All of Us are Called to Remember the Fatherless

Here are some more excerpts from Russell Moore's book, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches.

"Perhaps what our churches need most of all in our defense of the faith against Darwinian despair is not more resources on how the fossil record fits with the book of Genesis and not more arguments on how molecular structures show evidence of design. Perhaps the most practical way your congregation can show Darwinism to be wrong is to showcase families for whom love is more than gene protection." (p. 80)

"Joseph's faith was the same kind of faith that saves us. Very few, if any, of us will have a dream directing us to adopt a child. None of us will be directed to do what Joseph did - to teach Jesus Christ how to saw through wood or to recite Deuteronomy in Hebrew. But all of us are called to be compassionate. All of us are called to remember the poor. All of us are called to remember the fatherless and the widows. That will look different in our different lives, with the different situations and resources God has given us. But for all of us there'll be a judgment to test the genuineness of our faith. And for some of us, there'll be some orphan faces there. (p. 82-83)"

Other Posts from the Adopted for Life series:

1. Our Birth Father Has Fangs
2. Develop an Orphan-Protecting Culture
3. All of Us Are Called to Remember the Fatherless
4. Adoption and Communion
5. Born into Death but Adopted for Life

Birds of the Bible - Eagle Renewal

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalms 103:2-5 NKJV)

The Eagle is an interesting bird and I have written about them before. In the King James Version of the Bible, an eagle is mentioned in 34 verses. So, there will be future articles about the eagle also.

The interest of this article is the renewing of the eagle. In Psalms 103:5 (quoted above), your youth is renewed like the eagle's. What exactly does that mean? Also, in Isaiah 40:31, strength is renewed and "shall mount up with wings as eagles."

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

Many articles can be found on the internet about an eagle going off and plucking its feathers and not being able to fly for about five months. The image has even been added that the beak and claws are knocked off and then grow back during that time, giving them another 10 or so more years to their life. I have been trying to find proof of that, and am not finding it. Most Eagle authorities state that that would not happen, because the bird would die during that time with no flight feathers or beak or claws.


If those facts are true, then what is meant by God's Word about the eagle? I believe God's Word is true, so there has to be an explanation of it. From the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management I found an interesting chart that shows the different stages of plumage (feathers) as an eagle ages. They said, "In their five year development to adulthood, bald eagles go through one of the most varied plumage changes of any North American bird. During its first four weeks of life, an eaglet's fluffy white down changes to a gray wooly down. At about five weeks, brown and black feathers begin to grow. It becomes fully feathered at 10 weeks of age. In its first year, the mostly dark-colored juvenile can often be mistaken as a golden eagle. However, the bald eagle progressively changes until it reaches adult plumage at five years. Notice in the pictures how its dark eye lightens throughout its first four years of life until it becomes yellow. Also, see how its beak changes form gray-black to a vibrant yellow.


It is believed that the darker, more mottled plumage of a young eagle serves as camouflage, while the white head and tail announce that it is of breeding age."

That to me sounds a lot like, "So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." As the eagle goes through the different stages of its life, the new feathers are graciously provided by a Creator that sees to the needs of His creation by having designed those features to renew as it matures.

The Lord provides for renewal for His children as they mature. The following verses tell of a renewed right spirit, mind, spirit of your mind, and knowledge:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10 KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (Ephesians 4:23 KJV)
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:10 KJV)

Develop an Orphan-Protecting Adoption Culture

Here are some more excerpts from Russell Moore's book, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches.

"An orphan-protecting adoption culture is countercultural - and always has been. Some of the earliest records we have of the Christian churches speak of how Christians, remarkably, protected children in the face of a culture of death pervasive in the Roman Empire. The followers of Jesus, though, did not kill their offspring, even when it would have made economic or social sense to do so. This is still distinctively Christian in a world that increasingly sees children as, at best, a commodity to be controlled and, at worst, a nuisance to be contained. Think of how revolutionary it is for Christians to adopt a young boy with a cleft palate from a region of India where most people see him as "defective." Think of how counterintuitive it is for Christians to adopt a Chinese girl - when many there see her as a disappointment. Think of how odd it must seem to American secularists to see Christians adopting a baby whose body trembles with an addiction to the cocaine her mother sent through her bloodstream before birth. Think of the kind of credibility such action lends to the proclamation of our gospel."

