Art Devotional at Merryvale Assisted Living

Today I get to lead an art devotional at our local assisted living facility.  I am super-excited.

Read it about it by clicking here as I've written about it on my missions blog.

It's all about 1 Corinthians 15 and it's an inspirational devotional about the reality of the resurrection body.  1 Corinthians 15 is deep enough to drown an elephant so I've tried to make it simple.  Read 1 Corinthians 15 for yourself though... it's amazing.

Here is my inspiration painting:

And the progressive example through which I will be guiding the folks:

I am so excited to get to do this.  I know it is going to be energizing and rewarding and I hope that it is likewise revitalizing and life and hope-giving to the participants.

Empty Nesting

Each summer, our little family gets to be the happy host of another little family, a family of house finches.  Mommy and Daddy finch let us know that they're looking for the best location for their nest by sitting on our door wreath and chatting with one another.  We watch them through the glass door when our front door is open.  This year, Mommy finch decided that she wanted her nest to be in my hanging strawberry basket.  And so that's where she and daddy built it.

First there was a perfect little nest, then one tiny blue/green egg, then two, then three.  Mommy finch lovingly warmed them.  Daddy never was far off, talking to her from the tree beside the house.  And about two weeks later, three perfect little finch babies were born.

We watched them every day, taking the basket down and sneaking a peak.  Mommy and Daddy finch attended to them regularly and they grew and grew, until there was no longer room for three finches.  One day when we pulled the basket down to say good morning, big brother was sitting beside the nest.  When we said hello, he flew away!  We caught him and "helped" him back into the basket, but that's not what he wanted because the next day, he was gone again.

A few days later, we heard heavy chattering.  Mom and Dad were flying near the basket stirring up quite a racket.  "Today is the day!" they demanded of their two remaining fledgling fliers.  Little sister stepped up to the side of the nest.  After a couple practice flaps, swish, swish, FLY... away she went, straight up into the air.  Mom and Dad followed after her.  "Hey, what about me," the youngest finch cried out with a demure "cheep."  pause.  "cheep."

A little while later, Mom and Dad were back chattering up a clamor again, "Come on little one; Today is the day!"  This time time, though, big brother and little sister were back with Mom and Dad trying to land back on the nest!  "Oh no you don't" commanded Mom and Dad, shoeing them off each time they came in for a landing.  Busy, busy Mom and Dad had to fly away with the older two and show them where they needed to sit and wait for their youngest sibling.  "She'll never come out if you two cozy up next to her," I imagine they told big brother and little sister.  And so off they went, the four of them, into the tree beside the house, leaving the youngest again who cowered and quietly cried out "cheep." pause.  "cheep."

I would like to have watched them all day, but, as with most days, nature's little wonders must only be a brief delight.  We did not witness the youngest make her debut, but alas, she did at some point because when we later checked the nest, it was empty.  And we have not heard from the finch family since.  But we hope that we shall seem them, or at least their lineage, when nesting time comes around again.

Benny is Back & Hummingbirds Sing

Benny, our 2nd generation white bunny rabbit was out of the back yard the other day.  After considerable effort, we managed to catch him and put him back in the back where he belongs, only for him to escape again the next day when Daddy had the fence block removed to work on his boat.  This time, we let him roam a little and, by the next day, he was nowhere in sight.  He's a rabbit though, and they are not known for their loyalty.  This morning, however, he was back nibbling the sweet potato leaves by the garden.  Not having seen him, I had put out an unused garbage can on it's side filled with hay and some rabbit feed.  I moved it to where he was.  He thanked me in his sort of way by exploring the side-ways can and eating the feed for a mid-morning snack.  I realized he was likely thirsty and put some water out by his food.  He made some space between us as I walked up to his new garden home, so I set the water down and then sat a little ways off to watch him return and explore the new digs.  As I sat I watched the side yard in the morning.  There are so many noises in our world, cars and radios and lawn mowers and phone calls, that we hardly notice how noisy mother nature is herself.  As I watched a brown thrasher preen above me, dropping her downy feathers breezily floating to my feet, the carolina wren sang her mighty little song in the evergreens beside the oak.  The mother hawk screeched loudly across the street.  Benny stood up on his hind legs, ears perked.  He knows to look out for that sound.  The blue jays, chasing one another, squawked and quarreled as they always do, "Get off my branch!," "This is MY branch," "No it's mine; I was here first!"  And when the blue jays had settled their argument and the woodpeckers had alighted in the far off sweet gum top, I realized that a not-so-tiny chirping from the garden was the scratchy song of a hummingbird, then two hummingbirds, conversing with one another, perhaps telling each other the location of the sweetest nectar this morning.  I would have been perfectly happy sitting and watching them all the whole morning.  But alas, this is a world of toil and I must get to it.  But I'm glad to see Benny and delighted to know the sound of a hummingbird song.

The Squirrel and the Bone

This morning, while taking care of the rabbits and chickens, I kept hearing a strange scratching sound coming from the trees.  Upon closer inspection I discovered that a squirrel had a segment of deer legbone and was holding it in on a branch sharpening it's teeth.  Neat.  I'd never seen that before but it makes sense.  They have to have sharp teeth after all to break open all those nuts!