One of the benefits of becoming a birdwatcher is learning their songs.  It’s been a few years now, and every year I learn another call or sometimes unlearn one I thought I knew.  For the longest time I thought I was hearing a cardinal, when it was really a wren, but now I know them instantly. 
 
             I also know now that the same bird produces more than one call.  A cardinal will peep, one high light note at a time, or he will purty, purty, purty, or what, what, what, what, or even cheer, cheer, cheer, cheer, cheer.  It all depends upon whether he is courting a female, defending his territory from other males, warning other birds of interlopers, or just contentedly enjoying his meal.  But whichever call he uses, now I know it.

              Some bird songs are deceptive.  A mourning dove sounds like some kind of soft-spoken owl.  A blue jay’s whistle might sound a bit like a cuckoo to someone who is used to listening to cuckoo clocks.  And did you know that the movies often use a hawk’s call when an eagle is pictured because it sounds much more regal for our national bird than the squawk an eagle usually produces?  And so you have to be educated to these sounds to know them, to distinguish one from the other. 

              The same is true of the Bible.  The things I see people falling for astonish me.  How could they possibly believe such craziness?  How?  Because they have never educated themselves in the scriptures.  If you know the general teaching of the Bible, the general layout of the plot (yes, there is one), more than that, if you know the God and the Christ presented in those Scriptures, you won’t fall for the false teachings out there.  You may not know exactly what is wrong, but your mind will instantly say, “Wait a minute.  Something doesn’t sound right.”

              You can only do that by paying attention to everything Jesus says, not just the parts you like.  Too many of us don’t want a Savior who demands that we follow him only, that we give up ourselves, our likes and dislikes, our loyalties and loves, and who makes statements like, “Sin no more,” and “You are of your father the devil.”  We want the loving Jesus who forgives sins and holds the little children in his lap.  To truly accept Jesus is to accept all of his words and ways, not just the parts we prefer.  “The sheep follow the shepherd,” Jesus says, “because they know his voice” John 10:3.  Even the stern, disciplinary voice.

              Jesus is our Good Shepherd.  We must learn all of his words in order to truly know him and not be deceived.  All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen, John 10:8.  I’m afraid too many of us would listen, and become lost sheep in the process.

              Do you know his voice?  If you don’t know the whole of Jesus and God’s word, you don’t.  If I can learn a couple dozen bird calls in such a short amount of time, surely you can learn the call of a Savior who wants you to know him in even less. 
 
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32
 
Dene Ward

Go back about 12 years and read about the bird feeder Keith built for me next to the window.  When I remember those first few years I want to laugh at my ignorant self. 

             The first birds that showed up were cardinals.  Those I knew, and I was thrilled to be able to see them so closely for the first time in my life.  What was less than thrilling was seeing those ugly females.  They did not look like the pictures in the books, smooth olive green with red tinges on the edges of wings and crest.  Some of these were a muddy brown all over.  Some were mottled gray.  And the crests looked like a bad hair day times ten.  When the juveniles first appeared, they looked even worse—a little bit like human adolescents, lanky, lean, and awkward with spiky crests that never laid back straight, and splotchy, molting feathers as the young males began to grow their signature red coats.  But at least I knew what they were.

             When the first tufted titmouse arrived, it took me over a week to figure out what it was.  Ignorance in the bird watching world means you have to look at page after page after page and when the bird tires of eating and flies away, you no longer have anything to compare it with.  For several days I was sure it was a gray gnatcatcher, and proudly told everyone else who sat at my window and showed some interest.  I really do not remember when I finally learned the truth.  It probably was a matter of getting more and more information and seeing more and more pictures until finally the real identity of this bird became apparent.
 
            After a while I learned what to really focus on, not just colors, but also things like crests, eye rings, and wing bars.  The details make the difference when it comes to some species. Otherwise they look exactly alike.  It also helps to have photos instead of drawings.  As careful as I know the wildlife artists are, they still have a tendency to draw the ideal version of that particular bird.  It's like the difference between a glamor shot and a right out of bed before makeup shot.

