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Showing posts from February, 2014

Culture Making - All In #5

Here is another "All In" sermon, by Joseph Barkley: http://churchinhollywood.com/media.php?pageID=15 Romans 12:9-13 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. I looked up how to change culture once (because that seems like a good thing to do). I didn't really expect to find an answer, or thought it might be something like, "appeal to the good in people and they will change." I was surprised to find that one of the most proven ways to change a culture is to convince everyone that their peers are doing the desired behavior, so you should too, lest you feel left out. Essentially it's saying, "everyone else is doing it," with the "it" b

Beach Break Blues

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I've spent most of my life surfing beach breaks, and to be honest, I'm hitting a point where I'm getting a bit tired of some of the downfalls: Closeouts Backwash waves Dredging Parking/ Crowds Most days, however, I don't have time to drive up to the nearest point, reef or rock break, and so a quick session at a nearby beach will have to suffice. So I thought I'd compile a list of ways to make the most out of your less-than-perfect beach break. Closeouts are my biggest enemy in surfing.  I mean, how are you supposed to get any better at maneuvers when the wave is over half-a-second after you stand up? The bright side is, if you're used to managing corners on closeouts, should you ever approach a finely crafted wave, you will be in excellent standing to shred. Some tips I've found are to stand up a bit earlier than you think you should, and also pay a lot of attention to the spot where you catch the wave. Ten yards can be the difference between a

To Each for All - All in #4

Here's the fourth "All In" sermon by Joseph Barkley: http://www.churchinhollywood.com/media.php?pageID=15 It's based on Romans 12:3-8: 3  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5  so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your [ a ] faith; 7  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, [ b ] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. There's a

Surfboard Shapes Explained

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Have you ever been in a conversation with an experienced surfer and heard, "what kind of board do you have?" You pause and break eye contact as insecurities set in...you have no idea what kind of board you have! All you know is that your old roommate left it on the balcony when he moved out, or that you found it in the dumpster one lucky evening before the trash man came. Maybe you're humble enough to admit, "I don't know." Only to hear, "Well, what size is it? What's the tail look like? Where did you get it?" "Big...round...dumpster..." you reply, as you just realized you described a trash can, which is where this conversation is heading. Well, my friends, now is the time to learn about your board! Who knows...maybe you've been riding the wrong board all along, and it's time to put that duct taped short board on Craigslist for something more your speed? Or maybe you're a pretty good surfer, but you've never really