Box Elder Maple

I am drawn to box elder because of the green twigs I find in the winter woods are different than the other twigs. All of them are brown or gray.

Lord I thank You for the variety in the forest. May Your glory be shown to people of all faiths to know that You are God and King of kings. I listen for You as I walk in the woods.

Black Willow

A revisit of the willow tree I posted last August.

One of the things that is noticeable of willows is the bud lies flat against the twig. The leaves are long and narrow but you don't see that in the winter. What you do see is the thin twigs.

Leviticus 23:40 "Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days."

So now when I see Willows I will think of rejoicing before the Lord. Thank you Jesus for what You do for me. I trust in You.

Black Willow

Here is a Black Willow on top of the bank next to the Missouri river. It is leaning over the bank, which this tree seems to do a lot. It usually grows around bigger trees and has to lean to find the light. Willow can withstand flooding thus the propensity to grow in bottom land sites and thrive there.

The saplings of willow grow straight and are good for furniture making. That is brush furniture. The wood is light and would not stand up the use of normal furniture.

One of the reasons I am drawn to finding different types of trees is their ability to adapt to different types of conditions. Christians are not all the same. That may be why there are so many expressions of Christianity. We have different abilities and should not be discouraged if we don't measure up to others. Instead of trying to measure up to others serve God as you were made to do. 

We all have abilities if we will renounce the sin desires that are within us and turn to Christ and live for Him. Look to Jesus and not yourself and He will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."

Father, I look to you and Your Son and the Holy Spirit to guide me in my life and work. Thank You, let it happen.

Northern Sholveler

The long and wide bills makes this duck distinctive.

Each and every day God shows His glory through creation. Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to watch your beauty the wonders you have made.

Bottom Land

Our hike yesterday along the Missouri River. Tangle of woods asleep. Waiting for the warmth and added light of Spring. Just as these woods can seem foreboding and unforgiving to the untrained, People can seem foreboding and unforgiving. A kind word and an act of care can change a person. Let us not see only with our physical eyes but also see what God can do with His love for others. 1 John 4:7-10 The Message Bible "My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God."

American Sycamore Bark

American Sycamore bark is unique. As these photos show, there are 3 layers with 3 colors. The whitish inner bark is the new growth of bark. the outer brown/gray bark is older and it peals off and will flake off the tree as the tree expands with growth.

Just as this bark sheds with growth, so Christians life will change with growth. The old will fall away and the new will take hold. Embrace the change of a new life in Christ. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Lord, I thank you for the work You do in my life. I look to You for life and ability. 

Sycamore Bud and Seed pod

Here is another Sycamore bud that is completely enclosed by the leaf during the summer. The seed pod is left on the twig in the middle of winter.



 Below is a summer photo of a Sycamore fruit pod.
    

Sycamore trees have many of these pods, and a few of them remain on the tree during the winter. This tree makes a good den tree for the center of the tree wood rots and leaves a cavity that wildlife makes use of for their dens. The wood that survives is hard and the grain is swirled. This makes the tree hard to split for firewood. I know because I got some of this wood from a neighbor and worked hard to split it.

The tree grows taller than other hardwoods in the area making it a dominate tree where it is found. It does best in lowland areas, but will also grow on hillsides.

When I think of this tree I think of the rot the tree is experiencing within the bole of the tree. Yet it grows tall and the bark makes the tree to stand out against the other trees in a hardwood forest.



Christians can thrive even though they have problems in their life. It is not our ability but our availability that God is looking for. He will take our wounds and weaknesses and turn them for His glory.

Hebrews 11:32-34 "And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight."

Robins Among the Sumac

Sumac usually grows as a shrub in Kansas and Missouri. We were walk along a trail that went through a field of Sumac. It was not hard to walk through but the stems were stiff. There was sort of a path as we made our way through.

This plant occurs in open areas, and along boarders. The leaves turn a nice red in the fall.

As there is an abundance of fruit for these Robins so God will provide for us.

Daniel 4:12 "Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it."

Ring-Billed Gull

When I first saw Gulls in Missouri and Kansas, I was surprised. But I read that these gulls frequent the interior of the country and nest at fresh water sites. Once they hatch they usually return to the same area year after year.

They will eat most anything, but fish and bugs are preferred. Garbage is another staple they have adapted to. They enjoy flying along with the wind currents, diving to the water when there is a food source.

The oldest known gull was 27 years old. They usually nest in large colonies numbering in the thousands. These birds take 3 years to attain their adult plumage. This bird has the adult plumage.

The soaring of these gulls brings to mind the ability of Christians to soar above the problems of life with the relationship with Jesus that we have.

Isaiah 40:31 "Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."

Branch Becomes Tree Leader

Here is a sapling that had a branch become the leader of the tree. The original leader had been broken off and the branch that was going sideways starting growing up because of the change in status.

People need to live ready for opportunities, because we don't know what the future will hold.

Luke 12:35 "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit."

Locating Birds Yellow-Rumped Warbler

A bird web site IDed the bird for us. A Yellow-Rumped Warbler. We hiked into some woods the other day and came to a stream with a bench. I sat down and waited. A number of these little birds were flying around but were hard to photograph. I had about 3 or 4 seconds to take a picture. The hard part was in the brush there was not a lot of good objects to point towards. So I pointed in the general direction and took a photo. I caught some of them to my surprise.

