Change in Central Texas

     Well, our Texas weather is certainly living up to its reputation! In Texas we say: “if you don’t like the weather just wait a few hours and it will change”! On Monday of this week it was a nice winter day with partly cloudy skies and a high in the mid 50’s. I spent the day at a friend’s house, building on a tree house for his son’s birthday. On Tuesday a new cold front blew in and our high was about 30 degrees and it snowed all day long. I think everybody in town was calling each other talking about the snow! This was the heaviest and longest period of snow that I have ever experience in Texas. The snow flakes were enormous. I was in my office trying to focus on a conference call. I had already warned the others that I may get distracted by watching the falling snow outside my window. My office is on the second floor of our house and I have a bird feeder just outside the window.

There were no birds or wildlife stirring, except for my faithful squirrel that I talked about on my February 9 blog, “Enduring the Rain”. Just as he was eating berries in the rain, he jumped up and started eating the sunflower seeds in my bird feeder. Undeterred by the snow flakes falling on and around him, he fed for some time. He didn’t appeared to be bothered by me snapping a few pictures of him, I guess it was because he had gotten accustomed to my cat jumping up to watch him on numerous occasions. Well, on Wednesday our Texas weather reputation continued. I woke up to clear skies and sun streaming over the horizon and quickly melting the snow from yesterday.

     Changes in our lives are just about as consistent as our changing Texas weather. Sometimes these changes are for good and sometimes they are bad. At times we wonder why the bad things are happening to us, when we are living for God. Matthew 5 tells us that God: “sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”. God allows certain event in our lives to correct us and make us better. In Hebrews 12, Paul tells us that “for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth”. Proverbs 3 tells us to: “despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his corrections”. Just as good parents correct and discipline their children, so God also does to those who follow him. So be ready for change and consider yourself fortunate to have a God, who knows your future, and who corrects and prepares you for a successful tomorrow!

When the Strong Fall

     As I was taking my daily walk through the woods today, I came across a large tree that had fallen over, possible taken by disease. It was sad to see such a majestic tree lying on its side with its roots thrust strangely up in the air. I started noticing other trees that had fallen.

       

There was a large elm tree that was snapped off about three foot above the ground, broken like a small twig, probable by a very strong wind.

I found a massive cedar tree that was blow over. It was still living although most of its roots were exposed. As it fell it knocked over numerous other smaller trees that were under its canopy.

I saw another cedar tree that was bent over right at the ground. Strips of bark and wood splinters were sticking out in every direction. If a tree could feel pain, I’m sure that this would have been an extremely painful injury! I recalled seeing a fallen sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park. It must have been over 25 foot in diameter and several hundred feet long. It roots dwarfed the people standing next to them. Some cataclysmic event must have happened to fall this giant of the forest!

I also recall seeing a healthy hackberry tree, in our front yard, get struck by lightening. A great ball of fire came down the trunk of the tree, literally blowing the bark off the tree. The tree was dead in just a few days.
     Seeing these fallen trees reminded me of how sad it is to see a strong Godly person fall, or be overtaken by some type of sin. Sometimes these people recover and are restored back into the kingdom of God and sometimes they never recover. Quit often when a strong person falls, their fall causes many others to fall with them.

     Numbers 16 tells us of Korah who was a member of 250 princes who were all famous in the congregation and men of renown. Korah led these princes in a rebellion against their leader Moses. Moses tried to reason with them but they would not talk with him. God allowed the earth to open up and swallow them up including their houses and goods!

     In II Samuel 24, King David did evil by numbering the children of Israel. Joab, David’s captain of the host, tried to stop David, but Joab was unsuccessful. God was angry with David and sent a pestilence upon Israel and smote seventy thousand people. David’s heart smote him after realized his sin, and he was repentant. God forgave David and David continued to serve as king of Israel.

     In I Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul, one of the giants of the New Testament Church, tells us that he disciplines his body and trains it to do what it should, lest he falls (or becomes disqualified). If someone of Paul’s stature is concerned about falling, how much more should we be on guard lest we slip and fall from God’s grace.
     Knowing that some will fall, God gives us instructions on how to treat a believer who has fallen. Galatians 6 tells us: “if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
     Be on guard lest you fall out of favor with God, and remember, if you do fall be quick to repent and get back in favor with God!

Night Vision

     Technology is great! I am an avid fan of technology and enjoy purchasing and trying out the latest gadgets and gizmos. There is a lot of high tech night vision equipment made for police and military use. This equipment is also great for observing wildlife at night. I have infrared spot lights and flash lights. These lights send out an invisible (to humans and wildlife) light that can be picked up by special infrared cameras.

     I have an infrared security camera in my back yard that allows me to observe the animals in my backyard, at night. I have infrared night goggles that allow me to see in the dark and walk in the woods at night! I also have what is called a “game camera”. This camera is specially designed for taking pictures of wildlife. The game camera will take pictures during the day or night, when it detects movement of a warm object. Using all of these technologies has given me an insight into what goes on in the woods behind my house after the sun goes down!

     When we moved into the neighborhood we were warned that any small pets left in the backyard would disappear in a couple of days. I understood their warning after using my night goggles one night. I was sitting on the deck in my back yard. I heard a noise and look around just in time to see a fox sniffing around my house, evidently searching for its next meal. Thankfully my cat was safe in the house! Using my night vision cameras, I have seen animals, in my backyard, that are rarely seen in the daylight, including feral hogs and coyotes. I was also surprised to see the raccoons and deer feeding together.

