Great Dog Stories

M.R. Wells

Description

From the authors of Four Paws from Heaven (over 100,000 copies sold) comes a new collection of devotional tales. In these heartwarming stories, the authors share wisdom gleaned from years of training, guiding, and loving the canines in their lives. Readers will discover powerful spiritual insights, including:the blessing of true companionshipthe gift of unconditional lovethe joy of adoptionthe power of obediencethe comfort of resting in the Master's armsEveryone who has loved a dog will find encouragement and hope in these touching stories--reminders that these faithful, devoted companions are part of God's great plan for their lives.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736942393
• Langue: English

Extrait

Great Dog Stories


HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, 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.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ( NIRV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader s Version . NIV . Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
Cover photo Eric Issel e / Shutterstock
Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney Associates, Bonita Springs, FL 34135.
The information shared by the authors is from their personal experience and should not be considered professional advice. Readers should consult their own dog care professionals regarding issues related to the health, safety, grooming, and training of their pets.
In some cases, names and minor details of stories may have been changed to protect privacy.
GREAT DOG STORIES
Copyright 2012 by M.R. Wells, Kris Young, and Connie Fleishauer
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wells, M. R. (Marion R.), 1948-
Great dog stories / M.R. Wells, Kris Young, and Connie Fleishauer.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2882-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4239-3 (eBook)
1. Dog owners-Prayers and devotions. I. Young, Kris, 1953- II. Fleishauer, Connie. III. Title. BV4596.A54W452 2012
242-dc23
2011016828
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 / VP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
We joyfully dedicate this book to the great dogs and people in our lives, and to our infinitely greater God, who made us all.
It Takes a Pack to Write a Book
How fitting that the dogs we love are pack animals. We are too. This book would never have been birthed otherwise. Thanks to all who lent a paw by sharing their stories or praying for us. Thanks to our agents, Mark and Janet Sweeney, who shared our vision and helped make it come true. Special thanks to Nicole Overbey, DVM, for giving our manuscript a top-notch veterinary checkup. And huge gratitude to our amazing team at Harvest House Publishers! You win best in show, and we are so blessed to have you!
Most of all, we are eternally grateful to our awesome God, who gave us dogs and stories and invites us into His!
Contents

