Moe and Me

Everyone needs down time. As I've mentioned before, I love rabbit hunting. For that reason, I look forward to November-February all year long. But there's a certain aspect of this sport that is especially fun for me.

God made human beings with a desire and responsibility to manage creation. Genesis 1:28 reads, "subdue [the world], and have dominion over...every living thing that moves on the earth.” Like God, in whose image we were made, we tend to have affection for certain "living things" over whom we have dominion. And for me, dogs occupy the top position among all others. They don't call them "man's best friend" for nothing. And the kind of dog I love the most? The lowly Beagle. They're full of energy, shed a crazy amount of hair, and bark extremely loud whenever someone comes to the door. If you don't train them well, they are quick to develop hard-to-break habits like getting in the trash, running away, and escaping all means of restraint. And they're not good guard dogs (beyond sounding the alarm). But amid all these less-than-favorable traits, they shine out with some extremely good ones. They're among the sweetest, funniest, and most fun little dogs ever (in my opinion). It's always time to love and play! And they are relentless hunters. That's what I love as much as anything. In the field, a good Beagle will exhaust themselves finding and pursuing rabbits.

After opening his present
on Christmas morning, Moe
 found a private corner behind
the tree to enjoy his new bone.
Yes, he's wearing a sweater.

Our Beagle is named Moe. Dara wanted a Lemon Beagle for years before we finally gave in and got her one a little over three years ago. There are different definitions of a Lemon (we've always considered a bi-colored white-and-tan Beagle, a Lemon). They're not the most desired color combination for hard-core rabbit hunters, because hunters feel they're more camouflaged making them more likely to be mistaken for a rabbit and accidentally shot. Most hunters prefer tri-colors (black, white, and tan) that have a lot of black. Moe is also a small Beagle. Hunters usually like having both small and large ones in a pack. Moe got his name because he has white stripe, a mohawk, that runs down the center of his head and neck. Moe is short for mohawk. Of course Darla started calling him Mobley. Now in addition, he's called Moby, Mobsy, and "The Puppy" (as compared to Sparky the old dog). The latter moniker is fitting, as he, like most Beagles, is a perpetual puppy.

On Friday, Moe and I took Brian Havely hunting with us. I've had a hard time getting Moe around rabbits so far this year. Brian had found some grassy areas and power lines in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico. We hunted several different places where there are fields and grassland where rabbits usually love to hang out. We saw two groups (flocks? gaggles? rafters? gangs? musters?) of turkeys, squirrels, and lots of deer and boar sign, but no rabbits. That's been the refrain so far this year. Darla always asks me when I get home if we got any rabbits. This year my reply has been, "No, but we sure had fun!" And it's true. There are few things more fun than hiking and seeing new land—with a real chance of shooting a rabbit—with my friend and my dog.

You can see Moe in the middle of this picture.

I always forget to take more pictures. It was beautiful. Especially as the snow began to move in to East Tennessee. And it felt like we had the whole world to ourselves. A good day. Afterward, Moe and I chilled out on the couch, and Dara snuck this shot. In fact, Mo's here beside me now as I write. Beagles. Words do not suffice.

Someone Greater is Here

An icon of Christmas in America is the holiday movie or TV special. And so many of them, both old and new, have a similar theme: The true meaning of Christmas. 

Take The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (the Jim Carey version) for example. Cindy Lou Who asks the Grinch (who is disguised as Santa), "What's Christmas really about?" 

"Vengeance!" The fake Santa blurted out without thinking. Then he caught himself and said, "I mean, presents, I suppose."

"I was afraid of that." Cindy Lou Who said sadly.

But of course, the "real meaning" of Christmas was finally discovered by the Grinch and all the residents of Whoville: Christmas is about being together! Here's how the original cartoon ends:

"Christmas Day is in our grasp,
    so long as we have hands to clasp.
Christmas Day will always be
    just as long as we have we.
Welcome Christmas while we stand,
    heart to heart, and hand in hand.."

Think of the favorite Christmas shows that answer the question: 

In the classic Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life,
(that everyone should see, by the way) it's all about
how blessed we are to have friends.

