Title: What My Dog Taught Me About Jesus
Author: David Ross Sherman
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-5434-2476-8
Pages: 122
Genre: Faith / Christianity/ Motivational & Inspirational
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
If you were to try to derive an anagram from the word DOG – the only other word possible is GOD. We all know this. But in David Ross Sherman’s book titled What My Dog Taught Me About Jesus, it is not the dog which is God; rather the qualities of the relationship between a man and his dog which exemplifies many of the same characteristics on how he learned to understand Jesus, his faith and love of God.
A prolific writer as well as an ordained pastor, Sherman is drawn in life to receiving this dog Jenny, a rescue from the Indian reservation in Arizona where it is often known people would eat stray K-9’s. Saving Jenny from being locked up in a small cage for over a year was without a doubt a blessing for both of them, as they began a symbiotic relationship beyond description – albeit this book does describe it in great detail.
Interleaved with Bible verses generously laden throughout the story, Sherman tells tales of how Jenny became his most valued relationship next to his faith in Jesus, with due respect to his wife. The personifications of trust, loyalty, patience and unwavering love from Jenny enabled Sherman to bring to life the teachings of Jesus throughout the verses of the Bible. Chapter after chapter, the subtle behavior of a devoted pet to their owner parallels the characteristics exemplified by the teachings of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible verses. Pastor Sherman would depict a quality, explain how he and Jenny have worked this into their lives, quote a relevant Bible verse and bring to fruition the lesson by example of God’s love, strength, wisdom and power. Qualities such as pain, for example, would first be discussed how Jenny, living for over a year in a small cage with only a food dish and blanket on a concrete floor would endure such hardship with hope for when she would be rescued. A quote from John 16:21-22 then talks about how a woman in labor endures such pain and anguish which is forgotten instantly when the joy of a human child being born into the world occurs. He would go on to focus on the teaching of Christ, as good things come when we embrace Him, and for every desperate situation hope will endure. By seamlessly going from a story about life with Jenny, to a relatable Bible verse, to the meaning of the teaching and circling back to how Jenny has had an influence in demonstrating Jesus’ love, Sherman articulates such an enjoyable book while the underpinnings of faith are celebrated.
With photographs of Jenny, and her asymmetrical ears, rather stout posture, relative short legs and furry coat (which sheds a lot), Sherman captures the dog’s eyes at moments where some form of inherent wisdom can be perceived – one of God’s creatures brought as a blessing for only one man to become its shepherd. To this reviewer, an incorrigible dog lover, I found What My Dog Taught Me About Jesus to be both entertaining and educational. As I read the book, my dog was at my side on the floor, looking up at me from time to time, just as Jenny was with David Ross Sherman as he wrote the book. A Christian masterpiece with a dog lover’s point-of-view.
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