Javanese love their birds — especially the ones that sing. Within a stone’s throw of my house in this neighborhood I have counted more than ten songbirds that hang on their owners’ porches and sing. They even have singing competitions.

One of the most vocal birds with a long, complicated repertoire is the mumbai or what ornithologists would call the White-Rumped Shama. At least four of the ten birds in this neighborhood are mumbai. People are flattered when you stop and talk or whistle to their birds. When you can’t speak the local language, it is a pleasant short cut in communication — at least the birds seem to understand.

I started paying attention to a young mumbai that hangs at the little store next door. It never seemed to have anything to say until one day I noticed it was actually singing but with an extremely quiet voice.

A couple times a day I swing in to whistle to him. He noticed that I appreciated his singing and would listen to him for minutes. About half the time his cage is shrouded but even with the shroud on when I whistle to him he jumps down and gets as close as he can to where I am and starts singing his heart out. He even lays down on the floor to get close to my level. I will try to share his picture and his singing if I can get it. And, for the record, I have never given a single morsel to this bird to eat to invite such attention from him. All I have lent is my ear.

Play this to hear the bird sing:

 

The only thing that inhibits his singing is if someone like his owner shows up or another neighbor mumbai starts singing louder. I think this little bird is shamed into silence.

I enjoy his meek quiet one-on-one trills. And, I really don’t enjoy raucous, loud birds so we get along famously.

On what might at first seem to be an entirely different subject, we have been hearing a lot about the revival at Asbury College and beyond. That awakening has been identified with intimacy with God — a very worthy state of being.

I heard a testimony from a team in the middle east who had given up on having a Gospel outreach in a very closed and resistant village. As they were leaving, one of the team caught about twelve seconds of activity being streamed from the auditorium in Asbury. It encouraged the team to return to the village and the result was that the entire village turned to Christ that night.

There is great power when man and God are locked in communion directly. I believe Jesus witnessed to that when He instructed His disciples to go into a closet and close the door to say their prayers. God hears and rewards those quiet prayers more than prayers that are loud public displays.

I think my little mumbai friend has taught me just a little of what God must feel when our words and songs are for His ears only. He will reward that intimacy. May we all seek it and experience it.

God Bless,

Larry DeVilbiss

Global Recordings Network USA

If you are interested in learning how to share links on social media that will promote use of our recordings and the Gospel in general, please contact RolandHeck@GlobalRecordings.Net

Previous “The Next Language” posts

Those Other Sheep 6 – BC – Post 130

Those Other Sheep 5 – High Places – Post 129

Those Other Sheep 4 — Balaam – Post 128

Those Other Sheep 3 — in the OT – Post 127

Those Other Sheep 2 – Post 126

Those Other Sheep 1 – Post 125

Cow Boys – Post 124

Java Land – Post 123

Nations Rejoicing – Post 122

Is It For Nought? – Post 121

Flying Ants – Post 120

Sunda: Cirebon – Post 119

God’s Winks – Post 118

Chain Links – Post 117

The Hunt, part 3 – Post 116

Torah Meditations – Post 115

The Hunt II – Post 114

Reset – Post 113

The Hunt – Post 112

Bit by Bit – Post 111

The Dark Side – Post 110

All or Nothing – Post 109

The Emptying – Post 108

Back to the Crib – Post 107

Truly Sustainable Service – Post 106

The Mountain Taker – Post 105

Give Me That Mountain – Post 104

Epicenter of Languages – Post 103

Holy Envy – Post 102

Watchman – Post 101

First the Blade – Post 100

Marghi – Post 99

Talents – Post 98

Berom – Post 97

God is my Wit(h)ness – Post 96

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Fountains of Water – Post 94

A Glorious Landing – Post 93

Tale of Three Sisters – Post 92

Collaboration – Post 91

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Mixteco del Progreso – Post 89

Go – Post 88

Those Word Lists – Post 87

Altars – Post 86

Oh, for a Thousand Tongues – Post 85

Voices in the Wilderness – Post 84

Nigeria – First Impressions – Post 83

From the Land of Nod – Post 82

Tribute to Mexico – 1967 – 2022 – Post 81

Miniaturization – Post 80

Knowing The Times – Post 79

God Comes to a Dirty World – Post 78

Corn in Mexico – Post 77

When the Church Says No – Post 76

War – Post 75

Theirs Is the Kingdom – Post 74

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Genesis of a Recording Set – Post 72

Back Tracking – Post 71

Witnesses- Post 70

Who Is Your Owner? – Post 69

An Unsolicited Endorsement – Post 68

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Works of  Man – Post 66

Deliverance – Post 65

New Discoveries – Post 64

The Wall of Pain – Post 63

Is There a Place for the Gospel in Your Story – Post 62

The Love Pyramid – Post 61

Obsession – Post 60

Verb Tenses in Hebrews – Post 59

The Unseen Weapon – Post 58

The Gospel Arrives in Zapoteco:Elotepec – Post 57

Fishing – GRN Style – Post 56

A New Day in Mexico – Post 55

Seeking – Post 54

Pick Your Battles – Post 53

How Big Is Your God? – Post 52

A Muted Gospel? – Post 51

Dedication Service for Marcos – Post 50

Two Weeks, Two Months, Two Years – Post 49

What Will You Give to Jesus – Post 48

Special Assignment – Post 47

The Good and the Best – Post 46

How Many Languages Are There? – Post 45

Verifying Speech Varieties – Post 44

Those God Things – Post 43

Meet Notch, the Desert Cottontail – Post 42

The Lost Languages – Post 41

The Rest of the Yoke – Post 40

What About Those Last Languages – Post 39

A Yoke That Fits – Post 38

The Other Side – Post 37

It Is Finished – Post 36

On the Ground in Culiacan – Post 35

I Will Go With Thee – Post 34

Unseen Warfare – Post 33

God of the Gaps – Post 32

The Father of Faith Missions – Post 31

WAIT – Post 30

Our Ultimate Weapon – Post 29

What Are You Doing Here – Post 28

Recordist Training Course Update – Post 27

Still Shameful – Post 26

Numbers Update – Post 25

The Gospel and Idolatry – Post 24

Could Ye Not Pray – Post 23

John the Baptist and the New Normal – Post 22

Genesis of a Script – Post 21

Embena Experiences – Post 20

An Easter Like No Other – Post 19

Go Or Stay Home – Post 18

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