Birds of the Bible - Names of Birds

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field... (Genesis 2:19-20a NKJV)

It would be nice to know which birds Adam named and what he named them. Today, the birds we see around the world are variations from those original bird kinds. The names that they now have are different, but, if Adam were to name the birds living today, do you think he might have use these current names on the birds?

Below are some bird names that have caught my attention and you can almost visualize something about them:

A - Amazon, Antbird, Antpitta, Antshrike, Antvireo, Antwren, Apostlebird, Awlbill
B - Babbler, Bamboowren, Barbtail, Barbthroat, Bare-eye, Barwing, Baywing, Bee-eater, Bellbird, Berryeater, Berrypecker, Bird-of-paradise, Bishop, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blackeye, Black-headed, Blackstart, Blackthroat, Bleeding-heart, Bluebill, Bluewing, Bluebird, Bluebonnet, Bluetail, Bluethroat, Boatbill, Bowerbird, Brilliant, Bristlebill, Bristlebird, Broadbill, Bronzewing, Brushrunner, Bushbird, Bush-hen
C - Canvasback, Cardinal, Catbird, Chat, Chatterer, Cicadabird, Comet, Conebill, Cowbird, Creeper, Crestentchest, Crimsonwing, Crossbill, Cuckoo
D - Darkeye, Darter, Dipper, Dollarbird, Dove
E - Earthcreeper, Emerald
F - Fairy, Fairy-bluebird, Fairywren, Fantail, Fieldwren, Figbird, Finfoot, Fireback, Firecrest, Firecrown, Fire-eye, Firefinch, Firetail, Firethroat, Flamecrest, Flatbill, Flicker, Flowerpecker, Flowerpiecer, Flufftail, Flycatcher, Foliage-gleaner, Forktail, Friarbird, Frigatebird, Frogmouth, Fruitcrow, Fruiteater, Fruithunter
G - Gnatcatcher, Gnatwren, Go-away-bird, Goldcrest, Goldenback, Goldeneye, Goldenthroat, Goldfinch, Grassbird, Grassquit, Grasswren, Greytail, Groundcreeper, Groundpecker, Guineafowl
H - Hardhead, Helmetcrest, Helmetshrike, Hermit, Hillstar, Hobby, Honeybird, Honeycreeper, Honeyeater, Honeyguide, Hookbill, Hornbill, Hummingbird
J - Jewel-babbler, Jewelfront, Junglefowl
K - Kingbird, Kingfisher, Kite, Knot,
L - Laughingthrush, Leafbird, Leaftosser, Longbill, Longclaw, Longtail, Lovebird
M - Marshbird, Metaltail, Mockingbird, Monarch, Morepork, Mountaingem, Mourner, Mousebird, Mudnester
N - Needletail, Nighthawk, Nunbird, Nutcracker, Nuthatch
O - Oilbird, Openbill, Ovenbird, Oxpecker, Oystercatcher
P - Palmchat, Palmcreeper, Pewee, Pilotbird, Pintail, Prickletail, Puffback, Puffbird, Puffleg
R - Racket-tail, Rail, Razorbill, Recurvebill, Redhead, Redwing, Rockfinch, Rockfowl, Rockjumper, Rockrunner, Rockwarbler, Rockwren, Roller, Rushbird
S - Sabrewing, Saddleback, Sanderling, Sandgrouse, Sandpiper, Sapphire, Sapphirewing, Sapsucker, Screamer, Screech, Scrubbird, Scrubfowl, Scrubtit, Scrubwren, Secretarybird, Seedcracker, Seedeater, Sheathbill, Shieldbill, Shoebill, Shortwing, Shoveler, Sicklebill, Silktail, Silverbird, Skimmer, Snowcock, Snowfinch, Softtail, Solitaire, Spadebill, Spatuletail, Spiderhunter, Spinebill, Spinetail, Spoonbill, Standardwing, Starfrontlet, Starthroat, Stilt, Stichbird, Straightbill, Streamcreeper, Streamertail, Stubtail, Sugarbird, Sunangel, Sunbeam, Sunbird, Sunbittern, Sungem, Surfbird, Swift
T - Tailorbird, Tattler, Thicketbird, Thick-knee, Thistletail, Thornbill, Tinkerbird, Trainbearer, Treecreeper, Treehunter, Treepie, Treerunner, Treeswift, Trembler, Triller, Tropicbird, Trumpeter, Tuftedcheek, Tyrant
U - Umbrellabird
V - Violetear, Visorbearer
W - Wagtail, Wallcreeper, Warbler, Waxbill, Waxwing, Weaver, Weebill, Wheatear, Whipbird, Whistler, White-eye, Whiteface, Whitethroat, Whitetip, Widowbird, Winter, Wiretail, Woodcock, Woodcreeper, Woodhen, Woodhaunter, Woodpecker, Woodstar
Y - Yellowbrow, Yellowhammer, Yellowlegs, Yellowthroat

