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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Inspired by . . . 51 shades of purple

 

 I was outside the other day and heard a strange bird-call. Looking up, I saw the bird, but it was flying too high for me to identify. The call sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it at the time.

About fifteen minutes later . . .

. . . the Scissor-tail Flycatchers arrived!

 

ScissorTailFlycatcher2

 

Last year, we had a single pair nest here and had two fledglings. You can read about them and see pictures of their babies here and here.

I was so delighted that they had returned!

 

ScissorTailFlycatcher3

 

You can imagine how my delight intensified when I realized they had returned with their babies, or at least brought along some friends! {I think that may be one of the babies above}

Yes, we now have five {!} Scissor-tail Flycatchers zooming around {eating all those nasty mosquitos!} !

 

ScissorTails_5

 

It will be interesting to see how many nests we end up with this year - stay tuned! {last year the babies arrived toward the end of May}

I was watching a Texas Parks & Recreation program on PBS recently about shore birds. The ranger, whose job it is to count the shore birds along the coast of Mustang Island {Corpus Christi, TX}, said that to most of the people, the birds are just background noise. The people don’t even notice them.

The truth of that statement breaks my heart.

Birds aren’t background noise to me, they weren’t background noise to Jesus, and I’m guessing they aren’t background noise to you, either.

 

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Luk 12:6

 

Do you ever think about the fact that God didn’t have to create the world the way He did. He could have just created “service” animals {cows for milk, chickens for eggs, etc.} or no animals at all, for that matter. He could have created humans that lived on air, without the need for outside stimulants or nourishment. He could have made a monochrome world.  Or 51 shades of purple.

 

Purple_Iris

 

The joy of food and the delight of the eyes {both of which can bring us as much misery as blessing} would be unknown to us.

And you know what . . . we wouldn’t know any better.

Do you ever wonder why He made a thousand shades of green, or bothered with the detailed marking on the back of a carpet beetle, which is all but invisible to the naked eye?

Do you ever think about what His creation says about His character?

 

Ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities,

both His eternal power and His divine nature,

have been clearly seen;

they are perceived in the things that God has made.

So those people have no excuse at all!  Rom 1:20


 

Wisteria

 

All month long, Barbie has been sharing The Attributes of God from A-Z on her blog, My Freshly Brewed Life. What a wonderful way to meditate on His Personhood. I encourage you to start here, make some notes, maybe take your journal and your bible out into His creation and reflect on what He wants to teach you about Himself through nature.

 

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour,

if we will only tune in.

~George Washington Carver

 

Tuning in is the key that opens the door.

Jesus is waiting on the other side.

 

Listen! I stand at the door and knock;

if any hear my voice and open the door,

I will come into their house and eat with them,

and they will eat with me.  Rev 3:20

 

Blessings,

June

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

#TellHisStory

Wild Bird Wednesday   GraceTruth_Friday     Thought-Provoking-Thursday-Button

36 comments:

  1. A glorious start to another beautiful springtime day here in the northeast. Thanks for the splashes of purple, the views of these feathered friends, the glory of creation.


    I'm always renewed by your photography, friend. Have a good one ...


    ;-}

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  2. Ha! I've learned about a new bird! The Scissor-tail Flycatcher is stunning and a hard worker, to boot. Lovely shades of purple, too, June. Your words are very wise, and indeed, make a lot of sense.


    Poppy

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  3. As always, you inspire me, as we seek and observe nature in our own backyards..! Your slice of land is further south than mine, and your little corner of the world is coming to life a bit earlier than mine, but I am enjoying this new Journey, and staying abreast of all the enchanting ways, He speaks to us, all around us, right along with you!

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  4. Thanks for stopping by, Eileen! I loved your reflection shots of the Avocet this week, well done!

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  5. Any day! Thanks, for stopping in for a visit, Kelly. Happy Spring!

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  6. Thanks for stopping by, Michelle, I'm so glad I found your meme again! Your blog is so informative and inspiring. Thank you for all you do to bring nature alive for us on the internet!

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  7. I'm so glad, Poppy! Learning about new creatures {and making new friends} is one of my favorite things about the web-world! Have a great week!

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  8. I have always marveled at our beautiful world, and the Gift it is to us with all is colors, sounds and views...all the animals and rocks and trees and flowers...everything! He is truly a wonderful Father to give us this world to live in. Having said that, I am excited about your scissor-tails! When we lived in Texas, the joy of their return to our farmland fields was huge. I loved watching them. They are such amazing birds! Thanks for a great post, from so many levels!

