Risen Magazine Summer 2011

Adrian Gonzalez + TobyMac + Channing Tatum + Rev Run Rob Bell + Dennis Quaid + Aaron Chang

faith hope love

Summer 2011

$4.95 US

Free Wired with Like a G6, Rocketeer, and If I Was You

contents

TobyMac :

Summer 2011

Winter Wonder Slam Tour 2011

interviews

>>

08 Adrian Gonzales

Baseball, the Bible and Now Boston

12 Bethany Hamilton, Dennis Quaid

& AnnaSophia Robb

departments Q-5: 60

Surfing the World and Spreading the Word

20 TobyMac

“I Don’t Want to Gain the Whole World and Lose My Soul”

24 Channing Tatum

Talks Candidly About Modeling, Movies and Fame

Brazil for Rio

Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx

and Taio Cruz

Surfer Turns Tragic Accident into Inspiration for Others

16 Bryan Jennings

62 Water for Elephants

Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson

Television: 64 The Vampire Diaries Boasts Dedicated Followers

66 Rev Run

Walking This Way with Wisdom

Miracles:

28

Far East Movement

38

Nancy Alcorn

Mercy Extended and Multiplied

Expressions:

42

Rob Bell

72 Jim Houliston

Free Wired

The Preacher Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

48

James Kyson Lee

Keeping a Perspective on Hollywood

52

Ray Wetterlund III

56

Tom McCarthy

Muscles, Motivation & the Mental Side of Fitness Small Moments Become Big Decisions

>>

68 Nick Vujicic

Created for a Greater Purpose

Spray Paint + Bible = The Most Unlikely Readers

76 Aaron Chang

Emotion and Beauty from Inside Out

Booted from the Band

When it comes to music, most people have a favorite genre – whether it’s rock, rap, hip-hop, techno, country, or classical –however when it comes to Far East Movement, it’s difficult to confine this band to one specific genre. Actually, a combination of genres is what creates their unique sound. A sound that has landed Kevin Nishimura (Kev Nish), James Roh (Prohgress), Jae Choung ( J-Splif ) and DJ Virman on the top of the charts.

I was intrigued by their success and more importantly how they achieved it. From interning at the record label, to dissecting the music industry and assigning each other business roles, to creative development and the love for their fans…these four guys are hands-on and take nothing for granted. During the Risen photo shoot in Echo Park in the back storage room of one of the stores that was used for their Rocketeer music video, these guys didn’t know just how hands-on they were going to be that afternoon. Risen’s Art Director Rob Springer, and Megan Camaisa, the Executive Director of our non-profit, The Risen Project joined me, and while we were watching Far East Movement perform for the photographer, it inspired us to get in on the action. After all, these guys have collaborated with quite a few famous names, but we were sure we could hold our own. So I jumped on the guitar, Rob took to the keyboard, and Megan slipped on the headphones…but somehow I don’t think we quite made the cut! If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this spread explains it all.

Regardless of getting the boot from the band, it was such a pleasure spending the afternoon getting to know Far East Movement better and I hope you’re inspired by their story.

Kelli Gillespie Editor-In-Chief

06 Risen Magazine

PUBLISHER :: Allan Camaisa DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS :: Doyle W. Young

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF :: Kelli Gillespie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS :: Kelli Gillespie. Patti Gillespie, Dean Nelson, Heidi Ortlip, Jimmy Rippy, Krislyn Smith and Mei Ling Starkey COPY EDITOR: Patti Gillespie

ART ART DIRECTOR :: Rob Springer CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS :: Michael Ivins, Mario Perez, Matt Nettheim, Rob Springer, Daniel “DPD” Park, Robert Dahey, Bronson Pate

MULTIMEDIA WEBMASTER :: Brett R. Schoeneck APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMING :: Mick Oyer

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Risen Media, LLC

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Risen Magazine is a subsidiary of Risen Media, LLC. 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 © 2011 “Risen” is a Trademark of Risen Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Cover Far East Movement :: Daniel “DPD” Park Cover Soul Surfer :: Noah Hamilton

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Baseball, the Bible and Now Boston:

Adrian Gonzalez

Aims High

Writer: Mei Ling Starkey | Photographer: Michael Ivins

hile Adrian Gonzalez has spent the majority of his Major League Baseball career with the San Diego Padres, this year he’s traded the surf and sand for Fenway Park as he moved to Boston. While the winner of two Gold Glove Awards may be sporting a new Red Sox uniform, Gonzalez’ commitment of giving back to the community will continue to stay strong. He is the epitome of what it means to be a champion both on and off the field. This gifted athlete talks with Risen about his family, character and the faith that has guided him.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at Superfest Sports Outreach in San Diego, California

Risen Magazine: You grew up in San Diego and played the majority of your career here, what were the things that gave you encouragement as you made the decision to go to Boston?

Adrian Gonzalez: I was traded to Boston and it is one of those things in the game of baseball where you don’t have a decision. It’s something that they tell you. You are traded and you’re on your way there. I really enjoyed my time in San Diego and I’m looking forward to my time in Boston…having a good atmosphere there and having a good time playing there.

RM: What type of adjustments will you make as you transition from National League to American League?

AG: Nowadays, with inter-league play it’s really hard to divide the leagues and say one league is different than the other. Most importantly for me is to study the pitchers and know whom I’m facing and try to do my best every day.

RM: What is one of your favorite memories of playing baseball alongside your brother Edgar Gonzalez.

AG: My favorite memory was watching his first hit in Chicago –which was his first at bat as a Padre. We also had a game where we both homered on the same day in the same game. That was pretty fun. Those are memories that I will never forget.

RM: How has your brother and your family supported your career?

AG: They have always been a great support. They have always been there for us. From the time we were little, my parents always took us to our practices.

08 Risen Magazine

They made sure that we not only got that workout, but other workouts. We were always trying to get better and learning how to get better. They have been a great support our entire careers.

RM: You’ve become a leader on and off the field, what principles do you hope to bring with you to Boston?

AG: Work ethic. I think the most important thing is that people need to learn how to work hard and work harder than everybody else. Don’t just settle for what you have to do, but do more. That will bring leadership in itself. The thing I am looking forward to the most is being able to talk about the Lord and share about my relationship with Christ.

RM: Speaking of your relationship with God…when did you become a Christian?

AG: In 2003, after I was married about a month and a half. It was because my wife and I started hanging out with Christian couples and they showed us how to live a Christian life and live by faith and have a relationship with Christ. From that moment on, we knew that is what we wanted in our lives.

I made the decision to give my life to Christ.

RM: How has your faith impacted your career?

AG: It’s changed it. Now it’s not about having a great game on the field, it is how my relationship with Christ is after the game. It’s how I react to certain things…who I glorify and give credit to after the games. It completely changes your perspective.

Adrian and Betsy Gonzalez

RM: What has been the biggest challenge in your relationship with God? AG: I would say our [Betsy and my] biggest challenge is infertility. We have been trying to have kids for a long time and haven’t been able to. The best way to combat that is to have faith and know that if it’s His [God’s] will, He is going to give us a kid. If we are not meant to have a kid, we can always adopt and have a family that way. [Our challenge is] to stay strong and know that He is doing it for our best interest.

RM: It seems like you have an amazing relationship with your wife…how does Betsy support your career? Is she more of a cheerleader or a coach?

AG: She is more of an assistant coach. She was more of a cheerleader when we first got married. But I didn’t want the pity. When I had a bad game, I didn’t want her to say, “That’s okay, you’re going to be alright.” She turned more

The thing I am looking forward to the most is being able to talk about the Lord and share about my relationship with Christ. into an assistant coach and now she says, “ You’ve got to do better. You’ve got to put the work in. You’ve got to pick it up.” She is an incredible person. She is most of the reason for why I am where I am at today.

RM: I love it! How do you and Betsy keep your marriage strong, especially in a world where athletes are being characterized for their infidelity?

AG: We are always living for the Lord. Everything we do is based on what we learn from the Bible and through Bible teachings. Respect and honor.

We’ve got to love each other. For me, I have to love her like Christ loved the church. And she is going to take that love and affection and send it back towards me. We look towards Christ to make each other happy, not each other.

We try to live as holy as we can each and every day.

RM: How do you and your teammates hold each other accountable?

AG: We have a number of things that we do together. [We have] chapel on Sundays and Bible studies during the week when we are at home. We also do Bible studies on the road, get together and try to spread the word. We have fellowship and let each other know what our struggles and strengths are and try and be there for each other.

RM: What would you say is the main character quality athletes need to have in order to make it today?

AG: There’s a few…perseverance is one. You can’t give up. You can’t let anything get in your way. You can’t get down on one little thing that goes wrong in your life or something that takes you a step back. [Second] You’ve got to keep pushing forward always and [third] you’ve got to be able to work hard each and every day and dedicate yourself. Those are three qualities that I think are very important.

AG: If it is a high school or college person, I would say you have to get good grades and do well in school. [I’d tell them] if you let something get in your way, you are going to hit that roadblock. The most important thing is to always do your work. Always put in that extra work in the classroom and out of the classroom, just like on and off the field.

RM: You speak to kids and athletes about the importance of being a champion on and off the field so what is it that motivates you to give back to the community?

AG: [ Jesus] Christ says that we have to be servants and disciples for him and do what we can; for me that is my motivation. I want to do as much as I can for God’s kingdom. I need to do my part and teach what I know, which is baseball…and share what I live and experience, which is my relationship with Christ.

RM: Looking back on your career, was there a defining moment or decision that you can recognize had you made a different choice, you wouldn’t be here today?

AG: I wouldn’t say a defining moment. Each day, you have to make decisions.

Each decision can take you in a different way. My relationship with Christ allows me to feel comfortable with the decisions I make every day. I know that if I am making that decision from prayer, or what I am learning from the Bible, then I know that decision is going to be a good one.

RM: If you were talking to a little league or high school team, what would you tell them is the single thing that stops them from progressing to the next level? risenmagazine.com 11

Dennis Quaid, AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt

Bethany Hamilton (left) with AnnaSophia Robb

Bethany Hamilton, Dennis Quaid & AnnaSophia Robb:

Surfer Turns Tragic Accident into Inspiration for Others Interviewed for Risen Magazine in Beverly Hills, California xperience a defining moment and it will shape the way you choose to live life. It is the results of that moment that stirs a person to decide what they value most and where to turn to for strength and support. For surfer Bethany Hamilton it was her family and belief in God that got her through the unimaginable. From what many would define as a life-changing tragedy, Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination and hope.

Hamilton will never forget Halloween 2003. It was a day like most others for her and family friends as they took to surfing off Kauai’s North Shore.

But nothing could have prepared this thirteen year old girl for the events that followed. While on her board Hamilton was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark that severed her left arm. After losing more than 60 percent of her blood that day and surviving several subsequent surgeries, Hamilton was on her way to recovery with an unbelievable positive attitude. In fact, miraculously just one month after the attack, Hamilton returned to the water to continue pursuing her goal of becoming a professional surfer.

Not only did Hamilton realize her dream and turn pro, but her story has resonated with so many that she’s become a role model to young girls, and a beacon of hope to others. Her story was recently brought to the big screen in the film Soul Surfer where AnnaSophia Robb plays the role of Bethany Hamilton and Dennis Quaid plays her father.

Hamilton actually recommended Robb for the role. “Bethany’s story is really relatable because it’s about facing a challenge and overcoming that… really going after what you love,” Robb says. “Whether it’s surfing, or baseball or acting, or what have you…it’s about something that could be taken away from you but you’re still going for it anyway.” During the filming of Soul Surfer, Robb and Hamilton became friends quickly and developed a close relationship. “I could ask her any question and she always gave me the

Writer: Kelli Gillespie | Photographer: Mario Perez

honest answer,” Robb adds, “which is so helpful as an actress because I didn’t know going into it what the experience was going to be like. It couldn’t have been any better,” she smiles. “I’d text her or call her if I had a question, and the Hamilton’s were always on set helping make decisions.”

One of the toughest decisions during production was how to portray the shark attack. Hamilton reflects, “That was one thing I was nervous about. I didn’t want them [filmmakers] to go and take this shark attack and make it into a vicious, crazy experience and overly dramatize it. People are interested in sharks and they’re scared of them, and it’s intimidating. I just hope that it doesn’t cause continued shark-phobia which so many people have and that everyone can just enjoy the ocean. Because I know I do… even after experiencing it [the shark attack].” She goes on to assure that, “It’s more dangerous to drive to the beach than to get in the ocean.”

