Lightkeeper's Journal

Manna in the Wilderness - Sometimes God Sends the Birds

 

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

 

Anyone who reads this blog knows that we love photography.  We especially love bird and nature photography.  To look at our pictures is to look at what appears to be a lifestyle of immeasurable peace and tranquility. However, looks can be deceiving.....as they say.  To see the beautiful birds, the salmon-pink sunsets, the summer green pastures and the brilliant white moons seems to impart a location of sheer perfection, a place that dreams are made of.  

As they say.......looks can be deceiving.  

It is possible for a geographical location to create a seemingly endless struggle.  Nature may welcome us with open arms, but a community may isolate their neighbors from the progression of new ideas.   Even though nature makes us feel at home, sometimes a community will make us feel like fish out of water.   Trying to be community-minded is generous in spirit, but receiving community cooperation may be as difficult as roping the wind.  A spiritually oppressed people are unable to see the glass half-full.  It is possible to have a half-full mentality but geographically live in a half-empty cultural condition.   This can be undermining to the concept of success.  Geographical spiritual oppression is just that - oppressive.  

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18 that "where there is no vision, the people perish...."

Living in a spiritual wilderness can be emotionally and spiritually debilitating.  At times, it's like dragging around the proverbial ball and chain.  Sometimes, you feel hungry in your spirit and crave that one morsel of encouragement that only God can give.  It's during these times that God can send us manna in the wilderness, just like He sent a raven to feed Elijah by the brook Cherith.

I Kings 17: 4-6

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

 

....and so the Lord did for us what He did for Elijah.  

He may not have sent a raven to bring us food, but He sent us birds.  Many birds.  

 

 

He sent us Peanut, the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  

 

 

He sent us Pierre, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  

 

He sent us the Duke of Soperton, the Northern Cardinal.  

 

 

He sent us Cisco and Coco, the Northern Bobwhite Quail.  

 

In other words, God sent us spiritual manna.  Elijah may have been fed physically, but we are fed spiritually by the wonders of God's glorious creation.  There are days when our birds help us to keep our focus on the bigger goals and accomplishments.  They inspire imagination and creativity.  They teach us about faith.  The world around us seems crazy and the struggle is exhausting, but in a wilderness of spiritual oppression, we find solace in Genesis 1.  

We find peace in "....and God saw that it was good."  

Discouragement with our geographical location forces us to look outside and see God's handiwork all around us.  We are able to look past the disappointments and frustrations.  The result?  Hundreds of photographs of birds, birds and more birds.  Full Moons.  Sunsets.  Landscapes.  And.... the occasional squirrel in the bird feeder.  

Living in the wilderness is not easy.  It will never be easy.  But.... God will send a bird.  

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

 

 

Copyright 2017, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.   

  

Recipe for Homemade Success

 

 

Article by Curtis Beaird

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

 

My grandmother, like your grandmother, could cook. She had killer recipes for homemade vanilla ice cream, lemon cake, spaghetti and meatballs that satisfied us all. A weekend with our grandparents without a sugar coma from consuming large slabs of her Japanese Fruitcake would not have been a complete weekend. 

All of that and her fresh tomatoes, seasoned and slow-cooked to a sauce, always made us glad as kids we were going to Nonnies house.  Home-grown. Home-cooked. Her recipe. 

It dawned on me that success, when we experience it and enjoy it, is and finally becomes a home-built process. Our success is something we cook up.  We gather a little bit of information from here, some advice from there. A friend or two gives us some insight and ideas, or we open one of the many "How To's" on the subject and glean from that what we can. 

But, mostly through trial and error we cobble together our recipe for what becomes our version of success. What follows is my attempt to sketch out a recipe for the always elusive goal of success. Like my grandmother would say, "If you think of something else you want to add, try it, there is always room for improvement."

1. Give up dependence. Choose responsibility. Seek advice, but reserve the right to decide for yourself. It is your life. Why wear yourself out serving someone else's  dream? Dream your own dreams, unless you don't want to. Then, the other person's dream might be your best bet.  Either way.  It is your choice. 

2.  Beware the person with all the answers. Ask yourself these questions:  

What or who is influencing me?

What is pushing me?

What or who is attracting me?

Why am I fascinated by this and not by that? 

3.  Know yourself is wonderful advice. The need for self-knowledge has been repeated literally for ages. The idea got its start with Socrates. It's been around awhile. 

However, while "know thyself " is wonderful advice.

Learn to manage yourself is better advice.

How we function in a given situation is up to us. 