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  9. What a pretty walk with so much beauty in your natural surrounds

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  10. How wonderful to have these beautiful birds around and 5 of them. Wow! Lovely flowers. God knew we would have needed His wonderful nature to cheer us up .

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  11. What amazing birds! What a blessing to have them return. I've never heard of them. I love this post - great message.

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  12. Having to keep our windows open for a week has reminded me how much I love hearing birds. I kept hearing a sound yesterday and could never figure out what kind of bird it was (never saw it). God is just so super creative! Thanks for sharing your birds with us. :)

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  13. Scissor-tail Flycatchers are true beauties. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Amen, June. "The earth declares His majesty". And to grasp that is to see His perfect hand every second of every day in every living thing on this earth.


    What an amazing gift the senses are to grasp God's creation... and of course the amazing gift of free will to use to grasp that and make the ultimate choice and acknowledgement of Him.


    Awesome pictures.

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  15. I do not think any flower is a common flower, I love them all... featuring this on our Pinterest board :-)

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  16. June, when I got to the part about why God created all the details on a tiny bug, I thought of my recent macro shots. That was what I wanted to convey in my post, but didn't. Thank you for giving words to my image. And for linking to it! I am always pondering how much attention to detail God has given to even the seemingly lowliest creature. He is an amazing God!

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  17. Outdoors in spring is so restorative after being couped up all winter. I know it is doing me a world of good. We've a lot of extra rain this week and I'm already dreaming of he sunny warmer days returning.

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  18. Thanks, Marie! Your blog does such a good job of manifesting His glory in the pictures you share! Funny, I moved from AZ to TX and you from TX to AZ, lol! Have a blessed week!

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  19. Ha - I wasn't even thinking of all the sounds when I wrote this, Lisa! Wow! That adds quite another dimension doesn't it? Oh, my, He is so good to us! Thanks for stopping by! Glad your AC is fixed!

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  20. It will take a lifetime and more to truly ponder the significance of it all, won't it, Floyd? I'm often like Sharon {Sharon Sharing God} in her recent post . . . speechless in the face of the wonder of it all! Thanks for joining the conversation, friend!

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  21. I think so too, Margaret. Nature is a constant source of JOY to me. Thanks for visiting!

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  22. They really are neat, and quite a distraction! I'm sure I'll be sharing more of their antics in future posts! Have a great week, Jill!

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  23. Thanks, Lisa, I'm honored! and I completely agree :)

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  24. I love the colors of the white butterfly - very classy! Lovely Spring post - shabat shalom:)

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  25. Such a delight to see pictures of the Scissor-tail Fly Catchers (quite a name!). When I work out in the yard I listen to the birds. We have a cardinal pair that frequents our yard--I hear the cardinal male singing but can't always locate him. Beautiful photo of the iris--"50 shades of purple" God is an awesome Creator!

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  26. Peace, Jeah. Thank you for visiting !

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  27. We've had so much rain, every time I see the hint of a sunbeam I dash outside, lol! Feels so good to be out and about, soaking it in!

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  28. Yes, I am truly blessed with my surrounds, Dianne! Thanks for stopping by to visit. Have a great weekend!

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  29. Your images display His glory, my friend! with or without words!

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  30. The cardinal's is one of the few bird-calls I recognize. I never tire of seeing them. Have a blessed weekend, Carol!

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  31. Purple is a royal color. Goes to show in these subjects you used. So regal. :)
    Have a fantastic weekend! #TheWeekendBrew

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  32. That wild garlic is so pretty, as is your kitty - have a fab week #lifethruthelens

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  33. Wow - those flycatchers look really good. Would love to some one, let alone five!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  34. I know what you mean, Stewart! I feel the exact same way about some of your birds! Have a great weekend!

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  35. My favorite color! Hope your weekend is great, Lux!

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  36. I do reflect on what God's creation says about His character all the time since I am a lover of nature. Your pictures of the scissor tails are gorgeous. We are blessed with a beauty that speaks out loud constantly and all we need to do is take the time to stop and hear what it is saying. Blessed you shared at The Weekend Brew. I always love seeing you there.

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If you read something here that inspired you, I’d love to hear about it. Please know I appreciate every comment! Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings, June