Black Swallowtail Butterfly
The nights are cooling off a little, but it is still warm during the day. So the butterflies aren’t completely gone yet.
Moth on Duranta
Neither are the moths (I don’t know what kind this one is, but it is neat looking). And the closeup of the Duranta does show the blue color well.
Monarch Butterfly
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 ESV
And then, everything else beautiful.
Onions With Pivot Irrigation
Things change and the process of life moves on.
When we first moved here, to the “middle of nowhere”, the field across the road was just that – a field that was planted each year with varying crops according to the planned rotation. The owners later divided it – leaving one portion for crops and the other as a pasture for cows.
Early this year, the pasture grass was plowed up, a pivot irrigation system was installed, and Sweet Vidalia Onions were planted. The onions have since been replaced with peanuts, which are ready to be turned over for harvesting.
The land right around our house was initially a pasture also. (I’ll have to remember to post at some point about the joys of having cows around your house – especially when they belong to someone else). Most of that pasture was replaced with planted pine trees about 20 years ago and, since then, we were blessed to purchase part of that land.
At the end of last year, we had the pines cut down and now we’re trying to decide what to do with the land. I have set aside about an acre as a new “landscape” area. I had a few hardwood trees planted to get it started, but no long-range plans have been made.
But, whether or not, I make and carry out long range landscape plans, something will happen in that acre. After the harvest across the road, the peanuts may be replaced with onions again, but a different crop may be planted. If left alone, the other part of our planted pine area will re-seed itself from all the remaining pines in the vicinity.
I’ve made this ramble (hopefully a bit interesting) to illustrate the change that happens around us as time passes. Even leaving things alone, results in some type of change.
But, the point I’m heading to is that during this relatively short time described here, and backwards and forwards into eternity, our Lord and Savior has not changed one bit. And, He never will. As things change, and the process of life moves on – often in ways we don’t prefer – that is a wonderful assurance we can hold to.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Evening Mist
My wife, Sharon, took this photo earlier this evening. We had a wonderful, unexpected rain shower. After it moved on, it left behind this mist over the peanut field across the road.
Mist or fog can obscure our view of the landscape, but it also has a beauty of its own. In this case, the beauty is not only visual, but in the reminder of the much needed rain shower that God had blessed us with.
When our vision is obscured, we should remember our blessings and what we’re looking for, and, especially, what we will eventually see.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
“The way to keep a path open is to walk on it”. When you first read this proverb, like many of them (including some in the Book of Proverbs) it seems obvious and not very deep. Of course the way to keep a path open is to walk on it – what’s so significant about that? The significance is not in the statement of fact, but in our reaction to it – from our thoughts on what it means in relation to our lives.
When I first heard this, I thought of a path through tall grass along the edge of a lake. Here and there the path veers off to a clear fishing spot on the bank. Over time if you don’t walk on it and keep it open, it will become covered with grass, weeds and thorns. At some point, trees can even start covering up the clear spots.
Several other “paths” in life came to mind: The path between me and God; The path between me and my wife and family; The path between my house and the Church; The path between me and my Brothers and Sisters in Christ; The path of service; The path of obedience; The paths of righteousness.
All of these paths must be travelled constantly to keep them open. If we neglect them they can become covered in weeds and thorns, making them more difficult to walk. If we neglect them too long we may find that trees have grown up and obscured the paths completely.
The mention of the “paths of righteousness” is meant to bring to mind the 23rd Psalm: “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake” (v3). I believe that tells us why we are to continue walking these paths to keep them open. Not just because they’re “good” things to do, but we are to keep them open for God’s name’s sake. All that we do should bring glory to God. Allowing weeds, thorns and trees to cover a path we should be walking doesn’t bring glory to Him, especially if it is the path between us and God.
I Was Thinking the Other Day About... 