Birds, Forgiveness, and Worship

    This morning a hawk was on the ground in our field with the crow he had caught. What attracted our attention was the outraged cries of many crows and I mean many. They were still coming from different directions when I stepped out onto the back deck to view it through my binoculars. The hawk was facing me and decided to depart. What struck me was the amount of outrage not just from crows in the immediate vicinity but coming in from different directions to participate. They did not let up when he flew into the woods or when he flew to the neighbor's trees. Stacie said that is the way a church should act when the enemy attacks one of us. Another thing that made an impression on me before this was when a hawk had caught a blue jay. People say nature is so beautiful etc. and that we should not interfere, forgetting that we as people were given charge of the earth and are to subdue it. The hideous slow death of that blue jay was a revelation to me. Nature is not beautiful, it is brutal. There are beauties in nature but it is definitely better for the dominion of mankind if he does not shirk his duty.
      I will now get off my soap box. Church started by ministering in the songs sung at the beginning and the encouragement to leave the things of our week go and praise Him. What a wonderful thing to be able to worship Him because He is worthy and leaving who we are and the worry that goes with it. Just leaving it to worship Him and Him only. There was prayer for the sick among us. For some reason there was a real burden on me for these, a weeping. The enemy seems to be attacking our young men. Godly young men are warriors the enemy especially fears and attacks. They grow into ministers and pillars of the church. May the enemy be defeated. May his machinations come to naught.
      The message was on forgiveness. We have heard so many messages on forgiveness since we have come to this church, often by visiting ministers. Today was by a visiting minister as well. One who has lived it to a more pronounced degree than maybe a lot of us. He started with Proverbs 19:11. It is the glory of man to pass over a transgression. Doesn't that elevate forgiveness? It is the glory of man to let things go. It is the glory of man to not hold a grudge. It is the glory of man to not live in bitterness. I really like this quote: When man forgives he radiates God's power to others. I will end with that. God bless.