4.  Beware the person with the resume of a savior, the ego the size of a mountain, and the financial attitude designed to impress. Charisma can be, and often is, seduction by another name.  Don't kid yourself. It might feel good, look good, even glisten like diamonds in the moonlight, but count on it - it is going to cost you.  

5.  Never make the same mistake twice. How?  Understanding how you think; how you make your decisions.  Knowing why you choose this and not that is important for you to know. Work past the easy explanation of heredity, genetics, the devil and social pressure. You made a decision. What was the reason?  This will cut down on making the same mistake two, three or four times.  Pay attention.

6.  Find a friend. Friendship is a relationship that seldom, if ever, has money as the glue that holds it together. If it is friendship, both individuals invest in the relationship. The measure:  Who calls?  Who texts?  Who e-mails? 

Equal investment is the requirement. If you are doing all the work in the relationship, you have not found a friend. If they are doing all or most of the work, you are not being a friend. Ask why, either way, the imbalance exists.  Friendship is not free.  Trust is important. Pay attention. 

7.  Define what is important to you. Half the world wakes up in the morning with a to-do-list for the other half. Where are you on that continuum? You need to know. 

8.  Define what is important to you. The entire world wakes up with a to-do-list for you to complete.  Ask yourself: 

Why am I doing what I am doing?

Why do I spend money the way I do?

Why am I here and not there? 

How did I get here?

Do I remember making the decision?  

Think about it.

9.  Never kid yourself. You decided. It was your decision. Explanations are fun to generate. They make for wonderful conversation. They eventually and finally insulate us from the obvious truth -- I made the decision. Never kid yourself. Blame no one.

10.  A corollary to number nine. Never lie to yourself. It is the mark of insanity.

  

11.  Know this truth. There are lies. Recognize them and give them their rightful name. Generate as few of your own as possible. Jesus' promise, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free" is available at all times.  Pay attention.

12.  Reserve the right to shred all advice, forget all instruction, rearrange all direction. It is your life. "They told me. He said. She made me" is no way to live the one precious life we have.  Think….. and think for yourself.  Please know. There is a multitude who are only to glad to think for you, decide for you, and bill you for their time.  

13.  Learn to learn. Education is more and generally something other than acquiring a degree. Thinking is your best asset. Your mind Is more precious than any silver and gold you will ever gather. Your brain is priceless.  Cultivate it.  Learn to learn.

14.  Your best friends are curiosity, imagination and fascination. Poking around the edges of things easily becomes the one thing that leads to another, and then to another. "Seek and ye shall find" is an exciting invitation and an energizing promise. The road less traveled is more fun if only because the scenery hasn't been trampled by the lumbering footsteps of the thoughtless herd. Have some fun. Even scare yourself. Explore.  

15. Beware the comfort of large groups. They easily become mindless crowds. Observe group insanity from a distance. Reserve the right to engage or disengage.  The advantage will always remain yours. You will need that advantage.

16.  Listen. Listen to yourself, listen to the silence, listen to the wind in the trees. The still voice of God seldom shouts, almost always hints, and has an uncanny way of being heard in the silence. Quiet the noise of your wants, needs, longings and the sometimes out-of-control desires long enough to hear the calling.  Listen.  

17.  Find pleasure in discovery. "Seek and ye shall find" is a promise of involvement. Sometimes, finding your way is found in the way of waiting. Ideas, opportunities, insights and understanding often shows up like a little kid who just wanders in with his hands in his pockets.  Pay attention. 

18.  Have fun. Play is important to your creativity. Someone smart told me that. 

19.  Rest. God did.

20.  Love. God does.

21.  Live your life. Your life is God's gift to you.  He said so:

"I am come that they might have life,

and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10 

 

 

Copyright 2013, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

In the Shadow of Our Fear

 

 

Article and Photography

By:  Curtis Beaird

 

Fear lies, cheats and steals.  It dismantles our confidence, sullies our imagination and robs us of our energy.   There is no life standing in the shadow of our fear.  It discourages, demoralizes and finally renders us passive. Hunkered down in the semi-dark of a self-created anxiety, we wait and wait and wait.

We wait, not with a productive patience or in eager anticipation, but with the sigh of one haunted with debilitating belief that the other shoe is about to drop.  Fear raises useless and wasteful questions, the “what ifs” and the “why” questions.  What if I lose my job?  What if we have a wreck?  What if Uncle Buck gets cancer?  What if there is not enough money?  And of course, the real killer, why bother? 

