Mudshot Eyes

After spending a few beautiful days in the wine country of Sonoma and Napa Valley, California, I thought it appropriate to post some of my favorite quotes on the nectar of God’s green earth, wine. I’ll start with some warning words. As with anything we enjoy, we enjoy it with care, knowing that the abuse of even God-given things can bring consequences of varying degrees.

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
- Proverbs 20:1

“At the third cup, wine drinks the man.”
- Hokeko Sho

“Don’t be drunk on wine or you will dilute your life. Drink in the Spirit of God until you are full.”
- Ephesians 5:18 (Barmer Translation)

And now, an a lighter note…

“Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:7

“To turn water into wine and what is common into what is holy, is indeed the glory of Christianity.”
- Frederick W. Robertson

“You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.”
- Psalm 104:14-15

“Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath, and a glass of wine.”
- Thomas Aquinas

Have any good wine quotes to contribute? Add them in the comments…

Creator God (Elohim),

This sunset view from 35,000 feet
makes me wonder if You gave us the airplane
simply to have a better view.

Is there any place more important right now
than seeing Your glory through this small window?

I’ll stay right here
and look with all my eyes.

Before now, I did not expect so much color
in Your glory!

(We always think of white-bright white
and a long beard)

Color is Your glory
Your glory is color-full!

My eyes have tasted this
creative color palette;

I think I am seeing better now.

Amen.

Today’s high in my neck of the woods was a chilly 38 degrees. However, I enjoy the irony of pointing out this story in the New York Times which tells of the massive changes in Greenland’s landscape due to the melting of the ice shelf.

Do these observed climate changes represent a pollution problem on planet Earth? Or are these normal fluctuations in global temperature? Weather history isn’t extensive enough to give a definitive answer to that question, but there has been general agreement among scientists that at least part of the observed warming is the direct result of gases produced by Earth’s favorite inhabitants: humans.

If global warming isn’t convincing enough, then Google a search for pollution statistics worldwide, and you’ll have plenty of evidence that humanity has failed in its upkeep of the global garden.

Earlier this week, while in the middle of a short run in my neighborhood, my breathing privileges were revoked by a 1993 Ford Festiva that drove by. I’m sure that passersby thought I was a lunatic as I waved my hands wildly in front of my face in a fruitless effort to clear the air. It was a blunt reminder of the need for diligence in our efforts to care for creation.

In Genesis, the very first words of Scripture tell of the admonition to humanity to rule over (or manage) the earth. In other words, God said, “You are responsible for My creation. The earth is mine, and I’m trusting you to care for it.”

What will be the consequences if every generation decides that creation care isn’t important enough? Gradually we will end up masking the Word that God speaks* every day through His varied earth:

“Let there be light…”

____________________
*Psalm 19:1-6

The Nature Conservancy is an example of an organization that takes balanced, positive action to protect the planet. You can find out more at their web site.

“I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, ‘Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.’ “
- Demetri Martin, New York Magazine, October 3, 2005

I just returned from a trip to Arizona. In that great land, where the cactus milk flows like honey, I realized that the glory of God was evident in the harsh, dry conditions of the desert, just like it is in the moist greenery of the Smoky Mountains. It was the first time I have been there, and I was caught off guard by the beauty. Glory covered the land in that dry, overheated region.

One evening, we ventured to the edge of the Sonoran Desert and saw a sunset that silenced us by its splendor. The sky was a tapestry of orange, blue, and yellow as the sun reflected off the thin evening clouds. Maybe the image was meant to remain only in my memory–I failed to bring a camera.

Somehow, the sparce plant life there finds nourishment in the sandy soil. I bought a small cactus back for Krista and the instructions say to water it with a few teaspoons of water once a month. It’s a survivor, for sure.

Psalm 19 announces that “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” This is no less true in the land of lizards, cacti, and rattlesnakes.

Selah

Krista took me on a weekend trip to Fall Creek Falls for my birthday. For me, that is like going to Disney World. Here are a few pictures, which I will soon have posted on my pictures page (Mouse over each picture for a brief description).

Some thoughts while sitting out on the balcony on Friday night:

There are a million bugs of various sort hovering, flying, crawling, and creeping all around us. It is dusk, and the night crawlers and flyers are doing their thing. This is their domain, along with the birds, snakes, deer, and squirrels (who seem to survive anywhere).

They don’t stop buzzing, crawling, and biting just because it is an annoyance to me.

I’m watching a spider weave his web on the railing outside on the deck of our room. He’s one of at least twenty spiders lined up along the railing, each having their own section to build a web. Krista has noticed three of them. I don’t think she realizes how many are right in front of us, preparing for a night of capturing unsuspecting insects.

Radar-equipped bats are flying over the lake now that the sun has mostly set. They are feeding on the millions of insects that buzz over the lake.

Observing these things reminds me of my smallness. I am part of God’s world, not the other way around.

As you can see above, we had a “winter storm” this past weekend that shut down the schools. This was the aftermath on Monday morning. As you can see, the area was devastated by snow. The weather experts predicted that 2-4 inches would fall. I suppose that they were using postmodern math.