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Birds - Common Kingfisher by Phil Kwong, Booted Racket-tail by Ian, Carmine BeeEater by Africaddict
See Also:
Bird Name Challenges
Variation within Created Kinds
Species and Kinds
Explaining Diversity within Created Kinds

When I Don't Desire God 2

Some more from John Piper's book When I Don't Desire God.

Piper writes that one of the keys in the fight for joy is becoming a preacher and preaching the Gospel to yourself.

Far too many Christians are passive in their fight for joy. They tell me about their condition of joylessness, and I ask about the kinds of strategies they have pursued to defeat this enemy, and they give the impression that they are a helpless victim: "Joylessness is just there. What can I do?" Well, God does not mean for us to be passive. He means for us to fight the fight of faith - the fight for joy. And the central strategy is to preach the gospel to yourself. This is war. Satan is preaching for sure. If we remain passive, we surrender the field to him. (p. 81)

Birds of the Bible - Birds of the Air

Kathleen, a Christian photographer, has given permission to use some of her photos on the blog. She also has a blog called the “Birds of the Air.”

Looking into that phrase in e-Sword, the English Standard Version (ESV) shows 21 occurrences of “birds of the air.” Surprisingly most of them have to do with the “birds of the air” showing up to eat the carnage of men as a result of judgment or disease. See Deuteronomy 28:26; I Samuel 17:44, 17:46; Jeremiah 7:33, 15:3, 16:4, 19:7, 34:20. 4:25 and 9:10 speak of the birds of the air fleeing away.

Rizpah spread sackcloth over the bodies of Saul and Jonathan and “And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night” in 2 Samuel 21:10.

Job 28:20,21 says, "From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air."

In the New Testament the “birds of the air” is used in different ways. Matthew 6:25 lets us know that the birds of the air “neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? “ Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58 reminds of that the birds have nest, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. The parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:32, Mark 4:32 and Luke 13:19 tell of the plant growing up and the birds making nests in it and enjoying its shade.

The last references to birds of the air appear in Acts 10:12 and 11:6. Peter had a sheet descend with all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds in it. This was to teach Peter and others that Jew and Gentile believers alike are equal in God’s sight.

What I like about the “birds of the air” is that none of the birds are mentioned by name. That gives lots of future articles for “Bird of the Bible” that can include any of the birds that our Lord has created.

So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 ESV)

Placing your mouse over the Green verses will pop them out. Photos - Osprey by Kathleen, White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) by Africaddict, Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) on nest by Ian, Mr and Mrs Wood Duck by Lee

When I Don't Desire God

I've recently begun reading John Piper's book When I Don't Desire God. It's one of those books that I've had for quite a while and am just now getting around to reading it. If you are interested, the entire book is available to download for free at Desiring God's website.

In chapter 1 there was a quote from C.S. Lewis regarding the role of duty. Most of us at times struggle with the role of duty. We may not want to read our Bibles because we feel it is a duty instead of a delight. So, we tell ourselves to wait until it feels like a delight. Lewis compares the idea of duty to a crutch which we all must use sometimes to help us.

Provided the things is in itself right, the more one likes it and the less one has to "try to be good," the better. A perfect man would never act from a sense of duty; he'd always want the right thing more than the wrong one. Duty is only a substitute for love (of God and of other people), like a crutch, which is a substitute for a leg. Most of us need the crutch at times; but of course it's idiotic to use the crutch when our own legs (our own loves, tastes, habits, etc.) can do the journey on their own! ~ C.S. Lewis (quoted in When I Don't Desire God, p. 18)

Sermon Series on Spiritual Defection

You may recall that Pastor Osborne recently preached a series of messages within his current series. He has been preaching through the book of John and camped out in chapter 6 for a while. He preached four messages from John 6 on the subject of Spiritual Defection. They are all available on our website and are listed below. (click each link to go to the specific sermon)

• Spiritual Defection: When God Cries (1/3/10 AM)
  
• Spiritual Defection and the Characteristics of Quitters Part 1 (1/10/10 AM)
  
• Spiritual Defection and the Characteristics of Quitters Part 2 (1/17/10 AM)
• Spiritual Defection and the Characteristics of Quitters Part 3 (1/24/10 AM)
  

If you would like to order a DVD or CD of any of these sermons go HERE.

