Incarnational Oops!

Well, my friends, I've done it. I let a few of my youth sucker me into doing something I shouldn't have done. That's right . . . I went skateboarding at a skate park.

Let me get this straight, it was my intention to take the youth to the skate park. My role was to be the responsible observer and cheerleader. Then, with their little puppy dog faces and my desire to be seen as cool, I strapped on a helmet and some pads and grabbed a board. God did not create us with wheels for feet for a reason!

First mistake: I was wearing bad shoes that provided very little grip on the board. Second mistake: I went down a very small ramp (6 inches) and grabbed the fence for stability. I fell off the board and jammed a few of my fingers. Third mistake: After a little more practice on flat ground, I felt ambitious and went after another ramp, this one a tad larger. As I descended, I knew it would all end badly. My board kept going, but I wasn't on it! I got a little bit of air and fell back onto my tailbone. OUCH!!!

For the record, that was a week and a half ago. My tailbone still hurts, and one of my fingers is still slighty swollen. David, my pastor, asked me what went through my head that made me think that skateboarding was a good idea. "Well, incarnational ministry, of course! Go where the youth are; do what they do. Meet them where they are like Jesus did." David's response: "What part of in-the-world but not of-the-world do you not understand?" So true. From now on, I'm sticking to the observation bench when it comes to skateboarding. But something about summer at the beach makes me think that some of my students just might convince me to learn how to surf. Ohh no!