Farewell, Blogger

Today I am moving my blog from glimpsesofcreation.blogspot.com to glimpsesofcreation.tumblr.com. If you didn't catch the difference, the new blog is on tumblr.com instead of blogspot.com. Other than that, the URL is the same. Therefore, if you deem my blog worthy of following, please change your internet bookmarks to the aforementioned link :)

I am moving blogs for several reasons:

1. I have been learning some things about web design and, well, let's just say my blog isn't the most well-designed site. I learned SO much in developing this blog, but I needed to leave it behind.
2. I have been getting into another artistic branch that didn't particularly fit this blog: typography. This has been a strictly photography blog, but now I'm getting more into typography and would like to share that as well as my photography. The change seemed like a good opportunity to move.
3. As a developing web developer, I need more custamizeability. Tumblr provides that improvement.
4. Tumblr also provides a more modern blog editor. Blogger works, and I have been really impressed with their features (I think they will be updating this year, too). But Tumblr's done well with some things that matter to me, so I'm switching to them.
5. It provided an opportunity to learn new things and gain fresh experiences.
6. I LOVE designing new web sites!

What I will miss the most in the new blog is the archive. I have written 110 posts on this old and faithful blog, and it is not easy for me to leave that behind. That is the hardest thing. But I will by no means be deleting the blog, so it should be here anytime I (or you) want to see some of my previous work.

So adios, Blogger. You've served me well, but I'm moving on. May God grant me the strength to continue seeking His glory through my work and writing. The site is changing; the goal is not. Thank you for bearing with my transportation!

Once again, the new link is:

glimpsesofcreation.tumblr.com.

The Planarian

Meet the planarian.

This little fellow is approximately 3/16 of an inch (about 48mm) long. I have been taking Biology in this my senior year of high school, and so far this has been my absolute favorite animal. He is a member of kingdom Animalia (and is therefore technically an animal), and is in phylum Platyhelminthes (members of which are commonly known as "flat worms"). Here are a few fascinating facts about this tiny marvel:

• The planarian has no circulatory system (heart, blood, etc.) because of its branched intestine. This is the network of black things that can be seen throughout the planarian's body in the photograph above. This intestine carries food to every cell in the body, so there is no need for a circulatory system.
• The planarian has a brain!
• The planarian has the ability to sense light, by way of the two little eyespots visible on the right side of his body (his head) in the photograph.
• The planarian also has senses of taste, smell, and touch.

Isn't that incredible? Such a tiny little thing--with so much functionality! So much complicated "technology" weaved into this little body. But there is one more thing, and this is what makes this little creature so utterly astounding to me. I had never heard or imagined such a thing until I read about it, and I have not yet lost the impact of that first astonishment. Hold on to your seats and grab a bucket if you're squeamish or at all overly-imaginative, because this is pretty weird--but so INCREDIBLE:

The planarian willfully RIPS ITSELF IN HALF!

Is that not utterly astounding? I find that absolutely ridiculous! But it is true, and a means by which the planarian reproduces. It rips itself in half, and each half regenerates the other half, making two planarians where formerly there was only one. Stunning! Other worms have been known to regenerate if they are ripped in half by something (or someone) else, but this little guy rips himself in half! I find that absolutely amazing. What a testimony to God's boundless creative power. He thought up and implemented a creature that would rip itself in half in order to reproduce! I stand blown away. Imagine what that would be like!--or don't :)

 "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?'" (Romans 11:33-34).

Strength

Spring is Coming

The bitter, biting wind wraps 'round my head,

The icy hand of darkness, gloom, and death.

I find no refuge from the ruthless dread

So sharply borne on winter's barren breath.

Yet as I trudge through forests thick with snow,

Struggling to budge my frozen limbs and head,

A sudden sound, with warm and gentle glow

Breaks through the howl of winter's silent dead.

Recorded by Donald R. Gunn

It speaks a life of hope into the world,

As death begins to know its final doom.

Sweet green begins to bud, and though yet furled,

It gives a glimpse of hope, of ending gloom.