            Then I got a book containing only Florida birds.  It cost a pretty penny, especially for something the size of a large wallet, but it has made all the difference in how quickly I can locate and identify a bird.  No more being "absolutely certain" only to discover that the bird in question never flies east of the Mississippi.  This particular book has only photographs, and it also explains things such as their flying patterns and activities that can help you identify the bird, plus which other birds bear a close resemblance and how to tell them apart, and whether they are only here for a season or all year.  If the book says this particular bird is only around in winter and here it is July, you know you are looking at the wrong picture.  The book also divides the birds by their color, a real boon in saving time.  Identifying birds has become much less work and much more fun simply because I am not so stone cold ignorant as I was in the beginning.

            Unless you plan to be an ornithologist, you can learn most of what you need to know about birds like I have—reading, looking at pictures, and especially, watching the birds themselves.  Now when I sit and watch, I know what to look for, I have a general knowledge of when to look for certain ones.  We only have goldfinches for a couple days in the fall when they migrate south and in the spring when they head back home.  Although we have sparrows and catbirds around all year, they will only come to the feeder between November and April.  Otherwise they like to fend for themselves, thank you.  That bird that always sits on leafless limbs, then flies down to the ground and back up to the same limb over and over is a phoebe.  And that behavior is called hawking.  See what I have learned because I really wanted to?

            Guess what?  Bible study is similar to this.  When you don't know what you are doing, you make some ridiculous mistakes.  When you aren't familiar with the scriptures at all, you hardly know where to begin and how to make all the facts you uncover fit together into a coherent picture.  The only way to fix this is to keep at it.  I have been watching my birds for over a decade now, and only now can I recognize a couple dozen different birds, their sounds, and some of their activities.  Now I know that bird in the tree that won't sit still more than a few seconds is probably a bug-eater rather than a seed eater.  Bugs move and seeds don't!

            Bible study will only become easier for you when you have spent some time at it—and I don't mean a few minutes a day for ten years.  I mean many minutes a day for years and years and years.  It may be easy to understand the basics of how to please God, most of us were raised with that.  But when it comes to the details, it takes a lot more time than reading your chapter a day like a good girl.  When you have put the time into it, you will know what to look for and how to find it.  You will recognize allusions to other passages.  Maybe you will see the worth in spending a little bit of money on Bible resources.  Maybe you will overcome your timidity and ask someone to help you.  I know good solid Christians who would love to help you.  I would love to.  I go all over the place speaking to groups of women, and my husband would be happy to speak to their men. 

            And the more you know, they more things will begin to click, the more light bulb moments you will have, and gradually, the stronger your faith will become.  After all, faith does come by hearing the Word of God.  If you cannot find time to spend with God's message to you, how can you ever expect to have enough of that faith to overcome, to endure, and to please God?

            You may be just a beginning Word Watcher.  But you can become so much more.
 
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.​  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Ps 119:9-11)
 
Dene Ward

We do not have your average watchdog.  Every other dog we have ever had barked when someone drove up to the house.  In fact, they usually started barking as our visitors drove through the gate a hundred yards away.  But not Chloe.

              We were expecting guests one evening recently, and we knew exactly when they drove on to the property.  Suddenly, Chloe went tearing by the window—in the opposite direction.  I am not sure if she actually made it all the way around the house and under the porch to hide before they drove up or not, but she made herself scarce as soon as they exited their vehicle.  At least we knew to go open the door when we saw her tearing across the yard.

              Sometimes we need to learn a thing or two from Chloe.  The Lord expects us to fight, to stand, and be firm—but not always.  At times, the thing we are fighting is too dangerous to get that close.  In those cases he does not want us to be foolhardy daredevils.  He tells us to just run.

              Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (1Cor 10:14)  You may think this is no problem for us.  You would be wrong.  In a culture that worships celebrity, we are just as prone as those first century Christians to follow the pagans in their exciting festivals and sacrifices.  For us, it's falling into the temptation of thinking more highly of people than we ought (Rom 12:3)—just look at the disparity in wages between actors and athletes versus first responders and schoolteachers.  Our skewed sense of values is shameful.  We, too, fall into the temptation of fashioning our lives after popular idols instead of Christ—clothing, lifestyles, recreation, and other things which may not be appropriate for a child of God.  And that is only one of various forms of idolatry our society participates in.

