the Relief

TEST

2011-09-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

TEST

Baptism coming!

2011-02-23T15:18:00.003-09:00

Had a meeting last night with a surfer and his daughter ready to be baptized. So good to hear their stories of coming out of a lifestyle of growing pot for a living up north to now holding a job and living for Christ. God is good and the stories of changed lives never get old!

Coincidence?

2011-02-02T17:11:00.002-09:00

Funny thing happened at our chapter meeting last week. First, an old friend Thomas reconnected and out of the blue pocket called a friend of his (A) that he hadn't spoken with in 5 years! Upshot of it was Thomas went to A's house and shared Christ with him. A was receptive and had been doing business with another of our members who was also sharing with him!
I had no idea and was about to also place an order with A for some chapter t-shirts! So when Thomas brought this up as a testimony at our meeting we all went, really! God has been leading us to A too! Thomas was so fired up that on the way home he called A and shared that we had prayed for him in the meeting! A was grateful and plans to come to one of our Bible studies soon.
All this again made me remember that God is at work in lives and I need to be attentive to see just who He is at work in at the time, we don't know how long those open doors will stay open! Pray for A.

New Direction

2011-01-24T08:49:00.002-09:00

This ground has lain fallow for a while now, it has been a long time since I updated my blog!
Anyway, I thought that I would change direction with it and use it as a way to keep you updated on how to pray for the various surfers that God is sending our way.
The first prayer request is for R and his family. He made a committment some time ago and has been far from God now for a while. Last week at our Point outreach he came up and shared that he was tired of going this walk alone and needed to plug in and wanted to come to our next Bible study. So I was able to surf with him before church Sunday morning and keep building that relationship.
This morning he texted and shared that after that surf he found out that his wife's father had passed away and asked for prayer.
Please pray for R and his family that they experience God's love and comfort and that God continues to draw them back to Himself.
Thanks!

PS. The image below is of the new organization I am working for!

2:6 Meeting

2010-09-22T16:24:00.003-08:00

In Florida we met as primarily Christian Surfers leaders for the first of six 3 day meetings studying the life of Jesus as a model for ministry. It is radical in it's simplicity and commitment. Jesus modeled principles of multiplication, relational ministry and pouring into a select group of disciples that would go out and change the world.
Let me leave you with a few questions: Is your ministry primarily relational or event driven? Would you rather have a penny doubled every day for a month or a million dollars? Let me ask you another question, Is Jesus the ultimate example for us in life and ministry? Let me finish with a final question, was Jesus intentional in everything He did? Thoughts to ponder.

The flu that won't quit

2010-04-18T09:43:00.001-08:00

Going on a week now, first me, then Allison, Ryder, Faith and now it seems Quinn. Brutally sick, worst in a long time but on the mend now, can't wait for it to be over.

Clash of the Icons

2010-03-30T12:10:00.001-08:00

2010-03-20T20:52:00.002-08:00

Casey and Jen Cruciano: Yearly Board Meeting

2010-03-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Casey and Jen Cruciano: Yearly Board Meeting

"Cleansing" Premiere!

2010-03-10T08:18:00.002-09:00

Filmmakers Mary Kimball and Elisabeth Pena have just finished making a documentary featuring myself and SB chapter director Matt Coleman titled "Cleansing". The premiere is Thursday 11th, 6:30 pm at 3153 N Ventura Rd., Oxnard, CA. We will be showing it for our weekly Surfer's Bible study. Come join us!

Pray in February!

2010-01-25T08:10:00.003-09:00

Join us in praying for surfers, our workers, the surf industry and much more in the month of February. Go to www.christiansurfers.com to get the downloadable prayer calendar for February.

Bible Study reminder!

2010-01-22T11:27:00.001-09:00

Having a great time at the Bible study, God is moving, stop by!

Christian Surfers at ASR, Feb. 2-4, San Diego

2010-01-15T12:44:00.000-09:00

White Diamond Video with Robert Weiner

2010-01-14T20:53:00.000-09:00

The Prayer Wall

2010-01-06T11:13:00.001-09:00

Brian Edward's (CS Huntington Beach chapter director) prayer wall. We are now on there, thanks Brian!

Bible Study Flier

2010-01-04T11:37:00.000-09:00

Surfer's Bible Study!!

2010-01-04T09:47:00.002-09:00

Coming this Thursday, we are going to be hosting a surfer's Bible study that we pray will grow into a full blown CS chapter for this area. Keep this in prayer, please! Meeting is at 6:30 pm.

What was supposed to be the World Championship recap video...

2009-12-24T05:46:00.000-09:00

Parko 2009 Tribute from Billabong on Vimeo.

Mick Fanning wins WCT Championship 2009

2009-12-14T07:34:00.001-09:00

Jalama Campout 2009!

2009-11-12T09:44:00.004-09:00

It's that time of year again, the Christian Surfers Santa Barbara campout! If you can't make it keep it in prayer next weekend (20-22) as it is a great time for some real sharing and connecting over a campfire and the Word.

