand this, and they've never considered, fostering or adopting a dog in need, or someone's listening to this and thinking, you know, maybe, yeah, maybe you've convinced me. My kids want a dog. I've never wanted to, but, you know, maybe. Where should they start in. In having a.
Commitment to Animal Care: Making Responsible Decisions for Adoption and Fostering
Maybe a renewed framework about what it means to care for an animal?
Mark Meckler: Yeah, I mean, I think first search your heart and make sure you're willing to go through the difficulties. And I think a lot of people end up with dogs because the kids want them or it seems exciting and fun. And that is exciting and fun is true. And I think you should get animals for your kids. We can talk about why, but I think the first thing is to make sure you're really willing to make that commitment. Because. Because it's not fair to the animals if you're not. It's not, an experiment, like, you don't bring them home. And this is. Foster is a little bit of an experiment. But in just general, if you're going to adopt a dog, you don't bring them home, thinking, well, if it doesn't work, then I'll just throw them out like an old toy. That is a living being, and that living being is going to be traumatized. If you bring them home and integrate them with your family and they start to feel bound to your family, and then you just decide you're going to give them up because it's difficult. So make sure that you're willing to make the commitment. And again, I want to be clear. I'm not saying there are no circumstances where you, you cannot, you can never give up a dog. There are circumstances that require that, and I understand that, and I, I sympathize with people that have to do that. But you want to make sure you're really serious about it. Look at what it takes.
Adopting Rescued Animals: The Importance of Fostering for Accurate Assessment
I would go online, your local Facebook group and, and look up foster organizations and get a realistic picture of what that means. You should always go into it with a clear mind about what you're actually doing. That's going to be your best chance for success, and then use the resources that local foster groups have. Shelters are very difficult places to adopt. It's not that I don't. I say don't do it, but you go to a Shelter. A dog in a shelter is not that dog. In other words, what, what they're going to see, what you're going to see when you see a dog in a cage in a shelter is not the dog. It's going to be when he gets home. They're traumatized. It's loud, there's lots of smell. It's terrifying. So what you really want is you want a dog that is being fostered so it's with a family. That family has had the dog for weeks or months, knows the dog, knows how it reacts to cats and other dogs and kids and people, and can give you a true picture of the dog. That's my recommendation for how to actually adopt a dog.
Navigating Animal Rescue: Personal Experiences and Ways to Support Rescues
Jenna Ellis: And what a great recommendation. And you know, speaking, just from my own now limited experience, with Stanley, I had no idea how, how to go about this. M. I had rescued a dog one other time in college. my parents actually helped me out as well. But that was local. So it was real easy to just go to the shelter, you know, pick up the dog and and then deal, you know, with all of that. And we ended up being just the foster home m. To then transfer, her to her forever family. she's actually a Dalmatian that ended up with a firefighter family. So kind of cool story but, but you know, that was, you know, not meant to be long term and also was, was local. So a little easier, with this. I had no idea how, how to get this done, but you know, it takes a little bit of work and inquiry. But there are so many people in the in the rescue area and this space that are just begging for people to contact them and say, hey, I'm willing to help. I'm willing to sponsor the adoption fee and to you know, just get them to a place where they're not going to be euthanized. And so if you want to help some of these dogs, you can do it locally. You can partner with a rescue.
Supporting Animal Welfare: From Local Shelters to Large Rescues and Prayer
You can donate to rescues. here in Florida we have one of the biggest no kill, ah, rescues that actually trains dogs to then, be service dogs for veterans. and they adopt out a lot of dogs, ah, Big Dog Ranch Rescue. They were the ones who saved the all, all of the Beagles, that you'll remember in the headlines from a while ago who were having you know, testing on them just absolutely horrible, unethical, evil things. so, you know, that's, that's a place that that you can give as well. So there's a lot of ways to get involved, but pray about it. And if, you know, if God so leads, then consider, helping these animals, stewarding God, stewarding God's creation and showing care and compassion. So, Mark, we've got to take another break here, but, thank you so much for being on the show today and for, telling us, your heart for your animals, for God's creation. And, and I just thank you so much for your friendship.
Mark Meckler: Oh, thanks.
Closing Remarks and Well Wishes for Stanley
And God bless and good luck with Stanley. Keep us posted.
Jenna Ellis: Thank you. I will. All right, Mark Meckler, thanks so much and we will be right back with more.
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The Unexpected Topic: Expanding Our Responsibility to Care for God's Animal Kingdom
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Back. And I want to thank Mark Meckler so much for joining me and sharing his experience with rescue animals. Today we're, doing kind of a 30,000 foot perspective on something that, you may not have anticipated. Tuning in to Jenna Ellis in the morning. Ah, today, because we often talk about human events, we talk about the things that touch and concern, our lives as humans and, politics, news of the day, church, family, raising kids, you know, caring for grandparents. I m mean, all of these things, things, but we should also be talking about our responsibility, to the animal kingdom. Because God our creator created all of, the animals and entrusted their Care to us. And so, you know, hearing from someone like Mark, who opened, his home to a rescue dog and, you know, taking us through that story and also about not giving up, but that, you know, some dogs definitely need more training than others. All dogs need training, just like kids need discipline.
Training and Discipline: The Daily Commitment Required for Both Children and Animals
you know, if you ever go out and you, you know, you see, kids, of course, I mean, I know they'll have them, their meltdowns, they'll, you know, they won't be well behaved 100% of the time. And no one should expect that, by the way. But, you can tell the difference between a child who knows their boundaries, they know the rules, they know what's expected of them, and, have discipline versus, someone who is, you know, just allowed to basically run wild. Right? And the same thing is true, for animals especially, for dogs that, that really need that training, that constant work, that daily commitment. And you know, it's sometimes messy, sometimes expensive, it's always demanding, but it's often, deeply rewarding. And so, you know, through, through this experience and for those who want to follow along, you know, I've posted a few things about, Stanley. This, this rescued German shepherd who is in crisis at a shelter in California. he was at risk of being euthanized. this is so terrible that this does actually happen.
The Tragic Reality of Euthanasia: How We Can Be the Difference for Shelter Animals
I mean, a lot of shelters will tell you they're no kill, but, a lot of times that's not true. and they will only keep dogs for, you know, the, the time that they have or if they say, well, we don't have, as much room or however they decide all of this, this. They put them on a kill list simply because no one came to adopt them. And it's just utterly heartbreaking and it's tragic. And we can be the difference, between a dog, being put down simply because nobody cared enough versus actually caring to take the time, to save them. And so I will, share more about Stanley's journey as it unfolds. But the basic fact is this, Stanley is a living creature with a future. And he needed someone simply to be willing to step forward. And I couldn't in that moment say, well, I'll pray for somebody else too. And, you know, lord, please send someone.