In winter's grasp we struggle to keep going,
But see the sprouts of hope say, “Spring is coming!”

Titmouse song obtained from:

 http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_titmouse/sounds.

Waiting . . .

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. 

(Lamentations 3:25-33)

Rejoice!

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4).

 "Rejoice always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

"Finally, brothers, rejoice" (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Hope

I have been thinking about hope lately--specifically hope in hard times. Difficulty and suffering are a part of the Christian walk of life. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). In fact, in 1 Peter 4:12 we read, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." Fiery trials are to be expected.

The world also has troubles and difficulties. Christians aren't the only ones to suffer the loss of a loved one, a debilitating disease, or personal struggles. The unbelieving too have hurts and pains that they must endure.

What makes the difference between the suffering of the lost and the suffering of the redeemed? Hope. There is a hope for those who believe in the Gospel, for in the Gospel we find: (1) the promise of strength that is sufficient for our every need (2 Corinthians 12:9), (2) the promise of God's presence with us (Hebrews 13:5), and (3) the promise of eternal life (Romans 6:22).

The lost do not have access to any of these promises. They have no hope (Ephesians 2:12). When they are enduring difficulty, they have no higher source of strength to go to, no God to lift up their needs to. They must simply bear the pain alone, and struggle through life without hope.

These truths should affect us in several ways. First, they should give us a greater appreciation for our salvation. We have a hope when formerly we had none! Second, it should cause us to have a greater burden for those who are struggling through life hopelessly. Third, it should motivate us to more fully live upon the hope we have been given. Fourth, it should give us a greater appreciation for the God who has given us hope. We could never endure our sufferings apart from Him and the hope that He has given us through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were hopeless, but He gave us a hope.

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Hawk vs. Squirrel

The Cooper's Hawk was back. But this time, he met his match.

It was a sight to see. I can't help but wonder what prompted the squirrel to attack the hawk, but it sure made a great video. I am just thankful for the opportunity to capture it all and share it.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered.

- 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Psalm 105:1-5 

How amazing to look at these creatures, living, thinking, interacting, and even fighting, and to realize that God made them. He initiated this incredible system of life that we see every day on earth.

Such glorious wonders, yet so easy to overlook. How easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to look beyond ourselves to a world that's going on outside of us, not just in nature, but in the world. God is doing things in this world, and most of them take place outside of us. In fact, even those things which we are a part of are beyond us. Let us not get so caught up in our own little worlds that we forget that this is our Father's world. He has a plan and it is being enacted. What a shame it would be to miss it!

Dependence

I finally got them!




A really neat time, to say the least. It was a bit cold, but well worth it for the beauty of seeing those deer simply grazing. I don't know how those first two didn't see me for so long. I was in plain sight, for that was the only way to get good shots. I had a good 15 to 20 minutes of just standing there photographing them. It was beautiful!

I saw all three deer again a few days later, and they saw me--and fled. 

Shortly after their departure, I heard several gunshots from the direction they had gone. Though I don't think they were shot (I think the shooter was target practicing), it made me think. These deer left a place where they were perfectly safe and ran to a place that was not safe at all. On our property, deer don't have to worry about being shot. But as soon as they step away, their lives are in constant danger.

If they had realized how safe they were on our property, and how unsafe they were off of our property, I think they would have chosen to stay where they were. Their ignorance led them to endanger their lives.

How much we can be the same way! If we only realized that our greatest security is in the arms of our Lord, trusting in His strength for our daily sustenance, surely we would not get into the fixes and jams we get ourselves into. But often we don't realize this, and take our lives into our own hands. We try to go it alone, to do it ourselves, to follow our own plans, and we invariably fail.

God's strength is an infinite and available source of protection and help. Let us learn to live by the strength of His might, and to "not lean on our own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). If we trust in anything else, we only put ourselves in danger. Only by trusting in the LORD our God can we stand.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright" (Psalm 20:7-8 ESV).

Turtles

Does anyone remember this guy? My brother Tyler and I saw him in October, 2009, and he made it to a blog post.

