YONDER BREAKS

Just a follow up to the  And Be Thankful  post...I don't want to be misconstrued as someone who promotes not working. I write often about Jesus telling us not to worry about our basic sustenance because he said he would  provide . But Jesus still worked as a carpenter (or stone-mason, some believe) in addition to his ministry. Paul was a  tent-maker  and made his living as such, somehow finding the time to be a revolutionary missionary, teacher and writer (and I can barely find the time to exercise). He wrote the following to his protege Timothy: Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs -- he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for ...

I've been feeling fairly  restless  today. Some days are better than others, but after talking about money with a few different people, I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong. And so my reaction is to make something happen! Because I have friends that do that and it seems to work well for them. But what? Should I write a blog post, market the blog, finish editing a video for the blog? How about music -- I have a lot of songs I've been trying to finish recording...but music doesn't make any money. Well, there's this novel I've been working on -- maybe that's worth my time. Oh, but it takes so long to get paid for a book, I need something now! Before too long, I've run through so many ideas in my head that I feel dizzy. It's all very daunting trying to "make things happen," and so maybe it's time to just go get a real job. Or learn a trade! But which one...? Then I talk to my wife and she reassures me ( a common...

Just checked out two skate docs -- The Motivation and The Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story. Both are well done and chronicle pieces of skateboarding history, highlighting some of the best skaters around today. The Motivation This flick follows around 8 skaters on their way to the  Street League Championship , which has become the premier street skating competition. Most of the guys competing are skaters I grew up watching -- Chris Cole, Paul Rodriguez, Nyjah Huston -- along with a few I had heard of, but haven't really followed. All amazing in their own right and doing things on a skateboard I've only dreamed of. What I love about the movie, though, is that you get to go behind the skating for all of these guys and see what motivates them. I've always been the kind of guy who picked his favorite skaters not only because of their skill, but also because of who they were as persons, usually finding someone I identified with on some level. This movie lets you see many...

I love fall. It's my favorite season, although I've never really lived in a place that had much of the kind of fall we're probably thinking of (harvest festivals, leaves changing, crisp air). Still, I've experienced enough of it to know it's my favorite. Well, I woke up this morning and it just felt like Fall to me. But it's not -- it's still summer. But in my head, there was a crisp chill in the air outside, I would make some hot coffee and sip it while reading, the steam wafting away from my cup into the expectant morning air. Soon the stores would be filled with pumpkin  everything  and I would enjoy every last piece of it. Harvest, Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas. So much to look forward to and enjoy in Fall. But it's still summer. An awesome summer. I just went surfing yesterday, skateboarding the day before. Outdoor concerts and beach days abound. My wife has been home for the summer and we've been able to spend a ton of time to...

I've never written a product review before (unless you count a little piece I did on the  Wavestorm ), but I've also never liked a shoe so much that I bought a second pair after skating it for a few months. Old and new The Dekline Chad Tim Tim model had me a little bit worried at first, mainly because of the sole -- it doesn't look grippy and there's few things worse for your skating than slick shoes ( "are you crazy?!" ). I took a chance though, and it turns out these shoes are among the grippiest I've ever skated! Unfortunately, they eventually wore a hole through the bottom, but only after about a year's worth of skating, which is a good, long time for most skaters, and a shame for others (I used to wear through shoes every 3-4 months!). I'd be skating these today if that hole disappeared. New next to old. The suede top is durable, complimented by the rubber toe cap, which grips the board well. I also like how the shoes come wit...