Conference Group Photo

2009-11-04T13:04:00.003-09:00

What a great conference! The fellowship was truly of the Spirit, I have never seen a group at a CS conference bond that quickly. Comments were heard such as "The best conference I'd ever been to." God was really there, convicting, challenging and changing lives and destinies for eternity. I am humbled to serve alongside such a great group of men and women, praise God!

CS Industry Day

2009-10-13T12:12:00.001-08:00

Come one, come all! Check out our Industry Day, at the corner of PCH and Artesia in Hermosa Beach, October 24, 11-4. Invite all your friends!

CSUS National Conference Next Week!

2009-10-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

http://csusconference.teamopolis.com/league/registration.aspx?raid=1&rpid=153
Register Now!

Christian Surfers Gospel of John...

2009-09-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

NOTW/CSUS shirt, coming soon...

2009-09-29T09:14:00.003-08:00

Britt Merrick's, God's worthiness in trial

2009-09-29T08:58:00.003-08:00

When My Heart Is Overwhelmed from Reality on Vimeo.

In this message Britt shares of learning last week that his five year old daughter has Stage 3 cancer, keep them in your prayers.

Heat of the Contest, Lowers 09'

2009-09-23T05:15:00.002-08:00

ASR San Diego

2009-09-17T15:24:00.001-08:00

Christian Surfers US had an outreach last weekend at ASR, the biggest trade show for the Action Sports industry. This was the third or fourth year we have been doing it. We go in with matching shirts, handing out coffee for free and break down booths and carry stuff for people the last day.
It was amazing to get to share a little taste of God's unconditional love for us with the various people and everyone had a story of getting to share the gospel with various individuals. One of the best "stateside" mission trips I have ever been involved with. Check out the pic of our team (with a few missing!)

Philippines Boards

2009-09-01T13:49:00.003-08:00

My friend Kyle Knight recently took a mission trip to the Philippines and needed some surfboards to give to the local kids. I had a few that had been laying around for some time and donated them for him to give out. These shots are of the kids stoked out of their minds and yet another way the gospel is going forward!

ASR Service

2009-08-10T07:50:00.002-08:00

Coming up in September we have an opportunity for Christian Surfers members to volunteer to serve at the Action Sports Retailers show in San Diego. We are a light to the industry serving in whatever capacity needed. Keep this event in prayer! For more info go to christiansurfers.com

Thomas Curran Testimony

2009-08-07T07:11:00.003-08:00

Coming August 15th, the first in a series of surfers sharing how Jesus Christ changed their lives! Check christiansurfers.com!

25 years!

2009-03-27T08:29:00.002-08:00

Hard to believe that Christian Surfers has been around now for 25 years! We are excited about this milestone and recently had a new logo commissioned to commemorate this. I am truly blessed to be a part of this ministry and was reminded of that this last week when interviewing the Newport Beach chapter director. He had too many testimonies of surfers getting saved on the sand to fit in the time that we had! Thanks to all our supporters who make this possible, many blessings.

CSUS Conference 2009, Register Now!

2009-03-19T12:23:00.004-08:00

It's finally here! CSUS Conference 2009 in Hermosa Beach, CA Oct. 22-24, register now!
CLICK HERE
And one of Quinn at the beach.

Jeremy Lusk RIP

2009-03-03T08:13:00.002-09:00

Please pray for the family, they are believers.

CK

2009-03-03T08:06:00.001-09:00

2009 National Conference details coming soon...

2009-02-11T14:50:00.001-09:00

Ventura Baptist Church

2009-02-02T08:47:00.003-09:00

As always, a home church is a place to be reignited weekly and sometimes even more often than that. As a coal blows out of the fire and is quickly extinguished, so we are to remain in the fire, forsaking not assembling together as believers in Jesus Christ. Check out our new church's website at www.venturabaptist.org.

Coming Feb. 1st, Chapter in Focus!

2009-01-30T18:11:00.004-09:00

Check out www.christiansurfers.com Feb. 1st for pics and article!

Local Unpleasantness and Hope...

2009-01-27T21:54:00.003-09:00

Panama Prep School Video

2009-01-25T07:32:00.005-09:00

Click Here!

Rained and snowed for SEVEN days...

2009-01-24T22:02:00.000-09:00

Winter in California, nothing really more to say...

2009-01-12T14:36:00.001-09:00

Kelly Slater 9x World Champ

2009-01-06T22:30:00.000-09:00

Big Surf in Yakutat

2008-12-23T18:22:00.004-09:00

Click Here for some amazing surf shots of a swell surfed by a few guys at the end of November in Yakutat, Alaska.

Baja 1000 2008

2008-11-25T07:52:00.002-09:00

2008 Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Champions Roger Norman and Larry Roseler of Norman Motorsports - Start to Finish from Norman Motorsports on Vimeo.

Jono and Stefan

2008-11-22T06:58:00.004-09:00

Had a good premiere, good to see those zany guys again. They are off on their way further up the coast to continue premiering the movie, all the way up to Seattle. If you have a chance, check it out!

Ryder was excited and came with me but lost interest soon after his part came up and it was all of 5 seconds long!

Smoke filled sunset in Ventura.

