Clocks and Great Leaders

Christian Surfers United States is built on the foundation of Jesus. On top of that there are tons of amazing leaders with incredible stories that God is using for the kingdom. One such leader is Matt Coleman of Santa Barbara, CA. He's been running with the chapter since he was a menehune. This morning my family awoke at a friends home in Santa Barbara and I had scheduled a morning meeting with Matt at a local coffee shop. When my phone alarm went off I jumped out of bed and was out the door without waking a soul. In fact, I was kind of shocked that my kids didn't even stir. Their usually a little restless in the morning and awake easily. But, they seemed deep in sleep. So, any ways...I was at a light about to turn to go downtown and I was thinking how impressive I was at getting out of the house. I decided to check what time it was to see just how fast I dressed and was out the door.
At this point, I should back up. My wife just landed me a new phone and I can't figure out how to work it and unlike my old phone it doesn't automatically change with different time zones. So, I looked at the clock in the car and rather than reading 6:07 AM it read 3:07 AM. Now, I couldn't get back in the house for fear of waking everyone, so, I just took a nap in the driveway for 3 hours. Then I headed off to a very encouraging meeting with Matt.

Random thoughts and bad drivers

I'm about to cross the George Washington bridge in New York City. I'm sitting in stop and go traffic and there are big signs saying that the right lane is going to end. So, every intelligent person goes ahead and gets in line and waits patiently. Then some Yahoos start racing down the right lane to cut in front of everyone because I'm sure that where they are going is so much more important than the hundred cars they are squeezing in front of. With every car that passes my blood pressure goes up a couple notches. I'm beginning to visualize how I'm going to block these people when I get to the front of the line and wave my Christian Surfers sticker at them and say something like didn't your mom teach you to wait in line...
Then I start to think about all the crazy stuff Jesus taught. Things like; love your enemy, do good to those that harm you, don't return evil for evil. So, I start feeling a bit bad about all the Chuck Norris maneuvers I'm dreaming of using and start feeling a little compassion for the "bad drivers". I begin to have utopian thoughts about how maybe if I let someone in then they will let someone else in and we'll end up making a sequel to "Pay It Forward". But, I've been around long enough to know that there will always be bad drivers. Then a verse that I heard this weekend comes to mind: "Children obey your parents in the Lord, FOR THIS IS RIGHT..." I started to think about how maybe I should let these guys merge in because Jesus said to be kind to them and simply because it's the right thing to do. Later I was looking at this old church and thought how God is building something and we need to do what is right because HE has a plan and requires our obedience. Oh yea, I let the guys (plural) in and thought about how Jesus hung on a cross for those people. It's kind of foreign thinking today to do something just because it's right but God's still into it.

Staff Retreat

The purpose of our staff retreat this year was to see our intimacy increase with God our families and other CSUS staff. Our guests, Thom and Carolyn Cunningham from New Tribes Missions shared with us about ministry being the overflow of a reality that Jesus is producing in our homes. The staff for CSUS consists of Daniel and Allison Felton, Denis and Lynn Weiler, Casey and Jen Cruciano and Dean and Amy Plumlee. Of course all the children were present as well. It was a great time of revisiting the basics and allowing God to use each of us in each others lives. Oh yea, and we caught some really fun swell in New England.

Sk8 Hotel

We awoke this morning in a hotel in Delaware looking at the weather Channel and listening to the reports talk about where we just came from. A massive storm loomed the entire time we were at the ESA Easterns and now has unleashed. Our boys were disappointed to be staying in a hotel having just left a perpetual Never, Never Land. We were staying in a skate park were they could run, slide on ramps and, most important, not break anything.

Talk story about Jesus

The other night we spent the evening with some great old friends – Joey and Kristen and their two kids. Joey is a great surfer and came out of a pretty rebellious, surfer lifestyle as a young man and gave his life to Jesus. It’s amazing to see a guy go from a tumultuous life to the peaceful world of being a great Dad and example to others in the water. The guys a barrel magnet too!
We stayed up late into the night talking about how good it is to follow Jesus, an experience that seems to get crowded out by life as we get older. If I were a doctor, I’d write a prescription for everyone to burn the midnight oil talking about Jesus every now and then.
BTW, that’s Kristen’s art on the wall.

Slaves - good or bad

Jesus said that even HE didn’t come to be served but to serve others. It’s interesting the joy that a person gains from serving and yet how the natural man in each of us resists serving. Think what a bummer our world would be without willing servants. I was watching the heads of the ESA and the directors and the “tent setter uppers” and thinking how weird it would be if there were no ESA. What if the people that serve in all the organizations that made it possible for so many to enjoy themselves said, “no more, I’m done”? So, maybe you should go thank someone that runs a local contest or the shop owner that tries to stoke people out or whomever you notice serving so that others may be blessed.

Who are some individuals that you are thankful for the way they serve others?