In This Issue…
New Pope | Depression | Hornbuckle Radio Program | Tulsa Unleavened Bread | Nigeria Unleavened Bread | S.E.E.D. | UCG New President | Establishing the Children | Living Will | COG News | Blessed Are the Merciful | The Brick
Article…
Spiritual Bankruptcy
We’re making great progress. But are we going in the right direction? Recent history and the scriptures show we are not.
How does a nation go from the world’s greatest superpower to spiritual bankruptcy in just a few years?
In 1803 the United States attempted to negotiate the purchase of small parcels of land or, at the least, navigation rights on the Mississippi River. The French, who held rights to the land, astonished President Jefferson’s envoys by offering them an all-or-nothing deal: 800,000 square miles extending from New Orleans into Canada, and from the Mississippi to Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. The price? Less than five cents per acre!
No amount of negotiation could have brought this about. The thirteen original states trusted in Almighty God and He, in turn, blessed them beyond belief.
What did God tell our forefathers? If you listen to Me, and do all my commandments, I will set you above all the nations of the earth, (Deuteronomy 28:1). The next verses continue with blessing after blessing experienced by the United States well into the 20th century.
But what happened? Little Vietnam humiliated the Americans. President Bush sent his troops into battle against Iraq. Then, he prematurely declared the war was over.
Drought plagues the farmers; horrendous diseases are known in every household; no one is safe on the streets, or even in their homes; demented men crash airplanes into the nation’s memorials to the almighty dollar; and “In God We Trust” are just words on a dollar bill. One person observed they should be changed to, “In this god we trust.”
How did the United States go from the world’s greatest superpower to spiritual bankruptcy in just a few decades? Deuteronomy 28:15 tells the story. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.” Read for yourself what has become of the world’s greatest superpower. Despite America’s claim of being a Christian nation, the governing powers at every level have caved in to the demands of minority groups when they should have thundered, “No!”
God says, “Do,” and we don’t. He says, “Don’t,” and we do. Our schools teach safe sex when we parents should be teaching purity. Our young people are turned on to Harry Potter and his demonic friends; they haven’t a clue to the value of the classics. The entire nation let one woman take prayer from our schools. Now a few people want to take God from our schools, our homes, and our lives. And the powers that be say, “Go for it.” (I’m not blaming any political party: one’s as guilty as the other.)
During my journalism days, I accompanied a man in his attempt to swim across Lake Ontario. Our navigator got schnockered the night before the swim, and wasn’t too much in command of his ship during the trip. He assured us we were making good progress. What he didn’t know was we were going in the wrong direction.
Our governments — the United States, Canada, and Great Britain — tell us we’re making good progress, but they don’t tell us we’re heading in the wrong direction. The passages from Deuteronomy indicate we’re way off course. Is it too late to return to the right way?
God told King Solomon, “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” II Chronicles 7:14).
Canada recently held federal elections, and it’s obvious we didn’t elect a God-fearing government. Did the United States do any better in November? Or have our nations sunk so deep into spiritual bankruptcy that we’ve given up the will to seek the face of God?
P.S. Since this writing I received word that gay-marriage advocates spent $450,000 to fight a Missouri amendment to ban such unions. The pro-amendment group spent $19,000.
The National Council of Churches boasts 140,000 member congregations across the United States. If every congregation donated only $3.25 — well, you can do the math.
The pro-amendment group said they were distressed by the result, but their distress should come from the lack of support of, what seems to be, spiritually bankrupt Christian churches.
— by Leslie A. Turvey
© Used by permission
laturvey@becon.org
From the Editor…
What do you know? And when did you know it?
These two questions are commonly used by the press today, usually during investigations of suspected wrongdoing by political or business leaders. But what if we asked that of ourselves? Lets get a word or two about this “knowing” from Bildad.
Job 8:8 “For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers,” (He is saying that it starts with a search of history, that there is nothing new under the sun.) Barnes says, “That is, attend to the results of observation. Ask the generations which have passed, and who in their poems and proverbs have left the records of their experience.”
Job 8:9 “For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow.” (We are young and life is short.)
Job 8:10-11 “Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?” (We have no roots, no knowledge of history on which to grow.)
Job 8:12 “Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.” (Inspect your roots for root rot.)
Job 8:13-17 “So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.” (There is no nourishment from stones unless the stone is crushed).
It can be said that the Universities and Churches are full of knowledge — because it all comes in and none goes out.
