Harmless as Doves

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16

I tossed some corn on the cob over my banisters last week thinking the doves I see and hear in the yard might enjoy our left-overs. A while later I went back on the deck and scared a whole flock off the ground below. The thundering of the wings would have been scary to me had I not known what doves sounded like. 

Later as the sun was setting I heard them cooing as they perched on the powerlines for the night. A still mournful sound yet calming. Earlier this summer I heard a dove frantically cooing. I'd never heard that call in their repertoire. My nephew said the dove had lost its mate. They mate for life and when one mate dies the other makes a pitiful sound, a true mourning. 

Doves never cause harm to other animals or people other than maybe eating corn crops. Jesus' analogy to Christians to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves draws a great picture. A Serpent, a snake is a smart creature hiding and camouflaged until the moment it strikes so it gets you before you get it. May our witness be unexpected striking to the hearts of those endangered by a life apart from God. 

But doves are harmless. They make a lot of noise when they fly and may startle someone but they will not attack. They are mournful in their call, mated for life. In death uncomforted. May we startle the lost with our harmless, loving testimony and happy in our lifelong relationship with Christ. May we be mournful for the lost, pleading for them and with them in love. 

Blessings,

Gail

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Hey Kids:

Are you a bird watcher? Do you notice birdcalls when you're out playing or working in the garden? 
Do you have a bird feeder near a window? 
My bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder are near my kitchen window. 
Hummingbirds are harmless. They sound like a hornet attack but once you know what you're hearing they're fun to watch. 
They dart around the feeder, landing on the wire cage near it. 
The males fight with each other over the feeder.
They even make a chirping sound. 
I've had to offer them my broom as a landing spot in my carport and transport them quickly to the outside. They must think my red car is the biggest flower they've ever encountered. 

Jesus used doves and snakes to make his analogy. 
How could you make an analogy with hummingbirds or maybe lizards?
My dog once ate a blue-tail lizard and almost died. 
Are there other animals that impress you? 
How can you use the Lord's creation as a witness to others?
We'd love to hear from you.

Feral

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. II Peter 3:9

I wanted to share a story today from my childhood. It's not polished or publish-ready but it is heartfelt and a reminder that Jesus is waiting patiently for us to come to Him so He can share in the good things of our lives. 




You came to me in a shoe box from Patti’s barn. You were a feral kitten, afraid of your own shadow, and especially of mine. I held you in my lap as Daddy jerked the stick shift over the rough country roads. I turned you loose in a basement filled with greasy car parts, Mama’s washtub, and clutter. You made a mad dash for the cover of Daddy’s long workbench. I called, “Here Kitty, Kitty” and brought you a bowl of warm milk. You were tucked deep under the bench. I could barely see the white tip of your orange tail as you curled in the corner. “Here Kitty, Kitty.” You didn’t move a muscle.

Hide and Seek

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Luke 19:10

 

And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Luke 15:5

We camped with the grandchildren at Cades Cove, TN this week. While visiting the John Oliver Cabin on the historical loop the girls decided to play hide and seek, the oldest hiding from the youngest. 

Laurel snuck away from her sister on several occasions but the little one finally found her. With the satisfaction of having won the game, Fern plopped down on the porch to rest. 

Hide and seek is a game older than these cabins and we all tend to play it in one way or another. Jesus said He came to seek and to save that which was lost. We try every move possible to avoid confronting our sins. We hide from the truth that sin usually makes us miserable. But Jesus never gives up on us. He wants us to be found by Him. In Jesus parable of the lost sheep, He says He lays the sheep He found on His shoulders and rejoices, carrying it back to the fold. 

Are you still hiding from God? Do you know someone who is? Look at the satisfaction on little Fern's face having found her sister. Jesus has that look of satisfaction and rejoicing when another person has been found, brought into the fold of God. I'm thankful to have been found. 

Hey Kids:

What games do you like to play? 

There are a variety of hide and seek games I played as a child. 

Here's just a few. Maybe your parents or grandparents can show you how to play.

Thimble, Thimble, Who's Got the Thimble

Doggie, Doggie, Who's Got the Bone

Marco Polo

Blind Man's Bluff

Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Let our games remind us that Jesus is seeking after each one of us. Let Him find you. 

Blessings,

Gail

Treasures

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Matthew 6:19, 20

Last week I found this treasure on the edge of my driveway. I knew immediately by the perfect notches this was a broken arrowhead. The Blackstock Road runs about two miles from my home. This road was the trade route from the mountains to the sea long before Columbus discovered America. 

My mind began to wonder about the person who fashioned and used this arrowhead. It's small, probably used to kill small game like rabbits and squirrels and birds. Was it made by a boy learning the skills to one day provide for his family? Was he traveling with his father, brothers, uncles on a hunt or a trade? Did he live in a village close by? 

I've lived in my home for over thirty years. I've walked by this little arrowhead a thousand times without noticing. How long had it lain in this spot? 200years? 400 years? A thousand? Maybe it lay there just for me until today. 

I thought how many times have I read through scripture. Each time something new will catch my attention. A verse I have passed over time and again suddenly has meaning just for me. It speaks personally to me. 

My arrowhead had no meaning for my husband or the rockhound who simply said: "It's milky quartz." When I asked about the shape he matter of factly said, "Looks like a broken arrowhead." It held no personal meaning for him.

A broken arrowhead speaks mountains to me. I love history and I am a descendant of an Eastern Band Cherokee. It was my ancestor, my people who walked through my yard hundreds of years ago. It was my people who shot an arrow and left it broken. I marvel at the seemingly little things because they matter to me personally. It creates a desire to dig deeper into history, to know more. My dad had a collection of arrowheads he had found as a boy walking through the plowed fields but he had lost them all when a thief broke into their house and stole them along with other valuables. 

As we read through scripture and a particular passage opens up to us, it should cause us to desire to dig deeper, to know more, to know the Lord more intimately. I can't know my ancestors except through what history tells us. I can't recover my dad's arrowhead collection, but I can have a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and the study of His word that will open up new treasures with each reading. 

What treasure has the Lord given you today? Have you hidden it away in your heart? No one can take it from you there, but the Lord does desire we freely share His treasures. 

Hey Kids:

Discovering treasures from history can be so much fun whether in our own backyard or in a museum. Knowing the history of the area adds even more meaning to the treasure. I wrote a poem about finding treasures. 

Along the Blackstock Road

Red clay field,

Old wagon road,

Hunting trail,

Warriors path,

Tomahawks,

Arrowheads,

Slate and flint,

Musket ball,

Lost in time

Collecting treasures.

Finding historical objects can take you back in time and make history more real when we dig deeper into history. 

Knowing more about the Bible can take you into that historical world as well and make its meaning powerful in our daily lives. 

As you and your family plan vacations this summer there are places that will take you into the Bible and make it come alive. Here's a partial list that may get you thinking. We'd love for you to share your experiences of the places you have visited. 

The Creation Museum - KY

Noah's Ark - KY

The Field of the Woods - NC

Institute of Creation Research Discovery Center (nearing completion.) - TX

Museum of the Bible - Washington, DC

Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction - PA

Discovering Treasures of the Heart,

Gail