Surfing 50 States Ventura Premiere

2008-11-19T08:29:00.003-09:00

Tonight in Ventura at Winchester's, 8 pm, 632 E. Main St., admission is FREE!

Tea Fire

2008-11-14T10:26:00.004-09:00

Haven't heard if everyone from the Santa Barbara chapter is ok or what the status of their homes is. Keep them in prayer, here is a pic from Summerland last night of the Tea Fire in Montecito that a guy posted on the surfermag forums.
Update on Jalama camp trip, had an open meeting in the campground on Saturday night where Bailey, youth pastor in training from Santa Barbara Calvary Chapel gave a message. Good stuff!

Jalama Weekend

2008-11-10T19:23:00.010-09:00

The weekend started out a little different than I had envisioned. I, along with some others was to go up early to reserve spots as this camp books solid virtually every weekend. The family all got sick and I was the last to get it so I drove up Friday afternoon with a sore throat coming on, feeling worse all the time. But it had to be done and although it would have been fun with the whole family, it was not meant to be.

The view coming into the camp is spectacular, it is an awesome thing to be living in the city for three months and suddenly to be surrounded by nature again, rejuvenating, refreshing and awe inspiring.
The main group came in late, around 7 or 7:30. It was funny because you constantly hear how teenagers are lazy and unmotivated or can't be expected to get up early because they are growing and need their sleep.

Well I can tell you that this group of teenage guys were all in bed before 9:30 and waxing their boards at 4 am in the morning to walk to a reef to surf. Out of all the Christian high school trips that happen across the US, we have to be in the 99.9th percentile for that happening! Makes them a dream to chaperone though.
Sunrise surf check at Jalama, you can see a reef in the distance and a van checking it out.
The younger guys like Austin and Pat were especially funny, everything was the "best ever!" Which we were amazed at until we realized that that's not hard when you've only lived ten or twelve years! =) Pat especially had a story for everything, it got to the point we would throw out random topics like grasshopper and have him tell stories, really funny!
Here's Patrick I believe, cutting back.Austin, friendly and about to be dumped by the wave.Matt, duckdiving a wave sideways.A set approaching.

Pat and Austin, the coldest they had ever been "in their whole lives."
Breakfast doesn't last long with hordes of hungry surfers around!
Jalama campground from the bluff above it, truly a beautiful spot and a place I want to go back to! I had to leave late Saturday morning because of getting sicker and my wife at home alone with a house full of sick kids. But I look forward to hearing how the rest of the weekend went. We had the CS tent up by that morning and were looking forward to doing some outreach with all the surfers that were there.

I'll leave you with the wave sequence of the day that I shot that morning.
Setting it up...
Tucking in...
Starting to throw...
Good times...
Spoke too soon!
Still a lot of fun, hope to see some of you on one of our CS Santa Barbara camping trips sometime or at a bible study, check out www.christiansurfers.com for more info!

Surfing 50 States Premiere!

2008-11-05T08:27:00.007-09:00

Two years ago, soon after we had moved to Yakutat, Alaska we met two wild and crazy Christian guys that decided to make a surf movie about surfing all 50 states. Met with incredulity and befuddlement, they nonetheless persevered and here we are with the US premiere of their film. I look forward to seeing it, apparently we have a part in it! Come out and support the guys and check out the You Tube video of their premiere in Oz.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwifd9tlQas
Check out their website at www.surfing50states.com

A Wave

2008-11-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

Calm before the storm

2008-11-01T06:05:00.009-08:00

I love it here in California before the storm comes. It starts to feel humid and the air turns completely still as if in hushed anticipation. The waves are usually building but really fun because of the lack of wind.
Ryder and I went down to the beach for a little while late afternoon for his PE., to run around on the beach and climb on the rocks. Some junior high kids ran down and went for a surf, completely stoked, the little barrels were just the right size for them!

Then straight home, into their costumes and off to church for Halloween! Poor Quinn just about had heatstroke, this is the first Halloween in a while where it was warm instead of freezing cold! Above 70 degrees last night when we went out.

Ryder's first surf

2008-10-30T09:00:00.005-08:00

Ryder went out for the first time and rode a wave by himself at New Jetty in Ventura Harbor. He was very excited and proceeded to ride many more. It even counted for his homeschool as P.E. Faith cried when I got home because I hadn't taken her. Developing...

And a pic from a contest this last weekend where CS South Bay showed up and I was able to slip out before Quinn's birthday party to shoot some pics and hang out with them. Here is the happy little guy with his "Wubby"

CS Santa Barbara/Newport Beach Campout

2008-10-12T12:12:00.008-08:00

Nov. 7th through 9th CS Santa Barbara in conjunction with CS Newport Beach will be heading to Jalama Beach for a campout. Everyone is welcome, invite your friends, RSVP with Matt Coleman, chapter director for Santa Barbara at mateocoleman@gmail.com. Here is the flyer for the event.

The Ministry is Relationships weekend was great in Huntington Beach, about 30-40 leaders in CS West Coast showed up and all were excited about the tools given them to focus on personal relationships with other surfers and to share Christ with them. It was a good time to connect with the other leaders and put a face to everyone's name, definitely looking forward to having more events together like the Jalama camp coming up. Don't forget that if you missed this one you still have a chance with two more events being hosted in Jacksonville, FL and Ocean City, NJ. CLICK HERE for more info.

CSUS Rhode Island Staff Retreat

2008-10-01T08:13:00.011-08:00

We recently returned from the first annual "with family" CSUS staff retreat held in Rhode Island. Uncle Vance made an appearance on his way up the East Coast and the kids were really excited to get to play with him. This is at a local beach on the day after we arrived, beautiful with typical New England scenery.

Patrick is a local surfer in town that came to Christ through the ministry of CS and one that has been discipled by the chapter directors, Chuck and Anna Barend. He is fearless in sharing his faith with his surfing friends and a really fun guy to be around. He may be out in California in February, hope we get to see him then, thanks for showing us around Patrick!

Here is another shot of the same beach from a higher vantage point. We didn't get many photos because Hurricane Kyle came through and it rained buckets all the other days we were there. However, there were a lot of waves so it was a great trade off!

Allison and Quinn having a great time! Allison normally takes the non-surfing pictures and after a trip we never have pictures of her so we tried to be intentional about taking pictures of her this time!

Here is a picture of a wave we surfed later once the swell filled in more, we nicknamed it "Typhoon Lagoon" because of the way it bounced off of the rock walls on either side. A lot of fun though, some barrels and a short paddle!

Here is a shot from the training sessions, we were privileged to have Thom and Nancy Cunningham, missionaries with New Tribes Mission, come and speak about the glory of God, unreached tribal groups and being a family in ministry. CLICK HERE to check out New Tribes and what they are doing to fulfill the Great Commission. They also knew my cousin, whom I have never met, John Cross, formerly with New Tribes, CLICK HERE to check out his website and ministry, Goodseed.

Back home in Ventura! This is taken from just east of the Ventura Harbor looking west towards Ventura. The chapter in Santa Barbara took a group of groms out to surf and I shot photos of them to do a slideshow with at the next chapter meeting this Thursday at 320 Santa Cruz Ln at 6:30 in Santa Barbara. Stop by if you are in the area!

This coming weekend we will be in Huntington Beach at the first of four CSUS training sessions around the country. The theme of the training is Ministry is Relationships and focuses on one on one ministry through friendship evangelism and discipleship. This continues the theme of the Panama Prep School with the Junior Leaders training. Keep our family in prayer as the kids and myself are all sick. For more info on the training CLICK HERE or to register for any of the sessions around the country CLICK HERE.

Trestles final

2008-09-15T08:54:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHZZb07s4TI

Answers to Prayer

2008-08-11T14:54:00.005-08:00

Dear Daniel, 
        I have been thinking about my reply to your news
about the safe arrival back home.  It came to me that if
you had had an uneventful journey, we would probably have
taken it for granted.  Instead, perhaps God was showing
that He had been very close to you all the time.  Look
what might have happened without His care!!   I think
it was His gentle
reminder.   
                                                            
Love,   
Joy Moore




After reading this I got into the Suburban today to tow
the trailer to the welding
shop to get the hitch rewelded.  One of the tires
had gone flat
since parking it in the driveway
so we changed that as well this morning.
I made a pass around the block to park it until my
appointment time.
When I got out,
the hitch had almost completely severed
from the tongue.  God
kept it together for 2200
miles from Alaska and driving the last
.7 of a mile it separated
and broke.  Do we serve
a great and loving God or what!  Praise Him
for His answers to
prayer and His never
ending love for us.

We made it!

2008-08-08T20:53:00.002-08:00

No pictures, just a lot of miles by water and land. First, thanks for all your prayers, we had issues with the trailer the whole way, first by the jackstand breaking, hanging up on the ground (ferry ramp and every gas station to Vancouver) and almost severing the brake line which would have locked up the trailer brakes. Then, once we arrived today we looked at the tongue and the hitch that is welded on top of it had about 2/3 of the welds left, the other third was cracked off and still cracking. But everything held together and we thank God for it. Also, a special thanks to Uncle Tom, Uncle David, Rodger and Dad for helping with the maintenance along the way and to Forest Glade church, it was great to connect with you all! Whew, we're tired!

Big Smiles!

2008-07-05T12:03:00.001-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, gotta love July in Yakutat, Alaska!

Waxing 101 with Dane

2008-07-03T22:56:00.002-08:00

source: Dane Reynolds

Summer in Yakutat

2008-06-30T15:50:00.003-08:00

Finally here! Here are a couple of shots from yesterday evening at the campsite.
Will try to post pics later, having technical difficulties!

Sam Part Deux

2008-06-30T10:19:00.003-08:00

The second installment of Dane and his fishcuit Sam.
source: Dane Reynolds

Sam

2008-06-28T10:49:00.004-08:00

Small wave fun with Dane Reynold's Fishcuit named Sam, Ventura, CA.

source: Dane Reynolds

International Surfing Day

2008-06-20T20:19:00.011-08:00

Today is International Surfing Day and to celebrate we got together with a group of people from town and went out to Graveyards. The highlight was having the kids play in the beach "kiddie pool" with the surfboards. Sunny and warm for Alaska, it was a great day. When the weather is good like this everyone gets out. Now it is time to ready ourselves for the days getting shorter again. There are also three token pictures from the day before when the surf was really good and local pilot Les Hartley decided to drop by in his plane and check out the lineup.