According to Hamilton, the shark attack scene in the film is portrayed precisely how it happened. She has relived that day so many times that she didn’t want to repeat the details, but did emphasize, “I know it sounds weird, but it actually wasn’t that difficult to watch on screen.”

The shark attack might not have been hard for Hamilton to watch, but the hospital scenes were among the most challenging for Quaid. He explains that while the whole family was on the set he was thinking, “They’ve got to be reliving this experience… and to think what they’ve gone through, and now they’re right there with me.” It was emotional for Quaid who immediately hit it off with the man he was portraying, Hamilton’s real life dad.

“We bonded really well. We both play golf so that started it off. He helped me out with surfing because I didn’t surf at all before this. Just to get out in the water with him, get to know him and who he is as a person was a really great experience. I’ve played a lot of real[life], people, and the ones that are risenmagazine.com 13

14 Risen Magazine

alive I’ve been lucky enough to get to spend time with them. I think it’s important. Finding out what’s important to them about the telling of their story.”

What Quaid learned was important to the Hamilton family was their faith in God –something that completely resonated with Quaid as well. “I very much believe in the power of prayer and I think the power of prayer, and their faith, is really what got Bethany and her family through.” Quaid adds, “They are very real about it and they walk it. It’s not like they beat anybody over the head with it, but it’s an integral part of who they are. I’m really glad that was portrayed in the movie. It was kind of a question at first and a fear of theirs…that the powers to be might try to extract that element from the story for marketing purposes.” But he feels that this [their faith] is what people want to see, “It’s always a cynical time… and in order to tell their story it was really important that be a part of it.”

Hamilton became a Christian at a very early age. “Ever since I was five years old I gave my heart to Jesus and since then it’s a relationship,” she says. “To me, it’s not a religion.

Just talking to God, reading His Word [Bible] and doing my best to honor Him in everything I do. It’s where I get my strength. When I’m struggling with something, I can go to Him for help. It’s something very special and I’m excited to share that.” And because of her ability to rise above her circumstances and lean not on her own understanding but on that of her faith, Hamilton’s story is now shared on a platform bigger than first imagined. The manner in which she handled her circumstances offers a sense of hope and encouragement to others in tough situations.

“I very much believe in the power of prayer and I think the power of prayer, and their faith, is really what got Bethany and her family through.”

In his own life, Quaid has been through a series of challenging times including drugs, divorce, even the near death of his twins; but he agrees that at times of tragedy he calls upon his faith to help get him through, “I’ve grown up in my faith too…really all my life,” he expresses.

“You have to turn to some sort of higher power, and there’s an amount of surrender, because you just don’t have control over everything in life. That’s why I think this story touches people so much and they relate to it because we all get barriers thrown up – unscaleable walls that either we erect ourselves or sometimes unfairly happen to us – but it’s what you do with it [that matters]. Do you just give up, or do you do what she did and just turn it into a bump in the road and make something positive out of it? She’s touched so many lives.”

It’s evident that Hamilton has had a profound affect on Quaid’s life, and he believes it’s no coincidence that he ended up as a family member in the film. He views it as more of a divine encounter. “I had a dim memory of the story from the news accounts which were eight years ago,” Quaid shares.

“But two Christmas’ had passed and it was three days before Christmas and I’m sitting on my couch with my then one year old boy, and Bethany was on television on a book tour for Soul Surfer. I was about to change the channel but I just stayed there because she was so optimistic and there was just something about her that was so special and inspiring. I welled up. I’m welling up now. I can’t help it when I start talking about her. She just hit me right in my soul. Then three days after Christmas my agent calls me and says, ‘Remember the little surfer girl Bethany? They want you to play her father.’

And I said, ‘Okay I’ll do it.’”

It seems fair to say that one can’t help but watch the movie or hear Hamilton’s story and not be affected. Hamilton wants people to enjoy the film and love the surfing. She also hopes, “If people are going through a hard time they can be encouraged to find inspiration and push through those hard times and see, in my family’s case, so much good has come out of it. The way you approach your situation can make a difference in looking for the positive in things and having hope.”

There are however always a few critics in the bunch. Those that feel any talk of God and personal faith should be left to pastors in a church, and not sermons on screen. But Quaid is quick to point out, “This is a story about this family. I don’t think we beat people over the head with it [belief in God], but it’s an integral part of who they are.” He takes it a step further to add, “It’s like if you were to do a movie about Billy Graham, would you leave it [relationship with God] out? What would you leave out? You know where you’re going before you go there.” He smiles and says, “No harm in taking a little ribbing for it. So what? I take ribbing for everything else in life.”

Faith is the core of the Hamilton family and the key to how one very determined and faith-filled young girl took a tragic accident and turned it into hope and inspiration for others. And Bethany expresses it best. “What keeps me grounded is honoring God in everything I do, my encouraging family and all the good friends that I have.”

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16 Risen Magazine

Writer: Kelli Gillespie | Photographer: Rob Springer

hallenge: Do an outreach event and see lives impacted because of what God can do through you, but then never do it again.

That’s pretty much impossible according to Bryan Jennings, especially when the results are so addicting and so real. As a pro surfer, Jennings has lived the party life and had what the world can offer, but he says none of it compares to investing in the lives of kids and sharing his relationship with God through his Walking on Water ministry. Risen talked with Jennings about surf camps, his documentaries, riding the ocean and the foundation for what became the feature film, Soul Surfer.

Interviewed Exclusively for Risen Magazine in Carlsbad, California

Risen Magazine: You founded Walking on Water in 1995 with just a handful of students and in 15 years it’s grown into a worldwide ministry. Why did you start surf camps and how has the organization grown?

Bryan Jennings: I was 20 years old, had become a pro sufer and was really excited about the Lord in my life at that time. I had some kids looking up to me so I thought, how do I tell these kids about surfing that I love, and Jesus that I love…and it went to the idea of a surf camp. We did our first surf camp with only ten kids. I thought we were going to do a one time surf camp. I wasn’t thinking I would start an organization or a company. It wasn’t like that.

But I thought, “Hey I need to make a living because pro surfing doesn’t pay a lot unless you’re Kelly Slater.” So I did the first surf camp, and then another one the next year, and the next, and it just kept growing and growing.

I was tired of seeing surf films out there that only promoted the whole party lifestyle, like that’s what life is all about – I already tried that out and guess what? That’s not what life is about. I thought, let’s make a movie about surfers who are believers. I had no idea how to do that, didn’t know what the heck I was doing and one guy stepped up to the plate and said, “I’ll pay for that. Go make the movie.” It was amazing, we went and made it and Tom Curren came with us to the Canary Islands and God did more than we could have ever imagined.

We showed the movie and had around 500 people at the first event and we said, “Wow people actually showed up to see this. This is cool. Why don’t we do more events?” Then it went to [making] more movies, events and tours – anything we came up with, thought of, and prayed about, - we just went towards it and did it and God blessed it. It was amazing. I think we had the right hearts… it had nothing to do with money; it had everything to do with blessing kids through the sport of surfing.

RM: How did your love for surfing begin and at what point did you recognize it could, and would, be your career?

BJ: I’ve been kind of thinking about my story a lot lately and in some ways I was kind of like The Karate Kid. I grew up away from the beach a little bit and my parents went through a divorce. My mom took my older brother and younger sister and me and moved to the beach. I had already loved boogieboarding, then I started standing up on my body board…and then I finally grabbed a surfboard and I’ll never forget that first wave. I don’t know; something just happened on that first little wave. I got up and rode this little onefoot wave. There is something special about surfing. It’s not just because I’m a surfer – there is something special about riding the ocean. We are riding God’s creation. I then quit Little League, quit everything, [said] I’m done, forget sports, I’m all about surfing.

My first surf contest I lost horribly and then a few surf contests later I started actually doing pretty well in the local competitions. I started winning a lot of YMCA local surf contests and I thought I was kind of a hot shot.

I got sponsored by Rusty and I thought, “Whoa! This is cool, I’m pretty good at this.” But I went to a regional California contest and just got completely killed by the competition and then I thought, “Okay, maybe I’m not as good as I think I am.” There’s always somebody better than you in whatever you do, and it humbles you.

I went from that [experience] at 14 years old and by the age of 17, I was just a little party kid at La Jolla High School. I was going to Peter King’s surfer fellowship because there was free pizza and cute girls…but I finally became a believer after having enough of that lifestyle and realized there has got to be more to life. I gave my heart to the Lord one night in my bedroom.

I didn’t even really know how to do it, I just said, “God I want you in my life, I want to live my life for you not myself.”

What was amazing was that the next Saturday I was in a local pro-am and all my local heroes, the pro surfers I had looked up to, were in the competition. I ended up beating all of them. The waves came to me, not to them, risenmagazine.com 17

because God made the ocean and it was like cheating. [Laughter]. They had no chance. I was going to win this contest even if Kelly Slater was in it.

So I win on Saturday, go up to Huntington Beach on Sunday, win another competition… two in one weekend, total miracle. Driving home from that I remember thinking, “Wow, I just became a pro surfer.” That’s how my pro surf career started. It’s kind of like my relationship with Jesus, and my pro surfing career started at the same moment.

RM: The camps and films all center around surfing, but also about developing a relationship with God, what do you hope to communicate to others?

BJ: If I would have gone to a Christian surf camp when I was a 14 year old kid, it would’ve totally impacted my life. I would’ve gone for the surfing, but I would’ve ended up hearing the Bible studies at night and in the morning, and it would have really impacted me. These cool pro surfers or ex pro surfers talking to me about God, and waves -- that would have really impacted my life. I think the surf camps are probably the most powerful ministry we do, even more than showing our movies to millions of people. There is nothing more powerful than spending a week with a kid. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home going to church every Sunday, so when I became a Christian it was very real to me, and I think kids see through anything that is fake. They know that the other counselors and I are doing this because we love them and we genuinely have a relationship with God, and it’s not some weird religious thing. They know we’re there for them, so it’s cool.

RM: Walking on Water teams up with several famous and influential pro surfers…why do you think these athletes are so quick to share their story?

BJ: I won’t name names, but for some of the pro surfers in our movies, some of the biggest pro surfers – it was a big decision for them [to share] because they were worried if they were in our movies they might lose their sponsorship. There is a pressure [and mentality] in the surf industry sometimes like, You better be willing to head to the bars and party with us or what is your problem?

That’s the image of our company so let’s get out there and do it. It was a pretty big decision for some of them, but there are definitely a handful of really good Christian surfers.

RM: You did a documentary called Walking on Water where you took two kids on the most amazing adventure of surfing the world. Several pro surfers met you in different countries…which country had the most impact on you?

BJ: I would say South Africa and Indonesia; because those are two places 18 Risen Magazine

every surfer wants to go to. And just being in Africa, there’s something incredible about it. The people have been through so much and the waves are so good. Africa is like Hawaii in that it just humbles you. You go there and you can get humbled by the wildlife, by the surf, and by the people. These 13 year old kids that we’re interviewing for our movie are speaking wisdom that can only come from a 90 year old Godly man that’s been through life. These little kids, the things they would share from their heart, it was like, Oh my gosh, they’ve been through so much already.

RM: Indonesia is the country you went to with Bethany Hamilton and you’ve been very involved with the feature film based on her life, called Soul Surfer. From the shark attack to her strength, and continued belief in God… her story is truly inspirational. What part of her story resonates most with you, and what do you hope resonates with others about her life?

BJ: Actually, when the attack happened to Bethany and in the following years, was also some of the same years I was going through one of the hardest times of my life. Sometimes when you go through a tragic situation, whether it’s a shark attack, or a divorce, or whatever it is, you can feel like your arm is

ripped off. You can feel like you’re cut in half – emotionally, physically spiritually, whatever – you can feel that way. I love being around people that have been through something really devastating, as sick as that sounds, because they have character. There is something deep to that person. I guess with Bethany I feel like she went through a battle and devastation at the same time I went through battle and devastation, and we came out the other side as better people and closer to God. RM: When people are pursuing their passion and living out their calling, I feel like there are always people that want to tear them down, they’re competitive and just try to hinder success. Is there a person, a piece of scripture, or what is it that encourages you to keep going forward?

BJ: I think any guy, especially guys, think that we just want to conquer the world. We want to make a lot of money, we want to be the provider, or if family members are in some business, we feel like we should be in the business.

For me it was tough because it was like [people questioned], Are you a surf bum? You’re going to go make a movie? Are you just trying to surf as long as you

can? What are you doing? And sometimes I’d even ask myself those questions.

