Creature Feature

Then God told Noah and his sons, I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you – the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals – every living creature on earth. – Genesis 9: 8-10 (TLB)

In just about a month from now [September 23rd], the first day of fall 2010 will be upon us and the magnificent greenery of the grass and trees will undergo another transformation – making ready for the oncoming Winter. I mentioned this because of what I’ve seen of flying insects since mid July up until now. Whether I’ve driven short or long distances along the state roads or interstate highways, beautiful butterflies would catch my eyes. Against the green landscape, their multicolored large scaly wings would stand out. As far as I could tell the majority of the butterflies were Monarchs, but another type species appeared smaller in size and flat yellow.

Anyway, other than the appearance of floating effortlessly, the butterflies flew with remarkable speed; especially for their size and weight. What struck my attention was that they appeared out of nowhere just about a few inches from the windshield of my car but never hitting it! It was just a week ago while enroute to the mountains that I counted at least five or six barely missing my fast moving vehicle. It was amazing! None of them never “splattered” on my windshield even though there could have been many others that hit other parts of car without my knowing it. On many occasions when I’d wash my car, all kinds of bugs could be stuck on the front bumper and hood. Very rarely have I seen remnants of butterflies or moths there; only bullet sized insects like bees, dragon flies (?), etc. Butterfly or moth, what is the difference?

Well, while making a business run to Brown’s chapel United Methodist Church in Catawba, NC, last week, I just happen to run into a situation where I couldn’t tell one from the other. Nonetheless, as I stepped out of the car and looked down [nearly a foot or so from the front tire], an unusually large moth/butterfly was sputtering helplessly on the pavement. My first instinct was to get it out of harm’s way; so, I sort of helped it a bit with a sheet of paper and moved onto the grass. It flapped its wings attempting to fly, but somehow it appeared injured. Fascinated by its activity and lack of spontaneity, I got an old twig enabling it to be something familiar. In the area covered with foliage and dry leaves {a good distance from human activity}, I placed the twig and my little critter friend there so that it could blend in with the environment as well as recuperate.

However, to quell [pacify] my curiosity, I discovered that there is no one rule that covers all species of butterflies or moth, but in general there are differences between the two;

· Most butterflies primarily fly during the day (are diurnal) and many moths fly at night (are nocturnal).
· Butterflies have knobbed antenna and moths have feathery or straight antenna.
· Butterfly bodies are usually slim, while moth bodies are plump and hairy.
· Moths usually spin silken cocoons to enclose their pupae or burrow underground to pupate [the inactive stage of metamorphosis].
· Butterflies form chrysalises.

Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid diverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but few (like the Monarchs) migrate thousands of miles. Absolutely outstanding! A great deal of things went through my mind as I rehearsed what I experienced about the butterflies or moths.

Genesis 9: 8-10 brought in a floodgate of spiritual food. The context of Genesis 9: 8-17 has to do with God confirming His covenant with Noah and his family. But I was completely shocked when verse 10 read, and with all the animals that was on the boat with you –the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals – every living creature on earth. I see this powerful verse as God not only making a covenant with Noah but also a covenant with every living creature on earth! Perhaps you may view it differently, but these notions just thrills me to no end. There is much more in this. Noah stepped out of the boat onto the earth devoid of human life, but God gave him a reassuring promise. This covenant had three parts: 1) Never again will a flood so such destruction, 2) as long as the earth remains, the seasons will always come as expected, 3) a rainbow will be visible when it rains as a sign to all that God will keep his promises. The earth’s order and season are still preserved, and rainbows still remind us of God’s faithfulness to his word. Bingo! The creature feature or the Butterfly episode was a reminder to me that God can be trusted. The earth’s order and season are still preserved – the butterflies and moths are still doing their thing to the glory of God. He created them too. Selah

Valuable Lessons from Field Mice

The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm.
- Proverbs 17: 27 (The Message/ReMix)

If a black cat crosses your path, you’re headed for bad luck. If your nose itches, someone is talking about you. If your right eye itches, then something good is going to happen. If your left eye itches, something bad will come your way. If the palm of your right hand itches, someone is going to give you money. Perhaps you are familiar with these timeless myths, folklore [traditional beliefs, practices, legends, and tales of people - transmitted orally], or superstitions; then again, maybe you’re not. Yet, are they worth listening to or reading about? Here is my rationale or response to the one that says, “If your left eye itches, something bad will come your way.”

