Watch Where You Make Your Trails

Some of the Texas countryside can be very dense and difficult to navigate. Tall grass and underbrush can also hide the numerous poisonous snakes that inhabit Texas. Thankfully most of the countryside is crisscrossed with many trails. These trails are typically made by herds of cows, or other types of livestock, as they move through the woods traveling from grazing areas to watering places and to sleeping areas. The cows typically follow the same trails, day after day, and spend a lot of time walking single file, leaving well-worn and deep-rutted trails. The cow’s large bodies trample down the under brush and shrubs, leaving a nice wide trail. Wildlife of all types follow these trails to get through the thick woods. Hunters, bikers, and hikers also use these trails. All the animals have the same excuse for using the existing trails; they all prefer to take the easy route that has already been cleared by others!

In the city parks and greenbelts, there are no cows to make the trails. The deer make small trails but quite often these trails are very narrow and are sometime blocked by low hanging limbs that only a deer could crawl under. I have noticed that the deer and other wildlife quickly start using the trails that I clear in the woods behind my house. It is rewarding to see one of my newly cleared trails full of animal tracks, only a day or two after I cleared the trail!

Just as the animals do, we humans tend to take the well worn paths. We are also creatures of habit. We tend to follow the “habits” or easy paths that others have cleared. When my son started his student driving I was shocked to hear the comments coming out of his mouth when someone rudely pulled out in front of him. I quickly recognized his “look at that crazy nut!” phrase as one that I had used! Hearing my son pick up my angry phrases caused me to rethink what I was saying. Realizing that our children and other Christians pickup our habits and follow our paths should make us more careful to insure that we follow good paths and be a good example for our fellow Christians. Romans 14:21 admonishes us not to do things that could cause our brothers to stumble. Live your life as best as you can, because you never know who is watching you and following in your footsteps

Patience in the Garden

The Zilker Botanical Garden of Austin, Texas is one of my favorite places to enjoy nature. The garden includes seven very different habitats displaying an array of exotic plants. The garden is always full of people enjoying time in the great outdoors. I have made many trips to the garden with my family. It is one of our favorite places for family photographs. I have also spent a lot of time at the garden, alone with my camera photographing the beautiful array of plants and animals.


I have noticed some things in the garden that most people probably never see. In the Japanese garden area there are several ponds which are inhabited by some shy creatures. The typical visitor to the park passes by the ponds and never notices these creatures. With the slightest movement or sound these creatures become motionless, blending in with their surrounding area. After the visitor has left the area, these creatures pick up where they left off and continue their busy routine.

Recently I was editing some video of these creatures when my wife looked over my shoulder and asked where I had filmed the video. She was shocked to find out that it was at Zilker Garden! The shy creatures were water snakes ranging up to three or four feet in length!

If you would like to see the snakes in the garden follow these simple instructions. The next time you visit the Japanese pond area, find a comfortable spot and sit down patiently and motionless for 5-10 minutes. You will see the pond come alive with the busy water snakes!

Patience is the key to seeing the shy water snakes at Zilker Botanical Garden. Patience is also a virtue that can help us in our Christian walk. I was surprised to find out that the word “patience” is mentioned over thirty times in the New Testament alone. So many times we get impatient with God and take things into our own hands, instead of waiting on God. We need to learn patience.

Quite often we are impatient in our prayer time, just saying a quick prayer and then running off to our next appointment or falling asleep. I challenge you to be more patient in your prayer time. Say your prayers and then wait on God, just as one has to wait patiently to see the snakes at the garden. There are times when God would like to speak to you during your prayer time, but you just say a quick prayer and leave. Try leaving 5-10 minutes after your prayer and tell God that you are waiting just to see if he would like to speak to you! You may be surprise to hear what God has to say to you!