In A Christmas Carol, it's all about having compassion 
and giving to others. You don't want to be a Scrooge!

In Elf it's about Christmas spirit (because that's what 
makes Santa's sleigh fly)!

In Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, it's that everyone is 

special, even misfits!

In many (like A Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Home
Alone) Christmas is all about family. 

These are all good things, right? Of course. But a good answer isn't always the right one. Truth is, they’re all asking the right question, but they’re providing the wrong answers. That’s because they totally miss Jesus. 

I must say, there is one shining exception. It’s perhaps the most famous Christmas special: A Charlie Brown Christmas. You know the story: After Charlie Brown experiences aspects which don’t sit right with him about Christmas, he becomes more frustrated about the whole holiday itself. The climax of course is this: After everyone laughs at Charlie Brown for picking a terrible tree and as the obvious failure of his directorship of the play reveals itself, he has a meltdown, and in frustration shouts climactically, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” That’s when Linus, the security-blanket-carrying philosopher walks into the spotlight and quotes Luke 2:8-14 and then walks over and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” 

Linus got it right. Bottom line: if you miss Jesus, you miss Christmas. 

Here’s the tragedy: 

if you miss Jesus, you don’t just miss Christmas. 

You miss life. 

You miss God. 

You miss everything.

Luke 11:29-32 is not a Christmas passage. But it is in this sense: it's about people who miss Jesus. 

²⁹When the crowds were increasing, [Jesus] began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign..." 

Evidently all these people rushed to see Jesus because they wanted to see him do something amazing. "Sign" means miracle. They wanted to be able to tweet that they saw him do something paranormal…Facebook that they were there…take a selfie so that they could brag. They wanted an emotional... maybe even a spiritual experience. Hearing about him wasn’t good enough. Hearing him speak wasn’t either. They wanted to see something big. Jesus said this was evil! Why? Because their thirst for entertainment would never be quenched—it was from selfish motives. Others sat in judgment wanting to see if his miracles “passed the test” worthy of a prophet, much more a messiah. 

Let me ask you: are you seeking some sign? Are you wanting God to perform for you? Is he failing to meet your standard or pass your test?

Jesus continues, "...but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation."

What does that mean, "the sign of Jonah"? You remember Jonah, right? The guy who was swallowed by a fish for 3 days and lived to tell about it. 

In Matthew 12, Jesus says something similar:

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” ³⁹But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

That’s what Jesus meant: “Do you want a miracle? I got your miracle. I’m going to die and be buried for 3 days. Then I’m going to rise.” That’s really the greatest of all miracles. Others you might fake. Death, burial, and resurrection—quite tougher.

Back to Luke 11. Jesus continues:

"³¹The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 

What’s he saying? He’s referencing 1Kings 10 & 2 Chronicles 9 when a well-known and wealthy Queen from today’s Yemen or Ethiopia came to see King Solomon for herself because she had heard about his wealth & wisdom. She recognized that what she’d heard was true! Then she confessed God and proclaimed him blessed! Jesus is saying, while she was able to recognize greatness, those in his day couldn't see it even when it was as clear as the nose on their faces!

"³²The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."

Remember a little more about Jonah? He was the reluctant prophet during a time when Israel was threatened by Assyria (capital: Nineveh). He resented that God wanted him to go there because he hated Nineveh—so much so that he ran from God rather than prophesy to them. Nineveh was east, so he fled west, got on a boat and headed toward Spain across the Mediterranean! So God sent a violent storm. After all efforts were made to spare the ship, the sailors beckoned the passengers to pray to their gods. Jonah confessed his sin and suggested they throw him overboard. They reluctantly did, and the storm ceased...as Jonah sank to the bottom. But God sent a fish to swallow him. After three days inside it, God now had his attention. He was spit up on the beach and this time he went to Nineveh. I’m sure he was quite a sight—perhaps the first bleach-blonde middle-easterner ever seen—when he preached, “Repent!” Then he found a place outside the city to watch God burn the sinful city. But much to his chagrin, all the men of Nineveh, including it's king, repented. It was an amazing revival of an unlikely city! They knew nothing of God or the Bible. 