     I started thinking about the spiritual parallels to this fascinating technology that allows me to observe wildlife in the dark. The Bible teaches us that God is our light, and makes the invisible things visible to us. The story of Elisha’s servant in II Kings 6 is a good example. The servant was afraid after waking up and seeing the enemy’s horses and chariots surrounding their city. Elisha told the servant that “they that be with us are more than they that be with them”; and when Elisha prayed, “the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire”.

     In John 16, Jesus tells us that he had to go away but that he would send the Comforter (the Holy Spirit), and in verse 13 tells us that when the comforter, is come, he will guide us and show us things. Thankfully God’s Holy Spirit is still working in our lives today, opening our eyes and taking away our fears. When our first child was only 2 weeks old she got sick one night and started running a very high fever. We were on the phone several times, talking to the doctor. About midnight I left the house to purchase some medicine that the doctor had prescribed. I was a complete nervous wreck wondering if our tiny baby was going to survive! As I was speeding down the road, God spoke to me and told me that our baby was going to be ok. Immediately all my worrying disappeared and I was overwhelmed with a beautiful peace. Evidently, God knew that I was a worrier and decided to stop my worrying once and for all. I have never experienced that overwhelming fear again.

     Isaiah chapter 50 instructs us that: when we are walking in the darkness, to trust in the Lord and rely on him; but warns us that those who live by their own light will get into trouble. So the next time, when you start to worry, or get that uneasy feeling about something, remember to ask God to open your eyes and shine his light on your path. You will be surprised to see what God has in store for you life!

Enduring The Rain

     This has been one of Central Texas’s coldest and wettest winters in years. This morning was no exception to this trend with temperatures in the 40’s and a steady rain. I was in my warm house sitting on the couch reading a book. I was surprised to see a squirrel scurrying about just outside my window. The squirrel was feeding on the ripe yaupon berries. Evidently the squirrel was really hungry, to get out in the cold rain. I quickly grabbed my camera and started taking some pictures. I am accustomed to seeing the squirrels with their beautiful fur and long bushy tails. Unfortunately this squirrel in the rain didn’t look to healthy. Its wet fur was sticking together and its tail looked like a wet mop! The squirrel was holding its tail above its head, like an umbrella, but the rain drops were still dripping in its face. Every few minutes it would shake itself to try to get rid of the water. I saw another squirrel come out for a few seconds and then quickly went back under the cover of a big tree limb. The first squirrel was still feeding 15 minutes later, when I left to answer a phone call.

    Sometimes we do things that we are not comfortable doing. Just as the hunger was driving the squirrel to feed in the rain, situations in our lives can drive us to get our of our comfort zone and take drastic actions. The Bible has many examples of people taking drastic actions, and examples of God responding to their drastic actions. The city of Samaria was under siege by the Syrians. The people were running out of food. The four lepers, who begged at the gate of the city, were evidently faring even worse. The lepers finally decided to take drastic action and started for the camp of the Syrians, hoping to get fed. II Kings 7 tells us that God caused their footsteps to be amplified and sound like an enormous army marching towards the Syrians. The Syrians fled in panic and left all their spoils for the lepers and the rest of the people of Samaria, saving the city from starvation.
     So, the next time you are faced with some of life’s obstacles, just remember that with a determined mind and God’s help, miracles will happen!

The Brave Tamandua

     I stayed at the Chan Chich Lodge in Belize, several years ago. I liked the lodge because it had numerous marked jungle trails that I could hike on at my leisure, without a guide. One afternoon I was quietly walking alone on the Loggers Trail when I spotted a movement in the trees. As I got closer I saw that it was a small Tamandua, a member of the anteater family. It was busy scurrying around, hunting for ants and termites under the bark of a dead tree.

The Tamandua have prehensile tails, like monkeys, which allows them to use their tail for holding on. Lucky for me they have poor eyesight and I was able to observe it for quite some time without being spotted. After taking numerous photographs I finally decided to see what it would do if it saw me. I expected it to quickly retreat into the jungle maze. I made a big movement which it quickly noticed. Although it was only about the size of a medium size house cat, the Tamandua immediately took up a defensive posture and started hissing at me.

 It grasped the tree with its tail and hind feet and began waving its forearms and long claws at me, as if ready to fight! I snapped a few more photographs and then slowly backed away, letting it feel that it had scared me off. I admired its bravery, standing up to something much larger than itself. I don’t think that I would have been as brave as the Tamandua if I was suddenly faced with something much larger than me, such as an elephant.

     The brave actions of the little Tamandua in the jungle started me thinking about our human reaction to facing the “giants” of our lives. I do think it is our human nature to be afraid, when faced with something that could do us harm, but God tells us many times, not to be afraid. Just because we are Christians, does not mean that we will not face any evil or threatening situations in our lives; but, God has promised that he will be with us, and will never forsake us. In Deuteronomy 20, God instructs his people: “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee”. Fear does not come from God, as II Timothy, chapter one, points out: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. The phrase “fear not” appears over 60 time in the Bible! So, the next time you face one of the “giants” in your life, just remember that “God is with you” and be brave as the little Tamandua in the tree!