              But as for you, O man of God, flee these things... (1Tim 6:11)  Check the context immediately above this verse and you will see that Paul is warning Timothy about the corrupting nature of wealth.  If ever a culture needs that warning today, it is ours.  We spend too much of our time on it, too much of our energy and thought.  Just compare what you spend on entertainment (TV, movies, vacations, etc.) in a year with what you spend on spiritual things, including your Sunday morning contribution, and see where you stand.  And so like everyone else, we dream of being rich because if we had all that money, we would be different!  It would not be a problem for us to handle it.  If you have ever thought such a thing, run!  You are in danger.  Don't even try to stand and fight it.  It will swallow you whole.

              Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. (1Cor 6:18)  I have seen too many good strong men and women fall by this very sin, people you would never have thought would do so.  Elders, deacons, Bible class teachers, even preachers.  This is so dangerous that even that great hero of faith, Joseph, did not try to fight it.  He simply ran (Gen 39:12).  Do you really think you are stronger than he was?  Don't do anything that will leave you in a vulnerable position.  It isn't exciting, glamorous, or romantic—it is sin.  Period.  Just ask yourself the same question Joseph did:  "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"  If you want to know how you can, then stick around like a fool and you will find out soon enough.  If you want to save yourself—run.

              But flee youthful lusts… (2Tim 2:22)  Timothy was not all that young when Paul wrote him these words, probably in his late thirties or early forties.  That tells you that "youthful" lusts are dangerous to everyone, not just young people.  Do you want to see youthful lusts in action?  Watch that white-haired man drive down the road in his Corvette convertible with that twenty-something blonde in the passenger seat.  Mid(and later)-life crises happen when people decide they have not been able to do everything they ever dreamed of.  Instead of enjoying life with the wives of their youth, becoming a child again with their grandchildren, and spending their golden years serving God in ways they never could earlier, they have decided that selfishness is the way to go.  It is easy to see the draw.  It is harder to turn away if you stand there too long.  Run, run, and keep on running.  Those youthful lusts would have ruined your life then, and they can ruin what's left of it now.

              So yes, once in a while it's okay to follow Chloe's example.  Running can be good for you, and not just for the exercise of it.  Running can save your soul.
 
Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. (Prov 6:5)
 
Dene Ward

Chloe is afraid of everything and everyone.  The meter reader, the FedEx man, every repairman we have ever had, every visitor, and every family member, except my older son, all scare her to death.  I have often wondered if we actually had cattle, whether this Australian Cattle Dog would be afraid of them, too.

             What did all these people do to Chloe?  Nothing.  They simply exist in her world.  So when the grandchildren come visit, she is extra terrified.  After all, little boys are not still, quiet creatures.  Not only are they in her world, they are in it loudly and rambunctiously.  We will often tell her when our older son is on his way.  She knows his name and when she hears, "Lucas is coming," she runs to the edge of the carport, faces the gate, and waits until he arrives, joyously running up to greet him.  She does not know our grandchildren's names.  She thinks they are little monsters, though they are not at all.  They are actually sweet little guys, but to her "monsters" is the name.

              But there is one thing about this scaredy-dog:  when we tell her they are coming "tomorrow," it doesn't bother her a bit.  She still sits between us at the morning fire, relishing a head pat, a belly rub, and a tossed treat.  The thought of the monsters coming doesn't keep her from enjoying today.

              We need to be more like that.  Jesus told us that in almost those exact terms.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble [monsters]. Matt 6:34.  Handle today's problems today.  Let tomorrow take care of itself.

              Easier said than done, I know, but consider just two short things in the same passage.  First, worry shows a lack of faith (v 30).  God has promised to care for his people.  He has promised to hear our prayers.  He has promised he will never forsake us.  No, he has not promised to fix everything exactly how we want it, nor has he promised we will never have trials and difficulties in life.  But what he has promised will be far more help than worry ever could be.  Trust him to help you and be with you through it all, and the monsters will be easier to bear.