Jesus points them out and said that God will raise them up one day and that they will stand in judgment of those who DO know better. 

The imagery here is powerful. Jesus reminds us that there is a judgment day coming. God will be on the throne, and call forth witnesses. The Queen of the south and the Ninevites will shout: “Guilty! We outsiders believed! You insiders did not!”

And here we are in America. A nation founded by Bible-believing people, many who were deeply committed Christians. Here in the south, there are churches on every corner and Bibles in every home. What's more? Our single greatest national holiday is Christmas—nothing else comes close. WE, OF ALL PEOPLE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT SOMEONE GREATER THAN ANYONE ELSE HAS COME. Amazingly, the God of the universe came to us—as a baby. That’s it. The GOD-MAN has come!

Bottom line: This Christmas if we forget that it is first and foremost a celebration of God becoming flesh and entering the world he created that we marred by our rebellion and sin—in order that he might save us and bring us to himself, then we have missed EVERYTHING about Christmas. Everything. We have rendered our celebrations and traditions vacuous and even harmful. We, with those who missed him in Jesus' own generation will also be condemned by the queen of the South and the men of Nineveh for our great blindness and error. 

Do not miss Christmas! Do not miss what this is really all about! Not family & friends, not peace, not giving to others, not good will to men—as good as those things are! Christmas is about God enacting his rescue plan in the most amazing, unexpected way. Coming to us as a baby. So that even the least among us might be saved by grace through faith.

Don’t miss Jesus. Receive him. Confess Christ. Repent and turn to him. Do not be that one on judgement day who is condemned. Christ came for you, died in your place, and raised just as he said he would so that you might believe. IF you believe, you will not only see Christmas with new eyes and find infinitely more fulness in it, you will see life with new eyes. And you will have God. Forever.

Don’t let others miss him. Christian, tell about him this season when you get opportunities. Look for opportunities. You WILL have opportunities. Here are some ideas:

• When your unbelieving co-workers miss Christmas, don’t scornfully demand that everyone “keep Christ in Christmas,” SHOW them Christmas! Show them Christ and a Christ-centered, Christ-like Christian. Serve them! Love them. 

• When people’s patience wears thin in line at the store, be different. Show love & smile & overcome evil with good. Complement the shell-shocked lady at the customer-service desk. Tip your waitress well. Be different with contagious JOY & goodness. Maybe they’ll ask why, and you can say: “Because the REAL meaning of Christmas has changed my life.”

• When you gather with your crazy family, BE THE ONE who reminds everyone what Christmas is all about. Be a Linus.

• Look for ways to share Christ’s love SECRETLY. As a family, do Secret Santa with a purpose, or secretly give someone in need a gift from God.

• Do something uncomfortable and unexpected. Invite an outsider. Perhaps an  international person for a holiday meal. Trust me, they’re curious. They’ll love hearing the Christmas story with your family. Include a single person or a new couple in town in your family celebration. Ask God to show you someone to include.

• Of course, include someone in our church family on Christmas Eve. People are especially open to church on Christmas. Then have a worship service at home with your family and guests on Christmas Day.

These might help you and your family not only REMEMBER what Christmas is about, but TELL others in a powerful way.

Whirlwind Week and Weather

Wow, the last week has been crazy (mostly good!).

