Lately I've developed a fascination with big wave surfing (thanks to The Wave by Susan Casey). I've never surfed in my life and would probably fail miserably if I tried to stand up on a surf board on a one foot wave, but the guys that go for the big waves truly fascinate me. And when I mean big, I'm talking 50+ foot waves in places like Teahupoo in Tahiti, Mavericks outside of San Francisco, and Jaws which break on the north shore of Maui. Laird Hamilton is a surfer who, at age 47, still defies the odds and defines the sport when it comes to big wave surfing. His uncanny ability to predict when and where waves will be breaking without the aid of weather instruments along with his legendary history of riding the biggest, baddest waves all over the world has many (myself included) believing that he's one of the best big wave surfers of all time.
As I've read about the lives of some of these big wave surfers like Hamilton, I've been impressed by their dedication to fitness and preparation. They aren't sitting around under the nearest palm tree sipping on beers and waiting for the next gnarly wave to break. Instead, they are training year round for those brief moments when storms create particular swells which will bring with them the giant waves they live for. Sometimes these men have to be prepared to board a plan in a matter of hours in order to catch the next series of massive waves, sometimes located halfway across the world. When they aren't surfing, these guys are working out daily and adhering to a strict diet. Hamilton is unique in his approach to fitness in that almost every time he trains he's doing so barefoot. Whether it's in the gym or jogging, the dude is almost always sans shoes. His rationale is pretty simple: Shoes don't allow the feet to receive the benefit of most exercises and, as a surfer, he needs the strongest feet that he can.
Curious about his approach to fitness, I decided that I would try working out barefoot for myself. I do run outside on occasion, so I decided that my bare feet probably wouldn't survive the pavement. But with the rest of my workout, including running on the treadmill, I've made it a point to go shoeless. For the past two weeks that I have adopted this technique I can honestly say that I've enjoyed my workouts a lot more. I like the natural feeling of no constraints. It's almost like I am exercising the way my body was created to do so.
Natural. Without constraints. What I was designed for.
Sounds a lot like what I desire in my faith and practice. I am one of those guys that doesn't mind telling you that I love the church but I'm not the biggest fan of church. I fully affirm the church of Jesus Christ and the necessity for believers to regularly meet together for fellowship, spiritual instruction, worship and singing, prayer, and sharing in life together (Acts 2:41-48). The problem is, what Christianity is today looks very little like what first century Christians were actually practicing. There isn't much today in our mega-church complexes and multimillion dollar campuses that resembles the simple, down to earth, giving our resources to people and not a program style of church that was practiced in the first century. I realize that many will scoff at me for being so idealistic and maybe even hypocritical since I have served in large churches with buildings that are quite impressive, but that doesn't mean that I believe that's how it should be.
Times are different today, I know. And in our western society much of what we do is a product of what our culture demands. Many churches are reaching hundreds of people each week with the gospel by utilizing sophisticated lighting and stages that mesmerize as much as they do entertain, and I certainly don't want to be one to slight what God can do through those mediums. Yet I can't help but believe that these are the exceptions, not the norm. I want to go barefoot.
Give me genuine relationships before a gigantic building. Allow me to share life with you instead of settling for the expectation that the church building is to be the center of our spiritual life. May our churches equip people to be on mission in their communities instead of having all gospel efforts tied to pre-planned church trips. My hope is that Christ will become more famous and His gospel more heard in neighborhoods and work places where believers are truly living it out. Let us be much more incarnational with the gospel than we've ever been before. The doors of churches are open every Sunday, but there aren't many unbelievers rushing to find their seats. Perhaps it's time to ditch the shoes and take the more natural, gospel centered, biblical approach. Go barefoot.
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