BIRDWATCHING AND LOOKING FOR GOD AT WORK
Ikeep a quote by my desk which reads, “We are here to abet creation and to witness it, to notice each thing so each thing gets noticed . . . so that creation need not play to an empty house.” It’s from American author Annie Dillard, and it reminds me to allow the beauty I see in God’s creation to be an invitation for opening my heart to God. For me, one means of that opening comes through birdwatching.
In birdwatching we develop similar attitudes to those we practise in prayer. We lift our heads to see and open our ears to hear. We stand attentive, silent, completely present. With expectancy and patient hope, we wait. We observe and we name.
It’s reminiscent of Adam in the garden when his stewardship was initiated with naming the animals. Why was the naming important? When we name things, we give them value. We make the effort to pay attention in a way that moves creatures – birds, for example – from vague clouds of categories and, instead, recognizes that each species is unique.
As we do we slowly recognize this uniqueness comes not only from size or colour, a stripe through the eye or the size and shape of a bill, but from how each is connected to the creation.
Many of us grew up watching cartoons which humanized birds, suggesting nests are the houses they return to every night after work, that they migrate south because they get cold. That they are like us.
The truth is often different than what we assume – and more interesting.
For most birds nests are only places to brood, hatch and care for their young. For some species, such as swifts, that nesting is the only time they touch ground, coming down from the air where they eat and microsleep.
For others nesting is the only time of year they return from the open sea. Birds that migrate follow their food sources, such as the purple martins which return to our back garden each May once the insects they feed on reappear.
Birds of the same species are often remarkably identical, bearing colours and markings that are always the same, singing songs that identify their species. Unlike humans most birds live in a fairly specialized niche, their divinely created space. Sparrows don’t get to choose an alternate, stand-out colour. Hummingbirds can’t suddenly decide to try eating fish.
They might ride the thermals skyward, but they also suffer, thirsting in the drought. They truly exist in the moment, each species living their unique, God-dependent lives.
Jeff Imbach of Tsawwassen, B.C., one of the founders of the contemplative training ministry Soul Stream, explains the Trinity is expressed not only through triunity but also diversity. In his book The River Within (NavPress, 1998) Imbach writes, “Trinitarian love flows in a constant yearning for union; and Trinitarian passion flows in a constant yearning for distinction . . . . God’s life is not a steady state of equilibrium. It is a fruitful union that bursts forth into the different persons of the Trinity. Trinitarian passion celebrates individuality as much as it craves union.”
In birdwatching we are startled and awed by that diversity.
Looking for birds is a bit like trying to see God at work. We don’t always know for sure. Birds often, like the Spirit, arrive quietly and then flit away too soon. Was that a . . . ? I think I heard a . . . ? Should I pay attention to what seemed like a quiet whisper among the low, dark branches?
By the time we pull out our binoculars and focus on one spot, it’s gone. Left alone, we sit and ponder.
We can place ourselves in spaces where we know we might see particular birds, but other than around the feeder, our sightings are not generally experiences we can control. So we step out into the day with hope, committed to seeing and
Looking for birds is a bit like trying to see God at work. We don’t always know for sure. Birds often, like the Spirit, arrive quietly and then flit away too soon.
receiving with joy the graces that come to us.
Sometimes as I walk out, with awareness of what my location and the season might allow, I ask God for the gift of a particular bird sighting – that I might perhaps see that neon orange explosion of colour that is a Baltimore oriole, the loud chatter of the indigo kingfisher over the river. If I do see one, the joy and gratitude leap in me as I feel freshly connected to both Creator and His creation.
At other times the sighting is sheer shout-out-loud surprise, as in this spring’s flock of black and orange American redstarts or the rose-breasted grosbeak flycatching among the river reeds like an enormous pink, black and white butterfly.
One May morning a couple of years ago, I spent a few minutes outdoors before leaving for work. There was a chilly wind, so I sat on the east side of the deck, leaning against the outer wall of the pergola, sheltered from the wind and warmed by the sun. The bird feeder was only a few feet away, and after a while a chickadee came flitting to the edge of the feeder.
He landed and looked me full in the eye, so that for a few moments we shared a connection. That shared moment felt like a God moment – I knew I was seen by this creature. It seemed to me in that flicker of time that what adds precious value to life are those shared seeings, and especially to share a gaze of connection with God – or perhaps another creature who also has received breath through Him.
So that creation need not play to an empty house. /FT
Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science
By Drew Dyck Moody Publishers, 2018. 224 pages. $19.99 (e-book $15.99, audio CD $34.99, audiobook $19.99). Browse at Books. Google.ca
we have all tried to make changes and found ourselves feeling like failures. In this “guide for sinners, quitters & procrastinators,” Drew Dyck, a Canadian who works for CTPastors.com and Moody Publishers, provides biblical and practical insight into self-control and how to practise it.
