“…offers a profound exploration of questions that have been pondered by the greatest philosophers, sages, and mystics of all time. Yet the questions in this book are asked and answered from a unique perspective, through the eyes of our animal friends and the deep connection we share with them.”
— from the Foreword
Combining deeply spiritual questions with endearing “tails” from the animal world, God’s Messengers will appeal to those seeking the mystical in the everyday. Allen and Linda Anderson, authors of the bestseller, Angel Animals (Plume, 1999) have gathered heartwarming accounts of everyday people who have been touched by the divine. Divided into four sections, the stories cover timeless issues such as Love, Wisdom, Courage, and Comfort. Each story answers questions such as:
• Does God Heal Hurting Hearts? • Is There a God?
• Are Prayers Answered? • Is There a Heaven?
• Why Do Bad Things Happen? • Does God Help Us Be Heroic?
Throughout God’s Messengers, wild and domesticated creatures such as cats, dogs, horses, ferrets, dolphins, hamsters, birds, llamas, squirrels, and even iguanas teach humans about health, compassion, and unconditional love. The book offers a unique message that when people pray to God, they often don’t realize that the answers they receive are being delivered by God’s messengers — the animals. Listen and learn from:
• Wee Boy, the hamster who took violent inner-city students on a journey from hate and fear to love and friendship
• Fitness expert, Richard Simmons, shares a touching story of ‘spotted angels,’ the Dalmations he’s sure are with his mother in heaven
• Bill, the man who barely tolerated children, let alone animals, until he met Sage, a cat who wouldn’t be rebuffed and who, in a short matter of time, won Bill’s heart
• Rose-Marie, a chemotherapy patient whose dog, Teddy, pulled the hair out of her own tail in an act of divinely guided empathy
• Sean, an autistic boy who forged an incredible healing bond with his ferret, Rocky
Without being tied to any one system of belief, God’s Messengers pioneers a leading edge in spirituality to help people recognize love and blessings that are all around in their homes, backyards, and in nature. In addition to the inspiring stories and observations by the authors, the book contains meditations and exercises to provide readers with questions, quotes, and activities to help them recall and reflect significant spiritual turning points in their own lives.
About the Authors Allen and Linda Anderson are authors, inspirational speakers, and members of the clergy who have been married since 1983. They co-founded the Angel Animals Network, dedicated to increasing love and respect for all life — one story at a time. Their previous book together is Angel Animals: Exploring Our Spiritual Connections with Animals. Allen is a computer software trainer, photographer and writer. Linda C. Anderson is an award-winning playwright, fiction writer, and the author of 35 Golden Keys to Who You Are & Why You’re Here. Allen and Linda share their home in Minneapolis with a menagerie of pets and donate a portion of revenue from their projects to animal shelters and organizations. Their website is www.angelanimals.net
Praise for God’s Messengers “As a lifelong animal lover it is a delight to see them celebrated in such a positive way. You and your pet will enjoy reading this together.”
— Betty White, actress/author
“To speak of ‘lower’ animals is both arrogant and blasphemous. All traditional peoples have viewed animals as messengers and mediators of the divine, which is a lesson we need to re-learn. God's Messengers is a bold reminder that consciousness takes many forms and is not restricted to humans.”
— Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Beyond the Body, Reinventing Medicine, and Healing Words
“God’s Messengers is a wonderful collection of stories guaranteed to make you think, make you feel, and make you grateful that God put such a grand world of wonderful companions and teachers here to join us on our Earthly journey. Sometimes God’s handprint is a paw.”
— Susan Chernak McElroy, Animals As Teachers and Healers
“As the Bible reveals animals are complete and man is not. Animals required no instructions from our Creator. Angels are messengers sent to teach and direct us so that we may achieve completion and learn to love. Indeed animals are angels. It is not a coincidence that God spelled backwards is dog and that a lifeline is three-quarters feline. Read this wonderful book and learn to live a complete life.”
— Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Prescriptions For Living
GOD’S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine By: Allen and Linda Anderson
Publication Date: October 20, 2003
ISBN: 1-57731-246-5
Price: $14.95, Trade Paper
Pages: 256, 6" x 7.5"
Distributed by Publishers Group West
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