John McCreedy - Miracle Dog Miracle God: What God the Father taught me about Himself through the love of a dog

MIRACLE DOG
MIRACLE GOD

WHAT GOD THE FATHER TAUGHT
ME ABOUT HIMSELF THROUGH
THE LOVE OF A DOG

JOHN MCCREEDY

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2013 JOHN MCCREEDY. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 10/08/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8037-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8039-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8038-8 (e)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

By Joy Patterson

I have loved dogs from I was very young, so, you can imagine my delight when Pastor John McCreedy told me he had written a book about Snowbell, their lovely dog in Romania, and how he had learned so much from that particular creature. I was delighted, humbled and privileged to be allowed to read this book and I soon had difficulty in leaving it down. For, not only were Snowbells adventures so interesting, the lessons learned from this dog were tremendous. How encouraging and instructive it was to my own heart. In the past, I have lifted down many new Christian books in shops, only to be disappointed that they contained so little of Gods precious Word and some of them werent even interesting to read. But not so with this volume, and in fact, I told him afterwards that this was the best book I have read in many, many years.

My family and I have known Pastor John McCreedy for a number of years. He is one who radiates the spirit of Christian love and he is an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity. (I Timothy 4:12b) His talents are dedicated to the service of his Lord and Saviour, and whether in his capacity as an assistant Pastor in the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast, as writer of the widely read Coffee Break on the churchs website, or as an author, his chief objective is to glorify God, to point sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and to encourage the people of God. For almost a decade, Pastor John and his wife and godly help-meet, Louise, had a tremendous missionary work in Romania, not only looking after a number of children in what was known as The Childrens House, but also pastoring a church and looking after the poor in the village in practical terms. That work still bears fruit today, as they hear of the children, now young men and women, going to university and doing well, but above all, following the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom they came to know and love under the ministry and care of these two dedicated missionaries.

Snowbell will have you laughing and will also bring tears to your eyes. This was indeed a extraordinary dog used by the Lord for His special purpose. I heartily commend this book to a wide readership. May it contain a word in season for many and may it be used to bring glory to God, and to extend Christs Kingdom in Northern Ireland and throughout the world. Joy Patterson.

I would like to begin by dedicating this book to my faithful wife Louise, known to the children in Romania as Mama Louise. Words could never do justice to her commitment to me and to our ministry in Romania. I wish to thank, too, my former secretary Lacramioara and the staff and children of the Childrens House, Carani, Romania, for the role they have played in this remarkable story. I am much indebted also to James and Joy Patterson and Samuel and Sadie Jamison for showing my wife Louise and I the love of God following our return from Romania. It would be almost impossible to describe how these saints helped restore us following our missionary endeavours.

I further wish to express my gratitude to my good friend Natalie Gregory, (Mrs E) for her continual encouragement and determination to see me publish this book. Without this encouragement, Im not sure if I would have ever finished this manuscript.

Finally, I owe a massive thank you to my proof reader Jackie Davidson for faithfully proofing every chapter and to Lorna Hamilton for painting a beautiful portrait of Snowbell which I have used as the front cover of the book. All of the above mentioned are an inspiration to me and I thank God for them every day.

(And without a parable spake he not to them
Matthew 13:34).

T he following is a remarkable tale of the impact a special dog named Snowbell made upon my life, while serving as a missionary in Romania along with my wife Louise. Its a story of achievement mixed with sadness and recalls how love triumphs over hatred and prejudice. A true story, throughout this book, many of Snowbells wonderful qualities are highlighted, as are the beautiful attributes of God; hence the title Miracle Dog, Miracle God. Primarily the book is about what God the Father taught me about Himself through the love of a dog but, before reading it, let me expand on how we first came to be in Romania, then enlighten the reader further on how this remarkable dog was used to bring enormous healing to our hearts.

Crazy as that may sound Snowbell, a dog we purchased a short time before our return to Ireland in 2008, was truly a Godsend to both us and our home. I and my wife Louise had experienced some major disillusionment during our formative years in the eastern European country, but once this little puppy entered the grounds of our abode the entire atmosphere changed. His nature and mannerisms were at times heavenly, a dog with an ability to touch the heart of a human like no one else could. He was able to help us appreciate again the simple things in life. Ben Williams states There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. I would lose count of how many times Snowbell not only licked my face, but also my wounds.

Observe the similarity in each short love story about Snowbell and the love story known as the gospel of Jesus Christ. Read in parable-like fashion how, due to his amazing love, a little Romanian-born dog totally transformed the life of someone who for many years detested dogsme. Then compare this with how Gods Son can equally transform the lives of millions through the simplicity of the gift of love.

Snowbells love was irresistible, constant and unfailing. His love was totally unconditional. This amazing dog soothed our pain and got our lives back on track at just the right time. Looking back, his arrival was nothing short of a miraculous intervention.

Verily I say unto you, there is no man that has left house or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospels, but he shall receive an hundred fold, now in this time, houses and brethren, sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).

GODS CALL IS NOT ALWAYS A CONVENIENT CALL.

A new millennium had dawned and expectations were high. The year 2000 was an exciting time to be alive and keeping up with rapid advances in technology appeared to be uppermost in the minds of an increasingly high-tech generation. Facebook, Twitter and the ipad were relatively unheard of, but they were about to go global. It was a period when real change was blowing across the world, yet no more so than in our own lives.