Author Jon Gordon recently posted a quote from Josh Noem that is going viral. “I collect images of walk-off home run hitters rounding third because they are an image of heaven.” This image was posted with the quote. That post brought to mind a story I shared in Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. I recounted a walk-off home run and how that might resemble my eternal heading home. Here is the excerpt from my book. It was a sports director’s dream moment. The Rangers had a few “walk-off” wins last season, scoring the winning run in the last at bat at home. When a game is over, both teams walk off the field but with very different body languages. In this particular game against the Los Angeles Angels, we were all tied up in the bottom of the ninth with two outs on the board. Rangers’ catcher Geovany Soto was at the plate. I
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To celebrate the 9th anniversary of the publication of Stay here is a chapter on a lesson learned from Maggie. Maggie is a Labrador puppy mixed with some other mystery DNA. She is a bouncing, wiggling, sixty-pound bundle of unrestrained energy. Whenever she sees a new person, she cannot stop herself from jumping. Oddly enough, some people do not enjoy sixty-pound creatures hurdling pell-mell into their personal space. Weird. So we either need to fix this bad behavior or become hermits. Today we enrolled Maggie in puppy training classes. One of the first things the instructor, Tony, said was both apparent and profound. “First of all, you have to teach her to sit and stay. When she is sitting, she can’t jump and misbehave.” Thank you, Captain Obvious. Wait a minute. Is this another lesson for me in my discipleship-by-dog journey? Maggie needed to learn to sit to avoid committing doggie offenses. I need to sit too, in a spiritual sense. The
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It was 10 years ago that I was in the process of writing Stay: Lessons My Dog Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. I had learned so many wonderful lessons from our sweet canine friend Hannah. After her passing we rescued a puppy that we named Maggie. She was a challenge compared to her predecessor. But Maggie has grown into a sweet and treasured companion. This is an excerpt from one of my favorite chapters in the book about a lesson I learned from Miss Maggie. Maggie is a Labrador puppy mixed with some other mystery DNA. She is a bouncing, wiggling, sixty-pound bundle of unrestrained energy. Whenever she sees a new person, she cannot stop herself from jumping. Oddly enough, some people do not enjoy sixty-pound creatures hurdling pell-mell into their personal space. Weird. So we either need to fix this bad behavior or become hermits. Today we enrolled Maggie in puppy training classes. One of the first
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A few years ago my nephew’s daughter asked my advice about navigating the emotional ups and downs of the high school years. Here is what I told her. 1. I wish I had known that my high school years did not define me for life My teen years were a mixed bag of memorable highs and incredible lows. Now I realize that I am grateful for what I once considered some of the difficult moments of my life. In many of those spiritual valleys you could not have begun to convince me that God was molding me or that those experiences could ever be of value. Had I been the coolest guy or the best athlete I most likely would not have developed a sensitive spirit to others. With the benefit of hindsight I can promise you that I am grateful for every refining difficulty and problem. High school did not define who I would become and it does not define you either. 2. I wish
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One of my favorite lessons from Stay came while rescued Lab Maggie and I traversed the usual path. She sniffed and I listened to a podcast as we paced briskly through a Texas morning. She spotted something and moved toward the curb. My eye caught something at the same time, and I jerked violently on her leash to pull her toward me. She looked surprised, puzzled at what she had done wrong for such a harsh correction from me. The truth was that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Some knucklehead had shattered a beer bottle and a jagged piece was right in her path. She could have been seriously cut by the razor-sharp glass. I was thankful I had spotted it, but I could see that my action confused Maggie. I needed to assure her that my unexpected reaction was not punitive but entirely out of concern for her. I immediately dropped down to my knee, scratched Maggie’s ears, and
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I recently recalled a comment one of my colleagues made during a meeting. I was joking about my age and remarked that I was no doubt well into the fourth quarter of my life. He said with a smile “you may be in sudden death overtime! I laughed and agreed. Later I thought about how accurate that exchange could be. One big change in my reaction to that possibility is I no longer dread the prospect of my time ending. One of my favorite authors, Randy Alcorn, gets right to the heart of the matter. “Many Christians dread the thought of leaving this world. Why? Because so many have stored up their treasures on earth, not in heaven. Each day brings us closer to death. If your treasures are on earth, that means each day brings you closer to losing your treasures.” I believe so many of my treasures are in heaven. My dad, my mom, my nephew Dean, and
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I am always saddened by the all out sprint to judgement of people and institutions that make mistakes. It often seems the harshest comments come from people who ought to tap the brakes before they go there. These are folks that have made their own mistakes. Often they were offered second chances. My initial response was self-righteous indignation because, let’s be honest, I am good at that. Eventually the quiet voice of the Spirit reminds me that I have also been that guy who is quick to judge. I am that guy who tries to argue with God about forgiveness and whether someone “deserves” mercy. A little snippet from my book Stay addressed this very issue after Paul threw down an incredible statement to the Ephesian church. How quickly I forget. I forget how much I have been forgiven. I forget how much I am loved by Jesus. I forget that I am a brand new creation. I forget I
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