A Little Closer To Heaven

On the spur of the moment yesterday afternoon I threw out the idea of heading over to see the elk in all of their glory near the Buffalo National River. To my surprise, my wife got excited about it and we went. It was awesome. We arrived about 30 minutes before sundown and hiked out to a field that we have seen elk congregate many times before. When we first got to the area that we normally see elk there were two cows and a bull standing there and the bugles were SO LOUD! You could hear them well before you see them. The picture above is the bull that we first spotted in the field with the two females. He kept bugleing and bugleing and before you know it more and more females came out of the woods.

If seeing about 25 females were not enough, it got even more exciting. Eventually another bull came out of the woods and charged the one that we originally saw. For a while it looked like the two were going to fight but the original bull eventually backed down and the new guy in town chased him off. Here’s where it gets really good. When the bull was chased off he wandered over right next to us. He walked within 15-20 yards of us and stood there. He noticed us but did not look frightened or concerned that we were there at all (I know it was kind of dangerous, but he was so peaceful and not disturbed that we stuck around). He grazed in front of us and kept looking back and bugleing at the other elk. We stood there in amazement for a while and left well after dark. On our way out we saw another young bull with two females grazing at his side. This was a night Sara and I would remember for a very long time! Hopefully I’ll have even more adventures in the outdoors to talk about next week.

No Comments »

I was watching National Geographic’s Planet Earth yesterday and one particular insect really stuck out to me. By the way, Planet Earth is an awesome series that I highly recommend watching. The 17 year Cicadas. These little insects are amazing. So, for those of you who haven’t seen this show and didn’t already know what I’m about to tell you…this should be a real treat. Maybe some of you will enjoy it anyway because of how fascinating it is.

These Cicadas hatch only every 17 years. And when they hatch…they hatch by the millions. They live in the deciduos forests of North America. All at the same time, these critters emerge and climb the nearest tree where they shed their outer skeleton and become adults. They spend their entire lives mating and laying egss…and then in a matter of weeks they’re all dead and they leave the forest floor covered in their bodies. With these insects never to be seen again for 17 years.

What’s amazing to me is why they exist. They have one goal when they come alive and that is to make babies and die. When they emerge…they are easy prey for almost all of the animals in the woods. There are so many of them that all the animals get their fill and none of them go hungry. Then, when they die, thier corpses fertilize the soil very well and give all of the plants in the forest a major growth spurt. So, they come, they mate, they feed the forest and the plants, and then they die. But before they die, they lay eggs so that in another 17 years the forest will be filled once again.

Think about it. These Cicadas have one purpose and it’s to die and provide health to everything else around them. In an odd way…it’s a self-sacrifice for the better of the world around it. We can learn a lot from these little insects. First…everything has a purpose. Yet another reason I believe in a Creator. There’s too much order for all of this to be chance. Second…they are an awesome example of how we should live. We should live a life where we care about others more than ourselves. A life that is devoted to the betterment of others. This is my purpose. This is why I am a Christ follower.

No Comments »