New Webstore Opening!!!

2008-06-14T11:29:00.005-08:00

Christian Surfers is launching a new online webstore!

For more info go to www.christiansurfers.bigcartel.com. Jen Cruciano has been working hard on it, check out their blog at www.caseyandjencruciano.blogspot.com. Here's an image for our board giveaway promoting the launch, buy anything at the store and get entered to win a new UM Surfboard!

In other news, Greg Noll was here at the end of May through the beginning of June and caught a monster king, check it out at icywaves.wordpress.com.

A surfing day in Alaska

2008-04-23T09:00:00.012-08:00

Joe Carter, brains behind the filming, setting up to shoot some surfing amongst a winter's worth of driftwood.
Wheelers are the best way to access the varied surf around here.
Graveyards looking appealing but a bit too small, time to check around the corner.
Sea lion about to bodysurf another Point wave.
Billy, Ben and Jeff looking pretty comfortable on the shore, pros from the East Coast, here to shoot the sequel to the surf film, Get in the Van.
The boys checking out the lineup and Ben alone with the sea lions.
Ben paddled out solo with a broken off center fin and ripped off a nice cutty.
Sea lions harrassing a grey whale, not the most comforting sight when surfing.
Bear across the Ankau River on the way home, digging for clams and other shellfish.
Beautiful sunset over Monti Bay at Sandy Beach, the end of another Alaskan surf day.

A Rainy Day

2008-04-12T12:00:00.006-08:00

On a very rainy day in Yakutat, I was looking through old pictures and came up with this one. Sunny cold November day in the Yukon, headed home.

Also, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of John Nicoletta, killed yesterday at Alyeska Resort during the U.S. Freeskiing Championships (http://www.adn.com/outdoors/skiing/story/373546.html), and Jesse Tol, killed in an avalanche last week at Thompson Pass, Valdez (http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/368983.html). I had just turned on the live webcast of the event yesterday and saw the fatal fall that killed him.

Please remember these families in your prayers.

World Record Sitka Herring Catch

2008-04-06T22:40:00.005-08:00

The world record for a herring set was just caught in the 2008 Sitka herring opener. I have a friend from 7th grade that was on the boat and said that they caught 1506 tons. Here are a couple of pictures of the record set. He and his wife plan to eventually go to Mexico as missionaries, couldn't have happened to a better family. Good on ya!

CS bio/First day of spring in Yakutat

2008-03-20T08:52:00.016-08:00

Check out my new bio at http://www.christiansurfers.com/2/whoweare/peopleatcsus/. It shouldn't have the Yakutat, AK chapter director title anymore but that will be changed to reflect the new job position. This picture was taken after a cold 3 hour surf and 16 mile round trip 4-wheeler ride!

This is officially the first day of spring so I took a couple of photos so you all could see spring on our little street in Alaska. We also took some family photos for one of our supporting churches today as we haven't had a sunny windless day in a while.

Finally, I found a nice pic from last summer at the beach. You can see the smoke from the campfire and long evenings for the kids to play at the beach. I find it is really nice to check out summer pics when it is dumping snow outside!

Sara the Swimmer

2008-03-10T20:33:00.002-08:00

Today's post comes directly from a new email we have set up here at CS to enable Christian Surfers to send in their testimonies of what God is doing in their lives. Sara felt God calling her to travel to S. Africa for our international conference in Jeffrey's Bay (more info on christiansurfers.net) So she decided to raise money by swimming 11 miles in 11 hours. A great story that can be seen on http://youtube.com/watch?v=UgVHf4bTO9s I feel very blessed to be chosen to monitor and read all these amazing stories of what God is doing through Christian Surfers and I hope to share those with you in the coming days, months and years. All blessings flow from God and He is good!

Panama Prep School

2008-03-01T23:24:00.006-09:00

We have been working on the idea of a conference to intentionally invest into our up and coming leaders and this dream has become reality! Check out the Panama Prep School link on the Christian Surfers website. Coming in July, we are going to bring in 35 of our most committed groms from around the US for training to deepen their walks with God, encourage them to be influential among their peers and to get a little surfing time with Tom Curren and Jason Andre as well!
Another praise is a surfer very recently coming to the Lord through the Who is Jesus Christ portion of the website. Continue to keep my family and the rest of the leadership of Christian Surfers in your prayers.
In other news, my dad is flying in this week to fish halibut with me for the opener. He should be here for about 10 days or so with my mom possibly coming in, depending on jury duty.
I have also begun taking local surfers out for surfing on weekends as spring gets closer and as the weather permits. I plan to expand this to include bible studies this summer when school gets out. Keep this in prayer as well.

A much needed break...

