Conclusions and beginnings

Hi Everyone. I know its been a while again sense i last updated you all. Instead of giving you a lot of back story i want to make this a quick one and just let you know what I'm up to now. Currently I'm living in Encinitas C.A., a little surf community on the coast of north country San Diego. I share a great place with 4 other guys which i was introduced to through a couple Ex-WYAM'ers i met on the Sunshine coast in Australia. I currently am working at a small grocery store called Cardiff Seaside Market. It's a great little store with extremely good and over priced food. But every local loves coming in and spending hundreds of dollars on just a few bags of food. Welcome to Trustfund Baby California. Over the last months I've been helping the Church i attended in LA shoot and edit a couple different projects connected to their ministry up there (This is a link to one video)
Andrew and I working out the lighting for the ECC shoot in L.A.


I've also been trying to pursue more photography and other video projects locally. I finally created an launched a personal website for people to check my work and hopefully get me more work. please feel free to check it out and share it with others. www.seanmarin.com

Super hero dress up Birthday party fun


in the last couple weeks I've had the chance to shoot/film and talk with an acoustic artist i really enjoy named Josh Garrels. It was because i went to that show that i found out a good friend of mine ive met through my travels, David Reasbeck, was living just down the road from me. And coincidently Josh Garrels was staying with him. Small world!

Josh Garrels playing at the La Paloma theater



Now this is the most important part of this post. If you're thinking of not reading any further i wish you would kill that little desire and read on.
I think most of you reading know that i've been on the fringes of my faith and a bit disposed to uncertainty of belief. But being back in the sun near family and with new friends, i've found a peace. I think i'm coming out of a long dark time for me. It's been a breaking and healing process over that last couple years. I had to be shown that nothing in this world is comparable or adequate to take the position of Jesus. I had to be shown and taught grace, mercy and love when i felt like a failure and was in dire need of a hand to lift me up. God used my friends in Ohio and others all around the world to share that grace, mercy and love. It's a daunting truth that hindsight is 20/20. I wish i had a glimpse or at least the faith to trust that God was doing something good for me when times got very dark and hard. But now looking back one of the best things that has happened over the last couple years is that my relationship with my family has deepened greatly. I think this is the first time in my life i feel that we're not just living together or near each other but we're living as a family. I think that was a huge building block that had been missing in my life.
Nephew Eli, Sister and Brother in law

And as life goes, now that i've gotten comfortable here in San Diego and am enjoying myself a opportunity to return back to Australia is on the table. About a month ago a friend back in Australia who runs a Christian film distribution company called me to catch up and inform me of a possible opportunity to return to oz and work for him editing and developing content. So here's what's happening, Company "X" is pitching a couple t.v. show ideas to other companies around the world. If these ideas get bought/funded that would provide a means and reason to employ me. It's exciting stuff! But as the production business goes nothing is certain.....ever. At least till a check is written. This is where you all come in. I would really appreciate your prayers over the next few weeks. That if this is something i should do that God would be behind it 100%. Pray as compelled.

Using professional surf photographers lens at the ASP Hurley Pro surf comp at Tresals



Again Thanks for reading and keep'n up with me. I hope you have all be blessed in some way reading these posts. Love ya all.

Sean Marin

Long time coming

Below is a email i sent to friend. I've been kinda under wraps for a long time just trying to work through things. This doesn't fully explain everything but it gives a good look at what iv'e been thinking about and working through. I'm currently back in San Diego area looking for work and planning on staying around here for a little. So if you're in the neighborhood, look me up!


Hey Guy,
I know you sent me this email a long time ago. I never forgot about it. I still have a few others i need to get back to as well. I don't know how to say explain where i am in my spiritual life right now. So i may stubble around here a little. I'll start with this though.
My view of life is changing. The view i had of God in this world and in my life was rigged towards me and others yet brittle and unable to be true because it came against real life. I was no longer surrounded by the encouragement and love of people of the same faith. I no longer had the financial support that i found safety in. I was depressed, alone, angry and confused because i had failed in my "charge from God" and at a loss for words as to what I should do now. My view of God was that of a magic man who would provide for my holy endeavors because i "loved and served" Him so well. My self righteousness and pride are astounding, and now i see it. I would like to say i see it completely but probably not. I put on a facade of "maturity and holiness" becoming extremely legalistic. I tried to "fully dedicate" myself to Gods work and become his Holy helper on earth saving the sinners from hell and making what was wrong right. Maybe I can describe it as “Beginning to Deitize myself”. I was living by Law believing my commitment to god and seeking his will would only lead to my success and power now on earth. I believed i was living by the righteousness of Jesus. But I haven’t. Staying with my friends in Ohio helped me remember the childish fun in life and not to take things to seriously, because none of us are perfect and we all have, fears, insecurities and sin. Even the pretty people.

I feel like i over dramatized my events. After looking at the circumstances of Paul, Jesus, Joseph and basically all of the characters of faith and true righteousness my circumstances were Childs play in comparison, even in comparison to many others around me. But it still deeply effected my emotional and mental state. They were “the hair that broke the camels back” of my crooked religion i called Christianity.

As of now I’m in rebuild mode I guess. I wrestled so damn long with wanting to find something tangible to hold on to in Christianity. I wanted to find something that I could not doubt. I wanted to be able to answer all the questions people have about the brutality of God in the Old Testament. I want to be able to bring fact to the conversation of the miraculous life of Jesus. But in the end all I found was the necessity of faith. I’ve been reading a lot lately, The bible a little, but more of things like C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity, Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change, and also a book on Martin Luther’s journey in life. It’s been encouraging knowing that my experience isn’t the only one of its kind. I’ve had to let go of the idea that the systems of this world (financial success, social success, image, health, beauty, strength, power) reflect the love, provision, security, power, and presence of or person of Jesus; at least not in every case. But I wrestle with this everyday, even right now.

I could keep writing but I think I’ve summed everything up well enough. I’m back in San Diego and staying around here for a year I think. Unless God has something else in mind. So hopefully I can make a trip up to Prescott soonish. Thanks for the prayers, please don’t stop either.

Sean