Fatigue is the telltale sign we are battling an empty fear.  A hollow fear generates an unexplainable but ever present sense of tired that drags us away from the joy of our next dawn.  Fear converts blessings into doubts.  It whispers that whatever we have or do is not enough and not right.  It always leaves us unsatisfied and wanting more.

Fear invites us to waste our imagination.  An imagination void of possibility collapses on itself and becomes at best, none productive and at worst, destructive.  Fear convinces us that security at all cost is the highest good.  It encourages retreat.  It can see only what can go wrong.  Fear feeds despair.  There is no life in the shadow of our fear.

Fear is subtle and masks itself in false strength.  We think we have met the vague challenge or assumed threat with a firm and almost out loud “Sure, bring it on.”   Really?   Bragging is a thin veil covering a dark dread.  The declaration, "I like a challenge," while it sounds like the announcement of our competitive edge, it more than hints at the shadow way.  Fear drowns initiative in pseudo confidence.  Fear fragments us.  It divides and conquers.  It whispers “Nothing can be done.”  It generates the false conclusion, “It is too late.”

When God shows up, shabby fears are dispelled.  They are replaced with the empowering awe and wonder of a God who calls us out of our self-styled, small dark corners and into his world of possibility and promise. 

At Moses’ death, Joshua was replaced as the leader of the Hebrews.  That calling came with more than directions to gather the people and cross a river. “Be not afraid…...” said God to Joshua.  It is as though God knows we will find a reason to shy away from our best future.  

“Fear not,” says the angel Gabriel to the one who was about to change the world by giving birth to the Christ.  It’s as though God knows we will find a reason to shy away from the good news of His presence. 

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love..…” says the Apostle Paul to Christians (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).  It’s as though God knows we will find reason to miss the best gifts He gives us.  There is no life in the shadow of our fear.

 

Copyright 2011, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.

 

Waiting for the Turkeys to Cross the Road

 

Article By:  Norma W. Beaird

Photography By:  Curtis Beaird

 

A little over six years ago, I moved to a rural area in Georgia to work at the local college.  I had never lived in a town this small, and for me, it was quite a culture shock.  At first, it was a fascination because I drove to work down a long country road as opposed to a dangerous and traffic-laden interstate.  Instead of stopping at traffic lights, I actually stopped for a family of turkeys to cross the road.  At night, instead of being overwhelmed by city lights and sirens, I was overwhelmed by the number of deer attempting to leap in front of my car.    

In the mornings, I would awake to a serene quietness that you never find in the city.  Instead of horns and screeching brakes, I would hear chirping birds, whistling trees and the irritated geese that lived across the street.  However, the fascination soon wore off and I realized that I was living in “the middle of nowhere”.  Some people call it the “sticks” or the “boonies”, but I called it slow and uninspiring.  My newfound world suddenly turned into something that seemed boring, backwards and remote.  Thus, the complaining began.  I thought I was surely missing out on something.  Then, I thought I had lost something.  Later on, I finally realized that I had lost nothing, but had gained something much more valuable called peace, quiet and renewed faith.

In the past, I was always considered a social butterfly who never met a stranger, and I always enjoyed having a lot of places to go and see.  Having owned a travel business, I enjoyed being on the go.  I appreciated options, and that meant having a wide variety of restaurants, gas stations, malls and discount outlets within a five-mile radius.  Convenience and entertainment always meant a lot to me, until now. 

Sometimes life steps in and changes things.  After my husband recovered from cancer, a heart attack and then a serious retina surgery, the recovery time forced us both back into an appreciation for the simple and quiet things of life.  Healing takes time and requires peace and quiet.  Later on, after I went through a surgery and recovery time, I found myself yearning less for action and yearning more for tranquility.  This slow way of life was now agreeing with me.  Trust me; it’s easier to recuperate when you’re not living a fast-paced life under stress while listening to sirens and loud neighbors.

Unlike the modern culture of “bigger is better”, we live in a country cottage and we are approximately ninety minutes from the nearest mall.  We’re about thirty minutes from a department store, but that’s okay.  Not having immediate access to materialistic pleasures has taught me something about life that should be evident to most human beings, but as usual, we have to learn the valuable lessons the hard way.  Life is best enjoyed when a person is not overwhelmed with noise and stuff.  If I want or need something, I may have to drive a while to find it, or order it online.  But again, that’s okay, because living in the country teaches a person to have patience while calming a restless spirit.   

Constant stimulation with no rest leaves very little room for creativity, imagination and logical thought process.  In the Old Testament, we read in the book of Genesis that the Lord rested on the seventh day.  If the Lord found it important to rest, and we’re created in His image, then we need to rest as well.  It’s okay to stay home sometimes and not attend every game, every meeting and every concert.  It’s okay to take a vacation or sit on the front porch.  Sometimes it’s okay to say “No”.   It’s easier to heal when your calendar is not full. 

