faith hope love
Kirk Cameron
Three Ways Growing Pains Changed His Life Forever Pro Surfer Lakey Peterson
Hometown Tour With This Title-Winning Teen Fireproof Filmmaker Alex Kendrick
A Decade Of Patience Leads To Prayerful Projects: His Dare, And New Direction
Fall 2013
$6.95 USA • $7.50 Canada
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contents
interviews
fall 2013
>>
08 Kirk Cameron
Bold in His Faith, Kirk Cameron Speaks Out
14 Lakey Peterson
Star Surfer Lakey Peterson Hits Waves to Shine in Water and on Film
22 Billy Ray Cyrus
Playing it By Ear: The Adaptability of Billy Ray Cyrus
28 Alex Kendrick
Season of Prayer Guides Filmmaker to Tell the Story
34 Jay “Alabamy” Haizlip Sinner’s Church
40 AJ Michalka
Nothing to Prove: From the Stage to the Screen, AJ Michalka Stands Strong in Her Faith
departments
>>
Miracle 44
Craig DeMartino Freefalling Faith
Outreach: 50
Q-5
Larry Brown
A Heart of Submission Led to the Start of an Overseas School: Larry Brown Speaks to the Lost
58
Ender’s Game
60
Divergent
Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield & Gavin Hood Shailene Woodley, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie Q, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Christian Madsen
Expressions 62
Sevenly
Leading A Generation For Generosity: Sevenly Founder Dale Partridge
Sound 67
Muisc Notes
The National, Empire of the Sun, Capital Cities, and Tegan and Sara
Photo: Melanie Swerden
Falling into a New Season with a Surfer and a Singer Spending the day with professional surfer Lakey Peterson was not what I had expected. At a mere 18-years-old this bubbly blonde is mesmerizing. Whether she’s winning awards for her performance in the water, letting cameras follow her around all day, or showing off her Santa Barbara hometown, Peterson’s spirit and heart for God shine so brightly that you can’t help but be attracted to the light. Her story will inspire and encourage you to go after your dreams. Another unexpected night was spent in the recording studio with Billy Ray Cyrus. The Cyrus family has been in the headlines a lot this year, from a separation, and thankful reconciliation, to Miley Cyrus’ MTV performance that sent the social media world in a complete tizzy over her “unique” behavior, so I did my best to sit down with Billy Ray and remove any positive or negative bias that media might have built. As I spent time with this Kentucky-native, hearing about his father and his love for baseball, how much of a role music plays in his life and the adaptability that he’s able to display in such a cutthroat industry, I have to say that I was moved. I genuinely felt humility in the room 06 Risen Magazine
and an authentic desire to want to be used by God, however that may look. His Biblical roots are deep and fortunately provide such a strong base, that no matter how hard the tree shakes, Cyrus still stands tall with a reach wider than he ever thought possible. I guarantee this interview with shift perceptions you may have had, and you might just find yourself connecting with the trials and triumphs of this country singer.
(l-r) Kelli Gillespie, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rob Springer & Henry Ortlip.
PUBLISHER :: Allan Camaisa EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : Kelli Gillespie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS : Mei Ling Starkey, Henry Ortlip, Samantha Baer, Chris Ahrens Kelli Gillespie, Nikki Jimenez, Lindsay Schwarz COPY EDITOR: Patti Gillespie
ART ART DIRECTOR :: Rob Springer CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS :: Henry Ortlip, Rob Springer, John Stephens, Melanie Swerden, Brian Lowe, Roadside Attractions, Richard Foreman Jr, Jaap Buitendijk, Willie Kessel
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The views and opinions expressed by the subjects interviewed are not necessarily those shared by the publisher or staff of Risen Media, LLC. All interviews remain the sole property of Risen Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Risen Media, LLC. Copyright © 2013 “Risen” is a Trademark of Risen Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Cover Photo :: Brian Lowe risenmagazine.com 07
Kirk Cameron Speaks Out Writer: Samantha Baer Photographer: John Stephens
rowing Pains meant a lot to Kirk Cameron. Not only was it one of the most popular sitcoms from 1985-1992, but it marked a couple key milestones in Cameron’s life, including meeting his wife, and trading atheism for Christianity. Some twenty years later, a family with six kids, making movies, running a camp, and speaking across the country, the former Mike Seaver has shifted the focus from teen idol, to faithfully following the Lord. Risen talks with Cameron about everything from his television days, to marriage advice, adoption and to accepting God’s love.
Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in Naperville, Illinois
Risen Magazine: You identified at one point in your teens as an atheist, but then converted to Christianity, what made you decide to follow the Lord? Kirk Cameron: Well, I guess the simplest answer would be I grew up in a family where we didn’t go to church. We didn’t ever talk about God, and I just loved all my math teachers, my science teachers, and all my history teachers. I wanted to be a doctor, or an astronaut. So my whole world was math, science, physics, evidence, and proof – all that stuff. I just thought there wasn’t proof or evidence for God. Since I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, that was my default position until I was about 17 or 18 years old. Then I started asking basic, but very important questions, like “How did all this get started? How did we get here in the first place? How did this universe come into existence? What happens when you die?” Those are questions that science can’t answer and there is no authority to answer those questions. You kind of need to ask God those questions. So I started doing that. I asked God, “If you are there, I want to know the truth.” Someone took me to church and I heard a great message from a pastor who was preaching from the Bible. I didn’t believe in the Bible, but I really liked what this pastor had to say. That gave me one hundred more questions! I started talking with friends and reading some books and checking things out. I then started becoming captivated by the words of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Not just his moral teachings like, “Do unto others” and the Golden rule, but things like, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the
Father but through me.” Things that had to do with eternity, things that had to do with why Jesus died on a cross, and rose from the grave… those things got me thinking more and more. I started going to church on my own then with some other friends and eventually I became convinced and persuaded that God wrote a book, and that book is the Bible, and that Jesus Christ is who he said he is, and that I needed to then submit myself to his Lordship and his authority. When I did submit, it really started changing me on the inside; who I was, what I was doing, how I was living my life, what I believed, and what I thought. This all happened when I was around 18 years old. So I was kind of young for questions like that, but I was living in a very adult world working on a television show called Growing Pains. I was making an adult salary and agents and lawyers even lived in my own house, so I was thinking about bigger questions in life. It wasn’t like I was in a youth group because all my friends were going to youth group, or my grandma was a Christian so I was; that’s just
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Writer: Lindsay Schwarz Photographer: Rob Springer
t first glance you may think Lakey Peterson is your typical Santa Barbara surfer girl. And in many ways she is. She loves coconut chips and horseback riding and is actively involved in areas passionate to her, including installing clean water filters in Indonesia. But this 18-year-old blonde blows your average teenager accomplishments out of the water. Literally. As a professional surfer, she won the 2012 US Open of Surf, she is currently ranked in the top 10 on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Ranking, and she recently starred in the documentary about her life called, Zero to 100. Inviting Risen to her hometown, this outgoing and warm-hearted star shared about everything from faith to family, schooling to surfing, and even her tie to the Egg McMuffin.
Interviewed Exclusively for Risen Magazine in Santa Barbara, California
Risen Magazine: When you were five years old, your parents decided to take you and your two older siblings on an extensive trip around the world, which is when you first learned to surf. Describe that experience. Lakey Peterson: It was an awesome experience. My mom had always told my dad that she wanted to do a big trip around the world once they had kids. So when I was five, and my older brother [Parker] was 10, and my sister [Whitney] was 13, my parents pulled us out of school and we just traveled for seven and a half months. We went everywhere except Asia. We traveled to Switzerland, Paris, and it was when we were in Manly, Australia, that I learned to surf. It wasn’t my first experience with waves, but it was my first experience surfing them. I got to surf every day at a surf camp, so I got a lot of time in the ocean. I still remember my instructor, Tom, called me “Lakey Surf Legend,” and I loved it. That stuck. It’s very freeing being in the ocean, it’s just you and the wave. I loved that trip; I think that we became so much closer as a family because of it. RM: When was it that you decided you wanted to pursue surfing? LP: After we came home from that trip, I started playing tennis a lot because my dad was a tennis player, as well as my sister, but you can’t really compete with tennis so I got over it. I wanted to compete so I played flag football with the boys up until I was 10, then played baseball and basketball too. But, I grew up right on a point break, this perfect wave, Rincon, that my neighbors would take me to and I just loved it, surfing was so natural. RM: When did you believe you were good enough to compete? LP: I decided I wanted to compete when I was 11 years old. I felt I was ready. So with my family’s support I went for it. My dad was usually working so just about every weekend my mom would drive me to competitions within California. Once I was 14, I won the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association) Open Women’s Title. I was the first female surfer to perform an aerial maneuver in competition. After that, I started traveling all over the globe.