Maybe the problem is too much education, too much knowledge, and not enough application (or wisdom). We are “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” as Timothy put it. Educated fools might be modern terminology. We still pay homage to Martin Luther in this regard — i.e., what I think I know will save me. But we know that James says, “Faith without works is dead.” At best, we “See through a glass darkly.” This concept is reinforced in I Corinthains 8:2-3 “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”
Darwin, Marx, and Freud believed in the philosophy of positivism. That says there is no valid knowledge outside of observation alone in the pursuit of knowledge and truth. They require observable data from the five senses.
Let’s return to Barnes commentary on Bildad. Barnes says, “That is attend to the results of observation. Ask the generations which have passed, and who in their poems and proverbs have left the records of their experience.”
Search for sensory knowledge is certainly not wrong but it is clear that we can and should be able to learn from the experiences of others. After all, the Bible is a collection of stories of successes and failures. The main lesson being that any pursuit of knowledge without God’s guidance and Spirit leading is incomplete and doomed to failure.
Luke 10:21 “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
Thank God for knowledge and truth.
— by Steven J. Kieler
Correction…
We need to make a correction to the Guest Editorial published in the May/June issue. On page 3, “Lessons From the Wisconsin Shootings,” paragraph 5 stated that Mr. Ratzmann “had taken anti-depression drugs.” The autopsy report contradicted a previous news report about there being drugs involved.
Hmmm…
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.”
Viewpoint…
I was happy to see that the cardinals picked a conservative, Joseph Ratzinger, to be the new pope. As Pope Benedict XVI, he can be expected to hew to the line of keeping the Church as a witness to truth, regardless of what modernists and relativists think.
The news media were quick to point out that many liberal American Catholics disagree with the Church on such issues as celibate priests, no women being ordained, and birth control. Well, there is a simple solution. Let them get out and become Unitarians or whatever pleases them.
Many Americans — Protestants as well as Catholics — suffer from what I call the Spoiled Brat Syndrome. Seeing themselves as the center of the universe, they think the world and everything in it, including whatever Church they attend, should conform to their wishes.
That is a childish attitude. There is no need for the Church to “catch up with the 21st century,” as one person put it. Christianity is not a 21st-century religion. If you are a Christian, your choice is to obey the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. You don’t get to vote on them or pick some and reject others. And, if you are a Roman Catholic, you don’t get to set Church doctrine, which is presumably based on those teachings. The Roman Catholic Church defines itself, and it is not defined by dissident priests or nuns or disgruntled lay members.
If, after counseling, the dissidents won’t shut up, then they should be ex-communicated. That’s the Church’s polite way of saying, “Go to hell.”
I believe that what attracted so many young people to the previous pope was his absolute beliefs. In an age of moral relativity, which is to say an age of immorality, someone with steadfast beliefs in ultimate truth, and who lives those beliefs has great attraction for a lot of people. Not the self-indulgent types, but those people who are looking for meaning in their lives.
Certainly the world would be better off if people conformed to Christian beliefs than it would be if Christianity tried to pander to modern whims and fads, which are not new. They are just the very ancient belief in hedonism, and decadence in new verbal dress. If you are a believing Christian, then you surely know that Jesus did not come to this earth to teach people how to become wealthy, or healthy, or successful in secular pursuits.
I would suggest to Protestants that they worry more about preachers with six-figure salaries, mansions, and expensive cars than whether priests are married or celibate. I believe Christ said something about it being easier to push a camel through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. That is certainly not a modern thought.
Former basketball player Charles Barkley said something recently that I heartily agree with. He said that when he sees some of these TV evangelists, he knows that God must be (expletive for being extremely annoyed) to see these bozos speaking in His name. That is certainly true, I’m sure.
Christianity may well wither and die in this current flood of secularism. If so, it should die true to its roots. Trying to pander to people who hate it won’t save it.
I have great respect for people of faith, whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu. They, at least, are not fooled by secular fairy tales, or lulled into the false belief that happiness can be found in the pursuit and acquisition of stuff.
What people require for a good life, and many smart people have written books on this subject, are meaning and purpose. I personally have never met a self-centered person who was happy or content. The happy people I know are serving something greater than themselves — a cause, a religion or a family.
We humans are not the center of the universe, and the world owes us nothing. As for meaning and purpose, we have to find them. I believe the new pope will help a lot of people do just that.
