Welcome to a place along the shores of your life. A place of new and exciting adventures where waves  gently tease the sand, or at times may crash upon the shore in a thunderous and mighty roar.  

As you walk along these crystal shores you are surrounded by the wind of the Spirit blowing through  your hair as He breathes into the depths of your soul. The smell of the ocean fills your lungs as you feel  the warmth of the soft sand beneath your feet, ever enticing you to the next shore just beyond view.  

This is a place where one year seems to endlessly flow into another until one fateful day, you encounter  someone along these shores that changes everything…  

Up ahead, you see the figure of a man sitting on the shore making something in the sand. Desire and  curiosity draw you forward to see what he is so intently working on. As you approach the Man, you see  the sun kissing his hair and lighting his fingertips as he bends over his work of art. Coming closer you  catch the intense focus of his eyes and gentle smile upon his lips as he expertly carves the sand with  fingers. Your breath catches when you see His creation. Before him lays the most exquisite and perfect  sandcastle you have ever seen. Its perfection is so complete you feel as if you could step right into its  beauty and walk the elaborate staircase. Noticing your shadow fall upon the castle his hands still while  he quietly says with a sigh, “At last. I’ve been waiting for you.” “Waiting for me?”, you say with  confusion. “Why would you be waiting for me?” At this, he stands to his feet to face you. As he takes  your hands into his, you feel the grainy sand tingling against your palms. Eyes of swirling liquid pools  draw you into their depths which causes him to laugh as he pulls you to the edge of the ocean shore.  

As you both gaze out into the endless ocean, you hear the sound of the waves while seeing rays of sun  explode in crystal color upon the water. As beautiful as it is, you have a hard time focusing your  attention away from the way the sand is still tingling in your palm, as he does not let go of your hand.  

He watches you watching the waves. “What do you see?”, he asks you. After a long pause you answer,  “I see what looks like the end of the earth. As I stand on this shore with you and look out at the vastness  of the ocean I feel like it is the end of everything I know. I see a limit and a barrier that I could never  hope to cross. Who am I compared to all this vast depth and power? What purpose do I have in all of  this?” He nods and answers you with another question, “Do you know why you are here?” Shaking  your head in resignation you reply, “For the life of me I cannot figure it out.” At this, he lets go of your  hand to stand behind you. You feel his arms embrace you with gentle warmth that ignites your soul. As  he rests his chin on your shoulder, looking out at the ocean with you he whispers, “But forget all that-it  is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already  begun! Do you not see it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19a)  

Your heart leaps with an excitement that you cannot explain as he continues, “You must come to the  end of yourself at this shore to know the beginning of what I have for you. Will you believe beyond the  end of what you see? Can you believe beyond what you see as a barrier and a limit and take hold of the  impossible made possible? My child, the end of everything you know, is the beginning of all I have for  you. This, is your day. Come now, we must finish my castle and there is much to do”, he says as he  extends his hand, waiting for you to take it.  

Welcome…to a place “Of Sandcastles and Crystal Shores”! 

Dedicated to, “Those who are of the blood of Adam”, and in particular, the daughters of Eve.