back yard gator...

saturday afternoon i was sitting on the sofa and looking out at our serene little lake off our back yard. there was a black bird of some kind walking along the water. after a little while he went into the water and i thought he started swimming, after a closer look i realized that he wasn't swimming, it was a gator! he was totally stealth about getting the bird, no wings flapping, no feathers flying, the bird was there one second and gone the next! the gator started swimming back across the lake and i thought it was the last i'd see of him that day, but i was wrong...

a little later i looked out the glass door again and straight across from us, there in the yard of our "across the lake neighbors" the alligator was sunning himself and eyeing some birds, so i grabbed the camera and we had a little bit of a swamp safari photo shoot going on in our back yard. i'm pretty sure that dude is about 5-6 feet long!

here are some of the pics we got, you can click on the slideshow to see them bigger and still if you'd like...

I got the following devotional from the upper room daily devotional...

Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets." "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

-Matthew 7:7-14 (NRSV)


To him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory.

-Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV)

As a friend and I approached the entrance to the retreat center, we noticed the gate was closed with a chain draped around it. We stopped the car and wondered what to do. We honked the horn, but no one responded. We pressed the doorbell, but no one answered. We tried to phone the caretaker, but no one picked up.

After 10 minutes, we were beginning to get frustrated as the hot South African sun climbed higher in the sky. My friend walked up to the gate again and toyed with the padlock. To his surprise, the chain was not locked! He swung open the gate with ease and we entered the grounds, laughing heartily at our foolishness.

Throughout our lives, we encounter many closed doors, barred paths, and shuttered windows. But sometimes we assume that they are locked up tight; we don't even try to open them first. Instead, like my friend and me on that summer day, we worry, fret, and sweat!

The truth is that we have the spirit of God within us. When we are bold enough to attempt what God asks, with God's help, we will find gates swinging wide, pathways clearing, and windows thrown open.

just got me to thinking about stuff...not sure if the door i thought was shut is, but maybe it's time to look for other doors. i've been asking, searching and knocking, but it seems no one is listening...nothing has been given, found or opened lately except the narrow gate on the hard road. maybe at least it's the right direction, but i don't know.

my nights of insomnia magnify things and thoughts whir through my head and keep me up even longer...like tonight...i almost was able to go to sleep at about 1:30 a.m., but this happened and then that happened, and i found myself wide awake at 3:45 and still awake now as i type this at almost 4:30...no rest for the weary, right? all i know is i'm tired of being tired, and waiting for something to happen is driving me insane right now. hopefully things will change soon one way or another, limbo is not a fun place to be.