Posted in noticing

Flamingos

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Okay. So, let’s talk yard flamingos.

First of all, is it flamingo or flamingoes? Either is acceptable, but flamingos is more common. It’s good to get that out of the way.

Here in Florida, yard flamingos are common. Until March 2026, the Northern Mockingbird was the state bird. But the state house and senate just passed legislation making the American Flamingo the new state bird. This is just one very important issue the state government in Tallahassee must address. But this post isn’t about politics. It’s about flamingos!

Here in northeast Florida, people love to put metal, plastic, and ceramic flamingos in their front yards. Some have been there for a long, long time. They are faded and rusty. Others are fresh pink plastic versions of the birds we love to see at the zoo in Jacksonville.

Flamingos are pink mostly because they eat brine shrimp.

The collective noun for flamingos is a flamboyance. I love that!

Plastic pink flamingos were first made by Don Featherstone in 1957 (that’s when I was born!). They were designed to be tacky, but also to indicate ownership with no mortgage.

Some say flamingos communicate your courage to be who you are, live your color (what color am I?), and be connected to a flock.

I like all of those directives. However, most of the flamingos in front yards are old, worn, and weathered. They are tired memories of well-intentioned front yard decorating ideas.

One of my granddaughters combined flamingos and penguins into a mythical “flaminguin”. Can you imagine a flamingo in a black and white tuxedo? Or a pink and white penguin? I can. It’s awesome!

Posted in Grace

Grace and peace

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:23).

The apostle Paul begins most of his New Testament letters with this or a similar phrase. I used those words to start many of my sermons, too. To be honest, I’ve always glossed over Paul’s initial greetings to get to the meat of the book of the Bible.

But reading through Ephesians this time, using a bible study app*, I paused to consider the importance of “grace” and “peace.”

What would happen if you brought grace and peace into your relationships and conversations? What if you brought something positive that someone didn’t deserve instead of complaints or criticism? That would definitely be a gift, or, as they say, grace. Your encouragement might bring peace, something that settles a heart or soul.

Here’s the bonus. If you bring grace and peace to a situation, that will be your take home. Preaching God’s grace and the peace we have through Christ hits home with me as well as my audience. I need to hear and believe those truths, too.

Anything that brings grace and peace is powerful. Anyone who brings grace and peace are welcome additions to any gathering. Maybe I could be that anyone. Maybe you could.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

Anonymous neighbors

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Breno Assis on Unsplash

I have three new neighbors who live within one hundred yards of my home. Since the day they moved in, I have never seen them outside of their house.

As you (my readers) know, I walk my dogs at least twice a day. I pass by these homes in the early morning and in the afternoon or evening. I drive from and to my house and out of and into my neighborhood at least once a day. I see cars in the driveway and lights on inside the house. But I have never seen the people who live in these homes.

Do they never come out of their house? Do they spend all their time on the lanai by the pool out back? Does someone deliver their groceries to them? Are they alive? (On TV, people die in their homes and no one discovers them for weeks.) Are they nocturnal, awake at night but asleep during the day?

I know, I should take the first step. I should knock on their door and introduce myself. I should bring cookies or brownies to welcome them to the neighborhood.

But I don’t. I walk by their houses, wondering who’s in there. I naively assume that I’ll see them out and around. I’ll wave when they drive by. they’ll wave when I drive by. I’ll see them cutting the lawn, working in the garden, or washing their car. I’ll pass them walking around the block or gathering mail from the mail box.

Nope. None of that happens. Either they totally isolate themselves or they are completely invisible. I see no one going into our out of their house or garage.

I think that’s amazing. In this digital world, it’s almost impossible to disappear. We leave traces of ourselves everywhere, when we get cash from an ATM, drive through intersections, pay for gas, buy stamps, check email, text a friend, and follow GPS to a destination.

Aren’t there times when we all want to be invisible?

Posted in neighborhood

Mary has a prominent place in this neighborhood

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve been noticing the statuary in the front yards I pass on my morning walks. One that piques my interest is Mary. The one pictured here is a full-sized representation of the mother of Jesus.

Why have a large (or small) statue of Mary in front of your home?

From what I’ve read, a statue of Mary is a profession of faith as well as an appeal for protection for that home and neighborhood. It serves as a reminder of Mary’s faith, encouragement to pray, and a witness to the community.

This family has constructed a small shrine. A nativity sits in front of it through the Christmas season. Colored lights illumine the statue at night.

I’ve never seen a statue of Jesus. I suppose that’s because of the commandment prohibiting graven images. St. Francis of Assisi has a spot in some gardens, reminding us his traditional close connection with flora and fauna.

A seashell sometimes surrounds a statue of Mary. The shell was a symbol of baptism in the early church. It also represented the sea, traditionally connecting Mary with protection for fishermen and sailors.

Posted in language

Entrega de electrodomésticos

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Both appliances showed up at the same time this morning, on two different trucks from two different warehouses. While the washing machine came from Jacksonville, the dryer came from Daytona Beach. I knew my delivery time window, but was surprised when each showed up unannounced. I usually get a text or phone call.

Anyway, I wasn’t surprised that both crews spoke English as a second language. They were all nice and did their jobs well.

I was surprised when the driver of truck number two used his phone to communicate with me. Using a translation app, he spoke into it and then held it up for me to read. When I answered, the phone texted back to him in Spanish. It was the first time a driver was dependent on a translator for delivery.

