I saw something a bit unusual yesterday morning. I was ready for church early, and was waiting for the women in my home to make their final preparations, so I went to fill the car with gas. As I was sitting at a traffic light, a car coming toward me had something unusual stowed on the roof of their car.

At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. When the car turned left, and gave me a full view, I saw it for sure. This car was carrying a surf board.

Now this would not be unusual if we were on the right coast, the left coast, or the bottom coast. However, we are without an ocean. Yes, Oklahoma has some beautiful lakes, but those lakes have no tide to bring waves crashing into shore. What on earth would a car in Tulsa, Oklahoma be doing with a surf board?

During his 6 weeks in the hosptial, I remember a lady from California offering to have BJ come out there for her sons to teach him to surf. I remember Beej using a boogie board in the Atlantic, when we visited my sister Lynae and her family. I don't remember there being a way to use a surf board for any effective fun in a land-locked state. It is simply out of place.

Then I got to thinking about how often I feel out of place. I constantly hear television and movies malign Christians, portray us in inaccurate ways, or completely misrepresent our intentions when they speak about us. There is little understanding of our Savior, and less tolerance of His message.

Too often we allow this to defeat us, and we feel there is no way to overcome the growing swell of the world working against us. This is a tool of the enemy. He knows we are easily distracted. We live in an ADD society. Our attention spans are short, and our interest in pursuing the things of God easily derailed.

We walk out of church services motivated, only to reach home, and collapse into an easy chair, scarcely remembering what fueled the flame, moments ago. Something "better" claims our attention, and we are swept into it's current.

Until we understand, are convicted, and are ready for battle we will continue to "surf" in calm waters. There is no challenge there. There is no threat or thrill of the 'big wave.' We are not likely to get hurt or cause a ripple in the stagnant waters of apathy.

Our Christianity will have no dangerous or alluring element to it until we begin to live as Jesus did. When our lives are patterned after His, and we seek to see as He sees, we will begin to impact our world.

Until then, we are just surf boards in Oklahoma.


dad


Spirit 102.3 interviewed me about BJ's song and story on Friday. They are supposed to post the interview in it's entirety on www.spirit1023.com. For Tulsa area residents, they are supposed to use excerpts from it this week on the morning show.