I spoke last weekend at the Tennessee State Fellowship of Christian Athletes College Advance, where hundreds of students from dozens of colleges and universities met together for a weekend of spiritual growth and encouragement. I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I began with them, as I thought about how much the TN FCA College Advance has influenced my life. I was a broken high schooler in 1984 when my dad took me along to the Advance to hear Dave Busby, a victim of polio who had cystic fibrosis. He talked about being a disciple—the first time in my life I heard about this pursuit that would change my life. In 1987 I was in college when Alan Duncan (who was effectively discipling me) spoke at the Advance. Among other things, it was the first time I was faced with implications of God's sovereignty (thanks Jeff Joslin!). Fast forward to 1996 (20 years ago) when I was asked to be the Advance speaker. My wife was (very) pregnant with my daughter (Duncan), who was born just two weeks later. Incidentally, I was on pins-and-needles the whole time, afraid Darla was going to go into labor while I was so far away (we lived in Johnson City and the Advance was near Nashville) and this was before cell phones! Some of the leaders played a cruel joke on me: they told me I had an emergency phone call about my wife! Panic stricken, I started running for my truck! I was going to leave right then, without my bags, and let them figure out who would speak at the rest of the Advance! They thought it was funny. I didn't. Anyway, at this year's Advance, my daughter Duncan was there in attendance! Crazy.

In short, the Advance went very well I think. What did I talk about? The ultimate pursuit: Discipleship. Yep.

There have been a handful of times when I have witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One of these times happened at this Advance. It had nothing to do with me. The unofficial theme of the weekend was sexual purity and forgiveness of sexual sin. It was hugely on-the-mark for this group. During the last large-group worship meeting on Saturday evening, Marvin Mumford was leading the musical worship time before I was to speak, when everything broke. People began weeping and praying and confessing sin and crying out to Jesus. It was remarkable. I didn't really know what to do! I was just praying it was for real. I asked an old buddy (Lance Brown), "What should I do?" He assured me that some of the guys he brought from Vanderbilt were being legitimately impacted by God, and pulled me out of the room to pray. Good move. I determined to press on and finish the last trait of a disciple. And I think God continued to speak.

Here's my grandmother (affectionately known as, "Booboo").
She's sharp as a tack at 99 years young.

I left Middle Tennessee around 11PM and returned home around 3AM, getting Darla some roses for Valentine's Day on the way home. The next morning I went to church with my grandmother who turned 99 years old that day (yes, she's a Valentine baby!). After church we enjoyed a potluck birthday celebration with her church family and then spent a little time with our relatives at her house. Good times. She is a godly woman who has loved everyone more than herself. A disciple of Jesus Christ. She typed every paper my pastor grandfather wrote from college to his doctorate degree. I get the feeling she deserved the degrees!

Meanwhile, I was occasionally checking the weather reports that were calling for a quickly developing snow event. I hustled the family home and I jumped in the car and headed for Virginia (where I am as I write this) in order to try to beat the storm. Bad move. It began snowing right as I got out of Knoxville. It never let up. By Morristown, the Interstate slowed as the snow deepened. I jumped off before traffic stopped altogether and drove to 11E to miss the traffic jam as it was getting dark. The snow continued to pile up. I got back on the interstate near Greeneville (now there was very little traffic), and white-knuckled it all the way to my destination in Danville, VA. Yeesh! I quit counting the wrecks and stranded cars! Insane! Thank you, Lord, for your guidance.

The stately and huge chapel at Hargrave Military Institute
(obviously before the cadets arrived for the service).

Today I began speaking to the student body at Hargrave Military Academy, an all boys school in Chatham Virginia, for a three-day spiritual emphasis. This is a TOTALLY different type crowd than that of the College Advance. What is my subject? The ultimate pursuit: Discipleship.

I pray that my voice will hold out. I pray that I won't wreck the car I'm driving (roads are covered now with ice!). But more than anything, I pray that God will raise up some disciples—some radically committed followers of Christ—from this group of cadets.

God, do this!

Truck Norris

I gave in to the non-stop pleading from Dara that began long before she turned 16 to have an old truck for her car. I really tried to talk her out of it. I know all-too-well how frustrating it can be to be a kid wanting to go somewhere and your vehicle not start. And having an old truck is great if you're a guy (typically) who uses the bed, regularly tows stuff, and doesn't mind fixing it frequently. Her mother was a harder person to convince than me that this was a good idea! A truck is the LAST thing Darla would drive. But in the end, Dara persisted, playing her cards well, giving us little choice other than to allow it.

Here's the way it works at the Sparks house:

• Driving's a privilege not a right. Therefore it is only granted when the driver is well-trained and other priorities are accomplished. Things like honesty (an important first), respecting authorities, and making wise choices in other areas (grades, phone, chores, showing kindness, etc.) are non-negotiable.

