My daughter Kate is OBSESSED with birds. I find it strange because these mini pterodactyls freak me out a bit!
Kate grew up around chickens, as her older brother once had a similar fixation and has raised them since he was 6.

Kate has now taken over. She puts a great deal of thought into selecting the perfect pair from her flock to show at the county fair. Her efforts have paid off, and she received the Reserve Champion Brown Egg Laying pen two years in a row. Last year, she even managed to beat her older brother, which is an arguably more impressive feat!
She will spend hours in the coop, holding them and talking to them.
After the fair last year, we sold some of her hens, and I received a message from the buyer “complaining” that they were too tame. They would hop up their deck steps and peck on the patio door, begging for attention!
This time of year, birds are always on our minds. It’s when we finally get to order the new chicks and poults that we have been dreaming about for months! And it’s when I spend an hour a week learning all the bird facts I never wanted to know…
Kate and her two older brothers compete on a 4-H Poultry Knowledge Bowl team, representing our county.
Incubation period of an emu?
Nutritional breakdown of an egg?
Bird diseases?
Duck breeds?
Egg dishes?
My kids could tell you all of this and SCADS more information! As much as I joke around about how random some of the information they need to know is, it is an awesome way for us to pass the darkest days of winter, with some really fun people, and it is a unique opportunity for the kids.

As I said, I’m on my yearly bird kick at the moment, so after my morning prayer, I was struck by the cover of my devotional. It has a gorgeous picture on it, which includes a pelican. Because this large bird isn’t domesticated, we don’t talk about it at Poultry Bowl, so it’s not one that I know much about!
Despite my lack of knowledge, I get to see them quite often! We have a small pond up the road that is home to these fascinating creatures every summer. They are quite the sight, effortlessly floating on top of the water.
Just a few short years ago, I discovered the Divine Pelican imagery. It turns out that the pelican is a symbol of Jesus! If you aren’t familiar with this, wouldn’t you agree that this is super weird??!! If you have heard of this before, you can skip ahead, or feel free to indulge
me.
And to prove that I didn’t make this up, this metaphor dates back to the second century. You can look it up!
When food becomes scarce, a mother pelican will pierce her own breast with her strong beak, breaking open her flesh, and will feed her blood to her young. She dies to herself to save her children.
It almost goes without saying that Jesus, too, shed his blood for the salvation of His spiritual children.
Isn’t that a great analogy? God, the Creator, gives us clues as to Who He Is in the very world around us. Are we paying attention?
God the Creator, You have made this world out of nothing. There are signs of Your goodness and love all around us, hidden in the mural of creation. All things point to You and sing of Your glory! We find You, O Master Painter, in the portrait of the lowly pelican, a small shadow of the sacrifice given at Calvary.
Open our eyes to see the world around us, giving us the sight of the Divine. Help us to see You, to know You, and to Love You, so that we can see, know, and love those around us. Amen.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
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