Real Men are Kind - Tip #4

Tip #4 - Turn off the TV

Have you ever tried to tak to somebody and you soon realize that they are so distracted that they aren't even able to listen to you? Perhaps they're on the computer, or on the phone, or watching TV. Guys, we have the reputation of being glued to the TV watching football or whatever else pointless just in on. We tell our wives and our children, "Gimme just a second..." Yet, twenty minutes later, we are still watching TV and our families are still waiting to talk to us.

A kind man turns the TV off so that he can devote all of his attention to his wife. Is the Daytona 500 really more important than talking with your wife about something that is important to her? What about Guitar Hero? or whatever Video game happens to be your 'flavor?' Are any of them more important than your wife. No, of course not! It is unkind to tell your wife that you can tallk with her "after the game is over."

Now, I have to admit that I struggle tremendously with this. I am always trying to multi-task. Often, I’m watching TV while working on my computer and thinking about something else totally unrelated to the TV or my computer. So, when my wife begins to talk to me I have to physically turn off all distractions and mentally focus my mind so that I can listen attentively. Sometimes, that is incredibly hard to do. But, it is the kind thing to do.

Let's be real men. Let's be kind. Let's turn off the TV.

• Tip #1 - Wash the Dishes
• Tip #2 - Change a Diaper
• Tip #3 - Use a Soft Answer
  

Birds of the Bible - Jesus at the Sea

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. (Matthew 13:1 NKJV)

While working on another article this week, I found and used the above verse, but the thought of it intrigued me. Many of us like to sit by the sea shore and observe what is going on. What did Jesus see as far as birds as He sat there? I decided to investigate it more and here is some of the information discovered.

The commentaries provided these thoughts about that day.

"By the sea-side. The sea-shore is that of the Sea of Galilee, probably near Capernaum, at the northwest corner of the lake." (People's New Testament)

"Sat by the seaside ... Jesus came out of the stuffy house and took his seat ...along the shore with the crowds stretched up and down, a picturesque scene." (Robertson's Word Pictures)

"The sea-side - This was the Sea of Tiberias. The multitude stood on the shore near to him, so that he could be easily heard. He went into a ship - that is, a boat; and sat down to address them. Few spectacles could be more interesting than a vast crowd on the hanks of a smooth and tranquil sea - an emblem of his instructions - and the Son of God addressing them on the great interests of eternity." (Albert Barnes' Notes on The Bible)

"Went Jesus out of the house - This was the house of Peter. See Matt 17:24.
Sat by the sea side - The sea of Galilee, on the borders of which the city of Capernaum was situated." (Adam Clark's Commentary on the Bible)

"Mat 13:1 The same day Jesus went out of the house,.... Where he had been preaching, and working miracles: where this house was, is not certain; it seems to have been in one of the cities of Galilee, probably Capernaum, since that was by the sea coast: the reason of his going out of the house was, either to converse with his mother and brethren, as they desired; or to withdraw himself from company, and take some refreshment by the sea side; or because it would not hold the people, and therefore he quitted it for a more convenient place. The time he went out of it, was the same day he had cast the devil out of the man blind and dumb, and had delivered himself so freely concerning the Scribes and Pharisees, who had blasphemously ascribed that miracle to the assistance of Satan; and the same day his mother and brethren came to see him, and speak to him.

And sat by the sea side; either as weary, and for his refreshment, or in order to preach to the people; for, Mark says, "he began again to teach by the sea side", Mark 4:1. This was the sea of Galilee, sometimes called the sea of Tiberias." (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

"3. Where he preached this sermon.
(1.) His meeting-place was the sea-side. He went out of the house (because there was no room for the auditory) into the open air. It was pity but such a Preacher should have had the most spacious, sumptuous, and convenient place to preach in, that could be devised, like one of the Roman theatres; but he was now in his state of humiliation, and in this, as in other things, he denied himself the honours due to him; as he had not a house of his own to live in, so he had not a chapel of his own to preach in. By this he teaches us in the external circumstances of worship not to covet that which is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences which God in his providence allots to us. When Christ was born, he was crowded into the stable, and now to the sea-side, upon the strand, where all persons might come to him with freedom. He that was truth itself sought no corners (no adyta), as the pagan mysteries did. Wisdom crieth without, Proverbs 1:20; John 13:20." (Matthew Henry Commentary)

