I was mowing the back yard today and I saw plenty of Red Admiral and Yellow Swallowtail butterflies, but no orange Monarchs.
I'd heard that the bad tornado which hit Dallas earlier this spring had affected the Monarch migration, but didn't expect to have such a stark end result!
I am talking NONE. Not one yet!
The beautiful Monarch is usually a daily sight in our back yard. We've raised them from the eggs on milkweed in our home.
One caterpillar got away from the large glass jar, covered with waxed paper punctured with holes. We left for a trip, and when we returned we found a fully developed butterfly, dead in the windowsill. We suspect our cat then, Padder, had been delighted at its emergence. Days later we found the transparent remains of the cocoon attached underneath the keyboard of the piano. Caterpillar accounted for!
Another kind of monarch is being worked with today in our family activity. My husband won, as a door prize, at the bee meeting last evening, a queen bee!
Winning a queen requires prompt action.
Our surviving hive needs to split, so we are glad for the new healthy queen. He brought her to work today, accompanied by her entourage of ministering worker bees. Their little package was to be unobtrusive at his cubicle, but I wonder if anyone knew...? After work he will drive out to the hive and begin the process of introducing her to her new kingdom.
Another Monarch is on my mind today. My Lord God.
Since there is an issue about marriage being bandied about I thought I'd weigh in. So much misunderstanding!
God has standards. They are perfection. We are sinners, forgiven through Christ's grace.
Sin should have no dominion over us, we believers!
We all know what perfection is, don't we? It's the opposite of sin. Sin is anything we say, do, or think that displeases God.
How do we know what displeases God?
Well, we have His word.
And in His Word marriage is defined, in Genesis, one man, one woman. (Adam, Eve) Simple.
No one forces anyone to comply with this standard.
Yet somehow that definition of marriage (one man, one woman) was adopted by many ancient cultures. Why? Biology played a role. Marital harmony also affected it. Simplicity.
It is a standard, definition, that has tried and true results. Culture after culture. When it has been thwarted, even in ancient culture (as in our own culture with divorce) the whole society bears the consequences.
Now, most societies have standards. Ours has, traditionally. We have a standard of not murdering, not stealing, not lying, ......It's beginning to sound somewhat like God's standards, right?
We have laws that punish breaking certain standards. We do it all the time as a society.
There are consequences for all standards, broken or kept.
We are now a Post Modern society, (i.e. post -Christian), so why should we keep Judeo- Christian standards?
Well, they have worked well, for one reason.
Why can't we consider change?
Where do we stop? If we keep the definition of marriage elegantly simple (one man, one woman) we need never re-evaluate marriage: two men, two women, one man-one child, one woman-many men, one man-many women, one human-one beast...
But this doesn't satisfy our culture. Our culture wants us to shake a fist in God's face and tell Him to redefine sin.
But He isn't going to do it. Remember, He changes not.
And we have a choice to agree with Him, or go our own way. That's iniquity. Some people define iniquity as sin.
Those of us who have been re-born spiritually will never give up in our spirits the truths that God reveals through Scripture. Our standards are based on His definitions and His forgiveness.
Whichever way the society goes, we are called to the higher standard.
Today I read so many questions about discrimination and bigotry in "the church." Does this define a Biblically based belief simply enough? Simply. Not every argument, every nuance of interpretation. Basic core operation.
We are just different in our understanding of definitions and standards! We have a source of societal structure that comes from an ancient book which we actually believe. We hold to the Book with all our hearts. We have discovered the truths of Life within its words. We cannot re-define these truths on our own terms without spiritual consequences!
I have another book to recommend: "None of These Diseases," S.I. McMillen. If you have questions about God's societal standards and the research that supports them please take the time to read this book! Fascinating. It convinced me that every thing God tells us has purpose and benefit.
Gentle Savior, Holy Lord! Your goodness and Wisdom astounds us. We see your Standard and we know we do not meet it. Let us not bow to the waywardness of man, but hold fast your Ways.
And we Will to be loving and forgiving, understanding and helpful to anyone God brings to us. Even those who have different standards. We will be known by our LOVE!
Even so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come! You are our Supreme Monarch, and we want to obey you, not the world.
