Small Shifts, Big Faith: Thinking Positively… (Part XII)

Sermon Title: Small Shifts, Big Faith – Think Positively…

Good News Statement: Jesus encourages his church to be alive

Summary: The church isn’t perfect but yet is willing to grow in faith, practice love, and be alive today and tomorrow.

Preached: Sunday, August 30^th, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Matthew 7:12, Today’s scripture reading comes from the Book of Matthew, who (along with Luke) sheds light on a rule established by Jesus that many students come to memorize throughout their academic career. Jesus tells the people to treat others the way they want to be treated in all that they do. How well are we living up to this rule today? How prevalent is the Golden Rule in our life? Let’s read Matthew Chapter Seven, Verse Twelve. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

The Golden Rule

¹² “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

 

The Word of God, for the People of God; And all God’s People said, “Thanks Be To God.”

 

 

Introduction:

The ministry of Jesus Christ has been shared. Healings have been performed. The blind were able to see and the lame able to walk. Those demon possessed were set free. The chains of the oppressed were broken. People began to believe and prayed to have their “unbelief turn into belief” (Mark 9:24). Some were even raised from the dead to breathe again. And some were welcomed home after being outcast to the dark, damp, tombs outside of the city walls.

Then, after riding into Jerusalem on a never before ridden donkey and being praised as the people laid their cloaks on the ground as shouts of “Hosannas” filled the air, Jesus is turned over to the religious leaders of the day. Jesus is questioned and tortured by the Roman soldiers—beaten nearly to death—prior to receiving a crown of thorns and a purple robe as a sign of earthly mockery. He was presented to the people in the presence of Pontius Pilate, who said, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free” (Luke 23:22, GNT). To which the people responded, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:20, GNT). Luke 23:24 states, “So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.”

Jesus is marched from the palace to Calvary, bearing the weight of the cross—most likely the horizontal beam—as excruciating pain shot through his body with every step, as blood dripped from his head to the ground, soaking the dirty road beneath his feet, and as both cries and shouts surrounded him. On Calvary, he hung on the cross for six hours before taking his last breath and proclaiming “It is finished” (John 19:30). Then he was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Three days later he rose from the dead to prove that death does not have the last word, that a tomb sealed by a large stone could not withhold him, and that an instrument of death—the cross—is a promise of hope and salvation. And now, after 40 days of walking this earth in his resurrected form, he has ascended to heaven; but before leaving this earth, he gave his apostles and disciples a challenge: to keep the church alive.

This is where the Book of Acts comes into play. For those that are unaware, the Book of Acts (or sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles), written during the time of 33AD to 62AD, is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Luke was a physician back in the day and has been credited to write the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The theme of Luke’s writing after the ascension of Jesus Christ is focused on how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to declare the gospel among both Jews and Gentiles. In doing so they establish the church, which is the fulfillment of God’s promises from the beginning of time. Jesus states in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Luke’s purpose for writing the Book of Acts—the journey and testimony of Paul and the rise and growth of the early church—was to give an orderly account of the early church after Christ’s resurrection; and to highlight the notion that keeping the church alive was not, is not, and will not be easy. But keeping the church alive is necessary. So, for the next several weeks, we are going to explore certain themes sprinkled throughout the Book of Acts which I believe remind us of how important it is to keep the church alive today for tomorrow. And the question I propose to you is this: “What are we doing and could be doing to keep our church and the whole Church—the body of Christ—alive?”

 

Body:

On a weekday in August 2019, I found myself standing at the bust stop in which I spent many mornings for 11 years—kindergarten through sophomore year of high school. The bust stop was at my aunt and uncle’s, so occasionally there would be a donut or two had before getting on the school bus which was driven by a guy named Bubba, who knew everything about my family. However, this time things were a little different. I wasn’t at the bus stop to have a donut or even to get on the bus. I was at the bus stop to watch my cousin’s daughter, Harper Leigh, get on the bus for the first time. She got on bus number 28, which my cousin and I rode, heading to the same elementary school that we attended, Northside Elementary. We took pictures together before she got on the big yellow school bus and sat towards the front and waved as the bus drove away, taking her to follow her dreams.