2008-02-19T08:08:00.004-09:00

Winters can be long here, with periods of intense weather and extended time indoors. It can leave you longing for summer and thinking it will never end! One interesting fact is that while everyone else is experiencing the coming of spring in March we have our heaviest snow month of the year.
Yesterday Les and I got together and surfed Graveyards. It is inaccessible in the winter by road, the only way to get there is by airplane or skiff. Les owns an air service, alsekair.com, and flies to surf spots at times but prefers to go by skiff.
The sand at the surf spots can change here radically because of the massive seas that come in in the wintertime. Graveyards right now is looking the best we have ever seen it due to the changing of the sand. We surfed it alone with 6-9 foot swells rolling in and Les got a few rides of 15 seconds or longer. The waves were so long and perfect I was running back up the point instead of paddling.
It was a much needed break and the first time I have gotten to surf with Les, he has been hammered this winter with flying jobs and scheduled maintenance. We both had one of the best sessions of our lives and a real blessing at this point in the year. The Father gives good gifts!
Here is a scrapbook page that Allison made of me coming back from a winter surf, enjoy!

Vans surf team in Alaska

2008-02-16T07:53:00.005-09:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTWBxjmeV_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=792bwph6XZo

Here are a couple of videos from Yakutat last fall when we were in LA. The funny part is every summer tourists get stuck in that exact spot. Also, it is about 7 or 8 miles out of town through bear infested woods so you really don't want to be walking back without a rifle. One guy in town, ex Force Recon marine, was doing a run through there and had a bear charge him. He ended up 30 feet in a tree with the bear going crazy at the bottom of the tree, shaking, clawing and biting the base of the tree. He did 2 tours in Iraq and said that was the most frightening encounter of his life, bar none. Moral of the story, let people know where you are going and be careful where you walk and drive in the summer.

Weather musings...

2008-02-12T16:25:00.000-09:00

It's funny, today I surfed (first time in quite a while). Air temp 44, water temp 37, almost felt like late spring today. But go back a few days and we were down to 35 below windchill, dumped on with blizzarding snow and now at 44 with pouring rain, quite the range for under a week. Never know quite what to expect here in Yakutat. I'd enclose a picture but it is a massive slushy mess! Instead of plowing our road this morning they put gravel on the more than a foot of slush the road has become, go figure. Reminds me of the snowplow I saw once on the way to Big Bear, full speed ahead plowing dry pavement, sparks flying everywhere.

Monday Morning Devo

2008-02-11T12:56:00.000-09:00

Monday Morning Devotional

If you don't already get this weekly devo, sign up now at http://www.christiansurfers.com/ for a free membership and devo. Dean (the National Director) does a great job of communicating godly truths that help keep we as christian surfers on track and remembering who we surf and live for, Jesus Christ. I am amped to have helped out with this week's devo and contributed a pic of Mt. St. Elias... Click on the Monday Morning Devotional link at the top to view!

Also, the latest newsletter from Christian Surfers International can be viewed at http://www.christiansurfers.net/resources/surf_report/surf_report_36.html

Pictures

2008-02-10T07:32:00.000-09:00

Oops! Wouldn't let me post the pics, I'll try again here, it has been blizzarding and looks like we are in for about 18 more inches of snow or more before the weather warms up and turns to rain.

Pray for Quinn that he starts to sleep better at night, it has been a difficult time. Also, Allison's back has really been bothering her, please remember her in your prayers as well.

It's been a while...

2008-02-09T15:29:00.000-09:00

It has been really busy with CS, winter king trolling and occasional cold water surfing thrown in. We are in the middle of another snowstorm with a foot expected in the next 12 hours. Things slow down in February with 35 below windchills (last night) and slow fishing.

Taking on more national work for CS has been fun, catching a 28 pound king (dressed) was as well. One surf session at Graveyards was memborable when our skiff dragged anchor and left us stranded with night coming on in January. Fortunately the skipper paddled down the skiff and saved us from a long paddle in Monti bay at night.

Congratulations to our West Coast RC for the birth of Madelaine! Here are a few pics I went out and took yesterday...A tree of eagles, some waves at Cannon Beach and vistas around town...

New CS shirts, Pipe Masters on!, Interact Ministries

2007-12-14T10:47:00.000-09:00

The new membership T's are done, go to www.christiansurfers.com to join and choose the option with a t-shirt. I am thankful that God is blessing this campaign and mobilizing surfers all over the US for His kingdom, we now have the highest membership level we have ever had.
Go to www.billabongpro.com to watch the most prestigious surf event on the planet, the Pipe Masters.
In other news, we have been in contact with InterAct Ministries, you can check them out at interactministries.org. Christian Surfers put us in touch with them to liason with them and gain insight and help on the challenges of village ministry. We are thankful for the encouragement and look forward to meeting their missionaries.

Colldddd!!!

2007-12-03T12:41:00.000-09:00

It was 8 degrees last night and our pipes froze. Fortunately, it was fixable, we have no individual water shut off, the main to the whole street has to be shut off for one house to be serviced. To avoid that we now have to leave the water running until it warms up a little. It is nice to get some sun but unfortunately with that comes lower temperatures. We have some friends from the church adding a little on to the house which means that openings from the addition come through to the house and make it reallllyyy cold in here! That has kept us busy and we definitely needed the extra room. We are definitely enjoying being back, however. Next time I will try to get some pics on here.

