Review: "A Lake Surfer's Journey by Jack Nordgren"

"A Lake Surfer's Journey by Jack Nordgren"











Review by Magilla Schaus




It wasn't in Rome from where the genesis of the Christian faith derives it's beginnings but instead from the shores of an inland sea in the backwaters of Israel. Common men who every day spent their time catching fish suddenly dropped their nets and followed the words of a voice speaking to them about love for others instead of love for themselves. This is astonishing. I cannot help after reading "A Lake Surfer's Journey," to reflect upon the living symmetry that connects Jack Nordgren to that distant past of these twelve ancient, fishermen who were transformed into representatives for Christ. What compells human beings to change like this?





This book is about a life that can be compared to a profound set wave, with a long wavelength. The metaphors come up from deep water. The stoke is pure. The paddle out into this line up changed Jack Nordgren, his family and total strangers. This is the story about the calling of a Great Lakes, surfer, legend to the word in the Bible, and a life of ministering the word of his God to the unwashed and people ready to hear his stories. Nordgren's chapters flow between lakes and oceans and youth and eternity. It is one thing to fall into langour about surfing and allow the surfboard to gather dust, or to lose interest in chasing dawn patrol waves, but there is no comparing it to offering your most prized possession to your God. Then what is a surfboard next to one's life and spirit? That is where this book is centered. What kind of surfer is this? Yes a person can lose their balance and fall. They can wipe out and chose to panic and lose their way or they can learn and believe in a truth beyond explaination. Some might call this faith, or blind faith, or utter nonsense, but there are no atheists in the trenches. Jack lets go and finds his ephiphany. However, he shares his life and waves honestly and with aloha like placing his forehead next to your forehead to greet you.





The book is enlightening about the early days of surfing in Lake Michigan, and this author's journey to a higher maturity and understanding. There are terrific vintage and recent lake, surf, photographs to be found from cover to cover. My appeal towards this book is that it is a most honest, revelation into the life of a man who lives his religion in his heart and not on his sleeve. This is not Campbell's soup that is being laddled out. The book serves loafs and fishes, eye opeing drops, and close calls from coral reets and the adventure of righting ones way in life.





In 2001 I briefly surfed a small afternoon surf with pastor Jack. On my last day, on the island of Oahu I turned down an invitation to surf with him again. Instead I went up to ride some more on the north shore. I told our mutual friend Kenny that I felt that I might not ever again get to ride up there. My last surf there had a green, sea turtle emerge from the depths of the ocean next to me sitting on my board. I will accept the Hawaiian belief that this was a good sign. Perhaps missing the opportunity of surfing with Jack that day might have prevented me from getting to know a fellow lake surfer better. I never got time to really know him. But, reading "A Lake Surfer's Journey" gave me a more complete meeting of a fellow brother of the sweet water seas. We surfer's know the ultimate moment in a surfer's life is being covered up by a hallow wave. Jack trumps the tube riding with a personal passion that places first and foremost being one with the words of a son of a carpenter and within a family that has it's roots going back to Adam and Eve.





Nordgren has a quiver. He points the way to Acts 10:34-35 to "devinely lead us to the house of the Gentile centurion Cornelius." This is an everyman's book like a board that can be ridden in all conditions. The book is oriented towards surfers but anybody can read it and come out better, or maybe they can consider how many hours a day we spend on the computer, or in front of the television, and how many hours we surf, or read a good book, or spend time with our families, or find the time for sacred worship of the creater of the universe.





There is power in waves. There is indomitable spirit in living a life of belief in serving and trusting it in one's creator.






"A Lake Surfer's Journey by Jack Nordgren can be purchased from the Third Coast Surf Shop at www.thirdcoastsurfshop.com






Note: There is one other surfing minister in the Great Lakes named Mark Collins from Vineland Station, Ontario. He married my wife and I at Wyldewood Beach on Lake Erie.