Snakes on My Brain

“Every great story seems to begin with a snake.” Nicolas Cage

My grandmother once told me a story about Jake the Snake. Jake was a rat snake that her father would allow to enter their house at a certain time everyday, just to make the rounds and look for mice or rats. And that is the time, of course, that my grandmother and her sister and her mother would all exit the house. It’s been many years since my grandmother told that story, so I don’t know for sure if I got it exactly right. It had also been many years between the time that Jake was making his visits and the time that I first heard about him, so I don’t know for sure if my grandmother got it exactly right. It seems, however, that no matter how sketchy the details, my great-grandfather recognized the value of Jake the Snake. I know that not everyone can say they appreciate a snake of any sort. The only good snake is a dead snake, right?


Well, no. Snakes do play an important role in the ecosystem, like helping to keep the rat and mice populations in check (as my great-grandfather knew so well). They are also preyed upon by other animals, so they are vital links in various food chains. But I’m not necessarily expecting to change your mind if you think the only good snake is a dead one. I’m pretty sure that’s how I once felt about them. I know lots of folks who feel about snakes like the narrator in Green Eggs and Ham felt about green eggs and ham. “I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere.”

Would you like a snake sliding through the yard?
Oh, no! That would make my heart pound hard!
I would not like one here or there.
I would not like one anywhere.

Would you like a snake way up in a tree?
No, would you please just let me be?!!

Would you like a snake in the leaves of fall?
No, no, no! The thought makes my skin crawl!

Would you like a snake in a pond or river?
Stop it, please! That makes me shiver!

Perhaps you'd like a snake in a square!
Well, that does sound rare, but I would not like it.
I would not dare!

Would you like a snake in a flower bed?
Goodness, no! That thought fills me with dread!

How about a snake on a log in the sun?
Nope! I really hope you're just about done!

Just one more before I put this on hold!
Would you like a snake with speckles of gold?
You know the answer! You've already been told!

I would not like a snake on the ground or a limb.
Not one that's gold or one that can swim.
Not one in a bed or the sun or a square.
I would not like one here or there.
I would not like one anywhere.

I said I didn’t really expect to change your mind about snakes – but I didn’t say I wouldn’t try! What exactly is it about snakes that causes us to shudder with fright or disgust? Does the hatred date back to the crafty serpent in the Garden of Eden? Does it stem from a snake’s slithery means of movement without legs? I mean, how do snakes move so quickly or swim so well without limbs??? It’s just not right! (On a side note, I’m not a fan of spiders and they have eight legs. So I guess I’m of the opinion that 2-6 is the appropriate leg number range to avoid creepiness. Feel free to disagree.) Does the fear of snakes come from the fact that some are venomous? In actuality, only around 15% of the 3000+ snake species in the world are venomous. Maybe our distaste is a combination of all of the reasons mentioned, or maybe it comes from something else entirely. Whatever the reason, the dislike is real, it’s widespread, and it’s sometimes very intense!

Maybe a descendant of Jake the Snake!

The saying goes “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but you can, in reality, judge a snake by its skin. That might be best left to the experts, because I’ve found so many exceptions to those so-called rules for distinguishing venomous from nonvenomous snakes. In the United States, since most of our venomous snakes are pit vipers (the exception being the coral snake), the “rules” say to look for the pit organs or look at the shape of the pupils in the eyes, but the pupil shape changes with the amount of light and WHO WANTS TO GET THAT CLOSE ANYWAY????? You could look for the typically triangular head shape of a pit viper, but then there are those nonvenomous snakes that flatten their heads to mimic the pit vipers. Thanks a lot!!! In other parts of the world, there are many types of venomous snakes that aren’t pit vipers, so if traveling to Australia, for example, just forget about relying on the head shape and pupil shape and pit organs for distinguishing dangerous from harmless.

Does even just the shed skin of a snake still give you the heebie-jeebies? Because you know that means there was a snake around sometime, and it might have been one of those venomous ones! Well, you can still judge the snake by its skin, literally. If the skin of the head is intact and you can see holes left by the pit organs, then you can predict the skin was left by a venomous snake. If the skin of the tail is in good shape, look at the scales on the underside of the tail. (Click here for diagram.) A single row of scales indicates a venomous snake, and a double row indicates a nonvenomous snake. You can use this characteristic with the actual snake also, but…………..you know. And once again, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THESE GUIDELINES!

For what it’s worth, you can see the round pupils of this nonvenomous snake.

You probably have no desire to become a snake expert, but it’s still a great idea to spend some time getting to know the snakes, both venomous and nonvenomous, in your area. You can’t judge a snake by its skin unless you get to know it! Learn the color patterns and markings of the snakes around you; become familiar with their behaviors and characteristics; understand their roles in the environment. You might never like snakes, but you might feel better about co-existing with them (maybe – I’m still working on that with spiders). Knowledge really is a powerful thing!

If you want to live where there are no snakes at all, move to Alaska, New Zealand, Antarctica or a few other locations.

It might not be a huge deal to you to judge a snake unfairly (and I get that), but what about a person? Have you ever assumed certain things about a person just because of his/her physical appearance – hair style or color, piercings or tattoos, cleanliness, clothing style, skin color or race, etc.? Or maybe you didn’t like the way someone talked, or walked, or any number of other things? When I first started teaching school, I quickly learned that I had to throw all of my assumptions and first impressions out the window (didn’t mean I was always successful). Abraham Lincoln is attributed with saying “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” How great is that statement?!!! How do you follow Jesus’ command to love your neighbor like yourself (Matthew 22:39) if you avoid him because of a bad first impression or because he looks a certain way, and you think everyone who looks that way behaves and thinks the same?

Right after this command is recorded in Luke 10, Jesus was asked, “And who is my neighbor?” I’m sure you recognize Christ’s answer as what we label the parable of the good Samaritan. (If you aren’t familiar with this, click to read the account from Luke 10:25-37.) Jesus tells of a man, presumably Jewish, who “fell among robbers” as he was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. This poor man was then left to die by a priest and then a Levite, two fellow Jews, only to be rescued by a Samaritan. The Jewish lawyer who posed this question to Jesus was certainly not expecting to hear a story of a Samaritan being neighborly in any form or fashion to a Jew. When Jesus then asked him which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the injured man, it seems as though he couldn’t even bring himself to say “the Samaritan” but answered instead, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Australia is home to some of the most deadly snakes! This is not one of them – just a harmless rat snake in Arkansas.

I’ve never left someone to die by the side of the road, and I’m sure you haven’t either. But I’m certain there have been times that I didn’t treat others as kindly or as neighborly as I should have because of some preconceived belief about them. What about you? Christ said in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (You really should read the whole context surrounding this verse.) While this may be one of the most misapplied verses in the Bible, I do believe it teaches us to avoid the harsh, hasty and unfair criticisms of others. We aren’t to judge a person’s motives for his words or actions or conclude that a person must behave a certain way because of his appearance. (I don’t believe, however, that this verse implies we are to tolerate sinful actions, but I’ll save that for another day.)

Peek-a-boo!

Like the good Samaritan, be the one who shows mercy. Be the one who isn’t quick to judge someone’s motives and isn’t actively searching for another’s faults. “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31). Be the one who bears another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21)

If we strive to live as the previous verses instruct us, we’ll be much less likely to make harsh and unfair judgments of others. We’ll be getting to know our neighbors and understanding that our neighbors aren’t just those who live next door. I might not be as convincing as Sam I Am, but maybe (like Abe Lincoln) you’ll get to know people before deciding you don’t like them; maybe you’ll try green eggs and ham before deciding you hate them; maybe you’ll get to know your snakes before deciding to despise them! Too far? How about this?

Would you like a snake near you anywhere?
No, but perhaps I would like one way over there!
“Have you ever studied a snake’s face? How optimistic they look. They have an eternal smile.” Tasha Tudor

SOURCES

Goodbye, Winter! Hello, Spring!

Proof that winter doesn’t go down easily!

I’m guessing that most of you out there are ready to kick winter out and lock the door behind it, so you can welcome spring with open arms – and maybe open windows! It seems that winter is a guest that always overstays its welcome. In the past weeks, we’ve seen glimpses of the spring to come, which prompt even more impatience with winter’s slow departure. We’ve experienced pollen alerts and winter weather advisories in the same week, as well as frigid temperatures one day and tornado watches and warnings the next. We’ve seen spring flowers blanketed in snow and budding trees coated in ice. Winter definitely does not give up without a fight!


A beautiful winter moment!

Many winter days are just downright gloomy, with overcast skies and temperatures that only a polar bear could love. And the winter landscape can be just as uninviting, as the bare trees stretch like dark skeletons from the brown earth into the gray clouds. When winter decides to slam us with freezing precipitation, then we have dangerous travel situations and power outages that add stress to our moodiness. Top all of that off with the fact that daylight hours are fewer, so even when the sun is shining, we can’t enjoy it as long!



But winter has its moments, doesn’t it? Do you still experience child-like excitement during a peaceful, beautiful snowfall? The bright, red cardinals and golden meadowlarks seem to stand out even more during the winter months, like they were made specifically to bring some color to the drabness. The sun’s rays striking the icy ground and ice-covered trees make the whole world appear to be encrusted with diamonds. And who doesn’t see the beauty in a snowy landscape under a cloudless, brilliant, blue sky? So we appreciate these moments that carry us through the chill and bleakness of winter into the warmth and greenness of spring.