Making a Difference: The Power of Individual Action, Inspired by the Starfish Story
I saw in that moment that God was sending me and that I could do something. I could step up and step forward and be that difference literally between life and death. Death for this one dog. And I had, a response on Social media from, you know, one commenter who said, you know, this is great. This is just one dog. We need a way bigger movement. And I respond, I said, you know, I fully agree, I absolutely agree that we need a bigger movement. we need to have, you know, more people step up. But for this one dog, this made all the difference. Difference. And if everybody who is listening right now in the sound of my voice can help save one dog or cat or, you know, or animal, there are horse rescues. I mean, there's a lot of animals that need our help. If you can just save one for that one, you will make all the difference. And imagine how cumulatively that effect would be if we all just saved one. There's a, there's a poem, if you. If you haven't heard it, about the starfish. Actually, I should pull that up. I wasn't planning to do this. Let me Google this really quick. starfish story about making a difference.
The Impact of Mentorship and Support: Paying It Forward in Human and Animal Lives
And I actually gave my mom, a couple of years ago for Christmas, a necklace of a starfish because she does a lot of biblical counseling. And she, has. Has truly, you know, saved so many people, allowed them, you know, to. To come into a saving knowledge of, of our Lord and Savior and, you know, been that link on that chain to saving them from, their past or from addictions, from, you know, possibly, failed marriages, relationships with their kids. I mean, all kinds of things. And, you know, she can't counsel everyone who needs help in the world. She's one person. But for those people that she can counsel, she's made all the difference in the world. And so I gave her this necklace because I saw this story years ago and I just loved it because it reminded me that even while I can't do everything for one person or one animal, I can be the difference and be that everything to them. So here's the story. It says an old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach one day after a storm. He saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dance. He saw as he came, ah, closer that it was a young woman. And she was not dancing, but she was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing it back into the ocean. Young lady, he asked, why are you throwing the starfish into the ocean? The sun is up, the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in, they will die. She responded, but, young lady, he said, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and, starfish all along it. You cannot possibly make a difference. The young woman listened politely, paused, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves, saying, it made a difference for that one. And I love that because for that one it made a difference. And I'm getting emotional again because it does make a difference. And I've had so many people in my life who have made a difference for me. And I was there one, right? I mean for my parents to, to steward me and to disciple me in the way of the Lord. I mean as parents, obviously that's a, that's an important responsibility in relationship. But you know, as I've gone along, along the way, there have been mentors in my life that have taken time just to ensure that I have what I needed to learn, what I needed to grow in, in that moment, pastors who have discipled me, who continue to do that. I've had people, you know, all of you along the way, who have listened to during, you know, all of the lawfare that were going on, you contributed so much to my legal defense and you may, you may have been thinking, okay, this is $10. What does it matter? Well, it made a difference cumulatively and it also let me know that that people care and that all of you were praying for me. I mean every email that I get, it made a difference for me. And so for every little starfish that's out there, whether that's humans, whether that's, that's animals, you can make a difference. And you may think that, you know, $10, one prayer, one adoption fee, one, one person that you're discipling, that you're counseling, for that one, it makes a difference. And you know, for every person my mom has counseled, for every person, that I've now had the opportunity to mentor or disciple, I mean it's, it's made a difference in their lives. And I know we're talking about animals, this morning and making a difference, but but I also do want to bring it back to making a difference in human lives as well because we shouldn't just always be the recipients of other people's, favor and well being and gift. We need to as.
Living a Life of Service: Mentoring Others and Finding Ways to Contribute
Especially for women. You know, Titus 2 talks about the older women, mentoring and discipling the younger women and of course, you know, pastors and elders, the men in the churches need to do the same as well for you know, their congregations and the Bible Talks about and gives us examples of Paul and Timothy, you know, Paul, mentoring, his, his young protege. And we see, you know, a lot of examples of that throughout Scripture. And so as much as you may have been blessed in various ways, by people who have given to you in your life, think about how you can return that and pay it forward, to someone else. Do you have a person in your life? If you are a Christian and if you've been a Christian for, you know, any significant amount of time and you know the basics, or you've grown past that, do you have people that you are mentoring in your life, for parents that absolutely must include your children, but that also can and should include, other people at your church or people in, your community. If you want to start a Bible study in your home, if you want to lead that, if you want to be part of a ministry in your church, find a way that you can serve. That's part of being the church. And you can have a starfish all along the way. And and when we're talking about, animals as well, you can save just one.
Prioritizing Human Life While Caring for Animals: Supporting Pro-Life Ministries and AFR
and you know, again, the Bible doesn't say that animals are human beings. It doesn't say that animals bear God's image in the way that people do. And we should be concerned primarily about, saving the lives of humans, of discipling them. I know that pro life is a huge issue that all of us here at AFR are so concerned with. And it's good and right and proper to give, to those ministries, to things like PreBorn Ministries, you know, who we partner with here at AFR to give to AFR as well. you know, we host the twice yearly Share a Thon so that we ask you to partner with us so that, so that you can be a part of our ministry, that we promote pro life legislation, that we promote those values, that we teach all of those things. And and you can always give. It doesn't have to just be during a Share a thon. You can always give, to American Family Radio at any time, and you can pay that forward. And it's not just about monetary gifts either.
Exercising God-Given Gifts: Service, Teaching, Mercy, Love, Leadership, and Hospitality
I mean, this is about, ah, being in a life of service and how can you give, in the gifts and talents and the spiritual gifts that God has given you. There's actually a spiritual gifts test that I went through recently with the ladies in my Bible study, that assess, you know, what are the gifts that God has given you? How has he uniquely made and equipped you to then serve. And there are a whole host of ways that you can give, through the, the gifts that God has given you. And it's not just about, about financially, a financial giving. It's about service, it's about teaching, showing mercy, love, it's about leadership, it's about hospitality. I mean there's so many different gifts that God has given that we should be exercising. And and if we go back to the beginning of scripture just to kind of wrap all of this up, Genesis tells us that God created the animals, that he saw his creation as good. And the Bible gives us specific examples of that responsibility. And we see God's creation concern for animals throughout Scripture.
