Tag Archives: Creator

Birds in Hymns – O Give Thanks To Him Who Made

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Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) by Lee Lowry Pk Zoo

Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) by Lee Lowry Pk Zoo

Based on:

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3 KJV)

Words by ~ Jo­si­ah Con­der (1789-1855), in The Con­gre­ga­tion­al Hymn Book, 1836.
Music ~ “Dix” ~by~  Con­rad Koch­er, Stim­men aus dem Reiche Gott­es, 1838

O Give Thanks To Him Who Made

O give thanks to Him Who made
Morning light and evening shade;
Source and Giver of all good,
Nightly sleep and daily food;
Quickener of our wearied powers,
Guard of our unconscious hours.

O give thanks to nature’s King,
Who made every breathing thing;
His, our warm and sentient frame,
His, the mind’s immortal flame.
O how close the ties that bind
Spirits to the Eternal Mind!

O give thanks with heart and lip,
For we are His workmanship;
And all creatures are His care:
Not a bird that cleaves the air
Falls unnoticed; but who can
Speak the Father’s love to man?

O give thanks to Him Who came
In a mortal, suffering frame—
Temple of the Deity—
Came for rebel man to die;
In the path Himself hath trod
Leading back His saints to God.

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal

See more Birds in Hymns

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Observations from an Outsider ~ by Stephen Simpson

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Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) at Bok Tower By Dan'sPix

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) at Bok Tower By Dan’sPix

Observations from an Outsider

I am an outsider.  I do not consider myself to be an avid birdwatcher.  I am an ignorant birdwatcher.  I like to look at birds, but most of the time, I have absolutely no idea what I’m looking at.  My ability to identify birds does not extend much past Blue Jays and Bald Eagles.

That being said, I have learned much from Lee.  Through her writing, my understanding of birds has grown and deepened.  She has broadened my ‘birding skills.’  I have come to better appreciate the wide variety of birds that God has created.

When Lee asked me to write an article for this blog, I was stumped.  What can I contribute to a birdwatching blog?  I finally decided to write to people like me – outsiders.  So, if you are like me – an ignorant birdwatcher – then this post is for you.

Mallard Mom and Baby at Lake Hollingsworth

Here are some observations from the outside.

Be Still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)

  1. You and I need to Stop, Look, and Listen more.  We need to slow down and pay more attention.  It is so easy to go through life and totally miss the ‘birds.’  It is so easy to race from one activity to the next.  Let us take time to stop, close our eyes, and simply listen to the birds.  Let us take time to stand still and observe the rich diversity of birds all around us.
  2. You and I need to recognize that it is all about God.  God needs to be recognized more.  Every bird we see should direct our thoughts to God.  When you see a dove, think of the peace of God.  When you watch a Bald Eagle soar through the sky, think of the majesty and grandeur of God.  When you see a mother duck shelter and protect her babies, think of God how He shelters and protects His children.  Fortunately, we have Lee’s blog as a great resource to help us recognize God.
  3. You and I need to admit that God is not boring.  As we begin to recognize God more, we must admit that He is not dry or stale.  His creativity is infinite.  Which one of us could have dreamed up ‘sword-billed hummingbirds’ or ‘birds that drink seawater’ or ‘kakapos?’  Imagine, if the God of the universe put this much creativity into the birds of the air, how much more creativity must He have put into you and me.  We are of far more value to Him than the birds.  We bear His image.  God not only exquisitely designed the birds; He also designed each one of us.  Our God is not boring!  He is infinitely interesting!
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 ESV)
Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) by Robert Scanlon

Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) by Robert Scanlon

Lee’s Addition:

This blog owes very much to Stephen, our Assistant to the Pastor. When I was trying to find an outlet for my desire to use my Birds of the Bible lessons, it was Stephen who suggested that I write an article each Friday on our church blog. I said yes, but not knowing exactly what a “blog” was, I started one of my own, to learn how to lay out the articles for the “Fountain.” What you are reading, has been from that small beginning. Praise the Lord for letting Stephen make that suggestion.

Here are links to the first two articles on the Fountain in February 2008:
Birds of the Bible – Introduction and The Birds of the Bible ~ Eagles

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Thank You – 200,000

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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by Dan at Circle B Bar Reserve

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by Dan at Circle B Bar Reserve

During the wee hours this morning, the pages visited counter passed the 200,000 mark. I want thank all of our readers who have come to this blog. Hopefully you have found the information you have sought and maybe even found other articles of interest.

The count was started when the blog was moved here to WordPress in July of 2008. Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures was about 6 months old at that time. That 6 month count is unknown. We are not in this for the counts, but it does let us know that our blog is being found and read.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16 KJV)

As 2011 approaches in two days, our goal is to continue producing interesting articles about birds and critters that honor the Lord’s Creative Hand. Trust you have enjoyed the many birds that we have already introduced.

Szechenyi's Monal-Partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii) ©Ross-Flickr

Szechenyi's Monal-Partridge (200th Bird in IOC List) ©Ross-Flickr

My personal thanks to Ian Montgomery, a j mithra, April Lorier and other writers who contribute to the blog. To all our many photographers and videographers who have given permission to use their superb photos, thank you. To Dan, my husband, photographer, birdwatching partner, etc., thanks for putting up with the many hours I spend on the computer to produce this. My most thanks goes to the Lord who created all the birds and the rest of our world, saved my soul and has given me a chance to honor Him through this blog.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

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Formed By Him – New Series

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Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Rev. 4:11 (Blue Jay by Dan)

Formed By Him

Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19 ESV)

Fiery-throated Hummingbird by J Patterson

I have recently started a series of blog articles about different aspects of the Lord’s Creative Hand on the birds He has created. Some of the articles will be about a specific bird and some amazing characteristics or behavior it demonstrates. The different designs or colors of birds that have been painted with the Lord’s fantastic Paintbrush could be featured or whatever else that reveals God’s Design and His Intelligence in the creation of birds.

