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Now you can download free discussion questions for Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace.

Stay Discussion Guide

So fetch a copy, sit, stay, and enjoy “good dogma” with  your group!

The Carpenters sung about how Rainy Days and Mondays always got them down. Today both are in play on a rainy day in Texas. We often joke about how much we hate Mondays.

But one of the things I learned in writing Stay is that everyday is Saturday for our canine friends. They find joy in each day no matter how they feel or what the circumstances might be. One story that did not make the book involved our newest rescue friend Maggie. One day Joni and I heard a commotion from the home office. I went to investigate and found Maggie joyfully pulling each sheet off the printer as they came off. The machine was playing with her! This is a great day!

I wrote this about loving each day in Stay.

Hannah woke up convinced that every day was the best day ever. Maggie does the same. I think Satan’s strategy is devastatingly simple and effective. He wants us to live in regret of the past and fear of the future, effectively robbing us of the joy of today. Find something to love each day, even on your worst day. Trust me; it’s out there.

The LORD is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
Psalm 28:7

Look for something to make you smile today. Look for something sacred in your routine. Every day is a treasure. Every day that you can look into the eyes of those you love is a gift. Jesus knew what was really important. He wasn’t a cosmic killjoy trying to keep us from pleasure. Jesus taught us what mattered.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?   Luke 9  NIV

Here is the good stuff. Loving your family. Having friends who will be there when things are rough. Knowing that you and those you love have a relationship with the living God. Don’t let the world tell you otherwise.

Honest reviews from real people like you are critical to keeping the momentum going for a new book release. Curious shoppers pay attention to the reviews. One of the concerns about Stay is that it will be only a sad book about a dog that has cancer. Many reviewers have expressed that Stay is a book that is hopeful, joyful and fun even though there are some sad moments. That is life on this planet and I hope Stay reflects all of those emotions.

It would be another big favor if you could (honestly) post a positive review at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com, Goodreads, or any combination of those sites.

I am praying that God will use Stay to get this message of grace to people that normally would not pick up a Christian book. Perhaps some good “dogma” will help spread the word of His amazing grace! Sorry. And once again, thank you. I am blessed by your encouragement and kindness.

Joni and I just returned from a wonderful vacation and I am catching up. I want to thank all of you who took the time to share the word about the release of Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. Thanks to you we are off to a good start. I would be grateful if you would take the time to post a review at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, Goodreads or wherever you got your copy of Stay. That keeps the momentum going if curious shoppers see good reviews.

I am humbled by the response from you and others to my new book.

Thanks again!

Dave Burchett

We are just over a week away from the release of my new book. Tyndale Publishing has provided a free preview of the Intro, Forward and Chapter 1 for you to sample. Click on this link and then download the preview by clicking the “First Chapter Free” button at the top of the page. I would be grateful if you helped spread the word.

I am very excited and honored to have received this praise from a truly credible source for Stay.

You can count on one opposable thumb how many books hold my interest. But Dave Burchett has written an incredible
piece that describes what we’ve been trying to model to you all about God’s grace, His astonishing love, and what life
feels like when humans discover who He’s remade them to be, even on their worst day. And the pages smell like a freshly cut lawn. I gotta get my master to read this! ~ Bali Lynch

John Lynch’s Golden Retriever Bali, who loves to chew on her master’s books
The Cure and On My Worst Day

Thanks Bali! Your best friend writes some pretty good books! Give him a nuzzle for all of us.

I am delighted to share a brief snippet of my new book Stay. The book releases in about 2 weeks. You can pre-order a copy now at my website.

Paul talks about no condemnation from an eternal perspective. It is the passage that contains a verse that has already played a role in this journey.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 7:21–8:2, emphasis added

No condemnation. None. Nada. Zip. What part of no do I not understand? Yet we have a hard time believing that truth. Surely there must be some condemnation from God. It doesn’t make sense. I mean, look at how I blew it again. How can Jesus let me skate on that? Of course there are consequences to sin and bad decisions. But we need never compound that with shame and guilt that causes us to hide from the One who can keep us from making another bad choice.
Maybe this is one more way that our canine friends can be breathing role models of grace. Hannah could be the poster puppy for no condemnation. Nothing that I do causes her to abandon me. No selfish act on my part drives her away. She is incapable of condemnation. I can ignore Hannah. Snap at her. Refuse her nuzzles. And then when I call her name, she runs to me with the undignified abandon of the father to his prodigal son.

What an example of forgiving grace!

Because we are God’s beloved children, Jesus is incapable of condemning us. I know that those who fear that Christians will take advantage of grace push back against statements like that with varying levels of civility. Doug Kelly once mused that “If you want to make people mad, preach law. If you want to make them really, really mad preach grace.” Again, let me be clear. Sin has consequences, and they can be ugly. God allows those consequences to play out in order to teach us tough lessons. But I am convinced of this. He never condemns me because condemnation is the antithesis of grace. Taken from Stay by Dave Burchett copyright © 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.