God is an awesome artist

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[visionary]

 

[visionary]

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

This one is pretty crazy but I thought to share it anyway.

BBC Nature: 'Brinicle' ice finger of death filmed in Antarctic - YouTube

 

[visionary]

 

[visionary]

This just happened about 1 hr from where I live.

 

[yedida]

What is it?

 

[visionary]

Tsunami Air Waves.

 

[yedida]

Tsunami Air Waves.

They kinda look like Nessy was visiting 'bamy. Strange......

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Regarding the Avian world, Peacocks have always been some of the most stunning/beautiful works of the Lord I've ever seen:

And apart from that, Tigers are truly some of the most stunning creatures in all of creation:

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Have you ever happened to come across a series on Animal Planet known as "Planet Earth" by the way? Truly one of the most brilliant series I've ever seen, with a good number of episodes that cover nearly all aspects of the planet in its beauty...and that took YEARS to create.

For more, one can go here...or here:

Planet Earth Great Plains Part 1 5

Planet Earth Pole to Pole pt 1

Mexico's Caves 1/2 - YouTube

Planet Earth, the Ocean(1/2) - YouTubejavascript:void(0)​

 

[visionary]

Have you ever happened to come across a series on Animal Planet known as "Planet Earth" by the way? Truly one of the most brilliant series I've ever seen, with a good number of episodes that cover nearly all aspects of the planet in its beauty...and that took YEARS to create.

For more, one can go here...or here:

Planet Earth Great Plains Part 1 5

Planet Earth Pole to Pole pt 1

Mexico's Caves 1/2 - YouTube

Planet Earth, the Ocean(1/2) - YouTubejavascript:void(0)​

Seeing what God creates gives me a warm feeling inside.. thank you.. they are beautiful.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Seeing what God creates gives me a warm feeling inside.. thank you.. they are beautiful.

Glad to know that it blessed you

The entire documentary series was bananas--and I cried in one of them after being awestruck by just how complex the world is...as nothing so beautiful could have just happened on its own--and even if it did, sad to see others not value it.


On a bittersweet note, it's interesting to consider how the entire series was done by people who (to my knowledge) aren't even believers--and as said elsewhere, it does seem odd how many of the materials/tools utilized in the world of zoology/studying the natural world are often held in the hands of the unsaved...while many who are believers feel that doing such documentaries is not really the realm that believers need to be focused on glorifying the Lord in. Why others do so puzzles me seeing how other men of renown, such as King Solomon, exercised his wisdom in becoming well-versed in the dealings of that world of creation:

1 Kings 10:22/1 Kings 10:5
Solomon’s Splendor

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships[] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
​

​

The extent that Solomon's navy was able to travel throughout his reign is interesting in...with some speculating that his reach extended globally due to the desire he had for research/study and collecting wisdom--as King Solomon's insatiable scientific curiosity, included the desire to learn about the flora and fauna of foreign lands ( I Kings 4:29-33 ).

1 Kings 4:29-33


29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.
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And with all of the exotic cargo of animals/materials he was able to get with the part of his fleet that came back only after having LONG stretches of time (3yrs ), one must really consider that Solomon LOVED studying the creation of the Lord. He was a botanist/zoologist.

IMHO, it's interesting to see how often it's the case that you'll hear believers discuss how they wish to be a Christian Lawyer, a Christian Theologian, a Christian Doctor......and yet, when was the last time you heard someone say they wanted to be a disciple of Yeshua that's a Scientist (who believes in Theistic Evolution)? Or a believer who's an Astronomer interested in finding life in the universe apart from here?

It truly is a trip----and for me, as I love those fields, it's sad that believers often seem afraid to even TOUCH those fields that people in the world do daily....and ironic since we rely on the information others gather from those fields on "Discovery Channel", "National Geographic", the Smithsonian Muesuem and other mediums for research, yet believers back away due to feeling like their faith will fall apart.