Comprehensive Stewardship: Honoring Life from Humans to Animals in God's Creation
And so this matters in the way that we choose to live our lives, how we choose to treat our fellow human beings, how we choose to honor the inherent dignity of life that God gives to them, and also how we behave toward the animals, how we steward those creatures that are in our care, how we have compassion for the ones who need us, how we can, can live our Christian life looking at how we can make a difference. So if you are thinking today, you know, yeah, I've given to a lot of the pro life ministries. I've been pro life in a human being sense. But this has kind of opened my eyes a little bit to saying I need to care about God's creatures in the animal kingdom too. there are many ways to help. You can adopt, adopt, a rescue, dog or cat or you know, other animal you can adopt. You can also foster. Not everyone has the space or resources to foster or adopt, but you can share a rescues animal story. You can support a local shelter or rescue organization. You can volunteer, donate supplies or help someone who's fostering.
Living Out Our Faith: Valuing Life and Showing Compassion Through Action and Service
You can also make sure your own pets receive proper care, attention and love and take that decision seriously. And we should be overall a culture that values life and should show that value is more than just words. It should be visible in the way that we care for children, the vulnerable, our neighbors, and also the animals that are entrusted to us. So those truths all belong together and let's go make a difference and love the life of humanity, beings that God has entrusted to our care and also the wonderful animals and companions he gives us. So as always, you can reach me and my team. Jennapr.net.
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Sponsor Message and Introduction to Biblical Worldview of Government and Truth
Jenna Ellis: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time she will choose life. But she can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside her. One ultrasound is just $28, and to donate, dial £250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com afr Jenna Ellis in the morning on American Family Rad.
Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview, the U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you, and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Exploring Biblical Truth and God's Creation: Stewardship and Care for Animals
This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. Good morning. And I am so grateful, to be on air this morning talking about biblical truth, the things of God and the biblical worldview of all of the things that touch and concern our lives and also God's creation. And you know, on some of these programs, we like to take a step back from news of the day and headlines and talk about a, ah, topic that, is something that you should carry with you beyond just, today. And then of course, the headlines change tomorrow. And today I want to talk about caring for the animals and what we can do to steward God's creation. And there's a very personal reason that I want to get into this. But, but before we get into that, I want to, to talk about how the Bible gives us a very clear reason to care about animals. They belong to God and he entrusted their care to us.
Biblical Mandate for Animal Stewardship: God's Creation and Our Responsibility
And so in Genesis we see that God created the animals and he calls his creation good. He gives humanity dominion over them, not as permission to just do whatever we want to exploit or abuse them, but as a responsibility to govern creation wisely. And in Genesis 2:15, God places Adam in the garden to work and to keep it. So this starts establishing a pattern that we see throughout Scripture of stewardship and, and care. And so you may be thinking, well, you know, I'm not a huge fan of animals. I've never had a pet. I've never really, you know, worked with them. that's okay. But we need to also recognize and appreciate how we should respect animals, care for them, and to, treat them especially humanely. And for those of you, who have had pets, dogs, cats. my, my little brother and his new wife just got two birds. And so we get bird updates on the fam chan and it's really cute. and they just love birds. we, we know how special, God's creation can be to humanity. And Scripture shows us that God's concern extends to animals themselves. Psalm 36 says that God preserves both people and animals. And in Jonah 4, God points to the people of Nineveh and even their many animals as part of what moved him to show compassion. Jesus also tells his listeners that not one sparrow is forgotten before the Lord. That's in Luke 12. And the Father feeds the birds of the air in Matthew 6. These passages remind us that animals are not insignificant to their creator. We also see in Revelation that Jesus returns on a white horse. We see the lion laying down with the lamb. We see that animals are part of the new heaven and the new earth. God cares about them.
Righteousness, Mercy, and Compassion: Connecting Animal Care to Christian Faith and Values
And the Bible also connects righteousness with how we treat them. Proverbs 12:10 says, whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast. the Sabbath command even gave animals rest alongside their human masters in Exodus. And these aren't just incidental details. They show that God's people are to exercise authority with mercy and to treat the creatures under their care with kindness. So this doesn't mean that how. Some on the left say that animals are equivalent in, a moral status to human beings. Human beings alone are made in the image of God and have a unique dignity and moral worth. But recognizing that distinction should only deepen our sense of responsibility as humans toward animals, not excuse cruelty or indifference, and not turn a blind eye to animals in need. Jesus himself said, if your oxen is stuck in a ditch even on the Sabbath day, go rescue him. Animals are part of God's good creation, and caring for them is one way we honor the Creator who made them. So a biblical culture of life should include compassion for animals, loving them, rejecting abuse, and taking responsibility for the pets we welcome into our homes, and also acting as faithful stewards of the world God has entrusted to us. So, a lot of you who listen regularly know that I have my two dogs, Todd and Copper. I've had dogs my whole, they are so, near and dear to me and came into my life at a time that I really, needed dogs in my life and needed, you know, someone here with me. And, when I was going through all of the drama of lawfare, and they've just been amazing.
Personal Stories of Animal Rescue: A German Shepherd's Journey and the Call to Action
but this Past week I saw just on a random social media post, you know, God can even work through the algorithms. A dog who was set to be euthanized last Friday, through no fault of his own. He's not aggressive anything. He's a sweet German shepherd, about 2 to 3 years old. His name is Stanley. And I just could not let that happen. And so even though he's in California, I'm in Florida. He's just another Californian that needed Florida's rescue. So, I ended up contacting that person who connected me with a rescue, who went and tagged him. I paid the adoption fee. He's now at a foster home, in California until I can get him here to Florida and is just doing incredible. And I'm so grateful to be the one person that didn't look away and didn't say, well, that someone else's problem or, well, I'll pray for him, but I can take action. I had $150 to pay. That's not much right to pay for his adoption fee and for his rescue. And, I'm so grateful for that. So with that story, I posted some stuff on social media. And my good friend Mark Meckler, who you all know, with the Convention of States project, is. He is, one of, I would say one of my best friends in the political space for a long time. We've known each other almost a decade. he reached out to me and we were talk about, this, this rescue dog, and he was sharing his own heart and compassion for animals. So I asked Mark to join me this morning to talk about this really important topic. And, Mark Meckler, thank you so much for joining me. And, I'd love to get, you know, your thoughts on, why compassion and care for animals is so personal to your Christian faith as well.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, well, thanks for having me, Jenna. And it was great to connect with you over this.
