African penguins say 'Hi'

Three weeks ago when I was in England visiting our daughters, I went to Bristol zoo with Cam and we had a great time. Arent' they cute! Here is the story behind their presence in this zoo!

The African penguin is the only penguin found in Africa and the global population fell by 70% between 2001 and 2013. They are now classified as Endangered by the IUCN red list, with less than 18,000 mating pairs left in the wild. Without continued support and research, there is a substantial risk that this species could become extinct.

Why are these penguins endangered?
One of the primary causes of the decline in African penguins is overfishing, both near breeding colonies as well as in their key location, the Benguela ecosystem off the coast of Namibia. Ever increasing fishing pressure on the primary food source of the penguins (sardines and anchovies), has meant that traditional feeding grounds for the penguins off the Namibian coast have become severely depleted. 

This results in low adult penguin survival and poor body condition outside of the breeding season. One of the major ramifications of this, as well as low fish stocks near breeding colonies themselves, is that hundreds of penguin chicks are being abandoned by the parents in winter time every year. 

This is because adult penguins need to be in good condition prior to moulting (which they do when their chicks are young), as they are unable to swim, and therefore forage during this time. 

However, because of their condition and the lack of fish, they are not able to provide enough food for their chicks and they are subsequently abandoned and would normally starve to death.

What are we doing to protect African penguins?

Since 2006, Bristol Zoological Society has been working with a local conservation centre, SANCCOB, to hand-rear abandoned chicks. 

In 2016 alone, early 1,000 chicks were rescued and, of these, 83% have already been released back into the wild. SANCCOB also rescue and rehabilitate penguins that have been the victim of oil spills in the area. 

We are also involved with monitoring the penguin population on Robben Island with a number of national and international partners. This contributes to a critical dataset that allows scientists to evaluate the population change very closely and trial a number of strategies to improve survival and breeding success.

Read more, click here!

God's personal care for believers in Christ!

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.

As God is perfect, so His care must also be perfect and complete. The following overview covers some of the key areas of God’s personal care for believers in Christ as His beloved children. These are truths that are of special importance to new believers.

Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Minds

A. God expects us to be radically transformed.

God expects that, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be radically changed. 

In Romans 12:2 he tells us, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewing of your minds." This transformation is to be a metamorphosis, of a magnitude at least comparable to that by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. He expects us to become totally different.

Scripture uses many different images to express the change that should occur:

We become "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17). It is almost as if we become a new species. Scripture speaks of the "first Adam" who was earthly and fell into sin, and the "second Adam" (Jesus Christ) who was sinless and holy (Rom 5:12-19; 1 Cor 15:44-49).

We are "made new in the attitude of your minds" (Eph 4:23).

We "put off your old self" and "put on the new self" (Eph 4:22,24; Col 3:9-10).

We "live by the Spirit" and not by the flesh (Gal 5:16; Rom 8:13).

We become "instruments of righteousness" rather than "instruments of wickedness" (Rom 6:13).

We have "been buried with him through baptism into death" in order that "we may live a new life" (Rom 6:4).

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20).

We have "been set free from sin and have become slaves to God" (Rom 6:22). We are no longer "slaves to sin, which leads to death", but have become "slaves to ... obedience, which leads to righteousness" (Rom 6:16).

We are rescued ("translated" KJV) from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God's son (Col. 1:13). Our citizenship and our allegiance has been changed.

We have become adopted sons of God (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:15-16).
We are "born again" (John 3:3,5); born from above, of the spirit and not the flesh.

Each of these metaphors, in a different way, emphasizes the magnitude of the change that is expected. Each is dramatic and astonishing in itself; their cumulative effect is even more powerful. We are talking about a tremendous transformation. It should be visible to others, but its internal effect should be far greater than what others can perceive.

Source, click here