In 2005, I wrote and released two books in my “How Do You Know He’s Real” series. They both feature incredible testimonies by celebrities from the worlds of sports and entertainment. Of course, personal experience is the best way to recognize God’s hand, but we also see His divinity in nature.
For a moment, picture yourself walking in a forest of pine trees in the north woods. Do you see the cardinals and the blue jays, the eagles and the hawks? Do you see the little chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels scampering around on the ground? How about the majestic blue sky filled with billowy clouds and rays of sunshine. Then there is the fragrance in the air, that clean, earthy smell you only get away from civilization. Or picture yourself standing on a remote stretch of beach with the sand between your toes and the sea spray in your face. Perhaps you can see a dolphin jumping in the distance.
Look around and tell me what man-made things you see. None. All of this beauty came from God for our enjoyment. To think that some big bang happened one day and this all magically appeared is absolutely ridiculous.
Starting today, I will be blogging about some of these wonders. Here’s the first one (just taken outside my kitchen window).
THE OWL:
Owls have always fascinated mankind. In some cultures, they are symbols of wisdom, but in others they signify death – probably because they are such extraordinary hunters.
There are at least 216 species of owls found around the world. They live on all continents except Antarctica and in a great variety of habitats; from dense forests to open prairies. The smallest owl in the world is the Least Pygmy Owl which stands only 4.5” tall. The largest owl in the world is believed to be the Eurasian Eagle Owl, which is nearly 28” tall.
Probably the most spectacular feature of an owl is its eyes. An Owl’s eyes are large in order to improve their efficiency, and these nocturnal creatures have extraordinary night vision. Their eyes are so well developed, in fact, that they don’t have eyeballs like ours, but actually elongated tubes. An owl cannot move its eyes; it can only look straight ahead. To make up for the inconvenience, an owl can turn its head up to 270 degrees left to right and 90 degrees up and down.
Because owls are generally active at night, they also have a highly developed auditory system. The ears are located at the sides of the head, behind the eyes, with one often higher than the other. An owl locates its prey by listening for movements in leaves, foliage, and even snow. When a noise is heard, the owl is able to tell its direction because of the minute time difference in which the sound is perceived in the left and right ears. The predator then turns its head so the sound arrives at both ears simultaneously and knows the prey is right in front of it. Owls can detect a left/right time difference of about 0.00003 seconds (30 millionths of a second!).
The owl is just one of God’s amazing creations—stay tuned for many more!