A Picture is Worth a THOUSANDS words!

Yesterday was SO much fun. Check out the twitpics...what's so awesome about this Roadtrip is the people.

First and foremost it is about the most incredibly awesome person in my life, my BABE and she is a BABE. And yes a pastor can say that about his wife, she IS hot, okay!

Second, the people we're going to meet or spend time with along the way. Yesterday, Daryl and Sam Heinly (check out the twitpic post) rode with us and had lunch in Anza. They're a BIG part of The Crossing. They believe intensely that people matter to God and show in many, many ways. Thanks Sam and Daryl for being a part of our lives. We had dinner with a former staff member and church attenders who now live in Palm Desert, Larry and Dawn Kasper (check out the twitpic post). Larry is the US Director, hitting home runs with Enlace one of our Global Ministry partners in El Salvador. Dawn has a cool business painting pillows. She even did one for me, thank you Larry and Dawn.

Third, are the people who are housing us at our various stops. We sure appreciate it. When we walked into our place yesterday afternoon...waiting for us was a can filled with CHOCOLATE, yes...God's favorite food and the AC already running. Now that's hospitality! Thank you Martha.

Fourth, is YOU! The Crossing, you ROCK. I am so priviledged to be your pastor. I'm the luckiest guy around. This Roadtrip has already given me large amounts of time to pray for YOU! Thanks for being a part of our lives.

Today, when you encounter someone, smile at them. Pray for them. Say hi to them. Remember, each person matters to God!

Grateful for people...from the Road,

Tim

P.S. Check out Angela Pruitt, she loves numbers and she loves the mission of The Crossing. Thank you Melody for unselfishly serving at The Crossing and Denise it's so cool to see how God has changed your life.

Those "bags" are oh so SMALL

What an awesome day!!!

First: I woke up early this morning still mega-pumped from the Beach Baptisms. WOW! God is so good. Moms, Dads came up to me with tears in their eyes, yet with enthusiastic faces...telling me they've been praying for their now adult kids for years and years and years to let Jesus into their lives. Well, yesterday, we celebrated 120 people who've had their worlds' rocked by Jesus! I was pumped and I still am! DO NOT miss this weekend as we show a baptism recap video. After watching it, you'll want to stand up and shout, "Yea GOD!"

Second: Yep, we're on the road, left going along the foggy PCH coastline (temp 68) and ended up in a blast furnace called Palm Desert (temp 105), but it's a dry heat, right? It's actually quite enjoyable to have a hairdryer going full force pointed 1/8 of inch from your face, quite lovely...really.

Many have asked, "How do you pack for a trip like that?" Answer, you don't, you just go to Walmart everyday...jk. Okay, really now, see those two bags, they're IT, nothing more. The top case contains possibly the most crucial stuff, rain gear, computer, cell phones, oh ya, and it houses our helmets when we stop. Yes, we do stop, every 400 miles or so :-)...not this trip, we're stopping when we feel like stopping, tomorrow we're heading toward the Grand Canyon. I've gone past that sucker around 7 or so times, never stopped (remember I'm a destination guy), but this time, I'm enjoying the journey.

Last thing, before you leave this webpage, make sure you meet Randy Moraitis...the guy knocks it out of the park in our Lifelines and Care ministry. Pray for him will you, this week he leaves for one of our Global ministry partners in Vietnam to do leadership training. Take some time to see how God has worked in Carmelia's life and a BIG thank you to Guest Service volunteers, Eric and Debi.

From the road and still pumped!

Tim

Tim's Leaving...

I am so stoked about what happened at the beach yesterday. Over 120 people baptized!! What an incredible celebration of NEW life in Jesus. All heaven was rejoicing. Check out this short video of what it looked like at the beach:



Sue and I are heading out this morning on our Road Trip 2009 (with our cat Fluffy). You can follow our trip daily on our website: Tim & Sue's Road Trip

There is SO much to take

Summer Film Festival at The Crossing

We are doing something we’ve never done. The Crossing is having a Film Festival. Anyone can enter. Grab a video camera, some friends, your kids, your mom and get creative. We are accepting submissions from now until July 19th.

Interested? Keep reading for rules and info…

WHAT IS IT
A chance for anyone at The Crossing to create a short film exploring one of 4 themes:
Faith Against the Odds
Transformation
The Power of Community
Restoration

GOALS
Our goals for this festival are to (1) have fun, (2) discover fresh talent, (3) showcase new perspectives on weekend topics and (4) create community at The Crossing.

