“Waves.” That’s what Chandler said when I asked him what I should write about for today. Just one word: “Waves.”

Chandler is into waves because we live close to the beach and because he has recently taken up skimboarding. Now skimboarding is much more than just skimming across the wet sand as the tide recedes. Some of the best skimboarding is to be had a few blocks from my house. That’s because we tend to have a lot of shore break here (waves that crash right up on the sand), and that means you can skim down into the wave, and if you time it right, turn around and surf it back in.

Think about how long those waves have been here and how relatively short the span of time has been that we have realized that we could do anything with them. A local surf shop has skim boards dating back to the 1950s, no farther. And now we have competition, sponsors, apparel and media. This is all relatively new.

There are those who will just watch the waves – and don’t get me wrong – there is much to be gained from watching. But there are those who will get inside them, challenge them, feel their power, flirt with their danger. It’s the difference between observing and experiencing.

Life and faith provide the same two options all the time: observe and experience. I am, by nature, an observer. I would love to do nothing more than observe and comment. That is what I am doing right now – what I do every day with the Catch. But life forces me to experience it, and faith means nothing until it moves from the page or the commentary into action.

The waves keep coming. They never stop. The opportunities wait. What will it be: Look, listen or ride?