Author Archives: Lee

Impact of the Answers in Genesis Conference

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Updated 4/25/09

If you have been reading this blog, you will recall that last weekend we had an Answers in Genesis Conference at our church here in Winter Haven, FL. It was a fantastic conference that the Lord blessed, and I left it with “information overload.” I have been trying to sort through what the Lord would have me learn from all of it. Creation topics have been something I have read about for some time, but this really struck a need.

I believe many of us had our thinking challenged by what we heard. American Christians are deserting the Authority of the Word of God and compromising with a world-view that is non-Christian. The result is our foundations based on the Word of God, the Creator of this world, are crumbling. As each generation teaches the next from a crumbling foundation, that next generation compromises more. Their foundation is even weaker than the one before. They become more Pagan or anti-Christian as the generations pass. So, what do we do? Shall we let our children, and grandchildren continue to drift further away from God and His Word in the Bible. I don’t think so!

If I didn’t learn anything else from that conference, this one thing I did. It is time to go back to the Foundation of the Word of God and re-train, or train for the first time, our generation and next ones on what the Bible, God’s Holy Word says. Not the compromised view.The most important decision a person every makes in their life is to confess their sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. If you don’t know that you are a sinner and why, then you need a foundation based on the Bible.
Our Thinking in Every Area
What does that mean for my blogs? Some foundational blocks need to be placed down based on God’s Word.  On the Birdwatchng Adventures blog, we have tried to base the posts on Scripture. There is more that can be said about why we believe they were created and did not take millions of years to get here and the wonderful design that the Lord created them with. Check out the PLUS Index for more on these topics.

We are Bible-believing Christians that love the Lord and want to share our thoughts and beliefs based on the Word of God, the Bible, with you. There are many fantastic websites that have information that we will share, with their permission, that will help rebuild a Biblical foundation.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV)

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. (Psalm 145:3-5 KJV)

The Vanishing Case for Evolution by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

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The Vanishing Case for Evolution
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

Evolutionary belief is a remarkable and largely unexplained phenomenon. It is a belief held by most intellectuals all over the world, despite the fact that there is no real scientific evidence for it at all. Evolutionists allege that evolution is a proved scientific fact, based on a multitude of scientific proofs, but they are unable to document even one of these supposed proofs! This curious situation is illustrated below in quotations from several leading evolutionary scientists.

THE ALTOGETHER MISSING EVIDENCE
No Evolution at Present.
To see the rest of the article CLICK HERE

You might also find this article interesting:
Just How Well Proven Is Evolution?, by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

Fossil Fibers Befuddle Dinosaur Evolution from I.C.R.

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Fossil Fibers Befuddle Dinosaur Evolution
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Evolutionary museums and textbooks have often portrayed modern birds as the descendants of dinosaurs, a story that has been presented without empirical support. Now, a new “feathered” dinosaur discovery has thrown a wrench into the already dysfunctional machinery of the dino-to-bird tale. This dinosaur fossil with fang-like teeth, Tianyulong confuciusi, has been found with fibers that resemble structures believed by some evolutionists to be the precursors of feathers—the only problem is, it’s the wrong category of dinosaur to have them!

To read the rest of this article, go to I.C.R.

Since this blog is about birds and the other one creation, this article is good reading for both areas.

Birds of the Bible – Foundation #4

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We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible – Foundation series.

If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1,  –  Foundation #2 –  Foundation #3

The last article in this series left the world, Noah, his family, the animals, birds and creeping things in a rough situation. All the world was violently rearranged by the global flood and all air-breathing creation was dead, except for those on board the Ark.