I wish more believers were involved in doing activities such as studying GOd's creation/the natural world and taking seriously the call/cry to defend it....as it's no small deal whenever the artwork of the Lord is descrated. I've always been a big proponent of what's known as Creation Care/environmental stewardship, as we only have one world that the Lord gave and I believe that if we take care of it, it'll take care of us.....and in seeing the impact of man's actions upon the natural world, it has been saddening to see how much callousness there seems to be toward nature.

It is difficult for me to renconcile what man does to the natural world in many ways because of how his actions impact the state of men---who suffer because of many things we choose not to do, be it in water preservation or protecting endangered species...reforestation or addressing things such as how crude OIL has truly destroyed much.


Some of the things that man has done toward the world are not surprising....for in example (as shared elsewhere), there are MANY nations in Asia where the economy is struggling--and the evidence of this can be seen in many of the trades they allow/support there which are apart of the Black Market/Underworld dealings, be it the SEX-Slave Trade or SweatShopes and many other horrendous things that others have died from. A year ago, I was able to come across an article at work that dealt with the issue of how smuggling wildlife is one of the top industries in the world---a symptom of the black market and organized crime....and in many ways, a rape of the natural world due to the bad economies of certain Asian nations. Some of these animals are killed for traditional medicines as well as for food...sometimes, exotic foods.


And for more info on the issue, one can go online/consider investigating the following under their respective titles:

• "Asia's Wildlife Trade >> National Geographic Magazine" ( )
• Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices - Google
• Everyday Justice » Blog Archive » Ending Mountaintop Removal
• "Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal & The Fight for Coalfield Justice
• "Wildlife Smuggling: Why Does Wildlife Crime Reporting Suck? (PHOTOS) " ( c)
• "Asia Being Plundered of its Wildlife through Organized Crime to Fuel Multi-Billion Dollar Industries" ( )
• "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity By Ronald J. Sider" ) (as seen here )

What saddens me more, however, is to see the responses of Believers. For many have an eschatological view that the world is dying/on its way to Hell..and therefore, when the Lord comes to rapture us out of it, He'll bring judgement. In their views, there is no point for man to try and make a difference. For others, their viewpoint is that nature was meant to be subjected to MAN's dominion.......which in their minds equates to man having DOMINATION of nature and allowed to do whatever he desires. For myself, I cannot see that due to how the Lord seemed to have Adam/Eve in the garden caring for it-----as Genesis 2 makes clear

Genesis 2:7
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Revelation 11:18
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
​

From what I've been able to see in the scriptures, there were many cases where the Lord was angry at the ways in which man seemed to be flippant with his creation since the Lord noted how he sustained it----and it was a reflection of His glory......essentially meaning that defaming creation for its own sake was akin to a person defamining a masterpiece. Although I understand that man was given dominion, I've never been under the mindset that scripture meant to say that man was meant to abuse nature.

Thankfully, there has been in recent years a growing number of Jews that have been developing a deeper connection to Judaism and the Jewish community through environmental activism. They are part of a larger movement of faith-based environmentalists who are seeking to reshape the environmental debate along theological lines. ..and bring back perspective to what the Torah says about not only valuing the artistry in God's creation--but actively guarding it.

For more info, one can go to the following:

• A Jewish Response to the Environmental Crisis - COEJL

• ‘Green’ Jews gather force in environmental movement

Other excellent places to go to are ones such as Magazine - Flourish and the following:

Doctor-turned-environmental-activist Matthew Sleeth ​

Matthew Sleeth: Environmental Stewardship Series ...​

Emma Sleeth: Environmental Stewardship Series, Part 2

• FORA.tv - Evangelical Environmentalism
• Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action - Page 257
• For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care
• The Gospel According to the Earth: Why the Good Book Is a Green Book - Page xiv

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Creepy yet captivating. Almost hard to believe that it's really real...

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Seeing what God creates gives me a warm feeling inside.. thank you.. they are beautiful.

