I Will Carry You Along

"I will be your God 

throughout your lifetime---

until your hair is white with age.

I made you, 

and I will care for you.

I will carry you along

and save you."

Isaiah 46:4 (NLT)

When The Young Cry Out And Wander In Hunger

I have two bird feeders, but every year the seeds end up falling onto the ground by the frequent wind storms we have in Edmonton. Then the seeds grow rapidly into plants that I have to constantly pull out of the ground.

Today I saw a pretty bird bath on sale at Canadian Tire and the solution to my problem came into my head. I decided to buy the bird bath and put the seeds in the bowl instead. Now it is my bird feeder. (My other bird feeders will be just decorations.)

The wind would have to be a tornado before these seeds end up on the ground.

"Who provides food for the ravens

when their young cry out to God

and wander about in hunger?"

Job 38:41 (NLT)

Run With Endurance And To Win

My sons and I accidentally followed the wrong trail. It was a narrow trail the bisons made. As a result, we dangerously came close to a running herd of them. Before we anxiously turned around and headed back to the parking lot to find the right trail, Tim took some pictures of them.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded

 by such a huge crowd of witnesses

 to the life of faith,

let us strip off every weight that slows us down,

especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

And let us run with endurance 

the race God has set before us."

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

"Don't your realize that in a race everyone runs,

but only one person gets the prize?

So run to win!"

1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT)

Stay Alert; Be On Guard

My four sons and I hiked for sixteen kilometers in Elk Island a few weekends ago. We spotted several wild rabbits in the beginning of the hike because at dawn and dusk they are the most active.

"Stay alert! 

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

He prowls around like a roaring lion,

looking for someone to devour."

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

"Be on guard.

Stand firm in the faith.

Be courageous.

Be strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

You Are My Lamp Lord

My husband Brian and I went shopping to buy garden hoses when he spotted this lighthouse in Walmart. We forgot about buying the hoses because Brian wanted this instead. He loves lighthouses!

The Sanibel Lighthouse was constructed in 1884.

It is the first lighthouse built on Florida's Gulf coast north of Key West and the Dry Tortugas.

However, the ship bringing ironwork for the tower sank three kilometers from Sanibel Island. Divers then had to retrieve the pieces, but two were never found.

"O Lord, You are my lamp.

The Lord lights up my darkness."

2 Samuel 22:29 (NLT)

Come, Let Us Sing

"Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come to Him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to Him.

For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

He holds in His hands the depths of the earth

and the mightiest mountains.

The sea belongs to Him, for He made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too."

Psalm 95:1-5 (NLT)

I Will Watch Over You

Today I went to view the goslings again and continued to take pictures.

"For where two or three gather together as My followers,

I am there among them."

Matthew 18:20 (NLT)

"For He satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things."

Psalm 107:9 (NLT)

"Come follow Me."

Matthew 4:19a (NLT)

"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you

and watch over you."

Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

"He will cover you with His feathers.

He will shelter you with His wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection."

Psalm 91:4 (NLT)

I continue to grieve and stress over the situation I am in, but seeing the beauty of life brings joy to my soul in the time of ugliness.

God Then Blessed Them

The Canadian Geese Goslings were out with their parents today. They are so cute! It was a pleasant few moments for me to enjoy in the midst of a brewing storm.

"Then God blessed them, saying, 

'Be fruitful and multiply.

Let the fish fill the seas, 

and let the birds multiply on the earth.'"

Genesis 1:22 (NLT)

The Battle Is Really God's

I haven't slept or eaten in two days. I feel horrible! I am facing a giant and going to battle. I'm scared, depressed and angry at the people who put in this position because they refuse to speak up, but were not afraid to tell me. Now these same people are thinking about abandoning ship, leaving me holding a massive bag of vomit and manure. I need prayers. I must tell myself that the battle is God's and not mine. Why then do I feel so all alone?

"This is what the Lord says:

Do not be afraid!

Don't be discouraged by this mighty army,

for the battle is not yours,

but God's."

 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT)

Come To Me

The Anhingas are sometimes called Snakebirds because when they swim only their long necks and heads are above the water like a snake ready to strike.

Anhingas are inky black with silver patches on their wings. They have long thin pointed beaks to spear fish, shrimp, amphibians, crayfish, young alligators and snakes.

They do not migrate, but stay in Florida all year round because there is enough food available.

This Anhinga in the two pictures above is resting easily on a branch in the warm sunshine air. It is comforting to know that we too can come any time to God when we are weary and heavily burdened for Him to give us this same kind of rest.