Making it through a long, cold winter is sort of a metaphor for navigating through life on this planet. We all have some dark, dreary days that test us and make us want to hurry on to the next season of our lives, or maybe even make us question whether or not we can find our ways out of the darkness. I know I don’t have to list the many things that bring hardships and heartaches upon us. But, thankfully, there are also joyful moments in our lives, sometimes even in the midst of the darkest days. These are the icy diamonds sparkling in the sun and the bright, red cardinals in snow-covered trees that bring us smiles during our winter moments. May we all think on these blessings during our seasons of heartaches and trials and remember that future blessings await us.


A fiery red cardinal brings warmth to a winter day!

Certainly Christ never promised blissful lives to his followers. When he sent out the twelve apostles to teach, he told them, “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles………….Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 10:17-18, 21-22a) James said in James 1:2, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Notice that he did not say “if” you meet trials, but instead said “when.”


The white-throated sparrow – one of my favorite winter birds!

If you know about the life of Paul (Saul), then you know that he first was involved in the persecutions (and even executions) of Christians (Acts 7:58-8:3, 9:1-2), and then he later suffered many hardships himself in proclaiming the gospel. “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one – I am talking like a madman – with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (II Corinthians 11:23-28) Paul even stated in II Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”



No, we definitely are NOT promised peaceful, happy lives just because we are Christians! But we are promised something! Right after Christ told his apostles that they would be hated for his name’s sake, he said to them, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22b) When James talked about facing trials, he added in James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” As Paul neared the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (II Timothy 4:7-8)



We are going to experience seasons of winter in our lives, but as followers of Christ, we are promised a reward for enduring to the end. Another thing we learn from Paul is that we can be content, and even joyful, during those winter moments. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content, I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)


Hang in there! Spring is coming!

And just like spring brings a transformation to the barren, winter landscape, we are also promised a transformation. More words from Paul tell us, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) The next scripture I want to share is one of my favorites, and once again, it’s from Paul’s writings. “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:50-57)



As of yesterday, we can officially say, “Goodbye, winter! Hello, spring!” Officially, as in that’s what the calendar says, but maybe not officially according to what the weather does. Eventually, though, winter will fade away until its next appointed time, and we will hopefully remember the beautiful moments that made the harsh season bearable. May the same be true for those harsh, winter moments of your lives. May you endure them with help from beautiful people and beautiful moments and beautiful faith that lead you through the darkness, until you can say goodbye to that season of your life and hello to the next, brighter one. Winter is always temporary, just like our lives on this earth. Find the joy in both. Imitate Paul’s attitude of contentment and his love for Christ. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) When winter ends, we are rewarded with spring and a stunning transformation of the earth! If we are followers of Christ, we are also promised a final reward, a transformation of our bodies from mortal to immortal, when we will say goodbye to the temporary winter of life on this planet and say hello to a glorious, eternal spring! Goodbye, winter! Hello, spring!

Hello, spring beauties! Hello, spring!

A Little Birdie Told Me

Does anything look a bit strange in the pictures above?? I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, but I think you can still tell that some unusual interaction is happening between the small indigo bunting and the other, much larger bird. The bigger bird is actually a juvenile brown-headed cowbird, and it is being cared for or fed by the indigo bunting. Wow! Foster parenting in the bird world! The female cowbird lays her eggs in the nests of other birds and then abandons them. Needless to say, she’s not up for “Mom of the Year.” Brown-headed cowbirds are known as brood parasites (you can read more about them here if you scroll down the page a little), so their young are always raised by different species of birds. I’ve witnessed this one other time, when I was lucky enough to spot a chipping sparrow, also a much smaller bird, feeding a juvenile cowbird.

This fostering behavior in the bird world fascinates me! In the human world, I have great respect and admiration for those who choose to foster children and for those who choose to adopt. Lives are enriched, improved, and saved through fostering and adoption. And our heavenly Father has done those things for each of us! He sacrificed his only Son so that we could ALL be adopted, experience the richness of his grace, and receive an inheritance. Read the following verses from Ephesians 1.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)


Did you absorb all of the comfort and hope and strength present in those verses from Ephesians? Read them again if necessary! God “chose us.” He “predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.” We have “redemption” and “forgiveness.” “We have obtained an inheritance.” Through the blood of his very own son, God made it possible for every one of us to become his children and become his heirs. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during this Christmas season, isn’t it a wondrous feeling to know that because of his birth and his subsequent death and resurrection, we can be co-heirs with him – of an eternal inheritance?! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:3-5)

Adult brown-headed cowbirds

And why did God choose to send his son to be born into this world and to die for us? If you’ve only learned just one memory verse of scripture, I bet it’s the one that contains the answer to that question. John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us! God has always loved his people, and he has always wanted us to love him. Look what else John has to say about our Savior! “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:9-13) WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD! Because Christ was born. Because he died and was resurrected. Because God loves us! Yes, Jesus IS the reason for the season, because Jesus is the reason for every season. He’s the reason for our hope. He’s the reason we can find joy in trials. He’s the reason we can be called children of God. He’s the reason we can receive the greatest inheritance imaginable.

Ever since I observed the indigo bunting with the juvenile brown-headed cowbird this past summer, I’ve been thinking about writing this particular blog. It’s funny how little things like the birds in our yards can remind us to refocus on the most important things. I needed to be reminded of God’s deep love for me. I needed to be reminded that I am chosen and adopted by him, because, sadly, sometimes I take his love for granted and forget to thank him for his most precious gift! Maybe you needed a reminder too. So why did I decide that now was finally the time to share my thoughts?? I guess you could say “a little birdie told me.”

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” I John 3:1

Going for the Gold!


A golden, winter sunset. The vibrant plumage of goldfinches in the spring. Sunny, summer marigolds. The glowing, golden leaves of a maple tree in the fall. If you take the time to notice, you can find the gold in every season. And when you find those golden, yellow tones, they are sure to lift your spirits and warm your heart. Catching a glimpse of the meadowlark’s bright chest on a drab, winter day is like catching a ray of sunshine. And how can you not smile at a field full of golden daffodils in the spring? Golden hues are uplifting, awe-inspiring, encouraging, and optimistic (there’s even a shade of paint by Sherwin-Williams named Optimistic Yellow). And let’s not forget cheerful. I mean, smiley faces are yellow for a reason, right???


As I admire all of nature’s shades from God’s golden palette, I’m reminded of his power and constant presence. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalm 33:6-9) I encourage each of you to go for the gold in every day. Find the sunshine; look for the goldfinch; be the smiley face; see the dandelion as more than a weed; let your words be “apples of gold.” (“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11)

ROMANS 8:28, 31, 35, 37-39 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose…..What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?…..Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…..No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


A merry marigold!

I’m sure you all know that the phrase “going for the gold” references trying to win a gold medal at the Olympics or other sporting events. A gold medal means first place, the most coveted prize! Naturally, the most rare and expensive metal (at least out of the three used for medals) should represent the highest place. And that’s very similar to the reason the color gold was chosen by a group of parents in 1997 to be the official color for the childhood cancer awareness ribbon. The color of this precious metal was the ideal color to signify the most precious thing in our lives – our children. In 2012, President Obama designated September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Sadly, pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of fourteen.


A diagnosis of cancer, at any age, is frightening. It’s frightening for the individual. It’s frightening for family members. Many of you have probably heard words similar to the following statement: “Your biopsy confirms that you have cancer.” I received that news through a phone call in January of 2013. But I felt lucky. I was grateful. I guess that may sound a little strange. I went through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but still, I always felt grateful and lucky when thinking about my diagnosis. I was grateful because my cancer was diagnosed early and my prognosis was very good. But, I was also grateful that I did not have to hear these words from the doctor: “The test results confirm that your child has cancer.” I wish that no parent ever had to hear those words! I know that all parents (and grandparents) out there who have ever heard those words wish that they could have traded places with their children.

The meadowlark – trying to stay warm and bringing some happy color to a bare tree and a dull, winter sky!

Through the years, I’ve known several families who have had to navigate their ways through all the ups and downs and twists and turns of a childhood cancer journey. Most recently, the family of a close friend began the journey with one of their children. Imagine thinking one day that your son has a case of bronchitis and then finding out the next day that he has an aggressive form of cancer. Just that quickly, this family’s lives were turned upside down. Life as they knew it came to a screeching halt and became overwhelmed with scans, biopsies, chemotherapy, transfusions, antibiotics, side effects, and the list goes on. My own cancer journey seems like a minor inconvenience in my life, a quick, little detour, in comparison to the road ahead for this family. Imagine the feeling of helplessness for the family members – knowing they cannot take away the pain, they cannot explain why this is happening, and they cannot say with certainty that everything is going to be just fine. Imagine the fear and anxiety of the child or infant and the loss of those carefree days of childhood.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Forty-three children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every day. Each year, about 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Childhood, or pediatric, cancer is not just one disease. It includes many different types of cancers, which affect different areas of the body and have different survival rates. Thankfully, survival rates have increased over the years, but many survivors face health issues later in life because of their treatments. Raising awareness about childhood cancer is the first step in increasing support for programs and research. Only about four percent of the money that the government spends annually goes specifically to pediatric cancer research. You can help raise awareness by going gold for the month of September. Click here for ways you can go gold now or in the future!

“I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight.” Unknown

Please pray for all the families and children affected by pediatric cancer and provide assistance whenever or however you can. Remember to go for the gold in every season of every year. Be uplifted, inspired, encouraged, and cheered by every golden, winter sunset, every spring goldfinch, every summer marigold, and every golden, fall leaf, and let the gold remind you to keep these families in your prayers. May all of the scriptures presented here bring comfort and assurance to those who are fighting a battle against childhood cancer – as patients, as parents, as grandparents, as siblings, or as other family members or friends. God bless each of you! And God bless the doctors, nurses, and researchers working tirelessly to care for their patients and find cures for these horrid diseases that no child should ever have to endure!


