Lightkeeper's Journal

Becoming Spiritually Aware in a Very Dark World

 

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Mexican Sunflower.  

As the butterfly takes nectar from the flower,

we must take spiritual sustenance from the wisdom of the scriptures.

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

2 Timothy 3:1

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

 

For the last few weeks, I admit that I have had a very difficult time posting an article on our blog.  To be quite honest, the constant barrage of bad news has really gotten to me.  I don't know where to start with the news. It just gets worse.  From the attacks on the police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge to the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Orlando, Nice and Munich, the sadness just seems to consume everything.  Then, I buy a copy of the Savannah Morning News and read that the 30th homicide this year has just occurred.  

If that isn't enough, we have the constant barrage of political circus, to include the conventions, debates and controversy.  It seems that we live under a cloud of deep spiritual oppression.  You don't know who you can trust.  Is it possible to even go to the grocery store and feel safe anymore?  Is it possible to buy a carton of eggs without fear that there's a lunatic on the same aisle looking at the low fat milk?

You wake up in the morning and attempt to motivate yourself, but then you learn that something else happened while you were asleep.  More shootings, more death, more protests, more terror and more scandal.  Walking to the coffee pot for that first cup of coffee doesn't begin to soothe the tension that lives in your soul.  For years, you heard them preach about it.  You read about it in the scriptures.  You know it's coming.  From what you can tell, it's already here.

Matthew 24: 4 - 8

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled:

for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In the midst of the madness and sorrow, there is life and hope.  In the last few years, our birds have been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement.  As I inhale the aroma of freshly made coffee and open the blinds, I look outside the kitchen window and see the adult Eastern Bluebird bring his immature toddler to the feeder.  This instantly brightens my day and helps to relieve the pressure of a world gone crazy.  God's glorious creation once again brings peace to my spirit.  

Papa Leonardo and his immature bluebird! 

 

Some days, it seems that the media doles out large doses of doom and gloom.  If you read the comment sections on social media or under any online news article, you can see that fear and the anxiety of  "what may happen" in the future is epidemic.  People are prepping and preparing, locking and loading and even moving out of large cities.  They are very worried, tired and frustrated.  And, I can understand how they feel. Things are not going well.  If the shootings and protests are not bad enough, we have the serious problems of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, unemployment and a common mistrust of the government and Wall Street.  

As it has been said before, it seems that the inmates are running the asylum.   Of course, if you're rich, highly successful and living in the lap of luxury, you may not be spiritually aware that we're living in a very dark world.  Somehow, when everything is going right, it's much more difficult to see that everything is going wrong.  Money and success cover up a multitude of problems.  Why?  Because you have the ability to separate yourself from a lot of misery.  How miserable can you be if you're in a hotel suite somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean?  As a matter of fact, if you're floating somewhere in a deep turquoise sea, you're probably feeling pretty good right now.  

On the other hand, if you're not on a vacation or a yacht, if you're not checking on your dividends, you may be more tuned in to the chaos that ignites on the evening news.   Living paycheck to paycheck and suffering through financial shortages will tune us in to worldly struggles.  However......rich or poor, black or white, young or old, no matter who you are, it's time to tune in to the cloud of oppression that hovers over this nation.  It's time to become spiritually aware in a very dark world.  Our very life depends on it.

Mexican Sunflower

 

It's time to pray, read the Bible and ask God for spiritual wisdom, discernment and guidance.  It's time to walk outside and listen for the the bird song. It's time to enjoy the colorful flowers, the fluttering butterflies and the sweet little rabbit hopping through your yard.  Prayer, Bible reading and observing God's glorious creation will make you more sensitive to spiritual matters.   When you pay attention to and learn about bird migration, cloud formations and moon phases, you become more aware in every area of your life, and this is very important.  God can use His creatures and creation to teach us very important lessons about life and spirituality.   God can even use metaphors of weather to help you understand the wrestling of the soul.    

Meet Oliver, the Eastern Cottontail, is taking a break next to the Rabbit Hole! 

