Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Squirrel Alert !! (Never Give Up)

Yesterday on my way to work,
I saw a squirrel trying to precariously
walk on TOP of the snow. 

I'll just say. . . . .   It was NOT going well. 
I know this may sound cruel - but I smiled. 
Well . . . OK!  I lied.  I laughed.  Out loud.

Reminded me of the saber-toothed squirrel, Scrat,  in "Ice Age". 

He is constantly putting his life in danger to hunt, obtain and protect his acorns  - for his future.


He invariably ends up in humorous or painful situations:
- struck by lightning,
- pursued by avalanches,
- stepped on by a mammoth
- repeatedly knocked unconscious.
- resuscitated just before entering
    acorn Heaven. 
- causing a volcanic eruption because of his
    method of trying to bury his acorn. 

He usually ends up losing. 


Yet !!  He never gives up.

I think that's why I love Scrat so much. 
He NEVER gives up! 
NEVER!

He fights all the EXTREME elements known to man and just keeps going. 
Undaunted in his sole task of collecting his acorns.

As I wrote in a October 18, 2009 post, while watching the squirrels in my own yard
 frantically and furiously gathering black walnuts while dodging the dogs: 

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A New Year, A New Song

New Song
chādāš  šiyr

New is the Hebrew chādāš (2319) which indicates something new as in
 ‘never seen or done before’ 
Song  in Hebrew, is  Šiyr (7892) a type of lyrical or religious song.   It appears several times
in Ezra and Nehemiah to refer to songs of Levitical choirs. 
A wonderful meaning is created when these two words are used together.  
The term 'new song' appears 7 times in the OT and in each we see a new song
being composed in response to what God has done. 

Adam Clarke writes – “Fresh mercies call for new songs of praise and gratitude”. 
What could be more appropriate, as we start a new year
than to be reminded to sing a new song every day?  
After all, we have been promised new mercies each day from God. 
               Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)
                   21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
                   22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
                   23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
So each day's new mercies, new blessings, new joys, and
new triumphs should result in a new song from us. 
I sent the above comments about a new song to my parents on January 2nd. 
On January 5th, I received an e-mail response from my 88 y/o mother. 
After reading my e-mail my, Mom sat down and wrote me a new song - literally!