I was recently camping on Whidbey Island in a place that sits on a high bluff overlooking Admiralty Inlet where the Pacific Ocean comes in to form our beautiful Puget Sound. Sitting on a bench, looking out over this magnificent vista one morning, I began to be aware of all of the sounds around me that I had not been paying attention to. One by one they began to break in on my own awareness as I set my ears to intentional listening.
View from on High
Psalm 61:1-3: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” Jesus basically calls us to do what we don’t want to do, which is to empty ourselves of our perspective and take on God’s.
Breath
Naked Vulnerability, Uncertain Outcomes
Your time starts…NOW!
Each timed elimination round of our favorite cooking show, Chopped, begins with that familiar cue. Four chefs compete for a $10K prize by outperforming their peers in the creation of an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. The catch? No one knows what ingredients they will be using from the mystery basket placed before them. The clock starts and mayhem ensues. I confess to having invested too many evenings learning more than I need to know about strange food. But if you ever need to prepare rattlesnake meat, feel free to call!
Beginning in Silence
The morning light begins to illumine the Eastern sky. I can hear the waves of the Strait of Juan de Fuca pounding upon Dungenness Spit and then off in the distance is the haunting call of an eagle. This morning there is only a slit through the gray clouds allowing the yellow and golden colors of the morning sun to shine forth. Other mornings the sky is alive with color, with beauty, with grandeur. Off in the distance is the baritone voice of a seal and the squawking of seagulls playing in the wind.