The Long Road Home!

2007-11-17T10:04:00.002-09:00

A 6 day trip, 3,800 miles by land, a few hundred by sea, narrowly missed 2 buffalo, a flat tire, a power outage at the Whittier Tunnel and 6 accidents from Palmer to Whittier later we arrived home in Yakutat.
Pictures:
1. The ferry ramp lifting us up to drive onto the dock, finally home! A number of our friends from the church were there to greet us and had a meal waiting for us when we got home, a special bunch of people!
2. Cache Creek, B.C. We got a taste of fall from
Portland to southern B.C. The beautiful colors
and smells were nice after seasonless SoCal.
3. Watson Lake, Yukon, minus 10 F. Yes, an abrupt
entry into winter, plugged in the block heater in
the truck.
4. Allison at night in Beaver Creek, right before
crossing the border. The road from Haines
Junction to Alaska is the worst on the entire
trip, massive frost heaves and cracks in the
road, we talked to a couple on the ferry that
had rolled their car there the month before and
their dog died in the wreck.
5, 6. The drive from Tok to Anchorage, 0 F in
Tok, the locals said it was warm, doesn't get
cold until 15 or 20 below. A beautiful drive
until Palmer and the Glenn Highway with a lot
of wrecks, glare ice conditions with people
driving 75, saw a car pass us and rolled over in
the next couple of miles with the people
trapped inside, glad to get to Anchorage!
7, 8. Auntie Ione and my happy parents with
Baby Quinn. They drove up to Anchorage
Saturday to spend the night with us there
before we got on the ferry.
9. It snowed all that night, an outside shot of
the hotel and my parent's minivan.
10. The Whittier Tunnel, the longest highway
tunnel in N. America. A power outage caused
us to question if we would make it to the ferry
and we ended up waiting in the car for 4 hours
for it to open and another 2 hours before
gettting on the ferry.
11. Sunrise on the Gulf of Alaska.
12. Ryder and Faith playing in the play area on
the ferry, Ryder loves it!
13. Mt. St. Elias and largest coastal mountain
range in the world, almost home!
14. Our little house, the tan and white place
above and to the left of the big white building
in the foreground.
15. The lift on the ferry, getting ready to drive
off!
16. Goodbye ferry! We were on the last ferry
until the end of May.
17. 4 moose quarters, the Holcombs graciously
shared their meat with us so we could stock
our freezer for the winter.
18, 19. The meat grinder and a lot of packets
of ground moose and roast, stayed up until
midnight butchering, grinding and packaging
meat. This time of year the days are short so
everyone stays up late and sleeps in, about 10
p.m. and I was bushed but we are slowly
getting used to the new schedule. Thanks for
reading!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2007-11-04T07:25:00.000-09:00

1 more day until our road trip, we will be making some changes...

North to Alaska!

2007-11-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

We were shocked tonight to learn that a ferry spot opened up on the last ferry of the year(had been filled up for quite a while). So we will now be bumping up our travel schedule to get to Yakutat on time. Thanks to Teen, I borrowed this picture from an archive of hers from last February. North to Alaska!

Cold Thoughts

2007-10-30T14:18:00.000-08:00





























Timmy Turner is an esteemed surf
filmaker that has gone on after almost dying
of a virus sustained in Indonesia.  His
doctors told him to stay near cold climates
so his next film is a cold water surfing
film.  This is the link to a trailer for his film.
Contains some good footage of Canada.
Warning!  Contains a swear word!
http://www.shredordie.com/videos/c058161e68
The above are a couple of pics of Canada.

TFB

2007-10-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to the junior high and high school groups at Torrance First Baptist. It was even more fun because Allison and I taught Sunday school there for 4 years and many of our our old 1st through 3rd graders are now in high school, growing up. We are the adopted missionaries of that group and are excited to continue to share with them what is going on in Alaska.
Allison and I continue to be members at TFB and treasure the times we get to spend with old friends. Here are some pics of the church service and junior high/high school group, and another one of Quinn.

Big Day in May

2007-10-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

Local shop owner Jack Endicott put this on his site, www.icywaves.com, big day in May!

It's a boy!

2007-10-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

and

Baby Quinn was born 7 pounds even and 19 inches long. Mother had a great birth and is recuperating nicely. Thanks for all your prayers, it is amazing to think of the journey we have taken since those tense moments and months after she went into labor in the Juneau airport. The images are shot out of the hospital room, couldn't get any that did the smoke and ash in the air justice.

Satellite view of the carnage

2007-10-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a satellite view of what literally has never been seen before on this scale in Southern California. It is just shocking, the power and the devastation. Please keep these people in your prayers.

Southern California/Malibu fires

2007-10-21T23:09:00.000-08:00

Our prayers go out to the residents of Malibu and elsewhere in SoCal that are losing their homes in these horrific wildfires.