Now obviously, that's going back in time a bit, but I had something to write about turtles, and you don't see turtles in January very often :P 

Turtles are neat little creatures. They are very slow, and thus, when they are attacked, would be entirely vulnerable--if it weren't for their protective shell. This shell is, believe it or not, made up of the same material that our fingernails are (keratin)! This makes for a very solid protection. But of course, such a hard, firm shell will only protect the turtle if he hides in it. When outside of his shell, he is easy picking for foxes, wild cats, or other predators. He is slow and more-or-less fleshy. Yum yum!

Consider the following scenario: A turtle is making his away across the forest floor. He is in search of food, preferably some wild strawberries or clover flowers. Little does he know that another creature is also looking for food, and has spotted him. The fox leaps out into the open and begins closing in on the small, helpless little reptile. The turtle is faced with two options: turn and run, or stay and hide.

What happens if he takes the first option? He makes a bold dash for it, but that is not very fast when you're a turtle. In a matter of seconds the fox catches up, grabs the turtle's head in its jaws, and . . . well, that is the end of Mr. Turtle.

But suppose he takes the second. He sees the danger, recognizes his weakness, folds up his neck, pulls into his shell, and hides. The fox is upon him in a moment, clawing at his shell. Scrape! Scrape! Nudge. Nudge. The fox even manages to turn the turtle upside down. Unfortunately, he finds that the turtle is just as strong beneath as above. After a time, the fox realizes that this one won't do for a meal, and departs.

Interestingly, a turtle would perish if he tried to be strong--because he is not strong. Compared to his enemies, he is a weak, helpless little creature. He cannot hope to out-run, out-fight, or out-wit any of his predators. His only hope is in his weakness.

The same goes for us, doesn't it? Our only hope is in our weakness. When we try to be strong, to do things on our own, to live by our own strength, we hopelessly fail. We simply are not strong enough to do things on our own. The key is to acknowledge that weakness, to realize our own insufficiency, and to let that drive us to our knees. This is our protective shell.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies" (Psalm 18:2-3).

When danger comes upon us, we are faced with two choices: to try and take it in our own strength, or to take refuge in our high and mighty Stronghold. The choice should be easy, you would think. Call upon the LORD and be saved! But so often we take the other option--and invariably fail. 

We need to realize that, figuratively speaking, we are turtles. Slow, weak, and helpless--apart from our Shield and Defender. Let us learn to recognize our weaknesses, turn to God for strength, and find His grace sufficient for our needs. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

The information in this post was retrieved from Wikipedia on January 22, 2011.

Post 100

Ice

Ice. What a novelty! I was privileged on New Year's Day to photograph a frozen pond in Ohio, and I enjoyed it very much! In my usual photographic realm (i.e., our yard), we do not have any large bodies of water, and therefore a frozen pond is something I had not previously experienced up close. New Year's Day changed that.

It had been warm on New Year's Eve. Due to this warmth, the ice on this pond had melted slightly. This caused the layer of ice to separate from the shore by about a foot.

I went down to the water, put my foot on the ice, and pushed down. Ripples emerged from beneath the ice quite a distance away, which fascinated me.  It was like a solid, flat boat floating on top of the water.

One other peculiar thing were the reflections caused by the semi-melted ice. The transparency of the ice and the space between it and the water caused reflections that looked like more ice beneath the water's surface.

Ice is a beautiful thing. So unique though. The ice I am used to is that which coats branches and power lines, breaking trees and causing destruction. This was not that kind of ice. This was a harmless, massive, smooth sheet, just floating happily on the water.

I couldn't help but wonder once again at God's creativity, to make this hard, slippery substance that only forms when the air gets cold enough. The whole surface of a pond, lake, or even a slow-moving river can be covered, and rendered impenetrable, simply because the temperature drops below a certain level.

Like I said, ice-covered ponds and lakes are not things I have been able to see up close very often. I greatly enjoyed this opportunity to observe yet another wonderful work of God--and photograph it!

"By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast" (Job 37:9-10 ESV).