creature praise

thanks to Dean Ohlman of The Wonder of Creation for this poignant reminder of our calling to join God's creatures in worshiping our mutual Creator ...

I’m not sure how many churches today still incorporate in their worship the traditional “Doxology” sung to the tune of the “Old Hundredth.”  It was so common in the past and familiar enough now that in almost any crowd gathered anywhere in the English-speaking world, if you started singing it, you’d likely be joined by the majority—much like the singing of “Amazing Grace.”  I’ve always loved it:

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the friendly beasts

I was vacuuming one of the children's rooms at church last weekend and noticed on one of the tables a copy of The Animals' Christmas Eve, a Little Golden Book which charmingly weaves together the stories of modern-day farm animals with those who surrounded Jesus at His birth:

In the barn on Christmas Eve,
After all the people leave,
The animals, in voices low,
Remember Christmas long ago ...

Written by Gale Wiersum, The Animals' Christmas Eve was originally published in 1977 (Western Publishing, see cover).  The original illustrations, though a bit dated and occasionally somewhat Anglo-Saxon, are quaintly attractive and remind me of Sunday School illustrations of a generation or two back.  An updated version of the book was released a few years ago, with more contemporary illustrations as you can see here. 

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let heaven and nature sing

Thank you to pastor Chuck Summers of Seeing Creation for allowing us to share this meaningful Advent reflection accompanied beautifully by some of Chuck's photography ...

It’s the third Sunday in Advent and since the theme for this Sunday is joy we sang “Joy to the World!” at church this morning.  This has to be one of the most familiar and popular of all Christmas hymns.  I have enjoyed singing this song since my childhood.  Even as a kid I particularly liked the part that says, “let heaven and nature sing.”  What I didn’t realize back then is that the idea of heaven and nature singing comes straight out of the Bible.

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what a wonderful world

I've always loved Louis Armstrong's classic song "What a Wonderful World," which has a meaningful and hopeful enough message for us human beings.  I never imagined it being applied to the plant and animal world as well, which is exactly what the BBC and David Attenborough (host of The Life of Birds and other nature series) do in this beautiful and heartwarming clip:

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this is my father's world

I first posted this Thanksgiving reflection two years ago, and again last year.  As I once again find myself heading into the holiday with much on my mind, I wonder if it's becoming a bit of an annual marker ...

Today is a day for giving thanks, and no doubt many of us are sharing the day with family, around a special meal prepared and enjoyed together.  It's a day for pausing to reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for, and certainly the wonderment of the animals in our homes, neighborhoods and throughout our world is one of them. 

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naming again all the animals

A great post from Our Father's World and Lowell Bliss, who wasn't alone in not knowing that 'woodchuck' and 'groundhog' are two names for the same animal, or in feeling too old for roller coasters ...

As part of our summer vacation this year, we found ourselves at Canada’s Wonderland, a colossal amusement park near Toronto.  My teenage son has discovered roller coasters as a passion, and so we strapped ourselves into the Behemoth, riding up to a height of 230 feet and then plunging down at 77 mph.  The Behemoth cost $26 million to build.  But all day it was like that: we were surrounded by acres of ingenious and costly technologies engineered with the sole purpose to amuse and thrill.

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hearts on our sleeves for starlings

Brave Saint Saturn is a modern rock group with a solid Christian foundation and message, headed up by former Five Iron Frenzy frontman Reese Roper.  The song "Starling" from their most recent album Anti-Meridian is about two memorable encounters which Reese had as a child with neighborhood birds near death, the second of which he shot with an air gun, and quickly comes to regret doing so:

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Milkshake rescued

Dairy cows and calves often have a very rough and ultimately tragic existence, as we've shared before.  So it's wonderful to hear a story like Milkshake's, a two-year-old rescued by The Grace Foundation of Northern California after spending her entire life in a 10-by-10 foot pen.  This a happy video about Milkshake and her newfound freedom, with very sweet (and appropriate!) musical accompaniment:

Thanks very much to Melchiades Lozano for sharing.  You may also enjoy the heartwarming rescue videos at the end of this post.

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just one dog

This one's a bona fide tearjerker, but in the best possible sense.  "Just One Dog" is a short video from Camp Cocker Rescue, artfully produced and set to moving music, including a beautiful rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  I'm grateful to Denise LaChance for sharing.

It tells tells the story of Stanley, a shelter pit bull with mange and an eye infection, who had just about given up, and was just about out of time.  He was rescued at the eleventh hour by a sudden collaboration of good samaritans one year ago, on Christmas Eve ...

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his eye is on the sparrow

A beautifully sung and stirring rendition of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a hymn based on the verse behind not one sparrow's name, Luke 12:6, or its close parallel in Matthew 10:29), from Tanya Blount and Lauryn Hill:

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