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?
Grab a couple friends, your mom, your kids and come up with a story you want to tell. Making a 2-4 minute video is not as hard as it sounds. Any personal, digital video camera will do what you need. Below are the rules and tips to get you started!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 19th.
Submit a DVD with at least a 720x480 resolution. (Be sure to include your name and contact information – email and phone)
Drop off or mail your DVD to The Crossing. Drop Offs: There is a film festival box at the front desk of the church office and at the Sound Foundation kiosk during weekend services. Mail: To the church at 2115 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Attn: Nicole Romero.
Your film must be appropriate for a general audience, including children.
Any category of film is allowed: fiction, documentary, animation, etc. What is important is that it be a story with a beginning, middle and end.

Your film must be no longer than 4 minutes.
Avoid using copyrighted images.
The Crossing will not be able to loan out equipment.
Entries will be judged on how well they explore the themes and tell a story as well as the audio/video quality.
Winners will be notified by August 1, 2009.

Winners will be shown during weekend services this summer. The best of the rest will be shown on The Crossing’s Blog and possibly at a festival showcase.
For more information and updates, checkout The Crossing’s blog at http://timcelek.blogspot.com or email Nicole Romero at nromero@thecrossing.com.

Have no idea where to start, but wanna give it a shot?

TIPS – HOW TO MAKE A SHORT FILM
Find a compelling narrative short film idea. Things happen quickly in a short film, so you may want to focus the entire film around one key scene. As with any narrative, you need conflict and some degree of resolution. This is true whether you are making a fiction or non-fiction piece.
Decide on the equipment and people you need to film your short. Think about actors, props, visuals, sound and locations.
Make your shooting choices wisely and plan around what you have available to you.
Remember to pay attention to sound as well as visuals.
Shoot more than you think you need, just as with any film. That way, you won't have to reshoot scenes and can more quickly edit it into a finished film.

Road Trip...Re-Establishing Rhythms in Life.

From Tommy Boy to Little Miss Sunshine, road trip comedies are a great summer tradition. For all of us that have ever been on a road trip these movies remind us of those comical situations that just seem to erupt on road trips: the moments that made us laugh, made us cry or made us pull our hair out with frustration. This summer we’re going on a road trip across the United States as we explore the need to rest, relax and rejuvenate ourselves. Please join us, starting this weekend, for a lively four week series about taking the time to stop and simply enjoy life.

Celek Inducted into PC Hall: Port Clinton News

Gale’s stories weren’t of Celek’s accomplishments on the wrestling mat or the football field. Rather, Gale talked about Celek’s ministry in California, and how the 1977 graduate is now doing the Lord’s work. “Tim Celek is truly one of the most amazing people we’ve put into our hall of fame,” Gale said, and his words had an effect on Celek, now a minister and motivational speaker in Southern California. “If I wasn’t nervous before, I’m nervous now,” Celek said.

The Port Clinton Hall of Fame inducted Celek and Ken Gipe as their 14th annual class Saturday at the Elks Hall. Celek, who won 11 letters in football, wrestling, baseball and tennis, was still surprised that he will join his brother Brian, inducted last year, in the hall of fame. “When I think of the hall of fame, I think of somebody super,” Celek said. “I think of somebody stellar. “I’ve never considered myself stellar or super.”

Celek thanked a litany of coaches, teachers and family members for helping him achieve despite what he saw as limited talent. “They helped me be what I could not be on my own,” he said. One of the people Celek thanked was fellow inductee Gipe, who would open the swimming pool for Celek in the morning so he could run and jump rope, generally sweating to try to make weight. But Celek reserved special thanks for Ken Bowersox, the man who introduced him to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and led him to Jesus. After graduating from Marquette University — a college Celek attended on a wrestling scholarship — Celek got his master’s degree in divinity and founded The Crossings church in Costa Mesa, Cal., with more than 2,500 members.

Gipe, meanwhile, grew up in Oregon. In his induction speech, he thanked the Clay basketball coach that cut him every year — leading Gipe to swimming in the winter. Gipe has served as junior high football and volleyball coach, varsity volleyball coach and a football assistant coach, but he has made his mark in Port Clinton as a swimming and diving coach, and an assistant. All told, he has had 71 different coaching contracts in the Port Clinton City Schools. In 1970, Gipe graduated from the University of Toledo, and had three job offers, from Genoa, Eastwood and Port Clinton. “It was a pretty easy choice,” Gipe said. “Port Clinton was the only one with a pool.”

Gipe had 24 winning seasons as swim coach, and has served as National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association president, officiated high school and college meets and recieved honors from the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the state swim coaches association. “I’ve had opportunities to coach other places,” Gipe said. “I just can’t do it.”