My black Lab turns 2 years old next week and, although I doubt he knows it’s his birthday, my wife and I plan to throw a private party for him.

But what do you buy a dog that has everything he really needs? He’s a welcome member of our household, sleeps on a comfortable bed, frequently travels with us, seldom gets left behind when we go outdoors, eats as well as we do, has more medical checkups than his owners and most days gets plenty of exercise!

I decided to consult the helpful folks at Brim’s Farm & Garden on Old Highway 101. There were new collars and leashes, dog bowls, rain coats, chew bones and balls of all kinds. What caught my attention, however, was a ball launcher. I asked the lady in charge how well it worked and she explained it was a big help to her in playing with her two big dogs. She added that if I had a slobbery Lab, I’d like the fact that I don’t have to handle the ball. I was intrigued enough to take a few practice swings.

The ball launcher is called “Chuckit!” and has a comfortable handle on one end which gracefully tapers a full 26 inches to a claw at the other end which fits a standard tennis ball. It’s made by a company called Canine Hardware, located in Issaquah, Wash. Their product tester is a large, brown water spaniel named Chester. The inventers claim that with a little practice I can throw the ball 100 to 140 feet. With claims and credentials like that, I felt it was the perfect gift for a born ball retriever. Besides, I thought, it would make throwing the ball so much easier for my wife. I bought it and took it home – unwrapped.

When I got home, I tried to sneak the Chuckit! into the house and proudly show it to my wife, but my dog, Calvin, saw it first and immediately wanted to play. He’s just like a kid, but then so am I at times, so we went outside to see how well it worked for both Doug and dog even before his birthday. If he didn’t know the difference, I reasoned, it wouldn’t matter. I found it much easier to use than the carefully written instructions led me to believe it could be used. In fact, on my first throw the ball went so high and so far Calvin at first didn’t track it. He spun around in one spot trying to locate it, while the ball’s drop to the ground was delayed by the branches of a very large fir tree. I was impressed, but I felt my neighbors might not be, so the two of us hopped in the car and drove down to the church I serve, which has some wide open spaces where the ball would not get in anyone’s way. I was able to throw the tennis ball 250 to 300 feet. I began to feel like a baseball outfielder with a fantastic arm! And I did not have to pick up the slobbery ball each time Calvin dropped it at my feet. What a boon to dog owners everywhere!

As we drove home, I could not stop thinking about Calvin’s new toy. I appreciated it more than he did, I felt sure. I marveled at what a simple, 26-inch extension of my arm and shoulder could do. I also began to realize that I might serve as a Chuckit! in the hands of my much-more-capable owner. I often become discouraged at how little I seem to be able to do by myself – not too unlike a simple tool with a handle on one end and a claw on the other all by itself. In God’s hands, however, with his skill and his power and his direction, I might be able to do something useful. I might even be surprised at what he can do!

I remembered a poem someone at my church taught me when I was just a boy:

“Christ has no hands but our hands

To do his will today;

He has no feet but our feet

To lead men in his way.

Christ has no help but our help

To bring them to his side;

It is his love in our love

That reaches out worldwide.”

I had to smile at the idea of Christian Chuckits.

Doug Rich is the pastor of Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Clatsop Plains.