Birds of the Bible - Pelican Study (by Lee Dusing)

In Previous articles about the Pelicans; Birds of the Bible - Pelicans and Pelicans II they were introduced as being in the Pelecanidae family. Here in the U.S. we have the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelican. They are listed as "unclean" in the Scriptures (Levitucus 11:18 and Deuteronomy 14:17), meaning they were not to be eaten by the Israelites.

Depending on which version of the Bible you use, "Pelican" is not always used in one, but shows up in another. That is what makes "birdwatching the Scriptures" so interesting. Take for instance Isaiah 34:11:

But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness. (NKJV)

Using e-Sword Free Bible Program's" compare feature, observe these differences.
Pelican and porcupine - ASV, NKJV, RV
Pelican and hedgehog - NASB, NAS77, YLT
Pelican and bittern - Darby, JPS
Pelican and herons - GW
Cormorant and bittern - KJV, MKJV, Webster
Hawk and porcupine - ESV
Owls and ravens only mentioned - GNB
Owls, hawks, and wild animals - CEV
Birds of the waste land - BBE

Another interesting verse:

Flocks will lie down in her midst, All beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog Will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, Desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. (Zephaniah 2:14 NASB)

This verse uses pelican, raven, hedgehog, owl, cormorant depending on the version.

When Nave's Topical Bible's - Pelican and Torrey's Topical Textbook's - Birds are referenced, it appears that they used the King James Version (KJV).

All of that said to help you realize as you study the Bible, looking for birds, be aware that just because it's not found on the first search, try another version and the bird may appear. I personally prefer to use the KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV as my main versions. The others are fine, some better than others, but those mentioned, in my opinion, are closer to the originals. Why they vary, I am not sure. The Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries in the KJV and NASB use H6893, which is kaw-ath' , which means "probably the pelican (from vomiting): - cormorant."

We do know that the Pelicans are mentioned in the Bible and I really enjoy watching them. We get to see the American White and the Brown Pelicans here in Florida. It would be neat to see the Austrailian, Dalmation, Great White, Pink-backed, Peruvian and Spot-billed Pelicans.

I also love to watch the pelicans skim over the water and also fly in formation like a squadron of bombers. I have included two videos of them skimming. Visit the Pelican Videos and Photos for more. See the Sidebar.

*All photos used with permission.

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Pelican in flight in Cuba
Another by arlens47 that "Follows the flight of a pelican as he starts to go out to sea, then reverses course and lands in the water off the coast of Santa Cruz, California. Background music is Thorn Birds Theme by the Joe Reisman Orchestra.
Flight of the Pelican

Birds of the Bible - Speckled Bird (by Lee Dusing)

Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. (Jeremiah 12:9 KJV)

In Jeremiah chapter 12, the LORD was stating that because Israel had turned to other gods instead of the God of Israel (the LORD), that He was bringing judgment. The people had bowed down to other gods and then brought some of that worship and intermingled it with the true worship of God. The House of God was "speckled" or of mixed beliefs.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes - "The birds round about - It is usual for other birds to flock about a strange coloured bird, such as they have not been used to see."

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary - "God's people had been the dearly-beloved of his soul, precious in his sight, but they acted so, that he gave them up to their enemies. Many professing churches become like speckled birds, presenting a mixture of religion and the world, with its vain fashions, pursuits, and pollutions. God's people are as men wondered at, as a speckled bird; but this people had by their own folly made themselves so; and the beasts and birds are called to prey upon them. The whole land would be made desolate. But until the judgments were actually inflicted, none of the people would lay the warning to heart. When God's hand is lifted up, and men will not see, they shall be made to feel. Silver and gold shall not profit in the day of the Lord's anger. And the efforts of sinners to escape misery, without repentance and works answerable thereto, will end in confusion."

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary - "speckled bird — Many translate, “a ravenous beast, the hyena”; the corresponding Arabic word means hyena; so the Septuagint. But the Hebrew always elsewhere means “a bird of prey.” The Hebrew for “speckled” is from a root “to color”; answering to the Jewish blending together with paganism the altogether diverse Mosaic ritual. The neighboring nations, birds of prey like herself (for she had sinfully assimilated herself to them), were ready to pounce upon her."

