My Beautiful Lake!

By David Ettinger

Lovely Area
Every morning I try to begin my work day with an hour-long walk.

Note, I drive to work first and then walk rather than doing so in the area in which I live. The reason is that my workplace, Zion’s Hope, Inc., is located in a lovely area – Downtown Winter Garden just outside of Orlando, in central Florida.

And located just 4 blocks north of our workplace is Lake Apopka – the state of Florida’s 4^th largest lake, which is saying a lot considering Florida abounds with enormous lakes.

Wildlife Galore
Massive Lake Apopka is teeming with wildlife, particularly bird life, and of course, gators. However, the gators here at the southern end of the lake are of the tiny variety, the kind which, should they rush you, you could simply lift by the tail and fling them back into the water.

A mini-gator

Of course, I advise against it. I mean, if you are fortunate enough to still possess all 10 of your fingers, it would be good to retain them. And if you have fewer than 10, you can’t afford to lose any more! Therefore, should a mini-gator come ambling up to you, it’s best to step aside and avoid a finger-tooth conflict with it.

A Biblical Note
Lake Apopka also finds a place in my biblical considerations.

A beauty of a bird!

Do you know that many biblical scholars DON’T consider the Red Sea to be the body of water the Israelites crossed when they left Egypt during the Exodus? The more I studied this issue, the more complicated it became, so I decided not to blog on it just yet.

I would, however, suggest you briefly research the issue if you are interested – at least to get a taste of the differing viewpoints.

A fowl friend!

One of the crossing-the-Red Sea theories has the Israelites traversing a nearby giant lake. When I first read that, I thought, How can 2 million people hauling their possessions and livestock cross a measly lake split in two?

That was when I lived in desert-dominated New Mexico with its dearth of large lakes. I couldn’t see a very large party crossing one of those Southwestern bodies of water.

But here in the Southeast, where large lakes are prevalent, I can definitely see the Israelites crossing such a non-oceanic body of water. Lake Apopka is certainly sizable enough that if split down the middle it can host a party of 2 million – and with room to spare!

And Lake Apopka is but No. 4 on Florida’s size chart. Imagine the throng of humanity that could cross Florida’s largest lake – Lake Okeechobee, a huge body of water with a sizable name to match!

So, there’s my watery pondering for the day – with a bit of Bible-related history thrown in!

A rather unattractive example of Florida wildlife!

Tagged: Central Florida, Crossing the Red Sea, Florida, Gators, Lake Apopka, Nature, Personal, The Exodus, Wildlife

Posted in: Devotional, God's Beauty, Having Some Fun, Personal testimony