YONDER BREAKS

I recently had an awesome surf session with the  Wavestorm , my first time riding it in months, and so I thought I'd dig up this old post about why I love such a seemingly unlovable board. (Originally published on the  StoreYourBoard.com blog , with a few additions.) -- I bought one of these for my wife a few years back and, on a smallish day, I took it out instead of my short board. I have to say I was blown away by how good this 8-foot piece of Taiwanese foam actually rides... It's the $100 Wavestorm from Costco, and though it takes a certain lack of self-consciousness to ride one, I can't deny its prowess, though I'm pretty sure that was an accident on the manufacturer's part. I promise I'm not paid by Wavestorm or Costco or some Soft-Top-Board-Riders Association, but I recommend this board so often that I thought I'd write a blog about why I have such a soft spot for this soft-top... I Catch More Waves It's big and light, so once you...

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me -- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life -- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?" But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" (John 10:14-21) In this passage Jesus is finishing up using shepherding as a metaphor for his role as Messiah in relation to the Jews and the world. As ...

We've all been there: waiting for a set to come when a  standout  approaches,  waaayyy  past the break. Everyone paddles frantically to beat the looming destruction, but sometimes it's just too far and you find yourself going backwards over the falls, taking a behemoth on the head, or trying to duck dive six feet of whitewater. Either way, it's a losing battle. The next thing you know you're in the washing machine, tumbling around underwater as if Triton's chariots are stampeding over you, hoping you have enough breath and wondering which way is up. The good news is that you  can  survive the blows of surfing! And here's how: Don't panic:  Surfing is dangerous and waves can be unpredictable. Still, staying calm will allow you to assess each situation with a clear mind, and prepare to escape accordingly. You will also save energy you would otherwise waste trying to fight a losing battle against the power of the sea...energy better used f...

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22) Jesus was in Samaria and tired from his journey, so he sat down and asked a woman to draw some water for him. They have an interesting discourse where Jesus says some revealing things about the woman, things he would not know unless he were a  "prophet,"  as she calls him. She then makes an off-topic comment saying something religious, and the quote above is Jesus' reply. There is a ton going on in this conversation, but what I noticed today, something I've never noticed, is the correlation between  worship  and  salvation . Jesus says the Jews worship what they know,  for  (because) salvation is from the Jews. To me, that means we worship because we have been saved. This has a few implications: first, to truly worship, we  must recognize our need of a savior . This requires brokenness to some degree, for who needs...