After watching the bus disappear in the distance, I got in my car and drove to my brother’s house about 15 minutes from the bus stop to see my nephew Daltyn before he headed off to his first day of school. When I arrived, he was sleeping on the couch with his backpack hanging on the front door and his parents trying to wake him up. Before he headed out the door, with his gigantic backpack that covered his entire body, we took a picture together and I captioned it “Class of 2031!”…which is five years from now. In two years both of them are going to be driving… that’s scary!

To this day, my phone reminds me of that day as those photos pop up on my memory feed! But to be honest, I don’t need photos to remind me of those days because those were moments that I will never forget. For those that have sent your own children to school, I bet you can relate. Seeing them growing up, waving at you as they got on the bus or out of the car, coming home and telling you everything they learned, and then falling asleep on the couch before bedtime. There is something special about the first day of school that sometimes photos can’t capture. Do you remember your first day of school?

On my first day of school, I remember learning about a certain rule that has stuck with me ever since August of 2001. This rule is known by most of you. It was plastered on the wall above the chalkboard in between posters of books and a green worm wearing glasses, reading a book, and coming out of an apple. Every morning, after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, we would recite this famous and golden rule. For those that know it, say it with me in the version that you were taught: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Whether you are just starting school or have been done with school for many years, this golden rule has found a way to change our lives, and has inspired us to treat others with goodness and kindness in everything that we do. So as the once empty schools now become occupied with laughter, lessons, and plenty of learning, I thought we all could go “back to school” and remind ourselves of this golden rule. The Golden Rule teaches us three things: 1) It’s a rule of positivity, 2) It’s a rule that needs to be understood, and 3) It’s a rule that needs to be followed daily.

 

Movement One: View the Rule Positively…

First, the Golden Rule is a rule of positivity. In several other religions, the Golden Rule is stated negatively. Most notably is a story of an event that took place in 20 B.C.: that is, around 50 years prior to Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount, where the Golden Rule is found. The tale was told of a Gentile (a non-Jewish person) who approached Rabbi Hillel and his rival teacher of wisdom. The Gentile promised each that he would convert to Judaism if one of them could teach him the entire Law while standing on one foot. So Rabbi Hillel said this: “Do not do to your fellow what you hate to have done to you. This is the whole law; the rest is explanation.”[1] This incident would have been legendary by the time of Jesus. Every Jew would have heard about that and probably even repeated it a few times. So Jesus takes a very familiar statement and turns it around—so that it is no longer stated negatively—“Do not do to your fellow what you hate to have done to you”—but positively. Jesus does the same thing on several other occasions.

For example: Jesus reputed Sabbath law when he defended his disciples’ who harvested wheat on the Sabbath so they wouldn’t starve to death (Mt 12:1-14; Ex. 34:21). Along similar lines, Jesus repudiated a law of the Old Testament when he ingeniously prevented a woman caught in the act of adultery from being executed (John 8:1-11; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). Furthermore, Jesus states in Matthew 5:43-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven….”[2] We can’t forget about Jesus healing the paralyzed and sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, and paying attention to the poor: people seen as societal negatives but received in the positive through Jesus. And what about the cross? A Roman mechanism of torture and death but yet gave us freedom and salvation. Jesus was constantly seeking ways to assure positivity because the world was already too negative. You see, Jesus was constantly doing things to help people think positive and not negative.[3]So Jesus says, look beyond the negative form of the rule. Do to others what you’d want done to yourself.

Jesus, through the Golden Rule, is helping us to live a life that is geared toward positivity and not negativity because he understands that a “cheerful heart is good medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22). And what is needed to change the world, to change our life, to change the heart of someone around us, is not negativity but positivity. The Golden Rule is meant for us to have a positive outlook on life. Jesus understood what we are finding out today. According to Peak Dynamics, “Humans have around 60,000 thoughts every single day. Of those thoughts, 75% or 45,000 are negative.”[4] According to the National Library of Medicine, if humans want to live positively, they need to have a 3 to 1 ratio: three positive thoughts to every one negative thought.[5] Jesus wants us to be positive.

As we consider the positivity of the Golden Rule, let’s help make the 2026-2027 School year a positive year. The world, again, is filled with too much negativity and hurtful things and the school is not the place for hate and pain but rather encouragement and goodness. Jesus wants us to be positive people.

