Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. (Luke 12:6 NIV)

 

My friend, Kjell Austad has a bird feeder in his backyard where he and his wife, Nancy can watch the birds. Spending time in the quiet of the morning watching the various birds come and go brought Kjell to think about this passage from the Bible.

 

“Some of the birds that feed here must be the same ones from day to day. If God knows every bird, I wonder if I could recognize any single bird? “

 

Kjell says the various birds do look different and have individual characteristics. I wonder if one of them will become memorable enough?

 

God knows them all. From the eagle that nests in the big pine tree on the shore of my parent’s cottage on Big Stone Lake in Wisconsin to the poor pigeon that must have died in flight and just came tumbling down from the night sky out of nowhere in front of my car on Roscoe Boulevard. My son was with me, and we both kind of looked at each other and said, “Did you see that?”

 

Well, we know God did.

 

The estimate of the global bird population is from 200 to 400 billion birds (“How many birds are there? Biodiversity and Conservation). That is quite a range of difference, yet not for God. He knows the exact number and He knows every one.

 

Interesting that Jesus uses the “sparrow” as an example of an abundant and ubiquitous bird, as the most widespread and commonly seen wild bird in the world is probably the European House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)!

 

If God is caring for every one of those sparrows I don’t think we have anything to worry about. At least that is what Jesus thinks.

 

So, Kjell, make any bird friends, yet?

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

Would it be helpful for you to spend 20 minutes alone with God and just hang out together?
What would that look like for you?
Where would you be?
Could you actually get in the rhythm enough to do this for several days in a row?

Tell me how it is going…

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

We have a mourning dove nest in our backyard in the bougainvillea. Since this is such a thorny location, it seems the perfect place to be for protection. Sure enough, Nala, our dog, is very interested in what is going on in that nest, but can't do a thing about it.

Now, a couple of eggs have hatched and there are two chicks. We check the nest every day to see what is going on with the dove family. Mourning doves are always in our yard or flying over. Hundreds over time. One, pretty much, looks the same as another. Yet, these doves are attended to.

I think I am clearer on the meaning of God knowing every sparrow (Luke 12:6-7). Or mourning dove. He attends to every one of them and knows them better than I ever will.

I guess if he knows about the arrival of the two new chicks, he knows about our children, too. When I see the birds I am reminded that our brood is also in good hands.

Even when they leave the nest…

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

When you live in a city where there are parking meters all over the place, one thing that drives you crazy is to finally find a spot, only to notice the meter is broken. Everyone else has passed that spot up, now what do you do?

I suppose you could tape a quarter over the slot, but how likely is that to work?

You could tape a note on the meter that reads,

"I am parking here and want to pay, of course, but this machine will not allow me. Please let me to stay here and not give me a ticket, because I tried."

I'm sure that won't work.

Well, here in LA, we ought not worry about this in the first place. Our laws allow you to park where there is a broken meter and not receive a ticket. You do have to follow the time allotment that is on the sign though, and so your tire can still be chalked, and your car checked later. Sounds reasonable, right?

Well, the parking enforcement folks either don't know their own law or got away with collecting a lot of parking ticket fees, anyway. Finally, Tom LaBonge, City Councilman, looked into it, and sure enough, the tickets are incorrect.

Tell that to the 98% of people who did not contest the unjust ticketing of their cars in this situation last year.

So, even though this doesn't mean much to you if you don't live in LA county and you are reading this, check out your own local laws, and if you are in LA, here is the information you need if you are wrongly ticketed.

Department of Transportation Meter Hot Line
(877) 215-3958

Parking Violations Bureau
(866) 561-9742
(213) 623-7046 (TTY)

Just call me Mr. Community Service…

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

What is coming out of a person's heart is not a secret. Jesus tells us how to avoid focusing on the wrong things.

Posted via email from LIFEhouse

God wants to bless the world through us. God wants to shine through us. Here's how…

Posted via email from LIFEhouse

We are studying Mike Breen's teaching on the DNA of the Bible. We are learning about the two threads that run through all of scripture:

"Covenant" having to do with God's relationship with people
"Kingdom" having to do with the responsibility people take when they are in covenant with God.

"Kingship" is another word for, "Kingdom." It is God's rule and influence in the world. When we are in relationship with God, we do things to expand his influence in our world.

So, this "double helix" of the DNA of the Bible is expressed as:

Covenant and Kingdom
or
Relationship and Responsibility
or
Being and Doing

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

To  "repent" is to "change your mind." Turning your mind to God's ways from sin, of course. "Repentance" can also be a change that is not about sin, but it is about living a healthier life.

Posted via email from LIFEhouse

I was on the CSUN (California State University at Northridge) campus today and I had a flash insight. As you are waiting at stop signs where there are young people walking across the street, they never stop. They just keep on coming. You have to wait for a slight break and then shoot out hoping someone on a razor is not in your blind spot.

The insight wasn't that this happens, it is that the same thing happens at our kid's high school. Everyone just keeps streaming across the street, stop sign or not. You have to wait for the lull.

I don't remember doing this as a teenager or college student. I guess I just didn't trust the driver enough. In Wisconsin, I think some guy would drive over my foot if I didn't stop to see if he were going. In fact, I would expect that.

My, how young California pedestrians are so much more trusting…

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

Now that the Winter Olympics are over, a few observations.

  1. I saw the Simpson's episode where Homer and Marge are into curling, and so I started watching some curling and it was fascinating. Bocce Ball, shuffleboard, housework, I don't know, it just had it all. The intensity was phenomenal and there probably will never be a steroid scandal. Saying all of this…I still don't get what the heck they were doing.
 
2. Is it only me or did the athletes seem to be satisfied with just getting a medal? From Apollo Ono to Lindsey Vonn, except for the Russian dude who whined about his silver in figure skating and the Dutch dude who wanted to stick his coaches head in a hole in a dike because he got DQ'd from a gold, there seemed to be much good cheer just to medal.
 
3. Other than Quebec, are there other parts of Canada that are French speaking? It is a cool sounding language so I was not displeased, but I just need to get the facts on this one.

4. Did the ice dancers/ skaters always wear so much makeup? How come they don't sweat?

5. Did Shawn White have rocket packs in his boots? How could someone be so much better than everyone else?

6. After watching a variety of events, the only thing I would be able to do safely might be curling. Actually just delivering the stone. For that matter, I would probably pull a hammy…

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!