Hickory Dickory Dock

We have lived in our home for twenty three years. During those years, we've had the occasional mouse in the ceiling. We've had an occasional mouse in the wall. But to my recollection, I don't think we've ever had a mouse running loose in the house.

That is, not until last night.


My husband and I had just finished watching the latest episode of  "Duck Dynasty" on my laptop, and I was logging off when a flash of gray caught my attention. A not so tiny mouse dashed across our living room floor, stopped abruptly, turned about-face and exited out toward our dining room.

"There's a mouse in our house!"

Upon hearing my cry, my husband came down from our second floor and told me he thought he saw something run past him when he opened the garage door as he was locking up for the night. He looked around briefly and seeing nothing, thought he had imagined it. Not so.

This furry foe was now touring our home. And so the hunt began. As I skittishly tip toed around our main floor, opening doors and turning on lights hoping for a chance glimpse of our new house guest, Randy was downstairs, doing the same. A few minutes later a "found him!" was called up from our lower level. "Jerry" was hiding under our desk. Armed with a broom, I joined Randy in the basement.

When Randy poked the broom under the desk, Jerry made a bee line under the couch. Shrieking and dancing, the two of us took new positions for surveillance (mine happened to be atop the coffee table). Randy and I were a good tag team, but we needed a third partner for sure fire success. I ran upstairs to grab our trusty flashlight. Thinking we had him cornered, Jerry outran us and scurried under the door to our work room. Score one for Jerry!

Our workroom, slash junk room, slash catch all room, had lots of good hiding spots for Jerry. Flashes of the movie, Mouse Hunt, came to mind. Needless to say, we spent the next half hour moving junk, cornering Jerry, losing Jerry and moving more junk. All the while, I managed to find the safest high spot from which to observe.

In the end, the trio of husband, wife and flashlight spelled DOOM for Jerry. We were victorious and poor Jerry lost in a valiant fight to the finish. Alone, it would have been hard to defeat Jerry. As a pair we had a definite advantage. Armed with a beacon of light, we were sure winners.

As Christians, our lives mirror that of last night's game of hide and seek. Alone, we are vulnerable and can be under attack. When we share our walk with other Christians, we can fight a good battle. But when we are armed with the light of truth, Jesus Christ, we cannot be broken. We are sure winners.

The following is a passage read often at weddings to portray the bond of husband and wife whose lives are Christ-centered. These verses from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 are an encouragement for all Christians seeking fellowship with other believers:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Hidden danger....

I'm the ultimate exercise procrastinator. I know I should participate in physical activity, I just have little desire to do so. Actually, I have ZERO desire to do so. I can think of countless things to do ahead of exercise. Like read. Or play a game. Or be bored do nothing whatsoever.

For this reason, I surprised myself on Sunday when I actually felt like taking our dog, Bessie, for a walk. Bessie is leash-aphobic, so our walks consist of trekking through our woods.

Fifteen years or so ago, my husband cleared trees to form a trail around the perimeter of our property. Its purpose was for our kids to have a safe place to drive their go-kart. For several summers, the go-kart kept the trail clear, but in the years since then, the trail is mostly moss-covered and fern lined.

Five loops around the trail is the equivalent of one mile, so that is always my goal. On Sunday, I came way short of reaching my goal. At the end of lap one, Bessie and I needed to sneak through a tight spot between our pole barn and a grouping of trees. Because I was day dreaming, I was unaware of my surroundings and my inattentiveness was an unfortunate mistake. Hidden in a decaying, hollow branch, under a carpet of moss, lived a nest of bees. As luck would have it, my foot found the exact opening to the nest.

These were not happy bees.

Dogs, when stung, do not run. They sit and attempt to chew at the afflicted area. Humans, on the other hand, attempt all means of escape. In such a tight area, my escape route was blocked not only by a butt-chewing dog, but several large, unyielding trees. I was not quick enough. Several angry bees punished me for my lack of focus. How they all managed to poke me in my neck and upper back is quite a mystery to me, but the pain was instant and severe.

"Not fair!" I want to scream! I was doing a good thing for all the right reasons, and didn't deserve this attack!

As a Christian, I know from personal experience that Satan and his minions are the same as those angry bees. They are hidden from view, often in a beautiful, safe looking spot. And when I'm distracted or lose my focus, they are ready to attack.

I Peter 5:8 warns us: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."

Those nasty bees won't surprise me again.