— by Charley Reese
© C. King Features Syndicate
To the Editor…
Mr. Steve Kieler:
One of the brethren in my Church recently gave me a stack of old “Church of God News” newsletters which I just couldn’t wait to read and study. I enjoy them very much. My husband started reading one of the articles in the April 2004 No 14 newsletter when he noticed page 5 and 6 of the article titled “What is Worship?” were missing. I guess my friend had somehow lost that page as my husband said it was a very interesting topic and asked me to please ask you if you could send me another copy of that newsletter. We would appreciate it very much. Thank you and your writers for the hard work you put into this newsletter. May God bless you and the entire staff for their dedication to serving God first and then the people who hunger for the Word of God. I learn so much truth from these newsletters and also from the Giving and Sharing magazine. In a little while, I will send a donation to you so that the “Work” may continue.
Thank you all for the newsletters. God bless you all. Sincerely,
— Mrs. Gloria Chambers
PO Box 344, Bowling Green, SC 29703
Hmmm…
Survivor
To all the kids who survived the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s:
We survived being brought up in a world with no protection. Our mothers took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and didn’t get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, nor latches on doors or cabinets. And when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because we were always outside playing!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and ate worms. And although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live in us forever.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house, knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all!
And congratulations, YOU are one of them!!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
— Author unknown
Article…
Clinical and Spiritual Depression
It’s Causes and Cures
Many people are not even aware of it, but they suffer from a low-grade mental depression. Researchers are convinced that one of the causes of alcoholism is an underlying state of depression. Drugs are often prescribed in an attempt to relieve this depression.
In my pastoral work over the years as well as in my clinical practice, I have seen people try to mask the symptoms of depression by using other substances. Some use prescription drugs and others use alcohol or street drugs. By the way, the number one cause of depression in America is the over use of alcohol.
Many use food to relieve depression. Overeaters often eat to relieve feelings of low self-esteem and the depression that goes with it.
Marriages are adversely affected when one or both of the partners are depressed. Imagine the irritability that exists when a partner in a marriage is depressed. A further complication is that depressed people often employ negative and pessimistic thinking.
What effect does a depressed parent have on the children? One can only imagine what it is like to live in a home where one or both parents suffer from depression. And, sadly, depression seems to run in families as well. So, it is possible that one of the children will suffer from it.
Two Forms
Clinical depression usually comes in two forms: a) reactive depression, and b) endogenous depression. Reactive depression may range from an emotional sadness that comes from a relatively minor event all the way to intense sadness from grief over the death of a loved one.
Endogenous depression is characterized by ongoing deep depression when there seems to be no reason to be depressed. The source is usually a disease or a chemical imbalance.
Common Symptoms
There are symptoms common to all depressions. They are: sadness, emptiness, the inability to experience pleasure (called anhedonia), low self-esteem, withdrawal, low motivation, irritability, excessive emotional sensitivity, and thoughts of suicide.
Many diseases can cause depression. Here are some of the most common ones: asthma, anemia, cancer, malnutrition, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, congestive heart failure, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, infectious hepatitis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, and chronic infections.
Many psychologists believe that one of the causes, or at least an exacerbation of the depression, is negative, pessimistic thinking, which creates low self-esteem.
When depressions are pronounced, a person may experience decreased sex drive, appetite disturbance, impaired concentration, forgetfulness, restlessness, agitation, extreme fatigue and sleep disturbance. There is also an intense anhedonia (inability to experience any pleasure).
In a recorded sermon on depression, I talk about how often low thyroid function is a cause of depression. In fact nearly 8% of the population suffers from low thyroid function called hypothyroidism. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism: weakness, dry skin, coarse skin, lethargy, slow speech, sensitivity to cold temperature, thick tongue, impaired memory, constipation, gain in weight despite little or no appetite, difficulty in losing weight, loss or thinning of hair, muscle pain, joint pain, slowing of mental activity, and choking sensations. Not all of these symptoms have to be experienced to have hypothyroidism. There are several tests that can detect thyroid malfunction. In the message on depression, you will learn about a non-invasive test that can be done in your own home free of charge. There is a great deal of reasonable certainty determining whether you may be hypothyroid. The test was discovered by one the foremost experts on hypothyroidism, Dr. Broda O. Barnes, M.D.
Spiritual Depression
There is another kind of depression — spiritual depression. It is a malaise that seems to be upon many people from time to time when they feel “cut off” or “far away” from God. While in it, they have no enthusiasm for God’s Word. They seem “weary in well doing.” They seem ready to collapse under persecution.
They sound like the Psalmist when he states, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” Psalm 42:5. He repeats this refrain over and over. He says his soul thirsts for God, (Verse 42:2) like a deer longs for water, (Verse 1). He acknowledges that he is in mourning (Verse 9) and that “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me,” Verse 7. It is almost as though things are too hard to bear.