RM: As a teenager, what was life like for you as you were making huge strides in your career? LP: I’ve been homeschooled since I was in seventh grade. I just graduated from high school this year, the same time I would have if I were in public school. Honestly, it’s been hard to build relationships because I’m just gone all the time. It’s not easy; it’s something that I struggle with. RM: Obviously your family has been a huge support to you during your endeavor in becoming a professional surfer, but you also have some creative genes in your family, particularly concerning a specific breakfast item. Your grandfather invented the Egg McMuffin?! LP: Yes! My grandfather, Herb Peterson, was friends with the founder of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc. So my grandfather managed the McDonald’s Santa Barbara accounts and noticed that there were lots of quick grab-n-go meals, but nothing was available for breakfast! He wanted to invent something hand held for those on the go and headed to work in the mornings. His favorite thing was eggs benedict so he wanted to make that into a sandwich. Now my dad manages the six McDonald’s stores in Santa Barbara. I used to take all my friends there when I was little. At age ten I was saying, “Breakfast is on me!” RM: It seems like you have a great foundation and you’ve always been forward with your faith. Did you grow up in a Christian home, and what does Christianity look like to you?
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Photo: Melanie Swerden
Writer: Kelli Gillespie
Born in Kentucky, Billy Ray Cyrus grew up with a biblical foundation, a love for baseball, and music. While this country boy was hoping to become Johnny Bench and play in the big leagues, little did he know that his dreams of playing in a sold-out stadium in front of cheering fans wouldn’t be for games, but rather for concerts. He traded a baseball for a guitar and never looked back. This multi-platinum selling recording artist may have won over the world with Achy Breaky Heart, but that was just the beginning. Cyrus continued topping charts and transitioned into acting and eventually combined his parenting with performing by starring in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana with his real-life daughter Miley. On the brink of the opening of his new film, Like A Country Song, Cyrus sits down with Risen to talk about everything from finding his way, to family and fame, missed expectations, and writing his memoir.
Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in Burbank, California
Risen Magazine: Your grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher and you grew up with bluegrass and gospel music around you. When you were a child, what did faith look like in your life? Billy Ray Cyrus: Faith was always a big part of my life, my family’s life; my grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher, my dad had a gospel quartet that sang in the church and all throughout the Ohio River valley, the Bible was the very foundation of our life. RM: Even though musically influenced at a young age, you decided to play baseball. Who encouraged you, or when did you know you could make a career out of music? BRC: I’ve just always loved making music for the pure passion of making music. Music was a big part of my life. When I was a kid, I would get up and sing with my dad’s Gospel quartet and I loved singing and I loved harmonies. Their quartet was all about four-part harmonies and a piano player. I just didn’t think I could play an instrument. Because I threw a baseball right-handed and I would bat right-handed, I just took it for granted that I was right-handed. And I picked up a righthanded guitar, and I couldn’t play it. Since most of the members of my family could play music by ear, I just thought I wasn’t given that gift. I always thought I was going to be Johnny Bench, the catcher for the Cincinnati Reds. But I write left-handed and I brush my teeth left-handed and it never occurred to me to buy a left-handed guitar. So I traded in my catcher’s mitt and bought a left-handed guitar, and the moment I picked it up I realized that I actually could play. I had been given the gift – I just had the guitar on the wrong side. Luckily, I listened to that inner voice that said, “Buy a guitar and start a band. You’ll find your purpose in life.” Because even as a kid I felt like God had a purpose and a plan for my life. I thought it was through