Ditto for my life foe...my feet are planted firmly in the faith.
 

Beach bug

Today was a beach day. Yes, it was seventy one degrees. And yes, most West Michiganders thought it was much too cold for an afternoon at the beach. Just the opposite was true. Today was a fantastic day to sleep at the beach. The temperature allowed utter relaxation, and yes, sleep.

But today, the beach is not the focus of this post.

Rewind to my walk from parking lot to beach. The newly constructed boardwalk sprawls a distance and makes for a shady trek beachward. Being one easily distracted, I spotted a HUGE winged insect laying on the walkway. Huge really doesn't do him justice. He was gargantuan! Ginormous! Humongous! This dude was amazing...and DEAD. So, being fascinated by the unusual, I put down my chair and squatted for a closer look. After rolling him over to ensure deadness, I picked that sucker up. After close inspection, I decided a picture was in order. Wanting a more natural looking picture, I pulled down the sleeve of my cover up and laid him on it, then proceeded down the steps.

Much to my surprise, about two steps down, I noticed his legs stretching outward, gripping my sleeve and MOVING! This dude had done an amazing job of playing dead and now he was on my sleeve! Staying calm, I hurried down the remaining steps. Noticing I was the only person on the beach, I quickly walked over to a branch of driftwood and used it to pry him off my sleeve. Thankfully, he cooperated! And like the good bug that he was, he posed for several photos.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a photo of comparison until it was too late, and he had taken flight. Trust me when I say he was larger than my thumb. He was really an incredible insect, although I confess he was a bit creepy when alive.

What's the point of this post? I'm not really certain. Maybe it's just to say that God created an earth full of fascinating, amazing creatures. Big. Small. Ordinary. Extraordinary. Often times, we hurry on with our days, forgetting to look around and notice his eclectic collection of life.

Today, my Creator amazed me with an incredible sunrise, a field bursting with a palette of wildflowers, and this shiny-winged, bug-eyed monster of a bug.

Thank you, God!

Star light, star bright...

I'm a bit sleep deprived right now. In fact, I'm more than a bit drowsy. I have no one to blame but myself, and yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Last night I stayed up until the wee hours watching the Perseid meteor shower. From 11:30-12:30, I stretched out on a lawn chair on my deck, gazing skyward. When I came inside, I found my hubby awake and he was more than happy to join me. At that point, we reclined in our comfy chairs in our driveway and enjoyed the show in the heavenlies until about 1:45 a.m. 

When we were kids we called these happenings, "shooting stars." Part of the excitement back then was to immediately make a wish,. Supposedly, spotting these streaking stars was a surefire way to get your every wish granted!

As an adult, I still marvel at the raw beauty and mystery of a meteor shower. And last night, God seemed so close. So powerful. So mighty. So infinite.

The annual show seems to be the result of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet that was discovered in 1862. Tiny fragments of metal and stone travel at 37 miles per second and create this spectacular show. Some think that the actual comet may date back 2,000 years or more. Think about that. Two thousand years ago puts us back to Bible times! In Jesus' day, people may have witnessed the same light show we witness today. From the same comet. How cool is that? 

So as I day dreamed, or should I say night dreamed(?) last night, I thought about God's covenant with Abraham. God's promise that Abraham's descendants would number the stars in the sky. It's recorded in Genesis 15 at verse 5.  "God said to him, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be.""

I'd like to imagine that Abraham looked up into the night sky and felt God's power and might. Maybe he even witnessed a "shooting star." Maybe, just maybe, Abraham felt like I felt last night. God was close. God was powerful. God was mighty. 

Tonight, I'm hoping to watch an encore. It's a show worth staying up for!

Easy chair

This is great deck sitting weather! With the cooler temperatures this past week, we have been able to enjoy evenings drinking coffee and relaxing on our deck. Sunday was just such a night. Since we live in what some of our friends call the "boonies," we are able to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. No traffic. No loud neighbors. No city light pollution.

With dusk closing in and a chill in the air, we enjoyed God's handiwork. He painted the sky with tufts of clouds. The poufs where exquisite. It was as if God had taken his paintbrush and dabbed the sky with varying strokes of matte and glossy whiteness. Words cannot describe, and photos do not capture the full extent of the beauty.

See for yourself:

Amazing, huh? If the sky was singing praise to God. I am glad I was listening.

Psalm 19: 1-4 says it best:

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world."