WALLER—Hank Hough readily admits he's not a preacher.
"I'm a duck hunter who was begging God to use him, but I couldn't sing, couldn't dance and wasn't a very good public speaker. I thought God would give me a guitar and a voice, but he gave me a dog," he quipped.
Hank Hough uses his "Kingdom Dogs," Prophet and Preacher, to teach biblical lessons about obedience to God. (PHOTOS/George Henson)
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Hough believes Kingdom Dog Ministries—presentations in which he uses his Labrador retrievers to teach the power of obedience—began with a question from his son.
"I got started when my son came home from college and said to me—I wish I had said it to him—he said: 'Dad, if you can't see God in everything, you'll see him in nothing. You cannot pick and choose where God is.'
"I struggled with that. I had a puppy dog, and I started challenging that. How do you see God in a dirt magnet? Last year, we gave 162 talks across America with a dirt magnet. Be careful what you challenge God with."
After those 162 talks, more than 6,000 people made professions of faith in Christ.
Hough and his dogs, Prophet and Preacher, visited Waller Baptist Church in Waller for a men's ministry event.
"We're always looking for ways to reach the community and reach men, and being out here in this nice, country community, I thought this would be a great opportunity," said Chris Pace, pastor of education.
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"I saw Hank and the dogs a couple of years ago, and it's really a unique way to share the gospel and share the truths of Scripture. It was just a great fit for what we were looking to do out here," he said.
A demonstration by hunting dogs might reach a segment of men a more conventional approach might not, he added.
"Our passion is to reach men, and we're looking for ways to get those guys into the church who just will not come under other circumstances," Pace explained.
"We're hoping men will come and hear the gospel for the first time or the first time in a long time and respond to that message—that they will be impacted by it, changed by it and go back home and talk to their families about what they've seen."
During his presentation, Hough said his dogs were special dogs.
"Prophet is a missionary dog. This particular dog has the same job description as every man here. His job is to go and find that which is lost and bring it to his master," he said.
Hough had hidden a stuffed lamb around a couple of bends, up the stairs and in a room. Before giving his dog the directions he needed to find the lamb, he encouraged the audience to try and distract and deceive the dog by giving him wrong directions. The dog followed only Hough's direction and came straight back—he listened only to his master's voice.
Christians have the same task of refusing to listen to any voice other than their Master, Hough insisted.
He also gave a few child-raising tips.
Prophet, one of Hank Hough's Labrador Retrievers.
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"Don't treat-train your puppy. Don't tell him, 'Clean your room, and I'll give you a cookie.' Don't tell him, 'Make good grades, and I'll increase your allowance.' If you treat-train your puppy, I'm going to make you a promise: If you treat-train him, some day the world is going to have a bigger treat than what you've got," Hough said.
"That doesn't kill your puppy. I'll tell you what's going to kill your puppy—the distance he has to run, the briars that he has to go through, the water he has to cross, is not worth the cookie you've got.
"Don't you fear-train him either. You fear-train him, and I'll make you another promise—some day when he's 400 or 500 yards from you, he's not coming back.
"So what do we do then? I didn't just buy my dog a bumper to play with. I throw my dog a bumper. You don't buy a ball glove. You play catch. It's all about relationship.
"These are not your children—they are the next wave of warriors for the King of Kings. When you understand that, you'll treat them differently."
Throughout his hour-long presentation, Hough used Scripture and illustrations of his dog's obedience to point out similar traits God's children should evidence. He emphasized the great love God has for his children.
At Hough's presentation in Waller, several people made professions of faith in Christ—including one man who was more than 90 years old.
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