Just hanging out waiting to fly home on leave. It's a nice break, for the most part.
Crested Larks are rather ubiquitous. The remind me of mini Roadrunners as they do just that--run
.
Spanish Sparrow that was with a flock of House Sparrows.
25 January 2009
While I'm Waiting....
Just hanging out waiting to fly home on leave. It's a nice break, for the most part.
Crested Larks are rather ubiquitous. The remind me of mini Roadrunners as they do just that--run
.
Spanish Sparrow that was with a flock of House Sparrows.
09 January 2009
Look at the Birds
I have said on and off throughout the years, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that my favorite Bible verse is Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Now, obvious to those who know me the "look at the birds" injunction appeals to me because I enjoy looking at birds. But, there are spiritual lessons to be learned by observing the physical world around us. David recognized that when he said, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1)
I was sitting by a pond the other day, waiting on both the birds and our common maker. I saw that God makes different birds with different temperaments. There was a Little Egret standing on the bank for some time and then he began his day's work of wading around the edge hunting for food. A Pied Kingfisher was hovering and hunting and caught a small fish. Then it ate it and sat on a rock by the waters edge. Eventually it was joined by another, and they sat together, quietly.
I try to resist the tendency to anthropomorphize wildlife, at least immediately, in order to learn what they are really doing. As best as I can see, the kingfishers were content. God had provided for them, and the received. What was going through their minds I have no way to know. If I project myself onto them, I imagine perhaps they were offering thanksgiving to their Creator for another meal, another day.
I sat by the pond for a few hours. I even napped a bit. God does not always show up with power, but He is always present. I felt that the "lesson for the day" was that sometimes it is just good to hang out with a friend. Especially when He is the Alpha and Omega. And that is what I felt like I did for those hours. We enjoyed the pond, this little oasis in the midst of a dry and thirsty land.
And as I started to think about leaving, onto other tasks, He showed off a little. He called forth 4 lifers, one by one, in the space of maybe 30 minutes, saving the most spectacular looking one for last, a Common Kingfisher, bathed in the rays of that bright middle eastern sun. Look at the birds of the air, indeed. If we miss them, something is wrong with us, I think.
Now, obvious to those who know me the "look at the birds" injunction appeals to me because I enjoy looking at birds. But, there are spiritual lessons to be learned by observing the physical world around us. David recognized that when he said, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1)
I was sitting by a pond the other day, waiting on both the birds and our common maker. I saw that God makes different birds with different temperaments. There was a Little Egret standing on the bank for some time and then he began his day's work of wading around the edge hunting for food. A Pied Kingfisher was hovering and hunting and caught a small fish. Then it ate it and sat on a rock by the waters edge. Eventually it was joined by another, and they sat together, quietly.
I try to resist the tendency to anthropomorphize wildlife, at least immediately, in order to learn what they are really doing. As best as I can see, the kingfishers were content. God had provided for them, and the received. What was going through their minds I have no way to know. If I project myself onto them, I imagine perhaps they were offering thanksgiving to their Creator for another meal, another day.
I sat by the pond for a few hours. I even napped a bit. God does not always show up with power, but He is always present. I felt that the "lesson for the day" was that sometimes it is just good to hang out with a friend. Especially when He is the Alpha and Omega. And that is what I felt like I did for those hours. We enjoyed the pond, this little oasis in the midst of a dry and thirsty land.
And as I started to think about leaving, onto other tasks, He showed off a little. He called forth 4 lifers, one by one, in the space of maybe 30 minutes, saving the most spectacular looking one for last, a Common Kingfisher, bathed in the rays of that bright middle eastern sun. Look at the birds of the air, indeed. If we miss them, something is wrong with us, I think.
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