Too Much of a Good Thing

If you find honey, eat just enough--
     too much of it, and you will vomit.
Proverbs 25:16 (NIV)


Our house is surrounded by rice paddies.  However, over time, some of these rice paddies have been filled in in order to put up houses and commercial buildings.

If Thailand has any kind of grading ordinance, it is not evident.  People fill in land as they please; where the water drains off to is not their concern.

Our house sits on such a fill area, and immediately to the east is a rice paddy--or at least it used to be a rice paddy.  However, so many areas have now been filled, the water that falls on this part of town all seems to go into that field, and the water cannot get out at a reasonable rate.  So now, it is actually too wet for rice.

The owner spent a lot of effort planting rice this year.

When he was done planting, the paddy looked pretty good.  But notice the red colors in the foreground--that is from runoff from the field on the other side of our house.  The water runs down the road in front of our house and into the paddy.

At this point, the paddy should look like this nearby one.

However, after a slow-moving monsoon system came through, all the rice has died and now we have this nice pond beside our house.

While paddy rice needs lots of water, there is a limit to  how much it can take.  As hard as it is to fathom, even rice paddies can be too wet!

There is s flip side to this, at least for me.

One of the nice things about having this pond next to our house is the evening and nighttime sounds from the frogs and other creatures.  It kind of reminds me of growing up with a pond in our backyard.    While some may consider the noise annoying, for me it is like a constant lullaby throughout the night.

I recorded some of the sounds this past week.  (I recorded the audio while standing in the house.)  I added the audio to some wetland pictures from Thailand--the types of places you might expect to hear these sounds.  The first part of the video is the evening sounds.  At some point in the night, the composition changes.  The second part of the video has those early morning sounds.

For more about these wet areas where frogs live, view my blog Nong.

First Love

Today was an interesting day.  Our plan had been to go to a temple complex in Bueng Khan Province (just east of here) that involved walking on a walkway attached to the side of a cliff.  About an hour out, however, the road was closed due to flooding.  We could have detoured, but that would have taken too long.

Plan B was to go to a Forest Temple in Sangkhom, which is in Udon Thani Province, not too far from Phon Phisai.  From pictures we had seen, a bunch of deer are allowed to wander the complex.  What also interested us was the fact that there were so many large trees near there.  But when we got there, we found the gate locked and no one to let us in.  We did take time to enjoy a walk under the big trees, though.

Big Trees in Front of Sakunasai Forest Temple

By then it was lunch time, so we drove into the town of Sangkhom and found a restaurant.  The name of the place was Rak Thuh Tee Suit Nigh Lok Khao Kaeng, which translates: I love you most in the world "rice curry". (A "rice curry" restaurant is a place where you get a plate of rice and choose from a selection of prepared dishes to put on top.)

Perhaps there is an origin to the name of the restaurant that makes sense, but it seemed a bit strange to me.  But it made me think of the letter Jesus had John write to the church in Ephesus, which included the statement: You have forsaken your first love. (Revelation 2:4)

My first love should not be chicken curry over rice.

My first love should not even be my wife.

My first love should be Jesus.

Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:29-30 ESV)

But oh how easy it is to get these priorities messed up.

I'll end with this song that I came across last week, which is a fitting prayer about getting these priorities right.
(Click the title to listen on You Tube)

Awaken Love

Kim Walker-Smith

Take me back to the moment of surrender 

Heart completely Yours    

Unafraid, just a child within Your presence 

Trusting in You, Lord    

Pre-Chorus

Walk into this place 

I give You space 

Come and move around me

Meet me face to face 

Stir my heart 

Awaken love within me 

Chorus

Jesus, come. Jesus, come 

My first love, my first love 

Jesus, come. Jesus, come 

My first love, my first love

Bridge

I have wandered from Your love 

Thought my strength was strength enough 

I am done relying on myself 

You're the one who breaks my chains 

You're the one who calls my name 

I will look to You and no one else