For Your Eyes Only? The Story Of A Leaf

Leaves are at their most georgous when they're dying. Especially the ones that turn red. But have you ever asked yourself why? Why do they turn beautiful colors? The leaves don't turn red just for our viewing pleasure; nature has to have some benefit for the tree. I set out to find a tree with it's leaves in different stages of turning color, and it didn't take long. It was only a block away. And here is my picture. Until about ten years ago, scientists viewd the changing colors as appealing but pointless. The standard thought now is that leaves don't actually change color. The red was always lurking in the leaf. It is only when the chlorophyll dissappears that the red underneath shows up. In my picture, look at the leaf in the middle; it's in the process of turning. Is it actually changing color, or just revealing the red underneath as the green recedes? It's hard to tell. So now we know how the color changes, but why? Here is the latest theory:aphids. In the fall, aphids are looking for twigs to lay their overwintering eggs. The following spring, the new generation feeds on the tree, damaging it in the process. The red leaves are sending a signal to the aphids: back off! The bugs don't like red, and one reason is that red leaves have a lower nitrogen content in the leaf fluid, which is what the bugs feed on. So it seems that the reason leaves turn red is to ward off insects. Of course, there are still many unanswered questions. Why don't all trees have leaves that turn red? Why do some turn yellow or orange instead? I love a mystery, don't you?

A Striped Zebra & A Pink Heffalump

Our granddaughter, AnneMarie, had the flu on Halloween, and did not get to go out. So today was her day to Trick-Or-Treat for all her family members. She is a zebra. The cutest zebra I've ever seen. And this is Ella, the little girl we babysit for. She was a pink Heffalump. I bet you're asking what a Heffalump is. But surely you will know when I explain that Heffalumps hang out with Woozles! All clear now? Don't feel bad, I wasn't either. I have been told that Winnie The Pooh had a dream, and these creatures were part of it. This must be a modern day Winnie The Pooh that I'm not familiar with. Here are also some of the cookies I had for Halloween. My daughter-in-law works at a local bakery, and she made them. Art too pretty to eat. Too bad I had to force myself! God Himself has a costume for us, one that we did not have to purchase, He has given it to us. And it will never go out of style or get shabby.

I delight greatly in the Lord;my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."Isaiah 61:10

Clouds From Both Sides

I am still teaching a series of Wednesday evening prayer meetings at church. I have named this series "Face To Face With God", and it focuses on the many ways that God has shown Himself to us. Do you know the word "theophany"? If you look it up, you may be surprised. God has come to earth in many more ways than the burning bush. He walked with Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. He came walking, as one slow to anger, not riding in on the wings of the wind. And He let them know He was coming from far away. It's so funny that they covered themselves! He was the one who made them! My next lesson is about clouds. God has come to us in clouds a lot. As you can see by these pictures, clouds are much more than pretty and fluffy. These are real clouds and they are, from top to bottom: Lenticular,Pileus,Roll, and Mammatous. Obviously, I didn't take these pictures. Clouds conceal and reveal. They can take on any appearance, sort of like God. I would say that they represent the hidden mystery of God. God was in a cloud in the desert, and made one side light and the other side dark to serve two different purposes. To conceal and reveal. Jesus was recieved by a cloud when He ascended, and is returning with the clouds. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Does this mean that those who are dead have already been judged and are cheering us on? Just one of many questions. But here is the most beautiful verse on clouds, from Isaiah 44 "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins are like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Amen

