Puppy Evangelism

Two things people cannot resist are babies and puppies. Since it is impossible for me to have a baby (thank God), I figure the next best thing is having a puppy. I grew up in my household not allowed to have any pets because my Mom was a neat freak. Every time I asked about getting a dog, I would be shot down. It was not until I turned 25 that I got my first dog, Gretchen. I rescued Gretchen when she was 2 years old. She was a beautiful, energetic boxer. Whenever I would have someone over the house, she would go crazy, running back and forth. I thought it was funny but my visitors would be ticked. Sometimes I would get her to go crazy on purpose just to bother Gallaher. I missed having a boxer around the house so I decided to take the plunge. I thought about get a girl and naming her Bella. When I went out to the breeder, I sat there an hour trying to decide on what dog to get. I finally decided on the alpha dog who was pinning all the other puppies. I know that I will have my hands full with Rocky. Even though Rocky looks cute he is the most stubborn little guy. At 6 weeks old, he was twice the size of his siblings.

I have started bring Rocky with me to church and to Woodland Park. It is amazing how many people love puppies. Rocky has been a good way to make an entrance into the community. People will just randomly walk up to me and want to play with him. I never thought something as silly as getting a dog would be such a doorway for evangelism. When I think about the great things that are happening at The Rock La Roca United Methodist Church, I have realized that it will not look the same at Woodland. I am thinking of ways to take the principles that the Rock has taught and apply them to this new context. Any insights would be helpful.