 

At the risk of sounding apocalyptic, things are going to get worse.  It's Biblical.  We're living in perilous times. There is a storm brewing over this country.  So many people can feel it and sense it.  The spiritually aware know that it's coming.  The clouds are gathering and the demons are planning while some poor souls continue to fret over the color of their granite countertops.  What a shame.  They are the ones who will suffer the most when the Category 5 storm makes physical and spiritual landfall.  

In the past ten years, I have wondered why the Lord opened the door for me to move to rural Georgia.  At times, it has not been easy, not at all.  The rural South can be a challenging place to live if you're originally from another part of the planet.  Culturally, it's different from anywhere else, but God wanted to teach us a few things.  Over four years ago, around the time our house was burglarized, the Lord began to open doors to birdwatching and bird photography.  This has been a blessing beyond anything that we could have imagined.  We have seen wonders of nature that we would not have seen in a large city or town.  We have fed birds that we would not have fed if we lived in the midst of high rise buildings.

Peanotta, our female Red-bellied Woodpecker and defender of the buffet.  

 

We have seen birds nesting, migrating and taking care of their young.  We have seen different species of birds enjoying a lunch together at our very own Le Avian Cafe.  We have discovered that our birds have personalities, and from this discovery, we have given them names and stories.  Our birdwatching has fine-tuned our senses, making us aware of weather patterns and how they affect avian movement and migration. In addition to the joy of birdwatching, we have become more tuned in to moon phases; and, because we're not in the middle of city lights, we are blessed with clear pictures of the moon.  Our senses are no longer on auto-pilot because God has taught us to pay attention to everything around us, above and below. Consequently, being aware of nature has placed gratitude in our hearts for what the Lord has created for us. Through watching birds nest and raise their young, God has taught us about faith and provision.  These lessons of faith will be very helpful in the coming seasons in this nation.

Matthew 10: 30-32

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men,

him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Peanotta, the Red-bellied Woodpecker and the Duchess of Soperton, our Northern Cardinal.

 

No matter who wins the presidential election, dark times are coming.  Many do not see this because they are not spiritually aware.  For the most part, our culture has become pagan and our churches are secular.  When you take God out of the equation, you will always end up with a minus instead of a plus.  You can't go against the natural laws of God and expect life to work out for you.  Even the birds live their lives according to the natural laws and seasons of their Creator.  When it's time to nest, they nest.  When it's time to migrate, they migrate.  They don't go against the laws of nature.  Therefore, life works for them on a level that is difficult for many to understand.  

In closing. I must say this.  It's time to become spiritually aware in this very dark world.  This is critical.  It's time to pray and seek God and read the scriptures.  Pray for discernment, pray for protection, pray for your family and pray for this nation.  It's time to let go of materialism and worldly desires and seek God's will for your life.  The only answer to this nation's woes is God.  Repentance and prayer will turn the tide of evil, not another political promise or declaration.  Don't get caught in this storm without a spiritual umbrella.  The clouds are gathering and the storm is brewing.  Only God can save us now.  It's time to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  God gave us a promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  However, it is up to us to reap the blessings of His promise.  The ball is in our court.  

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves,

and pray, and seek My face,

and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Titus 2: 11 - 14

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,

we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope,

and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity,

and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

 

 

 

Copyright 2016, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

 

Finding Wonder in the Midst of Chaos

 

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has become a regular winter visitor at Le Avian Cafe. 

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

As we continue our "Finding Wonder" series, I want to talk about finding wonder in the midst of chaos.   In the world we live in today, a world of confusion, chaos and calamity, we sometimes find ourselves waking up each morning with what seems to be a dark cloud over our head.  Instead of waking up to hope, faith and a new outlook on life, we find that the messages of hope and faith are replaced with messages of doom and gloom.  This is especially true if you get a steady diet of television news and online newspapers.   And, it's even more true if you are constantly watching the election coverage.  

Wisdom has been replaced with foolishness.

Politicians, scandals, tragedies, shootings, drug trafficking and all manner of crimes cover the airwaves like green pollen covers the front porch.  Everywhere you turn is bad news.  Consequently, it is not inaccurate to say that there is a spiritual dark cloud over this country and over our towns and communities.  Somewhere along the way, something happened, and it wasn't good.  