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Peter 3:20)

But first must he (Christ-the Creator) suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:25-27)

Just as those who were saved by being in the Ark, so are we by putting our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Australian Raven by Les Thurbon

Australian Raven by Les Thurbon

Finally, (Noah and all were in the Ark for over a year.) Noah opened the window in the ark and sent forth a raven. The raven which flew back and forth to the ark until the land was dried up. Noah, then sent out the Dove (female) to see if the ground was off the ground. Doves are ground feeders and also like to put their nests on the ground many times. She found no resting place for her feet and so Noah put out his hand and brought

Eurasian-collared Dove in Israel

Eurasian-collared Dove in Israel

her back inside. Noah waited 7 more days and sent the dove out again and this time she came back with an olive leaf. This let Noah know that the waters were receding. When he released her again 7 more days later, the dove did not return. “The surface of the ground was dry.” (Genesis 8:7-12)

After 7 more days: “God spoke to Noah, saying,”

“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:16-22 NKJV)

That is a tremendous promise and in Genesis 9, God blesses Noah and his sons and then makes some statements:

  • Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth
  • Fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast, bird, all that move on the earth, all fish of the sea. Are given into your hand
  • Every moving thing that lives shall be food. (Man is no longer just a vegetarian)
  • You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood
  • Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
  • God makes a covenant with man and every living creature

Genesis 9:11-17 NKJV
(11)  Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
(12)  And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
(13)  I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
(14)  It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
(15)  and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
(16)  The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
(17)  And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Rainbow by Mike Bader

Rainbow by Mike Bader

What a tremendous promise! Even though man and critters are still cursed, God will never bring another global flood.

As for the birds and other critters, we find from God’s Word that there are changes for them. They now can become food for man and other critters, they now have a fear and dread of man who has dominion over them, they now become eaters of others. They are still to reproduce and spread out and fill the earth, they are promised never to be totally destroyed again by a global flood, etc. Somewhere between the Fall in the garden of Eden and this, the nature of birds and critters is drastically changed from what God originally created them to be. All because of SIN.

Continue to Birds of the Bible – Foundation #5

Some links to some informative articles about the flood:
Noah’s Flood covered the whole earth
Universality of the Genesis Flood
How Did Defense/Attack Structures Come About?

All Things Bright And Beautiful – Cecil F. Alexander

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Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen 1:31 NKJV)

Words: Ce­cil F. Al­ex­an­der, Hymns for Lit­tle Child­ren, 1848. Alex­an­der is thought to have writ­ten these lyr­ics at Mark­ree Cas­tle, near Sli­go, Ire­land.

Music: Roy­al Oak, 17th Cen­tu­ry Eng­lish mel­o­dy; ar­ranged by Mar­tin F. Shaw, 1915 Al­ter­nate tunes:

  • Bright and Beau­ti­ful, Wil­liam H. Monk
  • Gerald, Lud­wig Spohr, 1834
  • Greystone, by W. R. Wag­horne, in Songs for Lit­tle Peo­ple (Dan­i­el­son and Co­nant: 1905)

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flow’r that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful,

Long-tailed Hermit in Costa Ricaby Wildstock Photos

Long-tailed Hermit in Costa Ricaby Wildstock Photos

All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them ev’ry one:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water
We gather ev’ry day:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal

See ~ Wordless Birds

More ~ Birds in Hymns

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(Updated 4/29/09)
All things bright and beautiful, really? by Ken Ham

Birdwatching Trips – Circle B Bar Reserve

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Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill by Dan

Time gets away from me and I realized that two trips were made to the Circle B Bar that were never written about. So I am going to combine the two. On February 24th and the on March 10th we made our way to one of the neatest places to bird here in central Florida. Both days were cloudless and cool but nice. The biggest problem out there right now is that we are in draught conditions and some of the water holes are drying. It seems the birds that like shallower water are finding  it great, but some have moved on.

White Pelicans at distance with friends

One group of White Pelicans at distance with friends

The highlight of both trips were the White Pelicans. There numbers were in the 1000’s. I gave up counting after 1,000 and found out that a week earlier over 5,000 had been counted. It was neat to watch them lift up in groups and circle abit until they got in their V-formations and then head off. It was awesome to watch. My other joy was watching my first Common Yellowthroat that I had seen up close. He looks like a “yellow bandito” with a black mask (The picture is blurry, but you can see him). We also spot a “huge” alligator and an otter. Below is a list of what was spotted on those two trips. We were with some home schoolers on one of those trips, so we were training as well as looking. There are many more birds to see out there. My life list is up to 73 out there, plus the ones I couldn’t ID.