UPDATE: 05/14 Saw a huge Monarch Butterfly in the yard. They made it!
I'd heard that the bad tornado which hit Dallas earlier this spring had affected the Monarch migration, but didn't expect to have such a stark end result!
I am talking NONE. Not one yet!
The beautiful Monarch is usually a daily sight in our back yard. We've raised them from the eggs on milkweed in our home.
One caterpillar got away from the large glass jar, covered with waxed paper punctured with holes. We left for a trip, and when we returned we found a fully developed butterfly, dead in the windowsill. We suspect our cat then, Padder, had been delighted at its emergence. Days later we found the transparent remains of the cocoon attached underneath the keyboard of the piano. Caterpillar accounted for!
Another kind of monarch is being worked with today in our family activity. My husband won, as a door prize, at the bee meeting last evening, a queen bee!
Winning a queen requires prompt action.
Our surviving hive needs to split, so we are glad for the new healthy queen. He brought her to work today, accompanied by her entourage of ministering worker bees. Their little package was to be unobtrusive at his cubicle, but I wonder if anyone knew...? After work he will drive out to the hive and begin the process of introducing her to her new kingdom.
Another Monarch is on my mind today. My Lord God.
Since there is an issue about marriage being bandied about I thought I'd weigh in. So much misunderstanding!
God has standards. They are perfection. We are sinners, forgiven through Christ's grace.
Sin should have no dominion over us, we believers!
We all know what perfection is, don't we? It's the opposite of sin. Sin is anything we say, do, or think that displeases God.
How do we know what displeases God?
Well, we have His word.
And in His Word marriage is defined, in Genesis, one man, one woman. (Adam, Eve) Simple.
No one forces anyone to comply with this standard.
Yet somehow that definition of marriage (one man, one woman) was adopted by many ancient cultures. Why? Biology played a role. Marital harmony also affected it. Simplicity.
It is a standard, definition, that has tried and true results. Culture after culture. When it has been thwarted, even in ancient culture (as in our own culture with divorce) the whole society bears the consequences.
Now, most societies have standards. Ours has, traditionally. We have a standard of not murdering, not stealing, not lying, ......It's beginning to sound somewhat like God's standards, right?
We have laws that punish breaking certain standards. We do it all the time as a society.
There are consequences for all standards, broken or kept.
We are now a Post Modern society, (i.e. post -Christian), so why should we keep Judeo- Christian standards?
Well, they have worked well, for one reason.
Why can't we consider change?
Where do we stop? If we keep the definition of marriage elegantly simple (one man, one woman) we need never re-evaluate marriage: two men, two women, one man-one child, one woman-many men, one man-many women, one human-one beast...
But this doesn't satisfy our culture. Our culture wants us to shake a fist in God's face and tell Him to redefine sin.
But He isn't going to do it. Remember, He changes not.
And we have a choice to agree with Him, or go our own way. That's iniquity. Some people define iniquity as sin.
Those of us who have been re-born spiritually will never give up in our spirits the truths that God reveals through Scripture. Our standards are based on His definitions and His forgiveness.
Whichever way the society goes, we are called to the higher standard.
Today I read so many questions about discrimination and bigotry in "the church." Does this define a Biblically based belief simply enough? Simply. Not every argument, every nuance of interpretation. Basic core operation.
We are just different in our understanding of definitions and standards! We have a source of societal structure that comes from an ancient book which we actually believe. We hold to the Book with all our hearts. We have discovered the truths of Life within its words. We cannot re-define these truths on our own terms without spiritual consequences!
I have another book to recommend: "None of These Diseases," S.I. McMillen. If you have questions about God's societal standards and the research that supports them please take the time to read this book! Fascinating. It convinced me that every thing God tells us has purpose and benefit.
Gentle Savior, Holy Lord! Your goodness and Wisdom astounds us. We see your Standard and we know we do not meet it. Let us not bow to the waywardness of man, but hold fast your Ways.
And we Will to be loving and forgiving, understanding and helpful to anyone God brings to us. Even those who have different standards. We will be known by our LOVE!
Even so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come! You are our Supreme Monarch, and we want to obey you, not the world.
UPDATE: 05/14 Saw a huge Monarch Butterfly in the yard. They made it!
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