It Takes a Pack to Write a Book
Foreword: The Dog Who Amazes
Meet the Authors Pups
Part I
Tales to Tug Your Heart
The Dog Who Wouldn t Fight
Choose Love
The Gift of Life
Love Makes Sacrifices
Freeing Shadow
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
The Saga of Walter Brennan
Love Doesn t Count the Cost
Squitchey Love
Being There Says You Care
Jazzmin s Ian Watch
Who Do You Long For?
Hopelessly Devoted to You
Love Is Faithful
A Crate and a Manger
When We Fail, God s Love Doesn t
Diablo, or Not?
Love Can Conquer Our Devils
A Different Kind of Leash
God s Love Shows Restraint
Stuart s Heart Vision Goggles
It s What s Inside That Counts
Anything but His Toes
God Cares About Our Fears
The Dog That Stuck Closer Than a Brother
Love the Extra Mile
Part II
Tales to Stretch Your Faith
The Dog Not Chosen
God Works in Miraculous Ways
The Beagle and the Bus
Come to God as Little Children
All Her Children
Trust Takes Time
Driving on Faith
What It Takes to Find the One
Trust and Be on TV
God Has a Role for You
Life Preserver with Paws
Will You Be God s Instrument?
Dream Dog Guarantee
Take God at His Word
Papillon Heaven Can Wait
God s Timing Is Perfect
The Appointed Time
Our Lives Are in God s Hands
Scary Larry
Fear Makes Monsters
A Time to Wean
God Grows His Children
Now You See Her, Now You Don t
Believing Is Seeing
And the Dog Came Back
Surrender Your Wish List
I Am the Tailgate
Enter In
His Master s Keeper
Let God Protect You
Part III
Tales to Light Your Path
Gentledog Stuart
Care and Share
If the Dog Says I Do
Seek God s Guidance
Skunk Wars
Learn and Live
No Other Dogs Before Me
Some Things Can t Be Shared
Spitfire Spit and Polished
Train Today, Gain Tomorrow
Hook, Line, and Milk Jug
Look Before You Leap
The Making of a Champion
Mentors Matter
Playpen Theology
God Wants Our Hearts
Vengeance Is Mine, Sayeth the Dog
Let God Repay
To Stray or Not to Stray
Stay Home with God
Squirrels and Girls
Beware of Life s Temptations
Don t Pick at It or It Won t Get Well
Receive God s Forgiveness
Gone with the Wyndy
Don t Be Deceived
The Dog Who Played with Fire
To Quench or Not to Quench?
Why Wally Bloomed
Talents Need Nurture
Chasing Buggies
What Do You Pursue?
Part IV
Tales to Lift Your Spirits
The Pup That Wouldn t Give Up
Persistence Pays
The Facebook Bark
Communication Counts
Paper Dog Delight
Joy Is Contagious
Marley and Goliath
The Small Can Be Mighty
Short, But Not Shortchanged
God Sized Us for a Purpose
The Gospel According to Munchie
The Price Must Be Right
The Best Gift Ever
Receive and Rejoice
God s Plum Jam
Mix Some Sweet with the Bitter
Dog of Good Cheer
God Comforts Us
Munchie Gets a Leg Up
Answer God s Help Wanted Ad
Tag, You re It
How Does God Speak to You?
Puppy in a Haystack
God Restores
Dog Tails er, Tales, by Author
Meet the Authors
More Books by the Authors
About the Publisher
The Dog Who Amazes
T here is a certain instinctive fellowship among dog lovers. It s like proud parents getting together. We grab our cell phones and click through our photos to share their latest mug shots. We trade stories about the endearing and often amazing things they ve done. We marvel at their loyalty and love.
A lucky few, like this book s authors, have the privilege of going one paw further. We are blessed to collect their antics into books. And in the midst of being blown away by our beloved canine friends, we are even more blown away by the God who made them.
Dogs aren t just an accident of nature. They are a grand design and a gift from our loving Lord. He knew what dogs and humans could give to each other. He knew we needed their furry comfort in our frenetic twenty-first-century world. And in a society where dogs are far more common than sheep, He knew He could use them as pointers and pictures to draw us closer to Him.
Without pulling you by the tale, we hope the stories in this book will not only entertain and amuse you, but offer some spiritual kibble to gnaw on. We hope they ll give you new insights-some we didn t even catch ourselves. And we hope they will spur you to look with new eyes at the dogs in your life for the messages God may be sending through them to your heart.
Meet the Authors Pups

Becca Wells is a gorgeous reddish-tan and white Pomeranian princess. She has a huge heart in her petite little body. When I m hurting, she leaps into my lap and lavishes me with doggie kisses.


Marley Wells is a handsome white-and-sable papillon mix. With his markings, this six-pounder makes me think of a tiny paint horse. He loves snuggling and cuddling with me, pulling his doggie sister s tail, and trying to convince my other four-foots he s top dog.


Morgan Wells was part Sheltie, part potluck, and all personality. He grabbed my heart when I got him as a two-year-old rescue, and held it in his gentle paws ever after.


Munchie Wells is a stunning tricolored papillon mix. This lover dog is mellow most of the time. But every now and then, he ll push past his doggie and kitty siblings, squeeze close to me or climb into my lap, and paw at me as if to say, You re mine!


McPherson Fleishauer was a beautiful and loving shepherd mix. He was our first pup as a young married couple, and we all learned a lot together. He matured into a fine working farm dog and served as a canine nanny to all three of our children when they were little. Even in old age, he never relinquished his role as our family s friend and protector.


Stuart Fleishauer is a handsome tan and white Welsh corgi. He is strong and active, but acts like a gentleman-um, gentledog -with his canine sister, Squitchey. He loves being with us-protecting, cuddling, and licking our ears.


Squitchey Fleishauer is a bad hair day Yorkie mix with a sweet and silly personality. She spends a lot of her energy protecting her home and family and then rests on her loved ones laps. She is small in stature but has a huge heart, and is always quick to make us smile.


Gracie Young was Kris s beloved corgi-shepherd mix. She helped inspire our pet lovers devotional series. Though she doesn t have a story in this book, we celebrate her great heart and spirit and honor her memory.
Part I

Tales to Tug Your Heart
Champagne
The Dog Who Wouldn t Fight
Choose Lov