About this time each year, I start looking forward to the return of the brightly colored yellow finches that will gorge themselves at my birdfeeders. They will be joined by other guests, Blue Jays, Robins, and Redheaded woodpeckers.
To be honest, today is the first day I’ve thought about the woodpeckers; and, I can thank the internet for that. While I was checking my news feed on Twitter, I read a story about some acorn woodpeckers.
Audubon’s field guide for birds, describes these birds as a “clown-faced… western woodpecker with a complicated social structure, living in small colonies. Best known for its habit of hoarding acorns.”
According to National Geographic, some of these clown-faced little devils had stashed some 300 pounds of acorns in a wireless antenna in California. Jim Greer, spokesman for AT&T, commented on the situation: “Moisture and sheer volume caused the microwave signal to finally give out. As soon as the acorns were released, the signal came right back on.”
A single acorn did not render the antenna inoperative; however, it was the first step towards an impaired signal. As the acorns accumulated, eventually the signal between the antenna and the customers went silent.
In this instance acorns are like sin, the power of one might not be noticed; however, when they accumulate, they can be detrimental. The prophet Isaiah knew this to be true, and he said: “Your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers (Isaiah 59:2).”
The answer to the dilemma is to dump the acorns. This is accomplished through confession. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).”
In Psalm 135, a vivid contrast is painted in broad strokes that compares the almighty and robust God of King David to the puny and powerless idols of the Canaanites. The Psalmist describes the inept and impotent gods: They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.
If you could look inside your head, would you find the thought center of your mind dotted with the warts of worry and the ulcers of anxiousness?
As I was leaving the coffee shop this morning, I looked to my right to see if it was ok to cross the parking lot. Since the car at the drive-up window was stopped, I felt I could safely walk to my truck. 
Have you ever had that feeling that you’re being watched? It may be more than just a feeling. Comparitech, a company that is known for its, Thousands of hours of in-depth tech research, has discovered, the world’s most-surveilled cities.
On this stormy morning, it has occurred to me that a person will never be like a fruitful tree planted by the rivers of water (
The older I get, the more often I hear the question: Don’t you remember how it used to be?
I started today as I do most days–with a cup of coffee and the Psalms. As I was reading Psalms 31, I stopped to consider the 24th verse: Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the 
Most people who know me call me by the shortened form of my name. Although my birth certificate reads, Stanley Lee Seymour, most people call me Stan. An etymological search of Stan reveals that it is Old English in origin and means rocky meadow or from the stony field.
It is 4:19, and I’ve finished the first part of my morning routine: I just swallowed the last drop of my first cup of coffee.
insightbyseymour 