PUFFINS!! and sparrows

these puffins that look like they're having a conversation :)
http://www.isleauhaut.com/images/puffin2.jpg

I just wanted to take the time to talk about my most favorite animal ever. PUFFINS!
Why do I like them so much? Well, for one thing, they're really super duper cute and it makes me quite happy to see one. They have huge, pretty beaks and tiny eyes and they're round and look kind of soft and feathery. What's not to love? Another reason why I like them so much is because of the noise they make. Here's a link to a website I found with a puffin noise.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/atlantic-puffin/
Isn't it so amusing that God actually created an animal that sounds almost identical to a lawnmower? It makes me love Him all the more when I think about the ridiculous variety of animals that he invented Himself. Talk about creativity! From giraffes to butterflies to hippopotamuses (and let's not forgot those irresistibly adorable puffins), God dreamed up every single type of animal and knows each of them. Now, this actually reminds me of another type of bird as well. Sparrows. There's a pretty famous verse in the Bible about sparrows: it's
Matthew 10:29, which says, "Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing it.(NIrV)"
I did some research on sparrows a few years ago, and I found out that they were brought to the United States from Europe and Asia as pets. As soon as they started getting loose into the wild, though, people soon realized that the cute little birds were quite a nuisance. In fact, in the early 1900s, store owners started giving pennies to children who brought in sparrow heads! Wow! That's pretty gross (but I know some fairly "violent" people that would actually enjoy doing that... but I won't say anymore about them)
But, the point is, God cares about every tiny sparrow. Every time one of those little Victorian  children shot down a sparrow to earn a penny so they could go buy candy or whatever those kids bought with their money back then, God knew about it. Now, I'm not trying to say that we should treat animals like equals; definitely not! Nor am I trying to say that we have leeway to treat them poorly. We were put in dominion over them, so we need to find a balance between valuing them as animals and treating them kindly, and valuing them overly as equals to humans and as emotional, spiritual creatures. But, that is another topic for another discussion. The point I want to get across is this.
"So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31 (NIrV)
That's it. God cares SO much for the animals that he gives them each a unique appearance, and even personality. If he cares that much for each puffin and each sparrow, than can you imagine how much he infinitely loves YOU, the one he created in his image; uniquely and wonderful, and the one he sent his only son to die for?
That's a lot of love!

House Sparrow

The Mario Kart Analogy

Lakitu
 http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/mario/images/6/66/Lakitu_NSMB.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080320015213

I don't know about any of you, but I am a fan of the highly addictive video game called Mario Kart. If you aren't familiar with this video game, it is basically a racing game where the player drives around a go-kart and tries to get to the finish line first. Simple enough, right? Well, there are a few added challenges in the game. The first is that you and other players can use various "weapons" to slow each other down. The second challenge is the track itself. It can be nearly impossible to navigate some of the tracks, especially when there are crazy drops and twists and turns. Here's a picture of one of the worst tracks, ever and it's called Rainbow Road...

Rainbow Road
http://images.eurogamer.net/modojo.com/features/735/rainbowroadDS.jpg

 Notice that you could easily fall off both edges... yikes... that's why I don't particularly like this track.
However, when you see this, you're probably thinking, "what in the WORLD does this have to do with God?"
Well, there's this character in the game that I find interesting. It's name is Lakitu. In the game, whenever you fall off the edge of the road (which happens quite often to me, especially on Rainbow Road) or land in water or fall into a volcano( and yes, there is a track with one of those...), it flies over on its little cloud thing and rescues you. Also, if you get disoriented during gameplay and start to go backwards, it flies down and holds out a useful little sign that tells you to turn around! For some strange reason, I was pondering  this Bible verse the other day and it actually reminded me of Lakitu.
"Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory." Psalm 50:15 (NLT)
Here's another verse,
"He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name." Psalm 23:3 (NLT)
I don't know about you, but sometimes my life really feels like that Rainbow Road. I fall off the edge every five seconds and feel like I'm dragging behind everyone else. But, it's so comforting to think that there is someone there who will guide you in the right direction and save you every time you fall; even if you do it over and over again, he's still there to rescue you. There's my thought on video games and God; who knew that they could relate to each other?

Lakitu saving Mario
http://boomansion.net/media/artwork/smk/lakitu2.jpg