YONDER BREAKS

It's Christmas! Which means a season rich with traditions, responsibilities and fun, unique to each family and individual. For me, it all starts (before Thanksgiving I might add...) with two things: Christmas music and egg nog. And this year, as I was consuming that magical elixir of the holiday season, I examined my egg nog drinking habits and a thought occurred.... Egg nog is terrible for you. Everyone knows it. They try to help by making "low fat" egg nog, but it tastes like nothing more than holiday horchata. So in an effort to stay mildly healthy, instead of drinking a large portion of nog for dessert, when its saturated fat will bloat in my stomach overnight, I take it in little portions: a little in my coffee, maybe a sip after lunch or mixed with milk later. It's a bit healthier and spreads the delight throughout the day. And that's when the thought hit me -- taking in something as awesome as egg nog in smaller portions is a good way to take in God....

My first full summer in Southern California, a friend told me about a mystical and elusive spot known as  Trestles , at least that's how it sounded to me at the time. Somewhere in San Celemente, CA, you had to walk a long path through the bush to get to the rocky, but worthwhile break with amazingly long rides that my informant claimed was where he learned to pump. Sounds good to me! I've been, and it lives up to the legend (minus the mythical and elusive part), so I thought I would provide some tips in case you want to visit this famous surf spot. 1. It's a long hike to the break, so bring a bike or skateboard.  In actuality, it's not too terribly long, though it's definitely more than the usual parking lot-to-the-sand walk you might be used to. Plus, you want to save all your energy for the fantastic waves you are about to surf. Bikes, boards, bags. All good for Trestles. 2. Trestles is a rock break, so bring your booties if you have them . On my l...

I've been spending time with some artists lately and heard one of them describe his art as a pursuit and a longing. He said that he used to think he could write a song that would sum it all up, ending the pursuit and satisfying some sort of lack in his life; but later he realized that this would never be the case, and that life would be a never ending pursuit of satiating this nondescript longing. As an artist myself, I can relate. I have an overwhelming desire to write, tell stories, make music and shoot movies; so much so that any free moment needs to be filled with one of those pursuits. What's worse, is that the ideas keep coming, but the time to flesh them out is rarely there, and so I'm left with a constant feeling that I'm behind and may never catch up. So what would happen if I never told all of those stories, or wrote all of those songs? Would the world be any worse without my art? Would I be any better or worse of a person because of it? Or is all of this j...

They say entitlement is a problem with my generation, and I believe it -- I know I've had my moments. I think you could even say that it is  more  of a problem amongst Christians. In my mind (and probably the minds of others too), this is the way it works: I serve God, the Creator of everything, and He loves me, so why wouldn't He just make everything work out in my favor? In a way, I can even support this with scripture ( Romans 8:28 ). The problem with this thinking though, is that things don't work out all the time, just the way I want them. And then what do you do? I was thinking this weekend about how nothing is ever perfect; not in a defeated, self-pitying way, but just realizing that life rarely works out 100% the way I want. For instance, I've wanted to work from home for years, and by work I mean write things I want to write, make music I want to make, shoot movies I want to shoot...and get paid for it! Well, we had a daughter this year and I was able to bec...

Have you ever been sitting in the lineup and waiting for a set when, out of nowhere, a giant bulge of water comes at you like a miniature tsunami? You're in line for a normal set, but this is something different, breaking farther out and bigger; and so you have to make a split-second decision to either paddle and beat the wave, or sit and duck dive six feet of white water. You choose Option 1: Paddle, as fast as you can! The wave is growing, becoming dark, ready to double over. You're close, just a few more strokes away! The wave crests and you thrust your board down just in time to avoid taking it on the head. When you come up on the other side of a miracle, you look back and watch boards and heads pop up in a massive pool of sea foam and whitewater, gasping for air and hoping there isn't another one on the way...but there usually is. This is the story of a standout set, my friends, and knowing how to handle these are key for a successful surf session on a big day. ...