Do you even skate?

Do you even skate?

A girl in a skate shop asked this to Chuck once when he was looking at boards. 

We immediately left the store..

(In shock) 

She assumed he didn’t skate...

Not so smart... 

I have been blessed to be married to my husband nearly 20 years this year.

My husband is a skateboarder.

He has been on his board since he was 8 years old.

Let me explain...

“Loose trucks save lives” 

“Ollie out”

“Feeble grind”

“That place is a bust”

These are skate terms

(LOL, 2 points for you if you understand !) 

My husband is a teacher, he has his Masters degree in education and is an amazing man of God ...who also happens to skate. Skateboarding will always be part of his DNA. 

I have learned a lot about the skateboard community over the years.

One amazing character about skaters is how accepting they are.

They do not care if you have nice or worn out clothes, or even if you have not bathed recently. They are generous... sharing water, money, rides and snacks. 

They don’t care about your age or nationality... all that matters is that you can skate... 

Your skate abilities (or even just effort!) create an immediate connection and bond. 

However, there is one thing skateboarders do not and will not tolerate.

Posers.

Posers are people who dress like, talk like, act like they skate, but when push comes to shove, they do not skate... they just want to “look” like they skate.

This is a perfect illustration of the Christian life. 

Christ talked pretty stern to the posers of the day- the Pharisees and Sadducees.

These people acted as if they were close to God, but Jesus called them “white washed tombs.” (Dead inside)

Why are “posers” or Pharisees so disrespected?

They are not genuine.

They look one way, but act a different way. 

I think deep down inside all of us feel like a poser. 

We feel like we don’t quite match up, or meet up to the expectations of others.

That’s where the error lies.

God is not looking down at us with a pointed finger. He is looking at us (each one)  eye to eye with arms wide open.

We become posers when we fail to be accountable to God and others.

I believe we have lost the art of genuine friendship. The art of being loose and real and comfortable with each other (like skaters)

We try to impress people, we polish our instagram pics and use filters, not just in social media, but in life.

I believe this is one reason suicide is increasing... people are too scared of being real... so they fake it.. until one day they can’t fake it anymore.

Lord help us be real! Help us call our sins out in prayer to you and truly repent! Lord help us become your best friend FIRST and then allow you to help us be true friends to others. Lord the religious leaders saw you as weird and unconventional. Help us to embrace this if needed! Help us crush the boxes people put us in and instead grab hands and pray for each other. Help us love each other no matter what. In Jesus Name, Amen