Bird Watching with God.

Can you see the beauty

2007-06-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

Colossians 2

1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The excitement of birding during the spring migration is one of enjoyment, excitement and struggle and frustration perhaps this is why I am a birder? Some years I see certain Warblers or Shorebirds I have never seen or have not seen in years. I also see “old friends” I see every migration like White Crowned Sparrows or Hermit Thrushes.
I only wish work did not get in the way, what a spring it would be! Ha Ha!
I also get frustrated in not seeing what I want or working very hard to get that life list bird, but that also leaves room for great possibilities for the next year!

The Christian life seems to be similar you have old sermons or conversations that come up every season of our Christian walk to remind us of God’s eternal love for us and then completely new situations or struggles or concerns that make us trudge deeper in prayer or the Bible to get closer to God, somewhat like trudging through a wet damp swamp fighting bugs to just get a glimpse of beauty you have never seen before like a Cerulean Warbler or a Yellow Breasted Chat. Sometimes it seems like a lot of work just to find that amazing bird that is not even suppose to be there, likewise God can give us a glimpse of something new and priceless in a place that should not have it. In struggle and pain I have seen the most beautiful things in nature and my walk with Christ and it’s been worth it in both areas.

Contentment in a Grackle

2006-05-10T12:45:00.000-05:00

1 Timothy 6:6- But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Philippians 4:11- I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Philippians 4:12- I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

When I was a ten I would watch birds and be floored watching Cardinals and even Robins feeding their young. Grackles, Red Winged Blackbirds, Mallards and of course Black Capped Chickadees! I am older now and if I just see these “common” birds I quickly look and find myself saying things like, “Oh that’s just a Blue Jay.”

My friend and I went birding with another young fellow this morning. He reminded me of myself at that age. The boy was excited about Mallards and Grackles. We all saw the majestic American Bittern this morning but the young boy seemed more excited about the Cardinal, and why shouldn’t He be? The Cardinal is so red and vibrant. Why am I not content if all I had seen all day was a Northern Cardinal? I should be amazed! What a work of art! Mallards are so comical and their head shimmers many colors of green and blue in the sun. Grackles do the same and Red Winged Blackbirds are always showing off that orange red wing. Always remember the joy in the “average” birding outings because those can be just as interesting!
Maybe that’s why Christ was so amazed with children, they find it so easy to find joy in so little. So should we, but the mundane and the things of life seem to take their toll on our hearts and souls, to bad. Paul also would chime in about being content in all things.
I believe contentment covers a lot of groaning and complaining the same way love covers a multitude of sins. Sometimes I see others in far worse situations than I am just happy where God has them. I can still see Paul worshiping the Lord in prison, and worshiping Him while making Tents.
I hope I do not let wonderful opportunities go by in my life thinking they are mundane or average. The song of a Robin is still breathtaking, The Blue Jay is still magnificent and once in awhile the Lord truly blesses me with a Northern Perula or an American Bittern!

You never know what day will be your last so enjoy the one you are in and let Christ lead you in contentment and joy.

Can You See The Owl

2006-04-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

Psalm 119:99: I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

Revelation 1:3:
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

My church has a campground in Illinois where we have a large music and arts festival every year. There is a large lake and many smaller ponds on the festival grounds, one of these is called the Bass Pond because the big bass are usually in there. Behind this pond are a group of dense trees. In this area is a family of Horned Owls a male a female and usually owlets in February and March. Sometimes cruising my binoculars across the front of these trees I can spot an adult sitting very still. Owls are easy to miss especially Screech Owls, Barred Owls and Horned Owls. I always have to keep a sharp eye to spot one, looking over and over in the same spot till the owl finally jumps out at you like one of those puzzle pictures you stair at for 10 minutes until the picture hidden in the mess finally emerges. A lot of birding is like this, trying to spot a certain bird in the foliage or a distant tree can be challenging depending on the environment. You have to get a look at the “big picture” to see the little bird in the middle of it all.

Scripture can be the same way. I have read a certain passage for years and then one day I will read it again and the Holy Spirit will let me see a meaning to the scripture I have never seen before. All of a sudden that scripture is helping me in the environment the Lord has placed me in at that moment. Something I have skimmed by in my reading now has a deeper meaning after meditating and looking upon with my spiritual “binoculars”.
So remember to keep meditating on God’s Word something exciting may be there you have never seen before.

Sapsuckers and Servants

2006-04-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker is not only a fun word to say it is the best way to giggle at us birdwatchers. My friend would say, “Hey, did you see a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker today WaaHaHa!” Then I would reply, “Yes” and they would look at me funny as if I were making the whole thing up. Sapsuckers do exist though, drilling different size holes in all sorts of trees that provide sap. They work like crazy so they will have enough of a food supply for migration this time of year in Illinois. Sapsuckers also provide food for many other birds with all their hard work. Spring warblers often take sips from the drilled holes of the sapsuckers. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds may come up a little to early for most blooms relying on the holes dripping with sweet sap. Orioles also love it and it can provide for them too. I have to say without the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker many other birds would have a harder time in the early spring.

I hope Christians can take the Sapsuckers hard work to heart. Many people cannot make it through the early spring of their lives without a little help. They have just gone through a hard spell of winter and need a little sweetness to get through. Sometimes just a kind word or a prayer can help. Serving at a shelter or help watch some families children for a day. Some folks need some groceries bought for them while they are waiting for some money to come in. Hopefully as Christians our work will overflow to help others while we migrate through this thing called life. Because without love for others its kind of pointless. Why would we want to save all that sweet sap for ourselves when we can help other lives by sharing God's blessings.

