God Lives in This House

By Teresa Gair Klingelhoets

Dex is a dog in the prime of his life and living a life he thought couldn't get any better until one very cold Minnesota winter. His owner and best friend, Ray (and Ray's wife), decided they needed a change. Dex had no idea that their change would cause a world of change for him. Thankfully, Dex has a powerful gift that he relies upon for help-faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781644681336

Book preview

Chapter 1

Dex’s Big Move

A few months ago, Dex moved with his family, Ray and Ray’s wife, from his home in Minnesota to Arizona. It was winter in Minnesota when they left—bone-snapping cold, stinging winds, snow so deep his belly dredged through it as he struggled to walk, and frost formed on his whiskers where the cold air met his warm breath. Fetch was impossible to play in the snow on account of having to stick his head into the frozen white fluff to retrieve his favorite ball… Where’s the fun in that?

Leaving Minnesota, Ray drove the huge U-Haul truck loaded with their furniture, boxed books, and everything from the kitchen cupboards and dining room cabinets. His wife followed, driving the snuggly packed GMC Jimmy, with Dex wedged in among the plastic totes crammed with blankets, towels, pillows, linens, clothes, and shoes. When they arrived in Arizona, after the longest car ride of his life, Dex couldn’t wait to jump out of the cargo end of the truck. Ow, ow, ow, ow! he yelped. The asphalt was very hot on the pads of his paws, and he couldn’t see a thing for the glaring light of the sun. When his eyes adjusted, he marveled at the amazing-ness he saw: the stunning blue-ness of the sky; the tawny brown-ness of the soil; and the shocking green-ness of plants he’d never seen before, many exploding with flowers of red, yellow, pink, orange, and lilac.

Dex watched Ray and his wife unload the car and then the U-Haul. He watched them struggle through the slow, tedious bending and lifting labor of bringing in the furniture and of unpacking and putting away the contents of boxes and totes. He watched the excitement of moving into a new house become an exhausting chore. He watched them drink iced tea from sweating glasses while standing under ceiling fans waiting for the air-conditioning to kick in. And he watched, overheated and panting himself, as perspiration spots spread like spilled water across their shirts and under their arms.

The day went on forever. Dex stood looking out the sliding glass door into the heat-rippling yard, feeling it through the glass, and staring again at the never-before-seen plants. Woof! Gotta go outside, he barked. Ray opened the door for him, and Dex rushed out. The heat hit him like a wall, and all he could see was white light. For a moment, he forgot what he’d come out to do… Oh yeah. Afterward, he roamed the yard, small stones rolling under his paws crunching on hard-packed sand, catching split-second glimpses of lizards crazily zipping around, and carefully sidestepping the unusual plants. In one corner was a peculiar tree with broad paddles of fronds that looked like pleated paper fans. There were green junipers all around the perimeter that reminded him of Christmas trees; and in the center of the yard stood a tree, its branches like thick twisted rope with slender green leaves clinging to them. It created a shady oasis where Dex settled and pondered the mysteries of Arizona.

When he wasn’t slurping water from the bowl Ray had put under the tree, he studied the plants. Some were barrel shaped, one of them looked like a man standing with arms reaching for the sky, others crawled across the ground, and there were a few with tangled limbs in crazy disarray. All of them were covered with angry-looking thorns. Dex wandered over for a better look and a sniff. Very, very carefully, he inched closer to one but quickly backed away from the bad-tempered spikes. Dex remained baffled by their purpose until that pretwilight, while Ray and his wife were sunburning in their lawn chairs, Ray read to his wife and Dex, Cacti are succulent plants that store water. The thorns are modified leaves called spines. And the spines protect the cactus by keeping insects and grazing animals away from them.

Woof! I get it! Dex triumphantly announced. Now…time to chase lizards!

Later that night, as Ray and his wife climbed into their bed, Dex curled onto his own. He listened to Ray and his wife whisper sweet good-nights; and when he heard Ray begin to softly snore, Dex silently prayed, Dear God, it was a long trip and a very long day of work, but you kept us safe and made us strong to get through it. We love each other and are thankful you love us and want us to be happy. Amen.

Chapter 2

Dex Explores the Desert

Ray and his wife woke up early Easter Sunday morning. Too old for Easter baskets and chocolate eggs but not too old for hard-boiled ones, Ray’s wife dropped four into scalding water. At the inviting aroma of sizzling bacon, just popped-up toast smeared with strawberry jam, and fresh brewed coffee, Ray came into the kitchen with Dex at his heels. Dex ran to his bowl of chow and was excited to find a strip of bacon there. He bounded over to Ray’s wife and gave her an appreciative, slobbering kiss on her leg.

While eating their breakfast, Ray and his wife brainstormed about what to do for the rest of the day. They would most certainly go to church to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus, and later they would take the Ranger, their side-by-side ATV, out into the desert.

After returning home from their beautiful church service, they changed their clothes, packed bottles of water, bologna sandwiches, and oranges in the cooler and Dex’s water dish in a plastic bag. Then they slathered on sunscreen and put their hats and sunglasses on. Ray loaded the Ranger on its trailer and opened the back door of the Jimmy; so Dex, now frenzied with