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Inspiring Voices - Paul Pinkham

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43 pages

English

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Alone, depressed, hopeless, and unwantedthese were the emotions that defined me in the aftermath of divorce and death that had turned my world upside down.And then into my life bounced an abandoned little puppy, rescued from the shoulder of a busy interstate highway, where he had been thrown from a car. He looked like I felt: discarded and beat up by life.But from the moment he bounded through my front door, Charles began teaching me valuable lessons about life, recovery, and finding joy again. From his story, I began writing a new chapter of my own life, one of hope and restoration, healing and forgiveness, love and kindness. His lessons continued as new love bloomed and blossomed, and his story became our story. It is my hope that what Charles taught us will resonate with you, no matter where you are in this crazy journey we call life.

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Publié par	Inspiring Voices
Date de parution	10 juin 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781462409730
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0240€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Lessons from CHARLES
PAUL PINKHAM

Copyright © 2014 Paul Pinkham.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
1 (866) 697-5313

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0972-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0973-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014908755

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 06/02/2014

In memory of my grandmo ther,
SUSAN M ILLS,
who gave me my love of dogs and taught me to love J esus.

Contents
God Loves Mutts
When All Seems Lost
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Prayer Time
The Prodigal Dog
The Postman Never Rings, Not Once
Irrational Fear
Please Forgive Me
Our Own Protection
Why Can’t I Be A Squi rrel?
Morning Dog
Unconditional Love
Bibliography

Acknowledgements
T here are so many people who supported me through my journey of healing and who helped me to see, sometimes without even realizing it, the lessons God was teaching me through Charles. Without them, none of this would have been poss ible.
First and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You paid it all for me even though You knew how often I would let You down. There aren’t words in human language to ever thank You enough for Your love and sacri fice.
To my dear, sweet wife, Beth, who loved and supported me throughout the years it took to collect these memories of our Charles, your input was invaluable. Thank you for lovin g me.
To our son Shane, whose special relationship with Charles sparked so many of these memories, thank you.
And my in-laws, Gene and Sally Bedford, provided steady encouragement as I wrote about their “grand -dog.”
My mother, Peggy Pinkham, went home to be with Jesus during the writing of this manuscript but was always supportive of my efforts. I love you, Mom. Thank you for raising me r ight.
To my daughter, Casie Williams, your love and support have been unwavering since the beginning. Thank you.
My brothers in Christ, John Timpe and Ken Cooper, along with Ken’s wife June, reviewed this manuscript early on and made important suggestions but more importantly, inspired me to keep writing when I wasn’t sure where I was he aded.
Patrick Duncan and John Furness led me on those first halting steps of recovery. Your friendship will always be treasured in my heart. And my lifelong friend, Jim Schoettler, you have always been there for me, even when I pushed you away.
Because I moved around so much during my journalism career, the Lord has blessed me with a number of pastors and teachers who have helped shepherd me. Many of their insights have no doubt found their way into these lessons. They include Jim Morris, Joe Turner, Gabe Goodman, Erling Larson, Carmen Johns, Jeff Bennett, Jean Mullis, Jerry Sweat, Tim Machtel, Joby Martin, Anne and Don Bloch, Lee Brookins, Flint McLaughlin, Aaron Ankeny, Steve McCoy, Tina Trent and Howard McMinn. I want to make special mention of John and Terri Hill, who walked the initial steps of this journey with me and went out of their way to counsel me when I was at my lo west.
I have been blessed to have helped lead worship for Celebrate Recovery for many years. Thanks to all my CR family and especially my bandmates in 3 Blocks West. You have all been key to my hea ling.
My newspaper family at The Florida Times-Union walked much of this journey with me. Though I am not with you any more, you will always be part of my s tory.
To all my advisors at Inspiring Voices, thank you for all your suggestions, input and assist ance.
There are numerous others who have encouraged and inspired me, too numerous to name. Thank you.