The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24



SOURCES

The Transforming Power of Light

I am fascinated by birds.  I love to watch them, and I love to photograph them!  As I was growing up, I never cared much for blue jays, because they had a reputation for being mean.  In my older years, however, I’ve taken time to learn a little more about them and have come to appreciate their intelligence, as well as the beautiful blues in their feathers. 

Blue jays mostly feed on nuts, berries, seeds, insects, and the occasional small animal.   They have also been known to feed on eggs or nestlings from other birds’ nests, which is one contributing factor to their bad reputation.   Another factor is that they may bully other birds away from feeders.  This past fall and winter, however, I observed blue jays, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, juncos, chickadees, and sparrows (and squirrels) sharing the same yard and feeders without much controversy.  While you may not like their aggressive personalities, you can’t help but admire the intelligence of blue jays.  They can solve problems and use various items at their disposal as tools.  They can hide things, like acorns, and have the ability to find them again later. 

While I find all of this information extremely interesting (maybe just because I’m a nature nerd), one of the most fascinating things I’ve learned about blue jays is that they aren’t really blue!  “Wait!!  What??”  Yes, that’s what I said.  Blue jays aren’t really blue.  “But I’m looking at a picture of one, and it’s blue!  And its name says it’s blue!”  Okay, okay.  Perhaps I should explain just a little.

Male and female blue jays look alike (although the male is usually larger).

Feather color in birds is determined by chemistry and by structure.  Chemical color is determined by a variety of pigments, while structural color comes from the scattering of reflected light that occurs because of the feather’s structure. I’m sure you’ve heard of the pigments chlorophyll in plants and melanin in human skin.   Plants look green because the pigment chlorophyll absorbs all wavelengths of light except green, which is reflected back to our eyes.  If a pigment absorbs every wavelength of light, it appears black.  There are two types of pigments in feathers.  Melanins appear as black, dull yellow, red, and brown.  Lipochrome pigments, like carotenoids, produce brighter yellows, reds, and oranges.   The structural colors in birds are mostly blues, greens, and violets.  Every drab, plain, vibrant, or iridescent feather color we see is produced from the chemical and structural coloring systems working together.  So, “HOW IS THE BLUE JAY NOT BLUE???”

A blue jay’s feather barbs have three layers:  a colorless and transparent outer layer, a middle layer of cells containing very tiny pockets of air and a protein called keratin (the same protein in hair and fingernails), and an inner layer of cells containing melanin.  This design of the feather allows something called light scattering to occur. The tiny pockets in the middle layer are, in fact, so tiny that they are known as nanostructures.  Light passes through the outer layer and into the middle layer with the nanostructures that happen to match the wavelength of blue light.  This allows other wavelengths of light to pass through and be absorbed by the melanin in the inner layer but causes the blue light to be reflected.  That is why the blue jay appears blue! 

Blue jays can live a long time! The average age for birds in the wild is 5-7 years, but the oldest known blue jay was at least 26 years old!

There is no blue pigment found in the bird world (or at least rarely).  If you were to crush or grind a blue jay feather, the powder would be a dull brown or grayish black because of the melanin.  It would not look blue because the light scattering nanostructures would be destroyed.  If you crush a cardinal’s feather, it would still be red because of the carotenoid pigments that come from the foods the cardinal eats.  So a blue jay (or bluebird or indigo bunting) is not blue!  It’s a complicated trick of the light! Recently, my granddaughter found a blue jay feather in the yard, so, of course, we had to check things out by holding it up to the light and turning it different ways to observe how its color changed. If the feather was backlit, it was just a dull, grayish-brown color, but, under normal lighting conditions, it was a beautiful blue!

Light transforms! It exposes! It guides!  It transforms what would be a dull bird into the beautiful blue jay we recognize.  It exposes things hidden in the dark that might frighten us or cause us to stumble.  It guides planes in for landing and warns ships near the shore.  Light is mentioned throughout the Bible from beginning to end.  It was the first thing God created (Genesis 1:3).  In the last chapter of the Bible, John says that night will be no more and that God’s servants will need no lamp or the sun because the Lord God will be their light (Revelation 22:5).  Jesus says that He is the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16).  The psalmist said God’s word was a lamp for his feet and a light for his path (Psalm 119:105).  John refers to Jesus as the light of men and the true light, which gives light to everyone (John 1:4, 9).  Jesus himself said he is the light of the world and whoever believes in him will not remain in darkness (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46). 

While a female blue jay sits on her eggs, the male gathers all the food she needs.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he told them they had been darkness but had become light in the Lord.  He told them to walk as children of light and discern what was pleasing to the Lord and expose works of darkness (Ephesians 5:8-13).  John also says that if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and Christ’s blood cleanses us from our sins (I John 1:7).  Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world” and “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:14-16)

When we allow God’s word and Christ, the true light, to shine through our lives, we are transformed  from a dark, hopeless sinner into a radiant, sanctified saint.  If we live in sin, we live in darkness and we stumble (John 11:9-10).  We hate the light because it exposes our evil deeds or works of darkness (John 3:19-21, Ephesians 5:8-13).  God’s word can light our paths, keep us out of  darkness, and guide us to an eternal home in heaven.  Yes, light transforms; it exposes; it guides!  And when we have the true light in our lives, we are to share it or “scatter” it with others for the glory of God.  The next time you see a blue jay, or any blue bird, may you be reminded of the true light that saves us from our sins!

“the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 9:2

SOURCES

Bloom, J. (2016, June 30). Blue Birds Aren’t Blue, and This Is How They Fool You. Retrieved from http://www.acsh.org/

Carpenter, A. (2003, February 3). What color is a bluejay? — Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine — February 2003. Retrieved from https://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2003/feb03/jays.htm

Feinstein, J. (2006, April 21). Where feather colors come from: Why cardinals are red and grackles are shiny. Retrieved from https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/

Kaufman, K., & Kaufman, K. (2018, November). Brainy Birds. Birds & Blooms Extra!, 26-33.

Line, L. (2008, September/October). Slings and Arrows: Why Birders Love to Hate Blue Jays. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/

Beautiful Deception

One of my favorite signs of spring is a driveway or country lane lined with rows of shapely Bradford pear trees, all decked out in their delicate, snow-white blossoms and filling the air with a beautiful fragrance. Ha ha! Just kidding about the fragrance – unless you love the scent of rotting flesh! But the smell does attract all sorts of pollinators, and when you walk under a Bradford pear in bloom, it is literally buzzing with activity. I’m sure the beautiful blooms and attractive shape of the tree are some of the qualities that caused it to start gaining popularity back in the 1960s. Plus, the trees usually have some attractive fall foliage, can grow in all types of soil, grow quickly, and are drought tolerant and disease resistant. BUT……the Bradford pear tree has a dark side and has turned from being a landscaper’s dream tree into an environmental nightmare.

The Bradford pear tree is a cultivar of the callery pear, brought to the United States from China in the early 1900s for conducting experiments to produce a more disease resistant version of the fruiting pear. (A cultivar is a plant that is produced and maintained by horticulturists but does not produce true-to-seed.) Our nation’s pear orchards were being threatened by fire blight, and it seemed that the callery pear was resistant to that disease. Scientists hoped to use the callery pear as rootstock onto which the common, or European, pear could be grafted. Another scientist noted that the tree was tough enough and handsome enough to be more than rootstock, and he chose one particular specimen, thornless, stately, and strong, from which to mass produce, or clone (by grafting genetically identical twigs to rootstock), what is now known as the Bradford pear tree. It appeared at first that the perfect ornamental tree had been cultivated, and the Bradford pears were planted along streets and in yards all across the nation. (Click here to read more about the fascinating history of the Bradford pear tree.)

It didn’t take too many years, however, for problems to become apparent with this “perfect” tree. One major concern was the weak branch structure of the trees, which caused them to be damaged easily in high winds and ice storms. While the original tree seemed resilient, it’s mass-produced clones developed tight branch-to-trunk angles, which made its limbs susceptible to breakage. The most pressing concern about the trees today though stems from their invasive nature.

A Bradford pear tree is sterile – to an extent. These trees won’t pollinate among themselves, but, if they are around other pear trees, they will pollinate and produce viable fruit – fruit that is attractive to birds that help to disperse seeds everywhere! And the trees produce suckers, or shoots, that can rapidly spread. If you have Bradford pear trees in your yard, you probably keep the shoots mowed down, but, once the seeds have been spread by birds into other areas, the saplings that grow and the shoots they produce can quickly take over a field or forest. So what’s the big deal?? How beautiful a field full of white blooms must be in the springtime!! While that might be true, all those beautiful blooms disguise what’s really happening – the rapid growth of dense, thorny thickets that slowly choke out our native trees, like oaks, hickories, pines, dogwoods, redbuds, and maples. Today, many states consider the Bradford pear an invasive species and offer incentives for people to cut down their Bradford pear trees, destroy the stumps and roots, and replace the trees with native species.

The word “invasive” means “tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully.” The plant scientists responsible for bringing the callery pear (and thus the Bradford pear) to the United States had no intent to cause harm and really could not have predicted the future problems. Actually, several factors came together, including years of environmental disturbance, to add to the invasiveness of this pear tree. And that’s probably true for the thousands of invasive species plaguing the U.S. today. Some traveled here accidentally in imported goods. Some were brought here intentionally in efforts to solve a problem, like the Asian carp that was originally introduced into ponds to control algae. Some arrived here to become pets, like the Burmese python and giant African snail, but are now wreaking havoc after escaping or being released into their new habitats.

