Remember when I showed you the Barn Swallow nest? And the three babies?
Look how they look after just one week:
Ha ha! Aren't they cute? They even fly around a little bit. They still rely on their parents for food, though. For some reason, they remind me of three old men sitting up there. Ha!
Today I was getting ready to take the mower out and look what I saw!
That's a chicken nest! Here's a closed-up:
Our laying hens are getting up in age. They don't lay too much anymore, so we let them out of their pen so they could live out their days free-ranging around the property.
One hen, our Araucana built herself a little nest under the mower! You can't really tell from the picture, but her eggs are pale green. The kids named her "Holiday" because her eggs are like Easter Eggs. Here's a picture of her:
I guess she still has some life in her!!
Our first sunflower bloomed! This is always bittersweet for me because as beautiful as they are, it reminds me that summer is winding down...
For several days, we've notice a couple of juvenile bald eagles hanging around our house. (We live close to a large river - prime eagle nesting grounds!) Well, today they landed in one tree, and I could get some shots:
Yeah, I know I post a lot of eagle pictures. I can't help it. Aren't they magnificent?!
Yesterday when I stopped for gas, I was panhandled.
Does this ever happen to you? I know when you live or work downtown, panhandling is just a part of life. But, I live in a small town. I don't encounter homeless people. I don't get panhandled. This isn't something I'm used to.
I stopped for gas in an area that I don't normally stop. I was by myself. An overweight Native American man came up to me while I was outside my car pumping gas. He smelled of beer and cigarettes and body odor. His hair was long and greasy and unclean. He had very few teeth. I was instantly extremely uncomfortable.
'Scuse me, Ma'am. Could you spare some change?
I said what came to my mind first. My first instinct. No. I'm sorry I don't.
And that was it. He moved on down the sidewalk.
I was bothered by this the rest of the day. Why did I turn him down? Sure, I had spare change. I could have gotten my purse from the front seat and given him money. Why didn't I? I don't know. Maybe I turned him down because I didn't feel safe. I was by myself. I didn't know what he would do if I got out my purse. Would he snatch it and run? Maybe I turned him down because I knew he'd go buy alcohol with it. Maybe.
But I have to be honest with myself. I have to truly say I turned him down because I didn't want to be bothered. He was unpleasant to look at, to smell, to think about, to be bothered by. I turned him down because I wanted him to go away. That's hard to say out loud. It made me feel ashamed and guilty.
We call ourselves Christians. So, what is our obligation to homeless people? People that panhandle on the streets? We're supposed to help the poor. Have you read Matthew 25:35-36? Jesus told his disciples that when they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, provide shelter for the homeless, clothe the naked, nurse the sick, and visit the imprisoned, they are actually doing these things for Him. Think about that! We're serving Jesus when we help the poor.
I remember recently we had a sermon at church about helping the poor and serving the needy. The fact that has stuck in my mind is what our pastor said - The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, and God's deep concern for them. Wow - 300 verses!
Maybe if I had given this guy $5, I would have felt less guilty, but would I have helped him? Probably not. He already smelled of alcohol. Chances are he would have taken that money to buy more beer. So what do we do?
I have a friend that had business cards printed up that list every location nearby where someone can receive food or help. When she gets panhandled, she gives the person one of these cards and prays for them. I once saw someone downtown hand out McDonald's meals and coupons to the homeless. There's a group at our church that volunteers at local soup kitchens and food pantries. These are all great ideas.
So maybe I dismissed the homeless man that approached me at the gas station. And maybe you could argue that I was right in not giving him money. But that homeless man reminded me that I need to reflect Christ's love to those in need. Even unpleasant unclean people. That man is a child of God just like me. He's a sinner in need of redemption just like me. I need to be in prayer for him and people like him.
And this man reminded me that I need to find ways to give of my time and/or money to those services that help the needy.
Because that is what Christ has asked of me.
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