Fly With Jesus

by Mary Ann Halloran

Birds resting on a telephone wire at sunset at the Lord's Ranch.

Yesterday evening, I walked out of my house and spotted a line of birds perched on the electrical wire, ready to go to sleep. I stopped and watched them for a while, as it reminded me of a teaching Fr. Thomas gave years ago.

The year I moved here, 1976, I rode on a chartered bus with other community members to a Charismatic Conference in Dallas, Texas, where Fr. Rick Thomas spoke.

At the conference, Fr. Thomas spoke about the birds. It made a big impression on me, obviously, because 48 years later, I still remember this teaching. I recall Father talking about the birds and how they don't worry about life. He said they are happy and "fly with Jesus."

The funniest part of the teaching, however, was when he talked about when birds go to sleep. They are often on a wire, sometimes with one foot up and their head turned and tucked a bit into their feathers. They are content and unconcerned with falling off of that thin wire, and they sleep very well. Then he went on to say that meanwhile, we humans are on a big king-size bed so we won't fall off, taking our sleeping pills so we can sleep because we are worrying about the cares of life.

He said when the birds wake up, they sing praises to the Lord. Then they fly off happily looking for some breakfast. They don't know what they will eat, but they are not worried about it. They know instinctively that God will provide. They fly with Jesus and are very happy! He continued saying how this is a wonderful lesson that we can learn from the birds. Jesus wants us cast our cares on Him and "Fly with Jesus."

When I came home from the conference, I wrote a song about this teaching and sang it for Father Thomas, and he loved it. Even though it is very simple he often had me play it. These are the words:

Fly with Jesus

Wake up in the morning and what do you hear the birds singing God's songs.
Look in the air and what do you see, the birds flying so free. Jesus says, this is the way to be.

Chorus:  Go fly with Jesus. Be one of his birds, and soar in the air without the smallest care.

Have you ever seen a bird fly around with a weight upon its wing. Or have your ever seen a bird worry about what the future's gonna bring. Children, throw your worries to the King. And then.....(chorus)

God bless

Mary Ann / Mother Hen