Sugar Glider

Madison got to see a sugar glider tonight for the first time.  But the same could be said for Mommy and Daddy too.  We've apparently led a sheltered life:  neither of us had ever heard of a sugar glider before. There was an early comparison to a flying squirrel - which we thought this very well could be.  But it isn't a rodent at all.  It's a marsupial.



Here's a close-up of Minnie.  These sugar gliders are actually from Australia - you can tell by their accent.

Tonight was a different message about animals, and how they are all important to us - and how we should treat them with respect.  This is Biblical, although not the typical Bible message you expect.  Still, if we're doing an animal series, it only makes sense to state the obvious:

     “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.”

     Didn’t God do a wonderful thing when He created so many wonderful animals that cover the earth? Each one is special, an amazing testament to His creative powers. From alligators to skunks, from rhinos to bearcats, from raccoons to giraffes, and from polar bears to flamingos – the list can go on and on and on!

     God cares for every animal. According to Psalm 147:9, “He gives animals their food and feeds the young ravens when they call.” His love for His creation was such that when a great flood threatened to wipe out everything that lived on the earth, he protected the animals by sending two of every creature into Noah’s Ark.

     Animals are important to God. They should be important to us as well – after all, animals affect us in many, many ways. Some are obvious, such as wool clothing, the food we eat or even jewelry with pearls. But in other ways, animals save us a lot of trouble. Certain bats and birds consume millions of insects that could bite us or ruin our crops. Other types of animals help pollinate plants, trees and crops that help us eat and even breathe.

     That’s why we should treat animals with respect. In the book of Proverbs it says, “Those who do what is right take good care of their animals.” God is watching to see if we’ll follow the golden rule, even when it comes to His creation – so respect all animals, and marvel at the astounding variety. Go to a zoo, do some research, or just get outside and check out those amazing animals!

So tonight we met one of those amazing animals, and we also spent time talking about a recent rescue story involving an elephant named Raju.  This poor creature has been abused for fifty years, and just a week ago, a team came to rescue him from such a terrible situation.  The best part of all is seeing an elephant cry tears of joy at being rescued.  We had no idea that elephants cried, which makes these noble creatures all the more incredible.  We're so happy for Raju - if only someone knew about all this earlier.

Madison had a good time tonight at church, and a great day today too.  She was helping Mommy pack for our upcoming trip, which isn't that far away.  We've still got plenty to do, but nobody's stressed so much.  We're blessed to go, and everything seems to be lining up just right!