4 Speeches for Ocean Lovers

August 22, 2025 • Blog Post

Do you love the sea—the waves, the shore, and the endless blue horizon? These BYU speeches use the ocean as a window into faith, learning, and life. From starfish to mangroves to messy tides, each message offers fresh perspective for anyone who feels at home near the water.

1. “Of Starfish and Destinies” by Jeffery N. Bunker

“Of Starfish and Destinies” by Jeffery N. Bunker“Our shore may be covered with dozens or perhaps even hundreds or thousands of starfish. We cannot remove them all alone. Fortunately, we do not have to. We can have our shores washed clean through the cleansing power of Christ’s Atonement.”

This speech reminds us that, like starfish washed to shore, unwanted thoughts and temptations can’t be managed alone. Through Christ’s Atonement, though, our inner shores can be washed clean.

2. “Exploring Nature’s Curiosity Cabinet” by Paul Alan Cox

“Exploring Nature’s Curiosity Cabinet” by Paul Alan Cox “Mangroves are trees with stilt roots that grow in saltwater along the coastlines of many islands. In a remarkable convergence with mammals, mangroves give live birth: their long seeds germinate right on the trees. The growing seedling then drops into the ocean and floats to another site.”

Explore how the wonders of nature’s “curiosity cabinet” reveal countless opportunities for medical advancement through God’s creations.

3. “The Messy Middle of Revelation” by Tracianne B. Neilsen

“The Messy Middle of Revelation” by Tracianne B. Neilsen “The realities of our lives and our daily thoughts, choices, actions, and interactions with others impact our ability to feel the Holy Spirit—similar to how the presence of mud or sand in the ocean floor impacts the amount of sound present in the ocean.”

Sister Neilsen likens the Holy Spirit’s influence to sound in the ocean—sometimes muffled by mud, sometimes amplified by sand, and strongest when built upon a sure foundation.

4. “The Academic Anableps” by Bonnie Brinton

“The Academic Anableps” by Bonnie Brinton “A religious university is uniquely poised to articulate and promote a set of values within which scholars can frame their work. We do not lose or devalue what might be referred to as an empirical perspective or more traditional ways of knowing. We simply build from a spiritual scaffold. It is good to be able to see both above and below the water at the same time.”

Learn how being an academic anablep—using spiritual insights in academic work—allows people to address scholarly issues with dual vision.

Just as the ocean is vast and deep, so are the lessons of discipleship and discovery. These speeches remind us that Christ can cleanse every shore, that nature points us to divine truths, and that faith helps us see both above and below the waves. Dive in, and share these insights with a fellow ocean lover.