But then something amazing would happen that would confirm I need to do this. Whenever I look at kids, I see myself and remember I was a kid, totally lost and trying to figure out what is life about and is God real and will this make me happy. So I look at these kids and I have the answer [for them]. As weird as that might sound to somebody, I know I have the answer. And it’s so fun giving the answer. I get to give out the best gift that’s ever been given to mankind – the gift of Jesus Christ dying on the cross and being raised from the dead, dying for our sins so that we get to go to Heaven – I get to give that gift to everybody I meet. It’s actually an addiction. I’m addicted to telling people about Jesus because there is nothing more rewarding.

Nothing is ever going to compare with the feeling that God just used you to bring His message to somebody and now they understand who Jesus Christ is…and they are going to Heaven, not Hell for eternity. What’s more exciting than that?

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20 Risen Magazine

Sings… “I Don’t Want to Gain the Whole World and Lose My Soul” Writer: Heidi Ortlip | Photographer: Rob Springer

obyMac (born Kevin Michael McKeehan) is no stranger to success. He first gained recognition in the late ‘80’s with the Christian rap trio dc Talk. The group sold over eight million records and won four Grammy’s before parting ways in 2000.

Since then TobyMac has continued to evolve as an artist, releasing four successful albums of his own, and picking up another Grammy. His music, which combines rap, rock, pop and funk, has been featured in films, commercials and sports shows. While other seasoned artists carry a sense of entitlement, TobyMac radiates humility. He has made the choice to live out his lyrics and works hard to retain a soft heart and stay prepared for whatever God has in store. TobyMac talked with Risen about how he stays relevant, his relationship with his son, and the possibility of a dc Talk reunion.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at the Winter Wonder Slam Tour in San Diego, California

Risen Magazine: You have been on tour a lot in the past couple years. I imagine it must be pretty grueling, so what is it that keeps you going on the road?

TobyMac: I can honestly say if I didn’t have a great family on the road I wouldn’t be able to do it, but we really do enjoy each other. Sometimes it is work, but usually its fun and we sense a deeper calling than just work. We hope that things are going on that we can’t even see, and we don’t even hear about that are far beyond what we could do ourselves. We hope that God is doing something bigger than us. Also, I think that when you love the people you work with and they love you, you can work pretty hard and it doesn’t seem like work.

RM: How do you prepare for a concert…when you are about to go out in front of thousands of people? Do you have a ritual? Do you have a prayer your team says? What is your routine?

TM: We do pray, and most nights - I would say nine out of ten - we have a Bible study. You definitely want your heart to be prepared for something cool. I work really hard to retain a soft heart and remain unjaded. It would be easy to think, Okay, we are in San Diego tonight, Phoenix tomorrow night, LA the next night, Sacramento the next…We are doing the same show da-da-da… but every night I like to sit on the edge and just wait and see what God does - that is what I hope for. I think that can only happen if your eyes are open and you expect it.

RM: How do you create and put together lyrics? They are such an important part of what you do. What’s that process like?

TM: Well it is a grueling process – Ninety percent of the time it’s grueling.

[For instance] I have a chorus, now I need to support that chorus with verses.

What do I want to say? God what are you telling me? I’m watching people interact - which is the main way I write lyrics - usually sitting in a corner somewhere at a coffee shop having a Bible study. And when I see humans interacting it just brings [lyrics] up. Whether they are arguing or walking down

the street hand in hand… human interaction moves me, it makes me start to write lyrics. I think I write a lot of songs, not just about God working in our lives, but how He works in our lives through our relationships with each other. Whether it’s a romantic relationship or a friendship, I want to write.

I write about the times I’ve failed to be there for a friend, but I also want to write about the times I was there for my friend. I think when I write honest lyrics, it connects with people’s lives and it inspires them, or they may learn from my mistakes. I think it does take me a long time. I might take three months to write a lyric for one song. [But sometimes like] City on Our Knees, I wrote that song in 20 minutes. So it all depends. I’m kind of, well I’m not kind of, I am a perfectionist. I sit there and I just work and work and work and I try to throw out lines that are pretty good, to get lines that are great. My great may not be your great. Great to me is a street sensible conversational line. I think my mind immediately goes to Jon Foreman [Switchfoot], because he’s my friend and he lives here [San Diego]. Jon writes and his lyrics to me are a little more lofty, a little more poetic, where as I want to write a lyric that’s conversational. And of course he’ll delve into a conversational lyric and I’ll delve into a lofty lyric, but I write the way I talk.

RM: I think sometimes there can be a stigma surrounding Christian music.

It kind of gets put in this box yet your music has been used in commercials, TV shows, and for movies. What do you think it is about your music that makes it so universal?

TM: I think it’s energy, because most of my music hasn’t been in love stories, but in movies like Transformers 2, or in the Disney film The Game Plan, when they went to the club dancing. Most times it’s action films that are picking up on my music, and sports commercials for the NCAA, or the NFL, or the NBA. They use it all the time and I always love it. A couple of years ago for the Super Bowl, the Cardinals [took the field] to one of my songs - Ignition - and I had no idea it was going to happen. I was sitting at home [with the TV on] and here’s the Cardinals running out and I’m like, “What is that?

Hey! It’s my song!” My wife had just put the food out and my buddies were risenmagazine.com 21

in the other room, and I called them all in. So I think it’s just the energy… positive energy, it’s intensity and it’s passion. I think they are feeling all those things in the music and choose to use it. I’m honored by it. I know this might push the envelope for some people reading, but even when they ask me if [my music] can be in a R rated movie, [I say] I’m happy for my song to be there.

No one thinks I’m endorsing that film because my music was in it, but if my music can be in the film for a few minutes and it opens someone’s mind to my music, which ultimately opens their heart to the Lord, so be it.

RM: The song, Socially Acceptable, always seems to pop up on my iPod, and it has such a great message. But since dc Talk recorded that song, what is actually socially acceptable has changed so much. How do you adapt and change as you grow as an artist to be able to get the attention of this ever-changing culture?

TM: That’s a tough one. I think one way is to just stay aware of what is going on around you. I can’t keep up with everything, but I can keep up with what people are going through and what’s affecting them. There are some things that are just timeless. An act of love is timeless. I don’t care if it’s a thousand years in the future…there are some things that are timeless that you can always write about. My son is 12 and fully into gaming. I don’t try to have conversations with gamers, because I don’t know about it. I love the sports games, but there are some things I can’t keep up with. But when it comes to certain timeless messages, I keep up.

spire and cause me to think. And fellow artists too. I’m out here with Brandon Heath and I think, Give Me Your Eyes, is one of the best songs I’ve heard in the last three to four years. Songs like that inspire me and make me want to write better or write deeper.

RM: Was there somebody who first inspired you to get into music? What was the defining moment for you?

TM: I always loved music and I always wrote little rap songs to instrumentals of other people’s music. I think the person, that without a doubt said I could make a record, is Michael Tait, from dc Talk, now Newsboys. When I met Michael in college he was making a record and I was like, “Wait, you can make a record?

You don’t have to be like U2 to make a record?”

When he was making the record I started toying around with the dc Talk sound in a spare room of the studio. There was a little drum machine and I wrote this little song called Heaven Bound. I wrote the raps and had Michael come in and sing the chorus.

That sort of began dc Talk. But it’s because Michael was making a record and grabbing the bull by the horns and said, “I want my voice to be used by God. I’m going to make a record” that led to dc Talk.

Whether they are arguing or walking down the street hand in hand…... human interaction moves me, it makes me start to write lyrics

RM: Speaking of your son, I wanted to talk to you about him. I love that he raps! How did you find out that he was interested in music? Is there a story behind it?

TM: I think that it was just kind of a playful thing in the studio and what’s amazing is that we’ve actually sort of retained that. I know there are people out there that think, “Well you’ve put your kid on all of your records, what are you setting him up to be, an artist?” To Truett and me, it’s just like our little day in the studio. I’m sure by my next record – now he’s playing piano, he’s playing guitar, he’s taking lessons and playing drums - he might want to take it a little more seriously. Every record he’s tried to own it a little more, but it’s still about, “Dad, when’s our day in the studio?” I really didn’t plan it when I did the first one, but it sort of started being about this little father-son moment. I think if a father and son being creative together and spending a day in the studio inspires some dads out there, and some kids to hang with their dad, then that’s what I’m shooting for, if there is a goal to it. But really it is our little fun day.

RM: I think that it’s great that you can encourage his growth and development. Who was the person that really encouraged you as you grew as an artist?

TM: Probably my producers. Mark Heimermann who produced every dc Talk record with me. I learned everything from him as far as making every section of every song count and making every lyric in every section count. Either it counts to make people smile, or it counts to make them think deeply.

Also, Chris Stevens, who produces all my [current] records, and Dave Wyatt who plays keyboards with me and for me. I think that those guys really in22 Risen Magazine

RM: Touching back on dc Talk, are they still a part of your life and do you guys still keep in touch? Is there accountability?

TM: The relationships are all different. Michael and Kevin’s [Kevin Max] is different from Michael’s and mine, and Kevin’s and mine. But I think there is definitely still very loving, positive communication. There’s no hate-mail, there’s no hater-ade. [Laughs]. There’s a sweetness about it. We care about each other; we have each other’s back. It’s interesting, a lot of times press, will almost want you to say something bad. Or fans will want you to say, “Oh he’s doing that, don’t you think he sold out?” [They] just create drama. But I really think that we… I really can say this about each of us… we’ve all risen above that and said, “Nah man, I mean that’s my boy.” And I think we’ve taken the high road, and I’m thankful for that. I think there’s no telling, maybe we’ll do something again in the future, some reunion thing, or maybe we won’t.

RM: New Kids on the Block are getting back together, and the Backstreet Boys…

TM: [Laughs] I know JT’s [ Justin Timberlake] not getting back with *NSYNC! [Laughs] But I think, who knows? I don’t know if we’ll do that and I know you didn’t ask that question, but I knew you probably would. I think that no one has ever put a fork in it and said it’s done for sure.

RM: So what can we expect next? What is in the works?

TM: I’m working on songs. I did a Christmas single this past year called, Christmas This Year, which I actually really like. [Laughs]. I don’t always say that, but I actually do really like this song. I was committed to not handing in a song. I told the label that I was going to try a Christmas song, but since it wasn’t in my contract, if I didn’t love the song, they weren’t getting it. It actually feels like Christmas, it feels like me, and God was just real gracious to me. So it has inspired me to maybe do a Christmas record next year. I have three songs now, and I’m hoping that each member of my band actually participates and does a song. We might call it a Diverse City Christmas.

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24 Risen Magazine

Writer: Kelli Gillespie | Photographer: Matt Nettheim

e’s more than a pretty face – although Channing Tatum is that too. Beginning his rise to fame as the face of Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, and Emporio Armani, this Alabama native transitioned from modeling into acting with ease. He danced his way into the hearts of women across America – including his now wife Jenna Dewan, who was his co-star in the film Step Up – and earned the respect of men with roles in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Stop-Loss, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Channing knows he’s blessed, but he works hard and opens up with Risen about honesty, his enthusiasm for developing movies, and how he never wants to be comfortable with all the fame.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at the Se Hotel in San Diego, California

Risen Magazine: At what point did you know you wanted to do modeling and acting and be involved in the arts?

Channing Tatum: I don’t think you really know that you want to do modeling. I think it just sort of happens and you get really, really lucky. Your parents gave you great genetics; I don’t think you had anything to do with it very much. You’ve got to navigate it smartly…but that’s about it. [With] acting, I’ve always loved movies, but I didn’t realize I could be in them. I accidently got a Pepsi commercial just by a random audition, I did it and I was like, “Wow, this is actually something!” You get to do something. Very few photographers let you do anything. They just tell you to stand there and look different directions and what not. Every once in a while one will want you to give an emotion or [tell you] to act something out with a girl or whatever… so it definitely piqued my interest. I took a workshop and it was like one of those really cathartic moments, probably more like therapy, where you’re just crying your eyes out, “This is awesome. I love this and want to do it forever.” It’s kind of a healing thing. I never really felt like I was an actor until the movie, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, and that was the moment I knew, “ Yes, this is something that I want to do forever.” I love characters, I love stories.

RM: Speaking of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, that was directed by Dito Montiel and then you two worked together again on Fighting, and you’re currently working on a project…is that a result of the initial opportunity for you to work together on multiple projects, or is it his style, what is the relationship there?