The Spiritual and Emotional Benefits of Loving Animals: Unconditional Love and Lessons for Faith
It's funny because we know each other politically, right? And in the political is so messy and mean and aggressive and vicious that you got to have something else in your life. And of course, for you and I, that anchor point is our faith. And God created all the animals. And in my life, animals have always been a place of respite. And you know, Patti and I, we're big Great Dane fans and we've been married 33 years. We got our first Great Danes on our honeymoon. I can't literally imagine a household without animals. And animals give me peace. They give me comfort. They remind me of the thing that's most important, literally, which is love, because animals give absolutely unconditional love. They don't care if you're successful. They don't care if you're wealthy. They don't care what you look like. They don't. They, you know, they care what you feel like, and that if you're sad, they sense it and they will give you comfort. But this just absolutely unconditional love. And I also think that animals give humans an opportunity to practice that kind of love. And what I mean by that is, when you get a dog, especially if you're in, you know, anywhere up to midlife, you are likely to outlive that dog. So when you get that dog, what you're buying, and you know you're getting this, whether you foster or you get a purebred or whatever, you're buying pain, because you know that that dog will depart this earth before you do. And this is especially true with us with our great names, because the big breeds, like Great Danes, the giant breeds, they don't live very long. Maybe eight years, ten years, man. if you're lucky outside, you get 11 years. We've had that with a couple of our great names over the years. But, you know, that pain is coming. And so for me, I call loving a dog loving with reckless abandon. Because you just know the pain is coming. It's not forever, but you're willing to do it. Because the value of that relationship, that absolutely unconditional love, the fact that they meet you at the door every time you come home, that they snuggle with you when you're in a bad mood, that they look at you exactly the same no matter what, how you've behaved or how you're feeling. It's an incredible thing. And I think that's a special gift from God to humans.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, it's so true. And, you know, when I, first got taught in copper and I had a few people, tell me after just a few months, like, you can just tell in looking at their faces the way they looked at me, that they just absolutely love you, Jenna. And, you know, and to me, it. It's a beautiful reflection of a form of worship about dogs just want to be in your presence all the time. Their life revolves around everything that you do, for them. And when you treat them well, they. They are just so thankful. And they, you know, they don't need much, except for love and care. And what they provide in return is just, so amazing. But. But it's a reflection as well. Maybe a Lesson for us about how much our life should revolve around our master and how we should just want to be in the presence of the Lord 24. 7. And we know wherever, he is, there we want to be also. And, you know, the more that, I have had dogs in my life, especially, these two in particular, I can just see in them, some of those same things and those attitudes that I should have, toward our Lord and Savior and toward our master. And obviously, you know, not exactly the same comparison, but, but there's. So that dogs can teach us. And you're right. we often, ah, for.
The Profound Bond with Animals: Accepting Loss and Honoring Their Lives with Compassion
For the most part, I mean, we outlive our animals, and that's anticipated. but I love the. The saying that you can find this all over social media. I don't know who was the first one to say it, but, a dog is part of your life, but you are their whole life. And to give a dog a great life, you know, or a cat or a bird. But, But I think especially dogs, I mean, they're man's best friend for a reason. that's just a wonderful bond and a wonderful thing.
Mark Meckler: Yeah. And I think, you know, for anybody who's had dogs for any measure of time and has lost dogs, it's obviously difficult and sad. And one of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard. Somebody wrote something from the perspective of the dog and said, don't be sad. Just take everything I've taught you and give that to the next dog. M.
Jenna Ellis: That's. That's so.
Mark Meckler: It's actually, I get choked up talking about it. I'm such a softy. Haven't had great names. I've lost a lot of them. You know, we're on number seven. I've got Doc and Winston right now. So they're number six and seven. And so there are five that came before them that we've had to walk through that process with. anybody who's been through it understands what I'm talking about. You. It's such a hard decision to make when they come to end of life. And the one thing, if there's anybody out there struggling with that, you know, follow your conscience. Do we got to do. Remember, it's for the dog, it's not for you. And then be with them. This is a hard thing. End of life of a dog. Go to that vet, or you have the vet come to your house, which is the easiest way if you can do that.
End-of-Life Decisions for Pets: Compassion, Presence, and the Importance of Companionship
I think it's best for the Dog come to your house and when that moment comes, you know, your dog's in too much pain, struggling too bad, and you've got to do that deed at the end of life, you, you just got to be with them.
Mark Meckler: I think we owe that to our companions. And I've heard of people, you know, they just go to the vet and drop their dog off and leave and I just can't imagine doing that. They didn't leave us at any point during our lives, certainly during the most difficult times, they've always been by our side. So we need to make sure that we repay that by being with them until the very end.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. So true. And I've, I've lost a number of dogs, in, in my life as well. When I get choked too. Just thinking about, is really hard. But you know, you go and you stay with them because that's their, their moment. And you know, dogs know and you know that they know. But to go and to make sure that you're with them and that they know that they're not abandoned is, is, is everything. And so when we talk about, you know, the, the horrific nature of how some people treat animals, you know, when we're talking about rescues and I don't know Stanley's story, I have no idea how he came to be in, this California rescue, but just because nobody came for him, they, they were gonna kill him and how tragic that is.
Expanding Compassion: How Christians Can Help Rescue Animals and Support Pet Charities
And so, you know, we also, as, as Christians need to also consider what we can do to help save animals that maybe we're not personally bonded with yet. M. But I mean, I haven't even met Stanley yet as, as we're recording this and and yet I feel great love and compassion for him. but you know, you may not be able to, to foster a dog, adopt a dog, but you can still help, you can still, give to pet charities. I've, I've done that. I know you do that, Mark. you can still, do whatever you can and, and potentially consider if you're looking at getting a dog. you know, rescues can be hard, but they can be some of the best dogs you'll ever get.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, you know, we, so usually because we're more purebred folks, we bought from breeders. my last Great Dane that I lost, his name was Levi. he was named after an American hero of mine, Levi Preston from the American Revolution.
Navigating Rescue Dogs: A Personal Story of Adoption, Challenges, and Learning
And I found him online and it was just sort of random. I had lost a Dane. And by the way, this is Something I recommend to people. When you lose a dog, don't wait a long time to get a new dog. There's not a appropriate grieving period. It's not like you've lost a spouse or something. And the best thing you can do is fill that spot in your heart with another dog. And so we had lost a Great Dane, and I was out looking and I found him online. It was about 18 months old and very unusual for a Great Dane. He had bright blue eyes. It's not normal eye coloring for a Great Dane. And I just fell in love with him immediately. And so my wife acceded to my emotions and went to take a look at him, and we fell in love with him. And that's a really important rescue story. You don't know what you're getting. There's baggage that come with any rescue dog. They could be abused, they could be reactive dogs. There's all kinds of stuff. And so it's important that you're cautious about that. It's best if you get them from a foster that does this all the time and knows a dog and has spent time with the dog. That was not the case with this dog. And so we picked him up and we brought him home. And he was great. He was immediately great. I brought him home.
