Pastor’s Notes February

A shorebird known as a bar-tailed godwit was recently found to have flown nonstop for nine days, no food or water, from Alaska to New Zealand for a total of 7,145 miles. It is the longest continuous flight bird migration ever measured according to the biologists who followed the flight using satellite tracking. While seeking favorable winds at elevations between 1.85 miles and 2.5 miles the female godwit flew, according to satellite data, at an average speed of 34.8 miles an hour.
There are many God-given attributes that allow birds such as this to perform amazing feats of athletic prowess and endurance. The muscles of the breast of all migratory birds are composed of “dark’ meat. This indicates that there is a molecule known as myoglobin, much like the hemoglobin of our blood that allows us to carry oxygen to our tissues, and a very good blood supply. The myoblobin allows the muscle to store oxygen for use when it is most needed. The contour of the body in flight makes the bird glide (aerodynamic) through the air with little resistance; they have hollow bones which reduces weight that must be kept aloft; feathers keep them warm at high altitudes; fat is easily made while feeding and used for energy while flying long distances; they know to seek favorable wind currents; they are born with the ability to navigate by the sun in daylight and the stars by night; they are able to sleep by allowing one side of the brain to shut down at a time (known as half-brain sleep). In addition the air they breathe circles through the lungs, rather than flowing into and out of the lungs along the same path as in humans, due to a series of air sacs. This makes sure that the air entering the lungs, from which oxygen is extracted, is always “fresh”.
Jesus told us that even Solomon in all his splendor was not arrayed as one of the birds that God created (a Huggins paraphrase from Matthew 6:29). God has indeed prepared His creatures for what they will face in the life He has granted them. The Bible also tells us the purpose of the stars was given for light, a calendar and navigational purposes (Genesis 1:14) and so it is both for humans and His other creatures that have need of such guidance. As His children we should realize that not only does God provide a means to guide us physically across oceans, deserts and mountains by such means as celestial bodies but He also desperately desires to lead us through the spiritual barriers of life via our Bible study, our prayer time and our everyday interaction with the Holy Spirit. We too have been imbued with God’s gifts for sustenance in this life: physically, mentally and even spiritually if we only choose to listen.

Your Pastor,
Dr. H