Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Psalms 8:1
(Photo: Sunrise at Sugarcreek Metropark)
Monthly Archives: July 2020
Questions and Answers
This is another photo from Sweet Arrow Preserve, taken 2 weeks ago. The flower is a Wild teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris). According to Wikipedia, the name “teasel“ comes from the use of this flower to brush (tease) cloth. Sadly, it is probably an invasive species in the park.
I found the name of the species using an app (PlantSnap) that identifies plants and trees directly from a photo. I have another app for identifying birds but you have to manually enter the distinguishing characteristics (rather than it happening automatically from a photo).
It’s tempting to think of the Bible as a spiritual version of Wikipedia (or the plant/bird apps). Have a question? Just look up the answer! While I definitely believe God communicates with us through the Bible, it’s not quite so simple as just “looking up” answers. Discernment is required. But that is not a bad thing!
About to rain
This photo was taken a little over a week ago at Sweet Arrow Preserve. We had checked the radar and forecast before we headed out to hike and it looked like the rain was going to hold off for a couple of hours. Less than 30 minutes into our hike, it started raining. And then raining harder. And then it let up a little. We stayed mostly on the wooded trails and didn’t get too wet… until we headed to the car. Then we got soaked.
The thing is, with the hot weather we have been having, it actually felt good. Sometimes, we avoid experiences that we know will be good for us. Sometimes, we dread what is about to happen only to realize it really wasn’t that bad. Thankfully, God knows what is good for us.
Details
When you see a photo of waterfalls, what draws your attention? This is a photo of the Horseshoe Falls at Caesar Creek State Park. My eyes are drawn to the individual drops of water being generated by the falls.
Sometimes God is found in the little details in life.
Destruction?
This is a photo of the South Inlet in the False Cape State Park. There was a sign that said it was created by a hurricane, in the 1970’s as I recall.
It’s easy to observe the destructive forces in our lives. Harder to see the creative forces. Hint: they may be the same.
Hope
It’s not every day you see a rainbow. I can’t ever remember seeing one in the morning and evening on the same day. This was the one we saw in the evening a couple of days ago while at Virginia Back.
Rainbows are associated with pots of gold. This is an ancient fable and it seems possible that it was made up in part to represent the foolishness of chasing wealth. Foolish because there is no real end of a rainbow just as there is no end to chasing wealth.
I associate rainbows with hope. Probably because of God’s promise to Noah in Genesis. Just as foolish to some, I suppose.
Seasons
This is a photo from Glacier National Park from September 3 years ago. I enjoy seeing photos from the park on their Facebook page. Sometimes, it brings back fond memories. Other times, I’m struck by how different the park looks at different times of the year. In different seasons.
I’ve only recently come to recognize our lives as having seasons. With children who are now adults and grand children who are growing up quickly, the cycle of renewal has become much more obvious to me. How fitting that we have been described s as God’s vineyard.
Hidden
I find water lilies to be intriguing. I’m not sure why but I used to think they were completely floating in the water. I learned from Wikipedia that is not the case. It seems obvious that they must be anchored to the bottom of the pond or lake, since they more or less stay in one place. I also learned there were about 70 species of water lilies. Genetic studies have shown that they are among the oldest flowering plants.
There are so many things in life that are “obvious” once you know them. There also are so many things that are “hidden” that we make assumptions about. Often without realizing we are making those assumptions. This seems to apply to racism. It is not obvious until you see it. Then you wonder how you could have not seen it before.
(Photo: Indiana Dunes National Park)
Be Prepared
I have been trying to get a good spider web photo for years. This is by far the best I have gotten. As often happens, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (with phone in hand). I was on a Sunday morning run when I saw this web glistening in the sun. It was easy to see from far away.
So often we find God when we aren’t even really looking. A good reason to always be prepared.
Signs Along the Way 