Another verse states:

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea (Mark 3:7 NKJV)

"Withdrew - Mark alone notes no less than eleven occasions on which Jesus retired from his work, in order to escape his enemies or to pray in solitude, for rest, or for private conference with his disciples. See Mark 1:12; Mark 3:7; 6:31, 6:46; 7:24, 7:31; 9:2; 10:1; 14:34." (Vincent's Word Studies)

"Mar 3:7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea,.... Knowing their evil designs against him, he departed out of the synagogue, and city of Capernaum; and taking his disciples with him, he went to the shore of the sea of Galilee; not out of fear, but because his time was not yet come, and he had more work to do:" (Gill's Exposition)

From the above you can see what was going on, but I wanted to know what birds Jesus might have seen. Again, I couldn't find a list for just this area, but here is some of what is there now.

"Israel is a bird-watcher's paradise, with some of the best bird-watching sites in the world. Although it is one of the smallest countries in the world, Israel's Checklist of Birds includes 494 species. Just for comparison, the checklists of the world's two largest countries, Russia and Canada, have 697 and 625 species, respectively. The checklist for the Lower 48 States of the US numbers 908 species - just under twice the size of Israel's - but then we're talking about an area 386 times larger than Israel! The bottom line is this: in just a couple of hours, you can spot a wider variety of birds here than almost anywhere in the world. The bird-watching season in Israel begins in late August and ends in early June. There are birds that spend the winter here, birds that are only here for the summer, birds that pass through during the spring and fall migration seasons, and birds that can be found here all year round." (Sing Israel)

"Leaving the 2,000 meter-high and often snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon and heading south along the volcanic plateau of the Golan, spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee provide a stunning backdrop to search for Black Vulture. Also known as Lake Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee is a vast freshwater lake harboring impressive numbers of wintering Grebes, Pygmy Cormorant, breeding Squacco Heron and a spectacular winter concentration of Whiskered Tern. The surrounding hillsides are full of birds, including Eagle Owl, Little Swift and Long-billed Pipit throughout the year. Patient scanning of the steep-sided wadis in winter may well produce a major prize in the form of a Wallcreeper." (goisrael.com)

"Sea of Galilee - South of the Hula Valley lies the famous Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. Lake Tiberias). Owing to its size it has in the past been difficult to see offshore birds there. How ever, it has become a regular site for Pygmy Cormorant, Great Black-headed and Armenian Gulls. A marsh holds in the northern section of the lake that has good numbers of Squacco Heron, a winter concentration of Whiskered Tern, and breeding Clamorous Reed Warbler. The tamarisk trees harbour a colony of Dead Sea Sparrows. The surrounding hills are good for the elusive Long-billed Pipit. Wadi Amud, to the northwest of the lake, is one of the best known sites for this species and also for the endangered Lesser Kestrel, as well as Eagle Owl, Little Swift, Syrian Woodpecker and good numbers of RockSparrow . The cliff:" of Mt. Arbel, west of the lake, are also good for Long-billed Pipit and a regular winter haunt of Wallcreeper, where several individuals may be seen together. Alpine Accentor is an occasional winter visitor and Radde's Accentor has been recorded consorting with this species, along with the more regular Dunnock. (Birding Israel)
(Photos - Galilee Shoreline From Above,  Alpine Accentor, Whiskered Tern, Little Owl, Wallcreeper, Black Vulture)
See Also:
What's Special About the Sea of Galilee? by Dr. Donald DeYoung
Sea of Galilee - BiblePlaces.com
Capernaum
List of Birds of Israel
Half billion birds flock to Galilee migration paradise

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) by Nikhil

2010 Missions Conference - Taking the Word to the World

We invite you to join us for our 2010 Missions Conference on February 26-28, 2010. Our theme, Taking the Word to the World, comes from 2 Corinthians 5:20a, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ." (ESV)

Our speakers include:

• Gil & Denise Thomas, Director of Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship (ABWE)
• Chris & Deb Hindal, Director of International Ministries for the GARBC
• Leon Fisher, Paraclete Ministries (EBM)

Conference Schedule:

Friday, February 26th

• 7pm service - Gil Thomas
  

Saturday, February 27th

• 8am ~ Breakfast followed by round robin sessions with the missionaries

Sunday, February 28th

• 8am Service - Leon Fisher
  
• Sunday School with the Missionaries
• 10:30am Service - Chris Hindal
  
• 6pm Service - Leon Fisher
• Fellowship time with the missionaries after the evening service

Special Note: There will also be a special Kids Konference running during our Missions Conference for the children. More details to follow.