Morality was replaced with hedonism. 

One thing lead to another, and here we are.... 

Neighbors aren't neighbors anymore.  Generosity of spirit has been replaced with selfish motives.  Crime is running rampant, even in the quiet rural communities.  The workplace has become a place of fear and dread. A classroom has become a place where people are forced to defend themselves.  Drug trafficking has become the new income stream.  Churches have become more concerned with money and power than they are with souls.  A country that once took its identity in the comfort and peace of freedom is turning into an overbearing police state.  

Moderation was replaced with indulgence; and now,

optimism has been replaced with anger.

.....but thankfully, we have the birds.....

Rocky, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, is looking for Chef Curtis' famous Peanut Butter Tree Spread.  

 

Thank God for the birds.  When it seems that chaos and pandemonium is breaking loose around you and that dream of peace and quiet is relegated to days gone by, we can look outside of our circumstances and listen to the melodious sounds of bird song.  We can see the woodpeckers pecking away on the old pecan tree and drumming on the barn to attract their mate.  Even though chaos reigns supreme, the birds continue to behave as birds - singing, pecking, mating, nesting and feeding their young.  If the environment becomes hostile and threatens their sanctuary, they move on to greener pastures and continue doing what God created them to do.  Even though conditions change around them, they take cover and continue to behave as birds.  

Sometimes, we need to take a lesson from our feathered friends.  After all, God's beautiful winged creatures can teach us a lot about life.  No matter what, birds continue to build their nest, feed their family; and, most importantly, they continue to spread their wings and fly.  If they detect danger or a predator, they instantly respond to the threat and move to a place of safety.  They are always singing or chirping or calling, but they are always aware.  They don't give up who they are as God's winged wonders, but they live life with both efficiency and awareness.   They keep on.....keeping on.   In other words, they don't give up.  

We can find wonder in the beauty of birds, a wonder that replaces the anxiety of a world in chaos.  

 

No one will ever accuse the mainstream media of providing us with a feeling of peace and safety.  However, God has provided us with a way to calm our fears and ease our pain.  Life is not easy.  Sometimes, it's just overwhelmingly difficult.  Still, we can find solace in the words of the Bible and in the fact that no matter what happens, God is still in control.  When we walk outside and see the birds in flight and hear the calls of the wild, we are reminded that the Creator of all things bright and beautiful will protect us and give us peace, if we will slow down and allow Him to bring tranquility into a world of chaos.  

 

John 16:33 

These things I have spoken unto you,

that in Me ye might have peace.

In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

I Peter 3:11

Let him eschew evil, and do good;

let him seek peace, and ensue it.

 

 

 

Copyright 2016, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.   

 

Bloom

 

Cardinal Climber Bloom

 

Photography and Article by Curtis Beaird

 

More than parts of a plant, roots, leaf, stem and flower.  Beyond its Xylem and Phloem.  Even more than the ingredients of sunlight and water, soil and its nutrients, potassium and nitrogen, with a pinch of calcium thrown in for good measure, the Cardinal Climber is home to life. 

With the passing of spring and the fading light of summer’s end, comes the onset of fall.  Somewhere in the plant's version of genetics, there is communication.  The Cardinal Climber knows.  It knows it has reached that time.  

Its vines are gnarled and tangled within support branches old and brittle.  Leaves once available to sunlight and moisture have curled and frayed.  Each, in turn, giving up their part in feeding the Cardinal Climber.  The ground that the plant would, if it could call home, is dry and dusty.  It’s time.

Time for what?  Time to do the only thing that life knows to do, bloom.  In spite of it all, even in the face of season's end, our Cardinal Climber remains true to its nature and its Creator.  It puts on one more bloom.  Regardless of the coming circumstance, regardless of the current circumstance, it gives life one more chance to offer up its best.  Our Cardinal Climber blooms. 

 

To read Part One, click on the following link: "What a Cardinal Climber Taught Me"

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

What a Cardinal Climber Taught Me

 

The Cardinal Climber

 

Photography and Article by Curtis Beaird

 

Determination is worth the effort.

