Jewel # 318 (April 30, 2018)

glass frog of South America

desert spadefoot toad

“And They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

Make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Frogs and Toads Beyond Number  

"By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth. . . . 

All things were created by Him, and for Him.”

(Colossians 1:16)

A tiny frog in Central America, the pygmy marsupial, lays a small number of sticky eggs each spring.  Somehow, using her legs, the the mother transfers them into slits on her back where she carries them for many days.  She does this until they are ready to hatch into  tadpoles.  Then she finds a good spot in the water, hops in, releases the eggs into the water and swims away, leaving them to take care of themselves.

The glass frog of South America is well-named, for its entire body, including the legs, is transparent and looks like it was made out of glass.  Its eggs look like little green-coloured beads or marbles.  At hatching time, the father frog guards these eggs and makes sure they are always kept moist.

The last one we will look at is the desertspade foot toad, whose home is in a hot, desert area of Arizona.  This shy brownish-green fellow, with huge bulging green eyes, is only seen when heavy rains fill up otherwise empty stream-beds, making pools along the edges.  Then, amazingly, several of these may come out of the muddy ground.  The females lay a few eggs which they attach to rocks and plants at the edge of the water.  Several days later little ones hatch out and find food of some kind, enabling them to grow full size.  When the water in the stream begins to dry up, they quickly bury themselves in the mud, using their back feet as shovels, and remain there until new rains come—maybe many months later.  No one has been able to figure out how they live and even grow down in the muddy ground.  It is certainly another of the wonders of God’s creation, and we know He is caring for them even in their unusual way of life.

We could go on and on, always being reminded of the wonders of God’s creation and His preserving care over all things.  Just think how much more He cares for men, women, boys and girls.  One way is that He has given us the ability to read His Word, the Bible, and learn how good He is to us.  There we learn how much He loves us and how the Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of those who trust Him.  

How thankful we should be that He gave His life for us, so that we could accept Him as Saviour.  

Have you done this?        

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 317 (April 18, 2018)

Golden Toad

Rhinoderrma darwini

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Frogs and Toads Beyond Number (Part 1)

“God made . . . everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind”  (Genesis 1:25).

Many people don’t like frogs or toads, but these creatures are beneficial because they eat tremendous amounts of insects that would otherwise be pests.  In remarkable varieties, millions of frogs and toads are in just about every warm part of the world.  Here are a few.

The golden toad lives in Costa Rica.  The entire body of the male is a bright golden orange, but the female has areas of mixed colours—most made of spots about the size of a penny.

Another unusual one is the red-eyed Mediterranean tree frog.  It lives in the swamps of Spain.  Its throat and lower mouth are white as snow, but sides are pale yellow with big spots of black.  Its underparts are bright green.  It can change colours to match its surroundings if danger is near.

A tiny one in Chile has the strange name of rhinoderma darwini.  Its back and legs are bright red, but it belly is dark green.  Instead of laying eggs in ponds, this one lays them on moist ground.  When they hatch and begin to develop, the male frog snatches them into his mouth.  He doesn’t eat them, but keeps them there until the frogs finally develop and hop out.

Poison dart frogs have  this name because their poisonous skin is used by some South American hunters on the points of their hunting darts.  This frog’s eggs are laid on damp ground.  When the young hatch, the mother carries them piggyback to a water-filled plant high in a tree.  She brings them food there until they are able to care for themselves.

Still another variety seems to eat the eggs it lays.  The female actually tucks them away in the back of her mouth where they grow into froglets.  Then she spits them out without harm.

In North America all frogs lay eggs in water and leave them entirely on their own.  But in some tropical places, certain species provide additional care for their eggs, as well as the tadpoles hatching from them.

In parts of Europe, an unusually long-legged brown frog, covered with black spots, rises on its long legs and puffs out its round body with a fierce look.  It does this to scare away snakes that come to attack it.

In our opening Bible verse, the truth of God’s way of creation is explained to us with the words “after his kind.”  This makes it plain that nothing would ever be able to change into something else.  All things—including humans were created just as we see them today.  Another Bible verse also plainly explains this:  "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is but one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds”  (1 Corinthians 15:39).  The Bible gives us the truth.

Love you all  - Grandpa  

Jewel # 316 (April 12, 2018)

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

The Spectacular Humpback Whale

“God created great whales, and every living creature . . . which the waters

brought forth abundantly, after their kind.”

(Genesis 1:21)

Some humpback whales are 39-52 feet long and can weigh up to 40 tons.  They may be identified by their characteristic hump-like roll of fat on their backs.  These whales are extremely strong, with large flippers 12-13 feet long, and huge, flat tails controlling their motions.  They can swim 25 miles per hour and at times dive nearly a mile below the surface.  They are also considered playful animals, as they are known for breaching (leaping into the air and landing with a splash) and slapping the water with their tails and flippers.

Although they seem gentle and playful, they can be dangerous too.  Anyone closing in on a mother with her calf will find her quite ready to smash their small boat with a slap of her tail.   

Looking down on one of these whales from above, its black back is not easy to distinguish from he dark water, and looking up from underneath, its white underparts blend with the sky.  These safeguards are provisions of the Creator, helping to protect them from their enemies—mainly whale hunters from above and sharks and killer whales from below.

Of all mammals, whales are most completely at home in water, although they have to come up to the surface for air from time to time.  Rising to the surface, they blow out stale air from their lungs through ”blowholes” on their backs.  These look like water spouts, shooting up to 12 feet or more into the air.  Actually, it is their hot moist breath condensing as it hits the colder air above the water.

Humpbacks are in all oceans, but the greatest numbers are in the Pacific Ocean.  Many of these spend winters in the cold waters of Alaska and the Bering Sea where food is plentiful.  Their thick coat of blubber keeps them warm in these cold waters.  In spring they migrate, some to Mexico and some to Hawaii (distances of about 6000 miles). Both places provide tropical waters where the females give birth to their calves, and shortly thereafter all return north.  In the Atlantic Ocean, similar migrations are made from northern Canadian waters to warm, southern  areas.  These migrations can be seen by people along those shores, just as they can be seen along the West Coast shores.

We may wonder how these large creatures know when it is time to leave for the southern waters and how they find their way over such great distances.  Like all creatures that migrate, they follow God-given instincts that guide and instruct them.

How much more important it is for us to know the way to heaven, for we can never get there by our own efforts.  The only way is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, 

“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Are you trusting Him?

Love you all - Grandpa