Jack R. Christianson has extensive experience in counseling, teaching and interacting with individuals from serving as a bishop, stake president and working in the Church Educational System for almost 30 years.

But to understand the central theme of his book "Healing the Wounded Soul," it helps to know his dog, Cassie.

Christianson's new written work is a companion to his fireside talk on CD. The short, quick-read book focuses on the inevitable hardships each individual experiences and the healing process that results from a testimony of Christ.

"The main intent of my writing is to help others have a greater desire for this knowledge and then choose to follow Him — and in following Him to find peace and healing of the soul," he writes.

Christianson details an experience involving his beloved Cassie, a German short-haired pointer and accomplished hunting dog. The story involves an unseen wound that alters Cassie's demeanor at an inopportune time, creating an embarrassing situation that initially angers her owner. But Christianson eventually comes to understand the reasons for his dog's behavior, and the experience leads to self-introspection and serves to illustrate the theme of the book.

"The story about my dog being wounded is the heart of my message in this book," Christianson said in a news release. "My dog's behavior was incongruent with her 'belief' or training because she was wounded, not because she was a 'bad' dog. I have found it is often times the same with humans. Their beliefs and behaviors are often incongruent because they are wounded, hurt or insecure, not because they are bad people."

Christianson, an Orem native whose career included a stint as director of the institute of religion adjacent to Utah Valley State College, surrounds his central message with several other practical gospel principles. Each are designed to point individuals to the Savior, the ultimate source of spiritual healing.

"This book is centered around the necessity of making the Savior the focus of our lives," he writes.

Christianson encourages the reader to make room each day for quiet reflection and meditation and says it's difficult to know the Savior if our ears our constantly occupied with headphones. He suggests that turning off the iPod or CD player on occasion will help facilitate spiritual growth. He also emphasizes the necessity of clinging to the scriptures — that overcoming hardship comes from internalizing and relying on the word of God. In addition to sharing personal experiences, Christianson makes sure to include several scriptural examples.

"Healing the Wounded Soul" (2008), in both book and CD format, is published by Covenant Communications.

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ashill@desnews.com