CT: We for sure just see things on the same plane. I think we hear the world in the same way. He writes how I speak; how I think we all speak. I think he really sees the world in a unique way. Now it truly is that we just want to make things that we love…sometimes people will like it, sometimes they won’t. It might not be for you because Dito does try to paint outside the lines a little bit and change up structure which gets kind of strange sometimes, but that’s art – there are no rules. And Dito definitely doesn’t like rules. [Laughter] He’s a madman, he’s crazy.

RM: In your most recent film, The Eagle, family honor is really important and your character’s father had a tremendous impact on him, what is your relationship like with your dad?

CT: It’s good. Good now. I think just about every kid; well the majority of sons and daughters, growing up you always think you’re the right one. You always think they [parents] don’t understand, and maybe they don’t. But most likely they do. [Our relationship] is good now.

RM: Another big theme is trust…would you consider yourself a very trustworthy person?

CT: Yeah, I mean… I hope so. I honor it very, very much. If anything, I’m almost terrified of not telling the truth. It eats away at me to the point that I would much rather take it on the chin whatever it is, even if I’m scared the person might be mad at me. I lament about things, I just can’t let them go in my head. My paranoia of guilt is a thousand times stronger than what it would be to go ahead and lie and hope it works out for the best. I don’t do that stuff.

RM: That’s a great quality, and it’s rare. So then I have to ask being in Hollywood, where let’s just say that quality is lacking…how has that changed the way you perceive people or view trust?

CT: It’s always very shady. It’s called show business, not show friends, that whole adage. You almost can’t trust anybody and that’s really sad. You can trust a few people, but really at the end of the day everyone is going to be out for themselves. No one is going to be like, “Oh wait you didn’t get paid?” You’re going to have to protect that for yourself – that’s why you have lawyers. You let them do the fighting on that front for you, what they’re good at. You just try to keep the art in mind. You can be jaded very quickly in this place – not to say I’m not, because I am, it’s just a fickle business.

RM: I think of you as a very grounded person, you’re humble and you know how to utilize your strengths. What do you attribute having a good head on your shoulders to? risenmagazine.com 25

CT: Thank you - probably just my family and my circle of friends. They know who I am, and it’s probably not someone who everyone else thinks I am.

Even just doing press, it’s a character you have to put on.

RM: So you’re really not a grounded, nice guy?!

CT: [Laughter] Maybe not, I don’t even know. [More laughter] Probably not actually- I’m probably floating in the clouds somewhere. It’s one of those things, I think I had a bit of, not struggles, but definitely setbacks as a kid – I don’t read that well, I have dyslexia, ADD, they put me on medication, all

do you see?” Look, that’s a cool way to do it too, but I really connected to the developmental process of it.

RM: It allows for more of a creative outlet.

CT: Yeah. I just think it’s so much fun to talk about movies, and character, and story, that it’s just a blessing.

RM: I was checking out your website, and you seem very open, allowing fans access into your life… tell me about the decision-making process on what parts of your life you make public and what parts you decide to keep private?

CT: I have a good bit about my life that is private. I’m definitely not hiding from the public. It’s more that I don’t want to have to worry if people are sticking cameras over my fence and I can cuddle with my wife on the back porch and not feel like there is somebody watching. I’ve been blessed so far that that hasn’t been a problem.

And I hope it stays that way, because that’s just a whole other thing that I don’t think I could even handle. I would probably leave. I would be like, “Alright I’m out. That’s enough. This is not for me.” But I think you have to have a healthy balance. I think in the beginning of my career I was really against it. I don’t think the public should get to know you because I don’t think they want to see you then [in a movie]. Back in the day, people ran to the theatres because they wanted to see more of Cary Grant, they didn’t know enough about him, they had no idea where or what he was doing. They wanted to see more films. But now you get celebrities everywhere – you can see them online, you can see them eating lunch, taking the trash out, making out with whoever they’re making out with that night – it’s just such an inundation of information and knowledge about somebody. You go on a talk show, or a morning show, or anything and they get to see a version of you, so next time they see you on the movie screen and you’re playing a hump back, onelegged, albino serial killer, they’re like, “Wow, did you see Chan play that hump back, one-legged, albino serial killer?” They’re not just talking about the role.

They’re not saying, “Oh my God, did you see that character?” They’re saying, “Did you see Leo [DiCaprio] playing that character? He did it so well.” Because they feel like they know him so well. The mystique is gone.

...my family and my circle of friends. They know who I am, and it’s probably not someone who everyone else thinks I am. that crap – so I definitely know I’m not the smartest kid on this planet, or the best actor on the planet, but I think Will Smith said it best, “I won’t ever be the best actor, but I’ll definitely be the hardest working one.” And I’ve always taken that to heart.

RM: What about faith in your life? I know you went to a Catholic high school, so what part, if any, does it play in your life now?

CT: It’s faith in like omnipresence, but I do not follow an organized religion whatsoever. I think that there are no rules in faith, as long as you believe in something higher than you and you’re being the best you can be. There’s too many gods on this planet, for any one to be right in my opinion.

RM: Have you given any thought as to what type of legacy you’d like to leave?

CT: Look, I don’t think I’m going to be one of these actors that has a bunch of awards on the shelf. I do hope, that I can say when I look back on it, that people say, “Wow, he left a huge footprint here.” And that they remember me in a good light obviously, but I don’t care if it’s producing or directing – I would like to direct one day. Hopefully even soon, just to start failing early if that’s the case, so it’s not later on in life. Even in trying to find different ways to get art out there – different venues of distributing film or making art.

RM: You formed a production company, and is that the hope, that you can get films made, that you want to make and take more leadership in certain areas?

CT: Absolutely. The first time that I had that experience was on Dear John. I got brought in really early and I got to be in the process of the development of a film – which was so incredibly interesting and gratifying. You feel so much more connected to the movie. You get to read the manuscript before it’s even a novel, then you get to help try to find a writer, then finding the right writer, then guiding and helping give notes on what he’s writing, and helping to find a director, then re-sculpturing the script with the director and the writer; there are so many different echelons of development that it can be so helpful as an actor to really be along every step of the way instead of just coming in a week or two before the filming of it and sitting down with the director and being like, “Okay cool, so how do you want me to do this? What 26 Risen Magazine

RM: The attention for you started very early in your career, and it continues to grow – especially with the hearts of the entire female race. Is that something you’re comfortable with now? Have you just accepted it?

CT: I don’t think you’re ever comfortable with it. I don’t see how anyone can [be]. I think when you’re comfortable with it, that’s when you somehow have lost touch with everything. But you know, I got lucky, my parents are two good looking people. I’ve been lucky enough to do some really fun things in my life. The movie industry is weird, I still can’t figure out if people are fans just because you’re in a movie, or is it the types of movies that you’re in; the magic of movies and filmmakers kind of sculpt you as this person that they might think you are. It’s really funny because like the Twilight kids, I think [fans] really believe that that kid is that character. I think they really believe it. That’s just like “Wow.” That needs some studying. I don’t know if I would wish that upon anybody. Those kids have an entirely different way than I could ever imagine having – and I’d never even want it. But they’re all rich, so it can’t be that bad. [Laughter.]

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28 Risen Magazine

Free Wired Writer: Kelli Gillespie | Photography: Daniel “DPD” Park

or a group of guys that all grew up together, Kevin Nishimura (Kev Nish), James Roh (Prohgress), and Jae Choung ( J-Splif ) have come a long way from the hallways of their high school. Add DJ Virman and you have the electrifying band Far East Movement whose music has produced the songs that millions dance and move to whether they’re in a club or a car. Hits including Girls on the Dance Floor, Like A G6, Rocketeer and If I Was You, are the foundation for the mobs of fans that can’t get enough of this Free Wired foursome’s sound. But Far East Movement is more than music. These guys talk with Risen about staying friends as their fame rises, their incredible work ethic, and maintaining authenticity in an industry where it’s so easy to lose yourself. risenmagazine.com 29

Kev Nish

Interviewed Exclusively for Risen Magazine in Echo Park in Los Angeles, california Risen Magazine: Three of you went to high school together…at what point did you know you were going to pursue music as a career?

Kev Nishimura (Kev Nish): Together we all realized it was something we wanted to do. The point where we got really serious was when the songs started playing on the radio. Before that, we would do it because we just loved to do it so much, but it’s hard to really put a date on it.

RM: Virman, how did you end up getting together with these guys?

DJ Virman: The funny thing is that I didn’t know they knew of me. I used

It really helped us to create the free wired sound, which got the label finally interested. We were always chasing different sounds, but when we created our own sound [everyone] started to take notice.

RM: Let’s talk a little more about that, because I think being authentic is extremely important. Nowadays, society is looking to musicians, actors and athletes to help define them and they end up emulating rather than being an individual. How do you guys maintain your authenticity?

KN: To be honest with you, it took us a long time to figure that out. We

We’d be in the club and when everyone thought we were partying, we’d have our shades on and would just be analyzing people. - Kev Nish to DJ on the radio on Power 106 and I was actually [working] at a club and they happened to show up at my club. We talked a little bit and they handed me a CD; I listened to it, and became a fan. They invited me to a rehearsal and from that we became Far East Movement.

RM: Who has been instrumental in encouraging your dreams or developing your talents?

KN: We like to say we’re a product of our community and a lot of people - by just growing up in LA and being in the scene. We used to intern for Greg Miller at Interscope Records. We constantly pride ourselves in being a very do-it-yourself crew, so we would teach ourselves how to record, how to push our music online, and how to market it. Through that, we’ve been meeting people along the way. We met our manager Ted Chung, who was definitely inspirational and instrumental in getting us our deal with Interscope Records. Our producers, the Stereotypes, who we met in the elevator at Interscope Records when we were interning [actually] didn’t know anything about us; we just built a relationship over the years and finally they produced a song for us, Girls on a Dance Floor, and really helped us create this free wired sound that eventually led to us getting signed at Cherrytree/Interscope too.

It’s keeping those long term relationships with people that have not only kept us inspired, but they contributed as well to get us to where we are today.

RM: Your music is about a lifestyle. Tell me what you’re trying to convey and how it came about?

KN: It came by a lot of experimenting. We were such fans of hip hop music, but at the same time we were huge fans of alternative rock, the punk scene, the electro-dance scene, even just straight up pop and R&B, so one specific genre didn’t define us as music fans, and it didn’t define us as artists either. We would go in the studio and try to create a disco song, then we’d try to create a rock song, then we’d go and make a straight up hip hop song. Through that we realized the only way to accurately depict us as artists would be to figure out a way to combine all those sounds together. Beyond the music, let’s figure out a way to incorporate our lifestyle, our fashion, everything about us into our music. What it then became is Far East Movement, as a brand – it’s more than just the music, it’s more than a lifestyle, it’s all encompassed into one.

were always chasing what we were fans of…we’d have to make a song that sounded exactly like Kayne West meets MosDef. And then the next day we were so split brain, we’d have to make a song that sounded exactly like a Rage Against the Machine song and if it didn’t, we’d be too embarrassed to let anyone hear it. But through all that, we were able to find out what we liked and what we were good at. It helped us find our sound. That process helped us realize that blending all those sounds together, was our sound.

RM: This success obviously didn’t come without hard work. You mentioned you started as interns at the label and put in your time to continue to develop your music. This can often be forgotten when fans see you guys quickly rise to the top of the charts, but it’s essential to who Far East Movement is at the core.

James Roh (Prohgress): There is a friend of ours who started a food truck and he would always say that when other people went to go play video games or go play baseball, he would go grab onions and figure out how to chop them up, and figure out different flavors he could make. That’s kind of how we were also. We just really liked to make music and we wanted to grasp all parts, which is why we interned. We threw our own events, we started working with different non-profits, doing anything we could to get out there and feel everything out. This is what we just really love to do.

KN: To add to that, we really treated it from the beginning like a do-ityourself business. We would wake up after getting done with random jobs that we had, or school, and all meet up and teach ourselves how to record on a computer until 5am. We’d be online teaching ourselves to massive promote to anyone we could directly; we all kind of compartmentalized so we felt like the business would run. J-Splif would be online looking up how to print T-shirts and how to press CD’s so that at shows, or in front of clubs, we could sell CD’s and T-shirt’s out of our trunk. Prohgress really took on a managerial role when we had none. He would set up shows for us and produce concerts. He’d get the microphones set up and everything else so that we could sell tickets and throw our own concerts, since no one would really do it for us. We had Virman who would be spinning at the clubs weekly to let us know what’s hot, what people are moving to, what’s working and what’s not. And he’d let us know what records of ours were working. We’d have that risenmagazine.com 31

Prohgress

automatic feedback where we could finish a song at five or six in the morning and that night give it to Virman and see how the people were reacting.

