God’s Furry Messengers
By Ellie Marrandette
Have you ever noticed dogs at play and thought how much they acted like children? So did I. I also discovered by observing our furry friends that we can learn valuable lessons about the nature of God.
Meet the Marshall family – ten-year-old Alex, seven-year-old Mattie, and their parents, Lydia and Jim. It’s a happy family with two adorable pets, Sebastian, an older, wiser Cocker spaniel, and Jinx, a feisty female Lhasa apso who believes she’s wise but instead is a wise guy.
Everything has been running smoothly for the household until Lydia brings home a furry new family member. The Marshalls will never be the same after their loveable but disruptive, raggedy fluffball, the Flea Market called Jones, joins the family.
As a Christian grandparent, I’ve observed too many children floundering with no moral compass. Today’s culture seems to be becoming an environment where “anything goes.” It breaks my heart to see children with their faces staring at video games or iPhones six hours a day. I believe parents, grandparents, and children need quality time together. That was my primary purpose for creating my latest book, God’s Furry Messengers.
God’s Furry Messengers: Life Lessons Learned from Dogs is a family Christian Devotional that targets 5 – 11-year-olds. This professionally illustrated children’s book interactively addresses essential personal, social, and spiritual issues.
Each chapter provides multiple opportunities to discuss the daily challenges of today’s world. It addresses prejudicial issues, bullying, impatience, the importance of good character, why God disciplines, peer pressure, and respect for authority, among other subjects. Delivered thru a dog’s point of view, I believe every child will relate to each topic.
Our young people need Godly Direction and should understand the value of boundaries. Sadly, when a school tragedy occurs, we repeatedly hear the child’s parents lament how they hadn’t realized there even was a problem. I began to wonder how well parents knew their children.
As a counselor, I realize God’s Word is the only way to truly change hearts. In God’s Furry Messengers, every topic address relevant social issues and is grounded on Biblical values and Scripture.
I pray it will open up the lines of communication not only for families but Sunday School teachers, Christian schools, church nurseries, and other Go
dly associations. What better way for a grandparent to get to know their grandchild? What better way to impart some of your hard-earned wisdom in a nonjudgmental way?
Your grandchild probably looks up to you as a hero, but even grandparents aren’t perfect. There probably isn’t a grandparent around who wouldn’t want to go back in time and have a redo about something. Teach the child how you overcame mistakes and challenges and what you learned from them. You might discover that the apple didn’t fall from the tree.
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- When you were in school, did you feel like a misfit and never fit in? Or were you prideful, rebellious, thinking you knew it all?
- Were you idolized because of your athletic prowess, or just the opposite, ridiculed because you leaned toward the arts?
- Were you bullied in school or perhaps a bully yourself?
- How did you experience peer pressure?
- Were you impatient, insecure, popular, always getting into trouble, or a teacher’s pet?
You might discover that your grandchild is a chip off the old block. Your words of wisdom might be what they need to help them through a difficult situation.
This professionally illustrated book addresses ten issues young people face daily. I’m praying this book might change at least one child’s life.
God’s Furry Messengers: Life Lessons Learned from Dogs, can be purchased on amazon.com/books in paperback form for $12.99. (Link here . . .)
After attending Graham Jr. College in Boston and Moody Bible College, Ellie Marrandette earned her Bachelor of Ministry (BMIN) from Trinity Theological Seminary. Fascinated by psychology and physiology, God directed Ellie toward a rewarding healthcare career. She became a licensed, certified nutritional counselor, working with doctors, nutritional centers, and independently as the founder of New Creations Ministries, a faith-based solution in overcoming health challenges. In recent years, God has focused Ellie’s path toward writing. She is the author of four Christian novels, a novella, and a non-fiction book on healthy living entitled, Life’s Too Short to Eat Bad Cheese (Nutritional and Life Lessons God Teaches Us.) All can be found Here. Her current endeavor is to complete a children’s devotional this year. For more about Ellie Marrandette visit her New Creations website.
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