Winter/Snow - Thomas Trock

Deer and the Weather IV

January 15, 2024 by Thomas Trock

O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions – Psalm 104:24 One very cold winter morning, this snow-covered young buck walked through our backyard. I think the temperature was close to single digits. The water in the black bucket at the animal’s feet was frozen solid. Deer generate internal body heat by burning energy from the food they’ve eaten. This internal heating system allows the deer to keep a relatively constant body temperature regardless of the surrounding environment. The body temperature of a healthy white-tailed deer such …

Snow Flowers I

February 27, 2023 by Thomas Trock

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. “He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. … We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us. No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.” – Job 37:5-6, 23-24 NLT Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. – James 4:10 NKJV “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things …

Ice Out

February 13, 2023 by Thomas Trock

Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws. – Psalm 147:18 NLT On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me. – John 7:37-38 NLT As I mentioned in an earlier post, most people living in colder climates have experienced water in three forms – liquid, solid (ice), and gas …

Deer and the Weather – III

January 30, 2023 by Thomas Trock

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5 Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers. – Proverbs 11:14 NLT I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 “For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. – 2 Samuel 22:32-34 Have you ever walked with someone in …

Snow Tracks – Raccoon

January 2, 2023 by Thomas Trock

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 On an early morning hike through freshly fallen snow, Cosmos the Wonderdog, my wife, and I came upon the tracks pictured above. They were probably made just a few hours earlier, …

Deer and the Weather II

February 14, 2022 by Thomas Trock

How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them. Psalm 111:2 NLT Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Colossians 1:15-17 NLT Deep snow …

Icy Rain Chain

January 31, 2022 by Thomas Trock

Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes. Job 38:29-30 NLT Almost everything contracts when frozen. Water, (H2O), however, is one of the few substances that actually expands when it cools from a liquid to a solid. At about 39º F, water expands slightly. But at 32º F, water expands quite a bit, about 9 percent of its volume. The fact that water expands when frozen is critical to life on earth. As water freezes …

Snow Birds

January 17, 2022 by Thomas Trock

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall …

Snow Pattern in the Trees

January 3, 2022 by Thomas Trock

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. – John 3:16-17 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that …

Hummingbird II Flying in the Snow

January 25, 2021 by Thomas Trock

As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. Genesis 8:22 NLT I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. Psalm 50:11 We usually take our hummingbird feeder down in the fall when we no longer see the little flying darts hovering about. This year it slipped under our radar as we prepped for the winter. Some people believe that keeping a hummingbird feeder up too long in the fall will cause the birds to miss their southern migration. …

Snow Vole

March 2, 2020 by Thomas Trock

For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, Isaiah 25:4 This is still one of my favorite posts from winter. I hope you enjoy it too. Whilst hiking a short time ago, I came across the above pictured vole. He was doing his best to ride out a snowstorm that swirled around him, but it appeared to me he might be on the losing side of things. About two feet of ice and snow were under him. The top crust of ice that he was huddled …

Snow and Heavy Laden

February 3, 2020 by Thomas Trock

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 The resiliency God puts into His creation is nothing short of amazing. I’ve wondered how something as seemingly delicate as a pine needle can be weighed down with snow, frozen, bent and pushed about by the wind, and yet appear uninjured and still function when the …

Mountain Cathedrals II

January 20, 2020 by Thomas Trock

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And …

Deer and the Weather

January 6, 2020 by Thomas Trock

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” Job 26:14 One day I noticed rather large snowflakes descending in my backyard. I mean, huge sized-snowflakes, the kind I can hear when they land on my hat or jacket. Then I observed some deer bedded down underneath the shelter of a large ponderosa pine. Although the snowfall that day caught me a little by surprise, apparently the deer anticipated the change in weather long before it occurred. Lots of weather factors can …

Do Not Lose Heart

February 25, 2019 by Thomas Trock

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9 Sometimes winter can seem to go on a bit longer than usual, if there is such a thing as usual when it comes to winter. I have some friends who like to ski, and they don’t mind long, snowy winters lasting far into what most years would be considered springtime. Other people I know don’t hold the winter season in such high regard. I recently took this photo of some snow-covered rose hips. I had to …

Wondrous Works II

February 11, 2019 by Thomas Trock

How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them. Psalm 111:2 (NLT) By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen. Job 37:10 On a recent frosty morning, long before sunrise, I went outside to warm up the car and was once again treated to a spectacular glimpse into the artistry of our amazing Creator. If I had lots of time and a lot more skill, I couldn’t paint something as detailed and remarkable as this. Ice on the glass pictured above most likely formed from water vapor, …

Mountain Cathedrals

January 28, 2019 by Thomas Trock

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 The nearby mountains stay snow covered most of the winter. Snow which accumulates on mountains is critical to water supplies here …

Christmas

December 10, 2018 by Thomas Trock

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:21-23 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there …

Wondrous Works and Icy Windshields

March 19, 2018 by Thomas Trock

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. Psalm 111:3 (NLT). Early the other morning, I sat waiting for my car to warm up. The temperature was right at 32 degrees F. and a thick fog blanketed our mountains. I looked through the windshield and saw the most amazing pattern of ice on the glass. I shot this quick picture with my phone before the defroster melted the ice. If I hadn’t needed to go somewhere, I’d have let the icy design stay on the …

Hidden Things Revealed

February 19, 2018 by Thomas Trock

Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs …

Snow Deer

February 5, 2018 by Thomas Trock

For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs. From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north. By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen. Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, …

Winter Storm

January 22, 2018 by Thomas Trock

My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me. Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth. It rolls across the heavens, and his lightning flashes in every direction. Then comes the roaring of the thunder— the tremendous voice of his majesty. He does not restrain it when he speaks. God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his …

Mountain Snows – II

January 8, 2018 by Thomas Trock

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD …

White as Snow

December 4, 2017 by Thomas Trock

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you …