How to Make a Moose Run: And Other Great Things My Dad Taught Me

I bought this book originally, because I thought it would make me laugh. I grew up without a father and as a believer it was hard for me to see or even relate to God as a father. This book, however changed all that. As I read about Mr. Stanley's experiences with his father I began to see God in the same light in the way he approaches us with forgiveness that is unconditional. I began to see my frailty in no way diminishes the love that the Father has for me inspite of me. This book made me laugh and cry and gave me something I did not have before I read it, understanding of God as The Creator and yet a loving Dad. The fact that someone wrote such a book, and it was available at the time when I needed it most; to me is just one more proof of a Father who will never leave you nor forsake you. What amazes me is that Mr. Stanley learned so much in such a short period of time. And that it carried him all these years. I thank him for sharing his heart, it could not have been easy.

This little book is filled with ideas to live by, that will be a benefit to anyone, and can't help but change the way you think about many things.When you walk into your favorite bookstore,you won't see it among the best sellers. It will leave you with ideas that would take you a lifetime to form,if even then. It was published in 2001 exclusively for Hallmark Cards,Inc. Gary Stanley had an amazing father who taught him the many lessons of life.Unfortunately ,his father died of the very rare Guillian-Barre Disease,when Gary was only 13 years old.How many people had a Dad who taught them so many lessons by that young age ,that they can write a book aboutit? Gary ,by telling stories of his father and family,gets his messages across in an unbelievably simple manner;you never feel you're being preached to. Each little "lesson" concludes with a truism that gives you someting you can carry with you through your everyday life. A lot of people try to live their lives without any belief systems.Some seem to get by,but if you really want to know what a powerful force a belief in God and a faith system can be;you need to look no further than Gary's book. You can pick this book up,open it at any page and in only a couple of minutes learn an invaluable lesson of life and a guidepost to follow. It is filled with truisms,such as these; "Seek and ye shall find." doesn't apply to everything,but it does apply to enough.". "The really happy man is the one who can enjoy the scenery when he has to take a detour." "The past is a foreign country;they do things differently there." "The only person you should compete with is yourself.You can't hope for a fairer match." "Tears are an important part of life.Don't bury your heart in the grave of someone you love." "Better to have failed at something you love,than to succeed at something you hate." "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes,but in having new eyes." "There's always enough evidence for those willing to believe;there's never enough evidence for those who refuse to believe." Some pretty good advice fo success,and there's lot's more in this book.

Each evening we choose from a stack of favorite books to read with our boys (one 12, two 10). This book quickly became their favorite, requested above all others. The boys connected with many of the stories and the themes were great launching points for discussion on our own family experiences. Having finished that book, I was happy to find another Gary Stanley book, "What My Dog Has Taught Me...", which we added to our book collection this last month (another favorite). This author has a knack for sharing simple life stories with spiritual parallels -- and, at the end of a long day, his stories make "family reading time" a thoughtful and interesting experience for three active, young boys.

I stumbled across this small book at a local pharmacy and I'm so glad I did. What a wonderful read! The author uses stories from his boyhood to illustrate the affect his father's life had on his own. At the core, this book is about faith in God...and faith in ourselves. I've never considered myself a religious person but this book, told with humorous and heartfelt stories, struck a cord.