‘Ware Wolves! Look, See, Pray

Wolves… hunters, scavengers, feared – not one of the cuddly creatures! Their eerie howling strikes terror (and that’s just when they’re in a zoo!). Imagine being lost in the forest, or being stranded in the wild country, and hearing the howling gradually getter louder…

They hunt with great stamina. Wolves can run and run, wearing down the energy and the hope of their prey, finally moving in for the kill as their weakened target reaches the point of collapse.

In these photos of wolves in captivity, even they have scavengers! Crows and magpies harry the wolves, darting in with sharp beaks to grab a share.

We use the wolf as a metaphor when someone is in trouble… “the wolves are closing in…”

Society has invented our own form of wolf: the gaping jaws of the paparazzi lurking with cameras poised, the character assassins digging dirt and flinging it until mud sticks. Social media is abused so it can become an abuser of the innocent: though sometimes the dogged determination of investigators reveals the hidden secrets of the dirty and/or mighty. Once a story- true or false- hits the internet, it builds its own momentum and the fangs drip poison. Perhaps we should call this the “Daily Gnasher”? The scavengers are always lurking.

Position, status, or leadership is often sought for its benefits and advantages, or for the power to dominate, or even for the chance to bring good change. Motives can be mixed. The one guarantee is that people in the public eye are under constant scrutiny, and the wolves WILL gather, sniffing around, and will pounce at signs of weakness or failure.

This is why power has to be matched with accountability, privilege with responsibility, and ambition with character.

Pretence will be gnawed away, sooner or later, and the bare bones will be on display. This is why the Bible insists that CHARACTER is the necessary quality for leadership. “A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit. God cares about honesty in the workplace: your business is HIS business.” (Proverbs 16 v10-11)

There is an old saying that we should only elect leaders who DON’T want the job.

Of course, we all, everyone of us, make mistakes and get things wrong. But there is a huge difference between a good person failing and a wrong-hearted person savaging justice and truth. Now, I’m a dog person who loves and admires their loyalty and companionship. A mistreated or badly trained dog is bad news! The similarity of dog and wolf ought to warn us.

Bad leadership breeds unfairness, injustice. The gap between rich and poor gets bigger. A sad truth- Jesus foretold “the poor will be with you always.” (Mark 14 v7) Bad leaders sometimes start as well-meaning people who rot as greed or pride blights them.

Rot “at the top” will ruin a society, a business, an institution, a life.

The people of God are called to be watchers on the walls, heralds who warn of danger, and prophets who speak truth to power/wealth. When we hear the wolves howling, it’s time to speak up. AND it’s time for us to pray. Today, we could pray for Ukraine; pray for political leaders; pray about poverty and sickness and injustice, against racism and extremism and hate.

I think I hear carrion crows… and the wolves are howling… Stand up, speak up, and pray.

I don’t fit in- Look, See, pray

I’d fit right in.
If you had a party, and asked me to tea,
I’d eat all the lettuce and swing in YOUR tree.
I’d fit right in.
I’m looking sad, human, please send me home
To where fruit hung ripe and I had MY tree.
I don’t fit here.
My hair is too scruffy, I grew fat and lazy,
I ate to remember, and remembered to cry.
I don’t fit here.
I pull faces and scratch, such jolly capers-
A jester today, once prince of the trees.
I’d like to go home.
Rain forest clearance, trees gone to waste
Now smoke and hot ashes are all I can taste.
They took my home.
‘dozers and logsaws, the creaks and the crash-
Giants all felled, no-one asked if we minded.
My hope is sucked dry.
If I could write, or draw perfect pictures
Perhaps people might listen.
I have no home.
Replant the forests! Tear up the roads!
Then we could pretend that it all is OK.
But it isn’t.
And neither am I.

I don’t fit in.

Photographs and words (c) Richard Starling, 2021.

Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow- Look, See, Pray

Young black-headed gulls at Whipsnade Zoo

A song on the radio… remember transistor radios?

"Daddy's takin' us
to the zoo tomorrow.
And we can stay all day!"

Peter, Paul & Mary singing about going to the zoo must have imprinted on my psyche at a very young age. Part of my love for animals goes back as early as I can remember- and I still love going to the zoo today.

These young seagulls reminded me of the song as they clustered together on the fencing of the penguin pool at Whipsnade. Lined up in an orderly fashion, watching the penguins play. Just as noisy as a school trip on an outing!

What they were really waiting for was feeding time. As the keepers dished out the fish, the penguins grabbed most of it very quickly- but scraps and overlooked fish were grabbed gleefully by gulls.

