The wonder of God

[Cristo Rei]

I came across an owl sitting on the gutter on my house a couple weeks ago. And stopped to check out another sitting in a road sign about a year ago. View attachment 15769

@Backlit.... I don't know why I love these birds so much... but I just do... they are way cool.

Hahaha funny picture Addy

You've spotted themon earth your place Backlit... Cool
Iv had some brilliant animals encounters in the past but I've never spotted an owl... Hopefully one day God willing...

 

[Cristo Rei]

I have a story about owls. In NZ there is an age old tradition among Maori that if you see an owl in the daytime, it ain't good. I was out hunting with a mate when a morepork, known by Maori as Ruru, a small native owl, flew down and sat on a branch a few feet in front of us, and just looked at us. My mate said, gotta go home. Something's happened.
Turned out his mum's sister had died at the time we saw that owl.

Wow. Well i hope i never see one in the day...
But u didn't just see an owl... Its behaviour which you described is spooky...
How it just landed on a perch a few feet away and eye balled you in silence...
That gives me the shivers. It delivered the message...
Was your mate a Maori or did they just get that awful feeling that something was wrong?


It reminds me one time we where walking back from a hidden local swimming hole when a big brown goshawk flew in close and perched on a branch just a few meters up...



So we sat down to admire it... What a staunch looking bird, big and tall, those big yellow eyes piercing us...
It was probably a female as they are the larger than males in birds of prey
Then it started to belt out its bird call towards us...

(The one we saw was fat like this one on the far left. Even fatter. It was a barrel)

It looked as angry as the birds above, screeching at us constantly. It wasn't happy with us being on its turf...

So we continued our walk out and i got that feeling that we were being watched...
I turn around and i see this...

(Excellent pictures sourced from google images)

Massive yellow eyes coming straight for us... What an aggressive bird.
It was still about 10 meters away when i saw it but it reached us in a flash and only turned away at the last moment.

Man... We were in fear, and got out as soon as we could...
What if i hadn't of turned around... It would of clipped one of us i reckon.
It could send its talons into your skull no problem if it wanted to.

Its weird that feeling of being watched. You guys know that feeling?
You turn around and catch someone watching you...
What is that? A 6th sense? Maybe the Holy Spirit?

 

[Cristo Rei]

Glad to hear the story... it's even better to hear that you are doing ok and having fun playing with ducks.

Hey Johnny DB
From Tennessee
Long time no see...

 

[Cristo Rei]

Hi Christo!
I have been following this post and loving all the stories and Barry??! he is beautiful. Our ducks look just like Barry.

Hi Nancy. I haven'y heard from u in a while either. Hope all is well...

The Mallard duck from the northern hemisphere looks exactly the same...


Its even got the same band of blue wings that can only usually be seen in flight...
Hmmm i was told it was a shell duck but i was misinformed...
Mallard ducks were introduced to Australia so im fairly certain now that Barry is a Mallard duck

Geese mate for life I know, but do not know if ducks do. The female Goose that came back to our property to have her little ones every year would wait for the male to show up. He also would show up a day or so later to protect them. Coyotes all over those hills and foresty areas. Well, one year the male did not return and it made me wonder what the female would do. He never did come back. Several of the babies got carried off by the coyotes that year as well. Very sad the animal kingdom is sometimes, it's nature, sure but I still cannot see one animal attack another, for food or not.

Im fairly sure ducks are polygamous. But funny u should mention geese. Iv had some encounters with them as well...
Never hand feed a goose... They have teeth believe it or not...

And for the record...ALL ANIMALS WILL BE IN HEAVEN

I hope so. Some people think that animals have no soul. I hope they're wrong...

 

[Cristo Rei]

Birds ~ I love the birds, keep feeders out to lure them. Counted 20 different kinds last summer. Had some owls occasionally, but the funniest was some sort of crane, about 4ft tall walking down the road. The ones that really put on a show was when 2 piliated woodpeckers showed up and seemed to be doing a mating dance one on each side of a big pine tree trunk peeking around at eachother. (For about 30 minutes!) They are a pretty commanding sight, full height near 18 inches, and these were very large. The humming birds, tiny little jittery things, apparently migrate from the US across the gulf of Mexico to South America for the winter and then back to the same summer location in the US. Heard they can sleep while flying, but IDK. Did catch sight of a bald eagle snatching a fish out of a lagoon in the lake last summer, that was pretty cool.

Wow... 20 different birds... Thats cool... And humming birds...
Sadly the hummingbirds are not a group of birds that ever reached Australia...