You'd love this one, I think:

IMAX Tropical Rainforest - YouTube

Planet Earth: The Blue Planet P1
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Video -- Coral Reefs -- National Geographic



o: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies ...​

 

[yedida]

To Easy
I agree, there is nothing as magnificent as the tiger. The face of the American mountain lion (cougar) is gorgeous as is the Cheetah. (Guess it shows I'm a bit partial to cats!! hehehe) Add to the list of beautiful felines that little face to your upper left hand corner of this post!!
There are no words to describe the male peacock or a black swan.
Among the pics you shared, is that a white peacock? I've never seen one or even heard of such, are they rare? Whatever it is, it's absolutely stunning!!

 

[Gxg (G²)]

To Easy
I agree, there is nothing as magnificent as the tiger.

The levels people will go to in order to be near them, as stunning as they are, can be rather amazing. There was a documentary on Animal Planet once that I saw where it discussed a man who actually had one in his apartment, with that man living in the hood/having an affinity for exotic pets. Truly a trip..and for more, one can go here:

Fatal Attractions: A Tiger in Harlem : Video : Animal Planet​

Shed G Comments On Man Living with Tiger in ...


Fatal Attractions: Big Cats : Videos : Animal Planet​

A Tiger In New York City Housing Projects Apartment 02 Of 18​

Sad to hear what occurred with the tiger named Ming--and on that note, there was something else that happened recently where a man commiting suicide let loose all of the exotic cats on his game preserve, with the police choosing to shoot all of them. It happened up north in Ohio, I think...but it ticked me off.

The face of the American mountain lion (cougar) is gorgeous as is the Cheetah.

I agree. Cats are truly marvelous creatures. Truthfully, if I could choose to become any animal I'd like, it'd probably be a big cat of some sort...as the sheer grace/power and beauty that they have is astounding. It's one of the reasons that Catwoman is so cool

(Guess it shows I'm a bit partial to cats!! hehehe) Add to the list of beautiful felines that little face to your upper left hand corner of this post!!

She's adorable..and I was wondering at one point who she was...​

There are no words to describe the male peacock or a black swan.​

Black swans are truly beautiful. But then again, so are the white ones......and with the male peacocks, they are truly a beauty to behold.​

Among the pics you shared, is that a white peacock? I've never seen one or even heard of such, are they rare? Whatever it is, it's absolutely stunning!​

I actually never knew there were white peacocks. I just started looking into it after seeing one of my all-time favorite film series, "Kung Fu Panda"---as the villian in the second one was a white peacock named Lord Shen. One of the baddest villians of all time and a beauty to see in action...and truthfully, when I actually went/found out how they were real, I was tripped out. I've been to peacock farms before/seen them walk around, but I never knew there were white ones.​

WHITE PEACOCK ​

 

[Gxg (G²)]

There are no words to describe the male peacock or a black swan.

Would love to own both of them one day if finances allow and the space can be made for them. Of course, being a BIG animal lover since I was young, making room at the house for having animals at all is a priority. It'd help economically as well with saving money by taking time to raise my own livestock. Thought about buying some chickens when I have the funds for it, though I'd rather have exotic birds first such as a peacock.


Yes, it may sound wild/odd to some....but I do have a bit of a thing for them. They are very beautiful animals and its wild to see them in action. As it turns out, they're now becoming something of a surprise to others wondering where they are at... especially in light of what has happened with others now buying/raising them as much as chickens. Some cute examples:

Da Peacocks Pt.3

Peacock terrorist

turkey vs. peacock

Feeding our Peacocks and Chickens

Koki and the Peacocks and chickens


Pua the Puppy and Sunny the Peacock in Maui

Feeding Chickens and Peacocks at the Princess Bavaro, DR ​

Some think its funny to see peacocks raised with chickens...but I recently read 1 Kings 10:22 and was amazed.

For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. (2 Chronicles 9:21 KJV)

​

Though I was confused on why a king like Solomon needed apes/baboons for display--unless he was a "Jane Goodall" type of person---I could definately dig how he loved to collect peacocks. Hoping I'd be able to own one someday and be able to have a family who could handle it...

 

[visionary]

Beautiful clouds.. Just for us cloud watchers..

Lenicular clouds

 

[yedida]

Thanks for posting that. I especially liked the two fiery clouds atop the mountain and then the very next shot looked like one of them took off flying looking like a UFO!! Just so cool.