• Financial responsibility is important. That means we ask our kids to buy their car, unless they are involved in athletics or other good activities that prevents them from being able to save to afford a car (in which case, we will help them). All three of ours were able to buy their cars, despite them being involved in other things. Once they have a car, they must have "skin in the game" regarding gas and insurance. Regarding insurance, parents will pay for the lowest rate (including discounts for good grades, etc.) but additional costs due to tickets or accidents or grades are the driver's responsibility.

• Freedom doesn't increase when you get a car, responsibilities do. With driving comes the necessity of MORE communication, more devotion to following the rules, more maturity...not less. Mistakes have higher consequences than before. And when foolish mistakes are made or responsibility isn't shown, keys are taken away.

There are others, of course, but those are the main principles. Drew found and bought himself a Jeep Cherokee that he improved quite a bit over his time in high school. Duncan got a little help from us to first buy a 12-year-old Chevy Malibu, but later was able to buy a 1981 Fiat Spider herself (that she LOVES). Dara (as usual) was adamant that we allow her plenty of training throughout her 15th year, and was on-the-ball regarding the other requirements, including saving money to buy a truck. And she didn't just want any truck. She preferred an old Jeep J10. So when she found one in West Knoxville off Sutherland, we were in pursuit. See the whole story here.

Well, here's the rest of the story. Despite my initial remorse for allowing her to buy it, and thanks to lots of help from a mechanically-inclined friend, Truck Norris (as Dara calls it) is, quite frankly, pretty awesome. We've had to fix stuff like speedometer, carburetor, plugs & wires, most gauges, lights & lenses, paint the hood, replace & paint a fender, new tires, choke, fuel & air filters, battery, starter, alternator, breaks, fuel sending unit, mirrors, and various other wires, vacuum tubes, gaskets, knobs, and parts.

This is before we were finished loading. The
trailer's tires were near bursting, and Truck's
bed couldn't hold another piece of oak. The
picture definitely doesn't do this task justice!

That may sound like a lot—but it has been done a little at a time as needed—and nothing was really expensive. It's now reasonably reliable and safe. To improve the truck's worn interior we replaced the seat and door panel fabric with a colorful western fabric that Dara found online, and replaced the interior carpet. We replaced the old 1980s cassette-deck radio with a new unit and installed new speakers (important!). And we've raised the seats and installed a 4" lift kit (with new springs and shocks). The drivetrain (especially the 4-wheel-drive system) has been bullet-proof (Lord, thank you, and please let it continue to be so!). It still has some issues (transmission fluid leak, still hard to start due to needed carb-adjustment, some electronic mysteries), but it's not bad.

I've also enjoyed having a truck around again. The Wagoneer is great, but it's hard to replace the handiness of a pickup. We put Truck Norris to the test a couple of weeks ago when my dad had two oak trees in his yard in Jefferson City that needed to be cut and removed. We loaded Truck Norris' bed "cab-high" in green (meaning not dried or cured, read: "heavy") red and white oak firewood and loaded up a trailer for Truck Norris to pull back to Knoxville. Test passed.

Today we had our first significant snow since Truck Norris came to the Sparks family. Dara and I went to an abandoned parking lot and let her learn how to drive in the snow. Then we ran errands and went to Dara's friend's house, driving on snow-covered roads the whole way. Again, pass! Truck Norris did very well. The only minor problem was keeping the windows clean. It wasn't bad, but the wipers are weak and sometimes randomly stop for a few seconds, and the defrost barely blows. But Truck is rock solid in the snow. I'm going to take it to elders meeting tonight. Hope I don't wreck it. Dara will kill me!

So, all things considered, Truck Norris was a good buy. All told we've got around $5k in it. Dara still loves it (despite the usual challenges to owning an old vehicle) and I am certain she could get her money out of it and then some. But the problem is I'm kind of attached to it! When Dara is over the truck stage, I'm hoping she'll sell it to me for a reasonable price!