What I would do for a while was practice pointing my camera at an object seeing if I could locate it in a matter of seconds.

Not only did I have trouble finding these little birds to photograph, but I am also having trouble identifying what kind of birds they are. A bird web site IDed the bird for us. A Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

In the Christian life there are things that come our way that give us trouble. We don't know how to deal with the problem. but if we keep seeking the Lord and doing what we know the answer will come.

Great Blue Heron in Flight

Seeing large birds in flight is eye catching. Seeing song birds and ducks and geese is an every day thing. But bigger birds are not so common.

The heron is moving to a spot to fish. He will stand on his post and watch for a fish to swim by and catch their meal.

Just as this heron gains its sustenance by waiting, we can renew our strength by waiting on the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31, 41:1a

 "Yet those who wait for the Lord

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

Coastlands, listen to Me in silence,

And let the peoples gain new strength;"

Red Shouldered Hawk

ID by thin white tail bands, Red shoulder, white and dark back feathers. I was walking through the woods looking for pictures of buds and this hawk flew into a tree out in front of us. A few birds were chasing it and the hawk gave its call that sounds similar to a Red tailed Hawk.

Great Horned owls attack the nests of these hawks. At times the tables are turned when a hawk will chase the owl and another hawk will raid the owls nest.

They can live up to 25 years old. They live mainly in forests and return to their nest year after year.

The resiliency of these hawks points to how Christianity has survived down through the years against much opposition.

Joshua 1:9 ESV "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Blue Jay with Acorn

Here is a photo of a Blue Jay with an acorn. I don't see this often.

There are many Oak trees around here, so the availability for birds is plentiful. I just get the sense this bird is basking in the bountiful meal he will be eating.

God is good to the birds and He is good to us as well.

Luke 12:6,7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

Buffalo

There were 60,000,000 or more Buffalo in North America before the Europeans moved into the Midwest and the Plains. Their normal travel speed is about 4 miles an hour. They might travel for many miles before ranging in an area.

When people were looking for Buffalo in the 1800's there might be a lack of them for many miles. Then a herd would be found that would stretch for as far as the eye could see. They usually would gather in family groups with many families banding together. In the herd the bulls would stay on the outside, not necessarily for protection, but for more freedom in movement.

There would be strength in numbers. The babies would be inside with their mothers. Christians have strength when they are united with other Christians. We are not to rely on our strength, but on Jesus.

Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him."

Fog in the Woods

Was out early this morning to get some photos of fog.  These are E. Cottonwood trees.

Life at times seems like we are going through a fog and not sure where we are going. But like most things in life, if we stay with it we will find the answer.

1 Corinthians 13:12 Message Bible " We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!"

Mallard Ducks

I like this photo because of the reflection on the water, the sunlight on the Mallard drake's head and the Mallard hen in the background.

These ducks breed in Northern Canada also in Eurasia. They are one of the most prolific ducks and the domestic ducks come from mallards. They pair long before the spring breeding season. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings.

Mallards like all ducks shed their feathers they use for flight after breeding. Because they can't fly they hide and their feathers change to be more camouflaged.

There are times in our life when we are more vulnerable. Turn to the Lord and abide under the shadow of His wings.

Psalm 91:1-4 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark."

Snow Gear

This is what I use in the ice or snow. It keeps me from sliding and falling. They work great. We have a steep drive and it is hard to stay upright when shoveling.

Falling is a common theme of mistakes or sin with the Christian life. Preparation will keep you from falling in this world the same as preparation in our walk with Christ will keep us from falling spiritually.

How do I prepare myself? By setting my heart to fear God. To serve Him instead of serving my self. Romans 8:2,5,6.  I don't look at myself as having arrived or have it together. I look to Jesus and live with my mind on Christ and serving Him.

Joshua 14:10
"Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today." Caleb was ready for war at 85 years old.

Psalm 91:7 "A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you."

Starlings

These European starlings stopped by my house for about 15 minutes. We were in the midst of an ice storm. They eat most anything but I guess they were looking for seeds when they stopped by my place.

Psalm 121:7,8 "The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever."

Father, thanks for watching over me as I travel.

Queen-Anne's Lace

The flowers are flat topped. This flower is a wild carrot. They grow tall about 3'

They grow in fields, meadows, roadsides and thrive in dry environments. The roots are like carrots and are pale and woody. They can be used in soups.

Queen-Anne's Lace
They grow in groups often and are taller then the grass. The white dominates the greenery around them. This flower definitely stands out when I come across it.

The name implies royalty. Christians have royalty because the Father adopted us to be a brother to Jesus, who is the King of all the kings.

We can should be able to get what we want because we brothers of the King. Yet we can't have what we want because we have a responsibility to live for the Lord. Therefore we need to use our right in Christ for the purpose of our adoption. Our purpose is to build the Kingdom with people that are committed to Jesus.

Father, bring me to the knowledge of Your riches. But not for squandering them on myself, but to use them for Your glory.

Ephesians 1:3 “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”