 

Movement Two: Understand the Rule Comprehensively…

Second, the Golden Rule needs to be understood. Jesus said this rule “sums up the Law and the Prophets.” What did he mean by that? The Sermon on the Mount shows us the answer: Matthew 5:17 states, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (NIV). Again, Jesus doesn’t want us to think negatively about what he needs us to do, but rather think about the good things that he is doing to better our life. Jesus is coming to fulfill the Law of the Prophets so that we can focus on the task at hand and not be concerned about the past.

After giving this proclamation, Jesus goes on to highlight what was said back then to what he needs us to do now. It was said, do not murder to which Jesus says, “Do be reconciled to the person at odds with you” (Matthew 5:21-26). It was said, don’t break your oath, to which Jesus says, “Do be a person of your word. Just say what you mean and mean what you say—that’s how you would want others to talk to you” (Matthew 5:33). It was said, don’t leave retribution undone—eye for eye and tooth for tooth—to which Jesus says, “That kind of justice is for the law courts. Do be a forgiving person and a giving person” (Matthew 5:38). And it was said, don’t love your enemies, to which Jesus says, “Do be perfect. God loves those who don’t love him. Treat them the way you want to be treated” (Matthew 5:43). Jesus is telling us, “Don’t do this but do that: what was written in the past I have fulfilled so that you can do what I need you to do today—demonstrate goodness and love your neighbor.”

When Jesus says, “this sums up the law and the prophets,” he’s telling us that the person who consistently lives according to the Golden Rule is keeping all the regulations in Scripture directing one’s conduct toward other people. The Golden Rule, when understood, allows us to keep all of the rules in the Law concerning how others should be treated. The Golden Rule isn’t meant to be confusing or degrading or even dismantling; however, it is meant to be understood as a law, as a method and practice, that gets us closer to Jesus Christ: that gets us closer to living in goodness and kindness, that pushes us to remove the “don’ts” and instead insert the “dos”, and that reminds us that Jesus came to fulfill the law so that we could spend more time treating others the way we want to be treated. Church, are we doing that? Are we focusing more on what Jesus needs us to do or on the “do nots” in our life?

The Golden Rule is meant to be understood through the actions Jesus did and through what he needs us to do. Just imagine…if we lived a life doing everything Jesus needs us to do for his people. Teachers, I’m sure there are days when the word “don’t” seems to be the word of the day: “don’t write on your desk, don’t use your phone in class, don’t talk while I am speaking, don’t speak without raising your hand, don’t climb up the slide, don’t do that…” And Students, I bet there are days when you repeatedly say, “I don’t want to do this assignment. I don’t want to go to school today. I don’t want to work with so-and-so.” The Golden Rule is not about “don’ts”, it’s about “doing” in a way that teaches us that what is being asked of us makes us a better person.

There’s an interesting moment in the Book of Acts that reminds us that if we focus more on the “dos” we will realize that there is life in us yet. (I will talk more about this again next week, but it can still apply to our message today.) Luke notes in Acts 20:7-12, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”

Eutychus falls out of a window and Paul raises him back to life. Paul says, “He’s alive.” Other translations note, “…for his life is in him.” The Message Bible states, “There’s life in him yet.” If we take time to understand the Golden Rule, we will see how it is a rule of “dos” that reminds us that there is life in us yet. Teachers, even on a bad day, when lessons to go to plan, when the students don’t listen, when supplies run low, when test scores weren’t what you hoped, there is still life in you yet: there is still goodness and positivity to be received. And students, when a homework assignment seems difficult, when you studied all night for a test but didn’t get the grade you wanted, when your locker won’t open, when you forgot something at home, there is still life in you yet. There are still opportunities to treat others the way you want to be treated even when things aren’t going the way you want them to go.

When we understand the Gold Rule, we witness the goodness that outweighs the bad: we see positivity and not negativity. The Golden Rule is about doing what is good, about realizing that there is still life in you yet, and that we aren’t meant to give up. Ultimately, to understand the Golden Rule, we must understand what Jesus is calling us to do because of what he has done. We are called to live in the present, doing what we can in the moment for those that God places in our life. We are called to do good because there is life in us yet.

