Duck Feathers vs. God's Feathers!

Picture taken by my granddaughter
at our neighborhood duck pond.

Have you even wondered how ducks stay dry?

"If you can watch some ducks for a while you might notice that they spend a lot of time nibbling their feathers with their beaks. This is called preening. While the duck is preening she is spreading oil all over her top layer of feathers. The oil comes from a special place near her tail called a gland and when she spreads the oil over her feathers it makes her feathers waterproof. The water can’t get through the first layer of oily feathers and so all of her feathers underneath stay dry and fluffy and keep her warm all over."  (From Garth and Bev's website)

Swans and geese keep dry under their feathers in the same way.

As my granddaughter and I were talking about this yesterday,

I suddenly realized that God wants to take care of us in a similar way!

"He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge."

Psalm 91:4

He doesn't take us out of the water

(the storms or challenges in our lives),

but He keeps us "dry" and out of danger

by giving us refuge "under His wings"!

Click on Rock4Today to see my latest posting of "Names of God on Rocks!"

Branson - Recovery after the Tornado

We are privileged to live only a couple of hours away from Branson, Missouri.

My husband and I usually go there a few times a year just to get away,

...or to celebrate a special occasion. 

This past weekend it was the latter,

which just happened to be my birthday!

I hadn't  been there since the tornado went through,

and was anxious to see how bad the damage was,

...AND what progress was being made.

It was hard to narrow down my photo selection,

but I'll share a few shots

 to give you an idea what we saw.

 

It wasn't long after we turned onto
 "The Strip" (Highway 76)
that we began to see damage,
as well as evidence of frustration!



Port-a-potties abounded where work was in progress.

Shops that had suffered damage had signs saying they had reopened,
even though it was evident that construction had not been completed.

The tornado seemed to skip around,
completely destroying some businesses,
and leaving others totally intact.



Some businesses gave evidence of moving to new locations.

Others were boarded up, and by the signs
I couldn't tell if they were planning to reopen or not.
...Not that I was planning to get a tattoo,
just in case you wondered!!!

When late evening came,
it was reassuring to see the lights coming on.
It seemed that the town might actually be benefiting
in some crazy ways from the tornado.
A manager in one of the restaurants said his business
was up 5 percent from the previous year.
"People are curious," he said. 
"They're coming to see the damage,
and it's helping our business."

My visit to Branson reminded me of the strong will to survive

that God has put within the heart of man,

and I thought of a couple of verses from the Bible

found in Isaiah 61:4&7:

"And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

They shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities...

Instead of your shame

you shall have double honor,

And instead of confusion

they shall rejoice in their portion.

Therefore in their land

they shall possess double;

Everlasting joy shall be theirs."

Yes, ...Life goes on - even in Branson.

It may be their best tourist year ever!

For a look at my name of God for today, click HERE!

To see more pictures of the damage, click here.

 

Beauty

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
Ecclesiastes 3:11

To see God's Name on Rocks for today,

click HERE!



Small creatures

After accidentally leaving our front porch light on all night,
I found this little moth lingering near the front door.
Click on the picture to enlarge the detail.
He almost looks like he has feathery misplaced eyebrows
around two large black eyes, doesn't he?!!

Then when I went to water my flowers,
 I found this little guy taking a nap on the edge of one of my flower pots.

His little buddy was busy trying to climb up the brick wall,
but quickly slid to the ground when I accidentally splashed
him with water from the garden hose!

These little creatures reminded me of a verse from

Revelation 5:13 that says,

"And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth

and under the earth and in the sea.

They sang: "Blessing and honor and glory and power

belong to the one sitting on the throne

and to the Lamb forever and ever."

Remember this song?
"All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Allelujah!  Allelujah!  Allelujah!"

WOW!

Can you imagine these little creatures

joining together to

sing praise to God?!!!

That will be so AMAZING!

You won't want to miss it!

To see my Name of God on Rocks for today,

click here!
Thanks for your visit!

Wisdom's path...

"My child, listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.
I will teach you wisdom's ways
and lead you in straight paths.
When you walk, you won't be held back;
when you run, you won't stumble.
Take hold of my instructions;
don't let them go.
Guard them, for they are the key to life."
Proverbs 4:10-13



Click here to see my name for God of Rock4Today.

Legend of the Dogwood



Many years ago, a dogwood tree grew on a hill outside Jerusalem. In those days, the dogwood tree was as tall
and mighty as an oak, and this tree was the tallest of all the dogwoods, and extremely proud of its strength.

"Something wonderful is going to happen to me," it said to anyone who would listen. "I'll probably become the mast that holds the big sail on a grand ship, or the main timber supporting a great house."

Unfortunately, the huge old dogwood was cut down to become the cross to which Jesus was nailed. The tree was horrified. All its dreams of glory were smashed, and it groaned in agony as two boards
from its trunk were nailed together.

Jesus took pity on the tree, even as he carried it to Calvary. "You will never be put to such use again," He told it. "From this day on, your shape will change, even as will the world. You will become
slender and sway easily with the breeze. And instead of acorns, you will bear flowers in the shape of a cross... with
two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal,
there will be nail prints... brown with rust and red with bloodstains to show the world how you have suffered."



"Last of all, the center of your flowers will be marked as though with a crown of thorns to remind people forevermore, that you and I spent our last moments together." And so it was. And so it is. ~ Author Unknown ~

Credit for above goes to Easter Poems and Stories, but photos are my own. To enlarge photos to observe detail, simply click on the photo.

For today's "Name of God on Rocks" post, click HERE!