The Heart of a Pastor

Loon Cam

Check out this website my mom just told me about.  It's the Minnesota Bound (www.mnbound.com) site.  When you get there click on "Live Loon Cam" link and enjoy.  For some reason I have been fascinated with watching this mother loon sit on a nest (of course I am doing some work in the mean time).  But I wonder, though, if my fascination comes from my discombobulation.  Or...maybe...I am just feeling a little loony right now.  In any case...enjoy.

-edh-

Bird man of Jackson

Believe me...I don't embrace this title, but I can't help but chuckle after our little visitor this afternoon...

Connie and I were in the kitchen getting ready do some grilling for supper when I heard a strange noise by our main door (from the kitchen there is a door that leads to three steps that takes you down to a landing.  A left turn takes you outside and a right turn leads you down into the basement).  When I opened the kitchen door to investigate the strange noise...low and behold...there was a bird trying to get out.  Of course my first response was to slam the door to prevent the bird from coming into the main part of the house.  That reaction caused my wife to get a little excited; thinking someone was trying to break into our house to kill us.  But after I assured her that the bird was not going to peck us to death, I entered the landing area to open the outside door.  That, of course, freaked the bird out and it headed downstairs to the basement.  What happened next can only be described as a wild chase trying to convince my feathered visitor that I meant it no harm.  I can't believe it would not trust me.  Eventually I chased it up stairs where Connie had the outside door open and our flying friend found its way to freedom.

[Later that evening]

Connie and I were sitting on the couch watching the news when we started recalling our wild bird adventure.  She then said, "I suppose you have a blog post for tomorrow".  I hadn't really thought about it but now I did.  Later in the evening Connie said, "I think I have an anology for you about the bird.  The bird is like us trying to find our way to freedom and God is trying to guide us to freedom.  Just like the bird who didn't trust you, we often don't trust that God has our best interests at heart.  But all God wants is for us to enjoy freedom...just like what you wanted for that bird." 

Wow...I think my wife is on to something here.  I think she should have a blog as well. 

-edh-

And he gave me a chicken

Last night Connie and I received one of the most unique and memorable gifts we have received in a long time.  And by the above picture you can guess what we got.  One of our 6 year old Sunday school students, W, gave us a flock of chicks.  We don't actually have them but he bought them through Heifer International on our behalf.  Some hungry family is going to benefit from this wonderful gift.  Something that will provide them with food and income for years to come.  Often we receive and give gifts that end up collecting dust, end up in the garbage or wear out over time.  This gift will possibly save lives and last a long time.

I know that many of you have probably finished your shopping by now (LOL...yeah right). Well...here's an idea for you.  Buy a flock of chicks or some other animal for someone and give them a gift that could save someone(s) life.  I am willing to bet that all those involved will be very thankful.

Thank you, W...Connie and I will remember this gift for a long time.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

-edh-

Here they are...

   

Our little visitors from yesterday.  Aren't they cute?

My smelly problem

No...it is not what you are thinking :)

Yesterday morning my wife and I were getting ready for our workouts.  She uses our elliptical trainer that's in the basement and I go for a run along the river trail in town.  As I was getting ready my wife yelled for me to come into the kitchen.  As I arrived to see what the problem was she pointed out the window toward the church and said "look!".  There, by the rain gutter that drains into the tile, were a pair of young skunks wrestling and frolicking in the grass.  I had smelled skunks around the house before but had not seen them - until yesterday.  We stood in the kitchen watched them play and wrestle.  Then they would stop and run down into the underground drain that goes into the tile.  A minute or so later they would re-emerge and continue their frolicking.  It was quite a scene.  I then snuck outside and got close enough for a couple pictures.  They were really cute...

...but of course they cannot stay...

...so when I got to my HOT and HUMID office I called the police and relayed my problem to them.  They told me that I could come and get a live trap and when I catch them I could call them back.  The police then would come and "dispose" of the skunks and then take them out into the country.  I did not like the term "dispose" because I knew what he meant.  The officer did warn me that if they were to "dispose" of our cute, uninvited guests that it would smell for quite awhile.  I did not like that either.  So I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Cue my brilliant idea...

...I stuck a hose down the drain tile and turned on the water.  I figured this would flush them out.  When I returned from turning the water on a skunk was fighting its way past the hose to get out.  Of course I kept my distance and let him/her get out.  Only one came out so followed the "drowned rat".  I "chased" our cute little friend around the church (once again...keeping my distance).  It turned a corner and then I lost it.  I am not sure where it went.  I did hear some rustling in the street storm sewer so maybe it went down there.  Either way...our cute little "drowned rat" is gone...for the time being at least.

After the exciting events in the high humidity (I am dripping with sweat by now) my custodian and I placed a wire mesh down the drain tile to prevent our little visitors from entering it again.  We'll see if this works.  The rest of my day was spent dealing with the heat in my un-air conditioned office (I did not get out to do visits...I guess the heat index zapped me of all my energy -- except for the energy I had chasing a skunk around the building).  I still laugh when I think about that.

Even though I did not get anything really constructive done today I believe I did save one life.  It my not have been a contributing member of this congregation but one more of God's creatures is alive when I had a chance to kill it.  Of course this attitude may change if they come back and create a nuisance, but for the time being, I feel pretty good about myself...

...but...part of me DOES hope our cute little friends do return to frolick in the grass again because there's not enough frolicking done in this world.

-edh-