Something I’ve loved about this series is watching God work in big and little ways I never imagined when I began. Like I noted in my first post, I prefer to plan my writing in advance, pray about potential topics and themes, and have lots of time to ponder and edit before posting. This daily series doesn’t let me do that, so I’ve had to be much more dependent on the Lord to provide both topics and the time to write each day.

The first time I became distinctly aware of how God was working through this process was when our idea to periodically post Christmas carols led to my listening to my favorite Christmas recording by Jubilant Sykes and drafting a post about him on the day of his passing. I didn’t become aware of his death until after I was done (I subsequently updated the post), but I do believe God often puts people on our hearts for a reason, and I don’t think this was a coincidence since his family is deeply in need of prayer.

On a lighter note, I’ve continued to see God’s hand at work in prompting me to write about how he speaks through creation. The day after that post, Ivan and I were out in the park next to our condo and we ran across a beautiful, medium-sized coyote! I’m very grateful we live next to a park with lots of trees, grass and a walking trail, but this was a startling encounter because we are still in an urban area. Although we occasionally see raccoons and possums, and some of you may have heard about Ivan’s terrifying but anticlimactic run-in with a skunk last year, the critters in our complex are typically under three feet tall. Even more surprising was the fact that this unusual canine visitor did not seem the least bit disoriented or nervous around the families and dogs that flood our park every Saturday afternoon. In fact, he seemed quite at home.

We spent more time than was probably advisable admiring and photographing him (I don’t know for sure it was a “he,” but he had a very easygoing vibe in my opinion), and when we got home I was so curious about his nonchalance in the middle of a city park that I decided to do some research.

Apparently, the “urban coyote” is a well-established phenomenon and has its own Wikipedia page, as well as educational resources from the National Wildlife Federation and PBS. The short story is that urban coyotes are extremely adaptable and resourceful animals, useful for controlling rodent populations, and are unlikely to be aggressive if given proper space and respect.

I think this “friendly” coyote – if there is such a thing – is a wonderful example of God’s creation continuing to metamorphose as our society changes, and both Ivan and I were so grateful to experience a something a little “wilder” than the squirrels and finches we usually see on our afternoon walk.

See you tomorrow!