Goodness! I must be so anxious for the cooler weather to come that I moved the calendar ahead a date. Meanwhile on the other side of the world and in the Southern Hemisphere, as we begin to think about fall, people in New Zealand are thinking about spring where the temperature today is a nice 61 degrees Fahrenheit.
In this early spring down there, they are also reintroducing native species of birds, including one thought to be extinct – the Takahe, a wingless flightless bird traced back to the prehistoric Pleistocene era. The conservationists in this project are also working to eliminate certain kinds of predators brought in by European settlement.
So inadvertently we bring in species accompanied by their bugs which then delight in the new variety of plants for munching. All our actions have consequences, from bugs we never expected to the decisions of governments and corporations to open up areas of national parks to oil exploration. Like Humpty Dumpty, putting nature back together again is more than a daunting task.
Prayer for the Day
Appearing in the most unusual places, you startle us, Lord,
For we know you will call upon us to live as we should;
Unsure and having trepidation of your commands for our lives,
We design and develop alibis why we cannot do this or that.
Shake us loose, O Lord, from the previous moorings we used
And scrape the barnacles of apathy off our souls.
In the name of the One who calls us to action,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
- Albert Einstein, scientist (1879-1955)
How strange it is that nature does not nock but does not intrude.
- Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886)
Sing to the Lord with thanksgivings; make melody to our God on the lyre.
God covers he heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth.
Makes grass grow n the hills.
God gives to the animals their food and to the young ravens when they cry.
God’s pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
Nor does God take pleasure in the speed of a runner;
But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear the Lord.
Psalm 147:7-11