It’s another early morning walk to the lake. The butterfly garden is alive with so many flying critters.

The garden has grown so much. It towers over me now.

Each flower and blade of grass is buzzing with life. God’s tiny little winged creatures, butterflies, bees and dragonflies all working together.

I try to capture a photo of the little blue dragonflies and the cute fuzzy bees that hop and skip around, flying and dancing from one petal of a flower to the next. They are too quick for me…I can’t get my shot. Maybe tomorrow I will have better luck. There is one bee I am really impressed with, a fuzzy butterfly looking bee. It would make a beautiful coloring page. They seem to float as they fly from one flower to another.

I wonder what that would feel like to be able to fly around the flowers. What does the world look like peeking from around a flower petal.

I continue walking, I hear birds and frogs and cicadas, all sorts of sounds. Nature’s symphony is playing loudly this morning. The cicadas are especially loud.

The closer I get to the creek and lake, the louder the music becomes. Life loves water. I recognize some of the instruments…a woodpecker, a crow, frogs splashing about, but some sounds I don’t recognize.

I stop for awhile at the bridge before I head off into the dark woods. Looking over the water, just standing there listening to the quiet sounds of nature. Actually not so quiet really, but perfect to me. In the distance, way, way off in the distance…I hear modern sounds…a train.

Something catches my eye while I stand on the bridge. I see a bird down below me…is that a baby crane I wonder to myself.

I have to get closer. That’s when I come across a beautiful web as it reflects the early morning light off of it. Must of been a busy spider working all night to create the web, I didn’t see this web two mornings ago on my walk.

I slowly walk up to the bird. She or he does not move, just staring back at me as I stare at her. I believe it’s a girl, but I know nothing when it comes to birds. I wish I did. I will have to look up baby cranes and see if this is what I walked up on.

Such a sweet little thing just hanging out taking an early morning sun bath. I have a feeling this is not a baby crane. I laugh to myself…I really need to catch up on bird varieties. So much to learn in my new environment.

I’m getting closer to the woods now, it’s dark but there are bits of light that frame the leaves as if I am walking into an art gallery. My father always called it God’s art gallery. He loved his walking and fishing adventures too.

I stick to the trail today, although my favorite part about walking are the new things I discover the deeper I head into the woods off trail. I watched the tiniest little snake cross my path and slither off trail deeper into the woods the other morning, which got me thinking. Looking off to where it went I wondered what other snakes were out there. This is new territory to me, and these snakes I do not know.

I know Mountain lions, rattlesnakes, jackrabbits and scorpions…but alligators, cranes, turtles, and the legend of a swap creature/big foot…that I do not know. The last one I added for humor. I can’t even go there, I enjoy my morning walks, who wants to think about big hairy creatures that are the tales of campfires.

I look down at the water. It reminds me of the garden mosaics I like to make. Little circles of blurred colors blanket it to create a mirror image. Like the lake is painting an image of what it sees as well.

It seems as if time stands still out here. It’s starting to warm up. The water looks inviting, maybe I’ll jump in. I remember seeing kids jump off the old bridge a ways off from where I’m exploring. It reminded me of an old Rockwell calendar my grandmother used to have hanging in her kitchen, like a scene from old Norman.

I can feel the temps increasing the longer I’m out. Maybe a quick dip would be nice. All around the world there are heat waves, pockets of discomfort. But I linger a little longer, I do enjoy my outside time. I know the heat will come and I can’t wander too far and for too long. It’s time to head back home now. I can’t wait to see what’s new tomorrow. I saw so many little buds waiting to pop out today, maybe tomorrow they will be in bloom. Happy walking adventures everyone.

This Sunday at church the pastor spoke about the book of Joel. On my walks, this is when I feel closes to God and I started thinking about this weeks message. The pastor brought up how some people will use the bible out of context, taking bits and pieces to change meanings.

That’s when I started thinking about how true that was, people do, do that, use God’s words out of context, not knowing the bible, not understanding the messages in it. They instead try to twist scripture for their own personal benefits. Sometimes you will come across this with people who lie and want to continue to abuse others. People like that will go to the bible to justify what they are doing…googling and using bible verses that only suit them. And that is wrong.

They are usually the ones who protest and complain when they are confronted with the things they have done that have hurt others. When they are confronted with past and present transgressions they have done, they twist scripture to justify themselves or their actions. They twist scripture to prevent others from calling them out on games being played behind backs, and lies being told. Favorite verses of theirs usually have to do with judging others, but they never address the verse on righteous judgment.

They are usually the ones who want and wish hell on others, using the bible to scare and try to bully through their own revengeful thinking, as if they can speak for God themselves by using His words out of context. That’s their arrogance, that’s their pride. That’s the epidemic that is happening with narcissism and entitlement around the world.

Anyone who does that, does not really know God, does not even know the bible, but it’s never too late to learn. They can turn that way of thinking around. They too can live a life of peace, instead of fearing their lies will catch up to them. They can turn away from their games of creating conflicts with others. They can turn away from the bitterness they are stuck in, learning how to truly forgive. It’s never too late to really get to know God if one really wants to. To really know scripture.

This nature walk is a little different than my other ones, but I just wanted to share something extra in this nature walk with you all, as I believe that God wants me to share this with someone today, and that is a message that our pastor shared with us Sunday when he ended his sermon with this…..

” Even now, ” declares the Lord, ” return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in Love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13

God is a loving God, and he wants the best for all his children. That never includes living in chaos or abuse, or wanting hell for anyone who exposes lies, or hell for anyone who walks away from chaos to protect their own immediate family. That way of thinking does not come from God. It only comes from people who will try and use those kinds of tactics to get what they want, to hurt others.

Stay true to the path God has planned for you. Remember that toxic people will only distract and desperately try to lead you away, causing you to become lost, which is sadly what they want. They want you broken and beneath them.

Pray for the broken ones, pray that they too are able to find peace and happiness in all their days, as this is what God wants for all his children.

The only one that matters to what is really in each of our hearts, as He is the only one who can see the truth, is God…and He knows the truth to everything, from the moment we were born..He sees our hearts and what’s really in them.