What is the solution to this depression? It is self-talk? Psychologists have known for some time now that negative, irrational self-talk in the form of simple declarative sentences often leads to depression. And therefore, appropriate self-talk can lift us out of depression — unless depression comes from an endogenous source like hypothyroidism.
If you would like to hear The Causes and Cures of Depression, a tape-recorded message on this subject will be sent to you free of charge. Just write to: Guardian Ministries, PO Box 50734, Pasadena, CA. 91115 and request the message on depression.
— by David L. Antion, Ph.D.
President of Guardian Ministries
Church News…
My name is Willis Hornbuckle. My friends call me Pete. I was the youngest of 10 children born to Loyd and Elsie Hornbuckle. My dad was a farmer. I was a part-time farmer and a full time salesman for 31 years. I served in the Army from 1953 to 1955. During that time, I married my beautiful wife (of almost 52 years now) when she was only 16 years of age. We have three children, two girls and one boy. The two girls are in the Church and our son believes but is not yet baptized.
My dad and I began listening to Mr. Herbert Armstrong on the radio in 1945. We were the only ones in our family who believed, or cared what Mr. Armstrong was saying. Although my dad believed, he was never baptized into the Church. I was baptized in April 1965.
I began attending the Radio Church of God, as was its name then, and after about 10 years I was given the opportunity to speak. My wife and I attended the WWCG until 1995. Because of the creep in doctrinal changes, I wanted to quit attending several years before 1995. Just about the time we firmly decided to quit attending WWCG, the United Church of God was formed. A local UCG group formed and we began attending services with a small group of former WWCG members, and we remained there until 2003. In 2003, we quit attending UCG. At that time, I felt that the same atmosphere that had perpetuated the WWCG had crept into the UCG, at least in my local congregation.
Neither my wife nor I feel any ill will toward any Church of God organization, or the brethren, we just needed a place to attend services that offered an atmosphere that reflected an attitude of servant leadership and humility. I also wanted to contribute more than I had been able to do in the WWCG and UCG. The last message I gave while in WWCG was based on Mark 14. The chapter describes a woman who anointed Christ’s head with very expensive oil just a couple of days before His death. Some criticized the woman for using the expensive oil. But Christ said, leave her alone, for she has done a good work for Me and she has done what she could do. Although the disciples and many others were present, that one woman was the only one who did anything for Christ. That passage has caused me to ask myself many times, am I doing what I can do? Am I doing all I can do? As noted in the book of Acts, the Church was scattered abroad and they went everywhere doing the work. How many of us could be doing more?
We soon learned of a group of individuals who were having once a month Sabbath Bible Studies close to our home (40 miles away). We began attending the monthly Sabbath Bible Studies. I was grateful for a place to go once a month but I was also in spiritual agony for about three months. I needed and wanted more. I feel it was then that God led me to finding a meeting place for weekly Sabbath services on the other three Sabbaths of the month. I stepped out on faith. I began conducting weekly Sabbath services having prayers, songs, a sermonette and a sermon. Fifteen people showed up for the first Sabbath service in August 2003. I’ve just finished purchasing a building, which will be used for Sabbath services. Some of the members are helping renovate the building and it should be ready for the first Sabbath service in a couple of months.
The last Sunday in April 2004 my first radio program was aired. Once again, I stepped out on faith not knowing if I had the knowledge, wisdom, or health for such a task at the age of 70. But with God’s help and grace, I have done and continue to do what I can do.
I was ordained an elder on the Last Great Day of the FOT 2004 by Wayne Holmes, Tim Hall, and others in Mountain View, Arkansas. I have been strengthened in courage and boldness, thanks to God.
I appreciate Church of God Outreach Ministries for allowing me to offer their literature on my radio program. I was on the air for 3 or 4 months with no literature to offer. I appreciate the responses God has given to the radio program, and Steve and Suzanne Kieler for operating the CGOM 800-phone number. I plan to book more radio stations and hope some have the power of 50,000-watt stations. My broadcast tapes are available to anyone who requests them, free of charge of course. I’m planning to buy magazine display racks and fill them and maintain them with CGOM booklets and brochures. Each CGOM affiliated group could do the same in your local areas. I plan to incorporate as the Marble Hill Church of God 7th Day, and as a tax-exempt religious, non-profit, organization. Christ has commanded us to sow the seed and to do what we can whether anyone responds or not. It’s God’s job to call; it’s our job to do the Work.