You might be thinking “SEA gulls? So far inland?”

Indeed, not a family outing so much as an adaptation to human impact. Intensive agriculture, excess rubbish and waste littered across Britain- an invitation to the wild creatures to invade our space even as we squeeze then out of theirs.

Climate change and habitat loss are huge issues. Conservation of species at risk of extinction is the biggest reason zoos still exist.

According to Genesis, the human race has a responsibility to be good stewards of the world we live in. We aren’t very good at it, and since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution we have made a mess of unimaginable proportions and caused injustice galore through overexploiting the Earth’s resources and people.

What has this to do with prayer? Everything!

Of all people, it should be Christians who are concerned about conservation and care for our planet. Our Father has given care of Creation to His kids. Issues of justice, fair trade, and climate change should be on our minds, on our lips, and in our prayers.

Wouldn’t it be dreadful if the ONLY place to see animals and birds was a zoo?

The thing about stewards is they have to give an account of that stewardship. Our prayers and actions matter- as does indifference. “Hey, Dad, you know that lovely planet you gave us? We broke it! What do we do now for food, water, and air….?”

One day Jesus will return to Earth. The rate we are burning our bridges, it might have to be soon- and before we are ready.

Songs of frost and sunshine- Look, See, Pray

Frost songs shiver
as sunshine emerges
from misty skies.
Robins, wrens, blackbirds chortle
happy sounds of being alive!
Nightly ice defeated.

Fluffed feathers form
miniature duvets
with wings.
Beady eyes twinkle, like black stars
sharply searching, seeking food,
frozen fast to end.

Such silver songs!
tinkling through air
squeezing music
and hope into a busy day.
Time for joy, sung thanksgiving,
God is to be praised.

Lord of heaven’s angel choirs
had no need of robin
or frosted joy.
For us they sing, yet to Him
they harmonise sweet music
that makes the careless care.

Sunshine sparkles
in frosty air, from gilded perch,
soul-light shimmers.
Lord, if on this morning banquet
I do not feed my hungry soul-
Forgive again, and make the robin sing.

Living on the Edge- Look, See, Pray

Windhover, eye-sharp flight
piercing through
waits… waits… until scurrying feet
betray voles to violence.

Seated on rising air, gnawing need
to feed
fierce nestlings, strong kestrel sons,
life the price for life.

Thrilled by hunter,
weeping for the small,
prey needing to pray,
furry squeak of death or life.

Hunter or hunted,
the eyes of God above see
no life is spent
but in the knowledge of the Highest.

Lord, we watch and marvel
at diversity
As life exists hungrily
living on the edge.

Living on the edge…
where the blink of an eye
sees the meal taken
or the great escape!

Mysteries and miracles!
Not understanding,
we shed tears for the dying,
watch the drama of life persist.

This, this is blood-real.
Only the Creator knows
rhyme or reason for now-
but the Story plays, life the price for life.

Have we enemies watching?
A life we take lightly,
open to be taken suddenly.
God watch over a life on the edge.

“Kestrel Hunt” (c) Richard Starling 2020

All the rage! Look, See, Pray

So many angry people. So much hatred and violence- being angry is all the rage!

I find nature very calming. Green grass, trees, bumping into a bear… Happily this bear was safely in an enclosure, but she looks just the way I feel this week. In need of peace, quiet, and a calm place to lay my head.

It seems almost everyone has been furious with everyone else this last fortnight. Some is justified outrage, some is prejudice being expressed loudly. Tragic events have brought the topic of racism to the fore, leading to cries for justice and even more public unrest. We still have a viral pandemic wreaking havoc. Politics is in a terrible state; the world economy navigating perilous waters. Someone has to be to blame.

Any instant solutions spring to mind? No? Me neither.

At the moment the best we can do is learn to handle our own anger. To be honest, if you’re NOT angry about something somewhere you should check your pulse- you may be clinically dead…

If I face my indignation, my rage, my discomfort, what do I see? Am I passionate about true justice, integrity, the value of lives, the importance of our beautiful planet?

Or am I upset because my buttons have been pressed or my interests threatened?