A Rescue Dog's Attack: A Frightening Incident and the Immediate Aftermath
He was just wonderful and loving, and all he wanted to do was be near us. We nicknamed him Thumper because every time he would walk near him, his tail would thump on whatever he was laying on. And the very first weekend I had him, I took him out for a long walk and I took him out into a sort of a wilderness area. And I took him off lead bad idea. And he attacked another dog. And I was so blown away, and I'm so traumatized. He didn't do any damage to this dog. It was a little puppy, picked it up in his mouth. I mean, he's a big dude and he's no damage. And we're having trouble getting in the Lego. Eventually, he let go. The dog was screaming bloody murder. Not. Not a scratch, not a puncture, nothing. And I returned him.
Learning from Mistakes: Integrating Rescue Dogs and Understanding Their Needs for Success
I completely freaked out. And I thought, I can't have this dog in my house. I don't know what he's going to do. And, you know, I took him back to the rescue and I returned him. And that night, I literally. I had one of the worst nightmares of my entire life. And in the nightmare, I was actually being scolded by the Lord. And he said, you prayed for this dog, and I brought you this dog. And this is what you do. Like, if anything happens, if it's not perfect the way you think perfect should be, you discard the dog. And I was so freaked out by that. And I'm not trying to say the Lord was speaking to me. I don't know, maybe I was just having a nightmare, But I was so compelled by that dream. I woke up the next morning, said, we have to go get. I can't. I just can't do this. And this is what I asked for. I asked for a new great date in my life. I got a new Great Dane in my life, and then I just walk away on the first difficulty. And so we brought him home, and I just realized over time, I had done everything wrong. If you bring home a foster, you do not want to take that foster out in public for a couple of weeks at least. You generally don't even want people coming over your house. Because what you want to do is you want to bond with them. You want to give them stability. You want to show them you're the pack leader. You want them to understand that they're safe. I've taken a dog out on a walk, had no idea what was going on. He had been traumatized. He'd been through all this stuff. He'd been through rescues. He'd lost his family. Everything's insecure for him in that moment. And he doesn't trust you because you're not his pack leader yet. And so I put him in an impossible situation, and so I brought him back. I learned all this stuff about how to integrate a rescue into your home. My other dog adopted him immediately, so that was fine. And ultimately, he ended up being a fantastic family pet for many years. But you have to understand, when you bring a dog into your home, that's a rescue. That's different than bringing home a puppy. You really have to do some reading, figure out how to integrate a rescue in your home, and then do it correctly to give them the best chance.
The Demanding Yet Rewarding Nature of Pet Ownership: Training and Mutual Understanding
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And what a great story. And I so appreciate you sharing that, because it is true that, a lot of people expect, dogs to just behave immediately or. Well, I'm giving them commands. Why aren't they, you know, why aren't they responsive or, or even. Even puppies? Bringing them into your home. They chew on things. You know, there. There is. It's a significant responsibility, but it's also so rewarding, and you can go through that process, with them. And also recognizing what does this individual dog need? And what is he, trying to tell me? What how should I, behave towards the dog? And, you know, in. In my, training, I got taught in Copper from the time they were nine weeks old. And, And yet, you know, we still went through training. And, and I still, you know, just, just the other week we got a new trainer here in Florida to, to even accentuate, you know, their, their commands, what they can do and what they respond to. And, And it is a process. And it. It also, I realized, was not just training them, but also training me to understand, okay, when they, When they bark, they're trying to tell me something, or when they nudge a certain way, they're trying to tell me something, and I need to be responsive as well. And often we tend to, as a society look at animals and pets as filling our needs, but we fail to see what their needs are. And it goes both ways, and it has to. And, and. And that's, you know, one really sad phenomenon that is just far too, too prevalent in our society of abandoning dogs just because we decide we don't have enough time or, I'm so glad that you went back for him, Mark. but, you know, where.
The Cycle of Abandonment and Responsibility: Why We Must Commit to Our Pets
Where we say, okay, I can't handle this. I don't know what to do. So I'm just going to, you know, just say I'm done. And there's too often kind of that mentality. So many, rescue dog stories are that their families just dropped them off because they weren't puppies anymore. And that is so sad. I mean, when you bring a dog in, unless, you know, there is a really, really valid reason, like some dogs just aren't adoptable because they're too aggressive. I get that. but for the most part, you know, especially when you're getting from a breeder or a puppy, the responsibility is on you to train and to discipline and to understand. And we need to take that responsibility, so seriously so that we can, in turn show the care and stewardship of, you know, these great, wonderful animals that God has brought into our lives.
Guest Interview: Mark Meckler Discusses Caring for God's Creatures and Animal Stewardship
we need to take a break here really quick, but I'm speaking with Mark Meckler, who's a good friend, you know him, from the Convention of States. That's a great project you should be involved in. We've talked about that extensively and will continue, here on American Family Radio Network work. But today we're talking about caring for God's animals. And we'll be right back. Hi, I'm Jenna Ellis. Did you know that this content is listener supported. Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net give that's afr.net give welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And I'm here with my special guest, Mark Meckler, who is with the Convention of States Project. But we're talking today about caring for and loving God's creatures, in the animal kingdom and the responsibilities of that.
Stewardship of Pets and Rescue Animals: Addressing the 'Fur Baby' Debate
We have to steward our pets well and that we should get involved as much as we can in helping rescue animals in need, whether that is, simply paying for their care, paying for their adoption fee, giving them a day off. You can go to a local shelter, take a dog out for a day and give them a day away from their kennel. you can foster or you could even adopt, and that is a wonderful way that we can steward God's creation wisely and well. And one of the things, Mark, that I've seen, you know, in a lot of the conversation about animals on social media, my friend Matt Walsh, who, you know, I respect in a lot of ways, you know, conservative commentator over at Daily Wire. one of the things that I really disagree with him is that he has gone so far in the, the life debate because we agree that that dogs and pets are not children, they're not human children, they're not equivalent, to raising a family. I don't disciple my dogs and raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I train them, I am a, a master to them in a way that children, we have a very, we have a parent relationship. It's a very, very different thing. And so in this culture where yes, we have unfortunately started this trend of replacing having families with, agree with him on, on that he goes too far to mock people who love their pets as fur baby owners and to say that you know, he doesn't even like dogs. And and he says, you know, dogs don't even belong anywhere in public.
