Kindle Edition
Janice B. Scott
Janice B. Scott
Category:
Inspirational
Publisher: CSS Publishing Co.
ISBN-10: 0788026828
Type: Fiction
Pages: 160
Copyright: April 2012
ISBN-13: 9780788026829
Price: $9.95 (eBook)
This second volume of short stories is again suitable for children and adults, since the stories can be read at more than one level.
Children's Stories From The Village Shepherd, Volume 2
As we move further away in time from the first century, so the gap between those who choose to attend church and those who do not is widening until it is not far short of an abyss. I believe we need to urgently find ways to bridge this abyss, so the aim of this little volume is to present the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that can be heard and understood by this present generation. It has been my experience that a life including God is a life full of fun, love, and enjoyment, even though things may not always go entirely smoothly. Even in the bad times when I cling onto faith by my fingertips, I am aware that God's strong arms are holding me and that the fun and happiness are not so far away.
— From the Foreword
This second volume of stories from "The Village Shepherd" is an ideal means for revealing deep truths of the Christian faith while at the same time entertaining and captivating readers. Like the first volume, this collection of stories evokes laughter while others bring tears, but each will leave the reader better for the experience. For those who follow the liturgical calendar, this book follows the gospel readings used in Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary and includes a scripture index and lectionary index.
Excerpt
ROLY INTERPRETS THE SIGNS (based on Luke 21:25-36)
This is a difficult reading for adults, never mind children! So today’s story is a simple story about Roly, an abandoned puppy who
interprets various signs as meaning he is about to enjoy a very special day indeed.
ROLY INTERPRETS THE SIGNS
Roly lay on the stone floor with his head on his paws. He wondered how much longer it was until it was time for food. Feeding time was the best time in the whole day, because then the humans came and rubbed his head and spoke to him and made a fuss of him.
Roly had lived in the Dogs’ Home all his short life. He had a vague memory of a warm mother dog, against whom he used to snuggle with some other tiny puppies. But his next memory was of being pulled out of a river in a dripping, wet sack. Then he had arrived at the Dogs’ Home where he had lived ever since.
The Dogs’ Home people had called him Roly because of his long, round body and his tiny legs. He quite liked it in the Dogs’ Home, because there were lots of other dogs of all different shapes and sizes, and it was good to be in company. And the humans were kind to him. But there were so many dogs to look after, that Roly often felt lonely and bored.
But today was different. Today Roly had woken with a feeling of anticipation, as though something special was going to happen. The humans who fed him in the early morning had seemed a bit happier than usual, although Roly had no idea why.
"Today’s the day for one of you," one of the humans had remarked. "I wonder whose lucky day it is today?" And although he didn’t know what that meant, Roly hoped and hoped it would be his lucky day.
Soon there was a great commotion in the Dogs’ Home. All the different dogs were getting very excited, and Roly soon found himself jumping up and down as high as his little legs would carry him and yapping and barking at the top of his voice. He wasn't sure why he was acting in this way, but he certainly was aware of great excitement in the air.
After a while, the door to the kennels opened and some strange humans came in. Some were normal sized humans, but three of them were very small humans with high voices. Roly liked the look of the little humans, and he began to bark more urgently and started to chase his tail just to capture their attention.
The little girl came and knelt at his cage. "Oh look!" she cried to her brothers. "This is a dear little dachshund. Do let’s have him!"
Roly wasn't sure what she meant, but he was sure that she was a kind child, and he knew that he wanted desperately to stay with her. He sat in front of her with his head on one side, and gazed beseechingly into her eyes. Then he gently began to lick her hand through the wires off the cage.
The two boys came over to join their sister, but Roly instinctively felt they would be more interested in a robust display of gymnastics. So he began to jump and turn and race around his cage.
"I really wanted a bigger dog," one of the boys said.
Roly immediately felt very anxious. He was the smallest dog in the Dogs’ Home, and he knew he couldn't compete with Labradors and Retrievers, Boxers and Bulldogs.
The girl turned to her parents. "Please," she said putting her hand into her father's and gazing into his eyes just as Roly had gazed into hers.
Roly wondered whether he had interpreted the signs right. Was this a special day for him? Or had he got it wrong? Perhaps it was a special day for some other dog. He lay down again and put his head on his paws, but he kept one eye on the little family.
The girl's mother said, "He does look awfully well behaved. And they say all the dogs are house-trained. Let's take him!"
And Roly knew that the signs were right and he was about to begin a new life.
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