20120523 - Day Birdnest dropped! Heart stopped!

On 23/5/2012 : Woke up to a rude shock!  My poor bird nest dropped! Upon seeing the 2 fledglings on the floor made my heart sick and dropped as well!

Couldn't work at all! Thanks to Keith - the bird saviour who came upon the call of SOS. We googled on how to save these birds! With facial cotton heated using the microwave, rafia strings and plastic bags, Keith came in rescued both of them!

Managed to put them back into the nest finally!

Heart was still overwhelmed - wondering if they survived the fall!

They did! 

On 25/5/2012 - they were caught on video alive! Thank God!

20120519-Heb10:32 Illumination!

"We do not see nature with our eyes but with our minds and hearts" Unknown
"Although the threads of my life have often seemed knotted, I know by faith that on the other side of the embroidery there is a crown" - Corrie Ten Boom
"Although dried leaves and twigs seemed meaningless weaved like a ball of mess but on the other side is a hole , where preparation of new lives is yet to come" - Mui


Heb 10:32 " But call to remembrance, the former days, in which ,after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions"


The world "illuminated " comes from the Greek word photidzo - which means to lighten up, to shine , to illuminate, to make visible or to radiate.  It is like a phototaking session where the bright flash of light comes on from the camera. We get the word "photography" from this word.


This season in May is one where I was illuminated by the process of this nest weaving by these little birds in preparation for the eggs to be laid. As the above quotes highlighted above, the light of truth of the sense of value of my Heavenly Father who created the feathery birds, we are His sons and daughters created in His image for greater works!


Reflection
Feeling of discouragement may come after a season of high. Like the case of my niece who recently had a close shave from death last month due to an aneurysm in her lung. The surgery was a success, only then to find out only few days back that the lab report found the presence of squamous cancer cells! The process of waiting for the confirmation via a CT Pet scan to be done next month seems long.  But I guess, like the nesting process, one has to learn the art of patience.  Certain things in life cannot be hurried into.  Praying for good results to come.


In times like this, one need to call to remembrance His goodness.  Like a CD player, one need to press the rewind button. His Word is unchanging. The devil is a liar. He may instigate but such  circumstances are only temporal. Stand on the truth of the Rock.  Return to the simplicity of faith and trust - like the yellow little birds.

20120512: An Awesome Nest from home ! Matt 6:26

Have you ever wondered what the Lord really means when Jesus spoke in Matt 6:26? He says "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not; neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much better than they?"

I realised that our Father in heaven is indeed AWESOME! In March this year, I had the wonderful journey of observing these little cute birds (papa & mama, I suppose) in their process of building a nest from the scatch!

12/3/2012 : This is the beginning of the first few strands of little twigs...they began their weaving from the yellow clothes peg outside our balcony!

About 2 months later, the full nest has been weaved! Awesome...Look at the well defined hole they weaved from those dried leaves and twigs! This photo is taken on 13/5/2012.

With the reverse of the I-phone camera, I took this photo - the hole was facing away from my window. I took a little peek inside...heh heh...no eggs yet.......

Here is the little youtube video clip I did this morning.  Videos taken over the last 2 months that would make your heart smile! Indeed, it brought great joy to my soul and day!

Reflections

My discovery of this little nest back in March this year was "pegged" with humor.  For a while I was wondering why the birds flew near to my window whenever I played my keyboard.  At first I thought they were attracted to my playing. Then one day, I decided to stand up and bend forward - an lo and behold, the mystery of attraction was solved!  It was not my music, it was simply because they found a place to nest - against my clothes peg!

It took them about 2 months to complete their 'weaving project". My journey over the last 2 months was full of cheap thrill and joy as I eagerly peeped to see their progress.  Last Sunday 13/5, I was awed by these tiny little birds! How in the world could they have used their little beaks and formed such a wonderful well trimmed hole in the nest! I wondered ! and was full of wonder!

I was reminded of Matt 6:26.  Yes, I have always read this verse.  But not until today - yes, today - did this revelation of how our Heavenly Father reminded me of "beholding" such a fowl of the air came to greater light!  Indeed, if He could create the birds like this to weave such a wonderful nest with their small light frame bit by bit with their beak with twigs and old leaves, day by day, step by step - in faithfulness, how much more valuable indeed are we humans?

Why worry? Oh yes - indeed 1 Peter 5:7 exhorts us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. As I behold these 2 little birds,  I came to a realisation that indeed, we humans at times tend to care too much about the world.  

This nesting journey has brought such joy to me. I am eagerly now waiting for the laying of eggs. Until then...my next Youtube! The song embedded "I would die for you" By Mercyme - is such a wonderful song . Yes, And I know I can find you there for you promised me You'll always be there!

Dedicating this particular blog and video to many of my friends and loved ones whom I know who are going through hard times...some undergoing through cancer treatments due to recurrence while others for the first time, and some facing other health challenges , some facing family stresses, others in their careers.   As the song goes " Times like these, it's hard to see, But somehow I have a peace, you are near" Shalom my friends.

Humans are not birds and birds are not humans. Unlike the fowls of the air, we humans are much valued by our Creator God!  The reason why we are here on earth - until we understand the issue of surrender, living everything behind and until we know what we would die for...until then....can we only be FREE like these birds...Care Free indeed!

20120501:This is the air I breathe

The root word of "pneu" communicates the idea of the dynamic movement of air. To blow or blow air.
From this derivation "Pneuma" - it means life, force, life-force, energy, dynamism and power. The Jews consider the pneuma to be the powerful force of God that created the universe and all living things.

This video is an amazing capture from conception to birth using the latest x-ray scanning technology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=fKyljukBE70

The heart is the first to be formed. Perhaps the next vital organs would be that of  LUNGS?  I am not sure but the last one week had been one of the most "educational" time for me to understand what are aneurysms in the lungs.  Simply because I believed my Lord Jesus heard the prayers of many of us and in turn held back this aneurysm from bursting and causing danger to my niece's life. Her lung surgery was timely and successful.

Today is also my late mum's 16th death anniversary.  She was said to have died of broncho-pneumonia : Yes lung related too. That year I witnessed the preservation of life via the artificial life support breathing machine.

Also this week I was in discussion over the concept of "Qi"in TCM in our body. Well this is indeed an intriguing subject. With the earlier video as seen, our human brain is just simply to small to grasp His awesome infinite wisdom in creation!



Reflections
Our very life is sustained by the function of the 2 lungs inside us, besides the heart of course.  People drown because the water had filled the lungs.  One of our friend's new born gal had to be in the intensive care for a couple of days simply due to the water bag water infilling part of the her lungs.

IN Genesis, God speak into existence of what He already had in mind.
The Greek word" theopneustos" means "God-breathed" or inspiration .  It is the picture of God breathing or emitting his own substance into something.

Rick Renner gave this illustration " If one holds a deflated balloon that is without any form to our lips and breathe into it, the balloon will inflate.  The blowing of our breath into that deflated little piece of rubber causes it to fill so that its true form will become visible. My breath now sustains the form of the balloon"

So likewise the breath of God that caused the Word to materialise in written form is now in HIs wonderful Presence! 2 Tim 3:16. The power of the Word!

So thank you Lord for our lungs!!!