YONDER BREAKS

Maybe you've been like me and cramming a year's worth of Christmas music into this holiday season -- it's like going to a buffet to eat enough food for a whole week, but it's breakfast only -- eventually you'll get sick, but it tastes so good... Anyway, I was once a connoisseur of Christmas music, before Spotify and Pandora rendered my extensive collection useless. I still love it, and listen whenever appropriate (and sometimes inappropriate, i.e. - before Thanksgiving). So if you  are  like me, you've likely heard the name of this website sung in your ears a dozen or so times. I'll post the lyrics below in case you need a refresher: O Holy Night The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and e'er pining 'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For  yonder breaks  a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees O hear the angels voices.

Seventh grade was the peak of my Star Wars fandom. That was the year  Episode 1: The Phantom Menace  came out, and my dad had managed to score sweet midnight-opening tickets (this was a new thing back then)  without  waiting in line thanks to a brand new theater in town (all my other friends' dads waited in line for hours and they didn't even get to see it until the following day). The event was marked on my calendar for weeks as excitement built for what was the most anticipated movie event of my life, and though many were disappointed by the film, I have to say I wasn't. Seventh grade was the perfect age for pod racing, kung fu-esque lightsaber battles and, of course, Queen Amidala. Even Jar Jar Binks didn't bother me that much. All in all, it was a more-than satisfying opening. Fast forward over fifteen years later and we find ourselves in a similar air of excitement for  Episode 7: The Force Awakens . Though now, fifteen years wiser, I've taught myself to kee

As Thanksgiving has been approaching, naturally most of the radio/tv/web ads have been concerned with trying to get me to buy something, checking items off my Christmas shopping list as quickly as possible so I can get to the important stuff, like watching Elf and drinking  egg nog . What has been a little unique about this year, though, is that I think Black Friday, once the hallmark of every retail store's year, is disappearing. The ads started about a week ago, with most of the online shops claiming to provide Black Friday-calibur deals early. Amazon.com of course lead the pack in this endeavor, who, by the way, have kicked out the greatest pillars in the collapse of Black Friday with their Prime Two-Day Shipping (and in some cities, Two-Hour Shipping!); for who would bare the crowds of a busy mall when he or she can wait mere hours and get the same item for cheaper? Last year was the first time Prime shipping really affected things I think, which I realized as I daily sa

It had happened by accident a couple years prior... We had season passes to  Mt. Baldy  and decided to get one more day in as winter was ending and the little bit of spring Southern California gets was approaching with haste. I grew up riding the icy mountains of  North Carolina , but after only two seasons of West Coast powder, had gotten too accustomed to it. That final day in Baldy was a throwback to my roots, which I quickly realized as I tossed myself off of a little kicker into what looked like soft snow, but was anything but soft... A couple hours later we were exiting the mountain and heading back to town -- Baldy was a bust. It was the first hot day in a while in Los Angeles, and some friends were going to the beach, and that's when it hit me: I could feasibly snowboard, surf and skateboard in one day. God bless California. I managed all three that day, but only barely, as the  skatepark  was dark by the time I got to it and I was only able to do a few carves in t

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:   “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.   Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.   Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out,  “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant.   He said,  “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see;      though hearing, they may not understand.’ " This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.   Those along the path are the ones who h

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 for swimming