Tricks My Dog Taught Me

Phil Callaway

Description

For 14 years, a small, round hound named Mojo provided her reluctant master a front-row seat to life's most profound lessons. With his trademark humor and depth of insight, popular speaker, author, and pet owner Phil Callaway shares stories that showcase such virtues as...Forgiveness. "When my marriage needed repair, I noticed at least one creature in our home was quick to forgive."Servanthood. "In a selfish culture, my dog's world is centered on others."Grace. "Mojo is 14 now. The end is never easy, but she'll leave a legacy of loyalty, commitment, and faithfulness that we'll celebrate for years to come."As you enjoy these slices of life from a gifted storyteller, you'll notice even more of the important but sometimes easy-to-miss meaning in the daily routines and events of your own life.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736959476
• Langue: English

Extrait

Endorsements
For decades Phil Callaway has made us think, smile, and thank God. This new book is a welcome event.
Max Lucado
pastor and bestselling author
Callaway could write about owning a shrew and I d be entertained, amused, and taught something profound. I had no idea we could learn so much from dogs and have this much fun doing so. This book is tender, uplifting, and funny.
Dr. Kevin Leman
author of Have a Happy Family by Friday
Phil Callaway has the extraordinary gift of writing about ordinary life in a way that makes you laugh, cry, reflect, and gain hope-all in the same paragraph. This book might inspire you to get a dog. It will definitely compel you to live a better life.
Richard Blackaby
author of Experiencing God at Home and Customized Parenting in a Trending World
If laughter is the best medicine, Phil is the best apothecary. In this wonderful book about the goodness of a dog, he serves up humor in huge doses and somehow manages to be profound and hilarious in a single breath. Read this story of the two Mojos and prepare to get your own mojo back.
Mark Buchanan
author of Your Church Is Too Safe
Tricks My Dog Taught Me made me laugh over and over. And in the vulnerability of that laughter, Phil managed to tug at my heart and challenge my soul. This book will stay with you a long time-it s a refreshing and truthful companion on a life-journey that can be scary and exhausting.
Rick Lawrence
executive editor of Group Magazine
author of Sifted and Shrewd
Dogs teach us about life, death, and everything in between. Phil Callaway supplies the laughter. Don t miss this long walk with a good friend.
Chris Fabry
author and radio host
Phil Callaway has done it again. In his oddball yet endearing and deeply resonant way, he connects with our human experience and gives light, laughter, insight, and spiritual encouragement. Even if you re not a dog person, you ll love this book.
Ellen Vaughn
author of Choosing to See and It s All About Him
I don t have a dog, but reading Tricks My Dog Taught Me awakened me to the homespun wisdom other peoples dogs can teach me. I guffawed so loudly, my airplane seatmates wanted in on the joke.
Connie Cavanaugh
author of Following God One Yes at a Time
Thank God for another wonderful work by Phil Callaway! Along with lots of laugh-out-loud humor, Phil delivers sage advice that will inspire, inform, and enlighten you.
Charles Marshall
author of The Seven Powers of Success
What a fun read! I loved this book and smiled all the way through. This is pleasant, relaxing, insightful. Easy to read, yet full of truth!
Carl Madearis
author of Speaking of Jesus
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Cover photos Annette Sheff, Martin Allinger, Lobke Peers, Daniiel / Shutterstock
Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
This book contains stories in which people s names and some details of their situations have been changed to protect their privacy.