Balancing Love for Animals with Human Responsibilities: A Response to Matt Walsh
And, and to go so far as to diminish the value and the God given responsibility that humans have to care for the animals he's given us. So, so with this Mark, I mean, how do you balance that, you know, as a parent, a grandparent, but also a loving owner of animals? And a response to Matt Walsh.
Mark Meckler: Yeah, well, I mean first of all, there's some of it where I agree with Matt and I know you do as well. And you mentioned that, like, they're not our children, they don't replace children. That's a very unhealthy aspect if you look at them as some kind of replacement for relationships in your life. Where I would differ is it is a very deep emotional bond. And I don't. Matt almost doesn't recognize any deep emotional bond, so I understand that. But that dog, human bond especially, and I don't have cats, so I can't speak to cats, but I think it's probably the same is incredibly important.
The Spiritual Significance of the Human-Animal Bond: Peace, Comfort, and Divine Responsibility
And it's not only important to us from just like I like my dog or I love my dog, it's important from a spiritual sense when things are really difficult in my life. And I know you've through a lot and I know your dogs were there for you when you went through a lot. And mine have been too. There is a sense of spiritual peace that I get from being with my dogs. And if I want to calm my thinking and calm my senses, and even if my goal is to go to prayer with the Lord, I try to clear my head and be calm when I go to prayer with the Lord. That's where I hear the most. My dogs are actually a tool for that. And I use them to calm me when I'm feeling too stressed out. Everything's over the top, I can't handle it. And it helps me, frankly, in my relationship with the Lord to have that calming influence in my life. I also think that there is a real parallel to children, which is when you bring a child into your life, you have the ultimate responsibility there. When you bring a dog or a cat or any other pet into your life, a horse, whatever, is, you have a similar form of responsibility. That animal is completely dependent on you. You must eat it, you must make sure it has water, you must give it what it needs so that it will thrive. And I think the Lord actually expects that of us. Don't have animals if you're not willing to do that stuff. And so I would just disagree with Matt. I think there is a deep and abiding love that we have for animals. I think that is a two way relationship and I think it comes with similar responsibilities having children.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, yeah, I completely agree.
Valuing Animal Relationships: Beyond Self-Interest and Embracing God's Good Creation
And you know, well, our culture shouldn't be replacing, pets with having a family. Neither should we be ignoring the value and the responsibility of the stewardship of animals and the blessings of those relationships. Because unlike, the, the other ways that you can spend your time and money very selfishly frankly. in a lot of ways. and, and the, the shopping experiences or the travel or the, you know, whatever that is very self serving. I mean it doesn't have to be bad. I mean I love going on vacation as much as anybody but but those types of, you know, inanimate objects, an airplane is never going to love you back. You don't have a relationship, you know, with, with your travel and you do with your animals. And you know, this is a unique relationship that God has created. And again back in Genesis he calls it good. And and here before the fall and you know, we also see, as I mentioned, in the earlier segment, we see animals in the new heaven and the new earth. And God loves his, his creation, his animals. And we can benefit so much in our spiritual lives from that relationship as well and from the care that, that they provide and also the responsibility that they give. I mean I know when I was going through all of the lawfare and everything, it was hard get out of bed in the morning and see what people were saying about me, you know, on social media or answer all of the reporters, questions and you know, wonder am I going to survive this? And just all of these, you know, overwhelming things, that were crashing down on me and my dogs were there saying I need to go on a walk and I need to be fed this morning and excited about it and giving me a reason to say, let's get up, go outside, see the beautiful Florida sunshine, take a walk and seeing that my dogs are happy regardless. I mean if you have ever been around a dog, they just have the most beautifully simple way of looking at life. They are so excited about everything. I mean it doesn't even matter where we're going. I, tell my dogs, you know, if we're going on a car ride, they have no idea where we're going. They're just like, yay, we get to come and stick their head out the window and you can't help but, but see that joy and then partake in that, which is just a wonderful gift God has given us.
The Gift of Animal Companionship: Finding Joy and Discipline in Their Presence
And you know, I know I would not have, have survived that whole trial nearly as, you know, well and you know, in some parts as unwell as I did, but nearly as well without the gift of the presence, the discipline, the schedule and the the necessities that my dogs not only required from me, but what they gave to me, especially during that time and they still do. And. And I think we shouldn't ever diminish that opportunity that we have to have that relationship. Mark. And so, you know, for people who are listening to this and they say, okay, well, you know, either they. They have dogs, they understand this, and they've never considered, fostering or adopting a dog in need, or someone's listening to this and thinking, you know, maybe, yeah, maybe you've convinced me. My kids want a dog. I've never wanted to, but, you know, maybe. Where should they start in. In having a.
Commitment to Animal Care: Making Responsible Decisions for Adoption and Fostering
Maybe a renewed framework about what it means to care for an animal?
Mark Meckler: Yeah, I mean, I think first search your heart and make sure you're willing to go through the difficulties. And I think a lot of people end up with dogs because the kids want them or it seems exciting and fun. And that is exciting and fun is true. And I think you should get animals for your kids. We can talk about why, but I think the first thing is to make sure you're really willing to make that commitment. Because. Because it's not fair to the animals if you're not. It's not, an experiment, like, you don't bring them home. And this is. Foster is a little bit of an experiment. But in just general, if you're going to adopt a dog, you don't bring them home, thinking, well, if it doesn't work, then I'll just throw them out like an old toy. That is a living being, and that living being is going to be traumatized. If you bring them home and integrate them with your family and they start to feel bound to your family, and then you just decide you're going to give them up because it's difficult. So make sure that you're willing to make the commitment. And again, I want to be clear. I'm not saying there are no circumstances where you, you cannot, you can never give up a dog. There are circumstances that require that, and I understand that, and I, I sympathize with people that have to do that. But you want to make sure you're really serious about it. Look at what it takes.