As I work on articles and am searching for photos of birds, other neat birds are discovered. With 10,000 plus birds flying around all over this world, the source for material should be way beyond us ever running out of things to write about. Hope you enjoy this new series, “Formed By Him.”

Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it–the LORD is his name: (Jeremiah 33:2 ESV)

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers 2-day olds©USFWS

The following “Formed By Him” articles have already been published:
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Copper Birds
Bearded Barbet

Birds of the Bible – The Lord Provides For Them

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Silver-eared Leiothrix (Leiothrix argentauris) by Ian

Silver-eared Leiothrix (Leiothrix argentauris) brightly colored-by Ian

O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. (Psalms 104:24-28 NASB)

When you look at all that is around you, do you stand amazed at the Lord God’s Creative Hand or do you just think given enough time, this all came about? For me, I see an awesome Creator God that has wisdom and understanding that is way beyond my finite mind to comprehend. As I was praying and asking the Lord to help me do this article, I thought, “Lord you knew I was going to make this prayer this morning.” “You know what I’ll pray about tomorrow, and the next, and next year.” Whoa! I had to finish up my prayer and not get carried away. But, now, I had my idea for this blog today.

In Genesis 1 we learn that when the critters, birds, man and woman were created, they were vegetarians.

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:29-31 NKJV)

God knew that man was going to sin and that the he (man and woman) and all the critters, birds, fish, and the earth were going to be cursed. God knows the end from the beginning. “Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalms 90:2 NKJV) Just as He provide for man, that Jesus Christ would come to pay the price for our sins; He provided for the animals and birds so they could defend themselves from the cursed nature of other critters and birds.

Silver-eared Leiothrix (Leiothrix argentauris) by Ian

Silver-eared Leiothrix blended in tree-by Ian

Watching birds, one of my favorite things to do, you can see God’s Protective Hand at work. The colors alone, give a clue. The male birds seem to be the most brightly colored, which helps the get a mate. Their mating helps preserve their species and the female, whose color is usually subtle, is protected as she sits on the nest. The bright colors of many birds, which I love to see, seem to blend right in with their surrounding. Again protecting them from predators.

God gave the birds a command to reproduce.  “And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22 NKJV) When they came off the Ark, He said to Noah, “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.” (Genesis 8:17 NKJV)

Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) by Lee at NA

Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) by Lee at NA

The predators!  Many of the plants before the Flood were large and thick. The beaks and claws were used to help them eat plants, now, those same beaks and claws help them catch prey. They were still provided for by God’s forethought even though that was not what the Creator wanted them to do. He knew the end from the beginning.

I could name trait after trait, where the Creator’s love, omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), and care is shown to critters and birds. Look and observe the birds and you will see that they had a Awesome Creator that knew the end from the beginning and has well provided for them.

He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains; They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; They lift up their voices among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth, (Psalms 104:10-14 NASB)

What about us? Do we observe and realize the love, care, omniscience, and omnipotence in our (man’s) creation? How about your body, eyes, skin, internal organ, heart, mind? They were all fantastically created by a loving God. Yes, they are falling apart. Yes, they become corrupt. Yes, we die. That is because of the curse and the fall of man into sin.
But!

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 KJV)

Let me leave you with encouragement and thoughts that the Lord gave his disciples:

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. (Luke 12:22-31 NKJV)

The Wordless Birds
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New Species?

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While working on the Orders of the Birds and finding so many species of birds worldwide, I went looking for more information about them. I came across this interesting article at the ICR.org website. The bolding is mine. I trust you will find it worth the reading.

Cormorant Tree by Dan

Cormorant Tree by Dan

Do ‘New Species’ Demonstrate Darwinism?
by Various Authors
Frank Sherwin, M.A., and Brian Thomas, M.S.*

“That species undergo change in this grand system called earth is apparent, but those changes do not occur the way Charles Darwin envisioned. Living things do shift behaviors and physiologies in response to environmental (and other) pressures, but can these minor changes completely rework a creature’s essential form (a concept referred to as “macroevolution”)? Decades of research emphatically say no.

Often, small changes within a kind are referred to as “microevolution,” which has been defined as “evolution resulting from a succession of relatively small genetic variations that often cause the formation of new subspecies.”1 Creation scientists agree that small variations occur, both because they can be observed, and because it is reasonable that a wise Creator would equip His creatures with survival-enhancing capabilities. But these variations do not lead to large-scale changes between kinds. Indeed, “there is no agreement [among evolutionists] as to whether macroevolution results from the accumulation of small changes due to microevolution, or whether macroevolution is uncoupled from microevolution.”2

The confusing array of definitions for the word “species” can obscure deficiencies in Darwinian evolution. As leading scientists have admitted, “The very term ‘species’ is deeply ambiguous.”3 Harvard’s Steven Palumbi said in 1994 that “the formation of species has long represented one of the most central, yet also one of the most elusive, subjects in evolutionary biology.”4

If different species are described as essentially those forms which cannot interbreed, then new species do arise, a process called “speciation.” They do so, however, because of a loss of information–the opposite direction to what Darwinian evolution requires. “…..

To see the complete article – CLICK HERE