The Coming Dawn

Sunrise My favorite line from the Bible is: “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Darkness is not everything but it’s real and it divides us – selfish cravings to get ahead, pain from violence and injustice, government lies and corporate lies, “us” against “them,” my needs first, “an eye for an eye,” … Who’s to blame? It’s the Americans, Arabs, Chinese, Israelis, the government, the media, the rich, the scientists, the conservatives, the liberals, … “THEY” are the problem!

But the coming dawn is very different. This light blames no one. It comes for the whole human family and guides us by the light of infinite “tender compassion.” In our darkness, we may see little else, but led by the light of compassion, we can feed the hungry and provide everyone with quality access to water, education, technology, and healthcare. We will see the lonely, the hurting, the sick, the imprisoned, … and to ALL we will reach out, give, receive, heal, and serve. Together, WE, Americans, Arabs, Chinese, Israelis, liberals, conservatives, …, guided by our “dawn from on high,” will bring truth, justice, and peace to the Earth!

God, our All in All, help us each today to see the many needs around us
and to love each person that we see, deeply and truly, for each person’s benefit!

Hands Across the Sand

Dauphin Island – Fort Gaines Beach

Everyone is invited to Hands Across the Sand on Saturday, June 25, 2011 on Dauphin Island at the Fort Gaines Beach. We’ll gather around 11:00 AM and join hands at 12:00 noon to show our support for clean energy. For more information, please check out the video to the right where I was interviewed by some remarkably talented students from Alba Middle School. Sheila Hagler did an incredible job putting together the video. There will also be Hands Across the Sand events in Gulf Shores, Biloxi, Pensacola, and many other locations.

Student Interviewers from Alba Middle School

Student Interviewers from Alba Middle School, May 24, 2011.

Important event update

The location of Hands Across the Sand has been changed from the public beach to the beach near Fort Gaines.

Directions to beach near Fort Gaines:

The beach at Fort Gaines is located on the eastside of Dauphin Island on Bienville Boulevard. After crossing the bridge, turn left (East) at the water tower onto Bienville Boulevard. Then drive past Fort Gaines to the end of Bienville Boulevard where it curves to the right. Parking is available there. We will have a blue tent on the beach at the end of the parking area. See Google map for aerial view.

Sharing our Interconnected Earth

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park, photograghed by Paul Symington on October 15, 2005.

We – Earthlings – animals, plants, and more – trillions of us – belonging to millions of species – all contribute to Earth’s incredibly wondrous biosphere. Together we can share and enjoy this planet as our home. As intelligent human beings, we can also share and enjoy the incredible richness of thousands of cultures, religions, philosophies, and spoken languages. Our biological and cultural diversity is an ever-flowing fountain for our humanity.

Yet in the midst of such wonder we are afraid. We find ourselves disconnected, small, caught up in the “rat race,” and when we think deeply, the shortness of our lives weighs upon us. Yet our capabilities are extraordinary. Of course, we easily make mistakes and are in need of continual growth, but the diverse gifts that lie deepest inside of each of us can bring us such joys, life, meaning … In a word, we can LOVE – loving the WHOLE and all individuals.

About five years ago, I had a dream where I ran up to a man who was considered a subversive radical, and I challenged his theories. But he just replied in a friendly manner that “The positive energies of government are far more compelling than the negative.” Realizing that he was not so dangerous, I asked him to be more specific. He replied, “Human cooperation should strive toward being enlightening, empowering, and unifying.”

Perhaps the beauty and resilience of Earth’s diverse, interconnected eco-systems can teach us that it’s time to stop racing – become still – look beyond our perspective – and join hands for the benefit of All.


We’re having a planning meeting for this year’s Dauphin Island Hands Across the Sand. We’ll meet at 5:30, Thursday evening, May 19, at Ryan’s restaurant (4439 Rangeline Rd in Tillman’s Corner). Ryan’s has a meeting room reserved for us. So if you’re interested, please come for our eating meeting (everyone pays for their own meal). Google Map for Ryan’s: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl