What would it feel like to catch a 40-foot wave and ride it into shore? During a competition at surfing hot spot Maverick's, about 22-miles from San Francisco, a Sports Illustrated story described the incredible rides of a surfer named Darryl [the] "Flea" Virostko:
For his first wave, a 40-footer, he made a beautiful drop, essentially skiing down the face of the wave. The breaking wave exploded in a huge whitewash and Virostko raced ahead of it to safety … On his second ride, Virostko did something few surfers in the world can do. Rather than ski down the face of the 35-foot wave, he used his feet to point the nose of the board straight up and went free-falling … He positioned himself to catch the oncoming barrel and rode inside it. When he emerged from the tube, he surfed the wave to its terminus … On his third wave, Virostko … took off right at the peak of a 40-footer, made a graceful drop and rode it serenely. His [whole body] looked utterly relaxed though he was being chased by a wave big enough to kill.
Imagine sitting on a little board and having a forty-foot wall of water roaring at you and then deciding to stand up on that little board. I don't think anyone who surfs at Maverick's comes away thinking, "That was boring. Maybe tonight I can do something exciting like watch TV!"
A revival is a lot like catching a wave. At different times in history, God has built a wave for the church to ride. We can't manufacture a wave on our own efforts, but we can experience the thrill of getting on our boards and riding it in. That's why surfers use a phrase that also applies to Christians—"If it swells, ride it!" Like Virostko, we can be "utterly relaxed" while we're "being chased by a wave big enough to kill."