Both Sides

Today you get two posts for the price of one! Scroll down to view the video on the second post about missing Madeline.Do you remember the old Joni Mitchell song "Both Sides"? Both sides is what today's post is about. This blog was a promise to show how I see God in my everyday life, so I will not back down when it comes to controversial stuff. I do not intend to make anyone upset or mad, which is why I have waited until after Halloween to post this. I do not dislike or avoid people who disagree with me. I was shopping in Target a while back,when I found myself in a wide, main aisle, and it was there that I stopped, stunned. The shelves on my right had Christmas things:Cards, angels, and lights. On my left was the dark side:Halloween things. Witches, blood, and skulls. After I collected my wits,I collected my camera, as you can see. I clearly stood between two worlds. And this is much more than a metaphor, it's the truth of life. It's the choice we all must make. The light on the right, or the dark on the left. Both are very real and nothing to take lightly. 1 John 1:5 says "God is light;in him there is no darkness at all." And the book of Isaiah says "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned." We all walk in great darkness without God. And when we follow Jesus, we are assured ofeternal life, not a death that leads to darkness. Satan has a counterfeit of everything, and surely Halloween isthe anti-Christmas. The shelves in Target couldn't have said it any plainer. I decorate quite a bit for Fall, but we have pumpkins, not jack-o-lanterns. We have fall leaves and candy corn, not witches and skeltons. Nothing spooky or dark here. The little girl we babysit is already having nightmares about spooky displays in the stores. I have no problem at all with children wearing cute costumes that are not scary, but there's enough darkness in this world already without celebrating it, and the older you get, the more darkness you see. Several of my friends agree with me, and some do not. That is fine. This world is not my home, but when I get there,I want The Light.

A Minute For Madeline

You may remember Madeline from watching this case on T.V. She has still not been found, and it seems police have reason to believe that she could still be alive.

A Dozen Trees: Made By God - Snapped By Me

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree

Our Very Scary Halloween

Listen, my children, and you shall hear

Of our scary Halloween this year.

It's improving with love and lots of prayer

Now read this story if you dare.

As promised, here is our scary Halloween story. Most of you know that our son, Mike, his wife, Melissa, and our three year old granddaughter Anne live within walking distance of us. We are a close family. Little Anne adores us and the feeling is mutual. She literally jumps up and down in the air when she sees us. A few days before Halloween, Melissa told us that Anne was sick. A fever of 104, sore throat and vomiting. At the same time, their, cat, Lizzie, started keeling over and foaming at the mouth with seizures. They've had Liz for about 12 years and she's a lovely cat. While Melissa waited for the pediatrician to call, Mike rushed Liz to the vet. He was at the vet for hours while they ran tests on poisons, kidney function, and cancer. All came back negative. No cause found. The theory is a benign brain tumor. But the cat could also have caught whatever Anne has. The vet wrote a prescription for anti-seizure meds and sent them home. By the time Mike got home with the kitty, Anne was lots worse. Her fever was now 106, heart rate 180, and vomiting blood. This, despite children's Tylenol and Advil, as the doctor had said. After a call to us and her mom, they left the poor cat, grabbed Anne, and rushed to the E.R. I called our church prayer line and put them on it. The E.R. was another nightmare. It was crammed with sick people, the ones with flu made to wear masks and sit by themselves. After awhile, a security guard came by to talk to them. They had been so frantic that they left their van in front of the E.R. with the doors wide open, the keys in the ignition, and the engine running-for 45 minutes!!! I guess the only reason it wasn't stolen was that everyone else there was either too sick or too worried. I'm guessing car thieves don't hang out at the E.R. They ended up waiting for so many hours that Anne's fever went down some and they sent her home without doing anything. None of us thought you could get a fever over 105 without brain damage or seizures. But the doctor said they are seeing things this year that they've never seen before. One boy in his office had a temp of 107! At this point, they cannot agree on whether it's the HlNl or somthing else. At one point during the night, Anne and the cat were both on the bed. While Anne was throwing up, the cat fell over with a seizure at the same time. Things are getting better now. Anne has been getting fevers every night, but today her temp was "only" 101. Today was also Miss Lizzie's first day without a seizure. We're all hoping that Anne will be able to go Trick Or Treating on Thursday if she continues doing better. It will for sure be a special sight at that time to see one very small Chinese girl going out by herself in her costume. And of course I will be taking lots of pictures to show you. Better late than never.

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer you; you will cry for help, and He will say "Here am I". Isaiah 58:9