“One great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character.” Andrew Murray

For years I have enjoyed the springtime beauty of Bradford pears in bloom, ignorant of their invasive nature. But, after becoming aware of the dangers posed by these trees to our native species, I couldn’t help but have different thoughts about them as I observed their delicate blossoms for another spring. I couldn’t help but compare the deceitfulness of their attractive appearance to the deceptive and attractive nature of sin. Someone once said “The devil don’t come ugly,” and that was surely what Adam and Eve thought about him. Even though they were told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the serpent made the fruit of that tree seem so appealing! What could be wrong with being like God and knowing good and evil? And so it began!! The devil has never stopped deceiving us and never stopped trying to convince us that sin is attractive, fun, exciting, safe, and without consequence, and he plays on our vanity and pride. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” But if he appeared to us as a dangerous, roaring lion, we would most likely try to stay away. Instead, he makes himself seem less threatening, so he is able to nibble away at us, bit by bit, until we’re totally consumed. That’s why the first part of that verse tells us to “be sober-minded; be watchful.”

Satan employs every possible means to attack us relentlessly, and Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 6 the importance of being prepared against his schemes. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,……” (Ephesians 6:11-18) There is no vacation from the devil. You can’t let your guard down for a minute. You can’t stand up to him wearing only part of your armor. There’s a reason Paul stated to “keep alert with all perseverance.” John Owen wrote in The Mortification of Sin, “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Again, “keep alert with all perseverance.” “Be sober-minded; be watchful.” In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated, “When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh.” Satan knows every weapon, and he is an expert at wielding each and every one. “Keep alert with all perseverance.”

“Sin is too stupid to see beyond itself.” Alfred Tennyson

I’m reminded of the parable of the sower when thinking about the different ways the evil one can get to us. “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.” (Matthew 13:18-23a) Lack of understanding, times of trial, cares of the world and the lure of riches – all different reasons that allow the devil to subtly chip away at our defenses and consume us little by little. Thomas Merton (No Man Is an Island) wrote, “The greatest temptations are not those that solicit our consent to obvious sin, but those that offer us great evils masking as the greatest goods.” “Keep alert with all perseverance.” C.S. Lewis wrote about the gradual road to Hell in The Screwtape Letters, his book about a devil, Screwtape, who advises his inexperienced nephew on the best way to tempt a man into sin and eventually into Hell. “You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” “Keep alert with all perseverance.”

Just as the attractive Bradford pear tree started as the deceitfully perfect, ornamental tree and has slowly grown into an invasive species that chokes out native trees, sin can start taking root in our lives as a beautiful deception that chokes out the Word and prevents us from completing the “good works” that God has prepared for us. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) “Keep alert with all perseverance.”

What is sin?
It is the glory of God not honored.
The holiness of God not reverenced.
The greatness of God not admired.
The power of God not praised.
The truth of God not sought.
The wisdom of God not esteemed.
The beauty of God not treasured.
The goodness of God not savored.
The faithfulness of God not trusted.
The commandments of God not obeyed.
The justice of God not respected.
The wrath of God not feared.
The grace of God not cherished.
The presence of God not prized.
The person of God not loved.
That is sin.
(John Piper)

SOURCES

If a Tree Falls in the Forest….

I’m sure you’ve all heard the question “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, that’s not the fallen tree question I want to answer! I’ll let you decide the answer to that one, but my question is this: If a tree falls in the forest, is it really no longer living? What do you see when you spot a rotting log in the woods? Just a dead tree? Something that once played a role in its environment but is no longer useful? Just something over which you might trip and fall while trekking through the woods? Or do you see how that fallen tree still teems with life, even though it is no longer living itself? How it plays host to a myriad of organisms throughout its entire process of decomposition? It is a dead tree, but useless it is not. That rotting log is its own tiny ecosystem with an amazing community of living things interacting upon, within, and under it. And each member of that community has a very special niche, a role to play, a purpose, a job to perform, within that ecosystem.

Mosses doing their part to begin decomposition

Some of the first things you may notice on the surface of a fallen tree are mosses and lichens. These organisms help to make conditions better for decomposition to begin, because they reduce evaporation from the surface of the log. Many different types of fungi and bacteria interact to really get the rotting process started. Fungi secrete enzymes that break down large molecules into smaller ones, which they use for growth. As the wood begins to soften, many small invertebrates enter the scene. Some beetles may eat fungal spores. Some beetles lay eggs in the log, and their larvae feed on the rotting wood, further aiding in decomposition. Pill bugs (actually crustaceans, not insects) feed on the decaying wood. Ants may build colonies within the log and cause even more softening of the wood.

Mosses, lichens, and fungi performing their jobs

As the rotting process continues, larger invertebrates, like millipedes and centipedes, make an appearance. Millipedes feed on decaying plant matter and fungi, and centipedes are predators that go after the smaller invertebrates living in or under the log. When the rotting log becomes more hollow, it may serve as a shelter or a lookout for certain vertebrates, including lizards, snakes, chipmunks, birds, mice, or even foxes. And as the log begins to crumble and lose its form, earthworms aid in its incorporation into the soil, making a nutrient-rich earth just perfect for the growth of other plants, perhaps even another tree.

A chipmunk making use of a rotting log to take a snack break

So, technically, the tree itself is no longer living, but it still has value in its different role in the environment. And every living thing associated with that rotting log is important in some way to all the other organisms in, on, or under that log. If you were to remove just one of the species from the log (or from any type of ecosystem) you would no doubt be disturbing the balance of that mini-ecosystem, affecting the livelihoods of many species. Sometimes I question the importance of certain organisms, like spiders (too creepy) and mosquitoes (too itchy), but I know they serve valuable purposes within their ecosystems.

Mosses taking over!

As I think about the various roles of the members of an ecosystem, I am reminded of the Lord’s church and the importance of all the various roles of its members. And you might even question the value of your role within Christ’s church, like I sometimes question the value of spiders and mosquitoes, but I don’t think we should ever wonder about our importance as members of the body of Christ. I love how Christ is described in the Bible as the head of his body, the church, and Paul says a lot in his letters about the relationships and roles of all the members of the body. In Ephesians 4:15, he wrote, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Just as every organism works to keep its ecosystem healthy, “each part” of Christ’s church, when “working properly, makes the body grow.”

Paul elaborates more about the workings of the body and its members in 1 Corinthians 12. We’ll look at verses 12-31 here. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

Bracket fungi doing their part to aid in decomposition

I think Paul makes it very clear that one member of the body can’t say to another part that it isn’t needed. And he also makes it plain that the parts must be working properly to make the body grow. Each part of our physical bodies (generally speaking) has a role that it must do that no other part of the body can perform. That part can’t quit its job and expect the body to be healthy and normal afterwards. The same is true for the Lord’s body – the church! One body part isn’t more important than another. The eye isn’t more important than the ear or the hand more important than the foot, and a preacher isn’t more important than a Bible class teacher or a song leader more important than one who visits shut-ins.

A snake resting and digesting on a log – probably after finding its meal around that same log

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he had to address some problems with members thinking that certain spiritual gifts were more important than others. Paul had to remind them that all the gifts were from the same Spirit and all were for the benefit of the entire body. One gift was not to be valued over another. In the Lord’s body today, I think we can apply the same principles to our particular roles and abilities or talents. In an ecosystem, different organisms occupy different niches. There are producers, decomposers, herbivores, scavengers, and more. All are necessary. The role of decomposers may not sound very glamorous, but I wouldn’t want to live in a world without them! We should never feel that we are insignificant members of the body of Christ! If we are working members, we are contributing to the healthy growth of the body – the church. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Turtles taking advantage of a log to catch some rays!

I came across a couple of poems several years ago that remind me that there is always something I can do to be a working, healthy, productive member of the Lord’s body, even when I’m feeling that I don’t know what to do or how to help or how to serve. The first poem was written by Jessie Granville and is entitled “But I Can’t Do Anything.”

Can you bake a pie?  Can you mix a cake?
Can you catch some fish down at the lake?
Can you sing a song?  Can you say a prayer?
Can you shave a face?  Can you style some hair?
Can you use a computer?  Can you write a letter
to send to a friend to make him feel better?
Can you walk a dog?  Can you read a book?
Can you show some young one how to cook?
We all can't preach, but we all can serve.
It just takes some thought and a little nerve.
So "gird up your loins," jump into the fray,
and see what God can do with you today!

There is always a way to serve – a way to use our abilities to “work heartily.” Don’t wish to be able to serve the way others can serve. Serve in the way that you can serve and know that your service is just as needed and important as anyone else’s. Even Moana (Disney movie character) knew the importance of different roles as she sang, “Everything is by design. I know everybody on this island has a role on this island.” (Yeah, I might have watched this movie a few times with my granddaughter!) But above all, let’s not forget these other words that Paul had to say to the Corinthians about their spiritual gifts. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (I Corinthians 13:1-3) No matter what gifts the Corinthians possessed, if they weren’t used in love and to show love for others, they weren’t beneficial for the growth of the body. The same is true for each of us in the Lord’s church today, so find your niche, “work heartily,” and serve with love.

The Gift That I've Got
(author unknown)

In the church today, this is my task -
for the members like me to take time to ask,
"In the work of the Lord, what can I do?"
And be Christian enough to carry it through,
never complaining that others don't teach,
or try with me, some soul to reach.
But use for the Master the gift that I've got,
even though I may not be given a lot.
Like a picture puzzle, I'm but one small part.
If I'll find my place and then just start
to fill that place the best that I can
and show Christianity to my fellowman,
the church today will continue to grow,
the limits of which we'll never know.
So let us unite our visions and dreams.
Christianity is not as hard as it seems.
In the church today, we each have our call.
There's none of us that can do it all.
So let's each develop the gift we were given
and all work together on our way to heaven.
A perfect place for something to hide or find shelter!

