At this point, “the quarantine blues” has almost become an overused cliché. But being a bit of a self-isolationist even before coronavirus swept the world, there were days I didn’t mind the peace and solitude away from the hectic life. I was still able to keep my morning and evening appointments with nature, and some days those meanderings kept me a little bit longer, and took me a little bit further with some of the extra time on my hands.

But on my birding walk this morning, I was seeing blue! Not that melancholy mood that inspired an entire genre of music, but literally seeing some beautiful, vibrant blues in nature!

The azure dawn set the backdrop. My attention was first drawn by several Blue Grosbeak’s calling. The males, as the name indicates, are a deep blue. A bit further down the graven road, a Blue-gray Gnatacther frolicked while a Great Blue Heron took flight, passing right before my lens! An Eastern Bluebird was hawking insects while an Indigo Bunting sang in the tall pines. Blue bird blues! 

"Eli" was a happy pitbull puppy, about 8-months old, that was surrendered to the animal shelter on June 3, 2020. At first, the lady said he was a stray dog they had found. But another woman out in the car said he belonged to her brother. I can't figure out why so many people don't tell the full story when surrendering their pets. Perhaps it is to avoid some guilt or accountability. But it really hampers the shelter's efforts to re-home the animals when all the information about a pet isn't given at intake.  "Eli" proved to be a sweet pup and it showed in his video. He was adopted the day after being surrendered! ​

​“What kind of bird is that?” my young daughter asked, pointing up into the tree. “It’s a White-winged Dove.” After giving a short species account, I went on to explain, “For many, the dove represents peace. And in the Bible it often represents the Holy Spirit.”

When she asked what kind it was, I knew what she meant: she was asking what species of bird sat perched before us. But being a Christian that believes in the six-day creation account of Genesis, her use of the word “kind” brought another thought to my mind.
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The Bible reveals that on Days Five and Six of the creation week, God created all the living creatures. The text of Genesis one divides them into groups, or kinds, such as sea creatures, winged creatures, cattle, and beasts. And within those broad groups were a further breakdown of kinds. In other words, within the winged fowl, the birds could be categorized into smaller groups.

While Baraminologists (scientists that study created kinds) aren’t sure of the specific groupings, perhaps  the kinds of birds are similar to what you find the index of your favorite Field Guide: long-legged waders, ducks, seabirds and gulls, raptors, passerines, etc. Modern day science labels them by genus and species. The Bible calls them kinds.
But when it came to the creation account of mankind, the language of the Bible makes a change. As Adam awoke from the dust of the earth, the repeated phrase “after his kind” did not appear. Instead, we read, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). From the very beginning, we can see the truth that humans are not broken down into different kinds, but all mankind is one kind! There was only one man in the beginning, and all others have descended from Adam.

Grouping people into kinds, or races as we call them today, is purely a human invention. And racism is most certainly a human invention! The Bible is quite clear that all humans are related; all are of one blood. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26).

While most people know Charles Darwin’s book is titled, The Origin of Species, many do not know the full title: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” It was evolutionary theory that propelled the idea to divide human beings into races. Evolution teaches that the different “races” of people evolved at different times and rates, so some groups are more like their ape-like ancestors than others.

That is man’s system of taxonomy. But in God’s system, all men and women are of the same kind; all are of the same standing and worth no matter the differences in appearance. No single people group is better than another. All are equal. In fact, the value of something is based upon the price someone is willing to pay for it. Jesus Christ paid the price of His life and blood equally for all human beings.

​Race is purely a discriminatory classification system concocted by humans themselves. In God’s order, there is no such thing as race, and therefore absolutely no grounds for racism! “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:12-13).

"Copper" was turned in stray to the animal shelter on May 27, 2020. He didn't have a tag or microchip, but his owner called after seeing him on the adoption website. He was reunited with his family on June 2, 2020.

They say every dog has his day, and Murry finally got his! Murry was picked up stray on May 22, 2020. He was already neutered, but no owner ever came looking for him. Things were looking bleak because Murry needed to go to a home without other pets, and that severely limits things. But he finally found a match when a couple spotted his post in the internet and came to meet him. They didn't have any other pets at home, so Murry would have their undivided attention! He was adopted on June 1, 2020.