...on the Sparrow,...

There is a sparrow’s nest on the top of the door frame of the front door of our house. We don't come in and out of that door; we just use it to put Blink, our 65 pound Siberian husky, on his chain.

These birds built this nest the week we moved in. I tried to scare them away while they were doing it but they weren't having any of it. They pressed ahead, got it done and are now our roommates.

This morning, like every morning when I take Blink to put him on his chain, one of the sparrows buzzed me two or three times. I am standing there, six feet tall, holding a huge dog and this 3 ounce feathered nothing comes flying right at us. You would think that we would find behavior like this totally ridiculous or even comical, but it isn't... both the dog and I flinch every time. Blink will just up and snap at the birds sometimes, but I can see in his eyes when I go to let him back into the house that he is thinking, "Get me away from these crazy little things!"

The circumstances surrounding ministry here at Cornerstone really aren't the best... Like most things I've done in life, I didn't totally understand what I was getting into coming here. I believe we are in the right place but our attendance is very low and there have even been some people leave the church since we have been here, our financial situation would have to improve dramatically for me to even say, "it doesn't look good," and there seems to be no idea or motivation to do anything to fix these life threatening issues. I have stopped praying for help and begun to beg for it.

I do strategy very well... but this situation has me worried in ways I have never worried before. I am terrified of failure; I hate it. All I know is that we need a breakthrough. And in the middle of dealing with all this stuff those stupid sparrows just keep flying straight at us every morning.

I know I am bigger and stronger and smarter than those sparrows, and I am sure that they know that too. But they know that our front door is there place... they have claimed it and they are not willing to give it, come hell or Siberian husky. They know they will fight to protect the nest regardless of there opponent; yesterday I watched one of the sparrows chase a hawk around for 20 minutes. They are 3 ounces of purpose-driven fighter and I don't think they deal with failure well either. But instead of being afraid of it, or in spite of being afraid of it, they still fly straight at their opponents every time.

God knows every time one of those brave little birds falls...and probably every time one of them doesn't. I wish I was more like the sparrows... regardless of my circumstances, anything but helpless.


“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." --Civilla D. Martin