THE RED TRIANGLE “First of all what are you talking about today, the Red Triangle, what is that Blake?” 

“Here is the 411!” Each year, in the late summer, a region known as the Red Triangle bustles with marine mammal activity. Lying between San Francisco and Monterey, the Red Triangle includes beaches where elephant seals go to molt, and offshore sites where great whites feed on unwary prey. 

You see the camp I just got back from speaking at was in Monterey. What an amazing time and as always the Holy Spirit showed up and did some amazing things. But let’s talk about Jaws and his buddies out in the water just off the camp site.  

It was Thursday morning about 4 hours before I headed for the airport to fly home. I woke up early so I could walk on the beach, grab some cool shells, and just have some quiet time with God.  

What was amazing about this morning was the reality that I was not alone. Oh, yeah, there were couple of people walking along the beach but I am referring to what was hanging out about 40 yards off the beach in the water.  

Dude and Dudettes, you could see fins of the great white shark swimming around. Man, I was only 40 some yards from having a really bad day…. The thing was, the Whities were out looking for some grindage but there were also a couple of pretty good swells breaking out in the water too. The good news is, the water was cold, I did not have a surfboard and if I did it would have just hung out with me on the sand in safety.  

But get this. Just as I was thinking about surfing, these two young guys show up with rental boards and a full length wetsuits. They plopped down right next to me.  They were totally stoked about getting to surf; I believe that they really had no idea what they were doing, because they were asking each other questions that made it quite obvious.  

So, here I was, knowing what was lurking just 40 to 60 yards out. Do I tell them?Hmmmmmmmm!!! 

Just kidding! I wasn’t going to let them go in the water….So; I struck up a conversation with them.

We talked for a little bit as I watched one of them put his wetsuit on backwards. I kindly told the kid that the zipper was supposed to be behind and not in front. His buddy and I laughed in good fun.  

But then I gave them the bad news! I told them what I had witnessed just 10 minutes earlier. I explained to them that this time of year in those waters was not the place to surf. Not just because it is cold if they are not used to the temperature but that Jaws and his buddies were hungry and they were looking for food.  

I pointed out to where I saw the fins and just as I pointed just a little South and further out we all saw a couple of more fins. The whities had not bailed out from the area.  

Now, the one kid Josh was terrified when he saw the fins. He just plopped back down in the sand and said, and I quote, “I don’t feel like being breakfast this morning Joel.” 

You would think that Joel was going to have the same reaction. Right? NOT!!!! 

Joel begins to try and convince his best friend that the sharks won’t bother them, that they are too far out there, anything he can say to get Josh in the water with him.  

I just listened to a determined kid do everything in his power to put his friend in a position to be tragically injured or even breakfast for a great white.  

Why? Probably because Joel wanted to brag to his friends back home that he went surfing! 

It is funny how so often when we get together with friends, one of us is the voice of reason and the other has a little rebel spirit in them. Right? 

But if you ever want to just be flat out foolish. Then hang around a fool or a bunch of them. There are millions of Joel’s out there and not enough Josh’s. 

Which one are you to your friends? 

Let this verse sink into your psyche….. 

Proverbs 13:20/ He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. 

Don’t let this verse leave you today! 

Bookmark: