“Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God…and the other prisoners heard them…” Acts 16:25
October 12, 2017 - This past month I’ve been photographing America’s most beautiful songbird, the male painted bunting. These gorgeous little birds arrive in the Sand Hills of East Texas every April to mate and raise a family. Their red, blue, green and yellow colors have given them the name, “nonpareil” (no equal) in French and “Mariposa pintada” (painted butterfly) in Spanish.
Their numbers have declined sharply in recent years because many are trapped for cage birds in Mexico every winter and sold on the European bird market. Buntings don’t sing loudly but they sing sweetly. And they sing their best when they’re in cages!
Unfortunately we Christians whine a lot when we’re in cages. And when we do, we’re not whining what we preach. Living for the Lord doesn’t mean we’ll never be in a cage. The most beautiful of God’s children wind up there sometimes, but by God’s grace they keep singing.
The world needs to sing the songs of Zion, too. But they never will….
…unless we do.
