"Soul surfer" - a term coined in the 1970s to describe a talented surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of it. Although a "soul surfer" may enter competitions, his or her motivations go far beyond winning. Bethany Hamilton is a "soul surfer." Born into a family of surfers in February, 1990, Bethany won her first surfing titles at the age of 8. But on Halloween morning in 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, which bit off her left arm and seemed to end her career as a rising surfing star. After losing more than 60% of her blood and undergoing a series of surgeries, Bethany began her recovery with an unbelievably positive and faith-filled attitude. Miraculously, just one month after her attack, Bethany was back in the water, and just one year after the attack Bethany won her first national surfing title.

Essential to Bethany's recovery from the trauma of losing an arm was her faith in God, the support of her youth group leader, and a life-changing mission trip with World Vision to Thailand. At the age of 21, Bethany is a professional surfer who uses her public platform to encourage others to get back in the game when life knocks you down and to make an eternal difference in the lives of those in need.

The movie "Soul Surfer" opened in theaters across the nation on April 8th - I hope you've had a chance to see it! Each Sunday this May we will be showing clips from the movie and interviews with Bethany as we learn from her and from some of our favorite Bible stories how to bounce back from adversity and how to live epic lives to the glory of God. Join us at Cornerstone as we learn to catch the waves God brings into our lives and to live the adventure of a fully devoted follower of Jesus.