On this past Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010, news came from California that my sister-in-law, Rosetta, was scheduled for open-heart surgery within 24 hours. Via the telephone, this was certainly bad; bad news especially for someone who has gone through such tremendous health issues as Rose has had to go through. I tell you, she is one strong woman of faith. When the report about her condition reached everyone in the Madison, Henderson, and Jones clan, I recall someone saying to me, “you know, my left eye had been jumping like crazy way before the news came about Rose. I knew bad luck was coming from somewhere…I felt that it was in our family.” {I thought} Wait a minute; this isn’t faith-in-God talk! Hog wash! But on the other hand, I couldn’t figure out why the muscle over my left eye had been twitching [moving suddenly] the day before. Now, the muscle over my left was twitching not my left eye (pupil) itching. What’s the difference between a twitch and an itch? Nevertheless, the news about Rosetta hit home and whether there is any truth from my left eye twitching or itching, the move that was necessary was to pray and believe God.

Instead of relying on a folklore, myth, or superstition, the Bible had constructive wisdom to rely on. Somehow, the thought came to mind concerning “speaking the right words at the right time and the consequences they could bring.” As I reflected on it, I happened to pick up a small paperback book that the Rev. Mel Burton sent me. I remembered telling him how much I enjoyed the first Sunday in July, 2010, when he stepped in as the new Pastor at Thrift United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. Anyway, I especially enjoyed his moment with the Children and how the material he used was outstanding.

The children’s book was entitled “Frederick, ” the little field mouse. Written skillfully by Leo Lionni, it is a story of Frederick that highlighted the triumph of the spirit. It detailed how a chatty family of field mice lived in an old stone wall, which wasn’t too far from a barn and special places for food. But in time, the farmers moved away and the possibility of food began to vanish. So, all of them began to gather whatever morsels of food they could find. All four of the mice worked hard except Frederick, who was deemed as a dreamer. “Why don’t you work, Frederick,” they asked. His reply was, “I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days.”

On several other occasions [while hard work was going on and Frederick stared out in space], he said, “I gather colors…for the winter is gray. I gather words; for the winter days are long and many and we’ll run out of things to say.”

My ears were tuned in when Pastor Burton hit a high note of excitement. “The best part,” he said, “Was when winter set in and there was plenty of food stored away. The family of mice had a good time telling stories and eating themselves away. But they ran out of food and were about ready to give up. Didn’t feel like chatting. Then they remembered the words Frederick had said:

Who scatters snowflakes? Who melts the ice?
Who spoils the weather? Who makes the ice?
Who grows the four-leaf clover in June?
Who dims the daylight? Who lights the moon?
Four little field mice who live in the sky.
Four little field mice…like you and I.
One is the Springmouse who turns on the showers.
Then comes the Summer who paints the flowers.
The Fallmouse is next with walnuts and wheat/
And Winter is last…with cold feet.
Aren’t we lucky the seasons are four?
Think of a year with one less…or one more!”

Pastor Burton clearly emphasized that the story psychologically suggested that when hard times come, healthy memories could tide you over. Frederick, the dreamer, was a good example. This extraordinary mouse was unmoved even as his integrity was questioned. He kept himself mentally alert by envisioning wholesome images and words that would lift the heart.

Pastor Burton’s sermon was based on the impact of encouraging words – spoken at the right time. He highlighted three important lessons to think on: 1) someone always cares for you, 2) we must first and foremost lift up the name of Jesus Christ, and 3) God works through people in remarkable ways. In the first lesson, he brought out the fact that in his early school days, he was earmarked as a participant in a scholastic event. There were four awards given out at the end of the competition; one was for participation, which he received. But his teacher was highly upset because he didn’t get the top award. She cared about him. The second lesson dealt with an experience he had with taking a youth group to the Blue Ridge Mountains (?) and they came across a wooden cross that was leaning heavily from a vertical position. Working together as a team to correct the situation, he learned that all of them saw the need to spiritually lift up the name of Jesus. And finally, an anonymous person provided food for the church with a large financial gift. This drew him to conclude that God works with people who are not bent on receiving recognition for what they do.

"The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm" (Proverbs 17: 27) has the makings of being compared to a mythical saying or hand me down folklore, but instead it comes from Solomon, King of Israel, the son of David – the man after God’s own heart. However, Frederick, the little field mouse provided a value lesson, which is: divine knowledge is given by God for the purpose of being a blessing to others, Your effectiveness comes as a result of being constantly in his presence. Selah