

Gifts in Darkness
The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child lay. They were overjoyed at seeing the star and, upon entering the house, found the child with Mary, his mother. ~ Matthew 2:9-11 You will never see a cuter, deadly fuzz ball than a Northern Saw-whet Owl. They are tiny and truly adorable, and unless you are an even smaller rodent, they are not dangerous. They are too small to do you any harm, even if


Light
The people walking in darkness are seeing a brilliant light— upon those who dwell in a land of deep shadows light is shining! ~ Isaiah 9:2 Some birds hatch featherless, flightless, and blind. Others hatch ready to walk and feed themselves. Regardless of how much they develop inside the egg, all birds begin there. It is amazing how much growth happens in such a short period of time within the shell. The window is tiny for migratory birds to get to the breeding territory. In a


Love
You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty.~ Luke 1:51-53 Have you ever seen a crow’s nest? No, not the one on the top of a ship’s mast, an actual nest made by a crow in a tree. Probably not. Even if you patiently watch crows carrying material for a nest, you will be


Joy
Sing praises to YHWH, for God has triumphed. Let this be known throughout the world! Cry out, shout aloud, you who dwell in Zion, for the Holy One of Israel dwells among us in majesty!~ Isaiah 12: 5-6 Migration is hard. Some birds fly literally thousands of miles. Some of those miles are over open water and thus non-stop. Flying anytime takes lots of energy, flying long distances non-stop requires being fueled up for the trip. That means packing on extra pounds (since burning