Breakfast on the Beach: Fishing Naked

Day 3 Breakfast on the Beach…Jekyll Island, GA

Have you ever been reading a passage in Scripture that you’ve read dozens of times before when something “new” jumps out at you for the first time? 

 

I love Simon Peter—what a maniac!  I’d never noticed before today that this disciple fished naked.  Read it yourself. John 21:7 says Simon Peter was out in a boat hauling in a massive catch after someone on the shore directed him to throw his net to the other side.  When Peter realized it was Jesus on the shore, he grabbed his coat and wrapped it around him “for he had stripped”…Now there’s a spirit of adventure!

 

What is it that keeps us from “fishing naked”?  Rather than expose our true selves we seek to clothe ourselves in the trappings of life.  We cover ourselves & impute style to our beings via our job, rank/poistion, bank account, education, intellect, possessions, sports, fitness, personality, fun fixes and yes, even our ministries and self-righteousness.  Or we hide behind fig-leaf remedies of weed, pills, alcohol & inhalants.  Do we truly believe any of these things can alter who we are at any given moment? 

 

I want to live my life with a “Simon Peter kind of abandon”…no, not streaking in public, at least not in the physical sense.  But I imagine what it would be like to completely bare myself heart & soul, to strip down, to conceal nothing.  How much more could God teach me, show me if everyday I would willingly bare myself to Him? How much more could he use me in His Kingdom to bless others were I more transparent & stripped down before them?

 

Acknowledging nakedness—what we are not and what we do not possess—is the first step toward receiving God’s covering.  Through the blood of Jesus Christ we are clothed in righteousness.

Lord, strip away all the garb that covers my heart, all that conceals me from Truth, all that prevents me from getting real.  Clothe me in You alone so that when others look into my soul they will see only Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

Breakfast on the Beach: A Call to Feast

Day 2 Breakfast on the Beach, Tybee Island, GA

 

Tybee Island is peaceful this morning.  The sound of crashing waves is background music to my soul, accompanied by a chorus of birds slamming into the ocean in repeated dives for breakfast.  Just as Jesus called a few of His disciples to breakfast on the shore at the Sea of Tiberias following His resurrection {John 21: 1-12}  He has called me to this place for breakfast on the beach, a time of respite to nourish my soul and feed my desire for more of Him.  I sense His presence warming my spirit as the sun warms my body.  Looking out across the vastness, pondering the depth of the waters I am reminded that His love is broader & deeper still. 

 

The waves in my life are pounding again, railing against the shoreline of my personal peace.  Yet the voice of Abba Daddy God gently commands, “Fear not my child.”  Yes, child.  I am His little one, precious in my Daddy’s sight.  He would do anything for me, even send His beloved son to purchase my healing with stripes…He already has. Now it is up to me to wait & receive.  My Daddy is strong and powerful, loving and compassionate.  He holds my life—every single breath of it—in His tender hands.  Nothing will happen to me without first sifting through those mighty fingers. I find peace in this assurance.

 

Sounds of waves and gulls are interrupted by a simple conversation between a daddy pulling his child in a wagon on the beach.  “I love you Daddy.”  “I love you son”  {giggles}  “Daddy?”  “Yes son?”  “I reeeeeally love you”  {more giggles} “Son?”  “Yes daddy?”  “I reeeeeeally love you.”

 

Oh, Abba Daddy God, I love you.  Thank you, Daddy that in my spirit I hear you saying that you love me, too. 

 

“For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry ABBA, Father.  The spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”  Romans 8:15-16

 

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God…”  I John 3:1 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast on the Beach: In Need of Direction

Breakfast on the  Beach, Day 1 Beaufort, SC & beyond

 

Let the journey begin…though ultimately destined for Savannah {or so I thought}, my plane landed in Charleston, SC.  I immediately navigated my way through the small baggage claim area and the car rental counter, then pointed my sporty vehicle south to Georgia. 

 

I should have brought a map…or blinders.  I was delusional in thinking I could make it between Charleston & Savannah without getting distracted.  The Colorado blizzard I had abandoned was quickly becoming a bad memory as bright colors and sunshine greeted me in the South.  Green screamed at me…trees, shrubs, lawns all reminded me that it really IS spring!  Spanish moss danced on every tree.  Azalea bushes the size of my first car turned my head at the speed of whiplash in a double take.  Charming communities in abundance dotted the landscape and the streets were full of people soaking up the rays.  It was as if by stepping out of my cave…a 50-seater Regional Jet… I had emerged from a long hibernation.  There was no fighting it, I was on sensory overload and I had to slow down and take it all in.  I am embarrassed to admit that I cannot even journal where I’ve been so far because I have no clue…country roads and back highways.  It was growing dark.  Despite my desire to wake up next to the Georgia ocean my first morning in the south, exhaustion overtook me and I settled in at Beaufort, SC.  I had tired of driving around lost and the B& B’s were too inviting to be missed.   

 

When I awoke this morning to the smell of baked goods and I stepped out into the fresh air, I knew I was on to something divine.  The weather is cooler than I had expected but still nothing compared to the bone chill I had left behind out west.  Is it obvious to others that I am a tourist?  Probably.  I walked the waterfront of the sleepy town of Beaufort while a stupid grin broke out across my face.  I invited the Lord to speak to me but my mind couldn’t stop racing long enough to receive His words.  Instead I embraced His magnificent outdoor art gallery and found myself repeatedly exclaiming, “Nice job, God!”  as I wandered aimlessly about.

 

Eventually, I was again discovering the joys of 2 lane roads that seemed to lead me in circles.  I lost count of how many times I asked kind strangers…and one very realistic looking dummy at a fire station…for directions.  Or how often I berated myself for not claiming a map at the Tourist Info Center.  No matter, I am on an adventure…getting lost comes with the territory.  Somehow I found my way to Fripp Island where a grazing deer greeted me at the entrance and a security guard questioned me before grinning and allowing me passage.  It was merely a detour and though I felt mostly like an adult poster child for A.D.D., in my saner moments I began to purpose in my mind that I would make it to Tybee Island tonight.  And so I have…don’t ask me how…I couldn’t tell you.  All I know is through the open door of my balcony at this Inn, I hear the faint lull of ocean waves and tomorrow morning when I awaken I plan to follow the sound until I feel sand between my toes.