Luke 12:6

Today I trimmed the tops off some of the tall juniper trees in our back yard. During the time I was trimming, I noticed three or four nests in among the branches. Though I did see a small, bluish-white egg that had fallen and cracked on the ladder step, I had not seen any other signs that the nests were occupied. Later, while condensing the pile of branches into the recycling container, I was saddened when I pulled away a limb and found an infant bird lying lifeless in the grass. It made no movement, so I got the shovel and buried it in the dirt.

Near the end of my task, I picked up one of the remaining limbs and saw another small bird. But this one was breathing! It was lying with its chest in the grass; its back moved up and down with fearful breaths. Though glad to see it alive, I wondered what I should do about it. I thought about how I had buried the bird's sibling. Surely this bird is injured, I thought. There's no way the bird will survive. I should grab the shovel and quickly chop off its head...spare the bird from its certain misery. Or maybe I'll just leave it here in the grass and let the cat take care of it. I thought killing it would be the best thing I could do for it. It would certainly be less trouble than trying to save its life. But I decided to wait. I finished putting the greenery into the recycling container, careful to avoid the area where the infant bird was resting. All the while I thought about how the bird is a valuable life, being one of God's creations.

Fortunately, I have a mom around who knows what to do in situations like this. I told her about the bird and we went around to look at it. By this time the bird had sat up a little bit, and I was happy to see it was able to raise its head and move its tiny wings and legs. Mom talked to it lovingly, the way she would to any small, helpless being that needed to be comforted. She put on some gardening gloves, knowing that a mother bird may reject the baby bird if it has the odor of a human on it. I took one of the nests retrieved from the cut branches and Mom placed the little bird in it.

She found a medicine dropper that she didn't know she had, and attempted to give the bird water. We thought about where to put the nest. Andy suggested that we build a birdhouse for it to protect it from the elements, but we ended up placing the nest in the same tree that it was probably cut from. I intend to check on the nest tomorrow. We hope it will survive.

Peace Child

Do ethical values originate in the opinions of particular societies? If a society agreed that treachery was to be considered a virtue, would treachery then become truly ethical? If not, where do true ethical values originate? If all ethical systems are equally valid, can one culture rightly judge the values of another culture?

Peace Child, by Don Richardson, shows the conflict that arises when a group of cannibalistic tribes in New Guinea are confronted by the message of Jesus. In the Sawi culture, treachery is celebrated as an ideal. "The Sawi child is trained to obtain his will by sheer force of violence and temper," Richardson writes. From childhood, the people have learned to carry out "retaliation against everything that offends them." The author observes that "when treachery is philosophically justified, true peace is impossible."

In the book, two ethical systems clash: Treachery versus Love.

Johnny Cash said it

"Being a Christian isn't for sissies. It takes a real man to live for God—a lot more man than to live for the devil, you know? If you really want to live right these days, you gotta be tough."

Read this article which discusses the spiritual journey of Johnny Cash.

Salvation on Sand Mountain

Recently I finished reading this book by Dennis Covington. It is a fascinating account of a reporter who, as an outside observer, visits the Church of Jesus Christ with Signs Following. There is something that captivates him about the practice of snake handling, and through the book he describes the process of moving from a casual observer to a willing participant. I highly recommend the book.

Adherents of the practice of snake handling justify their beliefs by citing a passage from the end of Mark's Gospel, in which Jesus seems to command the practice:

[Jesus] said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)

This passage is questionable because of the fact that Mark 16:9-20 is not found in the earliest manuscripts of the book, which indicates that the section was added later. Whatever the case, it is not wise to build a Christian doctrine upon a single verse, particularly within a questionable passage.

I wonder if this picture was actually taken in Hell

Darth Vader at Biola University

Here is an update to the Star Wars Universe:

http://star-wars-universe.blogspot.com/2005/10/darth-vader-converts-from-dark-side-to.html

Where was this picture taken?

(Picture taken by Andrew)

The original photo is above, the adjusted picture is below. At first I thought the stars were hanging, but when I lightened the picture it looks like they are table centerpiece decorations. The place looks like it could be a coffee shop or something, with small, round tables and tall chairs. In the lower left quarter of the picture, you'll notice the word "march." Because of the odd angle, it almost seems like a reflection of something, as though the picture was taken through a window. I can see people standing in the left side of the frame. It really makes me wonder where it was taken. What made me curious, originally, was my thinking that it was taken at Pam and Andrew's house in Tennessee. Pam likes to decorate the house in the fall, in preparation for Halloween and Thanksgiving.