"An adoption culture in our churches advances the cause of life, even beyond the individual lives of the children adopted. Imagine if Christian churches were known as the places where unwanted babies become beloved children. If this were the case across the board around the world, sure, there would still be abortions, there would still be abusive homes. But wouldn't we see more women willing to give their children life if they'd seen with their own eyes what an adoption culture looks like? And wouldn't these mothers and fathers, who may themselves feel unwanted, be a bit more ready to hear out talk about a kingdom where all are welcomed?" (p. 79)

May God help Faith Baptist Church be truly countercultural by developing an orphan-protecting adoption culture.

Other Posts from the Adopted for Life series:

1. Our Birth Father Has Fangs
2. Develop an Orphan-Protecting Culture
3. All of Us Are Called to Remember the Fatherless
4. Adoption and Communion
5. Born into Death but Adopted for Life

Birds of the Bible - What Birds Can Tell - 1

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, (Job 12:7-9 NKJV)

One of my favorite birds that I enjoy watching is the Kingfisher. The ones we have here in Florida (Belted Kingfishers) are rather plain compared to others around the world, but they all have a characteristic look of a very long bill on a large head and a short neck. It is the bill that those in Japan have studied that is amazing.

Japan has electric trains that speed over 200 miles per hour or 322 kilometers per hour. They are very safe and have a great record, but a noise problem had been plaguing them until they observed the Kingfisher's beak. When the speeding trains went through the tunnels, it caused a "tunnel boom" which goes against their strict sound pollution laws.
"Eiji Nakatsu, the train's chief engineer and an avid bird-watcher, asked himself, "Is there something in Nature that travels quickly and smoothly between two very different mediums?" Modeling the front-end of the train after the beak of kingfishers, which dive from the air into bodies of water with very little splash to catch fish, resulted not only in a quieter train, but 15% less electricity use even while the train travels 10% faster." (Learning Efficiency from Kingfishers)

The "tunnel boom" is caused "when a train passes through such a tunnel at high speed, it compresses the air in front of the engine. Upon leaving the tunnel, this air rushes outward, creating a loud thunderclap, or sonic boom. Nearby windows rattle, and people are awakened by the noise." (Don DeYoung, Answers) When the engineers did wind tunnel experiments they found that "the kingfisher’s bill is ideally shaped for a smooth, streamlined transition from air into water. This drastic change in pressure is similar to the change a bullet train experiences when emerging from a tunnel into the open air."

By observing one of God's created birds, the kingfisher, they were able to solve a serious problem. The Lord in His great wisdom has provided us many critters and other things to observe so that they may "tell us" things that will benefit us.

Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. (Psalms 107:43 KJV)

See Also:

Speeding Bullet - Answers V4, #3
Kingfisher - Train by Discovery of Design
Learning Efficiency from Kingfishers by Biomimicry Institute

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) by Daves BirdingPix, Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting) by Nik, Bullet Train

The Alpha and Omega - Octavious Winslow

Octavius Winslow descended from Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim leader who braved the Atlantic to come to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620. Octavious was ordained as a pastor in 1833 in New York. He later moved to England where he became one of the most valued nonconformist ministers of the nineteenth century, largely due to the earnestness of his preaching and the excellence of his prolific writings. He held pastorates in Leamington Spa, Bath, and Brighton. He was also a popular speaker for special occasions, such as the opening of C. H. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861. After a short illness, he died on March 5, 1878, and was buried in Abbey Cemetery, Bath.

For an audio biography of Octavious Winslow, click here.

Here is his writing entitled The Alpha and Omega from The Sympathy of Christ.

“In the stupendous matter of our salvation

Christ shall be the Alpha and the Omega.

With Him the gospel plan originated-

by Him it was revealed-

by Him it was executed-

and in His undivided glory and endless praise it shall forever terminate.

From every tongue in glory, and through the high arches of heaven, the anthem shall peal, ‘Worthy is the Lamb!’

Believer in Christ! Does not your soul pant to join in that song?

and does not your spirit exult in the truth that salvation, from first to last, is of God?

Oh, how precious is this truth in the consciousness of our many failures and defects!

Our salvation is all in Christ-

our righteousness is all in Christ-

our merit is all in Christ-

our completeness is all in Christ-

in Christ our Covenant Head, our Surety and Mediator;

and no flaw in our obedience,

no defect in our love,

no failure in our service,

should so cast us down as to shut our eye to our acceptance in the Beloved.

Imperfections we would not overlook,

sin we would not allow,

disobedience we would not indulge,

temptation we would not encourage;

nevertheless, we would ever remember, for our encouragement that, in default of perfection in the most perfect of our own doings,

we are fully and eternally complete in Jesus.”

- Octavius Winslow, The Sympathy of Christ

Birds of the Bible - Birds of Every Sort

When I came across this verse about "every kind of bird" and "birds of every sort," I decided it would be great to show some of the really fantastic birds that I have seen recently in the photos I am sorting for the Birds of the World blog. This will be done, but also the verses themselves are very interesting.

Thus says the Lord GOD: "I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezekiel 17:22-24 ESV)

Nebuchadnezzar had placed one of the family of David on the throne in Judah. This signified taking the seed of the land and planting it, but it did not succeed. But as these verses tell of a future time when there will be a "tender one" from the topmost twigs, referring to the Messiah, the tender one, and the tribe of Judah, main tribe. The Messiah is often referred to as a branch in prophecy.

"Nebuchadnezzar and Zedekiah was made on this ground, and the name of Jehovah was brought in to confirm it. It was not the Gentile who broke the covenant. Zedekiah added to his other sins that of rendering impossible the existence of a people and a kingdom that belonged to God. The name of Jehovah was more despised and trampled under foot by him than by the Gentile king. He intrigues with Egypt to escape from the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar, whom God Himself, in judgment, had set up as supreme. This filled up the measure of iniquity, and brought on the final judgment. But it left room for the sovereignty of God, who would bring down the high tree and exalt the low tree, who would dry up the green tree and make the dry tree to flourish. His grace would take the little forgotten branch of the house of David and raise it up in Israel upon the mountain of His power, where He would cause it to become a goodly cedar, bearing fruit, and sheltering all that would seek the protection of its shadow. All the powers of the earth should know the word and the works of Jehovah." From John Darby's Synopsis.

"The twig planted by the Lord will grow there into a glorious cedar, under which all birds will dwell. The Messiah grows into a cedar in the kingdom founded by Him, in which all the inhabitants of the earth will find both food (from the fruits of the tree) and protection (under its shadow). For this figure, compare Daniel 4:8-9. צִפֹּור כָּל־כָּנָף, birds of every kind of plumage (cf. Ezekiel 39:4, Ezekiel 39:17), is derived from Genesis 7:14, where birds of every kind find shelter in Noah's ark. The allusion is to men from every kind of people and tribe. By this will all the trees of the field learn that God lowers the lofty and lifts up the lowly." From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on Old Testament

Salvation is open to all people no matter what background, nationality, or tongue you speak. As the birds of every sort enjoy the shade and provisions of the tree, may you enjoy the Salvation of Lord and all His blessings He provides.

This is Birds of Every Sort - Part 1 (Non-Passerines)

American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) by Africaddict, Tufted Puffin by Dave's BirdingPix, Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus) by Nikhil, Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by J Fenton

Our Birth Father has Fangs

This week I began reading a new book, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches. It is written by Russell Moore. Here's an except.

"Imagine for a moment that you're adopting a child. As you meet with the social worker in the last stage of the process, you're told that this twelve-year-old has been in and out of psychotherapy since he was three. He persists in burning things and attempting repeatedly to skin kittens alive....She continues with a little family history. This boy's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all had histories of violence, ranging from spousal abuse to serial murder. Each of them ended life the same way, death by suicide - each found hanging from a rope of blankets in his respective prison cell.

Think for a minute. Would you want this child? If you did adopt him, wouldn't you keep your eye on him as he played with your other children? Would you watch him nervously as he looks at the butcher knife on the kitchen table? Would you leave the room as he watched a movie on television with your daughter, with the lights out?

Well, he's you. And he's me. That's what the gospel is telling us. Our birth father has fangs. And left to ourselves, we'll show ourselves to be as serpentine as he is." (p. 29)

In spite of this. In spite of who we are, God has still chose to adopt us into His family. What an amazing thought.

Other Posts from the Adopted for Life series:

1. Our Birth Father Has Fangs
2. Develop an Orphan-Protecting Culture
3. All of Us Are Called to Remember the Fatherless
4. Adoption and Communion
5. Born into Death but Adopted for Life

Sola Morte

I was listening to a sermon on my ipod this morning and the speaker made an interesting point. As Christians, we hold to a view called Sola Fide, which is a fancy way of saying that we believe we are saved by faith alone. We are not saved by works or by anything else. Salvation is by Faith alone. Sola Fide.

The speaker then mentioned that most people in the world have replaced Sola Fide with Sola Morte. They have replaced "by Faith alone" with "by death alone." His point was that most people simply believe that all they have to do to get to heaven (or paradise or whatever they think comes next) is die. They live their life however they want and then expect to go to Heaven upon their death. They believe in Salvation by Death Alone. Sola Morte. How sad and tragic.

Always remember, Salvation is by Faith Alone. Sola Fide!

(The sermon was preached by a man named Brad Wheeler. He preached it at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC on August 30th, 2009. The title of his message was What's Your Life's Return on Investment ~ Matthew 25:14-30. You can download the message here.)

Birds of the Bible - Hoopoe II

The Hoopoe was introduced in Birds of the Bible - Hoopoe and would like to add more information about the Hoopoe.

The Hoopoes are in the BUCEROTIFORMES Order which includes Hoopoes, Wood Hoopoes, Hornbills and Ground Hornbills. I have revised this information since the 1st article. Wikipedia (now updated) had them with the woodpeckers, but the records I am using from the I.O.C. (2009) places them with the hornbills and in the Upupidae Family

The three Upupidae members are the Eurasian, African, and Madagascar Hoopoes. (Some say these three are basically the same.) The Wood Hoopoes are in the Phoeniculidae Family that consists of the Forest, White-headed, Green, Black-billed, Violet and Grant's Wood Hoopoes. That family also has the Black, Common and Abyssinian Scimitarbills.
"The Hoopoe is a medium sized bird, 25–32 cm (9.8-12.6 in) long, with a 44–48 cm (17.3-19 in) wingspan weighing 46-89 g (1.6-3.1 oz). The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats." (Wikipedia) It appears that the Lord has created this bird with just what it needs find its food.

"The Hoopes have well developed anti-predators defences in the nest. The uropygial gland of the incubating and brooding female is quickly modified to produce a foul-smelling liquid, and the glands of nestlings do so was well. These secretions are rubbed into the plumage. The secretion, which smells like rotting meat, is thought to help deter predators, as well as deter parasites and possibly act as an antibacterial agent. The secretions stop soon before the young leave the nest. In addition to this secretion nestlings are able to direct streams of faeces at nest intruders from the age of six days, and will also hiss at intruders in a snake like fashion. The young also strike with their bill or with one wing." This point could well have been why the Hoopoe was placed on the "unclean list" of birds not to eat.

the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (Lev 11:19 NKJV)
the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat. (Deu 14:18 NKJV)

"The lapwing - דוכיפת duchiphath, the upupa, hoopoe, or hoop, a crested bird, with beautiful plumage, but very unclean. See Bochart, and Scheuchzer. Concerning the genuine meaning of the original, there is little agreement among interpreters." from Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible says, "and the lapwing; the upupa or hoopoe; it has its name in Hebrew, according to Jarchi, from its having a double crest; and so Pliny (o) ascribes to it a double or folded crest, and speaks of it as a filthy bird; and, according to Aristotle (p) and Aelian (q), its nest is chiefly made of human dung, that by the ill smell of it men may be kept from taking its young; and therefore may well be reckoned among impure fowl. Calmet (r) says, there is no such thing as a lapwing to be seen in any part of England; but there are such as we call so, whether the same bird with this I cannot say:"

The LORD was teaching the Israelites to obey by not eating certain animals and birds, but it appears that this was also beneficial for their health and well being.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

See also:
Hoopoe Photos
Hoopoe Videos
Hoopoe at Wikipedia
Hoopoes Upupidae by Bird Families of the World
Wood hoopoe by Wikipedia

http://leesbird.com/bb/hoopoe/hoopoe-videos/

Eurasian Hoopoes by Ian, W. Kwong, and from an email.

Not What My Hand

If you missed Sunday night's service, then you missed a blessing. Our teenagers shared a report of their summer trips. One highlight of the evening was a song that was sung by Reagan Osborne and Lauren Deines. Here it is. The message of the song is tremendous.