A bit of self-examination is required. An understanding of history is helpful- we cannot simply apply our “norm” to the past- and sometimes the choices are/were between two evils, not just right and wrong. Life is complicated…

I have often found hope in the Book of Psalms. It places real faith in real life, facing real questions and holding out the confidence of a loving, just God. I encourage us all to “take five” and meditate on this verse: be still, God will act, there will be justice. Let the rage go…

Psalm 37:7 (NLT) “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”

If you’ll pardon the pun, please “bear” with God today… allow Him to bring you to a place of calmness and security. He IS taking care of today; and the future lies with Him. Our anger can easily become unrighteous: but He is just and merciful.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

Grebe Expectations- Look, See, Pray

“Grebe Expectations,” a lesser known book of birds by Charles Dickens. (No, Richard, be serious!) “Grebe Expectations” is what I got when I photographed this Grebe at Pagham reserve. I packed my lens and headed for home, eager to see the bird immortalised.

“Big Disappointments” was the sequel. The grebe was too small, and my focus was not sharp. Yet I had a strange reluctance to bin it- the memory of sharing a few priceless minutes observing its world, trying to guess where it would surface after each dive… I was invested in Gregory Grebe’s existence.

So I played with the technology.. and the picture took a texture, a form that suggested Grebes without claiming to own one. A brushstroke filter added a touch of artistry. Then the poet’s muse dived in the lake…

More odious than ode, words took their place as I tried to capture a visual moment in solid prose, or poetry of a kind.

What is its worth as a photo, a poem, a thing? To me it is real, the securing of a past moment that touched my soul. No-one else may share my pride of creation: a daubing with doggerel, a whimsy whispering in the evening light.

There is, however, a parable in this Grebe. A man went out to seek beauty, and finding a grebe fishing, prepared his camera for a trophy. Attainment did not equal inspiration, and a failure was clear to see. “Not good enough!” cried the critics. Shamed and blamed, the photographer told himself what he should have done.

But the colours enticed, and the grebe WAS there. So the creative urge did a surge, the program offered a new possibility, and a poem was born on a failed canvas.

Then the Great Artist looked and smiled, for His child had pinned a clumsy picture on the fridge door of Heaven, and smiled with tremulous eyes at his Father’s face. “It’s for You, Dad. I’m sorry it isn’t as good as I hoped…”

Smiles beamed from the Throne Room. “That’s fine, my boy- I made that Grebe for you, to fill your mind and soul with the wonder of Creation. And I love your picture, because you created it for Me.”

God of the second chance… Lord of the gracious heart. Father of the child who fails, and tries, and loves as best he can.

Truly, “Grebe Expectations” has given me a prayer of thankfulness tonight. May you see the beauty, the wonder in this world, and offer what you see to the Father who loves us.

Disappointments can be gateways to renewed joy! Nice one, Gregory Grebe.

Juggling Otters – Look, See, Pray

1973. That’s the year I was as damp and as happy as this lil’ juggling otter.

Why? Because the 29th April 1973 was the day I publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour through believer’s baptism. For those who may not know, Baptist Christians are baptised by full immersion on their profession of faith, repentance, and committed obedience to God. Imagine a pool about 3 metres x 2 metres and about 1.5 metres deep. My Dad was the pastor who joyfully baptised me and two friends on 29th April 1973. So it’s an anniversary.

Here I am stuck indoors while it rains. I want to celebrate! Celebrating may have to be limited to baking some naughty but nice condensed milk biscuits. I’ll share some with you, if you like, as long as you can tell me how to WhatsApp them across. My inner otter also approves of my diet, since I’m having salmon for dinner to balance the biscuits!

Forty-seven years ago. 47. Yes, nearly fifty years, and I have the silvery-white beard to prove it. Doesn’t seem possible! I don’t look old enough (and some might say “or behave well enough” but I am a work in progress).

Any regrets? No. Some bruises and sadnesses, some questions still without answers, some hard lessons, but no regrets. Happy about it? Oh yes! So many joys, memories, friends, experiences. My life has been shaped forever by that Sunday evening dunking. I cannot imagine having lived any different life than being loved by God and finding out how to love Him back.

Why the rather tenuous connection with a juggling otter photo? Well, I wanted to mark the anniversary with something joyful, fun, and irrepressible. That pretty much spells “otter.” They play enthusiastically, work with dedication, love generously, and move with graceful elegance (which is where the similarity stops. I am about as graceful as a T-Rex on skis).

Some people give the impression that being a Christian is dull, serious, goody-goody, and possibly hypocritical. It has been my intent to disprove that theory! I can be serious when necessary. But I love to laugh, tell jokes, play and sing… in fact doing the things that Jesus did. Really important things are learned through laughter… and some only learned through tears. Jesus talked about giving us LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.

That otter… totally focussed on the moment, juggling a stone, full of the joy of being alive!

