In August, my roommate finally agreed to take a day trip to the Northern California coast. (He’s lived in Redding since 2012 but had not yet made the trip.) We made stops in the redwoods and at a black sand beach. It was a glorious day. We spent the latter half of our time at the beach searching for colorful pebbles and small stones. The sea water made bands of color pop and shine. I felt a twinge in my brain, that old creative kick. I’d would use these stones for something though I didn’t know what. Or how. But, I began to fill up my pockets with these beauties with enthusiastic help from Ben.

When we got home, I washed the stones in the sink and dried them on an old towel. They were clean and ready for use, but their glory faded in our dry, dark apartment. So, for the last three months, my collection of stones sat on the kitchen table in an old Amazon box. I’d stare at them and wonder, but no inspiration came, no eureka moment or blast of wonder.

Then, a few weeks ago, I thought “I’m going to figure out how to use these,” grabbed my sketch pad and started drawing. At first I drew a few stones and then some waves. The motion of a wave wasn’t interesting. And how would I incorporate my stones into a wave? That’s when the I started to consider the life of my stones, where they came from, and how I would use them.

All stones were at one point part of a big rock or boulder or mountain. These beach stones are part of the erosion process, bigger rocks becomes smaller stones at the hands of the sea. It’s a process I love and see the glory of the Lord revealed. We tend to think of water as soft and thin. Rock is hard and stable. But, times tells us, eventually the waves win. The ocean will always subdue the land. And this is a picture of the Father love for us. Our hearts may be hard and resistant, but He is the deep, unfailing and constant.

My new project for 2023 will be massive waves crashing into rocks, made from wire and sea stones. The water will spiral up from the rocks, chards of stone flung in all directions. I want to exaggerate the relationship between the land and the water, and present what His love is. The project will have seven connected segments. And it’s going to take hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to complete. The working title is Love vs Everything Else.

The thing is, unlike years past, I know I’ve got to complete this. 2023 will be a bust if I don’t. My work will always be about revealing the goodness and glory of the Lord through art and words. I have no higher goal or plan: this is what I’m called to do. I cleaned out the garage to create a studio, researched materials, and began to tinker with techniques. Soon, I’ll frame the individual pieces and work on how best to weave the wire to resemble rushing waves desperate to find the shore. Eventually, I will try to find buyers or a place to display the finished work. For now, I’m working everyday, on some aspect of the project. And I can’t wait to see the final form. It’s gonna be so good. I’ll probably cry.

(I’d like to thank Ben for going to the beach with me. And I hope he sees the good that comes from getting out of a comfort zone.)