From Clarke -Dahler translates the whole verse thus: -

"Birds of prey! inundate with blood my heritage.

Birds of prey! come against her from all sides.

Run together in crowds, ye savage beasts!

Come to the carnage!"

According to those above, it seems that the bird must have been either spotted or multi-colored. The bird is a:

"speckled bird" in the KJV, MKJV, Webster

"speckled bird of prey" in the ASV, Darvy, NASB, RV

"speckled vulture" in the NKJV

"speckled fowl" in the YLT

"colorful bird of prey" in the GWV

"brightly colored bird" - BBE

"hawk" - CEV

"hyena's lair" - ESV
All these variances make it hard to show a picture, but the ones shown are guesses.

Also, the application should give those today a stern warning about bringing the "worldly practices and beliefs" into our church services. I see it today in churches that do things that are clearly taught against in God's Word, the Bible. Many things could be named, but one that disturbes this writer alot is the denial of God's Creation of this world. More and more supposed Christian leaders are teaching different theories to "blend" the world's theory of evolution with the Lord's clear teaching in Genesis.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 NKJV)

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* Pictures in Order - White-backed Vulture, Ruppell's Vulture, Hartlaub's Bustard

See also:
Great Speckled Bird
The Great Speckled Bird (song) from Wikipedia

Birds of the Bible - None (by Lee Dusing)

I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land," Says the LORD. (Zephaniah 1:3 NKJV)

That verse caught me off-guard when I read it. Would the LORD really destroy all the birds? I hadn't noticed the verse before. So, I went in search of what was meant by it and here are some of my findings:

From Geneva Bible Translation Notes:
"The Argument - Seeing the great rebellion of the people, and that there was now no hope of amendment, he gives notice of the great judgment of God, which was at hand, showing that their country would be utterly destroyed, and they would be carried away captives by the Babylonians." In response as to the beast, birds and fish being consumed - "Not that God was angry with these dumb creatures, but because man was so wicked for whose cause they were created, God makes them to take part of the punishments with him." God had created the critters and fish for man, but because of man's sin, they (critters) are included in the judgement.

From John Darby's Synopsis:

"The prophet (Zephaniah) begins by declaring that the land should be reduced to complete desolation; afterwards, that Judah, Jerusalem, their false gods, and their priests, should be smitten by the hand of Jehovah. The idolaters, those who mingled the name of Jehovah with that of other gods, those who had turned back from Jehovah, those who had not sought Him, ..." Some of the other commentaries also indicated this mix of God and other gods. The New Testament reveals this is not an acceptable way of life in "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:13 NKJV)

The other commentaries seem to indicate the same, that because their sin was so bad, God was going to judge them. Have the birds and critters been caught in the judgment of man other times in the Bible? Yes! Here are some examples from Torrey's Topical Textbook:

As you can see, each time, man's sin caused or will cause them to suffer.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV)

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind. But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, "He will not see our final end." (Jeremiah 12:1-4 NKJV)

so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.' (Ezekiel 38:20 NKJV)

Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. (Hosea 4:1-3 NKJV)

God is going to judge the world and everyone in it. Here in America and around the world, the sinfulness of mankind just continues to increase. How long before we are judged and the critters caught in that judgment with us?

* Photos top to bottom all by Birdway.com.au: Flame Robin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Coquette, Fire-tufted Barbet

Birds of the Bible - Favorites (by Lee Dusing)

While on vacation, I showed some family and friends this blog, and took them to some of my favorite articles and videos. Putting out a rushed article (which is due today) would not be good, instead, I am going to share the links to my favorites. If you are new to the blog or just pop in every now an then, you may have missed these. I go back to them every now and then, just because I enjoy them.

"Birds of the Bible - Eagles" the article and then scroll down to the African Eagle fishing video.

"Birds of the Bible - Owls" especially the last video with the Burrowing Owls

"Birds of the Bible - Under His Wings"

"Birds of the Bible - For His Pleasure" and "For His Pleasure II"

Plus there are many more favorites, but this will do for now. Going back and reviewing things is good for us. Just like the Bible, it never gets exhausted and you find new things each time you read it.

The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. (Pro 18:15 KJV)
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. (Pro 15:14 NKJV)

Photo taken at Creation Museum

Birds of the Bible - Niami, Niger, West Africa (Lee Dusing)

Our missionaries in Niami, Niger (the Totmans and Marines), encounter different Birds of the Bible than our missionary in Brazil, that I wrote about last week.

These are some of the different birds mentioned in the Bible that they might see in Niger that we don't see here. Some do not have pictures, so this is not a complete list. All of these pictures are from the Niger, Africa list of birds from Wikipedia.

Avibase Checklist of Birds - Niger

Birds of the Bible - Study Tips (by Lee Dusing)

When the Birds of the Bible were introduced in February, 2008, "Introduction to Birds of the Bible", the goal was to acquaint you with each bird that is mentioned in the Bible and for you to learn of God's great handiwork in their creation. These blogs have grown greatly since then. I would like to share some of the methods that I use to produce these articles and to study God's Word.

As you are reading along in your Bible, you may come across the mention of a particular bird (or any other topic) in a verse. You see a bird and are wondering whether it is mentioned in Scripture. Your curiosity is caught and you want to find out more. What do you do?

• As a "birdwatcher," you can pull our your handy bird handbooks like: Peterson Field Guide to Birds, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds, The Sibley Guide to Birds, etc.
• As an "internet birdwatcher," you can "Google" that bird and get instant information (more than you can ever read) and learn many interesting things.
• As a "Bible birdwatcher," you can look in your concordance for references to that bird and if you have a Bible software program, such as "e-Sword" (free), you can search for the bird.
• Also as a "Bible birdwatcher," you may want to see why the bird is mentioned and what applications can be made by that passage of Scripture used. I like to use the Topical references, like Nave's Topical Bible and Torrey's New Topical Textbook. That is one reason that they are available here to help in the study of the "Birds of the Bible." The ones here are different in that I put a picture of the bird on its page.

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; (Job 12:7 NKJV)

This verse has been quoted many times in these blogs and we have tried to apply it to the lessons to be learned. Also, there are many other verses that give encouragement to study God's Word.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11 KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

As you study about the birds (or whatever in the Bible), I trust you will:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16 KJV)

* (Emerald Dove by Birdway)

Birds of the Bible - For His Pleasure II (by Lee Dusing)

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33 NKJV)

Last week the "Birds of the Bible - For His Pleasure" that I wrote was about the Lord's Handiwork with the colors and markings of the Birds. This time, how the Lord designed their bill or beak will be considered.

It is truly amazing to observe the birds around us. They come in all kinds of sizes, shapes and colors. Have you really noticed their bills or beaks. God has designed them with various shaped bills, different length, and uses for them. Depending on what niche they fill, they have just the perfect bill for that food that they need to partake of. Some times the food that they consume is not available and they either adapt to what is available, they move on to find that food, or they become endangered or extinct. Let's look at some of the variety of bills and the birds attached to them.

Toucan - "The colorful, giant bill, which in some large species measure more than half the length of the body, is the hallmark of toucans. Despite its size it is very light, being composed of bone struts with little solid material between them. The bill has forward-facing serrations resembling teeth," which is used for eating fruit. "It does aid in their feeding behavior (as they sit in one spot and reach for all fruit in range, thereby reducing energy expenditure)...Also, the beak allows the bird to reach deep into treeholes to access food unavailable to other birds, and also to depredate suspended nests built by smaller birds."

Hummingbirds - Their thin long bills are used for collecting nectar and to protect their split tongues.

Egrets and Herons - They have long pointed bills that can be used to spear the fish they catch. They also catch them by a quick closing of the beak.

Woodpeckers - Their beaks are use to peck and tear off the bark of trees to catch bugs hidden there.

Pelican - They have a big beak with a pouch that they can hold the fish they catch.

Gnatcatcher - A very fine and small beak helps them catch gnat and other tiny insects.
Sparrows and similiar - They have a cone shape bill that allows them to crack open seeds.

Parrots - Have even a bigger cone like beak that can open larger seeds and nuts.

Spoonbills - Have what looks like a spoon for a bill. They use it to swing back and forth in the water and have a very sensitive touch that will snap the paddles together when something gets in between them. Video

The list goes on and on and you will find in each case, that the bill and the bird match-up shows the infinite wisdom of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of them all.

As Christians, we also each have some niche that the Lord wants us to fill. He has given us the talents, abilities, gifts, etc. to do that task or ministry. Our problem sometimes is the will to do His Will with what He has provided for us. Again, let us learn from watching the birds and how they use what was designed for them.

See also: Beak from Wikipedia

Birds of the Bible - For His Pleasure (by Lee Dusing)

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)

The Lord has created some fantastically beautiful birds amongst His Creation. This blog is just to show you some of those birds. As you watch the photos, realize that they are under a curse, ("For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Romans 8:22) and yet they are so neat. What must the first birds have been like when they were created? The Lord must have the neatest Paint Brush!

These photos were chosen to show colors and markings. In another blog, I'll feature another of God's Creative Handiwork.

All of these photos are copyrighted © by the photographers and used with their permission. Please honor their copyrights.

Birds of the Bible - Bird Idols (by Lee Dusing)

(16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith. (18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:16-25)

I know that the above quotation is long, but it is needed to show the problem of making idols in the image of birds and other things. Here on this blog, we discuss the birds and how the Lord has created each of them, how His glory and honor is to be praised for His great intelligence (omniscience) and power (omnipotence), etc. What we don't do is worship these birds. Over the centuries, man has taken his eyes off of God, and put it on things, such as birds. Then, he has used wood and other materials to make idols of them. Next come the worship of that idol. "Idolatry is a term used by the monotheistic religions in reference to the worship of physical objects (idols) and, more generally, to most any religious practices which involves the worship of anything other than God. Forms of worship encompassed under the term idolatry include prostrating before an idol, offering prayers to idols, and offering librations or animal sacrifices to idols." (from Creation Wiki) Here are some of the ways that man has denied God this way:

Fenghuang: "Fenghuang is said to be made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish. Today, however, it is often described as a composite of many birds including the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the mouth of a parrot, and the wings of a swallow. Its body symbolizes the six celestial bodies. The head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail are the planets."

Griffin: "The Griffin (griffon or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and often wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Griffins are normally known for guarding treasure. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine."

Phoenix: "The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being immortal and invincible — it is also said that it can heal a person with a tear from its eyes and make them temporarily immune to death. The phoenix is a symbol of fire and divinity." "Originally, the phoenix was identified by the Egyptians as a stork or heron-like bird called a "benu", known from the Book of the Dead and other Egyptian texts as one of the sacred symbols of worship at Heliopolis, closely associated with the rising sun and the Egyptian sun-god Ra."

These are just a few of the Bird Idols around the world. As stated earlier, we love doing articles about the fantastic birds God has created, but please, don't take your eyes off of the Creator. He created them for His pleasure and ours, not to be worshiped.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, (Exodus 20:3-5a)

Interesting articles to read: The Folly of Idolatry and The Folly of Idolatry #2 by Kyle Campbell
Most quotes are from Wikipedia.

Birds of the Bible - Osprey III (by Lee Dusing)

But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, (Deuteronomy 14:12 KJV)
"But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, (Deuteronomy 14:12 NASB)

I decided to revisit the Osprey because they have been actively nesting in the area the last few months and also have some new photos to share. The photo to the right is neat in that both are working to feed the little ones. They usually mate for life. Normally the male does the fishing while the female guards the nest. The Ospreys were greatly endangered with DDT, but they are making a great recovery. For the first "Birds of the Bible - Osprey," CLICK HERE

While preparing (with e-Sword) the above verse, I again reminded that not all the translations use "osprey or ospray". Some use "vulture" (ESV, NASB, NKJV & others) and Darby uses "sea-eagle." This was investigated in "Birds of the Bible - Osprey II."

The research that is being done with the DNA of birds is changing the classification of several birds. The Osprey is being affected by these changes also. They were with the New World Vultures and now that is being rethought.

There are four subspecies of Osprey (Pandionidae):

Australia and New Guinea have an Pandion cristatus - Eastern Osprey (non-migratory) They even have stamps with their photos. The smallest subspecies.

North America - halietus carolinensis (migratory)

Eurasia - P.h. haliaetus

P.h. ridgwayi in the Caribbean; "Caribbean subspecies Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi. Known for their very pale head and breast plumage."

"Poole (1994) points to an interesting fact: despite its long history, Osprey has not evolved into different species." I can believe that.

The typical lifespan is 20-25 years.

Osprey Ridgwayi from Rutland Ospreys (Left)

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Eastern Osprey in Australia by Birdway

Birds Of The Bible - Solomon's Birds (by Lee Dusing)

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:29, 30,32-34)

While reading these verses lately, I began wondering what HAD Solomon written about the birds. Here is what I have found so far.

∞∞∞∞

Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; (Proverbs 1:17 NKJV)

From John Wesley's Explanatory Notes "In vain - The fowler who spreads, his net in the sight of the bird looseth his labour. But these, are more foolish than the silly birds, and though they are not ignorant of the mischief which these evil courses will bring upon themselves, yet they will not take warning."

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Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:5)

If you get caught in a snare, struggle like the gazelle or bird to get free. Like Dave Ramsey said last evening on "Town Hall for Hope," if things get bad get moving and exercise every effort to fix the problem. Don't just wait for someone else to solve your problem. Don't stay in the net of no hope.

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Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life. (Proverbs 7:23)

This verse which tells of a bird being enticed into a trap, not knowing that it will kill it, comes in an illustration of a man enticed by an immoral woman. How many lives have been ruined this way. How many families have been lost.

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Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place. (Proverbs 27:8)

This seems to almost go along with the verse above.

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Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter. (Ecclesiastes 10:20 NKJV)

Now that is an interesting case of, "the little birdie told me so."

∞∞∞∞

I returned and saw under the sun that-- The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

Solomon in Ecclesiastes changes to more of a "all is vanity" mode. I take this verse to mean that no matter whether you are strong, wise, rich, skillful, or otherwise, that things happen to all of us unexpectedly. All of us can get caught by a tornado, hurricane, flood, tsunami, and your status makes no difference to that circumstance. Even with the best preparations, things happen that are out of our control, but not God's.

∞∞∞∞

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them": While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low. Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7)

These verses remind us to "Remember now your Creator." While we are young accept the Lord the Creator and learn of Him. One day you will be old, and things slow down, and you wake early at a birds singing (most likely a Mockingbird because they sing really early) while others that are young get a full nights rest. Or, it could be that a person is so afraid that even a bird's song frightens them awake. Solomon is reminding us to keep the Creator foremost because one day we will return to dust.

All quotes are from NKJV.

A Debt Free Church (by Stephen Simpson)

As you know, our church is opposed to going into debt. Pastor Osborne has often told us of the strange looks he has received when telling people outside our church of our "Debt-Free" stance.

Here are some thoughts I've had about our Debt-Free Church:

• A Debt-Free church sets a good example for its members. If a church borrows money for something it wants but can't afford, what message does that behavior send to the members of that church? It encourages them to borrow money to buy things that they want but can't afford. In contrast, our church is teaching us that saving money actually works. When something is needed, we save up for it and then pay cash.
• A Debt-Free church fosters a Stress-Reduced Workplace. Guess how many staff meetings I've been to where we sat around wondering if enough money will come in to pay the mortgage payment? ZERO.
• A Debt-Free church demonstrates Godly contentment. A patient church is a content church. Our church demonstrates contentment with what God has provided. We have refused to get ahead of God's plans.

I praise God for a church that teaches me not only from the pulpit, but also through its actions. Are you thankful that your church is debt-free?