Fear of Birds?  

   When you think of Florida, what comes to mind?

   Alligators? Seagulls? Pythons? Flamingos? Eagles?

   Residents of Westchase, a zip code of 21,000 people between Clearwater and Tampa, think of buzzards. And they ain't happy.

   Turkey vultures have taken over the neighborhood. And because these scavengers are federally protected, people can't fight back.

   One woman told a TV reporter, "We could have 20 to 25 vultures on our roof. They land on our screens, their under-feathers are all over the roof, their droppings are all over the place." 

   These nuisances with a 6-foot wingspan are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They arrived about three years ago. 

   The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has promised to help, but bureaucrats have given no timetable. 

   We live about an hour north of Westchase. It could be us. Yikes! 

Fear of Man 

   When someone learns that you vote differently, they can become unfriendly. Dislike comes with rejection on their face. 

   God knows about the fear of rejection: Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks. Ezekiel 3:9

   Columnist Andree Seu Peterson asks, "If I faint now, what will I do when real persecution comes?"    

   For all things are yours, whether ... the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.  1 Corinthians 3:21-23

            Jimmy