Nelscott Tow Surfing Contest Gets Some Vineyard Talent

Today's big wave contest off the Oregon Coast featured some of the best tow surfers in the world. Tow teams from Ireland, Brazil, Hawaii, and California converged on our little city and the conditions where perfect. The Nelscott Reef Tow Surfing Classic for 2008 was held under sunny skies and 20 - 30 foot waves peeling about 1/2 mile off the coast of Lincoln City.

(picture courtesy www.nelscottreef.org)

Vineyard church members and local Oregon surfers Jeremy Rasmussen and Tom Miller (Sr. Pastor) surprised almost everyone with an 8th place showing. An amazing feat when considering they were competing against some of the more famous tow surfers in the world.

For complete contest information, results, and photos visit the contest site here.

TV and Violence and Kids

I've been home for over 3 weeks now nursing a broken leg. So I've moved from the bed to the couch to the other couch and back to the bed for longer than I care to remember. I've also been watching more TV than I have in probably 20 years. What is shocking to me is how many programs feature sexual violence against women and children. I'm amazed at the writers and producers of CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Crossing Jourdan, and all the other weekly crime dramas that feel like they need to graphically show this stuff. They're not showing this after 9pm anymore.... it's on all day now. Trust me.

Now, I've become wise to the redundant themes. So I do turn the channel when the plot starts to telegraph its intent show another slain naked body. But they're not stupid. They must be writing and filming these stories because they think that is what most Americans want... right?

According to this study, by the time the average kid in the US finishes elementary school, they've seen 8,000 violent murders on TV. So, that gives us another angle on the 8 year old murderer story in the news. Honestly, why is everyone is so shocked?

Church Promotes Everyday Sex for 7 Days

I found this video interview on CNN. The church of 20,000 people is suggesting that married couples should have sex once a day for 7 days starting this Sunday. I was just a bit confused about two things:

1. Why wait until this coming Sunday? Cant they start now?
2. Why is the CNN anchorwoman so uptight? Seems to me that she could use a little of that medicine herself.

Painfully Blogging Again - Writing and Posting 2.0

I'm sitting home nursing a badly broken left leg. I cannot travel for work or surf or play on my dirt bike because, well, I broke my leg in 5 places doing just that. So I have another 6 weeks before I can even apply weight to the leg and that, my friend, provides ample time to write and work and talk on the phone. And also try blogging again.

The image above (taken from a medical site and not my real x-ray) is almost identical to what my x-ray looked like... only my leg also has a small plate on the smaller Fibula bone on the right with another 3 screws.

I'm finding the time now to regret that I deleted a blog that I had faithfully kept up for about 3 years. It was called AdventureFaith, a place where I posted much of my draft and published writings for the world to see. I deleted it because I was kind of tired of the subtle expectations to keep it fresh and I was not 100% sure I wanted anyone and everyone to have full access to my thoughts and writings.

Deleting it was liberating. I reminded me of the time I hucked a journal out the window of my car while driving 70 MPH down the I-5 freeway in Washington State. I was reading through the journal and thought "this is full of whining and complaining and thoughts that really don't matter any more to me"... then I just tossed it. That felt pretty good too. I only hope someone didn't pick it up and find a way to connect the evidence to me. That would suck.

Anyway, I'm starting another blog now because I have more writing to do and I'll need feedback from trusted blogging friends to make the writing good and meaningful to people besides myself. I have a new article coming out in Christianity Today this February entitled "Modern Radicalism". I have another piece coming out soon in Stand Firm magazine and I'm just now starting an article for Neue Quarterly on the challenges for new leadership development.

So... stay with me. I'm hopeful this 2.0 attempt at blogging will be worth keeping around.