Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

I'm not sure how or why, but I've started the hobby of birding. Before I started birding a few months ago, I would have called it bird watching. The hobby I enjoy involves identifying and cataloging birds. When I go for a walk, I'll look for birds and try to identify them. I'll try to spot some identifying markers and then when go home, do a little research and see if I can find out what I saw. I'll read about the bird and its characteristics and on the app I have, I can listen to their calls.

When I get interested in something, I tend to go all in -- go big or go home is usually the way I go about things. I'd rather not do something at all than do something half way. Which I have found can help me, but if it is turned the wrong direction, can hurt me. So part of my going all-in is listening to bird podcasts. Yes, really. The more I read and learn about birds, the more fascinating I find them. The podcasts are really short and often, pretty interesting. This morning, I listened to this particular episode three times on the way to work, and laughed with joy on the first listen, laughed with contempt on the second, and laughed with thanksgiving on the third. Here's the transcript:

Here’s a story about a hummingbird: the Purple-throated Carib. 

It lives on many of the Antillean Islands in the Caribbean, and the male and female birds have differently shaped bills. The female’s is long and deeply curved. The male’s is shorter and straighter. And this one species of bird has a specialized relationship with two different species of flowering Heliconia plants. 

One plant has a blossom that has a long, curved corolla — an excellent fit for the bill of the female Purple-throated Carib. The second plant has a flower that’s an excellent fit for the male bird. It delivers a larger dose of nectar, which the male needs because it’s 25% bigger than the female. The birds help pollinate the flowers, so the relationship has a payoff for the Heliconia, too. 

This is an example of co-evolution, where different species evolve in conjunction with each other, continually matching each other’s changing adaptations. When research documenting it was published in 2003, one scientist remarked that this Carib-Heliconia relationship was the most convincing evidence for co-evolution that he’d ever seen. “The only thing better,” he said, “would be if I could live for a million years and watch it actually happen.” 

Here is a great example of how what you believe and your founding principles color how you see the world  and interpret what you see. It also shows that neutrality is a myth. The Scientist can clearly see how both the birds and the flowers adapt themselves by Evolution's mighty hand to suite one another in the tropical ecosystem. Where did that information come from? How does he know this is what happened?  He sees conjunction evolution when he considers the birds.

When I see the birds, I consider their Maker. Then, I'll consider the flowers and their Maker. I see design, not adaptation. I see Wisdom, not chance. I see complementary purpose, not survival of the fittest.

We are both looking at the same evidence and both have taken our presuppositions and come to wildly different explanations. What he sees as the most convincing evidence for co-evolution to me is most convincing evidence that God is awesome in his creative purpose. The scientist speaks a little bit of truth when he said the only thing better was if he could live millions of years to watch it happen. In other words, no one has actually witnessed this and it can't be tested or proven, it has to be taken by faith. I'm sure he would love to be able to watch and observe his theory, but alas, he cannot. He must take his doctrine by faith.

I come to the birding binoculars with presuppositions to. I presuppose that God exists and has revealed Himself in His Word and that we what can know, we know because God has revealed it and Jesus has rose from the dead. I look at the world through those lenses. But don't be fooled. Science has its own presuppositions, they just won't admit it.