              Second, only pagans should worry (v 32).  Any time we fail to trust God and become so anxious that we can no longer even function, we are showing ourselves NOT to be children of God, but children of the Devil.  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Matt 6:32.  Unbelievers have a father who doesn't care about them.  You have a Father who gave His Son to save you.  What would He NOT give you if you are faithful to Him?

              Remember Chloe's lesson for you this morning.  Take care of today.  There are head pats and belly rubs and treats to be had—don't ruin them by worrying about the monsters of tomorrow.
 
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Phil 4:6
 
Dene Ward

In the winter sparrows invade my yard, swarming the feeders like ants.  It is nothing unusual for 15 or so to cover the trough by the window, while half a dozen more sit in the azaleas waiting for an opening.  Meanwhile, thirty to forty hop along the ground, flitting back and forth to the smaller hanging feeders, which sway from the impetus of their continual take-offs.  After several frosts the brown and black grass successfully camouflages their drab brown and gray feathers.  I can only tell they are there because frosted off grass doesn’t ordinarily move, but that grass literally writhes.
 
             Brown and gray—drab colors compared to the brilliant red cardinals, the bright yellow goldfinches, the contrasting red and yellow bars on the blackbird’s wing.  Even the brown of the Carolina wren is comparatively bright, and the stark contrasts of the zebra-striped black and white warbler perched pecking at the suet cage draws your eye far sooner than the mousy little sparrow.

              But someday you should sit at my window when one of them lands on the trough not six inches from your nose.  Up close the intricate patterns on their wings suddenly turn those drab colors into a source of wonder and delight.  Like delicate lace, the brown and gray sections, outlined by white and spotted with black, will keep your attention for a half hour or more as you struggle to discern the pattern God has placed in their tiny feathers.  No artist could have created anything so exquisite, especially using those colors.

              And what about you?  God can take your drab colors and create a creature far beyond your imagination.  He can take a miserable life and give it purpose, a sorrowful spirit and make it joyous, a selfish heart and tenderize it with compassion.  He can take a soul overwhelmed by the darkness of sin and make it bright with the reflection of its Savior.

              There is nothing drab about the life of a Christian.  God can make even the most ordinary person extraordinary.  We have no need for garish colors, for manmade ornament, or the laurels of worldly praise.  We know who we are—new creatures, “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” each of us beautiful in His glory.  If all you see are drab colors, you just haven’t gotten close enough.
 
…Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, Eph 4:22-24.
 
Dene Ward
 

Every three months we go through the same thing—trying to get the flea pill into Chloe.  The vet can talk all day about how good it tastes—why, it's beef flavored—but so is a bouillon cube and I wouldn't eat one of them either.  Besides, I wonder if she has actually tasted this pill—this HUGE pill that somehow I am supposed to get not only into my dog's mouth, but actually down her throat.

           We've tried the peanut butter trick.  She somehow sucks it out of the peanut butter and spits it out without losing one smear of the good stuff.

              We tried stuffing it into a block of cheese.  Same thing, and not only that, but getting a block of cheese big enough for that horse pill is pretty expensive.

              So one time we tried the mean way.  We grabbed her, pried open her mouth and stuffed it in.  Keith held her muzzle, stroked her throat to encourage swallowing, and talked as sweetly as he could to calm her down and get her to accept it.  Even with her mouth clamped shut, out it came—like a watermelon seed spitting contest.

              I am certain that you have seen people spit out the parts of the gospel they don't like, just like Chloe did her pills.  I am just as certain you have seen Christians do the same thing.  I actually had a woman tell me in a Bible class, "But I don't like reading those passages," as if that would make what she deemed objectionable go away or at least excuse her from having to look at it.  Because of those attitudes we have people in the world who think God changes with the Testaments, that Jesus will accept their continuing sin because he loves them, and that the church is only there to take care of them and make them feel good.