"Come to me, all of you who are weary

and carry heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

But God's People Don't Know

The American White Ibis is a medium-sized bird with white plumage and black wing tips that are usually visible only in flight. It has a deep pink face and a deep pink down-curved bill with a blackish tip. Its long legs are deep pink as well.

During breeding season, the White Ibis pairs up and breeds in huge colonies, often with other waterbird species. The molted bird in the picture is a young White Ibis with some of its brown feathers being replaced by white ones.

The White Ibis eats crustaceans, aquatic insects and small fishes.

It walks slowly in shallow water, sweeping its bill from side to side, and probing at the bottom with its eyes closed. (Its eye lids are white.)

This one decided to look for insects on a paved walkway.

All of these kinds of tropical birds I saw in Florida know the time of their migration for their survival, but yet the Bible says God's people do not even know His requirements or laws.

"Even the stork in the sky knows its season,

and the dove, the swallow, and the crane

observe the time for migration.

But my people don't know the requirements of the Lord.

Jeremiah 8:7 (NIV)

Safety In Numbers

Brown Pelicans are the smallest of the eight species of pelicans in the world.

Adult Brown Pelicans are normally gray-brown with yellow heads and and white necks, but when breeding, the back and sides of the neck turn a rich, dark reddish-brown.

The very young Brown Pelicans are mostly dark brown with a white belly and breast.

Brown Pelicans have a long beak with a hooked tip and a huge pouch.

When Brown Pelicans plunge into the water, they stun small schools of fish with the impact of their large bodies. Then they scoop them up in their expandable throat pouches and drain the water.

Brown Pelicans nest in colonies often in mangroves in islands without predators. They are safe because they are able to live together in harmony.

As God's children, it is important for us to regularly meet together as well, so we can encourage one another to stay faithful and strong for God until He returns. There is safety in numbers.

"And let us not neglect our meeting together,

as some people do,

but encourage one another,

especially now that the day of His return

 is drawing near."

Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

By God's Wisdom

Ospreys are fish-eating hawks. They have eyes that are well adapted to detecting underwater objects from the air.

They have barbed pads on the soles of their feet and curved claws, two in the front and two in the back, to pluck fish from the water and carry them for long distances. In flight, ospreys will hold the fish vertical to ease wind resistance.

Even though they are large birds, they have short tails.

Ospreys live on every continent except for Antarctica.

Younger ospreys have upper parts that appear scaled with cream.

When Ospreys lay eggs, both parents help to incubate them. They usually lay three eggs, but they don't hatch all at once. As a result, the older chick will dominate the younger ones. If food is scarce the younger chick may starve to death.

Ospreys breed in United States and Canada, and then migrate up to 8000 kilometers to South and Central America. Hawks are used in the Bible to represent the wisdom of God because it is by God's wisdom, not man's, that hawks take flight and spread its wings toward the south.

"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom

and spread its wings toward the south?"

Job 39:26 (NIV)

There Is No Other

Reddish Egrets or Herons are medium-size herons with a dark grey body and a reddish neck.

They have a pink bill with a black tip.

Their legs and feet are bluish black.

The Reddish Herons are on of the most active herons. They are always on the move.

They nest in colonies with other herons on platforms of sticks in trees and shrubs.

I wonder if this Reddish Egret is pondering this verse below as it watching the sun set.

"I am the Lord, and there is no other.

I create the light and make the darkness.

I send good times and bad times.

I, the Lord, am the One who does these things."

Isaiah 45:6b-7 (NLT)

Look At The Birds

Great White Egrets or Herons are slightly smaller than Great Blue Egrets, but much larger than Snowy White Egrets. (A Great White Egret is picture in the top left and a Snowy White Egret is pictured in the bottom right.)

These birds have long S-shaped necks, long black legs and feet, and a dagger-like bills.

Their feathers are all white with bright yellow bills, or yellow bills tipped with black, and a greenish-yellow area between their bills and eyes.

Great White Herons feed in shallow water, eating fish, frogs and small mammals.  

They spear their prey with their long, sharp bill, usually by standing still and allowing the prey to come within striking distance of their bill.

I am always amazed when I see how our Heavenly Father feeds all the different kinds of birds He has created.

"Look at the birds.

They don't plant or harvest 

or store food in barns,

for your Heavenly Father feeds them.

And aren't you far more valuable to Him

than they are?"

Matthew 6:26 (NLT)

And just think how much more valuable we are to Him than they are.