Coming Alive

This past weekend we took a two-day trip to my favorite place in California--the Morro Bay area.

One of the things I like to do is to get down to the Morro Bay marina before the sun rises in order to watch the bay "wake up."  At first the bay is quiet.  Then, the night feeding birds start to return to their roosts and the day feeding birds begin to take flight.  It goes from quiet to noisy.

On Monday morning, I was delighted by the fact that some white pelicans had spent the night in the marina and that the terns were enjoying feeding in the area.  There were frequent splashes as the terns hit the water to grab a fish.  Maybe the birds do it because they are hungry, but for me it was just a spectacular show.

A white pelican flies over the Morro Bay marina



Terns over Morro Bay marina

Oxygen

On Labor Day I (Edd) went for a hike to the top of Alta Peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Fresno.  I had not done any high altitude hiking in a while and at about 10,000 feet elevation my legs became quite weak from the lack of oxygen.  Oxygen is essential for muscles to function properly.

Prayer is the oxygen of the Christian life.  There is bumper sticker slogan that reads, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.”  This has certainly been true in my case.  And we certainly appreciate those who pray for us.  The Apostle Paul wrote, Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God's people. 19 Also pray that God will give me the right words to say. Then I will speak boldly when I reveal the mystery of the Good News.  (Ephesians 6:18-19 GW)