 

Movement Three: Follow the Rule Day…

Third, the Golden Rule is meant to be followed daily. So, the Golden Rule is meant for us to act and think in positive ways and reminds us of what Jesus did back then so that we can focus on the present. Now we have to follow the Golden Rule, which is sometimes easier said than done. Jesus says, “In everything…” In everything, we are called to follow this rule. John Wesley once said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” We are called to follow the Golden Rule in all that we do for as long as we can, as often as we can, and wherever we can. But let’s be honest for a moment, it’s hard to be and do good all the time.

When someone does something negative to you or to someone you love, our first response is to do the same thing to them—eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. When my siblings picked on me, I tried my hardest to pick on them back. When we hear through the rumor-mill that so-and-so has been talking about us, we find a way to talk about them behind their back. When someone repeatedly seeks our help but never offers their help in return, we tend to not want to help them anymore. Our human instinct is to not do good all the time because sometimes being negative is a lot easier to do than to try to be good in a negative situation. It’s hard to be good all the time, in everything that we do.

And we aren’t alone in this struggle. Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? Jesus says, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him” (Luke 10:30-35). Two people of God, the priest and the Levite, who certainly preached on doing good, didn’t demonstrate goodness to the injured man. They passed him by and walked on the other side. The one who didn’t necessarily believe in God did the work of God and offered goodness to the stranger, to the neighbor. Who in your life have you passed by that needed to receive some goodness?

Here’s another example: When Jesus set out for Jerusalem, “he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them” (Luke 9:52-55). James and John, two devoted disciples, called upon by Jesus, wanted to send fire from heaven down upon the Samaritan village for rejecting Jesus. I don’t know about you, but when I think of goodness, I don’t usually ask God to have fire fall upon those around me. The disciples struggled to demonstrate goodness in everything that they did.

Here’s one more example: Do you remember the story of the Rich Man? As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). To this, Jesus recites several commandments in which the Rich Man has followed, indicating his goodness (Mark 10:18-19). But when it came down to exemplifying a true act of goodness, selling everything that the he had and giving it to the poor, the Rich Man couldn’t do it. He knew what he needed to do but couldn’t do it. He couldn’t demonstrate goodness to others in the way Jesus wanted him to. The parable ends with the Rich Man going away sad. For the Rich Man, demonstrating this level of goodness was impossible, difficult, and hard to do. Even those called by Jesus have a tough time doing good in everything they do. Can you relate? I know I can.

From these examples, and many more, we can see how doing good in everything that we do is difficult. However, when we are able to do good, our goodness can have a positive effect on those around us. Let me read you a piece of an anonymous email that sometimes gets forwarded among friends. It’s a parable for all of us. In this email, a person learned from a cat what it means to love as we want to be loved. I’ve shared this with you before.

“Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage. The combination of these things, combined with a life spent outside, had their effect on Ugly: he had only one eye, he was missing an ear, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and his tail had long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That’s one UGLY cat!!”

“All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, and squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around his feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love.[6]

“I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain. Then I felt a familiar tugging. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was tugging at my shirt. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head. Then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battle-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion. He had been scarred on the outside. But I was scarred on the inside. And it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my all to those I cared for. To do good.”

Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful. But for me, sometimes being “ugly” is who God needs us to be. Even in our pain it is possible to give to others what we would have them give to us. To do for them what we’d done. Ugly just did what he would want done to himself. And his actions changed the heart of a person who needed to show greater love.

Jesus knows we can change the world. Do to others what you would have them to do you. Don’t wait for them to do something for you. Take the initiative. You want to be forgiven? Forgive! You need affirmation? Affirm! You feel hurt, wounded, broken and could stand a gentle touch? Be gentle with others! You enjoy a nice compliment? Compliment others! The Golden Rule will transform our actions. If we truly apply it, we’d never be mean, always generous, never harsh, always understanding, never cruel, and always kind. I’d love to be like that wouldn’t you? I would rather be ugly so others could be beautiful.