First, he shows how our struggle with willpower goes back to the origin of human brokenness. “We are not inherently good creatures who simply need more freedom and affirmation. Rather, we are splendid, but damaged. Like crooked timbers we need to be straightened.” Self-control is inherently spiritual.
Dyck also draws on studies in brain science, highlighting how it confirms the Bible. One of the more potent: “Willpower is a finite resource, one that can be depleted.” That’s a crucial point, considering how often we try to change our diet, our prayer habits and more all at the same time.
However, as he helpfully explains, “We can grow our willpower and we need to conserve it. We also need to replenish it.”
Reflecting on his own experiences, Dyck recognizes lasting changes are not a matter of simply trying harder. They require understanding the problem to its roots – seeing ourselves more honestly and therefore more biblically.
Unlike many other authors who tackle self-help, Dyck offers a biblical picture of the disciplined life that shows the importance of self-control and how to practise it more effectively. Google.ca
The Development Trap: How Thinking Big Fails the Poor By Adam D. Kiš Routledge, 2018. 190 pages. $29.99 (e-book $25.99). Browse at Books.
research and reflection, bolstered by nearly ten years of hands-on work in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, has convinced Adam Kiš that universal poverty eradication is a mirage. It’s time to reassess how we do international aid.
Given the rapid growth of international nongovernmental aid agencies (832 in 1950 to 27,472 in 2006), and in light of the massive dollars involved ($7 billion in 1959 to $507.8 billion in 2010), this book is sure to spur vigorous discussion.
Kiš explores historical, philosophical, economical and cultural barriers to poverty eradication. These barriers are discouraging. “If coming up with just the right technology, scientific breakthrough or economic theory was all that was necessary to achieve it, the world would certainly be free from poverty by now.” Billions of dollars over decades have had “little appreciable impact upon development” because the approach has been too big.
Kiš convincingly rebuts the onesize-fits-all, macroeconomic approach. It is time to refocus on culturally sensitive, realistic goals. “Solutions that will rock the world of one child, five mothers or a dozen farmers” are worthwhile. More emphasis on sustainable opportunities to rise out of poverty, less on temporary relief.
This book effectively distills a mind-numbing pile of facts and figures, interspersed with real-life stories. It primarily targets professionals, but anyone who donates to international aid will find this a useful resource.
Good News Church: Celebrating the Legacy of Harold Percy
Editors John Bowen and Michael Knowles Castle Quay Books, 2018. 280 pages. $19.95 (e-book $9.99). Browse at Books.Google.ca
from 1987 to 2010 Harold Percy was the rector at Trinity Anglican Church in Mississauga, Ont. During that time, it transformed from a small Streetsville neighbourhood church to a vibrant and lively one.
This book celebrates Percy’s legacy in revitalizing this church, and his influence beyond Anglican circles. It is a collection of essays that celebrates Percy’s pastoral gifts in four areas – leadership, discipleship and spirituality, congregational ministry and reaching out.
In 1991 Percy founded the Institute of Evangelism within Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. John Bowen and Michael Knowles are two veteran leaders who worked with Percy. For this book they approached a variety of people to share insights from their interactions with Percy.
Most books on revitalization end up being how-tos that leave you wondering if the principles can be replicated in your own setting. This book will leave you eager and optimistic to practise Percy’s legacy in your church.
It’s also easy for essay collections to end up as uneven jumbles. But this one is good from start to finish, and remarkably unified. Perhaps the success derives from the contributors being practitioners before they are writers.
Self-control is inherently spiritual.
This fine tribute to the life and times of Harold Percy leaves readers celebrating what God has accomplished through him.
Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of “And” in an “Either-Or” World
By Jen Pollock Michel IVP Books, 2019. 192 pages. $19.99 (e-book $18.99, audiobook $19.99). Browse at Books.Google.ca
on the top of a mountain admiring the view, we can suddenly feel very small. It’s a contradiction as hard to understand as an almighty, sovereign God who loves even me.
Surprised by Paradox is an intriguing and challenging look at such mysteries in the Bible. Torontobased author Jen Pollock Michel highlights how these contradictions illustrate who God is and who we are. She prompts her readers to put away blind faith and examine how these incongruities impact their relationship with their Saviour.
Four paradoxical events in the life of Christ are showcased – incarnation, kingdom, grace and lament. Each area shows how paradox can lead to wonder, as with the story of the burning bush that did not burn up, leading Moses to the presence of God and to worship.
Readers are led to similar discordances and are shown what it means to wonder. We are given a chance to be like Moses and say, “I will go over and see this strange sight” (Exodus 3:3). We are reminded that “Just because something cannot be explained, does not mean it is false.”
Christ has a plan and purpose in His paradoxes. This book reminds us to marvel at the awesomeness of God. Even though we may not understand the secrets of God, we can still trust Him.