If you fly away, Gary, God would continue to richly and daily provide you with all that you need to support your body and life, whether you would be willing to admit it or not.

After all, God has made you and all creatures; He has give you your body and soul, your eyes, ears and all your members, your reason and all your senses, and still takes care of them.

He gives you clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, and all that you have.

He defends you from all danger, guards and protects you from all evil, purely out of His Fatherly divine goodness and mercy.

Yep, if you fly away, you will still need God, in spite of yourself.

Wise words JoJOJO......

Reminds me of something I read...

I will share later, when I find it.....

The phrases I used are right out of Luther's Explanation to the First Article, Small Catechism. No wonder it sounded familiar to you. The phases said exactly what I wanted to say.

Ah ha Jo....I am a big fan of that Martin Luther guy!....lol

Me, too!

I found what I was looking for.....

As I look over your comments and research daily in some way to reassure TRUTH once again I see we cannot escape God

HE is always there no matter what for us.....happy times sad times angry times even those times when we are attacked

He sounds like a pretty good guy

I hear His SON is pretty awesome too



The naturalist knows that the supposedly free bird actually lives its entire
life in a cage made of fears, hungers, and instincts; it is limited by weather
conditions, varying air pressures, the local food supply, predatory beasts, and
that strangest of all bonds, the irresistible compulsion to stay within the
small plot of land and air assigned it by birdland committee. The freest bird
is, along with every other created thing, held in constant check by a net of
necessity. Only God is free. – A.W. Tozer

So I get home from work today and Angie is out washing her car....she says "guess what time of year it is?"....I can't.....she said the time of year when we have dead birds in the flower bed....

ohh....we have a brick column at our stairs leading up to the front door, every year birds build their nests in it...we watch and listen...

and clean up bird poo off the porch! ha!

but every year one or two don't make it and fall to the flower bed below and die...

Now then....was it because they were not "survival of the fittest"....was it because God gave up on them?

is it a reminder to us we need God in ALL things?

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die;" - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I would assume that the word 'everything' also refers to the little dead birdies in your flower beds. I don't understand it, but that's OK by me. I don't worry about it either.

Have a Blessed Easter everyone.

Hello everyone. I hope it's alright to join in on your discussion. I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). We use a lot of different terminology from what I've been reading in this link but I see some parallels to my own thoughts especially after this weekend's silent women's retreat I was on. Not many places to share the power experienced these past few days so thought I'd join here.

What comes to my mind is Matthew 6:28 ""And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin." I live in the Light at all times and when lucky in my worship may be able to recognize and be refreshed by the Light. I am more confident that I should not worry or be anxious because worry does not solve anything but also following the Light is not easy but it is a sure Way.

Before making decisions, I sit in silence alone, with my family or with my Meeting's Friends ("meeting" is our place of worship or also the act of being in worship with one or more others; "Friends" are Quakers; "friends" are buddies or pals).

In worship, I find refreshment, comfort, support, clarity and more. So, I am dependent on the Light for all things as I need to be sure that my decisions are housed in the Truth of my faith and practice.

I'm not familiar with the Bible but have been touched by a few lines that are consistent with my faith. In Philippians 4:6, I think the line is close to my thoughts but there is some difference. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I do not petition but reflect in the Light to find consistencies or inconsistencies. I do spend many hours in the Light simply in gratitude. When I'm in crisis, I turn to the Light for so much.

As the Light is inside of me, I do feel free as a bird but maybe it's because the birds and the lillies seem to be all those that are in line with the Light and without worry.

I don't see birds as particularly free. Birds fly because it's in their genetic programming, not because they've chosen "freedom."

Freedom (free will) is both a gift and a burden.

Sometimes I do wish I had the "genetic programming" to do God's will without having to think about it. A bird has that, but it's not freedom.

All creatures except man are exactlly what God wants them to be. They all do exactly what God wants for them.

We're the only creature on the planet who have to (and get to) think about God's Plan and whether or not to participate in it.

The burden and the joy are inseperable. You always do have the choice to ignore God, but you never have the choice of not depending upon Him and his creation.

You can choose to ignore and even disobey God, but you can't choose to live independent of his gifts, because life itself is one of those gifts.

Good Friday!