Adopting Rescued Animals: The Importance of Fostering for Accurate Assessment
I would go online, your local Facebook group and, and look up foster organizations and get a realistic picture of what that means. You should always go into it with a clear mind about what you're actually doing. That's going to be your best chance for success, and then use the resources that local foster groups have. Shelters are very difficult places to adopt. It's not that I don't. I say don't do it, but you go to a Shelter. A dog in a shelter is not that dog. In other words, what, what they're going to see, what you're going to see when you see a dog in a cage in a shelter is not the dog. It's going to be when he gets home. They're traumatized. It's loud, there's lots of smell. It's terrifying. So what you really want is you want a dog that is being fostered so it's with a family. That family has had the dog for weeks or months, knows the dog, knows how it reacts to cats and other dogs and kids and people, and can give you a true picture of the dog. That's my recommendation for how to actually adopt a dog.
Navigating Animal Rescue: Personal Experiences and Ways to Support Rescues
Jenna Ellis: And what a great recommendation. And you know, speaking, just from my own now limited experience, with Stanley, I had no idea how, how to go about this. M. I had rescued a dog one other time in college. my parents actually helped me out as well. But that was local. So it was real easy to just go to the shelter, you know, pick up the dog and and then deal, you know, with all of that. And we ended up being just the foster home m. To then transfer, her to her forever family. she's actually a Dalmatian that ended up with a firefighter family. So kind of cool story but, but you know, that was, you know, not meant to be long term and also was, was local. So a little easier, with this. I had no idea how, how to get this done, but you know, it takes a little bit of work and inquiry. But there are so many people in the in the rescue area and this space that are just begging for people to contact them and say, hey, I'm willing to help. I'm willing to sponsor the adoption fee and to you know, just get them to a place where they're not going to be euthanized. And so if you want to help some of these dogs, you can do it locally. You can partner with a rescue.
Supporting Animal Welfare: From Local Shelters to Large Rescues and Prayer
You can donate to rescues. here in Florida we have one of the biggest no kill, ah, rescues that actually trains dogs to then, be service dogs for veterans. and they adopt out a lot of dogs, ah, Big Dog Ranch Rescue. They were the ones who saved the all, all of the Beagles, that you'll remember in the headlines from a while ago who were having you know, testing on them just absolutely horrible, unethical, evil things. so, you know, that's, that's a place that that you can give as well. So there's a lot of ways to get involved, but pray about it. And if, you know, if God so leads, then consider, helping these animals, stewarding God, stewarding God's creation and showing care and compassion. So, Mark, we've got to take another break here, but, thank you so much for being on the show today and for, telling us, your heart for your animals, for God's creation. And, and I just thank you so much for your friendship.
Mark Meckler: Oh, thanks.
Closing Remarks and Well Wishes for Stanley
And God bless and good luck with Stanley. Keep us posted.
Jenna Ellis: Thank you. I will. All right, Mark Meckler, thanks so much and we will be right back with more.
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The Unexpected Topic: Expanding Our Responsibility to Care for God's Animal Kingdom
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Back. And I want to thank Mark Meckler so much for joining me and sharing his experience with rescue animals. Today we're, doing kind of a 30,000 foot perspective on something that, you may not have anticipated. Tuning in to Jenna Ellis in the morning. Ah, today, because we often talk about human events, we talk about the things that touch and concern, our lives as humans and, politics, news of the day, church, family, raising kids, you know, caring for grandparents. I m mean, all of these things, things, but we should also be talking about our responsibility, to the animal kingdom. Because God our creator created all of, the animals and entrusted their Care to us. And so, you know, hearing from someone like Mark, who opened, his home to a rescue dog and, you know, taking us through that story and also about not giving up, but that, you know, some dogs definitely need more training than others. All dogs need training, just like kids need discipline.
Training and Discipline: The Daily Commitment Required for Both Children and Animals
you know, if you ever go out and you, you know, you see, kids, of course, I mean, I know they'll have them, their meltdowns, they'll, you know, they won't be well behaved 100% of the time. And no one should expect that, by the way. But, you can tell the difference between a child who knows their boundaries, they know the rules, they know what's expected of them, and, have discipline versus, someone who is, you know, just allowed to basically run wild. Right? And the same thing is true, for animals especially, for dogs that, that really need that training, that constant work, that daily commitment. And you know, it's sometimes messy, sometimes expensive, it's always demanding, but it's often, deeply rewarding. And so, you know, through, through this experience and for those who want to follow along, you know, I've posted a few things about, Stanley. This, this rescued German shepherd who is in crisis at a shelter in California. he was at risk of being euthanized. this is so terrible that this does actually happen.
The Tragic Reality of Euthanasia: How We Can Be the Difference for Shelter Animals
I mean, a lot of shelters will tell you they're no kill, but, a lot of times that's not true. and they will only keep dogs for, you know, the, the time that they have or if they say, well, we don't have, as much room or however they decide all of this, this. They put them on a kill list simply because no one came to adopt them. And it's just utterly heartbreaking and it's tragic. And we can be the difference, between a dog, being put down simply because nobody cared enough versus actually caring to take the time, to save them. And so I will, share more about Stanley's journey as it unfolds. But the basic fact is this, Stanley is a living creature with a future. And he needed someone simply to be willing to step forward. And I couldn't in that moment say, well, I'll pray for somebody else too. And, you know, lord, please send someone.
Making a Difference: The Power of Individual Action, Inspired by the Starfish Story
I saw in that moment that God was sending me and that I could do something. I could step up and step forward and be that difference literally between life and death. Death for this one dog. And I had, a response on Social media from, you know, one commenter who said, you know, this is great. This is just one dog. We need a way bigger movement. And I respond, I said, you know, I fully agree, I absolutely agree that we need a bigger movement. we need to have, you know, more people step up. But for this one dog, this made all the difference. Difference. And if everybody who is listening right now in the sound of my voice can help save one dog or cat or, you know, or animal, there are horse rescues. I mean, there's a lot of animals that need our help. If you can just save one for that one, you will make all the difference. And imagine how cumulatively that effect would be if we all just saved one. There's a, there's a poem, if you. If you haven't heard it, about the starfish. Actually, I should pull that up. I wasn't planning to do this. Let me Google this really quick. starfish story about making a difference.