Me too. I love otters, dolphins, hummingbirds, swallows and pretty much anything that looks happy as it goes about living each brand new day. The promises I made 47 years ago are still binding: and that gradually-growing relationship with Jesus is the reason I am smiling.

I’m far from perfect. Jesus is working on that. So, perhaps, are you. Thank you to my family, my friends, my fellow-believers, and those I have served with and worked alongside. Too many to name, but not forgotten.

Finishing with an anniversary “joke” of sorts: If ever my love for God and for my neighbours should grow cool, I know I can simply ask the Lord to ……. make me a little ‘otter.

Be blessed on my anniversary day! Be blessed on your special days too.

Heron – Look, See, Pray

Herons arrived in my universe via the pages of “Tarka the Otter” as Henry Williamson described the world in words that conjured up visions and dreams, wild hopes of one day seeing otters, herons, salmon and so on. I was young- Mum taught me to read before I went to school, and ever since I have devoured books like a hungry heron nabs frogs.

Getting a decent SLR camera gave opportunity to seek out these wonderful creatures and film them. It also began a life-time search of frustration in acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to get good results. Lots of practice does help success!

This heron was in Regent’s Park, London, and was happy to ignore people unless they came very close. (I had a good telephoto lens with me and stayed at a safe distance.)

006_zsl230715regent crop — *Preening Grey Heron*

I was able to observe for about 20 minutes and took photos of the heron preening itself, sharpening its fearsome bill, and hunting patiently for small fish and frogs.

It was the patience and preparation that impressed me. “My” heron was truly dedicated to hunting: it sought food with all its attention.

The things I see often become the starting point for spiritual reflection and prayer.

Watching this committed bird made me wonder about my own dedication to “seek out the Lord.”

Do I sharpen up? Take good care of myself? Wait patiently on God? Devote as much time to prayer as to photography?

037_zsl230715regent — *Heron sharpening & cleaning its bill*

Am I as motivated to “feed” my soul with spiritual food, to make time to relate to God, set intimacy with the Holy Trinity as a life priority?

If not, why am I surprised when my spirituality seems stale or more of a vacant space than a heart-filling joy?

It also helps me to look at the heron and see how scrawny, leggy, and frankly weird it looks!

Yes, it is beautiful in its own way. It is also superbly equipped as a fishing-hunter, water-wader, and strong flier. But hardly classically cute!

So then… when the onlooker sees me living as a “spiritual being,” and thinks what an odd shape I am, what a strange haircut… nice strong legs, shame about the face…

Perhaps they will discover that I am gradually becoming a better “heron”, learning God’s ways and learning to love and be loved. They may observe those moments of triumph when I connect with the Almighty! Or see how Jesus brings strength and comfort when I face struggles and pain.

Maybe they will see as I am learning to see- and find looking leads to praying.

Heron bait view 030_zsl230715regent — *Will Eugene’s frogs-eye view lead to enlightenment before he croaks?*

Thick-skinned?

A frosty morning at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo found me watching the rhinos. The animal version of a battle tank, they have short sight and often short tempers. Rhinos also have very thick skin. One of them had a magpie attacking it, pecking away at wounds in the surface of its hide.

A closer look at the photo shows this more closely.

What a mismatch! Magpie against Tank. The rhino even seemed to tolerate the bird’s attention.

I suppose the rhino is pretty helpless. All its power and weight is useless against a small, quick, mobile opponent- even though the pecking must have been painful.

Zoo staff explained that the birds are actually helping the rhinos. Ticks and bugs can burrow into the thick hide; cuts and scratches can become infected. The magpie was doing a clean up in exchange for a chewy dinner.

So what? What does this have to do with us?

Consider this. Even the thick-skinned, tough types of people and institutions have faults and vulnerabilities. We may think we’re too small, too insignificant to make a difference. Yet our prayers and actions can have a vital impact on the health and well-being of our “targets”.

When we see things that trouble us, political or economic woes, injustices and a lack of compassion- we can act to highlight the issues. Our “rhinos” may bellow a bit, the pecking may sting! Even the thick-skinned need a bit of careful attention and constructive action.

Who or what has attracted your attention or given you a dose of righteous indignation? Will you pray? Write, email, or visit the person involved? Will you act to make a difference? Our rhinos might just be grateful… and some bugs controlled. Have a peck… do it carefully and in a controlled way. Prayer pecking, if you like!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a magpie who cleaned the hide of a rhinoceros… and stopped the rhino from being driven to violence by the biting irritation of its bugs…”