Ive watched a documentary on your humming birds... U must live near Florida, right?
They stop over at your house to fill up on energy for the long voyage every year

 

[Cristo Rei]

various bees..
there are at least 12 different species in my yard, from itty-bitty ones to some ground-dwelling ones that are sometimes even bigger than the big bumble bees

bumble bees are really very docile -- you have to really be asking for it before one stings you! they'll wave their forelegs around at you and give you tiny little high-fives; just be very gentle, remembering the enormous size/strength difference between them & you =]

i don't generally try to pet hornets, tho -- they are usually kind of temperamental. not fuzzy anyway lol

Wow... Ive met a bee keeper for the first time...
Do u live in the cold or warm parts? Are bees found in both climates?
Their certainly down here in the colder south of Oz

 

[Cristo Rei]

In honour of the humble bumble bee.

Cool picture

 

[post]

Wow... Ive met a bee keeper for the first time...
Do u live in the cold or warm parts? Are bees found in both climates?
Their certainly down here in the colder south of Oz

i'm in the southern US, fairly warm but we do get occasional snow in the winter.
all 'my bees' are completely free-range, lol -- i grow lots of flowerings plants for them, and they are my neighbors.
my mother, tho, actually got some honeybee hives this year, for the first time. so you have met a 'friend of bees' and 'son of a bee-keeper' =D

hi, i'm post!
well met =]

 

[post]

I hope so. Some people think that animals have no soul. I hope they're wrong...

they are absolutely wrong.

in Genesis, the words that English Bibles translate as 'living creature' are nephesh chayyah
it literally means, "living souls" -- every single verse in the creation account, and in the account of the flood. Genesis 1:24 for example.
when Adam is created, it says God breathed the breath of life into him and he became a "nephesh chayyah" ((Genesis 2:7))
exactly the same words that English Bibles call 'living creatures' when talking about anything other than man. it is a wrong translation, made because of the vanity of men, thinking we are better. but look at Isaiah 1:3 & Ecclesiastes 3:19 -- God says we're no better than the other living souls - we have exactly the same breath of life ((see also Genesis 7:22)), in fact, there is a very strong argument that we are worse! we're the ones who sin! we're the ones who rebel against our Creator! not ducks or bees!

the fact is that our language is a pagan & unclean one, one of many stemming from the tower of Babel -- but 'a pure language' will be one day restored to all of us ((Zephaniah 3:9)). the Hebrew of the Bible calls all animals living souls. every living thing on earth but plants. go and look this up - you will learn it better by studying it yourself than just by believing what i've said =]

it is humanism that says other living creatures have no soul. God says they do

 

[Cristo Rei]

i'm in the southern US, fairly warm but we do get occasional snow in the winter.
all 'my bees' are completely free-range, lol -- i grow lots of flowerings plants for them, and they are my neighbors.
my mother, tho, actually got some honeybee hives this year, for the first time. so you have met a 'friend of bees' and 'son of a bee-keeper' =D

hi, i'm post!
well met =]

Ah OK... The bees are wild, they come and go as they please... U have provided a habitat for them... Nice

they are absolutely wrong.

in Genesis, the words that English Bibles translate as 'living creature' are nephesh chayyah
it literally means, "living souls" -- every single verse in the creation account, and in the account of the flood. Genesis 1:24 for example.
when Adam is created, it says God breathed the breath of life into him and he became a "nephesh chayyah" ((Genesis 2:7))
exactly the same words that English Bibles call 'living creatures' when talking about anything other than man. it is a wrong translation, made because of the vanity of men, thinking we are better. but look at Isaiah 1:3 & Ecclesiastes 3:19 -- God says we're no better than the other living souls - we have exactly the same breath of life ((see also Genesis 7:22)), in fact, there is a very strong argument that we are worse! we're the ones who sin! we're the ones who rebel against our Creator! not ducks or bees!

the fact is that our language is a pagan & unclean one, one of many stemming from the tower of Babel -- but 'a pure language' will be one day restored to all of us ((Zephaniah 3:9)). the Hebrew of the Bible calls all animals living souls. every living thing on earth but plants. go and look this up - you will learn it better by studying it yourself than just by believing what i've said =]

it is humanism that says other living creatures have no soul. God says they do

Interesting. Much is lost in translation and it's good to have that knowledge...
Also, man is vein... They like to think they know everything but they don't...
I've always imagined animals in heaven... God created them before he created man and like u said, animals don't sin, we do...
So your argument is strong and valid I reckon

 

[Brakelite]

You must be talking about the bumble bee.... the ones we have here are HUGE... and they are indeed fuzzy... honey bees... not so nice.
As for the rest of your comment... well... OK... but... NOT snakes.... I can live with EVERYTHING but snakes... there is no one on God's green earth that will EVER convince me to befriend or trust a snake... NOPE... NADA.... NOT HAPPENING.... LOL

Lol.