God Loves Mutts
M y dog Charles doesn’t look like much.
He’s just a scrappy little reddish-brown mutt, 25 pounds of tail-wagging energy. He’s bow-legged, missing two front teeth and has no pedigree, at least not that I know of. He has perky, pointed ears and a natural furrow to his brow that gives him a perpetually inquisitive look, whether he intends it or not, and a curly-q tail that makes him appear joyful and ready to play.
He also has a sweet, loving spirit. He’s just as comfortable snuggling as he is running around the yard.
His favorite activities are sleeping, eating and jumping on the furniture—in about that o rder.
Charles probably would flunk obedience school, and he’ll certainly never win the Westminster Dog Show.
But God has used Charles to teach me and my loved ones innumerable and sometimes startling lessons about life, love and His eternal promises. And I’m convinced He brought Charles into my life for just that pur pose.
Two friends rescued Charles along a busy interstate highway, where he’d been thrown from a car and abandoned. He was a wreck. Bleeding from the mouth, covered with open sores and mange, trembling with fear, snarling at anyone who came near.
Funny, that’s about how I felt when they gave him to me—alone, abandoned, fearful and utterly hope less.
To put it mildly, I’d had some setbacks in my life. The end of my 14-year marriage left me alone, broken and nearly broke. I lost my pension, my car and my life savings. I was left with an empty house, bitter memories and an oppressive silence. I wandered from room to room, unable to even pray, fearful that an unanswered prayer would shatter what little faith I had left.
My hopes for the future seemed to perish, too. No growing old together. No joyful holidays with the kids. Friends who once seemed close turned their backs. A rebound relationship I foolishly thought would save me also ended badly. It didn’t help that much of the mess I found myself in was of my own ma king.
A few months later when my stepdaughter died of complications from a birth defect, I plunged deeper into despair and a huge chunk of me seemed to die with her. I drank heavily and used prescription pills to numb the pain.
A stifling depression that gripped me in the gut agreed with my heart that God had abandoned me. He didn’t really care. No one did. Spiritually, I was dead.
Then, along came Charles. He was as broken as I was, yet almost from the start, he happily bounded through my house, his face fixed in a permanent s mile.
“You’re such a funny little animal,” I’d mutter. He’d just smile back.
Gradually I noticed that through Charles’ playfulness, his inquisitiveness, his joy, God was gently instructing and guiding me, showing me a pathway back to the land of the li ving.
If you’ve had setbacks, if you’ve ever felt abandoned or alone or simply not good enough, take heart. The lessons God used Charles to teach me can help you, too.
I knew in my mind what Jesus said. That God cares for every living creature, even the lowly sparrow. That not one falls to the ground without the Father’s OK. That He values me far more than a bird.
I just didn’t know it in my h eart.
But I began to consider Charles, out on that busy interstate. An eight-lane highway can be a pretty scary place any time of day. During the city’s morning rush hour, it can be a nightmare, especially for a lost and confused little puppy, not yet a year old.
I can only begin to imagine the terror Charles felt. He’d been torn away from the only home he ever knew, from people he thought loved him. Alone, with cars and trucks whizzing by him, he must have been terrified. When my friends found Charles, he was trembling with confusion, scared out of his mind. By God’s grace he wasn’t killed that day.
Yet God was protecting that bow-legged little puppy, looking out for him as surely as he does the birds of the air. Or you. O r me.
At a time when I least deserved it, God sent friends—angels, I call them—to help guide and even rescue me, including a discarded little mutt.
When I consider Charles’ life, and mine, I can see God’s hand. He gave me the desires of my heart. He brought me Beth, my loving, Christian wife, who encourages and prays for me. He brought me a new teenage stepson, Shane, a great kid only beginning to realize the depth of his gifts and talents. The Lord led me to a deeper relationship with Him, gave me lasting new friendships and rekindled old ones. He sustained me at work, giving me a new drive for a job that I love.
Everything I lost during that dark period was restored a hundred fold.
And Charles? Where he once was alone and abandoned, cast away, he got food to eat, a bed to sleep in, furniture to jump on and walks to the park or the beach. He got a teenage boy to play with and two grown-ups who love and care for him very much.
And he has a life full of adventures from which we all can learn. My hope is that the lessons he’s taught me can help you, too. About joy and disappointment. About prayer and forgiveness. About fear and God’s protec tion.

When All Seems Lost
A s I mentioned, one of Charles’ favorite activities is jumping