Laurel-Snow Falls and Friends

Went on a little hike today with some of our favorite folks. The Zelem family is in the same season-of-life that we are, and with all the kids still home for the holidays, we finally got to get together to go do something fun.

This is EZ (my affectionate nickname for Evan Zelem) making rock climbing
look easy (pun intended) as he does most everything it seems.

We met to eat at a restaurant in Dayton, TN, and drove the short trip to Laurel-Snow Falls Pocket Wilderness.


Darla and I have done this hike before. It was a couple of summers ago. It began nice; families swimming in the creek, the path was wide, the sky was blue. We started in shorts and Chacos. Then the wind blew and the sky quickly grew black with clouds. Thunder. Pouring rain. Darla was all about trudging through, so we did. And what a reward! The falls are just awesome. We returned covered in mud and soaked to the bone.

Today's hike was different. Beautiful weather, albeit a little on the nippy side. We followed the trail to Laurel Falls which is rocky and muddy in places. It's an interesting hike with big rock formations, caves, and the remains of a coal mine and coke production from over a century ago. This has left "coked" coal cinders and pig iron remains lying around. There are also some great old stone walls and pylons. It seems there was a old water reservoir here and the old pipe remains prove it. There's even an old coke oven or mine entrance that you can walk in and see for yourself. All this historical stuff is great. Combined with the larger-than-your-house-sized boulders that are ubiquitous on this trail makes you feel at times you feel like you're in a scene in a Lord of the Rings movie. There's lots to see and do, and the first mile or so of the hike is very easy.


On down you must either cross a ravine with the creek (difficult on this day because of the amount of water) or take the mangled foot bridge that has been hit by a falling tree (probably not safe to cross, but we did anyway!).

After the bridge, the trail gets a little hard to follow. You can wind around all kinds of obstacles and there really aren't good trail markings. But with our faithful Beagle and trusty Labrador (actually, they were useless. It was Darla who kept us going in the right direction!) we were able to navigate through holes, up hills, and over boulders to stay on the trail.

Truly, this is a hike you should give yourself more time to enjoy. Our kids were constantly tempted to explore caves, streams, rocks, and spur trails. Everywhere you look there are opportunities for discovery. I only wish we would have had more daylight for exploring more–especially the higher overviews that we didn't have time for.



You know, every trail has this effect on me, but this one especially does: I can't help but ponder God's creative genius. From the many different types of features and formations to the plant variety to the way human activity (destruction? progress?) once abandoned is so quickly absorbed and even turned into something more beautiful! It's pretty amazing, really.


Then...the reward! And picture time!

 This waterfall is pretty impressive. Of course pictures never do things justice, but you can see Drew in the red on the left at the base of the cliff (little red speck about 1/3 up from the bottom of the picture) to get a feel for how huge it really is. What's not visible is the cascade that continues on down the stream bed. I bet it is pretty awesome after a week of sub-freezing weather. Note to self: come back later this winter.


Here's the compulsory family picture! I've got to say, I love these folks! Of course my family, but I'm speaking of the Zelems. This is a family that is humbly committed to Christ. For me they are the kind of people that remind me that there really are those who will do the right thing no matter what trials or setbacks come. I can't say enough good about them. I only wish we could spend more time together.

After the hike we were hungry again! The little place we went for lunch was good, but it wasn't filling. It's time for Cracker Barrel! That's a regular post-adventure place for the Sparks clan to eat, and all seemed to like the idea (after some discussion about going to Waffle House waned). Yes, Cracker Barrel had the huge fireplace blazing, and we got the big table right in front of it! Perfect!

Feeding Birds

I really only have one person for whom to buy Christmas gifts. She basically takes care of the gift-buying for all others (with my occasional input, of course). I have to badger her to find out what she wants for Christmas, because for the first couple of months I begin badgering, she says, "I don't want you to get anything." Yeah, right. Truth is I WANT to get her gifts, and I really want her to be happy–maybe even surprised! This is a great challenge for me. If it were just one main gift, that would be hard enough. But of course I need to get a card, and there's all the little stocking stuff (that's the hardest of all for me)! And I also need to find little fun less expensive gifts.

