A year and 1/2 ago, Cyndy and I decided to bite the bullet and get another dog. It wasn't an easy decision. Our dog of 14 years, Sugar, had died in Cyndy's arms just a couple months before and we were still heartbroken. She was such a good doggie! To be honest with you we were kind of thinking our dog days were over. We had been gifted with the best dog ever, and maybe we should quit on top! We also thought we might be travelling more and not having a dog was looking like a pretty good choice. But then a little thing called the pandemic happened. Cyndy was working at home all the time and feeling a little lonely, and so one day we both woke up, turned to each other and declared: "How about getting another dog!?!" And we were off searching the internet. Reading about different breeds! Arguing over whether to get a bigger dog or a smaller dog. In the end we decided to "go big or go home" and our choice? A black golden doodle...the biggest dog we'd ever had!
We went to pick her up on a very historic day for many of us: January 6th. I know what you're thinking: a year after that mess...yuck! But I'm not referring to that mess, I'm referring to the Christian calendar...the 12th day after Christmas? The day of Epiphany, of course! And so, on the way to a little town in eastern Washington, we decided to name our new puppy Epiphany, or Piff for short! And what a light of hope she has been! Piff is the smartest dog we have ever had, which is quite a challenge! She keeps us on our toes, and then some! But what I love about her most is her wonderful sense of hospitality! This girl is a greeter extraordinaire! There's no cold handshake with her...she comes in with tail wagging, arms (or paws) wide open, and, if you're not careful? A sloppy wet kiss is coming your way! And she doesn't save that for special occasions, oh no, that warm, wet welcome is a daily and sometimes hourly experience!
But the other day, Piff took that welcome to another level. We have a new doodle in the neighborhood! This one is a little different than Piff. First of all, she's a light brown complexion, and second of all she's a mini doodle. We talked to her owner and she's only going to be 15 lbs. at her full growth...Piff is 60+!
Well, as you can imagine, Piff is pretty excited about this new neighbor! Every day she runs out to the very edge of our invisible fence and sits there with her tail wagging one hundred miles an hour. She is just dying to say hi! But yesterday she did something truly miraculous. She was outside waiting for her new neighbor to walk by, and upon seeing her coming she ran into our house (we have one of those doggie doors), bounded up the stairs, crawled into her doggie crib to find something, and bounded back down the stairs and out the door. Cyndy was watching all this from the front window, and she said she got goosebumps as she realized that in Piff's mouth was a light brown stuffy toy that looked just like her new friend! Piff was holding it out with her mouth just hoping her new friend would see!
Now, we're not quite sure what Piff was saying. Was she saying, "Look, I've got a toy stuffy that looks just like you?" Or was she saying, "Welcome to the neighborhood, I brought a gift for you?" But whatever she was trying to say, it was simply amazing! And it made me think about the importance of hospitality in our world. I know during the pandemic we've all kind of put some of that gift on the shelf, but could it be that it's time to brush that gift off and start using it again? Could it be time to have a brief course in hospitality at the church, and let Piff teach it?
This August, our church is working with a group called Outreach to begin a new "invite" program at Bear Creek. Every month this organization is going to send us the names and addresses of folks who have moved into our area in the last month. We've drawn a 3-mile circle around Bear Creek, a 1-mile circle around Duvall, and a 1-mile circle around Trilogy. According to the data we are collecting from this group we have quite a few new neighbors! Do you have any idea how many folks and families move into these areas in an average month? 125!
And our plan is to welcome them to the neighborhood, every month...before they enter the church's front door! This is going to be a game-changer folks! And a challenge! And here's my question...how many "Piffs" do we have out there!?! Would any of you like to work with me in creating a little "welcome package" for these folks? Would any of you be willing to join me in knocking on their door and saying, "welcome to the neighborhood?" If you are, text me at 605-610-7793!
Your friend and pastor, still wiping the wet kiss off of my face from Piffy, Brook
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