We’d be in the club and when everyone thought we were partying, we’d have our shades on and would just be analyzing people. And that’s kind of where the shades came from. You don’t want to stare at people, but we’re always working. J-Splif calls it “research.” And then myself, I was more like a social media online marketing person where I’d be trying to figure out the best way

still have so much more yet to achieve on a big picture scale. Always keeping focused on the end goal and God has a way of humbling you sometimes. So that always helps. [Laughter from all].

JR: We have a prayer before pretty much every show, where we try to get focused and we always ask God for a good show. But sometimes, He wants to check you a little bit.

JC: Get you off your high horse. [Laughter from all].

The amount of success we’ve had has been great, it’s been humbling, it’s been a blessing, but we still have so much more yet to achieve on a big picture scale. - J-Splif to get our website functioning, branding, and things like that. We all worked as a team and every year we would step up our game [plan]. Everything was homegrown, people think there’s this big corporation behind us, but everything we do is in-house…we even write our own music video treatments.

Through all of that we’ve noticed that we’ve been able to convey our music, our brand, our lifestyle, everything, the way we want it.

RM: With you each playing a business role and with fans having so much access to celebrities, are you conscious of the image you are portraying and subsequently, do you hold each other accountable for your actions?

KN: One thing I think that helps us is that we grew up together. Before there was music, we’d be hanging out at random parking lots, Prohgress would make sure all of us were good when we were younger. J-Splif would watch out for us. We watched out for each other as friends. I think when it comes into play with the music stuff, the communication is open and everybody is very accountable. When times have been tough, there’s been a blind faith that we all had as brothers. We’ve all taken pride in our roles and when someone slips, we trust each other and get each others backs.

RM: What keeps you all grounded – family, friends, faith?

KN: I think having a crew keeps me grounded personally. When you have your good friends you grew up with, they make sure you don’t get out of line – you don’t become a diva and live in material things – you don’t go too far left or too far right. The team and a faith in God let you know you’re okay.

Sometimes it’s bigger than you and you just have to go with the flow and breathe in and work as hard as you can.

JR: Since we’ve started we’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs – things I like to call, false starts. We’d make goals for ourselves and maybe land a song in a movie or something. We’d get a little nest egg of money and we’d be like, “Okay we’re going to go full time.” But things don’t always work out and you have to go back to what you’re doing and there are those ups and downs.

When things get a little bit better, you always know what it felt like when it ended, so you always got to stay inspired and work at it.

Jae Choung ( J-Splif ): Having the crew gives you the checks and balances, having faith in God to just know that everything is going to be okay and remembering the struggles and to never go back to that. The amount of success we’ve had has been great, it’s been humbling, it’s been a blessing, but we

JR: Maybe He [God] wants the microphone to go out today. Maybe He wants someone to be off beat or using auto tune mic when he shouldn’t be.

RM: Even before the name Far East Movement as a collective whole meant something, you were lending your talents and skills to helping others and it’s still clearly a part of your mission today with your own non-profit and other benefit events. Why is it important to you guys to use your name to help others?

JR: When times were rough the only people that really looked out for us were our friends and our community, and those same people are the ones who are always riding by you – when things are going wrong, when things are going right, they are always next to you through the thick and thin. That’s something we remember and we want to give back at all times. We want to inspire those people and the kids who are out there who want to make music, who get the arts, or maybe even work in the community etc… We didn’t have a lot of people in the community to ask those questions to – we were pretty much on our own to figure out things. Sometimes it would take us seven or eight days to do something that would take you an hour, if you just got on YouTube to figure it out. That’s why we go back and try to teach kids about music, or bring in other people who know different fields that we aren’t familiar with, just to give people that resource. It’s our dream that one day the same people that are rockin’ out with us in the front row at our concert, with their hands raised up singing along with our songs, that maybe a year from now, we could be in the front row of their concert and they will inspire us.

RM: One thing that is so great about music is that it unifies – it doesn’t matter the language people are speaking, or their background. What has been your experience when it comes to traveling the world with your music?

Are you ever able to engage with fans and take in the sights, or is it all hotel rooms and concert venues?

KN: We rarely get an opportunity to experience a city. We love traveling and seeing different cities and cultures but surprisingly, one of the best experiences we’ve had was when we took a bus tour through Middle America.

We’re LA kids, and you realize when you grow up in Los Angeles, you’re a city kid. When you take a bus and you hit the deserts, and you get into really small towns, college towns and really experience what that’s like, you get a different perspective on your own home. risenmagazine.com 33

J-Splif

DJ VirmAn

JR: I’ll tell you this much, when it comes to out-of-country shows, airplanes have really become my best friend. What ends up happening is that when I’m abroad I want to soak up every minute of it, so I don’t sleep. For 24 hours straight – traveling halfway across the world to Germany, fighting jet lag with Red Bulls to keep on going so I can see the nightlife, try the food out, meet the people – it just really takes it to the max. So by the time I get on that airplane, I can just shut down and sleep for like 10 hours and I come right back up and I’m straight again.

RM: You’ve had a lot of talented artists collaborate with you. Was it similar with you guys all just being spontaneous or was it more strategic than that?

KN: We made this album [Free Wired] and with every song we purposefully wanted to make collabos. But we wanted to make sure that every collaboration was representative of a specific genre. The goal was to make an album packed with all these people that represent different genres to show that it can make one sound. Snoop Dogg represents the West Coast hip hop, Keri Hilson represents R&B/Pop, Ryan Tedder represents Alternative Rock,

We make music for ourselves, but at the same time if it wasn’t for our fans we wouldn’t be here... and we always consider that. - Kev Nish RM: One of the titles you hold is the first Asian-American group to earn a top ten hit on the mainstream pop charts in the United States. Do you embrace that title? Does it offend you? Shouldn’t good music be good music whether you’re The Beatles, The Jackson 5 or Far East Movement?

KN: There’s two angles and they’re both positive. One is that we are truly proud of our heritage and the fact that the community acknowledges us in any sense is humbling and we’re extremely grateful. And the other is, we’re just everyday LA kids and we’re proud to represent Los Angeles. We’re proud to represent the street right here, and I think people from here are proud to see everyday kids doing it too. So you can say you got that number one for your heritage, or you got it for the street you grew up on – and both should make you proud. I would love to see that statistic thrown out, and instead be known as the first kids to grow up on Wilshire and Figueroa to hit number one.

RM: Regardless of how you get there, it’s not easy to stay on the top of the charts and fans are loving your sound. What is your process for developing a song and where does the inspiration come from?

KN: The song Like A G6 came about because our song Girls on the Dance Floor was creating such a buzz on the radio. It got us signed and producers wanted to work with us. [They] started playing us a few beats and we said, “That’s not really the direction we want to go. Why don’t we create Girls on the Dance Floor Part 2?” We wanted to expand on this electro-hip-hop sound that we were moving towards. Virman’s input was that the only way to take Girls on the Dance Floor up another level, was to add a girl hook. He said that would really get the girls in the club and he’s always hip to that. So we sampled the girl, Dev, it wasn’t even an official collaboration yet. We sampled her like the way Eminem sampled Dido on that song Stan, and it ended up working out as a dope collab. We threw that song online, because it wasn’t meant for radio, it wasn’t a song that we thought would hit billboards. J-Splif put it on his mix tape that we got printed and we threw it out at every show, and it was done.

But a few months later it hit one million views online, organically with no radio play. So the head of our label Martin Kierszenbaum calls, Virman calls, and others call and they all say, “This song is going crazy, how come no one told us about it?” We just put things online for the party heads and it ends up that it did what it did. And that’s the story behind Like A G6 and we’re just really grateful.

Frankmusik represents an electro-new wave sound, DJ Roger Sanchez represents House Nation, and all these people together combined to create the sound that became known as free wired. They were really open-minded artists.

They did it all off of relationships, or hearing the music and thinking that they had never heard anything like it and wanting to be involved… not off of any industry credibility.

RM: You seem so fan-driven, and connected to what they want to hear while still keeping your style, so how much do you let the fans actually influence the music you put out?

KN: They have a huge say in what we do – in a good way. For instance, they pressured us to finish the song Like A G6. I had put a snippet of the song on a video – because we had gone into the studio to build a beat – and I think it was out for a few days and comments out of nowhere were rolling in like, “Oh my gosh, you guys need to finish this song!” We said we were working on it and it was something we were brewing on. That just shows the instant feedback.

And it’s not just reflective on our music, but on our live show. We make music for ourselves, but at the same time if it wasn’t for our fans we wouldn’t be here… and we always consider that.

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38 Risen Magazine

Mercy Extended and Multiplied: The Heart of Nancy Alcorn

Writer: Patti Gillespie | Photos: Mercy Ministries

he petite blonde walks into a room and within minutes of speaking, the listener is captivated. Whether it’s one listener or ten or one hundred, the reaction is the same. She shares story after story about young girls who have survived life-controlling issues and circumstances. Stories so gripping that it would be easy to assume they are made up for dramatic impact, for a heart-tugging response. But they aren’t made up. They aren’t told for a shear shock factor. They are in fact true…real experiences with amazing endings. And all are a result of one woman’s continued passion to reach those who so many have ignored.

Nancy Alcorn is the president and founder of Mercy Ministries, an organization comprised of Christian residential facilities throughout the United States and abroad, that offers hope for young women who are dealing with life controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, physical and sexual abuse, depression, drug and alcohol addictions, and unplanned pregnancy. To understand the why and how of what makes this ministry so successful, one needs only to look at the background and calling of Alcorn herself. Here she is candid about her journey and the thriving ministry she leads.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in Lincoln , California

Risen Magazine: What led you to ever begin such a program for girls?

Nancy Alcorn: I spent eight years [in the 1970s] working for the state of Tennessee at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls and later investigating child abuse cases. Most of my experiences with the government were heartbreaking. The times I was threatened by girls were not my worst experiences; the worst were the times I saw the broken lives of those girls getting worse at the facility instead of being restored. They needed to forgive and be forgiven. They needed to discover that they could be set free from guilt of all that they had done. Yet no matter what kind of programs the government offers, no matter how many tax dollars it spends, and no matter how many experts it hires, the government cannot forgive their sin - not even one. These girls needed transformation, not modification.

From that background, I moved into a position with Teen Challenge, a Christian organization that reaches out to men and women with drug and alcohol problems. There I saw lives changed. It [Christian teaching] made me realize that only Jesus Christ could bring restoration into the lives of the girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts.

RM: As you saw first hand a difference between programs, what led you at such a young age yourself [late 20’s] to step out and begin your own ministry?

NA: Just as we [Christians] have been shown mercy by God, we must show mercy to others. I felt that I was to continue working with troubled girls, and also reach out to unwed mothers. [Teen Challenge did not include work in that area of ministry.] At the time, Alcorn felt a leading from God to start a home

for girls in Monroe, Louisiana.

RM: How did you get enough money to start a ministry? Did people oppose you doing it?

NA: [She smiles] I really didn’t get any opposition because 99 percent of the people that I talked to about it thought it was a pipe dream and told me that they didn’t believe it was possible to have such a place where girls could come. To many people, none of it did make sense. But I just knew…God had dropped a gift of faith in my heart and I never doubted that this was going to happen.

RM: I have heard you speak in public and mention that you feel God told you to operate the ministry according to certain principles. What are those principles?

NA: The ministry’s three basic principles are: (1) accept girls free-of-charge, (2) always give at least ten percent of all incoming donations to other organizations and ministries, and (3) do not take any state or federal funding that may limit the freedom to teach Christian principles.

RM: You obviously had some divine intervention as you established the ministry and I’m sure a ton of stories about people who have helped. Can you share one with us?

NA: I was on a plane heading back after speaking at a week-long evangelistic conference in Las Vegas. Exhausted, I closed my eyes and hoped no one would sit next to me. Of course God had other plans as a man took the seat next to me and began inquiring how much money I had lost gambling. I explained to him that I didn’t gamble and he said he’d never heard of someone risenmagazine.com 39

going to Las Vegas and not gambling and asked what else was there to do.

I spent the next two-and-a-half hours describing my work and answering his questions. When we landed in Dallas-Fort Worth, he asked if I had a brochure about what I do. I pulled one out of my carry-on and handed it to him as I headed toward my connecting flight. Once we parted, I didn’t give our meeting much thought. Four weeks later I got a call from the man.

He told me that my story prompted so much thought in him he hadn’t been able to get Mercy Ministries off his mind.