Brenda, Clinton, Emogene
Edith and Pete Hornbuckle
Let us all pray for one another that we may be in good physical, mental, and above all, spiritual health. Please take courage and do what you can for Christ and the Work of preaching and publishing the Gospel. I am deeply grateful for the fact that God has given those of us in His Church the opportunity to do something for him.
Sincerely, in the Work of God,
— Pete and Edith Hornbuckle
HC 64 Box 960
Grassy, MO 63751
573-238-2480
Health…
Truth About Tobacco
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. With over 400,000 deaths annually, tobacco kills more people than alcohol, Aids, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and fires combined!
Second-hand smoke carries smaller particles of the same chemicals that harm smokers — it is a serious threat to your health.
Cigarette smoking increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, heart attack, vascular disease, and aneurysm. Smokeless tobacco can cause gum disease, loss of teeth, receding gums, and cancers of the esophagus, palate, tongue, lip, and cheek.
Statistics show that children who have parents that smoke are twice as likely to begin smoking. Peer pressure is one reason adolescents are at much greater risk than adults for starting to smoke. It’s important for parents to take an active and repeated stand against smoking.
It is very hazardous for pregnant women to smoke. Cigarette smoking has been linked to premature labor, breathing problems, and fatal illness in infants. Maternal smoking during and after pregnancy has been liked to asthma among infants and young children.
Smoking is a difficult habit to break. You need God’s help, and it wouldn’t hurt to see your doctor to get started on a cessation program. Do it today!
— author unknown
Church News…
Tulsa , OK
On April 24, 2005, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, the Tulsa Church of God and Church of God Tulsa Fellowship had a combined service for this Holy Day.
Services began with an opening prayer by Ron Kolb.
Pastor Lawrence Gregory presented the sermonette entitled “A Pillar of a Cloud, a Pillar of Fire” which covered the travels of Israel in the wilderness, and how God went with them in a pillar of fire by night and pillar of the cloud by day. He revealed many lessons that can be learned from this event such as how God showed His love by leading, and protecting them.
Of course, there was an offering taken up as tradition in the Church of God. Steve Andrews performed this part of the service and used Deuteronomy 16:3, 16 as reference scriptures.
Then the Fellowship Choir sang two songs entitled “Turn Your Face From Sin,” and “Continue To Seek Ye The Lord.” Pastor Ray Kurr sang solo with the choir as back up.
The main sermon was by Barnabas Grayson entitled “Christ, The Bread of Life” which covered the importance of bread in the Egyptian’s life, and the lack of faith of the Hebrews. And, of course, the main fact that Jesus Christ referred to Himself as “the Bread of Life.”
Almost everyone stayed for the enjoyable potluck that followed.
On April 30, 2005, the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, the Tulsa Church of God held Holy Day services. It was not a combined service, but very enjoyable.
The sermonette was by Barnabas Grayson entitled “Famine of the Word” which covered this topic based on Amos 8:11. It expressed how many in this country do not seem to be concerned about morals or many Bible teachings.
Special music was presented called “Welcome to our World.” After which Steve Andrews presented a sermon entitled “Christ In You — The Hope of Glory” which covered how we can be puffed up by our sin, and the many tricks that Satan may use on us to tempt us to fall from the grace of God. Such temptation must be overcome as stated in James 1:12.
After services, there was a potluck meal and fellowship for a few hours. Many that attended the potluck shared the many concepts that they learned during these days.
— by Doyle J. Carter
Hmmm…
Inflation: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.
Tomorrow: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.
As we sat in our sunroom the other morning a young woodpecker
crashed into our glass door, falling onto the porch. It just sat there, not
moving; we thought it might have broken one of its’ wings. After some time
passed, we became concerned that it might be really hurt, and thought we should
put some seed and water beside it. Within a few minutes though, it clumsily
flew onto a tree close by. At that point, the mother woodpecker flew next to
it and sat there as if to say, “Poor baby, what happened to you?” She started
flying back and forth to the finch feeder, each time bringing food to her baby.
For two days she kept this up, and eventually the baby woodpecker was able to
fly to other trees. Then she proceeded to teach the baby how to land on the
feeder, and she would feed her with seed from the feeder. While all this was
going on, another woodpecker showed up with another baby and joined in with the
mother in helping the baby birds. We were surprised to see that this was really
a family of woodpeckers, father, mother, and two baby birds. It was amazing to
watch how this family functioned, the parents taking care of their babies
making sure they were safe, well fed, all the while teaching them the skills
they would need to know in order to stay alive.