Church, we are not composed of people who were simply just taught the Golden Rule. We are composed of people who carry out and do the Golden Rule in their life.  At the beginning of every school year, I like to remind myself of this rule because it is a rule that can change the world: it is a rule worth fighting for, it is a rule worth living out and praying about, it is a rule worth dedicating our life to, our mission toward, and our discipleship for; and it is a rule that needs to be paid forward to everyone and in everything we do. Church, if you want to be known for doing good and treating others the way we want to be treated—with kindness and respect—then it’s time to pay it forward. It is time to do what Jesus came for all of us to do: to do good. What does that look like in the life of our church?

To help you think about the Gold Rule, I want to end our message today by sharing a poem by Joshua T. Dickerson titled Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil. I’ve shared this before, but it offers a timeless meaning. Hear these words.

“I woke myself up
Because we ain’t got an alarm clock.
Dug in the dirty clothes basket,
‘Cause ain’t nobody washed my uniform.
Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark,
‘Cause the lights ain’t on.
Even got my baby sister ready,
‘Cause my mama wasn’t home.
Got us both to school on time
To eat us a good breakfast.
Then when I got to class the teacher fussed
‘Cause I ain’t got no pencil.”

Just imagine…if we all lived out the Golden Rule… in everything and were willing to hand out an extra “pencil” to someone in need…

 

Conclusion:

Students and teachers, I invite you to think about the Golden Rule: what it means to you, what it means to your students, and what it means to be a living example of that rule for others to witness. As you think about the Golden Rule, take into consideration how the Golden Rule, when seen as a positive and followed every day, can change someone’s life. The Golden Rule is not just a rule: it is a life motto, a means to living, a pencil given, and what Jesus calls us to do.

As we consider the positivity of the Golden Rule, may we encourage the teachers that what they do makes a difference, even though they may be thinking otherwise. Let’s remind them that every student that walks through their door is seen and heard; that every challenging day is replaced with a day of hope and joy; and that no matter how many times they have to change a lesson plan, what they are doing to meet the needs of their students is helping their students find meaning and purpose in life. As we consider the positivity of the Golden Rule, may we remind each student that even on bad days goodness can be found, that even in a bad grade progress is made—the determination is present—and that when a lesson is tough to learn not to give up.

After my cousin’s daughter and my nephew got home, I called each of them and asked them about their first day of school. They told me who their teacher was, who they made friends with, what they learned, what they had for lunch, and all the fun they had during recess. The last thing they told me was that their teacher encouraged them to do good, to be nice, and to be kind. Out of all the rules we are given in school (and in the Bible) it seems that the one inviting us to do good toward others is the one that we remember the most. Why? Because it’s the rule that will help us see the positivity of life. What would this world be like if we all truly and honestly took time to treating others the way we want to be treated?

Jesus said, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Remember that we are called as individuals and as a church to treat others the way Jesus would treat them: with love, compassion, kindness, and understanding. We are called to treat others in positive ways, to treat others knowing what it means to show kindness, and to treat others in such a way that Jesus would be proud of.

May the 2026-2027 School be blessed with goodness.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help us to treat others the way you want us to treat them. Guide us to be positive, to be understanding, and to be willing to follow the Golden Rule. And Lord, place in our heart the will and spiritual strength to share your kindness and love by paying it forward. In your mighty name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

May you be motivated by the grace of God to be a living example of the Golden Rule for others in your life. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go, in everything, treating others the way you want to be treated. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Craig S. Keener, p. 249

[2] He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

[3] Think of what Jesus is saying to his crowd on the mountain. There is a big difference between do not do to others what you don’t want done to you and do to others what you would have them do to you. And his hearers could not have possibly missed it. If our rule is don’t do to others what we hate we neglect doing for them what we love.

[4] Sandy Loder, “The Impact of 45,000 Negative Thoughts,” Peak Dynamics, published March 10, 2023, accessed August 25, 2026: https://insights.peak-dynamics.net/post/102ia4i/the-impact-of-45-000-negative-thoughts

[5] Manfred Diehl, Elizabeth L Hay, Kathleen M Berg, “The Ratio between Positive and Negative Affect and Flourishing Mental Health across Adulthood,” National Library of Medicine, published September 1, 2012, accessed August 25, 2026: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3158962/

[6] “One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor’s huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was too late. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought.