Blank Magazine

The 2013/2014 NSSA Southeast Season is coming to a close. Our

tight knit group of talented surfers has made headway this season

and the ratings race for Season Champions is close in several divi-

sions. As we headed into Contest 7 & 8 several surfers had to battle

it out for the win! The Ex Boys Division was separated by only 2

points with Blake Speir in the lead over Noah Dovin. Explorer

Menehune has Christian Daniels in the lead over Noah Dovin by a

mere 213 points. Currently Eva Woodland is in the lead in Ex Girls

by 823 points over Rachel Presti. Standout Iron Man of the Season

is Jonathan Wallhauser holding down the lead in three divisions

going into the last 2 events of the season, Ex Jr Open Jr and Open

Men's. Most notably is our Open Mini Grom and Ex Super Grom

Divisions. While young William Hedelston has captured both Sea-

son Championship titles, we must acknowledge many of our young-

est surfers who started out the season being pushed in and are now

catching their own waves and showing the judges they are commit-

ted to stepping up their game. The surfers in all divisions across the

board have risen to the competition challenge and have improved

their skills set to a level that will help them at the East Coast Cham-

pionships in New Smyrna Beach in April 3-7th.

Mahalo Danielle Beckmann Director NSSA Southeast Conference www.nssasoutheast.typepad.com

Name: Chris Birch Lable: Surfboards by Chris Birch & Split Lip Age: 55 Hometown: I live in Indialantic but still consider Satellite Beach my hometown. Facebook: yes How long have you been shaping: I started learning to shape around 86-87. How did you get started shaping: I started working at Natural Art in 1978 as a polisher. Back in those days you had to learn other jobs in the factory before you were "allowed" to learn to shape. I learned to do the whole process from start to finish. How many boards have you shaped: In the 18,000-20,000 range. Where are you shaping your boards: I have recently set up a small factory of my own on Tomahawk Dr. in Indian Harbor Beach after building my boards at RnD Surf for the last 15 years. Favorite (local) surf spot: Pet Den, Satellite Beach Do you have any pets: My wife and I have two cats, Java and Wilson. What model and size board are your currently riding: I ride a 6'2" Accelerator quad. Do you have a single fin in your quiver: I have a 9'4" that I ride as a single fin. Favorite surf destination: Mexico Dream surf destination: Australia What’s next in surfboard design: Seams that pretty much everything has been done and the "new" things are just variations of old things. I'm sure glad to see that quads are here to stay after pushing them my entire shaping career. What kinds of feedback helps you the most: I always value the feedback from any "solid" surfer, it doesn't have to be some young ripper. Still, the best feed-back for me is to ride the boards myself. Who has influenced your life the most: My parents have always been sup-portive of all my endeavors. Favorite fin system, why: I've always used more Futures than anything else, I like the fact that the whole fin base is in the box rather than just tabs in plugs. Although I must say that the FCS Fusion is much better than the old style plugs. Do you have any phobias: Interviews. (just kidding) Best Breakfast in town: Memaws BBQ Favorite non-surf movie: The Unforgiven Where can we buy your boards: You can deal direct with me or check the Dealer List on my website for a dealer near you. Custom orders call: 321-704-0756 Social Media: (can we follow you on Facebook, Twitter, website…) Surfboards By Chris Birch facebook page and my website www.surfboardsbychrisbirch.com Jesus is: The way.

Life tends to throw curve balls at you that are often unexpected. Whether big or small they can sometimes be challenging, or leave you in a discouraged or fearful state. Sometimes you face monu-mental life decisions that do not unfold in a way you had hoped it to or a simple loss of a heat in a surf contest. However, in these

times we need to lean on God because He has promised He will provide help, whether that may be clarification, peace, or a spirit of fear-lessness. I had posted a specific verse on Instagram a couple days ago and I came across the exact same verse today. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.”. In order to endure the difficulties that blankets over our lives it is greatly important that we focus on Christ and lean on His word. Before this scripture it speaks of having perseverance in the race marked out for us. Another word that correlates with perseverance is endurance. I need to always have the mindset of persevering and Christ will provide endurance. Just as Christ endured the cross, with His help we can endure life.

Nikki is keeping her eyes on Him.

We asked Nikki if she would write for us while on the road competing on the QS series. Nikki sent this to us from Australia where she competed in the Hurley Australian Open of Surfing in Manley Beach and the Hunter Ports Women’s Classic in Newcastle, both 6 Star QS contests. Both events were stacked with the entire Women’s CT field so making it into the contest was tough but Nikki was able to pull off a 1st place finish in her first heat at the Australian Open of Surfing. She was sitting in 1st place up to the last minute of her round 2 heat before being knocked out of the competition.

An e-mail from Nikki’s Dad while she was surfing QS events in Australia

Nikki and I were talking about Ian Cairns ( Founder of ASP ) last night. He once told her, It's always 3 fold: Surfing well , Wave selection and Desire. "What wins most heats is when 2 of the 3 come together. He went on to say that from his experience sincere DESIRE coupled with one of the other two normally comes out on top!" The rest is a roll of the dice… She said the most common statement she heard

about him was he was very hard and made people cry. She smiled and said," I never could understand why others said that. He was positive and gave good advice."

I prayed to just simply watch her last night and enjoy the journey and rest in the outcome. Obviously she's there to do her best and advance. This trip is different, this time it's all about the Victory for others to rally and see a sliver of God happen in the crazy world of ours. Hope to stir in the hearts of all who place their trust and faith in Him. Light to shine in the midst of this darkness. To be reassured that He sees the heart of all and cares deeply for the most intimate detail. I believe that joy to be from God and it brings Him glory when we acknowledge Him that way. The world is different, as it always rallies around a man. It gives glory to one’s personal success. We are grateful and know that God is present and His love will prevail no matter what the outcome may look like.

Another Winter gone and Charley Hajack can close the book on his Winter Surf Series. It is always so nice to have Charley bring his Grom Series to Cen-tral Florida. This year There were 8 contests held between Spessard Holland Beach Park in Melbourne, Pepper Park in Ft. Pierce and Stuart Public Beach down in Stuart. Charley always brings a good time including the surfing dogs. The kids had a blast all winter with fun waves at every contest. Pepper Park has turned into a great venue for the events and the turnout has been very high. Make sure to log onto the website to check out the Summer Surf Camps (day and overnight camps available). Log onto their website to view the upcoming schedule, the camps and other events. http://www.gnarlycharleysurfseries.com/

Follow the Grom Series on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GnarlyCharleyGromSeries

Who We Are Christian Surfers is open to everyone; men, women, youth, boys, girls and families who desire to share God’s love through their actions towards surfers. We are an outreach where we care for surfers at the beach, at surf contests and at special events. Although we do surf and have surfers involved you do not need to be a surfer to serve God. Please take a moment to pray for our group and see if you, or any of your friends or family, feel drawn into our mission field. If you have any questions feel free to approach any of the CS guys or gals at the events or e-mail us. Monthly Events We meet each month, either in front of First Peak, at Sebastian Inlet State Park or at contest sites. We arrive at different times according to the tide or contest start times, we set up our tent and coolers and we serve those around us. We either help the contest get set up and broken down or we help beachgoers who are carrying arms full of chairs, umbrellas and coolers. In between we surf, pass out snacks or drinks and CS stuff. Afterwards, we gather for a devotion and discuss upcoming events and opportunities to serve others. Our devotions are very casual and for geared to first timers to Bible scholars. All are welcome to hear God’s word and ask questions like, “What does that have to do with me?”. Special Events We try and pack up the vans and see our local sites. The wave pool in Orlando is obviously a favorite as well as our Summer Surf Jam where we jam as many kids into two vans and travel up coast and camp our way back home while surfing as many breaks a possible. We also serve at the Surf Expo two times a year providing daily coffee and donuts as well as man power on the last day of the show to help the industry pack up after a long week. There are lots of ways to be involved. We serve at National and Regional Contests: ASF Florida Contests, ASF Championships, NSSA Southeast Contests, NSSA East Coast Championships, Quiksilver King of the Peak, Gnarly Charley Surf Series, Walking on Water Tour, Rip Curl Grom Search… Get plugged at: www.christiansurferssi.com / www.facebook.com/ChristianSurfersSebastianInlet or e-mail us at cssi@hotmail.com

“Its not a part of this world, you're stepping into liquid. You’re stepping off of concrete ground and stepping into an element that is always changing and moving and it’s surrounding you; it feels good.”

This quote from the surf movie, ‘Step into Liquid’ speaks to us all about the vast gulf between watching or knowing about surfing and experiencing it. Surfing is unique in many ways but none more so than its participants interaction with nature. The surfer is completely immersed in the surrounding environment of the ocean. To partake of this you must leave behind the familiarity of the solid ground, the safety and sure footed nature of the shoreline.

You just cannot surf unless you are in, completely in…

The opening verses of Ephesians express a similar sentiment. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus”

‘IN CHRIST’

Those who are Christians are those who are IN. IN CHRIST

The term saints here is not reserved for the spiritually elite. It refers to all Gods people. They are called saints because they have been set apart to belong to Him. They are also called faithful. In Gal 6:10, believers are called ‘The household of faith’, united by their common trust in God through Jesus. To be ‘in Christ’ is to be personally, vitally, united to Jesus.

Paul’s description: They are ‘saints’ because they belong to God; they are ‘believers’ because they have trusted in Christ; and they are dual residents; they reside equally ‘in Ephesus' and ‘in Christ’.

As a surfer I feel like a resident of two places, the ocean and the land. I think this is a common feeling amongst us all.

"Out of the water, I am nothing". Duke Kahanamoku

John Stott writes, 'Many of our spiritual troubles arise from our fail-ure to remember that we are citizens of two kingdoms, We tend ei-ther to pursue Christ and withdraw from the world, or to become preoccupied with the world and forget that we are also in Christ.' Have you stepped out of the familiar solid citizenship of the world to become a follower of Jesus, are you now found to be ‘IN CHRIST’? Or do you save your spiritual citizenship for Sunday?

2 Cor 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

What is theFINproject? theFINproject is A visual exploration of the craft, history & people behind the most instrumental element in the

progression of surfing - the FIN. Who is behind theFINproject? Timothy Hogan founded theFINproject in 2012 as a way to combine his

love of surfing with his passion for photography. For more about the inspiration behind the project, please see the artists statement and

bio. I see the photographs, what else are you doing? theFINproject continues to expand. We will be producing a gallery show, coffee

table book and feature-length documentary exploring the story of the FIN. We’re not so good at sitting still. How is the project funded?

The prints you see available for sale on this website are our main source of funding. By purchasing a print (or two!) you not only get a

beautiful piece of museum-quality art, you help to tell the story of the FIN and keep our project going. Are you donating to any charities

with the money you raise? Yes! 10% of profits are donated to non-profit charities theFINproject supports. You can read more about

these charities in our Giving Back section. The remainder helps to continue to establish theFINproject and maintain new work for you to

enjoy! What kind of prints do you offer? We offer four different types of museum-quality art, each showcasing the images in a beauti-

ful, modern way. You can get Archival Giclee prints, Gallery Wrap Canvas, Gloss aluminum or have your prints mounted in an acrylic

block (which looks great on a desk or shelf) Giclee Print? What the heck is that? Giclee is basically a fancy French word for a state-of-

the-art inkjet print. Our Giclée prints are output on a bright white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin-free archival

paper using Epson K3 archival inks. This creates a beautiful and long-lasting print with incredible color and depth. Log onto our website

for more information about the Fin Project. www.thefinproject.com

Photo: Nate Adams Photo Editor ESM

Nate Dorman My name is Nate Dorman and in short I love Jesus, and I love surfing, and am using my passion for surfing for the glorification of God. I am the middle of 7 kids and grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC. My dad is a missionary with Global Training Network and president of Your Next Step Ministries, and my mom is a nurse at an elementary school. At an early age my fathers love for Christ was passed on to me, as was his love of surfing. When I was about 11 years old I entered my first surf contest, advanced through a few rounds, and was hooked. About a year after this I realized that I needed to use my gift of surfing to influence others for the glory of God. At a church summer camp I had the pastor pray over me that I would have boldness in sharing my faith, and I see this as a turning point in my life where I chose to commit my actions with surfing and all that I do to the Lord. ! Through my surfing travels I have had the opportunity to speak at youth groups and churches in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and locally in South Carolina and Georgia. I have met a lot of great friends through surfing that I have been able to spend time with and pray for and with. ! I attended an online high school and was able graduate a year early and the following semester I enrolled at Vanguard University of Southern California in Costa Mesa, Ca. I completed my freshman year majoring in Intercultural Studies. During my second semester I spent a season praying and seeking the Lord’s direction for my life, and I feel a clear calling to continue pursuing a career in surfing. I have decided to take the next 2 years off of school to be able to focus on competing. I am going to begin competing on the World Qualifying Series this summer, continuing with the full season in 2014. ! No matter where I am or what I am doing, by the grace of God, I want to do it whole heartedly for his glory, and not my own. Follow Nate as he surfs the nations: http://natedorman.com

Three are some great photos of board quivers on the web. We thought we would post some of our favorites. Next issue we want to run photos of our local quivers. So shapers, pros, weekend warriors, spongers... send us yours at cssi@hotmail.com

So Many Shapes, So Little

Time

The NSSA East Coast Championships will roll into New Smyrna on April 3—6. Surfers from up and down the East Coast and the Caribbean will be in New Smyrna to com-pete for the prestigious title of East Coast Champion and qualify for the NSSA National Championships in California June 26—July 3. Take a day, two or all three and come cheer on our local favorites. The action is always great and the NSSA puts on a great contest year after year, and don’t worry, they are always on time.

See you on the beach.

FREE VIEWING AT EASTER SURF FESTIVAL Beyond Sight will be in our theatres this spring along with the crew and surfers that star in this amazing film. Amidst the small, beauti-ful city of Guarapari, Brazil, Derek Rabelo’s father prayed that his son would become a famous professional surfer. Unfortunately on May 25th 1992, his prayer seemed unanswered when Derek was born blind. Seventeen years later Derek decided that despite his blindness he still wanted to surf and that he wanted to surf Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. Through the encouragement of his parents, best friend, and surf coach, Derek embarked on a three-year journey of grueling mental, physical and spiritual training. As Derek perseveres towards his goal of surfing Pipeline, he inspires the best pro-surfers in the world including Kelly Slater, Damien Hob-good, Rob Machado, Lakey Peterson, Taj Burrow and more, who are featured in this new surfing movie and Christian film. You will learn from Derek’s story that the best journeys in life are walked by faith, and not by sight. Derek’s story of intense perseverance despite a physical disability grabbed the interest of film maker Bruno Lemos who caught the realization of Derek’s dream—surfing Pipeline—in a surfing movie. The short surf clip found its way to YouTube, and then to Bryan Jennings, director/producer of surf industry films such as Walking on Water and the Christian movie Bethany Hamil-ton’s Heart of A Soul Surfer. Walking On Water films and S4J Hawaii Productions have partnered together to produce this very special Beyond Sight surf film.

Life In 6 Words

GOD…..created us to be with Him.

OUR…..sins separate us from God.

SINS…..cannot be removed by good deeds.

PAYING...the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.

EVERYONE…who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.

LIFE…...with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

With an uncompromising message intertwined with hot rhythms and beats, Los Angeles based, Propaganda, lyrically puts together po-tent relevant music that reaches across the spectrum of youth and pop culture. Bringing with him years of classroom teaching and com-munity service experience, he is eloquently bold in the message of each song and never shies away from a strong poetic element in his music. His Subject matter ranges from staying accountable to God as well as standing up boldly for one's faith both in word and in one's life. Go online now to check out this rhythmic overview from Propaganda as he breaks down the Gospel into 6 words. Log onto www.christiansurferssi.com/g-o-s-p-e-l/ . To read the new book “Life in 6 words” pick one up, for FREE, at the next contest where you see the Christian Surfers tent.

"How can I believe in a God who sends people to hell?"

At its core, hell is about being in a wrong relationship to the Source of all

Love, Goodness, and Life. In other words, the Lord's judgment can be under-

stood as the flip-side of His love. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, "Our God is

a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). We can be warmed and comforted, or we

can be scorched and burned. It all depends on where we stand in relation to

the flame.

The key is that separation from God is primarily a matter of human choice.

You may be in the same room with me, sitting in the next chair, and yet I can

refuse to talk to you or acknowledge your presence. In the same way, while

the Lord is "never far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27), we can decide to

turn away from Him and divorce ourselves from His love (Romans 1:21).

This willful choice explains why God never "sends" anyone to eternal damna-

tion. As believers, we have the wonderful opportunity—and the obligation—

to communicate the Good News: the loving Father patiently and compassion-

ately offers that choice to all who are willing to consider it (2 Peter 3:9).

I see dead people

Read: Ephesians 2: 1-10

The film The Sixth Sense contains this classic quote: Cole Sear: I see dead people.... They don't know they're dead.

This quote could be inserted into the bible text we are looking at today. Paul is telling us that we are dead apart from Jesus. By our nature, we were dead in sin (1-2), captive to the worlds ideas and lusts, held by the sinful desires within ourselves and enslaved to satan’s evil em-pire (2-3). Gods righteous judgment was against us and all mankind (3) We are totally lost, our mind, our hearts, our actions, our thoughts.... Welcome to the dark side. (Vader).

God’s wrath is not like man’s wrath, its not bad temper or rage. It is Gods personal, righteousness, constant hostility towards evil, his re-fusal to compromise with it and his resolve to condemn it. His wrath however is not incompatible with his love. The contrast of vs 3 & 4 are amazing, Dark to light, night to day, death to life.

All this hinges upon God. The text moves naturally from the wrath of God to the grace and mercy of God, for we cannot have one without the other. The impetus, initiative, power and will to bring about this transition rests in one place GOD. God is rich in mercy and love, he saves us by his grace towards us. Just as Gods power resurrected Jesus from the grave and seated him on high; so now Gods grace and mercy resurrect us from death to life and seat us on high, If we are in Jesus.

Here in (2:4; 7; 8 10) Gods motivation is revealed, its not because of anything we have done or any good that may be found in us that God acts. Rather, it’s because of his rich abundant mercy, love, kindness and grace.

My faith isn't very churchy, its a pretty personal, intimate thing and has been a huge source of strength in moments of life and death. Bear Grylls

I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be, and I am not the man I hope to be, but by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be. John Newton

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

Resurrection is out of death and creation is out of nothing... both speak of the absolute necessity of divine grace.

How’s your battle with the dark side going?

Use the force... allow Gods grace to change your heart and mind.

To recreate you as a new person. Give up on creating yourself.

Written by Andrew Carruthers of Narrow Path Media:

www.christiansurferssi.com

Why Blank? Like a surfboard, we all begin as a raw blank; scuffed up, yellowed and not so pretty. As the master shaper, God works in us to shape us for His glory and to His plan. We may not know exactly what our final shape will look like, but He is the master shaper and we have to trust in his plan. You may want to be a big wave gun and he may be shaping you into a fish. Why a fish? He has a plan to use you when a wider outline, slightly thicker rail and fuller tail is needed. How well will you work, for His glory, if your outline is for Pipe and you are surfing Ocean Ave.? We will never be glassed. In this shaping bay, the Master Shaper is nev-er finished with us.