Bang your Head in Peace

2006-02-22T11:51:00.000-06:00

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Wildlife is designed to survive very effectively in the elements and environments they live in. The Woodpecker can bang their bills against trees all day and not get a headache because they have straight, strong, chisel-like bills that help them tear into dead wood after grubs or to build nesting cavities. The woodpecker skull encloses the brain so tightly it cannot move, avoiding concussions. And the woodpecker's highly efficient neck muscles produce on-going series of rapid movements.

I see this and realize my spiritual life has a specific design. I always laugh when I think of myself banging my head against the wall mentally or spiritually all day long and somehow surviving. When I draw close to God He cushions the blows drawing tight around me and strengthening my muscles. Bringing me a peace that passes understanding in great turmoil. I need the tools to work in the environment God put me in. without his tools of prayer, scripture and fellowship the blows are devastating and those trees of life are painful when I bang against them.

Clark's Nutcracker and My Spiritual Survival

2005-11-18T11:50:00.000-06:00

Psalm 119:11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Jeremiah 15:16When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.
Luke 6:45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

The Clark's Nutcracker is a member of the crow and jay family. This species ranges throughout the Pacific Northwest south and eastward along the Rocky Mountains. The Clark's Nutcracker is named after Willard Clark from The Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Clarks Nutcracker’s love pine nuts that produce a great source of energy for them.
They store the nuts everywhere including the ground where they may sprout and produce more pine trees if forgotten. Nutcrackers have been known to find 75% of there cache which means some 25% do turn back into trees which provide even more food in the future for the nutcracker and help the trees to produce more of its kind.
Nutcrackers have an amazing ability to find these caches and can even remember where they are hidden under lots of snow. They have a greater percentage in finding their caches than squirrels. Some researchers think they can actually have a greater percentage of finding these caches but the extra “forgotten” storage sites are actually there in case of a harsher winter. So next time they call you a Bird Brain say, “Thanks.”

In our Christian journey the Bible is our spiritual food. Nourishing and sustaining us through troubled times. I hope I have hidden his word in my heart to find it later in times of trouble or spiritual hunger. I need it to survive. Hopefully some of the word is planted and others receive the fruit of it. Perhaps later on my walk with God I will be giving back the word by some cache I buried a long time ago in another travelers soul. We can all learn from our new Brothers and Sisters in Christ along the way. I know The Word buried deep in our hearts can be brought up in a time of trouble to nourish and sustain and even comfort us.

Go North and Find Joy.

2005-11-16T12:26:00.000-06:00

Luke 11:9 - And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Its cold today…. Finally! I love the cold it always feels fresher and clearer in the city. Some of my favorite birds start coming down when it’s cold. Juncos, Lapland Longspurs, Snow Buntings, Saw-Whet Owls, Snowy Owls, and many other Owls are a possibility. The migration of arctic birds, like an occasional Gyrfalcon make me all warm inside.

Last winter brought with it an abundance of Great Gray and Hawk Owls that was unprecedented in Migratory history. The rodent population plummeted up north and they came rushing down. My friends and I went to Sault Ste Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to see a few and we had a blast doing it. I am hoping they have a few more voles this year but I also hope a few Owls and Gyrfalcons still come down for my enjoyment. Sometimes you have to go where it’s cold to find what you are looking for. Your toes may be frozen and your face chapped but if its what you’re looking for, hey that’s worth it.

In my relationship with Christ it can get cold sometimes and the landscape seems bare. In those hardest of times when I can’t feel my soul and my heart seems numb I sit waiting for God. I hear myself saying lets move a little north….WHAT! It’s even more barren and cold there. Yah, but it’s someone else’s environment, its not your own. Their land is colder, more barren than your own. So move on over and see what you can see. Then it hits you, you see it, a smile. In the coldest, barren, darkest place there is life. An amazing thing you have never seen before. A person cast aside, sitting in a worst place than you. Smiling just because you moved over to them and forgot about your frozen toes for a minute.
The Great Gray Owl brought a smile to my face that day up in Michigan. I had a smile brought to my face in the wilderness of my own soul too. By seeing something awesome and beautiful a little north of where I was, enjoying the snow with the least of these.
Matthew 23:12 - whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Light from the Least of Creatures

2005-11-15T12:06:00.000-06:00

Luke 8:17 - For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.
Being on vacation is always a great time to explore and bird watch for me. I finally get out of the city and get a little quite and seclusion. On this particular Vacation day I had no idea that God was planning on showing me. He of course used the oddest of creatures to do it, a creature that is usually frowned upon. Some are amazed by how large it is but are put off by its “acts”. I of course am speaking of the Turkey Vulture.
Turkey Vultures let you know about death, they help you pinpoint it from a distance. You may not see it but you know its there. How? Because when you look above the horizon about 20 Vultures are circling overhead and you know something has bit the dust. Vultures have a great sense of smell and can find the dead hidden under the trees. Then the Turkey Vultures clean up the dead from our landscapes.
I started thinking about scripture "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.” Luke 11: 16-17
Eventually your sin finds you. The stench of your sin and your consequences find you. Sin leads to death and Vultures can actually represent light. You can see the darkness and death of a person’s Spirit when the light of scripture is showing upon it. We are then exposed, our most ugly choices, our rotten carcasses exposed for all to see. We all saw it from a distance the Vultures were circling. Now that it is exposed we must confess, not only to Christ but our Brothers and Sisters. To stand naked before God and man shows in us the darkness the blood and guts of the horror that sin leads us down. It is a battle, one we must face before God and ourselves and our congregations. It is the only way to freedom. We then can clean up our landscape for a fruitful future in bringing forth the good news of Christ. Honesty prevails and respect is giving to the gospel when it is brought on the feet of light. I hope all know your secrets because the Vultures someday will start circling. Marty