Cardinal Climbers require some, but not much.  Soil, but not the best.  Water, in okay amounts.  Cardinal Climbers manage; no, they actually use the the full light of the sun and the heat of the day to produce their beauty and best.  Things don’t always have to be right for a Cardinal Climber.  They are determined to grow. 

Take only what you need. 

Climbers need water; but, a little goes a long way.  They clearly decided long ago, somewhere between the ice age and our back yard, that they can and will make up the difference between what it has, what it needs and its intent on life and growth.  It understands how much is enough.   

Too much of a good thing can cause problems.

The Climber knows water is critical to life; but, too much can bring blight.  It’s glad for an easy does it approach to this wet necessity.  It uses what it has and seems glad for what it got.  The little blooms are beautiful. 

Use what you have. Work with what you’ve got.

Our Cardinal Climber accepted the aid of a scraggly bush.  The gnarly limbs were way short of the full length that the Climber could and would grow.  Once it reached the highest point, the Cardinal Climber used the circumstance to produce a cascading flow of popping red blooms.   

Reach. 

Always grow toward the light.  The Cardinal Climber, as its name implies, is happiest climbing.  Climbing is its native joy.  Once it reaches the top of its support, a trellis or a tree, it will reach a little further, striving for the light. 

Share. 

The Cardinal Climber’s bright red blooms brings beauty to the world and offers sustenance to butterflies and hummingbirds.  The Cardinal Climber avoids greed, participates freely in the lives of its neighbors, and celebrates the rain when it comes.  The Cardinal Climber is generous. 

Sustain Yourself.  Plan on Surviving. 

Cardinal Climbers plan ahead. Spring brings roots and delicate stems and then vines reaching for the sky. Summer brings a burst of bright red blooms.  While small in size, they are a delight when at their full number.  The approaching Autumn brings the seed, a tough, dark shell holding next year’s life.  About three times the size of the period at the end of this sentence, the Cardinal Climber seed puts enough of itself into this rough husk to make it through the winter and be ready for Spring’s first rains. 

Even a Cardinal Climber can be our teacher.

 

To read Part Two, click on the following link:  "Bloom"

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

 

Bluebird Lessons

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

We love to watch the Eastern Bluebirds flying from one pecan tree to another, hunting for food, building a nest, taking a bath or gathering at the buffet for unsalted peanuts!

Whether they're in a hurry to get somewhere or whether they're watching each other bathe, they're entertaining, but they also teach us some valuable lessons! 

1.  When you see a golden opportunity, dive in with gusto!

 

2.  Gather for the winter, but take time to enjoy the harvest.

 

3.  Encourage your family to be productive, but always lend a helping hand.

 

4.  When sitting on top of the world, be aware of predators and enemies.

 

5.  Even when you're busy learning or producing, take time to smell the flowers.

 

6.  When blessed with abundance, always share blessings with others.

 

7.  Water your soul with wisdom and knowledge, then spread your wings and fly. 

 Proverbs 3: 13 - 14 (King James Version)

¹³ Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

¹⁴ For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,

and the gain thereof than fine gold.

 

Copyright 2013, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

Looky Here Pa......History Repeats Itself

 

 

Article By:  Curtis Beaird

Photography By:  Norma W. Beaird

 

The Federal Government and Wall Street have had a long love affair.  In the early days, as in 1790's early days, a small gathering of brokers traded stock under a Buttonwood tree in New York.  This little club did fairly well until 1790 when more stock and more money showed up in the form of government refinancing of both federal and state Revolutionary War debt. Does any of this sound familiar?  These bonds became the first major issues of publicly traded securities.  Then, things got exciting.

A couple of years later in 1792, the first insider showed up to place his bets; or, rather to attempt to manipulate the game.  William Duer, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, under Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, hoped to use his Hamilton connection for bond speculation.  It worked really well, until it didn't.  He overextended himself.  When he financially failed, the market also collapsed. 

"Too Big to Fail" was tested early and found wanting.  

History may be an excellent teacher, but students aren’t always all that attentive.

It has been a tough struggle getting a hold on the insider’s use of privileged information for personal gain.  It was William Duer's antics and the collapse that followed that brought about the beginnings of the New York Stock Exchange.  One would think they wanted to go formal and move inside to nicer digs.  Nope, they wanted to save the game.