              This isn't new.  One of Hosea's themes is that God's people did not know him.  Oh, they knew his name, they knew he existed, but if they had really known what he was all about, do you really think they would have been so unfaithful?

              ​Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing. Hos 8:12.  They were so ignorant of God and his law that it was practically a foreign language.  It's the same attitude that, when confronted with their sin today, people dare to say, "But God wouldn't want me to be unhappy."  When you really know someone, you understand their likes and dislikes, their opinions, their preferences, the things that are most important to them.  We cannot claim to know God yet neither know nor even care about those things with him.

              I recently came across the following quote:  "The modern church is producing passionate people with empty heads who love the Jesus they don't know very well."  (Voddie Baucham)

              Because of his background, I believe the speaker is referring to the modern church in denominational terms, but I have seen enough ignorance among my brothers and sisters to know it applies here as well.  The hunger for knowledge has been lost in a society that is too busy with "stuff" to even have time for it, much less think it is worth the trouble.  And because we convert people by emotion alone, they have no real knowledge of God and what he requires of them in holiness, purity, and obedience.  When they finally hear a sermon they don't agree with, regardless of the Biblical evidence, they leave because it no longer makes them happy, or it requires a sacrifice in their lifestyles, or they are "uncomfortable" with what it means.  If we manage to chase them down and make them stay, don't expect them to go ahead and swallow that nasty pill they don't like. 

              Finally, out of sheer desperation one day, I called Chloe and told her I had a treat for her, using the same silly tone of voice and the same excited body language as for a real treat.  Then I put it on the steps, right where I put all her other treats.  She gave it a sniff and looked at me sideways.  "Eat your treat!" I said, even sillier sounding than before.  She sighed, leaned down, picked it up and, after rolling it around in her mouth for a while, ate it.  Then she walked away, looking over her shoulder at me as if she were very disappointed in such a naughty child. 

              Somehow we must start getting the Word into people, whether they think they want it or not.  Somehow we must show them that it is indeed a "treat."  Learning God's Word can be fun.  Learning about God can be exhilarating.  Learning about everything he did to bring us into a saving relationship with him can spark a real desire to learn more, to become more like him, changing and growing each day.  That's how you develop a faith that will stand the trials of life and prepare you for an Eternity with a Father you finally know.
 
I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. Hos 2:20
 
Dene Ward
 

One morning on a camping trip to Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, we were awakened by acorn shells gently falling from the tree above us onto the taut surface of our tent.  A squirrel had picked that limb overhead as his breakfast counter.  In the early morning gray of pre-dawn it was mildly irritating—this was supposed to be a vacation, after all, sleeping in was part of the deal—but when you choose an outdoor venue for your vacation, you realize that encounters with nature should be expected.

              I was reminded of that trip this morning.  Our home sits under some monstrous live oaks.  They deliver cooling, and budget-saving, shade in the summer, but in the fall, they provide a handy pantry for the local fauna.  We have done our best to shoo those varmints away for the sake of the aviary we have set up around us, both feeders and houses.  That means more acorns remain to fall on our metal roof.

              About six-thirty, when the morning breezes pick up, the barrage began.  I do not know if it is the metal or if our acorns just happen to be heavier or larger than the average acorn, but it did not sound like pieces of shell gently falling from a limb above—it sounded like a bunch of monkeys throwing coconuts as hard as they could just to see what sort of trouble they could cause.  We were up early on a Saturday morning whether we wanted to be or not.

              I have some brethren like that.  Sometimes things need to be said, granted.  Souls are at stake.  The Word of God must be defended.  But do we have to throw coconuts at six AM?  Does a preacher need to be castigated on the church house doorstep in front of visitors from the community and new converts when we disagree with a sermon?  Do we need to waylay a sister at a potluck where, even in the corner of the room, everyone can see what's going on—especially if she runs out the door crying? 

