When My Ministries Were Failing, God Sent a Puppy
The small dog who opened doors to a thriving ministry
I did not want a dog – no, I did not! Pets tie you down. What if God wanted me to travel as a missionary overseas? What if I needed to move house and plant a church in the city?
Did Jesus have a dog? Did Paul the Apostle? No, because they were focused on their ministries. They didn’t have time for unnecessary extras. Instead of a dog, I studied at Bible college. Instead of a dog, I worked as a school chaplain. Instead of a dog, I started a Young Life outreach.
Ministry is a lot of work and having a dog seemed like “A silly waste of time,” I told my wife as she scrolled the internet for a puppy.
I did not want a puppy — but my wife did. Fortunately for me, COVID had caused a sudden surge in puppy prices and we simply could not afford a new puppy. How convenient.
It was the grand opening of our new youth group. My ministry team spent months promoting it at a couple of local schools. We made flyers, advertised on social media, and did everything we could to make this new youth group a success. My team was excited to share the gospel with teenagers — most of whom did not know a thing about Jesus.
But the car park was empty. Nobody turned up. Not Annie, not Jake — nobody.
We prayed about it and decided to try again next week. Surely, people will come next week.
Next week came, and still, nobody showed up.
After two months with very little traction, we decided to call it quits. My team tried to hide their disappointment but it was pretty obvious. They volunteered their time and energy to start a new ministry only for the whole thing to instantly fall apart.
I went home that last evening disappointed. I felt like I was working hard but God was giving me nothing to work with.
And then along came Bart the puppy
As I pulled up the driveway in my car, my wife Katrina had the garage door open. She sometimes uses the space as an art studio. This night she was working on a new collection of impressionistic bird paintings that the neighbors could not get enough of. All week neighbors would walk by to compliment my wife on her paintings. She even sold a few.
This particular night my wife was deep into a conversation with a neighbor who was passing by while walking their dog.
I did not join the conversation. I was grumpy. I slammed the front door on my way into the house — surprising even myself. I called out, ‘Sorry, the wind!’ But there was no wind, just an angry youth minister feeling the shame of failure.
The next day my wife and I went to the park. We were sharing a pizza on a park bench and watching the ducks swim in the pond. It was so peaceful. For a moment, I was able to forget about –
“AAAHHHH!!!”
Katrina screamed causing me to drop my slice of pizza.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look, at this puppy!”
She held her phone up to my face. Listed on a Facebook group was the cutest and most affordable puppy either of us had seen for months.
Bart the sausage-pug became our pet. We drove to a small country town to buy him from the breeder. They were selling him cheap because he was “an accident.” They were breeders of miniature dachshunds. But they also owned an old, fat pug who couldn’t get pregnant.
Or so they thought.
Bart was ours and I warmed to him instantly.
Weeks into dog ownership we realized Bart came with a lot of energy. I thought with his stumpy legs he wouldn’t want to run too much. But I was wrong.
Dog park: Another name for community
Our local dog park was popular. Every afternoon it attracted all the dog owners in the neighborhood. Bart, being the new kid on the block, was very popular. Everyone had to ask about him. He was small and strange with his long body, wrinkled forehead, and eyes with the personality of a Pixar animation.
Visiting the dog park became a daily part of our routine. With our newly acquired sausage-pug, we quickly integrated with the dog-lover community. Within months we knew everyone by name. Dog park conversations could go on for hours. In time, it became evident that exercising your dog was secondary to the sense of community people enjoyed in that space. People would drop by for a chat even if they didn’t have a dog.
One afternoon, as one of the old fellas was sharing some of his health problems with me, it all clicked. Visiting the dog park every afternoon had become my most successful and important ministry. It was effortless and conversations about faith were somewhat frequent.
Community like this is not normal where I live. In a time when most people do not know their neighbors, I knew this man enough that he felt comfortable sharing his struggles with me. Others shared their thoughts and experiences of faith and the church.
One lady shared the pain of her recent divorce. Most notably, when a neighbor’s dog attacked Bart by tearing a hole through his ear, my wife and I were given an opportunity to forgive them and ensure there were no hard feelings. Since then we have been good friends.
Bart’s been part of the family for two years and we still frequent the dog park. My wife goes more often than I do. When I return home she tells me about the encouraging conversations from her day at the park.
What I have learned being a Christian in a dog park:
- Ministry is often most effective when it is integrated as part of daily life.
- God sets the agenda for your ministry.
- God will use anything to advance His mission — even a puppy.
God often uses the smallest things to do the biggest things. I never wanted a dog because it seemed like a distraction from God’s work. But having a dog helped my wife and I get to know our community and share the love of Jesus with them.
As a Christian minister, I cannot be above the small things that God calls me to in obedience. Paul the Apostle was willing to become all things to all people to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. For a season, I simply needed to become a dog owner.
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT)
Bart the sausage-pug allowed me to cross over into my community where I have been able to share the good news about Jesus with people I otherwise would never know.
Mission trips, youth groups, church plants, and gospel programs are all important and exciting when they happen. But learning to celebrate the smaller and more subtle ways in which God works day-to-day is what will keep me and my wife in ministry for the long haul.
