DOG DAYS a new film releases AUG 8

     They say that a dog is man’s best friend… and for the most part I agree.  The exception is the one that bit me. But growing up I had dogs, and it was always fun to take them with me on long walks in the woods behind our house. Especially when I was feeling lonely or down. Dogs seem to have a 6^th sense about them, they know when you’re sad and just need someone to be there with you. You can talk to them, and it’s almost like they understand. So whether you’re talking about a life event, a problem, a decision that needs to be made, or just brainstorming some new ideas they listen, and with a soulful look, or a wag of the tail, they let you know what they think.  Some of the best advice I ever got was from my dogs.

      In this picture, I’m with Tootsie and Lorenzo- a couple of mutts. According to the people (different people, a couple of days apart) who let me adopt them, they are, coincidentally, both identified as Lab/Bouvier mix.  They were my companions when I was stationed at a now defunct Air Force Base in Michigan back in the mid 80’s.

      Lorenzo was a fairly good dog—if Tootsie wasn’t around—but when she was there, the two got into some mischief. She was the explorer, and he would follow: maybe to keep her from getting into too much trouble? That didn’t always work. She would jump or tunnel under the fence, he would go after her and a day or two later they would return, covered with ice, smelling like a skunk, or with a snout full of porcupine quills.

     

        Ice and quills I could handle, but the skunk smell meant that they were banished to the garage for a couple of days.  The quills meant hours with tweezers, and perhaps a trip to the vet, the ice meant hours ‘resting’ in front of the wood-burning stove, and the skunk…well there’s always tomato juice.

I had a house on a lake, and the dogs enjoyed boating and swimming. I’m a water type, so we got along fine. Although wet dog is not always the most pleasant smell in the world. ☺

       All of that to highlight the fact that a new film about dogs and their humans is scheduled for release  on Aug 8^th.  You can watch the trailer here

SYNOPSIS:  DOG DAYS is a hilarious and heartfelt ensemble comedy that follows the lives of multiple dog owners and their beloved fluffy pals.  When these human and canine’s paths start to intertwine, their lives begin changing in ways they never expected.  This is a sweet film about the joy our furry friends bring into our lives and what they can teach us about treating people with kindness and compassion.  DOG DAYS releases in theaters in August 8.

TELL ME YOUR DOG STORY FOR A CHANCE  TO WIN A TARGET GIFT CARD, SO YOU CAN PAMPER YOUR DOG

Welcoming the Stranger

Several years ago I had the pleasure of attending a conference where Matthew Soerens was one of the speakers. ‘Welcoming the Stranger” a book Matt co-authored with Jenny Yang, was one of the items that I later bought and enjoyed. It should seem pretty obvious that since I was attending a conference where he was one of the speakers, that we have several common interests. Since then we’ve been in contact a couple of times, usually in the context of how I as a Christian, a pastor, and a concerned citizen could be more involved, or more of an advocate for welcoming the stranger. All of that to say that when I saw that Matt and Jenny were working on Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (Revised and Expanded) (IVP Books, 2018) I reached out to ask if there was much difference. A lot has happened in the years since the book was first published in 2009, so yes, there is a lot of new information.

                This book will not appeal to everyone. Some people don’t want anything to do with immigrants and refugees, and don’t want them in this country.  Others just won’t like the writing style. Too many statistics and not enough funny pictures. But for those who care about the people whom Jesus loves, this is a book well worth reading.              

                Unless your ancestors were in this country 600 years ago, you come from an immigrant family. And yes your ancestors may have immigrated legally—back in the day when arrival at Ellis Island was about as legal as it got. But things change and for a few decades now there have been laws, more laws,  and stricter immigration laws passed. Some were passed out of fear, some probably out of prejudice (which might just be another word for fear) and some out of greed, or under the pretense of national security. And even though we might break some laws ourselves, there are people who insist that certain laws be enforced.  And by the way for those of you who think that anyone wanting to come here legally should just stand in line and wait their turn, there aren’t a whole lot of lines to stand in.