               When we do what has to be done, some acorn pieces will inevitably fall on the tent roof and wake people up—but that's the point, isn't it?  Waking them up, not beating them down.  If time and opportunity are short we may need to take a deep breath and do what needs to be done no matter what others may think, but hurling coconuts as hard as possible just to cause trouble is a far cry from the empathy that does its best to reach another's heart with as little collateral damage as possible.  That is why so many preachers will dare to remind the wayward children at a funeral, "Your mother wants nothing more than to be with you again in Eternity.  Look at yourself and do what you need to do to make that happen."  Most of the time, the mothers have asked those preachers to say just that.  They are not monkeys with coconuts; they are doing their best to be a squirrel with an acorn.

              So today, ask yourself why you do what you do.  Are you really concerned for souls, or do you just want to be the center of controversy, the one who gets to show that sinner what's what?  Are you quietly eating your acorns, or are you just a monkey throwing coconuts as hard as you can?
 
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Gal 6:1-3
 
Dene Ward

It has been 2 or 3 years or maybe longer, so it was a little surprising.  Keith was headed for the equipment shed, the one furthest from the house.  We had a cold spell and now, two or three days after the coldest temperatures, the sky was ice blue but the surrounding air relatively mild, warming in the day, as long as you stayed in the sunlight.  Which is exactly what attracted that cottonmouth.  There he lay at the front of the shed, half in and half out of the sun.

             Keith returned to the house and picked up his .22 rifle, loaded with "rat" shot.  Usually one straight to the head leaves them so dead they don't even do their customary postmortem writhe, but this one turned around and headed to the shelter of the inner shed.  Keith was sure he had not missed.  After changing to his steel-toed work boots and clanging loudly around the riding mower which stood square between him and the direction the snake had crawled, he climbed aboard, started it and backed out.  There it was—right up against the back wall.  Another shot to the center of his body and it barely raised its head.  A final one to the head for the coup de grace. 

              A Florida winter is not bad by northern standards.  Even here in north Florida where we might have several frosts and freezes a year and occasional snow flurries, we still see Northern transplants in shirtsleeves, especially in the warmer afternoons, while we natives are still shivering in sweaters or windbreakers.  The cold-blooded reptiles feel the same way about it we do. 

               We always told our boys they could go out in the woods if the temperature was 50 or under—they would be safe from the snakes.  Any warmer made things much more dangerous.  Cold air makes snakes sluggish.  A bright sun is a much friendlier atmosphere for them.  They will crawl out of their holes to try to warm up their blood.  An open sunny field in the winter is much more dangerous to walk in than the cooler shadows.

              Have you noticed that Satan doesn't have to hide anymore?  Our culture has become much friendlier and hospitable to him than ever before.  Things that used to be hidden because everyone knew they were wrong, are done right out in the open.  Just turn on your television.  All you have to watch are the commercials to see Satan reigning everywhere.  No longer do you have to go to "the wrong side of town" or down dark alleys.  He is everywhere and everyone welcomes him like a long lost brother.  Maybe that's exactly what he is to our culture.  ​Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush…says the LORD. Jer 6:15.  Neither does our culture—they are downright proud of their sin.

              Suddenly the righteous man is the one who has to hide, who has to live in the dark alleys so he won't be persecuted for his godliness.  Suddenly our society is no longer hospitable to the good, but only to the evil. 

               So what should we do?  Be careful out there.  Don't fall prey to the desire for popularity or simple companionship.  Keep yourself holy in an unholy world even if it becomes dangerous, even if you must sacrifice for the Lord, the one who sacrificed for you.

              Snakes are crawling around everywhere.  Be careful where you step.
 
…“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. Ezra 9:6
 
Dene Ward

We have put up several new feeders and the bird population has exploded.  We see more new kinds and more of them than ever before.  We have also seen a few new bird antics as well.

              Yesterday we looked out in time to see two doves running around the pole one of the feeders hangs from.  While cardinals and titmice usually fly the four feet up from the ground to the feeders, the doves are content to peck off the ground what falls, and a great deal does.  Pick up the binoculars and watch the seeds fly every time one of the birds “on high” pecks at it.  Meanwhile, down below, the doves revel in the raining plenty.