White Pelicans by Lee

White Pelicans by Lee

Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Bobwhite
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Wilson’s Snipe
Mourning Dove

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk by Dan

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Sedge Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle

For more visits to Circle B Bar Reserve

Birds of the Bible – Foundation #3

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We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible – Foundation series.

If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1
Foundation #2

In the last blog the “Fall” of Adam and Eve was mentioned and because of that, the “Curse” is now on them and all of God’s creation. Death comes on the scene, mankind now has sinned and now each person is born as a sinner. The ground is cursed and thorns and thistle now appear.

By Genesis Chapter 6, God has had it with the sins of man.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:5-7 KJV)

The Ark by Elfred Lee

The Ark by Elfred Lee

All is not lost because, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8 KJV) Because of the grace found by Noah, the LORD gives him instructions about how to build an ark including the size, materials to use, who and what will be on board, and why the ark will be needed. God makes a covenant with Noah and tells him to come in with his wife and his sons and his son’s wives.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:19-20 KJV)

He was also to provide food for all of them. And Noah obeyed all that he was told. Noah spent over 100 years preparing the ark and trying to warn others of the coming judgment. There was plenty of room on the ark for more than the 8 people who boarded the ark. The others refused to repent.

When we get to Chapter 7, the boarding of the ark takes place and the rain and flood begins. “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” (Genesis 7:1-5)

Noah did not have to round up the animals, they came to him. Because not every animal we see today came on board but the main kinds (for instance the “bird kinds” may have had a “warbler kind” but not have black and white warblers,yellow-rumped warblers, hooded warbler, etc.), which ever ones they were, there was plenty of room for them. I have an idea that because the LORD sent the animals, birds, and critters, that their DNA’s were of the highest quality. (That is my opinion)

Dove in Israel

Doves in Israel

If you read the rest of Genesis 7, you will see that the global flood came and covered everything and only those who were in the ark survived, plus some of those that live in the water.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:21-23)

In Foundation #4 we will find out about what the birds go through as they come off the ark and after.

Amazing Free-Flying Bald Eagle “Challenger” (AEF)

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I received this in an e-mail, and felt compelled to reproduce it here. It is worth viewing. It is on YouTube.

“Read the narrative before viewing.

If this does not give you goose bumps, you had better see a doctor.

This is an awesome music video… Featuring a special free-flying Bald Eagle named ‘Challenger’ (in honor of the lost space shuttle crew) cared for by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (AEF).

He’s a ‘human socialized’ bird accidentally raised by the people who rescued him – after being blown from a wild Louisiana nest in a storm as a baby in the late 1980s. Declared ‘non-releasable’ by federal and state wildlife authorities, he was trained by the AEF to perform educational free-flight demonstrations at high profile public events.

He’s the first Bald Eagle in U.S. History that learned to free-fly into stadiums, arenas and ballrooms during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. The celebrity eagle has appeared at numerous major sporting events… Like the World Series, Pro-Bowl, All-Star game, BCS National Championship, Fiesta Bowl and Men’s Final Four, etc.

Challenger has also flown before 4 U.S. Presidents! His life story is told in a children’s storybook titled ‘Challenger, America ‘s Favorite Eagle.’

Turn on your speakers and click on link below.”

Interesting Things – Amazing Giraffe

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Interesting Things from Smiley Central
The Amazing Giraffe

Here are two different videos about the Giraffe telling about how God has created them with a special feature called the “wonder net.” This really called the “rete mirabile.” See an article I did, “Interesting Things – Why Birds Don’t Wear Socks“, from information from Creation Moments.
The first video is from Creation Moments on YouTube.

The second video is from nubeckett on YouTube and explains the “wonder net” in a little more detail.