The Impact of Mentorship and Support: Paying It Forward in Human and Animal Lives
And I actually gave my mom, a couple of years ago for Christmas, a necklace of a starfish because she does a lot of biblical counseling. And she, has. Has truly, you know, saved so many people, allowed them, you know, to. To come into a saving knowledge of, of our Lord and Savior and, you know, been that link on that chain to saving them from, their past or from addictions, from, you know, possibly, failed marriages, relationships with their kids. I mean, all kinds of things. And, you know, she can't counsel everyone who needs help in the world. She's one person. But for those people that she can counsel, she's made all the difference in the world. And so I gave her this necklace because I saw this story years ago and I just loved it because it reminded me that even while I can't do everything for one person or one animal, I can be the difference and be that everything to them. So here's the story. It says an old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach one day after a storm. He saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dance. He saw as he came, ah, closer that it was a young woman. And she was not dancing, but she was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing it back into the ocean. Young lady, he asked, why are you throwing the starfish into the ocean? The sun is up, the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in, they will die. She responded, but, young lady, he said, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and, starfish all along it. You cannot possibly make a difference. The young woman listened politely, paused, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves, saying, it made a difference for that one. And I love that because for that one it made a difference. And I'm getting emotional again because it does make a difference. And I've had so many people in my life who have made a difference for me. And I was there one, right? I mean for my parents to, to steward me and to disciple me in the way of the Lord. I mean as parents, obviously that's a, that's an important responsibility in relationship. But you know, as I've gone along, along the way, there have been mentors in my life that have taken time just to ensure that I have what I needed to learn, what I needed to grow in, in that moment, pastors who have discipled me, who continue to do that. I've had people, you know, all of you along the way, who have listened to during, you know, all of the lawfare that were going on, you contributed so much to my legal defense and you may, you may have been thinking, okay, this is $10. What does it matter? Well, it made a difference cumulatively and it also let me know that that people care and that all of you were praying for me. I mean every email that I get, it made a difference for me. And so for every little starfish that's out there, whether that's humans, whether that's, that's animals, you can make a difference. And you may think that, you know, $10, one prayer, one adoption fee, one, one person that you're discipling, that you're counseling, for that one, it makes a difference. And you know, for every person my mom has counseled, for every person, that I've now had the opportunity to mentor or disciple, I mean it's, it's made a difference in their lives. And I know we're talking about animals, this morning and making a difference, but but I also do want to bring it back to making a difference in human lives as well because we shouldn't just always be the recipients of other people's, favor and well being and gift. We need to as.
Living a Life of Service: Mentoring Others and Finding Ways to Contribute
Especially for women. You know, Titus 2 talks about the older women, mentoring and discipling the younger women and of course, you know, pastors and elders, the men in the churches need to do the same as well for you know, their congregations and the Bible Talks about and gives us examples of Paul and Timothy, you know, Paul, mentoring, his, his young protege. And we see, you know, a lot of examples of that throughout Scripture. And so as much as you may have been blessed in various ways, by people who have given to you in your life, think about how you can return that and pay it forward, to someone else. Do you have a person in your life? If you are a Christian and if you've been a Christian for, you know, any significant amount of time and you know the basics, or you've grown past that, do you have people that you are mentoring in your life, for parents that absolutely must include your children, but that also can and should include, other people at your church or people in, your community. If you want to start a Bible study in your home, if you want to lead that, if you want to be part of a ministry in your church, find a way that you can serve. That's part of being the church. And you can have a starfish all along the way. And and when we're talking about, animals as well, you can save just one.
Prioritizing Human Life While Caring for Animals: Supporting Pro-Life Ministries and AFR
and you know, again, the Bible doesn't say that animals are human beings. It doesn't say that animals bear God's image in the way that people do. And we should be concerned primarily about, saving the lives of humans, of discipling them. I know that pro life is a huge issue that all of us here at AFR are so concerned with. And it's good and right and proper to give, to those ministries, to things like PreBorn Ministries, you know, who we partner with here at AFR to give to AFR as well. you know, we host the twice yearly Share a Thon so that we ask you to partner with us so that, so that you can be a part of our ministry, that we promote pro life legislation, that we promote those values, that we teach all of those things. And and you can always give. It doesn't have to just be during a Share a thon. You can always give, to American Family Radio at any time, and you can pay that forward. And it's not just about monetary gifts either.
Exercising God-Given Gifts: Service, Teaching, Mercy, Love, Leadership, and Hospitality
I mean, this is about, ah, being in a life of service and how can you give, in the gifts and talents and the spiritual gifts that God has given you. There's actually a spiritual gifts test that I went through recently with the ladies in my Bible study, that assess, you know, what are the gifts that God has given you? How has he uniquely made and equipped you to then serve. And there are a whole host of ways that you can give, through the, the gifts that God has given you. And it's not just about, about financially, a financial giving. It's about service, it's about teaching, showing mercy, love, it's about leadership, it's about hospitality. I mean there's so many different gifts that God has given that we should be exercising. And and if we go back to the beginning of scripture just to kind of wrap all of this up, Genesis tells us that God created the animals, that he saw his creation as good. And the Bible gives us specific examples of that responsibility. And we see God's creation concern for animals throughout Scripture.
Comprehensive Stewardship: Honoring Life from Humans to Animals in God's Creation
And so this matters in the way that we choose to live our lives, how we choose to treat our fellow human beings, how we choose to honor the inherent dignity of life that God gives to them, and also how we behave toward the animals, how we steward those creatures that are in our care, how we have compassion for the ones who need us, how we can, can live our Christian life looking at how we can make a difference. So if you are thinking today, you know, yeah, I've given to a lot of the pro life ministries. I've been pro life in a human being sense. But this has kind of opened my eyes a little bit to saying I need to care about God's creatures in the animal kingdom too. there are many ways to help. You can adopt, adopt, a rescue, dog or cat or you know, other animal you can adopt. You can also foster. Not everyone has the space or resources to foster or adopt, but you can share a rescues animal story. You can support a local shelter or rescue organization. You can volunteer, donate supplies or help someone who's fostering.
Living Out Our Faith: Valuing Life and Showing Compassion Through Action and Service
You can also make sure your own pets receive proper care, attention and love and take that decision seriously. And we should be overall a culture that values life and should show that value is more than just words. It should be visible in the way that we care for children, the vulnerable, our neighbors, and also the animals that are entrusted to us. So those truths all belong together and let's go make a difference and love the life of humanity, beings that God has entrusted to our care and also the wonderful animals and companions he gives us. So as always, you can reach me and my team. Jennapr.net.
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Jenna Ellis discusses the profound responsibility of caring for God's creation, particularly animals. Joined by Mark Meckler, they explore the biblical perspective on stewardship of animals, share personal stories about their pets, and emphasize the importance of compassion and action in rescuing animals in need. This heartfelt conversation encourages listeners to reflect on their role in caring for all living beings and the impact of their choices.
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