Mark Read

Surfanthood Mark Read

Surfanthood explores a simple analogy expanding the experiences of early ministry. The analogy goes like this: The waves are God's activity in the world. The surfer is us. The board is our activity/ministry/service. At best our activities, and boards, join with God's activity, the waves, to create something joyful, wondrous, and exciting. We submit to the wave and experience something beautiful. At worst we can wrestle and struggle, becoming increasingly tired, frustrated, and pained by what is happening until eventually the inevitable occurs; we get really hurt or we get out. A new possibility centers on five postures that servants adopt: They are non-professional, non-commercial, non-prescriptive, non-evangelical, and non-authoritative. Each chapter begins with a reality of surfing that finds a parallel in ministry. This reality gives a lens to explore an episode within Luke's Gospel which, as a complete Gospel, explores the question ""How do I mature in service?"" and then reflects on where we see the postures of surfanthood.