                Soerens and Yang do an excellent job of pointing out some of the immigration myths making the rounds, and a better job of debunking those myths. They address the policies and politics of both sides of the debate; something I am very happy with, because so much of what we hear from the media is emotional rhetoric, with participants on both sides shouting so loudly that they can’t hear what the other side is saying—even if they were disposed to listen.

                Immigration impacts so many facets of our society that it’s easy to see why people get so emotional. This book can certainly help anyone interested in toning down the rhetoric and making informed decisions. Did you know that a large number of people who are undocumented today are 1) not Hispanic or Mexican, and 2) actually came here legally but stayed after their student, tourist, or work visa expired.  Does that possibly make a difference in how you see the situation?

                Speaking as an evangelical, and as a pastor, I was extremely pleased to see a couple of chapters where the main points concerned immigration and the church, and also information geared towards helping people make not only an informed response, but also the scriptural background so that we can offer a Christian Response to the issue that seems to be one of the most highly debated of the decade.

                I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to skip the rhetoric and make informed decisions based on facts rather than scare tactics.  And besides, as Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, writes in the Foreword:

“A New York Rabbi taught me a lesson I had never before heard. He said that there is no Old Testament commandment to love your parents, husband, wife, or children. There are only three commands: to love the Lord your God, love your neighbor, and love the alien in the land. Deuteronomy 10:19 gives this third commandment to love and explains why: you were once aliens yourselves.”

                If I thought some of the people in Washington DC would take the time to read the book, I’d buy a case and send them to our national leaders.

                Kudos to the authors for the effort they’ve put into consolidating information that every American should have access to before formulating their opinion on the subject of immigration.

               

                Definitely a 5/5

The ComeBack Effect

I pastored a small church for several years. Visitor after visitor would show up at the church, and at the end of the service would tell someone how much they had enjoyed the service, and that they would definitely be back the following week. People would come to me and excitedly share that news. But week after week we didn’t see those visitors again. We struggled with finding the secret to making first time guests returning guests.

            Jason Young and Jonathan Malm lay out a pretty good plan for getting people to return that’s based on hospitality. They suggest there are about ten things that the church needs to have in place for this to work.   A lot of it is common sense, most churches have probably done some or all of these things at one time in their life cycle. But then people get complacent.  “We’re a friendly church.” And the people in the church are friendly—with their friends. That just isn’t enough to make people want to return.

            So the need exists for a book like The Come Back Effect: How Hospitality Can Compel Your Churches Guests to Return (Baker Books, 2018). Church people need to be reminded that a first time guest doesn’t already know everyone there, doesn’t understand the unwritten rules, and certainly doesn’t know where to find the things that he or she needs to make walking into a strange place a pleasant experience. Since the guest doesn’t know, the regulars are tasked with help a new comer see the church as a familiar and welcoming place, rather than a strange place, and a frightening experience.                       

            There are ten relatively short chapters in this book, each focusing on a different thing that makes the guest truly feel welcome, a person, not just a potential member. Each chapter ends with a section called “Key Points and Takeaways” for example, in Chapter One ‘Focus on Feeling as Much as Function’, one of the giveaways is this simple: “Serving is task oriented; hospitality is feeling oriented. Simply performing tasks is not enough to compel a guest to come back”. Or this: ‘Decide proactively what you want your guests to feel, then look for ways to create environments that will help them experience that’.

            One of the things that I liked about this book is that as I was reading, I kept thinking “I knew that!”  So many of the things the authors point out are pretty elementary things: things that most churches are doing or have done in some degree. Granted the examples given involve large churches with staff, a campus, and plenty of volunteers, some of the things are definitely doable even in a very small church, if the regulars can be convinced to step out of their comfort zones.

            I was reminded of the letter to Ephesus in the Revelation (Rev 2:1-7) where Jesus’ main complaint was that the church had forgotten her first love, and Jesus suggested that maybe they should go back to doing some of the things that they were doing when they first started and were excited about the gospel.

            Although this book is written for churches, it certainly seems like businesses could apply the same principles in their quest for repeat customers.

           

This book is scheduled to be released on July 31, 2018 I received a copy of this book from the publisher for being part of a launch team program. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.

            5/5