Birds of the Bible - Sunbittern

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. (Psalms 148:13 KJV)

Yesterday, Dan and I went to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. I was thrilled to see some of the birds in person that I have been entering into the Birds of the World section. This Sunbittern caught my attention when he spread its wings out into the beautiful display shown below. I could not but think of the Lord's magnificent creative power, details, and love that He gave His creatures. No, this bird is not specifically named in the Bible, but God's Glory sure is.

The Sunbittern is similar to a heron or bittern because it has a long straight pointed bill, long legs and a thin neck, but it is in the Eurypygidae family of the Eurypygiformes Order. Most likely they are of the same "kind", but they like to separate them and then declare "convergent evolution" caused them to develop the "same but different." They totally deny creation by our Creator God.

They are 17-19 inches (43-48 cm) and have "soft, lax flight feathers, which account for the species being almost silent in flight." (Bird the Definitive Guide, p.208) They make their nests with leaves, grass, mud and she usually lays 2 eggs. Both parents feed the chicks. "Remarkably, the young molt directly into adult plumage, while still in the nest, which is extremely unusual..." They leave in 3-4 weeks. The wings are spread for displaying (to win their sweetheart's attention) or for defense (to make them look larger), but the Lord also lets them spread their wings so we can enjoy them and behold His Creative designs.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. (Psalms 104:24 KJV)

Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) by Lee at Lowry Park Zoo. All photos can be clicked-on to enlarge.

Observations from the Men's Retreat

This past weekend I attended the 2010 Men's Retreat at Camp Gilead. It began Friday evening and ended Saturday evening after supper. The speaker was Peter Hubbard, Teaching Pastor at North Hills Community Church in Taylors, SC. He brought 3 messages from Matthew 7:1-12. Here are some of my observations from the weekend.

• Camp Gilead knows man food. You can't go wrong with ribs that have been slow cooked over 3-4 days. Along with the ribs we enjoyed baked potatoes, french fries, hamburgers, bratwursts, baked beans, lasagna, a fresh salad bar, biscuits & sausage gravy, bacon, omelets, etc.
• There is nothing like the sound of men singing.
  
• Nothing brings out the inner child of a man more than playing dodge ball until midnight.
• Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged," is the most well known and the most misunderstood passage in the Bible.
• I need to examine my own life before I examine anyone else's. Matthew 7:4-5
• God is not abusive! I must recognize that God gives good gifts. Everything that comes from God is good, even if it feels bad. Matthew 7:11
• Judging someone else exposes myself. I must be ready and prepared for that exposing.
• When we pray to God, we should pray believing that God has already answered our prayer.
• I need to read Jerry Sittser's book When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer
• I need to learn more about James Fraser.
  

"True faith glories in the present tense, and does not trouble itself about the future. God's promises are in the present tense, and are quite secure enough to set our hearts at rest." ~ James Fraser (1886-1938), missionary to China

• Next year, more men from FBC need to attend this men's retreat!
  

More Than a Feeling: The Emotions and Christian Devotion - D.G. Hart

Last week I directed you to the latest 9Marks eJournal. Well, I just finished reading through the journal this past weekend. There was one article I wanted to specifically point out to you. It was titled, More Than a Feeling: The Emotions and Christian Devotion by D.G. Hart.

Christians, especially 'us' Baptists, struggle with our emotions. We often feel an awkwardness associated with publicly displaying our emotions. We struggle with fitting our emotions together with our doctrine. Hart writes of this tension:

What then is the proper balance between the objective and the subjective? How are Christians to rightly regard the emotions? In brief, we should understand that the subjective depends on the objective. Right emotions depend on, and derive from, sound doctrine.

Later on he also writes:

Another important factor in balancing the objective and subjective aspects of Christian faith is to recognize that Christian experience arises from truth. Emotions proceeds from doctrine, not the other way around.

I highly recommend you read the entire article to better understand this tension between our emotions and our doctrine. It was an encouragement to my soul and I trust it will be to yours as well.