♫ "How Deep The Fathers Love For Us" - Stuart Townend ♫

I think this is marvelous!

Original Composition: And I, God, Created Great Whales

Our family lived in Sitka, Alaska from 1995 to 2007. I have a USCG Captain's license and worked for a company that did Whale-watching and Wildlife viewing tours for the cruise-ship passengers. What a joy it was to be in the company of these gentle giants on a daily basis. The tour season in Alaska goes from mid May to the end of September.
I never captained a Whale-watching excursion without my camera.

The company had a guarantee that if you didn't see a whale, a bear, or a Sea Otter; then you got your money back. In the 12 years I lived and worked in Sitka, Alaska, I never had to refund money.

I think it is quite magnificent that our Heavenly Father makes specific mention about His creation of the "Great Whales".

Genesis    1:21      And God created great whales,

Moses      2:21     And I, God, created great whales,

Abraham  4:21     And the Gods prepared the waters that they might

                           bring forth great whales,

Original Poem: The Face of the Sea

During the October 1998 General Conference, President Hinckley gave a talk during the Priesthood Session where he said, "there is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed". In November of 2008, 10 years later, I penned this poem as the recession started to take its toll. Being a writer of nautical poetry, his words about stormy weather often echoed around in my head.



The Face of the Sea 

J. Brad Chapman 

As I stand at the helm and gaze out on the calm, 

there’s something intriguing to me. 

That the subtlest breeze blowing over the deep, 

can change the kind face of the sea. 

From glassy to ripple and ripple to wave, 

the movement of air is so slight. 

But little by little the breeze gathers strength, 

till breakers reach dangerous heights. 

Many a seaman have awoke to the dawn 

of a beautiful, calm, cloudless day. 

Only to find as they bask in the sun, 

a storm building right in their way. 

They’d let down their guard as the sea state was mild, 

they’d forgotten how harsh it could be. 

And now with tempestuous winds gaining strength, 

they’d meet the wroth face of the sea. 

With sail unreefed and hatch unsecured, 

preparations undone or in haste. 

The sea doesn’t wait for convenience or ease, 

and they’re caught in the storm’s fierce embrace. 

The trials of life are like strengthening storms; 

we don’t notice the threat till too late. 

‘Cause we sail content on the calm seas of life, 

and we sit back and seal our fate. 

And so with the thunderous waves pounding in, 

we forget in the midst of our strife, 

that the tempest began with just one gentle breeze, 

and we learn a great lesson of life -  

We learn that a lifestyle of comfort and ease 

makes us soft and complacent and weak. 

We need that brisk wind blowing stiff in our face 

to keep us alive at our peak. 

So greet the wild gale and square up to the wind, 

prepare for the storms that may be. 

From glassy to ripple and ripple to wave, 

respect the kind face of the sea. 

Arrangement: Adam-ondi-Ahman

"The Earth Was Once A Garden Place  .  .  .  .  ."

Arrangement: Ere You Left The Ranch This Morning