              Except those two.  For several minutes they chased one another around and around and around that pole, the one trying to shoo the other away from the free meal.  Occasionally the one in front got far enough ahead to stop and peck a seed, but the one behind, running literally ankle deep in food, never got a bite.

              Kind of reminds me of a few Bible classes I have sat in.  Two men wrapped up in their own opinions, chase one another around in circles with their “logic,” and neither one of them get any of the spiritual nourishment being offered that morning.  Or one man desperately tries to have his meal while another of differing opinion cannot allow it and pursues him with “arguments about words.”  In fact, if the man isn’t careful, he will usually be cornered right after class as the chase continues.  Like those two birds I watched that day, neither one is fed, despite the banquet laid right in front of them.

              Paul calls that sort of behavior “carnal” and immature, 1 Cor 3:1-3.  He equates it with orgies and drunkenness, Rom 13:13.  James puts it on a par with “every vile practice,” 3:16.  All of them link quarreling with things like jealousy, envy, hostility, and selfishness.  James even adds murder and adultery to the mix, 4:1-4.  It is one thing to have a spirited discussion of the Scriptures.  It is another entirely to refuse to consider new ideas, clinging to beliefs out of pride or dismissing a point simply because of who presented it, all cloaked in concern for words and their correct meanings while patently ignoring basic spiritual concepts like Divine authority and holiness. 

              Our spiritual meals are presented to help us glorify God, not to exalt ourselves over others.  They are food for the soul, not ammunition for the spiteful.   They are nourishment for the kind, not fodder for the vindictive.  If all we can do is chase one another in circles with the Word of God, we don’t deserve to hold those sacred writings in our hands.

              I laughed at those two stupid doves under my feeder.  Then I just shook my head and sighed.  I have seen too many Christians just like them.
 
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, Galatians 5:14-16.
 
Dene Ward

Chloe doesn’t have much of a sense of smell thanks to her doggie allergies, which alternately cause congestion or a runny nose.  We can throw her a treat and then sit for several minutes unbothered while she searches for it in the grass.  But her sense of hearing must be amazing.

              She can distinguish our car engine all the way from the highway, almost a half mile.  I’ve seen her sit there and watch for Keith for several minutes before he even gets to the gate, before the dogs along the lane begin to bark at his passing because she hears “him” coming.

              And she can hear moles digging underground.  We will be walking along outside when suddenly she stands at point, looking at the grass just ahead of her, then pounces and begins digging, her snout in nearly to her eyeballs as she digs and sniffs (bless her heart, she tries) and searches.  Many times she has brought out the mole and disposed of it.  This year we have had plenty for her to work on.

              Moles are small mammals, insectivores, adapted to a subterranean lifestyle.  They have tiny or invisible eyes and ears.  They have developed the ability to survive in a low oxygen environment by reusing oxygen inhaled aboveground.  That also means they can tolerate the higher levels of carbon dioxide that would poison most mammals.  They avoid each other except in breeding season and fight whenever they do meet.  I couldn’t even find a word for a group of moles.  They aren’t herds or swarms or gaggles or flocks.  Maybe that’s because the word is unnecessary since they never get together.

              Think about all that.  Does it sound familiar?

              Do you know any people with small eyes and ears, many of whom are blind?

               Why do you not understand my speech? [Even] because you cannot hear my word, John 8:43.

              In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:4.

              Do you know a group who reuses old oxygen, failing to bring in any new work to revitalize its heart, poisoning itself in the process?

              Thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, Mark 7:13.

              Do you know a group that avoids each other except in season (Sundays) and then fights when they do meet?

              Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? James 4:1.

              But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another, Gal 5:15.

              If all that sounds like a group you know, even if they call themselves the body of Christ, they are only pretenders.  That is not what he gave his life for.

              I am certain you could come up with other comparisons yourself.  But don’t waste your time on that or you are in danger of becoming one of those moles yourself, festering underground in your own poison.  Just do what you can by being what you ought to be.  Moles are ugly, in more ways than one.  It shouldn’t take much motivation to try not to become one.
 
"There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. Job 24:13-16.
 
Dene Ward