After he wheeled the dryer into the garage, he looked at me, spoke a few words, and showed me his phone. “You didn’t order installation.” I must have had a puzzled look on my face, because he showed me the screen a second time. I checked my big box store app and sure enough, there was no install on the order. I shrugged and said, “Thank you.” I don’t know why I didn’t say, “Gracias.”

It wasn’t a big deal. I’ve attached a vent and plugged in a dryer before. I was just surprised because the washing machine delivery guys hooked up the water and drain hoses, plugged it in and ran a quick cycle. I did have to watch a video to learn how to switch the door to open from the other side, but it was a pretty easy process.

Google translate is now available in 110 languages. Wow. That’s impressive.

Translation apps are amazing. Unless your cell service is spotty. Or the wifi is down. What if the power goes out? Yikes.

Posted in running

Building Spiritual Endurance: Lessons from Marathon Training

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” (Revelation 13:10; 14:12).

No matter the meaning of the power and influence of the beasts and the wrath and judgments of God in Revelation, believers are called to endurance. Faithfulness is a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to take a while.

It’s been a while since I ran marathons. In preparation, I ran seventy, eighty, and sometimes ninety miles a week. I didn’t run fast. I just ran long distances for a long time. As a marathon race weekend approached, I would do long runs of sixteen, eighteen, and twenty miles, getting used to running several hours at a stretch. It wasn’t easy. But that’s what you do to be able to finish the twenty-six point two miles of a marathon.

How do we develop spiritual endurance? There are other scriptures that provide insight.

  • “The God of endurance” (Romans 15:5). He’s the source. God is faithful. He keeps going and going and going, faithful to his promises throughout our lives. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22).
  • “Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Endurance flows from God’s power. While a capacitor provides a quick burst of electrical energy, a battery provides a constant source of power over a longer period of time. God can ramp it up if needed. But he’s also a constant, steady source of power.
  • “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). As I read through the gospels, Jesus was never in a hurry. He traveled on foot. He stopped for those who cried out for mercy. He took time to rest, pray, eat, and teach. In contrast, I’m busy, impatient, rushed, and hate to be interrupted. What if I let him set the pace?
  • “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3). That’s the one I don’t like. It’s not going to be pleasant. It will be difficult. But you’ll be able to go further next time. You’ll develop endurance.

Do you want to follow Jesus? Are you committed to listening to him, learning from him, and doing what he says? If so, block out some time in your day, because it’s going to take a while to understand, trust, and do what he says. It’s going to take endurance.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I feel like I’m in a cloud

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A thick fog held off daybreak for a few hours this morning. Car headlights revealed tiny droplets of water in the air. I love to look up at clouds in the sky. But now the cloud surrounded me.

My usual morning walk route looks different on a foggy day. I feel like a kid watching black and white TV. Colors have given way to nothing but grays. The street should be lined with houses, but I can only see the next one in front of me. A few cars suddenly emerge from the fog, as surprised to see me as I am them.

Limited visibility creates mystery. Is this the right street? Did I miss a turn? Do I know where I’m at? Who else is out here? Who’s watching me?

As I keep walking, I see the sun trying to break through, burn off the fog, and take over the day. It’s a lot easier to chase away the night. But I know the sun will win out. It always does.

Posted in Life, Travel

Traveling the world on a drive through Florida

Posted on by William Douthwaite
The tower of a citrus processing plant somewhere in southwest Florida

We took two of our grandsons to an Atlanta Braves spring training baseball game at Cool Today Park, a beautiful stadium nestled between Port Charlotte and Venice, Florida. Our drive from northeast Florida took us down interstate highways through Daytona Beach and Orlando, before the GPS routed us down back roads to avoid ever-present slowdowns on I-75.

I took in a part of Florida I had not yet experienced. Some of the roads took us through abandoned orange groves. Others took us through vast cattle ranches and expansive strawberry fields. We passed thetowering citrus processing plants, endless rows of fabric-covered infant orange trees, tobacco stores, gun shops, and Latin-American food trucks of southwest Florida.

I thought I understood redneck Florida. I was wrong. Our drive took us through a whole different world, a strange new world in a state where I have lived for thirty years.

I trusted the Airbnb host’s recommendation for a casual supper place. I haven’t been out to eat in a place where people were smoking for a long, long time. The seating area was technically outside, so they got away with the few patrons who lit up a cigarette. I was happy when they finished up their meal and left.

On the way home, we were the only English-speaking folks inquiring about the restrooms. Nevertheless, everyone was friendly and helpful.

I don’t have to travel far to experience other cultures. They are right down the road.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

From brown to green

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Right now, most of the lawns in my neighborhood are brown and sad looking. A few unusually freezing nights did damage to cold-sensitive shrubs. Only the bright green of fast-growing weeds breaks the everything-is-brown monotony.

At some point, the right amount of daylight, warmer temperatures, and spring rains will throw a switch and shades of green will suddenly appear. New growth will take over yards dormant, and the community will look so much nicer. I can’t wait!

I think it’s amazing God created plants that know when it’s time to go to sleep and the best moment to come back to life. Yes, it will mean resuming weekly cutting and trimming, but it’s worth it. A world alive with color makes me feel alive, too.

Cycles of brown and green remind me that I’m not always going to flourish or produce, either. Creativity wanes and waxes. At the right time and with the right conditions, I thrive, too.