Andy Mckee - Guitar - Drifting - www.candyrat.com

2007-10-20T18:52:00.001-08:00

One of the coolest things I have seen in quite a while. Still waiting...

Baby News/CS Conference

2007-10-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

We had our prenatal appointment today and the doctor said that she would induce a week early if Allison is still pregnant by then. So we are looking at the most, another week and a half before the baby is born! It is exciting to be this close, it seems like we have been waiting a very long time for this one.
Please pray for the Christian Surfers conference to be held the 17th-2oth of October in Cocoa Beach, Florida. This is a very important conference and a lot of changes have been made in the last year, please keep everyone in prayer.

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean

2007-10-15T09:57:00.001-08:00

A video from the early 90's I found, some beautiful footage!

No Baby yet!

2007-10-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

We spent last night in the hospital, thought she was going to have the baby and it all stopped at about 3:30 this morning. Maybe next time!

Windy Day!

2007-10-05T18:43:00.001-08:00

A very blustery day today in the South Bay. Topaz jetty, getting worked. Nice when it is like this, the air clears enough you can see the mountains. You can also see King Harbor in the background, the waves crashing against the breakwall.

Sunny winter day of surfing

2007-10-03T18:44:00.001-08:00

Nothing new to report, Allison goes off the anti-labor drugs on Saturday. Here is another shot from Scott "from Alaska" Dickerson of surfing from the last winter. I don't have any fall shots and since the temp has dipped below freezing already (at night in Alaska) I felt this was justified. Note the ice, you don't want that hitting you in the water!

Answer to Prayer

2007-09-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Do you ever ask God for things? We are so self sufficient that we often turn to God when our own measures fail. I am ashamed to say that is the situation that Allison and I found ourselves in last night. We had exhausted our own will on this particular problem and turned to God in prayer. Today He answered and humbled us in His own gracious way that left no doubt He had done it. This leaves us with 2 conclusions.
First, God is good , Psalm 37:23/ therefore:
Second, He answers His children when they call. James 5:16, 17a:

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly..."

Precious Saints

2007-09-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

*** Voice Of The Martyrs Prayer Alert 25/9/07 ***

CHINA: Imprisoned Pastor's Health Failing

On 24 September, The Voice of the Martyrs received reports
that Pastor Zhang Rongliang's health is failing.
If he is not released from prison soon, he will likely die.

According to contacts in China, "Pastor Zhang must be
carried from place to place by
two men supporting him. He does not walk well on his own.
He openly questions
whether he can finish this sentence. If he is not released,
there is a good chance
that he will die in prison."

Pastor Zhang still has four years remaining of the
seven-and-a-half year sentence he
received after his arrest in 2004. He had previously
spent 12 years in prison for
his faith during five separate detentions.
He experienced harsh torture, including
electric shock, during his previous prison terms.

VOM USA

Pray for Pastor Zhang's healing and for his release
from prison. Pray the Holy Spirit
will encourage him and that his testimony will
draw non-believers into the knowledge
of Christ.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for being a part of VOM Prayer Watch.
This news service is part of the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs, Australia.
Mailing address: PO Box 250 Lawson NSW 2783
Phone: 02 47593700 Fax: 02 47593711
Email: thevoice@persecution.com.au
Website: http://www.persecution.com.au/

James 1 and following:
1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And
let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.

Psalm 116:15
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.

2 Timothy 3:12
Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Revelation 6:9-11
9 When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar 8 the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, "How long will it be, holy and true master, 9 before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?" 11 Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.
Please remember our brothers and sisters that daily face death as their testimony of gratitude for the Lord that suffered unto death for us.

The Lord's sovereignty

2007-09-24T07:17:00.001-08:00

I have been studying the Psalms and it has been a great encouragement to me. Normally over the course of my days, I get the chance to share with people. Lately I had a discussion with someone online that left me discouraged at my inability to communicate to this person and amazed at their arrogance and pride in their sin. Then I read Psalm 11-14 and following.

The wicked strut about on every side...When vileness is exalted among the sons of men. For behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string...To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Who have said, with our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is Lord over us? The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

"In the Lord I take refuge... The Lord is in His holy temple...His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of man...May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things; The words of the Lord are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined three times. For God is with the righteous generation...But I have trusted in your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 11:3 says that if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? But the next verse clarifies, God is on the throne, the foundations are not destroyed and no matter what men may bring against the Lord, before God no flesh can stand. We only stand before Him through the blood of Christ. Because of this I can thank God for these opportunities. These encounters give me fresh fodder for prayer as well as new understandings and reminders about the hopelessness of those who don't know God. Thank you Lord, Your words are pure words, and you set us in the safety for which we long.

I like the above picture because although there is danger on every side, he is safe in the center of the barrel. The Lord holds the righteous in the palm of His hand...
Shipstern's Bluff, Tasmania

New Blog Address

2007-09-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

This is the second incarnation of the Relief in our family. The first was my grandfather's troller, which he took my dad fishing on when he was very small. This is my father's boat, the second Relief.
This is also the second incarnation of my attempt at blogging. I have decided to start posting under a different address, one not so closely associated to where I live. I will send out emails informing our friends of the change.