Thank God it’s Sunday! Finally, an opportunity between morning and evening church service for an afternoon of backyard birding! I have prepared my spot on the patio for an afternoon of relaxation: coffee, binoculars, camera, more coffee, eBird app, notebook and pen, and fill the feeders. I can relax in this beautiful scene my Creator has designed for me… and also meditate upon the future home He is currently preparing for me!

Eastern Bluebird at nest box; Clarke County, Georgia. April, 2017.

After noting the different bird species in the flurry of activity at the freshly filled feeders, my eyes were drawn to the pair of Eastern Bluebirds. The male and female repeatedly crisscrossed the yard, alighting here and there upon the nest boxes, spending a moment in thought, and then moving to the next. Although it is still only February, they are preparing for spring.

When my family moved into our current home in Georgia, after we were comfortably settled, it was time to prepare a backyard bird sanctuary. In addition to the small pond, feeders, fruiting shrubs and honeysuckle vines, I wanted to prepare a home for the Bluebirds and built three nest boxes. To my surprise, the very first season, the bluebirds began preparing a home for their young and have had two clutches per season every year!

Eastern Bluebird nest box; Clarke County, Georgia. April 2017.

But my joy is not only in preparing a home for the bluebirds, and in watching them prepare a nest for their young, but also in knowing a glorious home is currently being prepared for me! And the home He is preparing is no quickly built bluebird nest box! Our Savior has been preparing for 2,000 years now… what a glorious home it will be!

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: …I go to prepare a place for you.” -John 14:2

And since He so graciously has been preparing a home, we should be preparing our hearts! Luke 12:43-47 “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing… And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”

Hi, I’m wildlife photographer and nature writer William Wise. I was saved under a campus ministry while studying wildlife biology at the University of Georgia. My love of the outdoors quickly turned into a love for the Creator and His works. I’m currently an animal shelter director and live in Athens, Georgia with my wife and two teenage daughters, who are all also actively involved in ministry. Creation Speaks is my teaching ministry that glorifies our Creator and teaches the truth of creation. I am also a guest author at Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures  and The Creation Club. — “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made the earth overflow with Your wonderful creations.” Psalms 104, The Message.