SAVING

By Krysta Denzer

Easter brings our focus to a very important topic—salvation by the grace of God through Christ crucified and resurrected, the Lamb of God and atonement for our sins. God has written the papers for us, and His Son paid our debt. All we have to do is accept the agreement and sign the papers with our faith. It is a transaction in which we trade the control of our own lives to Christ in return for our ransom and forgiveness. In surrendering to God, we gain true freedom and eternal life. Christ, the greatest hero the universe has ever known, has saved us. As Christians we are called to follow the example of Christ. Not neglecting our spiritual duty to spread the gospel, what else are we supposed to save?

In Genesis 2:8, 9, & 15 it says, “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 1:27-29 (NIV) further describes how God gave the earth to mankind as our responsibility. “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'”

Later, as Noah and his family came out of the ark, God commanded them to “Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” (Genesis 8:17 & 9:2-3)

So we see that God has given the earth and everything on it for mankind to use and to care for. Even the animals, now declared food and with a natural fear of man, were meant to be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. Our resources are to be used wisely. If you had only one garden, from which all your food must come for the rest of your life, how would you manage it? Would you eat all your fruits and leave no seeds for planting? Would you hunt all your game at once and leave none to reproduce for the future?

Christ has saved us, and God saved Noah's family and all the creatures aboard the ark. Here we have an example. But how well are we doing to save the earth which God has given us? We have a responsibility to guard the earth, and to help it produce abundantly. Have we been wise stewards, or poor ones? Regardless of what has happened in the past, there is much that we can do in the present. Simple lifestyle choices and small daily actions can greatly minimize negative impacts on our global garden. We live in a consumer society; however, it is not wise to take much from the earth, unless you are prepared to give much back. It is better to take less and to harvest better in the first place than to have to spend time making up for damage done.

Sea Turtles

Tuesday, April 19^th several families gathered on the beach at Bon Secour to learn how to save and protect the sea turtles that nest on Alabama shores. All of them are either threatened or endangered species.

Sea turtle nesting season lasts from May through October; females may make several nests per season and lay an average of 100 leathery, ping-pong-size eggs per nest. The turtles return to the same beach where they were born to lay their own nests.

What does a sea turtle nest look like? There would be a “crawl line,” a distinctive set of tracks, from the water to the nest and back (although some of it may have been washed away by the tide). The crawl line would show markings from the female's flippers as she “swam” her way over the sand, with a large drag marking in the middle from her body. The nest itself is shaped rather like an upside-down lightbulb, stuffed with eggs, gently refilled and compressed, and lies underneath a patch of disturbed sand.

An expert from Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge teaches about the sea turtles. The large shell and the skull in the woman's hand (left) are from a loggerhead sea turtle, named for its large head size compared to other turtles. Loggerheads are the main sea turtles that nest in Alabama. The woman on the right holds the much-smaller shell of the average land tortoise.

Students excavated, relocated, and marked a mock sea turtle nest. When relocating, experts try to place each egg into the new nest in the same position it had in the original nest. Nests are moved if they are too close to the water or other dangers.

Sea turtles suffer very high mortality rates within the first two years of life. Only about 1% survive.

So, what can you do to help save the sea turtles?

• Avoid disturbing sea turtle tracks.
• Never disturb sea turtles or their nests. (This is a federal offense.)
• Never leave trash on the beach or anywhere besides a trash can. Animals can mistake trash for prey and become very sick from eating it.
• Bring all beach furniture (chairs, umbrellas, etc) in and off the beach. If you leave it out, a female sea turtle could run into it and turn back around into the ocean without ever laying her nest!
• On and around the beach, keep porch and house lights off and do not use a flashlight. Hatchlings are attracted to the light; normally the reflection of the moon on the water guides them to the ocean, but house and street lights can cause them to go in the opposite direction!
• Volunteer or sponsor a nest. Call 251-653-NEST or email adopt1@alabamaseaturtles.com. Visit AlabamaSeaTurtles.com.