This Christmas, I did pretty well and I feel really good about myself! In the "little fun less expensive gifts" category, I got a couple of vintage-looking, mason-jar-like bird feeders (and a bag of birdseed) to hang on our hummingbird feeder hooks.

Darla loves watching and feeding the hummingbirds, but they're only around during the warm months. I thought she'd also get a kick out of watching different kinds of birds in the winter. I even got her a Backyard Birding magazine! The gift was a hit! My immediate worry, however, was: will any birds come use the feeders? Turns out, they LOVE it. I am watching them have a feeding frenzy right now as I type. I'm also enjoying learning about what all these little guys are. Here are the ones that have been on the feeders just the last 30 minutes this morning:


• Carolina Chickadee (shown here)

• Red House Finch (shown here)

• Tufted Titmouse (shown above on the deck rail, and below on the feeder)

• Carolina Wren

• Red-bellied Woodpecker

• Northern Cardinal

• House Sparrow

Until just now (when I looked them up) I didn't know the first four of those seven species existed! Birds (of the non-huntable variety) have never been an interest of mine. I guess now I'm officially an old geezer. Truth is, we should never stop discovering and learning more about God's creation. It gives us more motivation and opportunity to praise him and be in awe of his wisdom.


Of course these pictures are not very good.

I'll try to add some better ones later.

Addition:
Today I was able to identify some new birds:

• Pine Warbler (a yellowish bird that is now a dominant fixture at the feeders, picture below)

• A grey bird with a white underside and a black mohawk (I think it is a White-breasted Nuthatch).

• Dark-eyed Junco (a little round dark grey bird with a white underside)

I didn't have a clue about any of those last three until looking them up. Ok, I'll admit it. I'm officially an old man now. I kinda like bird-watching.

Update (1/6/2016):
I was inside studying today while lots of bird activity was going on at the feeders. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow and heard a loud thump outside. I got up thinking one of the birds had hit the window. But on the deck with a Pine Warbler in his talons was a Broad-winged hawk! I grabbed my phone and snapped this picture before he flew off with his prize into the woods for a mid-day snack.

I've got to say, it was pretty cool to watch. Yeah, there was a little regret deep down that we had created a cafeteria that provided easy-picking for the hawk, but that's nature. Hey, hawks need to eat too!

Update (1-9-2016)
Just saw a Downey Woodpecker on the feeder.

Update (1-20-2016)
We had a couple of Rufous-sided Towhees and a big Dove visit the feeder today and stay a while. The Dove stubbornly gorged out on seeds ignoring all the attempts of the other birds to spook him away.

Here's a picture:

You can see a female Cardinal and a House Sparrow waiting in line for the hungry dove to finish. As you can see, today we have snow, which has only made the feeders more popular.

That's fourteen different species of birds (most of them new to me) that have come to the feeders in less than a month. That's pretty cool. Watching them reveals to me God's creativity on display in the beauty, diversity, and harmony of these different species.

Quick Trip to Stinging Fork Falls

When the kids are home, we want to spend as much time with them as we can. Hiking is a family favorite, and a little trail near Spring City called Stinging Fork is one of our favorites. We first go by Banjo's BBQ, a great great great little place! Everything we've had there is fantastic. The owner is a believer and does a great job.
Stinging Fork is a little creek that grows when there's been some rain. This is important because there is a cool waterfall at the bottom of the hike. Here are a couple of pictures.

 Here's the overlook. Of course the picture doesn't do it justice. There is a cliff face to the left across the ravine. Unfortunately, Dara couldn't join us today. She's slaving away at Chick-fil-A.

Click the above picture so you can see it larger. I'm telling you, I didn't modify this picture at all. The water is really this clear and blue. There are icicles along the trail when the weather's been cold. We love coming in the winter. There are hardly ever anyone else on the trail.

We are so blessed to live in East Tennessee where God's creative work is on such display. I am grateful for these folks with whom I can share it. A good day.