baseball, but it was through music that God would use my life to represent his light, his hope, and his love. RM: You have this flourishing country career with hit songs and albums and in the height of that success you put out a couple Christian CDs; what thought process went into entering that genre as well? BRC: It’s interesting growing up in Eastern Kentucky on the Ohio River. Right at the boundaries of West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, there are all styles of music from bluegrass, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs; my dad had every album of Glen Campbell and Merle Haggard. I always loved country music and the Grand Ole Opry was a big part of our Saturday nights. Then Sunday mornings I’d be at my Papa’s church singing spirited versions of I’ll Fly Away, and Amazing Grace even had kind of a blues swing to it. Throwing that mix in with the Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, a lot of the Southern rock-n-roll, and Charlie Daniels, it was really a melting pot of a lot of different styles of music. I loved all styles of music, so I wanted to make all styles of music and I still use all of those influences to this day. The album I did called, The Other Side, was at a time when I was in the midst of doing my first [television] series; it was called Doc. It was on PAX television and I played a doctor that was sort of a fish-out-of-water working in New York City. The show was about hope, and faith, and love… a bit of
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Jay “Alabamy” Haizli p Writer: Chris Ahrens
he smell of marijuana was as common to Jay Haizlip in his childhood as car exhaust to a kid living in the inner city. His first experience of getting stoned was at five years old. By the age of eight, he was getting high regularly. At twelve he was selling weed and it only took a few more years to graduate to cocaine. Even his first love, skateboarding, couldn’t save him from the death spiral he was in. In spite of his generally inebriated state, young Haizlip was a remarkable pro skateboarder, helping pioneer ramp and pool skating while hanging out with some of the top skaters in the world. During his mid-teens, he hitchhiked from his home state of Alabama to Southern California. There he found shelter beneath the roof of legendary Dogtown skateboarder, Tony Alva. Drifting south to Newport Beach, Haizlip soon traded his daily weed habit for cocaine. For a time he continued to skate while high, but like most addicts, his priorities shifted until drugs were his main source of entertainment, obliterating all other ambitions. Nobody remembered his covers on Thrasher Magazine, or the famed centerspread of him flying out of an empty pool, upside down, chugging a beer. Life had been a fast, fun ride until he went too high, fell too far and crashed so hard the wheels came off. Anyone who knew him would not have been surprised to hear he had died of a drug overdose. What is surprising is how things actually turned out. And nobody was more surprised than Haizlip himself. Now a pastor, he founded The Sanctuary church in Orange County, California about ten years ago where his talents have shifted from skating to spreading the hope of Jesus Christ.
Interview Exclusively for Risen Magazine in Southern California Risen Magazine: How did you get involved in skateboarding? Jay Haizlip: I got a skateboard when I was 10 years old and that little plastic skateboard with ball bearings changed my life. Everything that’s ever come out of my life was a result of that Christmas present. RM: How do you remain fearless in an extreme sport? JH: I grew up skating pools, grinding coping, going over the “death box.” The adrenaline you get from that helps overcome the fear. RM: Stacy Peralta [Director and former pro-skateboarder] recently told me: “Skateboarding gets you high; why would you get high while skateboarding?” Why did you get high and skate? JH: I agree with that, but I grew up in an environment of dope smoking hippies where drugs were a part of my lifestyle. I started out smoking weed and went on to harder things. RM: Most skaters who emulated the Dogtown guys don’t realize most of the surviving members of that crew are clean and sober. 16 Risen Magazine
JH: I was never part of the Dogtown group, even though those guys are my friends, especially Tony [Alva] and Jay [Adams.] They try to get the message out. I try to use any influence I have to warn people not to go where I went. Most people who go there do not make it back. You couldn’t get any closer to death and still be alive than I was. RM: How close did you get to death? JH: Once after three days doing meth, I fell on the floor and overdosed. Everybody thought I was dead, and they left me lying there, unconscious. I don’t know how long I laid there, but when I saw everyone again they said, “Dude, we can’t believe you’re alive!” Another time, I was about ten feet from
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