If a tree falls in the forest, it still has value. How much more valuable should you feel as a working, serving member of the body of Christ? You’re not a dead tree!


SOURCES

God’s Kaleidoscope

Hooray for carotenoids and anthocyanins! Those may not be the words you usually associate with fall, but if you love the vibrant colors of autumn, then you love carotenoids and anthocyanins. These are groups of pigments that are responsible for the stunning yellows, oranges, reds, purples, and blues of the fall foliage we look forward to seeing each year. During the spring and summer months, the chlorophylls reign supreme and paint the world green, but, for a few short months before the drabness of winter, the lesser known pigments take the stage. When I look up to a sunny, blue sky, peering through the leaves of trees adorned in their most colorful finery, I am reminded of a kaleidoscope’s stunning arrays of brilliant and endless patterns.

Why do the leaves change color in the fall? It’s really an incredible series of chemical, physical, and biological processes. I have always been amazed at the abilities of mankind to decipher the mechanisms driving such processes as photosynthesis, cellular respiration, color change in leaves, and the list could go on and on. But I am blown away by the powers of our God that put these processes in motion! “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” (Psalm 95: 3-5)

The leaves are even beautiful blanketing the ground!

So, now I’ll get back to those pigments I mentioned earlier. Pigments are chemical compounds that absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others. They are responsible for the colors we see in flowers, corals, fruits, leaves, and even the skins of animals, and those colors come from the particular wavelengths of light that are reflected by the pigments. The chlorophyll pigments reflect mostly green light and are the prominent pigments during the spring and summer months. These pigments, along with the carotenoids, are photosynthetic pigments and both types are present during a plant’s growing season. Their job is to trap energy from sunlight to be used in making food for the plant. The carotenoids produce yellow, orange, and brown colors, but we don’t see these leaf colors in the spring and summer months. Why? Because the carotenoids are masked by the chlorophylls – until that magical time when summer transitions to fall.

Chlorophyll breaks down rapidly, so it is constantly being produced during the summer months to maintain the levels needed for the plant to produce its food (sugars). The signal for chlorophyll production to slow and eventually stop in deciduous trees is when the nights begin to grow longer in the fall. Once the chlorophyll production stops and the remaining chlorophyll decays, the carotenoids get their chance to shine! Because carotenoids are always present in the leaves (just masked), the yellowish leaf colors we see in the fall (after chlorophyll production stops) stay pretty constant from year to year and aren’t affected as much by external factors.

But what about those anthocyanins? These pigments provide us leaves with gorgeous shades of red, blue, and purple, and their production can be altered by various environmental influences. Whenever fall arrives and winter is fast approaching, there is much more happening in the leaves of deciduous trees than just the halting of chlorophyll production. The leaves are actually preparing to die and fall from the tree, because the leaf tissues of broad-leaf trees are too tender to survive the freezing conditions of winter. For the leaves to die, the veins that carry fluids to and from them gradually become blocked, and sugars (plant food) become trapped in the leaves. The trapped sugars lead to the production of anthocyanins. Not all trees, however, produce these pigments. Temperate regions have fewer trees capable of anthocyanin production.

So why are some years better than others for spectacular fall foliage? It mostly has to do with whether or not anthocyanins are produced, and abundant sunshine is necessary for their production. Also, the temperatures at night need to be cool, but not freezing, because freezing temperatures would stop the process that produces these pigments. So, lots of cloudy days in the fall or an early freeze could lead to a less colorful display of leaves. Another factor that can affect fall color is soil moisture. A summer dry spell could cause leaves to shed early, even before chlorophyll production has stopped. I guess you could say that autumns are like snowflakes, because no two are exactly the same.

Believe it or not, that was a condensed version of how we get the colors of fall! God’s handiwork is incredible! We see the beautiful results and never think about the intricate details and delicate processes at work. Like a kaleidoscope transforms random buttons, beads, or glass pieces into endless, symmetrical, appealing patterns, God transformed nothingness into an ordered world and gave symmetry to what was once without form. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:1) From the creation to the flood and throughout the history of the Israelites and the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, God has continued to provide us with order and symmetry with his perfect plan. We don’t always see how God is working in our lives at a particular time, but we can rest assured that he is. Romans 4 tells us that Abraham “grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’ But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:20-25)

When leaves die, fall from the trees, blow in the wind and cover the ground, God is in control. His plan is in motion. The same is true when it feels as if our lives are spiraling out of control like leaves in the wind. Take a moment to look through God’s kaleidoscope and find the beautiful order and pattern in his plan for us all. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10)

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalm 24:1


SOURCES

And the Academy Award Goes to……

……the killdeer! Yep, I’m talking about birds again! Isn’t this one a bit of an odd bird? But also beautiful! This is a killdeer. Its name comes from the shrill kill-deer sound it makes, often while in flight. And why should it win an Academy Award? Well, I’ll get to that later. The killdeer belongs to a group of birds known as plovers, which happen to be shorebirds. And that’s part of what makes this bird a little unusual to me. None of these pictures of killdeer were taken anywhere near any type of shore. Like other shorebirds, the killdeer are often found on dry land, living and nesting in driveways, lawns, parking lots, and other areas with short vegetation.

The killdeer nest is really just a slight depression on bare ground and may have other scraped out areas nearby as decoys. The killdeer usually lays its speckled eggs in a bare nest and then adds other items later, such as pebbles, twigs, or even trash. This practice helps the eggs to blend in with their surroundings, even though it would seem that a driveway or lawn couldn’t be very protective. I’ve never been lucky enough to see any baby killdeer in person, but I have seen photographs taken by others. I hope that maybe you have had the privilege of spotting some babies, because, from the pictures I’ve seen, I doubt if you will ever see anything much cuter! Killdeer babies are precocial (meaning ripened beforehand), like baby ducks and chickens. (The helpless, naked baby birds you might have seen are known as altricial.) Killdeer babies start running around and feeding themselves as soon as their feathers are dry, but they still need protection by their parents because they can’t fly until around 25 days after hatching.

Protection! An important thing for something so tiny and vulnerable. Killdeer parents have a couple of somewhat unusual and dangerous methods for protecting their eggs and chicks. A killdeer should earn an Academy Award for Best Actor for its outstanding performance in the leading role of a parent luring a predator away from its nest by pretending to have a broken wing. The photograph above and the one below both show a killdeer in the middle of its very convincing broken-wing act. (Other birds perform this act as well, but the killdeer is probably the most well-known for it.) By feigning injury, the killdeer tricks its predator into thinking it has some easy lunch ahead (or tricks a human into believing it should help the poor, injured bird). The tricky bird hobbles along until it has drawn the danger far away from the nest, putting its own life at risk to save its young, before flying away to safety.

Killdeer may also try to distract predators by shrieking loudly, bobbing up and down, and then running away. Sometimes the nest may need protection from a large animal (cow or horse) that could step on it. In such cases, the killdeer parent may fluff up and display its tail feathers over its head while running at the animal, hoping to cause the animal to move off in another direction. Again, an act that could be a risky maneuver for the parent!

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:11-12

As I think about the lengths to which these killdeer parents go in efforts to protect their offspring, I can’t help but think of the many scriptural references to birds gathering their broods under their wings to provide them with safety – pictures that are analogous to the security and protection we are granted by our omnipotent God! In Deuteronomy 32 (the Song of Moses), Moses recalls God’s past faithfulness to Israel and says, “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:10-12)

This little hen only had one chick in her “brood.”

David prays to God to “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.” (Psalm 17:8-9) In another psalm, he cries, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1) Refuge! A condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble. David recognized from where his salvation and protection came! He knew who provided his shelter and refuge!

“for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.” Psalm 63:7

Psalm 91 is known as a prayer of protection that is often recited in times of hardship. I imagine that many have read and drawn comfort from these words during the trying days of this pandemic. I can’t say with certainty who wrote this psalm, (some say Moses and some say David), but that definitely does not detract from its reassuring words.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place – the Most High, who is my refuge – no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91
“Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” Psalm 61:4

The verses of Psalm 91 include the keys to accessing God’s protection and refuge. We have to trust in the LORD and make him our dwelling place – look to him as the source of our lives and our fulfillment. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus makes reference to a hen gathering her brood as he recounts the wicked acts of the city of Jerusalem – killing prophets and stoning those sent to the city. In spite of these terrible things, Jesus stated, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Again we see this beautiful image of loving protection, but it is rejected! “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2) Trust is key. Be willing to trust and access the refuge God offers! “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,….” (Psalm 40:4a) (Read all of Psalm 40 for another comforting passage!)

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:7

While the words in Psalm 91 don’t promise safety and security for every believing individual in every circumstance, they do provide peace and assurance through their expressions of God’s great love and care for his people. We are all just precocial baby birds, scurrying around, trying to make our ways through this life, and needing constant protection from dangers around us – protection provided by an attentive parent, our loving heavenly Father! Just like the killdeer parents go to great lengths to protect their offspring, our God stopped at nothing to save us. He allowed his Son to die to save our souls, thus fulfilling the promises of refuge and protection in Psalm 91. Trust him! Obey him! Don’t reject him! Make the shadow of his wings your dwelling place and the refuge for your soul!


