A few years ago in early spring, I sat with neighbors John and Mary Foss on their back deck. John is an avid bird-watcher and pointed out to me some of our neighborhood's avian spring rituals.
"See over there," he said, directing my attention to a house across the rain canal from my backyard. "They're building a nest in Jim's barbecue."
Sure enough, a feathered blur emerged from the large grill parked against Jim's wall.
John pointed to another barbecue at a house a couple lots north of mine. "There's another."
I smiled at the thought of my neighbors' surprise whenever they decide to grill a few steaks for the first time this year.
My grilling season began the following week. Hamburgers sounded perfect for Thursday night's supper.
Walking onto my back deck with half a dozen patties, I heard a mad scramble as I pulled the vinyl cover off my grill. I opened my barbecue to release two frantic feathered residents fleeing a motley pile of straw.
I cleaned out the grill, cooked my burgers and closed it up. The next morning the birds were already trying to rebuild their home. I placed a large, stuffed dog on top of the grill to act as a scarecrow. We'll see how long it takes them to figure that out.
When John identified other cast-iron nests in our neighborhood, I never dreamed I was a fellow victim of tiny squatters. I could chuckle at my neighbors' dilemma, completely unaware I shared their predicament.
Sin is like that. Others' offenses appear bigger than life to us, while our own remain conveniently invisible. Jesus pointed out our one-sided view of sin this way:
"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Luke 6:42, NIV).
I'm on the lookout for any more intruders in my grill. And I'm a little more focused on anything else my neighbors might observe in my life.
-- Scott Harrup is managing editor of the Pentecostal Evangel and blogs at Out There (sharrup.agblogger.org).
Standing On The Promises
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,Through eternal ages let His praises ring.
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing
I'm standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail.
By the Living Word of God I shall prevail.
I'm standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
I'm leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms.
I'm leaning, I'm leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms
[Brief interlude]
Are you washed
in the blood
in the soul-cleansing blood of the lamb?
Are your garments spotless,
are the white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Yes, i'm standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior.
I'm standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God.
Yes, I'm standing, standing...
I'm standing on the promises of God!
Daily Smile:
Q: Why was the math book sad
A: Because it had too many problems
In The News:
Abortion Restrictions Hit Second-Highest Total Ever in 2012
State lawmakers passed the second-highest number of abortion restrictions ever in 2012, with 19 states enacting 43 measures limiting access to abortion services, Christianity Today reports. The record was set in 2011 when 24 states enacted 92 restrictions. According to LifeSiteNews, "While abortion is still legal, it is increasingly difficult to access, thanks to the closing of so many abortion clinics and pro-life laws that help women by giving them additional information and alternatives." Those laws include a recently approved ban on Planned Parenthood funding in Texas and recent Michigan bills that increase regulation requirements for abortion providers.
Al Jazeera Launches American Cable Network Incursion
The Pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera -- known for its anti-Israel, pro-Islamist propaganda and its long record as the chosen news outlet for al Qaeda and other terrorist cells -- will soon infiltrate the homes of almost 40 million Americans following its Jan. 2 purchase of Al Gore's left-leaning cable channel Current TV, WORLD News Service reports. Gore confirmed the sale, claiming in a statement that Al Jazeera shared Current TV's mission "to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling." Time Warner Cable Inc., the nation's second-largest TV operator, immediately dropped the station after the deal was confirmed. Al Jazeera, owned by the government of Qatar, plans to transform Current TV into a network called Al Jazeera America by hiring more journalists and adding five to 10 new U.S. bureaus, in addition to the five it has now. "This is a pure business deal based on recognized demand," spokesman Stan Collender said. "When people watch Al Jazeera, they tend to like it a great deal." According to Collender, more than half of the content will be U.S. news and its headquarters will be in New York.
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