He went on to tell me that he had become a Christian just three months earlier and that the last time he was in Las Vegas gambling, it all felt so empty and decided to head home. It was on that flight home that he met me.

He said he wasn’t used to this “being led by God” stuff yet but that every time he prayed he kept feeling like there was something he was supposed to help me build and then asked if I was trying to build something I told him yes, that we had land to build an unwed mother’s home. He began to cry on the phone and told me that 40 years ago he had been born to a teenage girl who had been raped and that although he had never met his birth mother, he was sure that if there hadn’t been a place for her to go, he would have been aborted. He continued to say that he was adopted at five days old and was very close to his adoptive mother. He said that she had died the previous year and left him several million dollars and ever since her death he had been looking for something special to do in her memory. He asked me how much more money I needed.

I took a deep breath and told him $150 thousand. He quickly replied,

“ You’ve got it.” I was absolutely stunned. I shared with him all the events that had led up to this point. Although there were no strings attached to his generous gift he did make one stipulation. He said it would be okay to tell the story of how the home was built, but asked that I never reveal his name.

Mercy Ministries exists to provide opportunities for young women to experience God’s unconditional love, forgiveness and life-transforming power.

40 Risen Magazine

RM: Wow! That is pretty amazing. Now, nearly 28 years in operation, how many girls have been through the program and how many Mercy home locations are there?

NA: We have helped approximately 3,000 girls [with a 93 percent success rate] we have locations throughout the United States including Monroe, Louisiana; Lincoln, California; St. Louis, Missouri; and Nashville, Tennessee. International locations include Bradford, UK; Vancouver, BC Canada; and New Zealand. Current plans also include homes for the Panhandle of Florida – where we already have the land in Santa Rosa Beach and Charlotte, North Carolina – where we have land designated for us.

RM: Mercy seems to have a very high success rate compared to other programs and facilities. Why is that?

NA: We currently have a waiting list of over 600 girls. Most of the experts of the world who charge large sums of money for services, don’t say you can overcome [life-threatening issues] or you can be free. One girl told us her parents spent several hundred thousand dollars and no one ever told her she could be free. They [experts] will label, they will medicate, they will give tough love mechanisms, but they say this may one day kill you, you are going to be this way the rest of your life, there’s nothing you can do about it. And,

that is not true, it is one thing to offer treatment, and altogether different to offer transformation. We do it through a structured program that is designed to develop and foster each girl in the areas of spirituality, emotional and physical well-being and life-skills. Mercy Ministries exists to provide opportunities for young women to experience God’s unconditional love, forgiveness and life-transforming power. That’s the difference.

RM: Do you offer any additional help outside of the Mercy homes?

NA: I have written a series of resource books. Titled, “Mercy For” this fourbook series addresses life-controlling issues by offering practical advice, scriptural insight and explores the same principles emphasized in the Mercy Ministries program. Whether someone is within the walls of Mercy or wherever they are, the books explain the principles of freedom that work.

RM: You have also taken another step in reaching girls with a recently launched live radio show called, Mercy Multiplied.

NA: Yes. Because of the success of our program we have girls telling their stories. We extend mercy to the girls and it is multiplied through their lives as they go out and reach others. We are trying to get that message out to the masses to bring hope to anyone who feels they are stuck…that there can be life after these issues…there is a way for them to get life back and what has

been stolen from them can be restored and they can go forward and have a future.

RM: Well, you certainly are one extremely busy lady who’s dedicated herself completely to a ministry that is so demanding, you are constantly traveling between the homes and events to share your vision. Knowing that your original career interests were in athletics and coaching, do you ever feel like you’ve missed out in any way?

NA: I have never felt ripped off. I am very fulfilled with siblings and as one of seven children, I have lots of nieces and nephews…extended children and grandchildren and I’m blessed to give more than others. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t receive a text message, an email or a phone call or some kind of testimonial from one of the (Mercy) girls thanking me or a husband thanking me for saving his wife. This has never been about a business, it’s relational and I continue to be in awe of God and what he’s done.

Nancy Alcorn is the author of Echoes of Mercy, the heart-gripping account of her journey and faith-building stories that led to establishing Mercy Ministries. She is based in Nashville. If you are interested in receiving a free copy of the book, contact her at: www.mercyministries.com

While statistics show that there is an increase in the number of young women who are facing life-controlling issues and society says that they can’t be helped, Nancy Alcorn knows better. She sees the proof every time she walks through the doors of a Mercy home or attends a graduation or stands in a swimming pool baptizing one of the girls…she knows better and is quick to emphasize, “No one can argue with a changed life.”

Here is Priscilla’s Story…shared on her graduation day, at the Mercy Ministries House in Lincoln, CA.

When

I came to Mercy Ministries, I was one extremely angry female who trusted no one.

My background history consisted of being born in Puerto Rico. Social Services placed me in an orphanage during my early childhood due to my biological father not being in the picture and my birth mother’s neglect. God sent me foster parents who took me in at the age of six but my adoption wasn’t finalized until I was 13 years old.

The legal battles and emotional confusion left my heart very disillusioned. We moved to America soon after but my teenage years exploded with rebellion. At 19, I ran away from home and got married in order to get away from my parent’s authority. My marriage was nothing but dysfunctional fights and naïve irresponsibility.

This left me with deep wounds of mistrust due to his adultery.

At the age of 21, I went through a nasty divorce because he had gotten his mistress pregnant. I lost all respect for men and fell into a

deep depression which quickly turned into a battle with anorexia. I started hanging out with a rougher crowd and was encouraged to lead a bi-sexual lifestyle.

By now, sex, drugs and rock & roll were my only reasons to live. I had several run-ins with the law but my criminal posse sucked me back time and time again. I started dating a car mechanic who was a bouncer at the strip club I worked at.

We moved in together but I was naïve about who this really was. I realized too late that Johnny was a white supremacist who’s main occupation was pimp.

Shocked and horrified, I tried to leave our volatile relationship but I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a hazy recollection of the previous night. I was bleeding and that’s when I noticed the numbers “1008327” freshly tattooed on my left wrist inside a swastika.

He had branded his prison number on me. The reality of sex trafficking hit me hard.

The next several years were filled with drug overdoses, brutal rape and my self harm coping mechanism. This is when God stepped in and threw me a life line in the midst of my despair. I was finally able to escape with severe injuries but still alive. My parents helped me find a domestic shelter for battered women in St. Louis where I stayed for several months as the police went after Johnny. God vindicated me with Johnny’s incarceration.

I had rebound with a Navy Petty Officer

which caused my whole world to change when I found out I was pregnant. No longer was my life my own. Instead, I had an innocent baby girl forming inside that depended on me for survival.

With the birth father being AWOL, I chose to go back home and beg for help from my parents.

They accepted me with open arms and it was their gentle guidance that led me to put my daughter up for adoption. I knew that I didn’t want to add murder to my long list of sins. So I chose life and on July 16, 2009, Avery Reagan was born.

God responded to my sacrifice by giving me a second chance at my own life through Mercy Ministries. I wanted healing from trauma but they introduced me to the gentleman of all gentlemen. While in this transformation station, I accepted Jesus as my savior and was baptized with the Holy Spirit. The tools of God’s Word helped me rise up to become a victor! I learned that it’s my honor to eat, exercise, and sleep well in order to be the best steward of the life Jesus died to give me.

I’m going back home to Missouri to a restored relationship with my wonderful parents.

In July, I will be registered at St. Louis Christian College for an Urban Missions degree. Jesus has truly give me beauty for ashes and his blood cleansed me in every way, shape and form! I want to thank the staff for their patience during my journey. I am now a warrior princess who is walking out these doors with my head held high and my boots securely on top of the devil’s neck! risenmagazine.com 41

42 Risen Magazine

Writer: Dean Nelson

ob Bell’s new book Love Wins was on the cover of a recent edition of Time Magazine, sparking a debate about heaven and hell that the culture hasn’t seen in decades. When Risen met with him just before the release of the book, we decided not to discuss what would obviously be discussed at length elsewhere. Instead, we asked him about creativity, storytelling, imagination, mysticism, and lots of other things he believes in. Even before the recent controversy, he was one of the most electrifying voices in modern Christianity. His Nooma videos are used in churches around the world. Other books of his, such as Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Jesus Wants To Save Christians, have sold millions of copies. His live tours, such as Everything Is Spiritual, The Gods Aren’t Angry, and Drops Like Stars play to sold-out auditoriums. He’s the pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., where up to 10,000 people attend on a given weekend. But, as recent events have shown, it’s not all a rock-star ride for Bell.

Entire websites are dedicated to pointing out what some believe is dangerous thinking and outright heresy. To some, Rob Bell is the scariest man in organized religion.

Interviewed for Risen Magazine in Point Loma, California

Risen Magazine: You used to be in a punk rock band called ___ -ton Bundle, where you kept changing the first word to fill in the blank. It was a long time ago, but do you remember any lyrics of your songs?

Rob Bell: We had a song called Velvet Elvis (pauses, then begins to recite) … “and now you hang on a fake wood frame, silver faded beads spell out your name, you’re Velvet Elvis. You’re the South’s own son, you’re an Army boy, all that money and all those toys…” [laughs]. I haven’t said those lyrics since I was 19!

RM: Impressive! I was just singing that song in the shower this morning!

How did you get into the band?

RB: When I was in high school there was the typical hierarchy – there were the great athletes, then the popular kids, then the kids who smoked out in the pine trees across the street from the school that we called “the cone zone,” and then there were the drama kids who wore black turtlenecks and were in a perpetual state of emotion about something, and I didn’t fit in with any of them. I didn’t have a place. All of the conventional outlets were dominated by prettier, smarter, more athletic people. I talked my way into my friend’s band – they were auditioning singers – and I had never sung. But I would go to the tryouts and pout and think they would offer me a shot. I had no idea how to sing. It was all a terribly intuitive sort of thing, where we would create something to share with people.

RM: That sounds a little like what you’re doing now. Except for the pouting.

RB: Somewhere inside me is this impulse to create things and share them with people. For me there is a straight line from alternative-90s band to preacher - creating things and sharing them. After we created the Mars Hill

church, this massive institution and organization built up around me, with meetings I had to go to, and discussions about how the offerings were yesterday. It almost killed me. I was so bad at leading a big organization. I could mess up a one-car parade. I would sit in these meetings and think “I would love for this meeting to be over so I could get to work.” For all the people around me in the meeting, this was their work. For me, though, I was working on a novel in my head.

RM: So while everyone around you was trying to organize this thing you had created, you had already sort of moved on?

RB: In 2006 I did a tour called Everything is Spiritual. Imagine leaving a meeting and saying, “I have to leave this meeting because I have this idea on doing a two-hour lecture on physics and dimensional theory that I want to do in punk clubs, and I’m going to need a custom-built 24-foot white board, and I’m going to get on a bus and do it around the country, and somehow it might be meaningful to people.” You’re not going to get far with that. It’s only been in the last three or four years where I’ve been able to return to making stuff. There are only a few things I know how to do, so I want to do those things.

RM: It seems like your sermons are a kind of art form. You don’t just stand up and explicate a scriptural text. You’ve got a lot of other stuff going on.

Would you agree that sermons can be an art form for you?

RB: For many people, sermons raise the provocative question of “When’s lunch?” In a lot of churches the sermon got hijacked by a bunch of other impulses, sometimes by something else the church was trying to do. For instance, you just heard a wonderful 30-minute sermon, and at the end there was a seven-minute thing on how we need to raise money for a new addirisenmagazine.com 43

tion. When the sermon became something about everyone pitching in and giving money, you did what to the previous 32 minutes? You made people wonder, “What was that? We got through the sermon to get to something else?”

Sometimes sermons are propaganda – telling people what they already know so that they’ll feel good about themselves. For some, sermons are inoculated against any kind of new insight or truth -- the sermon has to give the party line – that’s its point.

what you need to hear.

RM: When you speak publicly you make it sound as if you are just discovering this insight in this moment, like something is just now dawning on you. Is that part of the performance art?

RB: From 2001-2009 we made these short films called NOOMAs, and the director would say to me, “Okay, this scene? Act like you just thought it up.” People say it seems like I just have stumbled across this idea. And sometimes that’s true! Seriously, though, the structure of the sermon or the video creates a kind of spontaneity. Hopefully in that space people are having their own AHHHH! You created that space and people are finding all sorts of things in it.

RM: What were the brainstorming sessions like for your Nooma videos? I had this Seinfeldian picture in my mind, where a bunch of people yell out wacky ideas.

RB: It was unreal. There wasn’t really a model for making a sermon a movie.

When we made the first few, lots of people said, what are you doing? Who would watch this? Why are you wasting money making these? One guy said the only way it would work is if we put it in the back of a book and people would get it for free.

RM: But what about the art form?

RB: Think through the minor prophets you read about in scripture: they’re laying on their side, they’re cooking over human waste, they’re tying boards to their backs, they’re marrying prostitutes – there’s a sermon! – and their message has its roots in performance art. They’re doing something and it’s loaded with significance. You get it right away. When Jesus is coming over the Mount of Olives, he curses the fig tree as he’s headed to the temple area. A fig tree to first century Jewish culture was a symbol of spiritual leadership. He’s headed into the center of the spiritual leadership structure and he curses the fig tree – that’s like burning the flag. He is saying, “This whole system, this religious military economic complex is going down. It’s corrupt and under God’s judgment.”

His disciples knew exactly what he was saying. He didn’t say, “There are three points I want you to understand.” It was a moment, and everyone got it. So the sermon has its roots as an art form that opens you up, challenges you, provokes you, educates, teaches, heals and it needs to be reclaimed.

RM: How exactly do you write a sermon?

RB: I start with a biblical text, and I always begin with the assumption that there is something brilliant, beautiful, subversive, gospel in this text. There is SOMETHING HERE. I assume I am going to learn something that is going to erupt, that I am going to have an experience with these living sacred words. Then I ask how can I help people see what I’ve seen? There’s a great story about three disciples who on Sabbath eve would get together with their rabbi and read from this book of creation, and one night the disciples leave the house and are walking home, and the one disciple says, “I am so sorry – it is clear that the rabbi and I talked the whole night, and you didn’t get a chance to talk to him.” The second disciple says, “What are you talking about? I’m the one who should apologize, because it was clear that the rabbi and I talked all night.” And the third one says, “The rabbi and I talked all night and it is I who should apologize to you two for taking all of his time.” Then they all fell silent because they realized what happened. So it is with the sacred text. Each person hears what they need to hear. My interest is in creating a space so the Spirit will speak to you 44 Risen Magazine

RM: What a prophetic utterance that was!

RB: People in the church said we needed to capture the sermons in some way for people who can’t come to Grand Rapids. I said “We have a cassette ministry.” They said there was a visual dimension that we were missing. I began thinking about how to put a sermon in a cinematic form. The only thing I’d ever seen was filming a church service, and the church became a sort of Studio B. And the camera would always catch someone sleeping. So that wasn’t it. I wanted to present it as scenes and images. Some people in the church started a non-profit thing to figure it out. So we thought about it as film. I wrote a script, and the first one was called Rain, where I had my son on my back. We spent hours going over the script, and then I brought in version two, then version three, and around version seven we were ready.

RM: More and more people seem to be turning to film for storytelling. Is that a more effective way to communicate?

RB: It is very powerful and effective. It is a double edged sword, though.

Any medium you work with has upsides and downsides. When you combine image and music you are going to a different portion of the brain. You come up to me and say you really loved that film, or you loved that book, those are fundamentally different sorts of engagement.

RM: You said once that you practice Militant Mysticism. What does that mean?

RB: It’s a nice juxtaposition of terms, isn’t it? It’s very important that we preserve the sense that at the heart of our interactions with God there is a profound mystery that we ought to respect. Whole systems of theology and thought and philosophy have been built up where God is A, B, C, D, Roman Numeral I, II, III, IV, and they’ve killed all the wonder and mystery that actually animates and gives us life.

RM: I thought that was your job as a preacher, to explain all this stuff ?

RB: There are some things I can explain, and some things I can’t. Part of wisdom is knowing when you are at a place of knowing when to stop, hit pause, and don’t keep talking. Look at the Eucharist, for example. We put this bread in the front, and the cup, and we invite you to come. You may have an

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experience with the resurrected Christ that might be quite difficult to put into words. When we try to analyze that too much, we miss out on the fact that fundamentally it is an experience to be enjoyed rather than be analyzed.

RM: But don’t you think a lot of people go to church to have their beliefs reinforced instead of brought into a mystery?

RB: I don’t know that it’s an either/or. There’s a wonderful place for the mind, and linear thought and rational thinking where A leads to B leads to C. That’s one of the ways we are wired, and certain people connect there. But there are also certain truths that are hard to put into words. In late 2008 my wife and I were 38, with a 9 year old and 11 year old, and my wife told me she was pregnant. So in early ‘09 she wakes up one night and she can’t breathe.

We go to the emergency room and she can’t breathe, and the doctors seem to be making up terms for what she’s going through, like pregnancy-induced asthma. Literally one doctor who has delivered thousands of babies said he didn’t know what she had. But she could not get enough air. So in the last three months of pregnancy she was confined to a chair and a breathing tube, and a few times a day her lungs would close up and I thought I was going to lose her. We have two boys, and when she gave birth and it was this girl, and the nurse immediately put her on my wife’s chest, could I put that experience into words? My wife’s okay, the baby’s okay. Even talking about it today is difficult. My experience is that there are lots of things that happen where words fail. That’s important to keep in mind as people of faith. There is a time when we need more words and a time when we need fewer words. There’s a time when you lean in and all come together and say, “How do we name this and analyze this and try to figure out what this is?” and other times when the wisest thing to do is draw a circle and say, “Let’s stand around the circle, but no one step in there because that is what it is and let’s let it be.”

RM: Time magazine called you the next Billy Graham, but a pastor at another Mars Hill Church in another part of the country called you a heretic.

What’s up with that?

RB: If I were to read the Gospel for the first time, if I was stuck in a hotel room and I opened up a Bible and I read the story of Jesus for the first time and somebody asked me what the story was about, one of the things I might say is “Huh. It seems like the sinners and tax collectors and prostitutes love this guy, and it seems like the religious establishment is scared to death of him.” I think it’s necessary to take ideas, philosophies and theologies and look at them closely.

That bothers some people. Also when we know that 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will die of HIV and AIDS, and every six seconds someone dies, and 80 percent of the world lives in substandard housing, and about half of the world lives on less than two American dollars a day, and a million people committed suicide last year, in the face of the kind of suffering we have in the world, as a follower of Jesus you wake up in the morning, and the very best use of your energies is tearing apart other believers? I begin to wonder if some Christians need to be saved. Also, I’m not saying anything new. The historic Orthodox Christian stream is wide and diverse. That’s part of its strength. There’s lots of room. Is this somehow an accusation of some new radical heresy? No. It is ignorance of the tradition of which we are a part, which ought to be celebrated, not castigated. One other thing? Never Google your name.

unkind or derisive about another leader. My wife and I try to be good neighbors to our friends and I try to love my wife and kids and I wake up each morning and think “What’s the next thing I ought to create and try to share with people?” That’s where I live, and apparently there is some kind of Christian echo chamber out there of people who are quite riled by this. Someone said there is somebody in Australia giving seminars against me, and I’m like, “ You’re welcome!” I’m putting somebody’s kids through college! It’s fascinat-

ing! I think it’s important to ask, “Are you going to contribute and try and help or are you someone on the sidelines throwing rocks?” The criticism provides an invitation to become bitter and throw rocks back and become a person who has lost the plot. It also invites you to let it break you and humble you and mold you. If you’re willing to go there, you come out the other side hopefully a more expansive, loving, kind person. For my wife and me the criticism usually comes indirectly. Somebody comes up and says, “Hey I want you to know what so and so said, but we’re completely behind you.” That’s what I call a chocolate-covered turd. The intention was wonderful.

RM: But once you bit into it…

RB: The big question is whether you’ll allow it to shape you into the kind of person who has the kind of heart that God has--to love your enemies, to be that wide and open. That’s the real invitation. That’s where things get interesting.

RM: One of the things YOU have been critical of is Christian art, Christian music, Christian fiction, why?

RB: Biblically, the word Christian is a noun, and it emerges in the New Testament as people who follow Jesus. So it’s people. When it becomes an adjective in order to make things safe and palatable, that isn’t something you find in the Scriptures. It creates a second standard where you can create things that are mediocre, but because they have a fish or praying hands or a dove on them, they’re okay. I don’t think that’s the best witness to the world.

If you’re an actor, be a great actor. If you’re a sculptor, be a great sculptor. If you write, write great things, and that is your act of worship. Creation, as Paul said, is good. It’s already blessed. It doesn’t need a bunch of things attached to it. We say, “Bless these things” and God says, “I took care of that. You just go make great stuff.”

RM: You take some pretty hefty criticism. Does it bother you?

RB: To be honest with you, it has nothing to do with my life. I don’t debate, respond to hate emails, I don’t think you’ve ever heard me say something risenmagazine.com 47

Keeping a Perspective ones Hollywood Motivat

James Kyson Lee to Give Back to Others Writer: Kelli Gillespie

orn in Seoul, Korea, and best known as Ando on the hit television show Heroes, James Kyson Lee is living the American dream. From college, to hip hop, improv, and acting, Kyson Lee has been leaving his imprint on the arts and giving back to others along the way. In-between auditions, he takes time out with Risen to reflect on everything from his childhood to his career path.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah

Risen Magazine: You were born in Korea and moved to the States when you were 10. What brought your family to New York?

James Kyson Lee: Our uncle first moved here and he kind of set up shop and then eventually my mom’s entire family ended up migrating here. So at one point there were 12 of us in one house.

RM: Were you excited to come, or did you think, “Why are we leaving Korea?” What were your initial thoughts on the move?

JKL: What’s funny is that in South Korea, they had maybe three or four English programs on TV – one was Knight Rider, the other was The Hulk, and the third was Different Strokes – and they were all dubbed in Korean.

So I thought, being the kid I am, that they all spoke Korean in the States, because they spoke Korean on TV. I don’t remember being on the flight, but I remember thinking when I came over here that the only three things I knew about America was Michael Jackson – because he was the biggest star at the time – Disneyland, and Different Strokes. So I thought we were going to go to Disneyland and hang out with Michael Jackson and speak Korean.

[Laughter] Little did I know.

RM: You get to the U.S., you get enrolled in school. When did you get passionate about acting and music?

JKL: I think the first time I ever did it was in first grade. In Korea my mom signed me up for the school talent show. Then I ended up doing this one person show acting out one of the folktales – Aesop’s fables and stuff like that. And she was like my wardrobe person, my coach, director, you know what I mean…but after that I never acted again until I moved out to LA. So I think a little seed was planted, but it wasn’t until almost 20 years later until it found any water.

RM: You went to high school and college and never thought you’d end up being an actor?

JKL: No not at all. I mean when I was growing up in New York City none of us, I mean nobody knew any actors. It’s completely different than growing up in LA where that is just part of the culture. No one we knew went into entertainment; it just wasn’t an option in life. It’s just something we enjoyed on the big screen and the small screen. I did do some music. I was in a garage band in junior high school. And in college I ended up joining a hip hop

group. It was four of us actually – two from BU, one from Boston College and one from Northeastern – and it was just the guys and we met at church.

What’s really interesting is that of the four original members, one is now a pastor in Boston, one went back to Japan and started a group called Flow, and they became like the Black Eyed Peas of Japan – HUGE success, he’s like the Diddy [P Diddy/Sean Combs] of Japan now, he’s soooo successful – and the other one just recently went to Korea and joined a Korean pop group. I came here [to Los Angeles] and became an actor. It’s so interesting looking back [and seeing] where everyone is now 10 years later.

RM: You mentioned meeting these guys at church. Has church always been a part of your life or was there a defining moment when you chose to live your life a certain way?

JKL: We have an uncle who is a minister in the family, so it [church] was around when we were young. But you know how it’s like the family thing, you go to church together, but I think at some point my parents were like, “Why doesn’t everyone do their own thing and pursue it [faith] if it’s in your liking.” Not because you have to do it. So that kind of happened and then when I was in college at Boston University there was a campus fellowship, InterVarsity, and I ended up meeting some people there and some of the leaders became influential in my life. I was in college and a little bit older and was learning what it means to serve and be connected to a greater purpose. So I feel like my college years were an introduction into that. Up until then I was just a boy trying to grow up.

RM: It obviously stuck with you because service is important to you…you lend your time to charity events, you’re part of the Hollywood Knights basketball team, and so on…how do you make the time for it all?