SOURCES

Of the Life-Giving Stream Let Me Drink

Giant Springs State Park, Great Falls, Montana

Water! Approximately 71% of the Earth is covered with it. It’s also in the air, in the ground, and in glaciers. On average, an adult human is about 60% water, and the body weight of some organisms is as much as 90% water. We wash with it, swim in it, drink it, and cook with it. We flush it and run it down the drain and use it to grow our gardens. We even use it to produce electricity. And most of us never give a second thought (or even a first thought) to the amazing qualities of this life-sustaining chemical. From the beginning of time, we’ve understood the importance of water, so it’s really no surprise that water is mentioned in the Bible over 700 times, where it’s often described as “living.” In Genesis, we can see water was necessary from the beginning of God’s creation (Genesis 1). There was a “mist” from the land that watered the ground (Genesis 2:6), and “a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden” (Genesis 2:10). And references to water continue to flow throughout the scriptures. Fast forward to the last book of the Bible, and we still find water being mentioned. “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17) “And he said to me ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.'” (Revelation 21:6) “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17)

Refreshing, cleansing, cooling, and hydrating water!

Sure, we know that water is important and that we can’t live without it. From ancient times to the present, battles have been fought and are still being fought over water rights. Water supplies have been poisoned, rivers have been diverted, dammed, and flooded, and dams and irrigation systems have been destroyed in efforts to gain advantages over adversaries during wars and conflicts. But what is it about water that makes it so special? If we just consider humans for a second, think about all the functions of our bodies that require water. We need it to create saliva, protect our joints and spinal cord, help excrete wastes, improve metabolism and blood oxygen circulation, help with nutrient absorption, regulate body temperature, and even improve brain function and mood. So, yes, it’s necessary for life, but WHY is water the right substance for all of those roles? And HOW is it able to perform those jobs and so many more? After all, it’s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Nothing exciting there. WHY is water the most important chemical compound for maintaining life?

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

To answer that question, we need to start with the chemical composition and the structure of a water molecule. Yes, water is a chemical, and I’m sure you know it is made up of the elements hydrogen and oxygen. Every water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom arranged in such a way that they form a sort of V-shaped molecule, with the oxygen atom at the vertex of the V. (Or you could think of a Mickey Mouse head and think of Mickey’s ears as the hydrogen atoms and the rest of his head as the oxygen atom.) I know, I know – still nothing exciting. Without getting too much more “science-y,” let me just add that this little V-shaped, Mickey Mouse head-shaped, molecule is said to be polar, sort of like the Earth is polar because it has its north and south magnetic poles. A water molecule, however, is polar because the oxygen end has a slightly negative electrical charge and the hydrogen end has a slightly positive electrical charge. I won’t go into detail about why water molecules have oppositely charged poles, but I will say that this is where the magic begins! The polar property of water contributes to all the life-sustaining characteristics of water – those same characteristics that Job recognized when he stated in Job 14:7-9, “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.”

“He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:2b

You may be wondering, “Why was she just talking about electrical charges? I thought we were talking about water here.” We are! (If you are questioning whether or not water molecules have electrical charges, just rub a balloon on your hair to build up some static electricity on the balloon and then hold it next to a trickle of water from your faucet. Watch closely and you will see the stream of water being attracted to the balloon, even though the balloon never touched the water!) So all the water molecules in a tiny drop of water have a negatively charged side (pole) and a positively charged side. Now, what do you know about opposites? They attract! The negative side of one water molecule is attracted to the positive side of another water molecule, so water molecules really like each other. The attractive forces that cause them to “stick” together are known as hydrogen bonds, and these bonds give water molecules the property of cohesion and allow them to form droplets (like you can see in the photos below). But what in the world does that have to do with sustaining life, or making that tree bud that Job mentioned????

For starters, the cohesion of water molecules is partly responsible for water being able to travel from the roots of a plant to the top of the stem and even for the drainage of tears from our eyes. The other property involved with those examples is adhesion, which occurs when water wants to “stick” to other things more than to itself. Have you ever put a stalk of celery or a jonquil in colored water and observed how the color makes its way to the very tops of the plants? This phenomenon is the result of cohesion and adhesion in action in the tiny vessels of the plant. Because water molecules are strongly attracted to the walls of the tiny vessels, they tend to creep up the insides of the vessels. But, because they are also still attracted to other water molecules, they drag their buddies along with them as they climb up the plant’s tiny tubes. This is known as capillary action, and it happens in spite of the force of gravity! (Since I have about a 2-inch vertical jump, anything that defies gravity is awesome to me.)

Cohesion of water molecules is also responsible for the surface tension of water, which allows the water strider (below) to glide all over the surface of a pond and also allows you to float a paper clip in a dish of water (if you happen to be inclined to do so). But, of course, water traveling upward through plants and tears draining and insects walking on water only scratch the surface of the reasons water is necessary for life. Water’s polarity and hydrogen bonding lead to several other impressive qualities besides cohesion!

This water strider relies on surface tension to walk on water!

One of these properties is that water heats up slowly and cools off slowly (has a very high heat capacity). Water has to absorb lots of energy before its temperature begins to rise. Have you ever raced across the hot sand at the beach so you could step into the cooler water? Then you’ve experienced the advantage of water’s high heat capacity! And why does water have a high heat capacity? The energy applied to raise water’s temperature, either in a pot on the stove or in a lake or ocean, first has to break those sticky hydrogen bonds between water molecules before it can work toward raising the temperature of water. Are you thinking “so what?” Then consider that percentage of water I mentioned earlier – that 60% that makes up humans and the even larger percentages in some organisms. Be grateful that water is resistant to rapid temperature changes when you go out into freezing temperatures or extremely hot conditions! Our bodies need to maintain a very specific temperature, and the high heat capacity and temperature stabilizing property of water helps them to do that.

This same property of water also helps regulate the climates of cities all over the world. Cities near oceans or large lakes tend to have less extreme temperature changes than inland areas, simply because the large bodies of water take a long time to heat and a long time to cool.

Oceans affect weather and climate!
“Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

So what’s another special property of water that comes from it’s polarity and hydrogen bonding? Have you ever paid attention to the fact that ice cubes float in a glass of water? Then you probably realize that the frozen form of water is less dense than the liquid form. As water cools, the water molecules begin to move more slowly and hydrogen bonds have more time to form. As the water freezes, the molecules become arranged in a more open, crystalline structure, making the ice less dense than the liquid form of water with its more closely packed molecules. Because of this seemingly insignificant characteristic of water, a pond or lake will not freeze solid during the winter months. Only the top will freeze over, providing an insulating barrier for the water below and making the fishies very happy!

Fish are happy that ice floats!

And there’s yet another (and the last one I’ll mention) important life-sustaining property of water that’s related to its polarity and hydrogen bonding. Water is known as the universal solvent, but I won’t go into how polarity plays a part in that (just know that it does). We’ll only look at how organisms are impacted by the fact that so many things can be dissolved in water. Obviously, we want our sugar to dissolve in our sweet tea, but that’s hardly life-sustaining (or maybe it is for some of you). There are so many chemical reactions going on at the cellular level – the reactions of photosynthesis or the reactions of cellular respiration, just to name a couple of examples. Water is the medium in which most reactions occur, and it’s the perfect substance for transporting important materials in and out of cells and throughout an organism’s body. Wherever water goes, it carries with it valuable chemicals, nutrients, and minerals, and it even helps flush out wastes and toxins, all because it’s an excellent solvent! (Remember that list of things I mentioned earlier about the functions of the human body that require water? Lots of those are related to the solvent properties of water.) And we (as well as other organisms) are constantly losing water through some of our bodily functions, so you can see how important it is that we also constantly take in water to stay hydrated!

“And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.” Ezekiel 47:9

Water is definitely an extraordinary substance! Its molecules are polar, which makes it cohesive, gives it surface tension, gives it a high heat capacity, makes it less dense as a solid, and allows it to dissolve more materials than any other solvent. And all of these properties are incredibly important for life! But there are a few more things that make water and its properties even more amazing! First, I mentioned that it takes a quantity of water a long time to heat and a long time to cool. So water has a very high boiling point, which would not be predicted if comparing it to the pattern seen in other hydrogen compounds (it should fall below negative 60 Celsius degrees – yes, negative!). Secondly, it’s extremely unusual for a compound lacking carbon to exist as a liquid at standard temperatures and pressures – and yet water does! Next, water is the only substance to exist as a solid, liquid, and a gas at temperatures found on Earth. Lastly, water is one of the few substances whose solid state is less dense than its liquid state. If water didn’t possess these unusual qualities, it would not be the life-sustaining force that it is! And, to me, those unusual and extraordinary qualities of water point to our unusual and extraordinary God!

Water in all three states – if you count water vapor in the air!

In Psalm 65:9-10, David praises God for his provision of water to enrich the earth. “You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.” Water has always been associated with life. Living water! Biblically, it is often symbolic of God’s provisions for us, including salvation.

In the very first psalm, we can read how a righteous man is compared to “a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:3) What a comforting and appealing picture this wondrous supply of water in the psalm would have been to early readers living in such dry climates as Palestine! The tree is productive because of its plentiful source of life-giving water, and we can also be productive if we get our nourishment from God’s life-giving words. Jeremiah paints a very similar scene in Jeremiah 17:7-8. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” And Jeremiah goes on to say, in 17:13, that those who forsake the LORD forsake “the fountain of living water.”

Water vapor condenses into liquid droplets or changes into ice crystals (with the help of tiny particles in the air) to form clouds!

I love the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in John 4. I hope you will take the time to read the whole account, but at least notice Christ’s reference to living water. He had asked the woman for a drink, and she was surprised because Jews didn’t have anything to do with Samaritans. Jesus responded by saying, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) Of course, the woman wanted to know from where Jesus would get that living water, since he had nothing to use for drawing it. And Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) Eternal life! Another of God’s provisions for us!

“Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.” Henry David Thoreau

So how do we attain eternal life when this earthly life is finished? We don’t forsake the “fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13) but drink the water it provides. (John 4:13-14) Nourish our spiritual bodies with the words of life – God’s words! And obey those words! Well, we’re almost, but not quite, finished with our biblical water references. (I’ll leave it with you to search your Bible for the 700+ times that water is mentioned.) You may recall the story in Acts of Philip preaching the good news about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. As they traveled down the road, the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36) We need water for baptism! Baptism is where we put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Colossians 2:12-14 reads, “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Did you catch all of that? “Dead in your trespasses” but “God made alive together with him.” Sin is like the dry desert that takes away life but God provides the living water to revive us in Christ’s death on the cross. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” And 1 Peter 3:20-21 says, “because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It should not be a shock that baptism, this simple act of obedience, involves water, a literal and symbolic sustainer of life.

“Water has memory.” – Olaf, Frozen II

Stay hydrated, friends! Hydrate your physical bodies for a healthier life on this planet, and hydrate your spiritual bodies to achieve immortality!

Hymn Title – In the Desert of Sorrow and Sin

1. In the desert of sorrow and sin,
Lo! I faint as I journey along;
With the warfare without and within,
See my strength and my hope nearly gone.

Refrain
I thirst, let me drink,
Of the live-giving stream let me drink;
’Tis the Rock, cleft for me,
’Tis the water, the water of life.

2. In my weakness I turn to the fount,
From the Rock that was smitten for me;
And I drink, and I joyfully count
All my trials a blessing to be. [Refrain]

3. O Thou God of compassion, I pray,
Let me ever abide in Thy sight;
Let me drink of the fount day by day,
Till I join Thee in mansions of light. [Refrain]

by Henry R. Trickett Copyright – Public Domain


Sources

Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken! I admit that I am NOT a morning person, but I do love a beautiful sunrise. I just wish it could happen a little later in the day. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to witness some amazing works of art on God’s canvas that is the morning sky – not even enhanced by a cup of coffee, since I’m not a coffee person either. I first heard the song entitled “Morning Has Broken” as a pre-teen, listening to a Cat Stevens vinyl album at my grandparents’ house. At that time, I had no idea about the history of the song and that it was actually a hymn published in 1931 in the second edition of Songs of Praise. (I hope you will take the time to listen to the song here and see the lyrics displayed. I can’t print the song for copyright reasons, but I can share the link.)

Glacier National Park, Montana

It was in that year, 1931, that Eleanor Farjeon was asked to write a poem to fit the Scottish Gaelic tune “Bunessan.” Apparently, there was a need in the songbook for a hymn to give thanks for each day. The results of Eleanor’s endeavors became the song “Morning Has Broken,” made popular by Cat Stevens in 1972. Her lyrics were inspired by a passage in Lamentations, a passage of hope and light buried in the middle of words of despair and darkness. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.'” (Lamentations 3:21-24)

Every new morning that God gives us is a new beginning. Each day that He allows us to rise with the sun is a chance for us to become better than we were the day before. It’s another chance to forgive, to make amends, or to show kindness to our neighbors. Every new day is a time to learn something new and a time to recognize new blessings. It’s a chance to find hope and healing for the issues plaguing our country and our world. It’s a chance to know the hope and peace that comes from following God’s will. Every dawn is a time of renewal and a reminder of God’s faithfulness. His mercies are truly “new every morning.” Even though I am not a morning person, I recognize the beauty and significance of every sunrise.

Currently, there is another song that reminds me of the value of each new day and the reasons to be thankful for it. Check out “Alive & Breathing” by Matt Maher. My favorite lines from the song are these:

Joy still comes in the morning.
Hope still walks with the hurting.
If you're still alive and breathing,
praise the Lord!
Don't stop dancing and dreaming.
There's still good news worth repeating.
So lift your head and keep singing.
Praise the Lord!

“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b)

Missouri River, Kansas City

Morning has broken! So if you’ve woken, it’s time to praise the Lord!

Enjoy a few more beautiful sunrises below!

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:3


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Turtle Envy

One year ago today, May 23, 2019, I launched My Father’s World website with my first blog post, which included the two pictures above. So, I decided to celebrate this anniversary with more turtles! Sadly, no new baby turtle pictures though. Have you ever wondered what the differences are between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises? Well, I’m not sure I know either, even after doing some research, but I’m going to attempt to share what I learned. The name “turtle” is used to refer to any reptile that protects itself with a shell, which is pretty much a modified rib cage and is part of the vertebral column. Turtles belong to the order Testudines (also known as Chelonia), and there are over 300 species of turtles.

The name “tortoise” is used to refer to a turtle that lives only on land, like the Galapagos tortoise. Tortoises have heavier and more domed shells, and they are very dull in color. A tortoise is always a turtle, but a turtle is not always a tortoise. The name “turtle,” besides being a collective term for any reptile with a shell, is also used to refer specifically to a turtle that lives in the water, so turtles have webbed feet and flatter shells for swimming. So what about terrapins? According to one source, “terrapin” is the name given to aquatic turtles in the U.K. Here in the U.S., the only thing called a terrapin is the diamondback terrapin, which lives in tidal marshes in the eastern part of the country (unless you grew up like me and you called every turtle you might find in the yard a terrapin). And then there are the box turtles (more colorful than tortoises), which don’t really live in water at all but still belong to a pond turtle family (but at least one source I skimmed referred to them as tortoises). Well, I guess that makes everything clear, right? As clear as the muddy water in which you can find some of these turtles!

Most of the species of turtles can retract into their shells when they feel threatened, and some of them close themselves off completely. Sometimes, I wish I could be like a turtle. I wish I had a literal shell into which I could retreat when I find myself in less than desirable situations. When I feel embarrassed – retreat. When I feel threatened – retreat. When I feel grief – retreat. When I feel hurt – retreat. When I realize I’ve hurt someone else – retreat. Just hide until the uncomfortable situation is over! Does anyone else ever feel this way? But, unlike turtles, which aren’t really social creatures, humans weren’t created to avoid interactions with others – even uncomfortable ones. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), for the purpose of performing “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) And, when we do those good works, we let our lights shine so that others can see those works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). You can’t let your light shine inside a shell – a literal one or a metaphorical one!

Danger, danger! Time to retreat!

The apostles didn’t retreat when faced with dangerous or threatening circumstances. They spoke boldly in teaching the gospel (lots of examples in the book of Acts). They were not turtles. The early Christians “had all things in common” (Acts 2:44) and were “praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:47) They were not turtles. Dorcas was “full of good works and acts of charity.” (Acts 9:36) She was not a turtle. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 that we are to “bear one another’s burdens.” We can’t do that if we’re hiding in our shells. He goes on to say in Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Recently, my husband and I watched a rerun from 2018 of an episode of Undeniable, a show hosted by Joe Buck in which he interviews famous and respected athletes. (This may seem like a random thing to throw in here, but I promise to connect my trains of thought!) The guest on this particular episode was Lou Holtz, former football player, coach, and analyst (and one of his coaching jobs was at the University of Arkansas). Lou was born in West Virginia in 1937, towards the end of the Great Depression, so his family didn’t have much (just like all the other families around). He ended up starting school early, because students were needed to fill the first grade. He was younger and smaller than everyone else, and also had a lisp, so others picked on him. During his high school years, he once happened to overhear two neighbors talking about how it was a shame that his parents were going to waste their money sending him to college. With the adversities he faced as a young person, Lou could have easily retreated into a shell – like a turtle. Instead, he chose to make the most out of the difficulties he was handed, because he was taught that if he made good choices, got an education, and didn’t blame others, then positive things would happen. As a college football coach, Holtz became known for quotes like this one: “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”

Holtz also became known for his three rules of coaching: 1) Do the right thing. 2) Do the best you can. 3) Always show people you care. In 1978, as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Lou suspended three of his top players for violating his “do right” rule – just before Arkansas was to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. He met opposition from all sides and even ended up in court, but he stuck to his standards. He did not retreat into his shell, and the three players were not allowed to play in the Orange Bowl. (And, just in case you didn’t know, Arkansas ended up winning the game as an underdog with a score of 31-6.) Lou’s three rules of coaching are very biblical principles that should apply to all aspects of life – to guide us in performing those “good works” that allow our lights to shine.

During the Undeniable interview, Joe Buck asked Lou to talk about the difference in athletes today and athletes 40 years ago. He responded by explaining that today players always talk about their rights and privileges, but 40 years ago the focus was on their obligations and responsibilities. He stated that we need to get back to that today – to the obligations and responsibilities that we have to other people. I’ve noticed that trend – the talk about “rights” or “it’s my right” in other areas of life besides athletics, and I’m sure you have too. My ninth grade civics teacher, Ernestine Burge, once made a statement in class that has remained with me for all these years. “One person’s rights end where another’s begin.” Applying this idea isn’t always black and white, but here’s a somewhat trivial example of how it could work. I attended a high school football game one night and ended up sitting next to an extremely loud individual. He was constantly yelling – at his son on the field, at the refs, at the coaches – and his voice actually hurt my ears. I guess the yelling bothered others as well, because I think someone told him to be quiet. He responded by saying something like “I paid my money to get into this game. It’s my right to yell if I want to.” But what if he had considered that others had also paid to be at the game? Did they not have the right to enjoy a game without incurring hearing loss or without the constant annoyance of the extremely loud yelling? Lou’s statements and Ms. Burge’s statement remind me of a few more Bible verses. Paul says in Romans 12:16-18, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” He also states in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Christ said in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Focus on obligations and responsibilities to others -not rights and privileges. Wouldn’t that make it easier to live in harmony? To live peaceably??