For David, my wise and discerning nephew who has read each of my books multiple times.
Lover of life and God.
But not a big fan of dogs.
Yet.
TRICKS MY DOG TAUGHT ME
Copyright 2015 Phil Callaway
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Callaway, Phil, 1961-
Tricks my dog taught me / Phil Callaway.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7369-5946-9 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5947-6 (eBook)
1. Virtues-Anecdotes. 2. Social skills-Anecdotes. 3. Human-animal relationships-Anecdotes. 4. Dogs-Anecdotes. 5. Christian life-Anecdotes. 6. Callaway, Phil, 1961-Anecdotes. I. Title.
BJ1521.C1689 2015
242-dc23
2014024310
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
Endorsements
Author s Note
1. Sometimes Love Means We re Not All There
2. Home Is Where My People Are-and Food
3. When You Don t Get What You Want
4. Humans Will Dress You Up
5. You Need Love, Food, and the D-Word Too
6. There s a Time to Growl
7. You Can Stay Where You Are
8. Sniff Out New Possibilities
9. Don t Quit
10. Go Ahead and Howl
11. Nothing Can Steal Your Joy
12. The Best Is Still Out There
13. Brighten Things for Others
14. Only a Dog Loves You More than Himself
15. If Your Dog Is Fat, You May Be Too
16. The Good Life Is Right in Front of Us
17. Some Things Are Worth Chasing, Some Are Not
18. Dogs Have No Need to Impress, Acquire, or Tweet
19. People Like People Who Like People
20. You Don t Have to Understand to Be Happy
21. We All Walk with a Limp
22. Humility Is like Underwear
23. Nothing Is Often a Very Clever Thing to Say
24. Everything Can Be Cleaned Up
25. Sometimes It s Nice to Be Patted
26. My Master Has the Really Good Stuff
27. Bury the Right Things
28. Wag More, Bark Less
29. I Only Have Eyes for You
30. Don t Jump from the Train
31. Love Your Enemies
32. The Best Treats Are Those You Don t Deserve
33. The Best Things Are Difficult
34. I ve Got Today
35. It s Difficult to OD on Optimism
36. I Don t Have to Change You to Love You
37. Never Overlook an Opportunity to Party
38. You Can Find a Way out of Anything
39. You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
40. Don t Miss the Ocean for the Waves
41. You Can Be the Kind of Person I Think You Are
42. It s Okay to Ask
43. It s Noisy Out There
44. It s Never Too Late to Think of Others
45. See You Later Always Trumps Goodbye
46. The Best Vitamin for Friendship Is B1
47. You Can Grow Old Without Getting Ugly
48. I m Rescued, Adopted, and Spoiled
49. I Can Find My Way Home from Anywhere
About the Author
Notes
Author s Note
W hile writing this book, I was accosted by several who snickered at my title and the thought of a dog teaching us anything worthwhile. You haven t met my dog, was how they put it. One confessed, My dog barks at everything but did nothing when a burglar showed up. I think he helped him carry stuff out. What can I learn from that? Kindness? Servanthood? Another divulged that his dog routinely lies in front of the tires of his parked car and turns up his nose at dog food, preferring the neighbor s kitty litter box. We would never allow that behavior in our children, he said.
And he was right. Some of the characteristics we observe in our dogs should not be emulated. For one thing, dogs are incorrigible liars. Let me outside! they beg with a grin. I won t touch the garbage! But they do touch the garbage. Take me with you! they say with their tails. I won t be a problem! But they will be a problem.
Dogs are perjurers.
They are also among the world s most adept con artists. They can pick your wallet clean, determine when you sleep and when you rise, bite a million Americans a year, and determine which friends are welcomed and which are snarled at. 1
Dogs are freeloaders.
They steal unattended cookies, mark your territory as theirs, and bark at hair dryers, violins, ornamental cats, and anything that moves faster than a toddler.
Certain dogs have been known to commandeer and hold hostage entire households. An acquaintance, whose name I shall wisely conceal, walks on eggshells in his own home. He tiptoes around his snarling schnauzer, fearful of disturbing its sleep. The dog adores the man s wife but will sometimes try to keep him from her, guarding doorways and barking wildly when he enters a room. His theme song is Who Let the Dogs In? The schnauzer has this man exactly where he wants him. He s playing him like the bagpipes.
The ancient Romans used the word Canis to mean parasite, hanger-on. But most naysayers will admit that, if nothing else, dogs are brilliant at discovering a chink in our armor, of weaseling their way into our hearts. Who wouldn t admire the cunning of a creature with so many woeful habits that is allowed to share the front seat of our cars?
This is the story of one of those dogs. And how that dog changed a family. Forever.
1

Sometimes Love Means We re Not All There
F or many months a picture clung to our fridge. It was a school assignment brought home by our son Jeffery. He d finished it on time. He d received stellar marks. I was proud. And a little surprised. At the top he had written, Wut I wont for Krismus. Below the words was a tree etched in crayon and crowned with a yellow star. Beneath the tree was a gopher. Or a sweater perhaps. I wasn t sure.
All I wont is a dag, it said.
His teacher, Miss Plett, corrected the spelling and gave the boy an A minus.
Thanks to my wife, the artwork stayed there, causing a small lump to form in my throat with each glass of juice, each midnight snack.
But, honey, I protested, with all that s going on in our lives, there s no way. My wife didn t say much. She just kept it on exhibit from November to July with Miss Plett s comment at the top- I hope this works,