yesterday i spent the day with Andy, out at skateparks shooting video. it's the first time that i've had any footage since I was 15 or so... it's interesting, 17 years later to see myself skating at parks... bald, bearded, heavier... i love it...
i hope to drop a few pics here for you...
but the thing i have to say centers around my inner desire to justify the appalling wastefulness of my skate habit... you see, I skateboard almost every day. Whether it's down to the store on my longboard, or dropping by the local bowl for a turn on the way home from dropping kids at school... and it's risky. and it's kinda expensive: shoes, boards, bearings, bluejeans...
When i'm out there doing that, there's almost nothing being "made". No quantifiable result for the time spent... Ephesians has this verse in it:
"Redeem the time, for the days are evil."
It challenges me all the time as I stumble through life, praying that God guide me and work through me...
So, I'm looking at the skateboarding thing.
One time, this guy talked to me about working with a major City-Wide ministry to start a big skateboarding program. I don't want to. You see, when i am out there, just being me, with Jesus... I am nucular! (not nuclear, nucular)
I am nookyooler because Jesus really does Spiritually live in me! There is a real angelic presence that accompanies me! I'm a secret agent, under cover for Jesus... I look just like some old punker who never grew up! And I skate ok enough for kids to really remember me... forget that, though. Have you seen my beard? It's like sticking out like 4 inches straight out from my face now!
So, i've found a significance in this thing... the fact that, as a skater in whom Jesus lives, I carry the real presence of Xist in me to these people, I'm really on mission, every day I'm there... sometimes I get orders to speak, but mostly I skate joyfully, thankfully, pray, grieve, and hope for the day of His coming to the hearts of these people!
How often are these people with a pastor? I hear it all the time: "I've never even met a pastor before!" and "I've never known a pastor that wants to talk to me". These conversations rock my world! The fields ar full of people in need of love and truth! and there I am, out there!
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What's wasteful?
ReplyDeleteSo you rip through jeans, distroyed the arch in your feet, and shred ball berings? Bluntly, I ask, so what?
In the flesh, we're luck right now, we don't get spears run through us; I can't see how having to buy new jeans is somehow worse than that. I think I'm actually trying to be an encouragement here, but failing at it.
My other comment is, please don't get involved in a "skateboard minsitry." These things (prepared, prepackaged "ministry") are so cheap and flimsy. And the world sees right through 'em.
You wanna know the biggest thing I learned from my time with yall? RELATIONAL MINISTRY.
You don't gain converts by passing out soda. You don't gain converts by voting libratarian, and you don't gain converts by passing out one lousey sack of food once a year to the "poor people." These all may be great things, but they do not substitue for developing a relationship with people.
You discharge Christ's great Comission by service in a comunity. Anything else... well, I've typed far too much without proofreading it.
-st
thanks, justin. you bet i'll keep it up and keep it real with my neighbors.
ReplyDeletevery little chance of me "sellin' out", too. got too many around me who are holdin my feet to the fire!
miss ya