Sarah, a tot of three, took off running toward the strange howling sounds from across the dirt road. I followed her quick pursuit to find, lying on its back in a ditch, the dirtiest, mangiest, ugliest, flea-bitten hound I’d ever seen.
My daughter looked up at me and said, “Ain’t he pretty daddy?” Knowing little girls’ tender hearts, I laid down the law: “We are not keeping that dog!” Sarah’s eyes saddened, her bottom lip poked out, and suddenly she jumped down in the ditch with the dog. Before I could stop her, she lifted the puppy’s leg and discovered the only clean spot on the filthy animal. She rose slowly to her feet and proudly announced, “Well, the white on him is pretty.”
Sarah won. I picked up the smelly dog and carried him to the house. We dipped him in a solution that killed everything but the dog, and gave him many baths until he was clean. Sarah took him into the kitchen where he scoffed up a whole can of dog food.
The next morning when Sarah was holding the stray in her arms, I saw more than a little girl and a dog; I saw Jesus. Once, I was the stray that had fallen into the ditch of life. Sin took me there. That is where Jesus found me and took me home to Papa’s house. He washed me clean with His blood and fed me food so good I’ve never wanted to go back to the ditch...
“for when the good shepherd finds the lost stray, he joyfully puts it on his shoulder and goes back home.” Luke 15:5
We are a small store that is quickly growing, and we have been blown away by all of the support and orders that have come through our online store! All of our Cageless Birds Store orders are personally processed, packaged and shipped out by our Cageless Birds staff and interns. We have a small but enthusiastic shipping team that is ready and excited to help make sure that your packages get to you as efficiently and safely as possible. When placing your order, please keep in mind that we are a young business, still learning and growing! Below you'll find some information about our shipping process and policies. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our shipping team any time via email at cagelessbirdsstore@gmail.com.
PROCESSING:
Our shipping team usually processes orders Monday-Friday.Orders placed after 8 AM (EST) on Fridays will not be processed and shipped out until the following Monday morning. Once your order has been fulfilled and sent out for shipping, you will receive a confirmation email to the email address you provided at the time of checkout. Please note that our shipping team also staffs all Cageless Birds and 18 Inch Journey events.Therefore, our shipping schedule may fluctuate due to schools, retreats or worship nights.If we anticipate any changes to our regular shipping schedule, we will post a notice on our website that will appear at checkout.
SHIPPING:
All orders are shipped via USPS. Domestic orders typically arrive within 2-5 business days. International orders typically take between 2-6 weeks depending on the country. Please keep these shipping times in mind when placing your order. The Cageless Birds Store does not currently offer rushed or expedited shipping. All shipping costs will be automatically factored in under the shipping section when placing your order. This expense will vary based on the shipping location and the size and weight of the package.
RETURNS AND REFUNDS:
If you’d like to return your item, our team will gladly work with you. If you’d like to return or exchange your item, please email us at cagelessbirdsstore@gmail.com with your original order number and which item you’d like to return. Refunds and exchanges are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and we cannot refund initial shipping costs. When making a return, the customer may be asked to cover the cost of shipping. Please note that only unused or undamaged merchandise is eligible for a refund.
RESTOCKING:
We are constantly dreaming into new products and merchandise for our online store. All of our handmade goods are released in small batches. If you see something you love, we encourage you to act quickly as many of our new releases sell out very fast!Generally, our handmade items such as leather goods and pottery will be restocked, but styles and colors may vary.Please note that because these items are hand-crafted with care and excellence, times for restocking may also vary. Items such as CDs and books will be restocked regularly. If you have questions about a specific product that is out of stock, please email us and we’ll let you know if we are expecting to restock it in the future.
Thank you for visiting our online store!
If you have questions or concerns about an existing order or an item you are looking for email us at cagelessbirdsstore@gmail.com.
The Cageless Birds is a missional community founded by Jonathan and Melissa Helser. We live and work on 52 acres of land located in Sophia, North Carolina. Our ministry is dedicated to seeing hearts liberated by the love of God. We host worship gatherings and lead discipleship schools, retreats and camps for all ages known as the 18 Inch Journey. As a creative community we are devoted to wholehearted living and cultivating the arts through: writing books, recording original music, handcrafting leather goods and pottery, roasting coffee and creating visual art. All of the proceeds from these products enable us to continue leading schools and discipling hearts. Thank you for supporting the Cageless Birds.
