John

Side view of a pancake tortoise, native to Africa.

The pancake tortoise is thought to be the fastest tortoise on earth. To avoid predators, they can slip quickly under rocks and climb nearly-vertical surfaces.

Opus, a male white-faced saki monkey, grooms his girlfriend, Lexie. The couple have had two children at the zoo. The species is "sexually dimorphic," meaning that boys and girls look different.

Let me help you with that.

A bee pollinates a sunflower.

I love summertime.

A naked-neck chicken at the zoo.

Chickens have their own styles of beauty.

A veterinary technician helps a bearded dragon to wave goodbye to people in the observation window, following a procedure.

A burrowing owl holds a piece of lettuce.

Owl salad

Hello from Trexler Nature Preserve, in Schnecksville, PA!

An alpaca looks into the camera with a pleasant expression.

A smile for you.

And, Evangelicals claim him. It boggles the mind.

What someone is wearing under their graduation gown should be no one else's business.

I wonder who advised 47 to say that after the infamous picture...

A preening blue and gold macaw glances at the camera

May I help you?

This is quite a specialty... and a passion!

A red ruffed lemur in a Pennsylvania zoo sits outdoors with his head back. This species is critically endangered. Zoos are helping to conserve them.

Soaking up some springtime sun.

Beanie is a female two-toed sloth who now makes her home at Elmwood Park Zoo, in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

A new face at the zoo!

A male red kangaroo interacts with a reflective object set in his zoo habitat for enrichment.

George is gorgeous.

I volunteer with two not-for-profits. I have a strong sense of unity, teamwork, and friendship with staff and other volunteers. If I'm feeling lonely, I can do some volunteer work.

Harm also ripples out.

Thanks for being yourself.

A striped skunk emerges from under a plastic stool.

I met Tonks this weekend as part of an animal encounter at the zoo.

Most of the keepers and education specialists in the zoos where I volunteer.

A friend, performing as Sally, from Nightmare Before Christmas.

I wonder if that perspective implies that he expects the US to fight a war during his term.

Abby is a mongoose lemur, a critically endangered species from Madagascar. The image shows Abby's beautiful, orange eyes.

Abby's Elegance

A bald eagle grooms its feathers.

When eagles preen

I read the Luke passage in worship yesterday. As I read, people laughed. I actually stopped and said, "I hear you laughing. This is straight from the Gospel." Then I continued. I've never before experienced people so incredulous about the Gospel.

I served an interim appointment in a UMC in OCMD a few years ago. In that time, I was immersed in the culture of Delmarva. So, I suspect Virginia's regard for this image would vary from one region to another.

The furry ears, and part of the mane, of a zebra. The image shows the textures.

Sometimes, the beauty is in the details.

Sadly, I think those hateful influences come from more sources than their parents.

Now that I'm in extension ministry, there's much less chance of the phone ringing for that reason. But, it was like that for many years. Best wishes to you.