When I look at social media (Facebook, in particular) lately, I don’t see much harmony or peace, because we have opinions about everything. And we all have different ones – about political issues, medical issues, health and fitness and safety issues, religious issues, environmental issues, economic issues, and…… It’s great to have opinions, but how we express them is not always great. The many types of social media make it easy for us to share our opinions, but I think the excess use of “social media” has contributed to a decline of the “social graces” (just my opinion). We should be able to have differing opinions and discuss them without animosity (that’s a social grace), but that doesn’t happen when we express our opinions in ways that make it sound as if anyone with a different viewpoint is an idiot. Sometimes we even create animosity when trying to present what we consider to be facts, when we imply that our sources for the facts are the right ones and other sources are false. “Do not be haughty.” “Count others more significant than yourselves.”

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful!

Turtles have shells to protect them, and they don’t have to deal with the situations that arise from being social creatures – two things that sometimes make me envious of turtles. But I know that God did not create me to hide in a shell. He created me to do good works, to put others first, to live peaceably with all, so that He will be glorified. Lou Holtz didn’t come up with anything new with his three coaching rules. He just recognized the value of sound biblical principles and applied them to coaching. He also once said, “I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.” And, He certainly didn’t put us here to hide our lights under shells!

Adventure Aquarium, Camden, NJ

As we celebrate during this Memorial Day weekend, may we recognize and be thankful for all who have died while in service to this country – recognize that the sacrifices they made, while fulfilling their obligations and responsibilities, gave us the freedoms (that we sometimes refer to as our rights) that we hold dear. May we not take them for granted, and may we not trample on the rights of others in trying to obtain what we see as ours.


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Blue? It’s for the Birds!

Blue Jay

Blue! It’s a fabulous color on birds, in all of its various shades. But, let’s face it, it’s NOT a good color for us. We all have our down and out moments, and sometimes those moments stretch into days and even weeks. Certainly, the last few months have taxed many people for many reasons, but I’m not going to mention all the things that may have our happy tanks running on empty. I don’t want us to start thinking about those things, but, instead, I want us to focus on filling those tanks again – becoming full of joy! (Please know that if you are one of the many people who suffer from a form of depression, I understand that feeling happy or joyful is not just a “choice” you can make, but I hope that the scriptures here can still provide some comfort.)

The only way I know to stay joyful is to stay in God’s word. The Bible definitely has a lot to say about joy, so let’s start by taking a look at a few verses.

  • Psalm 16:11 – You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
  • Psalm 32:11 – Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
  • Psalm 33:1 – Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
  • Psalm 47:1 – Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
  • Psalm 66:1 – Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
  • Psalm 81:1 – Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
  • Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
  • Proverbs 17:22 – A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
  • Proverbs 10:28 – The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
  • Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
  • Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
  • Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
  • I Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice always,……
  • James 1:2 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,…..

And those are just a few of the many verses that mention joy or rejoicing.

I don’t think God would tell us in his word to “rejoice always” if it weren’t possible to do it. Of course, we will experience sadness and trials, but we can still rejoice in the midst of difficult times. Habakkuk says in Habakkuk 3:17-19, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

And I can’t go without mentioning the Apostle Paul and his hardships. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 says, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” In spite of Paul’s many difficulties, and in spite of being imprisoned, Paul was still able to express joy and talk about rejoicing in his letter to the Philippians. He was even able to say “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

Eastern Bluebird

Paul recognized that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). Christ was his reason for contentment and joy. And Christ is our reason for joy as well! His birth, his life, his death and his resurrection are the sources of our joy! Matthew 2:10 says “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Luke 2:10 says, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'” In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” (Luke 6:20b-23) We can read in Matthew 28:8 that after Christ had risen “they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” At Christ’s ascension, Luke tells us in 24:52, “And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”

Peter does an excellent job of summarizing the reason for our joy in 1 Peter 1:3-9. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

What a reason to rejoice!

Blue Grosbeak

The group, for King & Country, sings a song entitled “Joy,” that really peps me up when I’m a little down. It’s a very energetic song, which makes me feel good, but its message is good as well. “And I choose joy. Let it move you!” Christians have reason to rejoice – no matter the circumstances. Choose joy, because being blue is for the birds!


For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. Psalm 92:4

Because the Tomb Was Empty

I love all of the sights, sounds, and smells of spring! I love the frogs croaking and peeping, the birds chirping, the trees budding, the flowers blooming, the bees buzzing, and the monarchs flying. I especially look forward to the dogwoods blooming! There is a wonderful legend associated with the dogwood tree, so, in case you aren’t familiar with it, I’ll share it with you now.

It is said that the dogwood tree was once a very mighty tree in Israel, with strong wood that was prized by carpenters. The story goes that this tree was used to construct the cross on which Jesus was crucified and that it felt great sorrow for its role in the death of Christ. According to the legend, while he was on the cross, Jesus felt the tree’s remorse and decided to change its appearance so it could no longer be a part of any crucifixions. It would no longer be a tall, straight tree but would instead be short and shrub-like with crooked branches.

The story of the dogwood continues with Jesus’ resurrection. The legend says that all the dogwoods burst into bloom at Christ’s resurrection (never having had such distinctive blooms before), and they continue to bloom every year around the time of Easter in celebration of the resurrection of Christ.

So while the dogwood tree never had to take part in another crucifixion, the story tells that the tree still bears the marks of Christ’s death upon the cross. The four petals of the flower resemble the cross, and each petal has a reddish-colored indentation representing a nail hole. At the center of each flower is a green cluster that symbolizes the crown of thorns placed on Christ’s head.

Of course, the legend of the dogwood is not factual, but I love that I am reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for us and the story of his death, burial, and resurrection whenever I see a dogwood in bloom. Springtime is for growth and renewal and transformation, like Christ transformed the dogwood according to the legend. And because Christ died for us and rose from the dead, we can also be transformed – from our old selves into new creations! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Click here to read verses 14-21 of 2 Corinthians 5.

I also love the verses in Romans 6 that talk about how “our old self” was crucified with Christ and that “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” I encourage you to read all of Romans 6! I also encourage you to read at least one of the gospels’ accounts of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection on this glorious Easter Sunday. Matthew 27-28 Mark 15-16 Luke 23-24 John 18-20

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.'” Matthew 28:5-6

We are full of hope because the tomb was empty!


For another story about a plant associated with the Passion of Christ, check out one of my older blogs – Good News!

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God Is Faithful!

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth….” Genesis 9:12-13

Can any of you say that you’ve never broken a promise?? Can any of you say that you’ve never had another person break a promise that he or she made to you?? If you can answer “yes” to either question, then consider yourself blessed, but I’m guessing that most of us have to answer “no” to both questions. We cannot, however, say that God has ever broken a promise, and rainbows in the sky always remind me of his faithfulness!

Today, I want to share several verses that speak of God’s faithfulness, with the hope of helping us to grow a little more faithfulness in our lives. I was recently working on a lesson about faithfulness for a ladies group that was taking a look at the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” I’ve always thought of the things in that list as being traits I should grow and practice towards others and maybe just for myself (like joy and peace) – except for faithfulness. I always think of faithfulness as a response I have towards God. I don’t know why I never considered that maybe faithfulness should also apply to my interactions with others, when it seems that everything else in the list does. I found many synonyms for faithfulness, including the following: adherence, allegiance, fidelity, attachment, constancy, dependability, loyalty, trustworthiness, care, and ardor. I certainly can see applying each of those words to relationships with people. As I was studying for the lesson I was preparing, I read a little bit from a commentary that made me reconsider my ideas about faithfulness, at least from the standpoint of Galatians 5:22. The commentary defined faithfulness as “trustfulness” (not trustworthiness) – “the habit of mind which does not doubt that God is working all things together for the good of those who love and trust him (Romans 8:28), that seeks to realize the truth of Paul’s words concerning love, that it ‘believeth all things’ (I Corinthians 13:7).”  The writer of the commentary went on to talk about “trustfulness” in our dealings with others, as opposed to suspicion and distrust, and also “trustfulness” in our dealings with God, not being suspicious (or doubtful) of his love or wisdom.

Whatever your take on faithfulness, whether it’s loyalty to God or “trustfulness” to others or both, I figure we can all stand a little improvement in the faithfulness department. Why do we struggle with this at times? Maybe it’s because we deal with imperfect people everyday – people who sometimes hurt us by not keeping their promises to us. Maybe it’s because we go through difficult times, and it becomes easy to believe the devil when he tells us that God isn’t with us anymore. There are hundreds of verses in the Bible, however, that talk about God’s faithfulness.  I thought if we reminded ourselves of his faithfulness to his people that it might be easier for us to demonstrate faithfulness in our day-to-day lives. Following are several verses about God’s faithfulness and also some verses that mention how we will be blessed and rewarded for OUR faithfulness.

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!

Genesis 21:1-2 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

(The LORD with Moses) Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,….”

(Balaam to Balak) Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Deuteronomy 7:8-9 ….but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,…..

(Moses to the Israelites) Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Joshua 21:45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

I Kings 8:56 Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people in Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

Psalm 36:5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Psalm 100:4-5 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 119:90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Lamentations 3:22-24 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(Christ to his disciples) John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Acts 12:32-33 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

(About Abraham) Romans 4:20-21 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

II Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 2:25 And this is the promise that he made to us – eternal life.

God blesses and rewards us for our faithfulness!

Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

(Paul’s words) II Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 2:10b ….Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

I hope all of those verses bring you comfort in these uncertain days and help you to grow in faithfulness – to God and to others!  How can we lack in faithfulness when we serve a God who is never lacking in his?? And as we consider God’s faithfulness and the fact that he keeps ALL of his promises, we need to remember a couple of other promises that he made. Joshua reminded the Israelites in Joshua 23:15, “But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you,…” Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 1:7-9, “….when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,….” Let us all be encouraged in our faithfulness, because we have a powerful and faithful God! And may his rainbows remind you that he keeps his promises!

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