The boys under the Buttonwood tree decided they needed some trading rules or they could ruin the game.   So in the remaining months of 1792, The Buttonwood Agreement came into existence.  In 1817, the traders became known as the NYSE.  Yes, it was self- regulated.

It's the old fox in the hen house story. 

The saga of the insider continued.  Railroads where the dot.coms of the 1800's.  Senator Kimble of the New York legislature managed a sweet stock manipulation combining legislation and short-selling to kill the price of the Harlem Railroad.  "Profits on short sales were realized," as it is said.

Russell Sage, a former U.S. Congressman, mixed bribing legislators with stock manipulations to pick up some nice change on the price movements of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.   It seems the company also received a large amount of government subsidies.  I guess we could say Sage not only qualifies as an insider, he is also our first Lobbyist.

It wasn't until 1909, and four major economic disasters later, that someone decided to take note of insider trading on non-pubic information.  On May 3, 1909, the U.S.  Supreme Court ruled that insiders must disclose such information in Strong v. Repide.  The irony of this ruling is that it had nothing to do with The Hill and the Street.

Then came the 1929 Crash, the 1930's, and a guy named Ferdinand Pecora.  Pecora was U. S. Senate Banking Committee counsel.  He exposed the J.P. Morgan and Company stock connection with former President Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sitting Treasury Secretary.  He also exposed the stock connection with the chairmen of the Republican and Democratic national committees and a handful of CEO's.  That The Hill and Wall Street had been big buds for a long time became obvious.  When Pecora produced the J.P. Morgan Preferred Customer List during hearings, the public outrage encouraged FDR to make good on his promise of financial reform. That reform became The Securities Act of 1933.

That got that fixed, I guess. Now, tell me again the story of Hank Paulson, AIG, Ben Bernanke, Goldman Sachs, etc. etc. etc., and how in  2008 we all learned to use the word billions and bailout, like it was our first name.  Maybe more repair work?

That brings us to February 2012 and The House Amendment to S. 2038 aka STOCK Act.  More legislation to fix up, paint up and patch up after yet another economic market crash.   S. 2038 intends "to prohibit Members of Congress and employees of Congress from using non-public information derived from their official positions for personal benefit, and other purposes." 

Well, let's see. This road show started 220 years ago with William Duer, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in 1792, using insider information for personal gain.  What do you suppose happened to Mr. Duer?

The boys under the Buttonwood tree didn't appreciate Mr. Duer wrecking the playpen.  The citizens of New York City were livid when he crashed their economy.  It is reported that they chased him through the streets and almost killed him. He died a few years later in debtor’s prison. 

I will never hear a member of Congress say, “unintended consequences" the same way ever again.

On to the next bubble.

 

Mark 8:36 (King James Version)

³⁶For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

 

Copyright 2012, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.

Lessons from Nature

 

 

Article and Photography

By:  Curtis Beaird

 

The hundred-foot pines behind our home and the underbrush they shade, is home to red-headed woodpeckers, red-naped sapsuckers, brown thrashers, the noisy and always aggravating grackle, white tail deer and a bunch of squirrels.   Once, a broad-winged hawk paid us a visit.

Yesterday was special.   Sleek and beautiful showed up to wait quietly, at least for most of a long moment in the open field alongside the pines.  It was one we rarely see, a red fox.  When he eased out of the trees and into the open, he took a few measured steps and stopped.  He didn't look as though he intended to waste much time away from cover.  But, he didn't seem all that much in a hurry either.

As he surveyed his surroundings, I watched him and wondered.  If a fox could talk, what would he say?  With grandchildren and the books you read to them, imagining talking animals is not all that hard to do.  In fact, in a child's world, it happens all the time.  

As the fox traversed the open field and eased his way through a wooded area, on to the pond for water, he left me this message:

 Pay attention.

 The direct route is not always the best route.

 Avoid obvious traps.

When you move, move with dispatch.

Stealth is not always a bad thing.

 Learn the value of being still.

 Enjoy your goal when you reach it.

 When you're done, leave.

 

I listened.

 

Copyright 2012, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.