My husband and I love to go to the city, but we’ve been in the country long enough that the city noise now drives us bonkers.  Driving in city traffic feels like a punishment for something we didn’t do.  Being pushed through large crowds reminds me of being herded like cattle.  It’s amazing what living the simple life can do for you.  Consequently, you don’t realize how much you enjoy simplicity until you’re thrust into the middle of chaos.

A life of simplicity has affected other areas as well.  We don’t own a microwave oven.  My husband and I have collected old-fashioned cast iron cookware.  One of my greatest joys in the kitchen is frying an egg on a round cast iron skillet, and, I must admit that butter-coated wheat bread tastes the best when heated on the same skillet where you fried the egg.   I love to fry an egg and make toast for him and take it out to the front porch.  He eats breakfast while watching Henry, our front porch lizard, crawl in and out of the Boston Ferns.  Yes, something has definitely happened to us.  And no, we didn’t lose our minds; we reclaimed our sanity.  We traded stress for peace.  We have learned that being busy and being productive can reside at opposite ends of the spectrum. 

Simplicity is completely underrated.  Sometimes, life brings us to a place where we are forced to reckon with what is really important.  We realize that more is not always satisfying or even better.  Sometimes, we realize that less is more and that more stuff just means more debt and more responsibility.  In the end, it all goes to a yard sale or a landfill.  Sometimes, the best things in life are truly free and they don’t require a storage unit.  God will never send us a bill for viewing a gorgeous sunset, a butterfly or a red-headed woodpecker.  The Lord won’t charge us for peace and tranquility.  Our Creator provided a world of beauty that can’t be bought with silver or gold.  You can’t put a price on love, hope, family or nature.   Learn to enjoy the priceless things in life without a price tag.  Take back what the culture stole from you and learn to enjoy the simple life.  Sometimes we need to wait for the turkeys to cross the road.      

 

Copyright 2011, Norma W. Beaird.  All rights reserved.

 

 

 

A Good Line is Hard to Find

 

 

 

Article and Photography by Curtis Beaird

An author whose name I have long forgotten reported that he hoped one day to write a good book.  Though prolific, he argued that the best a writer could hope for was one good book in a lifetime. 

Until his good book came along, he decided that he would work to deliver at least one quality paragraph in each chapter, and one excellent line within that paragraph.  His contention, "a good line is hard to find."

When you think about it you have to agree.  A single well-crafted sentence can say it all.  If the sentence is infused with more imagination than stray verbiage, it will set off a series of reflections and ponderings in the reader.  For me, if it doesn't happen sooner rather than later, the book hits the deck.  I'm looking for that line.  I'm waiting for that paragraph.   Loren Eisely delivers.

In The Unexpected Universe, Eisely the scientist, an anthropologist who calls himself a bone hunter, wrestles with technology and it's promise from the vantage point of 1963.  Nagasaki, Hiroshima and “the bomb“  are fresh in his memory.   He asks, “...what of the empire of science? ...... is it not the creator of incalculable wealth, is not space its play thing?“  Like any good lawyer, Eisely is not about to raise a question if he is clueless as to the answer.  He scratches out three words.  “Science is human.“   

Think about a broad topic such as human dignity.   How many tombs have worn you out with the ponderous meanderings of an author lost in the esoteric abstraction of the discussion?  Then along comes an Eisley with a single sentence.  “Out of the self-knowledge gained by putting dreadful questions, man gains his final dignity.“   

For Abraham Joshua Heschel, the same topic requires a total of four sentences.   “The possession of knowledge, wealth, or skill does not compose the dignity of man.  A person possessing none of these gifts may still lay claim to dignity.  Our reverence for man is aroused by something in him beyond his own and our reach, something that no one can deprive him of.  It is his right to pray, his ability to worship, to utter the cry that can reach God...“

Try this for a total of five words. Father Daniel Berrigan, on his first trip through solitary in a D.C. jail, was being handed his food by a trusty. The cell and it's immediate surroundings communicated to Berrigan that any and all who were there should consider themselves garbage.   Berrigan reports that he said to the trusty, “Hope you can smile today brother.“  The trusty's five-word response, “You can't cry all the time.“

 "Finally, brethren"  in the words of the Apostle Paul, ".....whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8 )  

 Maybe a good line is not so hard to find.  Depends, I guess, on where you look.

 

Copyright 2011, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.