 

[Brakelite]

Was your mate a Maori

Yes.

 

[Taken]

i pet bees. ever since i was like 3 or something, out giving bees little hugs.

they're fuzzy -- you just have to be gentle.

i've found that when you respect things as living souls, they're not afraid of you, and they communicate with you - but when you think of them & treat them like they're mindless, soulless machines -- well they treat you like you're a dangerous, mindless idiot-force too, and generally get as far away form you as quickly as they can, or bite when cornered.

=]

While we were preparing to construct a building we had our lumber staged with a tarp over it (dodging the intermittent rain fall). We had seen one huge bee hive out in the trees near the edge of the field and left it alone. But then we had a huge hive under a tarp clinging to some lumber. We were not prepared to have bee hives yet, (as in tended boxes), nor wanted hundreds of bees swarming around us.
We called a local bee keeper. (A local female cop and bee keeper) who promptly came and remove the hive from the lumber for transport to her property already prepared for bee keeping. The hive out in the field remains. I don't see big "swarms", but did see many, busy buzzing in the wild flowers, and they are always present (sharing) with the butterflies, in plots we have planted flowers.
(This year...aside from the honey bees...there has been some sort of strange flying insect...
Colorful like a bee, but larger, elongated body, more like a wasp. And it hooks up with another of it's kind, similar to May Flies (love bugs) that connect and fly together. Have seen them drinking water from the dogs dish. One drinks, then they turn 90 degrees and the other drinks. First time seeing them this year. Don't know what they are. )
* Have heard there is some sort of a new infestation, mostly in the far northwestern states, of a much larger type of bee that completely kills and destroys Whole Honey Bees Hives. YIPES! Mankind will be in a world of hurt without Honey Bees.

 

[quietthinker]

When my two boys were twelve and fourteen I took them out of school for three months and we sailed a small catamaran (14ft) along the northern coast of Queensland. It is rrrremote with large stretches without human habitation.

We zig-zagged our way North between Islands and mainland getting in roughly fifty kilometres a day. When we found a place we liked we stayed for for a week or so; set up a camp with our hammocks strung between whatever would support them.

The first thing we did when arriving at an Island was walk around it (small Islands) checking for Crocodile tracks, making sure there were no beasties above the waterline then we would gather drift wood and build a fire placing it between the boat at the edge of the water and a tarpaulin we stretched out to sleep on.

One time while preparing food (either fish we had caught in transit or rice which we carried) at the fire we noticed tiny turtles (about inch and a half to two inches in diameter) marching straight into the fire. Grabbing the torch we traced the line of baby turtles marching relentlessly, back to their nest; they were hatching right then and oh so cute....hundreds of them. They were heading for what they thought was the light and unwittingly suiciding.....but we didn't let them. We gathered them up by the handfuls in plastic bags and released them at the waters edge.....tentatively; we didn't want any snapping jaws taking us by surprise.

Seeing these newborns lumber across the soft sand with determination and one goal in mind even though mistaken touched our hearts. It was one of the highlights of this adventure.

 

[Cristo Rei]

WoooW... Today was such a beautiful day for me...
I said the Lords prayer with a sense of gratefulness and tears rolling down my cheeks, tears of happiness and joy...

I think I've found the secret corner of the world where I want to stay... It's fantastic here...

I'm just going to have dinner now and recall this day of wonder and offer more prayers of thanks until I fall asleep

"I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

 

[Addy]

WoooW... Today was such a beautiful day for me...
I said the Lords prayer with a sense of gratefulness and tears rolling down my cheeks, tears of happiness and joy...

This must have been GOD loving on HIS CHILDREN in a SPECIAL way WEEK..... Your day today was my day on Wednesday...
ABSOLUTE JOY.... yesterday it rained all day so no beach... but I am SMELLING another one today.

 

[quietthinker]

.

 

[quietthinker]

WoooW... Today was such a beautiful day for me...
I said the Lords prayer with a sense of gratefulness and tears rolling down my cheeks, tears of happiness and joy...

I think I've found the secret corner of the world where I want to stay... It's fantastic here...

I'm just going to have dinner now and recall this day of wonder and offer more prayers of thanks until I fall asleep

"I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

Cristo, yeah! You might like to listen to this podcast on The Lords Prayer, it's fantastic.
7 The Lord's Prayer

 

[Addy]

.

LOL ... What was that ????

 

[quietthinker]

LOL ... What was that ????

what do you mean Addy?