Finding Silence on the Shores of the Beach ...

(After the resurrection) Jesus revealed himself again 

to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias ...  

when it was already very early morning, 

Jesus stood on the beach ... John 21:1, 4 (NET)

It may be that Jesus spent his most important days by the Sea of Galilee (also called Sea of Tiberias) wandering along the shore, drifting in the water, listening to the sounds of the waves rolling in and out.  There is something quite mesmerizing about the natural flow of water, sometimes gentle sometimes wild.  Of course, I have no idea whether there are waves on a sea like there are on the Gulf of Mexico.   Perhaps there is nary a ripple more often than not.   Yet, I read somewhere that the Sea of Galilee is known for its violent and life-threatening storms.   As the story goes, Jesus calmed a storm on this sea by simply saying, "Peace, be still."  

Peace, be still!  As I walked along the shores of the East Beach in Galveston, Texas last week Tropical Storm Bill was brewing in the water.  I wanted to have the power to say "Peace, be still" to the wind and the waters threatening our vacation.  And yet, as the week unfolded we witnessed the glory of God through nature in ways we would not have otherwise.  I am grateful for each and every moment spent in the solitude of the silence and in community with my family. 

The first photo I took held the promises of God for our week ...

a double rainbow over Galveston Bay, Texas

God is equally ever present in wind and storm, in silence and stillness.  That is the promise I find in the rainbow and the waves.

Sunrise on East Beach the day after Tropical Storm Bill in Galveston, Texas

If the waves could sing

what song would they sing

caressing the beach

with each roll of the wave

protecting the life

of the tiny sea creatures

the waves never pause

in their quest for perfection

even though surface fades

trying to catch them

as they gently race by

clouds overhead

it’s a day for living

moment to moment

for you just never know

when the rain will fall …

 

I confess the flags on Galveston Beach were red all week and yet I played in the rolling waves.  They were enticingly delicious and the power of them crashing all around me was refreshing to my soul.  I don't think I've ever seen this beach as lovely as it was that day.

Tropical Storm Bill rolling into Galveston, Texas on June 16, 2015

Spirit of God, I am here

with you the wind blows

softly softly softly

 the sound of the waves

rolling rolling rolling

don't seem gentle 

on a day like today

weather threathens

and my soul weeps

if I think 

for more than a moment 

into the future

just enjoying this moment

this beautiful moment 

as the fresh gulf air

flows by

and my hair sings

of freedom and flowing.  Amen.

pelicans glide by in tandem ... free and flowing

Pelicans in flight over East Beach in Galveston, Texas

Each day I walked along the beach gathering up the most unusual shells and their fragments, especially after the storm.  Such wonder in the colors and the shapes, even in their brokenness they are beautiful.  They remind me of people and the way that God takes our brokenness and creates the vessels of love that we are ... if we surrender to the process. 

My Collection of Shells begun a couple of years ago with a gift of shells collected by a Loving Friend just for me.

Crabs were scurrying along the hardened packed sand of the beach and tiny fish stung my legs repeatedly as they were carried along by the waves.  Seagulls were grabbing up their breakfast along the shore, joyously reveling in their abundance.  Their appetite never wanes.

 

Seagull looking for fish food on East Beach in Galveston, Texas

After the storm, people reappeared in all the wondrous places here and there and everywhere to live into their day and their love of the water.  The world seemed to come alive before my eyes ... I am here, in this present moment, and I find the silence full of possibilities in moments like these.

People fishing in Galveston Bay

 “You see persons and things not as they are but as you are. ”
~ Anthony de Mello

Oh God, I hope so!  Amen.

Seagulls, Duckies, and Geese ... O My!

Here I am in Chicago and it's a little chilly ... Brrrr!  Actually at 28 degrees it is quite balmy today.   I am taking a 2-week intensive class on "missional preaching" at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL (a suburb of Chicago) which is nestled in the heart of Northwestern University.  Anyway, let me tell you about my adventure walking by the lake these last few days.

Beyond these trees is Lake Michigan

I could walk to see Lake Michigan ... maybe I will before I leave but it isn't nearly as interesting as this interior Lake on the campus where the beautiful koi fish swim in the summer ... did you know they'll survive as long as the lake isn't frozen solid?  The first day I was amazed at the seagulls gathered on the ice!

Right next to where they are standing you can see behind them the only spot on the lake that isn't frozen ... I can only assume that there is some kind of warmth from the building that is close to the lake at that particular point.  So who do you think is splashing around in the water right beside them?

A community of mallard ducks!

Then next what should I see but the ducks getting curious and making their way up the bank of the Lake ...

And where should they go but a patch of muddy grassy close to the street ... ok, not sure why but they did this three days in a row.  It was lunchtime.  I wonder if they were looking for the food that we normally throw into the lake in the summer ...

He looks ...  

She looks ... 

I thought I had seen it all yet today ... a new set of friends joined the party.  Check this out!

 

Canadian Geese

I guess they are on their way south and decided to stop over.  I know you can't tell by these pictures but these guys are HUGE!  And maybe they were scary too for the poor ducks who didn't go to their muddy place today save one little brave mallard boy on his way!

These beautiful creatures have piqued my curiosity and made me laugh.  Some days they ignore me and some days they talk to me ... quack quack quack.  For sure they have kept me company.  These days when I have been on my own they have become my companions praising God.

St. Francis of Assisi is said to have preached to the birds ..."My brothers, birds, you should praise your Creator very much and always love him; he gave you feathers to clothe you, wings so that you can fly, and whatever else was necessary for you.  God made you noble among his creatures, and he gave you a home in the purity of the air..."   

St. Francis also said,  "Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words."   This week the birds have preached the gospel to me and they didn't have to say a word!

Thank you Brothers AND Sisters Birds ...