Newman, the weiner Dog

Last Wednesday, just around sunset, a dog, a young dachshund, came running into our fenced yard because I had left the gate open. I don't particularly like wiener dogs, maybe because when I was a paperboy, I had several obnoxious ones on my route that liked to chase and bite my bike wheels and me if I let them. And maybe it's because they are so short and long and have little ugly legs. Anyway, this wiener dog comes into our yard a-yapping and barking and he riled up our dog Fuzzy in the house. Fuzzy went to the back door and begged to go out and go after the intruder.

I let him out and the wiener dog went a-flying out the gate but stood there still barking. I told Fuzzy sternly come back in the house and then I stood on the back porch and told the wiener to "Go Home!" in no uncertain terms and tone. He stood there and barked a couple more times and left into the darkness. Good riddance I thought.

Thursday night, after a church council meeting and everybody had just left... I heard some barking and it was the same little wiener dog running up and down the alley behind the church. He was a wild dog. Back and forth, he ran barking and yapping. He would only go half way into the parking lot and then run back into the alley. (By the way, we live right next door to the church.

I couldn't take it anymore so I called the dog over. Somehow I got a pleasant voice on and said "Come here, little guy." Surprise, surprise, surprise...he came over and wanted to be petted. So I did. He began to relax and quit barking. I noticed he had a tag on his collar. On the tag was his owner's phone number and the dog's name "Newman" How interesting I thought who names their dog "Newman" all I could think of was "Seinfeld"'s Newman...He he he...

Well, I called his owner and she said she would be right over... she said "He's a little escape artist." So I actually picked Newman up and held him until she got there and she was very thankful for the call.

Saturday night, just before some pastor friends were coming over for prayer time... I heard some very familiar barking outside my office and it was Newman running up and down the alley barking like a wild thing. I couldn't tell if was glad to escape or if he was nervous that he had escaped and didn't know how to get home. I was nervous that one of my friends might not see him because of his size and might run over him. So I went outside and called Newman over and he came and wagged his tail and was glad to see me. I grabbed his collar and called his owner again but she wasn't there. Newman stayed with me a little while and then ran back down the alley and my friends came and we went into my office. About 5 minutes later I heard a car pull up and it was Newman's owner.

Great story, huh!?! Well Sunday morning, just as I was praying and getting last minute details on my sermon done...the Lord stopped me and said "Do you remember Newman?" I assured Him I did. He asked if I thought it was an accident that the wienie dog Newman showed up 3 times... I told the Lord that I hadn't really thought about it. He said I should.

Now you may think I am crazy or a little bit nuts but I do believe the Lord really talks to us and sometimes we miss what He is saying because we are not really tuned in to how He speaks...not with Thees and Thous or always with a bible verse but sometimes He speaks through everyday happenings and then the Holy Spirit turns it into something good or sometimes even a powerful word of encouragement.

This is what I think I heard the Lord say...Newman came to your house first because I want you to know that I am making you personally and your family members into new men...that the things that you are struggling with like depression, I am taking those things and transforming you into a new man, where you think you are weak and ineffective I am really building good things into your life...learn to relax and enjoy the process I am taking you through...#2) Newman came to the church twice and I feel like the Lord was saying that He was going to bring pre-christian people to the church to make them into New men and women through Jesus....And #3) I believe the Lord said that He was going to make our church family into New men and women...take us through our individual areas of struggle and build us into something significant and powerful for His kingdom. It is amazing how the Lord can take wiener dog and turn him into a New Man.

Well I shared this with the church on Sunday and it drew some smiles but it also touched them and encouraged them. After the service, one of the ladies of the church called me on my cell phone...she said she called her husband who was at home taking care of a 98 year old lady that lives with their family... Her husband said that she had been going wild and saying I am hurting, I am dying... I am going to die... Her husband tried to cal her down and started to talk with her...He asked "Well if you are going to die where will you go Heaven or hell? She said what do you mean? He said "When you die you either go to Heaven to be with Jesus or you got to hell..so where are you going?" She said I don't know.then he begins to explain to her that if she would ask Jesus into her heart and ask him to forgive her sins that she would be assured to live in heaven when she dies. She said well I can't see him so how do I do it ...he explained that you can't see him but you ask him by faith to come in and he will...she thought for a moment and folded her hands and without his help she asked Jesus to come into her heart and life and forgive her sins. She calmed down completely and according to the husband changed into a new person. The lady talking to me was so excited because she had just heard the Lord say in our service that he was going to bring people in to make them new men and women....she said she had been praying for this elderly lady for a long time and God answered her prayer not only to make this lady to become a new person but her husband was a new man also because he got to lead her to the Lord and he had never done that before and it was not even in his nature to do that. She was and is excited that the Lord spoke that word to her just minutes before it happened. You've got to love a God like that. How exciting the future is going to be this year.There are going to be Newmans every where we look because God so loved the world.