* I hope you enjoy this short narrative about the beach! I was doing a writing exercise one afternoon and this is what came out of it. ;)
I remember the ice-cold water slapping at my heels, the sea spray soaking through my capri-pants. Sand was stuck to everything: my feet, my toes, my calves, and my fingers, too. You can't help but pick it up whenever you come for your seashore adventures. There is so much to do. Building sandcastles or pine forests, walking in the surf, jogging up the coast, searching for buried treasures, adding to your sea-shell collection and so much more. An adventure waits around every corner. This place, this sweet spot where water meets land is like a reflection of our spiritual lives. We pray we're like the rocks, firmly grounded, and rooted in place despite the waves and billows spilling over us. Beware of trusting in your sand palaces. One rogue wave will wipe them away, leaving no trace of what was once there. Infinite loss makes its home here. Tragedy has seen these distant shores and met it early at a rocky graveyard. This place-this wide, wide body of water has seen its share of separation, coming between lovers and families, life and death. Yes, danger lurks here, too, taking on different forms. Waterspouts, hurricanes, tsunamis, icebergs half buried beneath the dark waters, and shark attacks amongst other things. This patch of earth is home to incredible wildlife. . . and creatures of a different sort. Creatures who have limbs, brains, open eyes, and pensive thoughts. These strange, earthy creatures walk these hallowed shores with a story emblazoned into their very makeup. Not all of their stories are alike. Some of them come here to vacation with family and friends. Others come to ponder life or contemplate the decision that is looming on their home-front. Still others come, seeking comfort, and trying to grasp a profound loss they've yet to start healing from. Artists come with sketchbooks, easels, and brushes to try and capture the magic, the atmosphere, and the beauty of this slice of heaven on earth. The ocean roars its welcome, inviting us to step into this paradise, this home away from home, and to breathe it in. It beckons us to soak in every sun-kissed, salty-aired moment of our time together. And ultimately, it reminds us to praise the One who made it--this meeting, this union of land and seas. The place we call: the beach! "The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:5 Were you able to get to the beach this summer? Good for you! Sadly, my family wasn't able to go to the shore this year. I've had beach fever, though, so writing this was good therapy and it almost made me feel as if I were there. :) For those of you who were able to go to the shore this summer, what was one highlight from your "seashore adventures?" Let me know in the comments! Writing update: Monday evening I typed the last words of the first draft of More Than A Tale. This one was a real challenge for me to write and I wrestled with the first half of the story, trying to figure out viewpoints and how to best tell the story through the characters' eyes. While writing this, no theme had been in my mind to weave through it, but as the story progressed, a theme did make itself known. It has to do with our individual stories--and Who is writing them. I'll be sharing the prologue with you in the coming weeks!
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(Photo credit: Aunt Jen) What a week we had! We were blessed to be able to travel out to Kentucky and see the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. Both places blew us away, chock full of truth and visuals and breath-taking magnitude (THE ARK!) There were definitely many lessons and takeaways from both places, but today, I'd like to share a few of the lessons that struck me at the Creation Museum. (The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden exhibit!) 1. Creation The Creation Museum, in a nutshell, is all about when God created this world. They have 4D shows throughout the day and one of them was called, "In Six Days." That film was amazing, people! It went through each day and what God created on that day. The narrator read the whole first chapter of Genesis as the scenes and images came to life. You saw the light and the darkness, the sky, the sun, moon and stars, the land and sea, the trees, the animals, and of course, the humans being created. The takeaway after watching that stunning visualization of creation, was the miracle of creation itself. Next time you're outside, stop and take a look around you. Trees, animals, grass, the sunlight. . . all of it was created by our Almighty Creator. When you see a gorgeous sunrise, sunset, or even the sunlight pouring over the puffy clouds high in blue sky, you can't help but glimpse just a fraction of God's majesty, God's beauty, and His handywork. It's no wonder the heavens declare the glory of God! (Psalm 19:1) (Somewhere near the entrance of the Creation Museum) 2. Bible Memory Another highlight from the trip was when my aunt and I went to an afternoon session with Tom Meyer. He's known as "the Bible Memory Man" due to the fact that he's memorized 20 (yes, you read that right!) books of the Bible. In that particular class, he gave some tips about how we can defend our faith by hiding God's Word in our hearts. It was amazing to hear him recite the entire book of 1 John from memory. Later that day he had a longer event, where he recited Genesis chapters 1 through 9 from memory AND interspersed with verses from Hebrews 11! Since coming home, I've gone back over and reviewed the few chapters I memorized. It really is a blessing to have scripture on our hearts and on our lips. :) (Silly picture because: DINOSAURS!) Again, photo credit goes to Aunt Jen! :)
Side note: When you first enter the Museum, they take two pictures of your group. One of them is a smiling one and for the second one they tell you to point and look scared. Those were a bit. . . expensive. . . so we did our own scared picture! ;) 3. The Planetarium I knew ahead of time that this feature was going to be amazing. I just didn't realize the magnitude of our solar system and distant galaxies, not to mention the STARS! In the show, they zoomed all the way out, out, out, until our "Milky Way" was a mere DOT on the screen. That's how BIG space is, filled with galaxies, undiscovered planets, and innumerable stars. It really puts everything into perspective regarding this little place we call home. And yet, the Lord, out of all the places He could've chosen, chose to put us here on planet Earth. The narrator said something to that affect, and it brought tears to my eyes. Remind yourself of that the next time you're tempted to think something is too small or too insignificant for Him to care about. The stars are an amazing feature as well. The narrator described some planet lightyears away that is surrounded by millions of stars. Imagine how bright and beautiful it must look! And yet when God created ALL the stars, it's summed up in this seemingly small declaration, "He made the stars also." (Genesis 1:16b) "He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:4-5) And just to throw in an idea of the "magnitude," here is a picture for your viewing pleasure. ;) |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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