Hi there, it’s Buck again. After the wedding at Cana (read my first story, here) just about everyone in Galilee knew about the man who turned water into wine. Life got very busy for Jesus and his special friends. He started traveling from town-to-town teaching people about God, and huge crowds followed him everywhere! But I was the only dog, as far as I know.
There was this one time, at the Sea of Galilee, so many people wanted to see and hear Jesus he spoke from a boat just offshore. The crowd lined up several people deep on the shore line. There were so many folks, I couldn’t weave my way through to the water’s edge—even with four legs. “If I can somehow get to the shore, I will swim out to Jesus,” I thought.
It was starting to get dark, and some of the people began to leave. Here was my chance. But then I heard Jesus say, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” Uh oh. I can’t swim that far! It was now or never. I ran down to the water, leapt in, and dog-paddled toward the boat. Ole Buck was alongside in no time. One of the guys on the boat said, “Look at that dog?!” And that’s when I heard the voice I remembered from the wedding banquet, “Hey Buck! How’s my buddy?” It was Jesus!
I could tell his friends didn’t want to take a wet dog on board, but Jesus told someone named Andrew to pull me out of the water. And, just like that, I was on the boat! “I’m not gonna shake off. I’m not gonna shake off.” But I shook off—making everybody turn their backs. The fishermen, that’s what they smelled like anyway, got busy making the boat go. And I got busy finding my friend, Jesus.
He was in the back of the boat, sitting on a big pillow. It was too dark to see his kind eyes, but he scratched behind both my ears, just like before. “I’m tired, Buck. Let’s take a nap,” he said with a yawn. That sounded fine to me; dogs do whatever the pack leader does. I curled up next to Jesus, making myself as small as possible. Those fisher-guys just might throw me overboard.
Then, out of nowhere the wind began to blow hard. Giant waves poured into the boat! Jesus’ friends became frantic, like they thought we were sinking, but he was still fast asleep. “Stay calm, Buck. Trust your pack leader.” The safest place was right next to Jesus. Apparently, his friends agreed. One of them ran back to wake him up, and the guy stepped on my tail!
“Master, master we’re going to drown!” he shouted over the storm. Jesus, awake now, stood up and told the wind and waves to stop. “Quiet, be still!” he said. And, just like that, it was perfectly calm. Looking out over the unwrinkled water, he said to his friends, “Where is your faith?”
“I never doubted you for a second!” I said, wagging my tail. That got me a pat on the head from the man himself. And then Jesus laid back down—like he’d just gotten up to shut the door. His friends were totally amazed and still sounded afraid. “Who is this?” I heard them say to each other. “Even the wind and waves do what he says!”
“Hello. He’s the pack leader, people! Look to him and trust him,” I barked. Silly humans! I hope something other than fish is for supper. Too many bones.
This piece of historical fiction (the dog part, not the miracle) is dedicated to the memory of the real Buck: a chocolate lab who was a gun dog par excellence. That’s Buck below, sitting in a duck blind watching his owner for the next command. It was his intense gaze (in the photo) that sparked this story series. May each of us look to God with the same level of devotion.
The story of how Jesus calmed the storm is found in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25.
A special thanks to Beth Alisan, of Lessons from a Lab for helping make this post possible.
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
©️2018-2023, davidsdailydose, David Duncan. All Rights Reserved.
Davids Daily Dose 
Comments
25 responses to “Paws and Reflect (2)”
Thanks, Matt. Several people have mentioned that!
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Buck could become a children’s story
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I’ll give him a doggie hug from Beth. He’s slowed down quite a bit—turned 14 last month. Hugs to Adi and Summer. 🐾🐾🐾🐾
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I can picture Cooper editing your stories to make sure you got the dog part just right. Tell him that I appreciate the graciousness in which his schnauzer self is allowing his owner to feature a Labrador in these stories.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the next installment of Buck’s adventures with Jesus. I wanted to make sure the end of the story went well with the scripture you included with his picture. I plan to write more like these, God willing, but will space them out a bit—not every week. It really is fun trying to think like a dog!
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Oh, how delightful to find another tail in Buck’s journey with Jesus!! I love the message Buck so clearly sends in this installment that we need to stay close and follow the lead of our Lord and Master! My favorite line was near the end when Buck barked, “Hello. He’s the pack leader, people! Look to him and trust him.”
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I don’t have a Harmony of the Gospels but this would really be handy for this project. I first found the story of Christ calming the sea in Luke. Matthew and Mark were next. Each gospel account varies slightly. Thanks for the idea, Jeff, and also for your encouraging words. God’s best to you.
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Nice “Buck: Part 2!” Looking for your next Buck appearance? Do you you have a harmony of the Gospels? Maybe let that be your guide for more Buck Tails.
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Thank you, brother. I am grateful for your encouragement! Yes, I plan to continue the story series. I’m not sure where Buck should meet up with Jesus next. Blessings!
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Yet again excellent David. I sense a series of stories on the horizon, which I am eager to see when they arrive. As I see it David these are an excellent way to tell the Gospel stories in a disarming way. I can see them being good reading for young people. Maybe there will be a book someday?
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Thanks, Pete! God Bless.
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I recognized Beth’s photo right away and wondered where you what you were doing. Great story Dave! A++ in my grade book! I will bet this brought tears to Beth’s eyes. I know it did to mine. Thanks brother!
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Thank you! God Bless you, fellow helper. 😊
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What was it Mark Twain said? Humans are the only animal that blushes, or needs to. We have a lot to learn from all of God’s creation, as it points right back to him. But you, of all folks, know this well. Thanks, Gary!
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The thought did cross my mind, Betty: how would this tale read if the protagonist was a cat? It seems unlikely, though. Cats follow no one. 😊 Thank you for your encouraging words and for stopping by my little blog. God Bless!
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Wonderful post, David. This series (as I feel one coming on) could be an ebook. 🙂 Seriously, it is a beautiful way to tell those stories and remind us humans of how we need to be. I do wonder though what the story would be like with a cat rather than a dog? 🙂 Thanks for your posts which I always find uplifting.
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When the Lord passed out desirable traits, the dog took “trust”, the squirrel took “persistence” and the cow “contented” while humans analyzed and plotted, the animals helped themselves. OK not theological but…yea Buck.
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Beautiful. I can tell you are a teacher!
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Shameless promotion: the first installment was this past Saturday. Buck meets Jesus for the first time at a wedding banquet in Cana—the miracle of water to wine.
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Aww shucks. Thanks, David. Looking forward to the next reboot. For some reason, I trust the instinct of dogs more than humans.
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Thank you, Crystal. Have I mentioned before that you are my favorite English teacher?😊
I learned a term this morning for what I’m trying to do with these stories: reboot—retelling a familiar story in a new way.
I appreciate your reading and commenting. God Bless!
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Buck’s first person narrative illustrates a wonderful message. The safest place is next to Jesus. Silly humans. How we tend to forget.
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Good to hear there will be more 😁
Blessings my U. S. brother 😊
Andy B
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Thank you, Andy. I plan to spread them out, going forward, but couldn’t resist a back-to-back installment. Blessings, my British brother!🇬🇧
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I got excited when I saw another Buck post
Superb!!!
Andy B
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