JKL: It’s not as hard as people make it seem to be. I know for me, I feel like I need it and it keeps me really sane and grounded. For instance with the basketball team I remember when we went to do USO Tours and went overseas to meet the troops who are serving the country. We saw what they have to go through and the fact that we came made their day, and just how glad they were to see us and just talking to them and seeing how appreciative they were, that just so humbles me. Sometimes you’re in LA and you’re in this bubble, but then you leave the country and you realize people are really affected and influenced by the stuff that we’re doing. It’s not rocket science, risenmagazine.com 49

we’re not curing cancer, but it does make a difference and I think sometimes you need to experience that in a different platform, outside of the Hollywood media scene.

RM: What made you want to move out to Los Angeles and get involved in acting, and did it ever cross your mind that it might be a little late? Like you missed your age window to get into the industry?

JKL: Right after college I had a short gig at Gillette, which is a big company

songwriters and we went away for the weekend. They set up all these different workshops so you could try different things you’ve never experienced before…and then you got to join a family group of something that you were interested in. I joined a spoken word group, just because I wanted to try it.

This was four years ago, right before Heroes started, and out of Mosaic, came this improv group called Monkey Butler and I’ve now been a part of that for the past couple years. We get together once a week and we play/rehearse for a couple of hours and then afterwards people stay and we pray for each other.

People share what’s going on from praises to prayer requests. And then out of that whole kind of circle, organically came this Bible study that meets at my place once a week. It’s been good, we’ve been going through the book of Acts and it’s been really awesome.

2009 on paper, was my most successful year, yet personally to me,

especially relationally in Boston. It was a marketing gig and I knew immediately this wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t picture myself, my next 20 years in that environment. So I wasted no time, and quit. I started bartending trying to figure out what my life was supposed to be about. And a buddy comes over and says, “Hey we’re going to start an improv troupe. You want to come and play?” I didn’t even know what improv was, I never tried it. So I tried it for the first time and I just fell in love with the idea of playing again. So that was my first exposure to any kind acting…outside of like a summer camp skit we’d do at church retreats or something [Laughter].

I think because I grew up on the East Coast my whole life, and I was a couple years out of school, I was 24, and I just realized that I hadn’t really fully experienced life yet. I felt like I hadn’t even found myself yet. And I felt the need to shock my system a little bit – go to a place where I didn’t know a single person, in a totally different culture – and for whatever reason, that turned out to be LA. And it was hard.

RM: You did a lot of shows leading up to Heroes, but would you consider Heroes your big break?

JKL: Oh definitely! I was in the business two and a half years when I read for Heroes, and it was the first network pilot I ever read for. It was the first time [screen] testing with the studio and going through the whole process… so it was nerve racking and very educational. I was definitely the rookie on the team. A lot of people on the show came from having other TV shows; the youngest girl had been acting since she was four, they were all veterans and I was definitely the newbie. I really went into it with that type of mindset, “I don’t know how long this will last, but I’ve got to try to learn as much as I can.”

And it ended up being four years and it really felt like graduate school in television.

RM: Once you finally got plugged into LA, did you find a core group of friends? Or who keeps you accountable because it would seem pretty easy to quickly stray off course?

JKL: It took me several years to really find that and establish that. I play on an ultimate Frisbee team and while I was playing I met some people from Mosaic, which is a church that is sort of an artist oriented, creative energy fostering place. And that led me to going to one of their artist retreats. They hold it once a year at Terra Nova. It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. It was like 200 artists, sculptors, painters, fashion designers, and 50 Risen Magazine

RM: It’s nice to know that there is a group of like-minded individuals that can support each other in an industry that can be extremely turbulent.

JKL: I think it’s crucial. I know for me, even though the first six to seven years I was meeting so many people in LA, it felt like a life of a thousand acquaintances. It’s so funny because 2009, on paper, was my most successful year, yet personally to me, it was the least satisfying, especially relationally. I think the craft and the work, got mixed in with the scene and the whole PR game of perceived status, and it all got mixed into this one little – I don’t know – monster. I was struggling with a lot of discontent. So last year, 2010, when we finished filming the show [Heroes] I took a six month sabbatical and walked away actually. I left and went overseas and it ended up being a four month pilgrimage in 16 cities.

RM: Wow - 16 cities! Did you know you were going to hit them all up or did the trip kind of organically develop?

JKL: Some of the stuff was set up ahead of time, like I had to go and do a few appearances in New Zealand and that ended up becoming a trip. And then I got invited to play in a charity soccer game in England. It’s called Soccer Aide which Robbie Williams from Britain hosts. It happens once every two years and it’s to raise money for UNICEF. There were four other actors on the team besides me – Michael Sheen was our captain, Woody Harrelson, Mike Myers and Simon Baker. I’m pinching myself because these guys have the kind of careers that I want to have. We ended up raising 2 million pounds and winning the game! It will be one of the highlights of my life.

RM: What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into the acting business?

JKL: I think when it comes to acting people forget how much work it takes to become good. We’re in the business of portraying life and the great ones make it look so easy that it makes you feel like anyone could do that. But it’s actually quite the opposite. I feel like even I am, after being at this for seven years, still at the beginning of my journey in this craft. After I came back from my pilgrimage I started doing a lot of play readings and started reconnecting with the craft on that level, like this really raw foundation and the roots, and it’s the first time where I really feel like I’m understanding something on a different level now as an actor. It takes time.

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52 Risen Magazine

Muscles, Motivation & the Mental Side of Fitness:

Ray Wetterlund, Writer:Kelli Gillespie | Photography: Robert Dahey

ith 168 hours in a week, people should invest at least a couple hours of that time into their health. That’s the sentiment of professional trainer Ray Wetterlund III. Armed with “Ray-isms” like “Fear and doubt; throw it out” or “Eat clean; be lean”, Wetterlund motivates while he trains everyone from professional athletes and celebrities to business executives and stayat-home moms. In addition to holding a master’s degree in Sports Nutrition, Wetterlund is also a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning coach as well as a USA Weightlifting certified coach. From fitness to faith, he knows there’s no off season in being a champion and continues to challenge those that work with him both mentally and physically.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at La Jolla Cove in California

Risen Magazine: What first got you interested in fitness? Did you play sports when you were younger?

Ray Wetterlund III: I worked out on and off, but it all started probably my freshman year in high school working out with my uncle in his garage nothing very regimented or consistent until the middle of my junior year in high school. I started getting really serious about working out and I played football. That’s when I started recreationally training people – friends, local athletes.

Then I’d say my own body in itself is a story. I wasn’t always in the shape that I’m in now. Plus with my genetics and going through phases… from being a meathead and just trying to put on as much size as possible… by changing my own body composition and seeing how that empowered me, really helped me a lot in terms of wanting to share that with people. I found a method and formula that has been successful time and time again impacting and creating change within hundreds of people. That’s why I like to think of myself as more of a physique transforming specialist – a chiseler from head to toe. And that’s what I do by sharing that empathy with people that are overweight, because I remember that I was at that point where I needed to lose weight and I didn’t really recognize it right away. Going through the transformation was so powerful for my quality of life, it just resonated very well with me and I wanted to share it with the masses.

RM: You not only train people to get physically into shape but you’re such a motivator. How much does the mental side of training play when it comes to getting fit?

RW: Mental is everything. What I tell my team is you’ve got to get your mind right, you’ve got to get your head right. Without having the right mental state and the right positive attitude, it’s going to inhibit you from true success. I think that goes beyond just fitness. Your attitude determines your altitude. [It’s] the way you live your life every day; being a positive, happy person rather than getting stressed out and not reflecting on what God gave you, and what you’re really doing with it.

Motivation, accountability and results, those are the three components that really resonate and stand out to me. Motivation…because a lot of people lack motivation, drive and ambition… motivation can mean so many things.

Whether it’s motivation for working out, doing your homework, or whatever it is socially. I feel that I have an uncanny talent and passion to really motivate people. I could motivate a sloth to run a marathon. There are so many CEOs and top executives that I work with who have such stressful jobs that working out is more of an inconvenience even though they know they need to do it. A lot of people like that are stuck in their ways and regimented; they need someone like me to get them motivated. More than that, people know I honestly care for whoever I work with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a regular client or a first time client; I treat them all the same. I think because I practice what I preach, and my message is delivered through so many different mediums, multiple times, on a daily basis, it keeps people motivated. If people are eating a bad meal, or there is an opportunity to do so, there are little tricks and tactics that I use. risenmagazine.com 53

RM: You touched on God a bit, but how does your faith impact your life?

RW: I would definitely say faith plays a significant role. I’m an only child and my parents divorced when I was 10 years old, so there was a time when it was very difficult for me and I wasn’t able to comprehend and digest everything that was around me at the time. Bouncing around from school to school, living in a tent trailer, and then living with my mom, I think just having God and a support network of everyone else and faith, was just unbelievable. Everything happens for a reason and there seems to be so many things that are so blessed that come into my life and it’s so crazy to me. It’s very humbling.

RM: At what point did you make the decision that this is the way you wanted to lead your life, and how have you incorporated it into the way you train?

RW: I always had a spiritual connection and a faith in God being raised as a Christian. Going to church as a young kid and growing up in that, it’s just something that has stuck with me. From what I’ve seen through trials and tribulations with close family members and friends who had to overcome more than adversity, battling for their life with cancer, calling upon the faith of God to help them get through whatever it is and to help their family cope with everything that’s going on around them, God plays a very important role in that. I pray every night and I take time to reflect on what I have, and be so grateful. Without God, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, that’s for sure.

RM: Body image is a huge issue for a lot of women, and the number of men worried about their weight continues to grow. How can people combat this?

RW: People should embrace the good and be celebrated for what’s really on the inside, not what’s on the outside. Body image for young teens and college athletes is really crazy when you think about it and how people view it in general, especially from a competitive sense. Developing osteoporosis and eating disorders happen [due to] body composition reasons, or to make a certain weight – whether we’re talking gymnastics, cheerleading, wrestling, or football.

Not to jump topics, but with adults emotional eating is huge. People don’t have a positive attitude or they think that it’s too late and give up.

They believe there’s nothing that can be done, so they go about their regular sedentary lifestyle and all they do is eat and eat and eat. It takes baby steps… you don’t have to do these things all at once, but if someone is emotionally eating and they’re doing it every single day, [they should] try to start with just tapering that. [Also] if they’re not moving at all, they should just go for a walk or breathe more… if people would just breathe more, America will be a healthier place.

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...you’ve got to get your head right. Without having the right mental state and the right positive attitude, it’s going to inhibit you from true success.

RM: We hear that with kids, the obesity epidemic has become rampant.

RW: It all starts in the home life. There can be intervention in the home environment. It’s the parents who aren’t properly educating and raising their children, so their kids are susceptible and vulnerable to all these sugars.

Drinking Kool-Aid, eating pizza, hot dogs or whatever… this is what’s leading to diabetes. I think in the school system the more activities, the better.

Rather than taking away physical education we need to make sure that there actually is some form of tested movement pattern through the P.E. system, [not] just play time. The average American watches 35 hours of TV a week.

Those successful with weight loss watch seven hours or less a week and that goes back to the home life.

RM: For people that actually workout with you, what do you hope they take away from a workout with Ray? RW: That it’s not a chore and it becomes part of their life. It becomes their newly adopted lifestyle. You can only lead a horse to water; you can’t make it drink. They’ve got to pull the trigger on their own. But some people need more guidance than others. It may not only be fitness related; there’s also the emotional component to it. I think more than anything I’m a counselor, that’s why I think trainer has a negative connotation. I’m a strength and conditioning coach, but more than that, I’m a life coach. I think that encompasses everything because it’s so much more than training. And it’s so much more than an hour that you see your people. You have to extend yourself and that’s where accountability really comes in. I just want to give a few tips and help give people a sense of direction.

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56 Risen Magazine

Small Moments Become Big Decisions

Tom McCarthy Writer:Dean Nelson | Photography: Bronson Pate

om McCarthy writes about human nature. The characters in his movies are people who usually want to do the right thing, but they realize that life is not as simple as just doing the right thing. What happens after they realize this is what he focuses on, and is what makes his movies so engaging. As viewers, we realize that he’s talking about us, too. His movies include The Station Agent, which won top awards at the Sundance Film Festival; The Visitor, which also won several film festival awards and an Oscar nomination for actor Richard Jenkins; and the animated film Up, for which McCarthy received an Oscar nomination. He also is a Hollywood and television actor, with roles in movies such as Syriana, Flags of Our Fathers, Good Night and Good Luck, Meet the Parents, Duplicity, 2012, and The Lovely Bones.

McCarthy wrote and directed the 2011 movie Win Win, starring Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan, and new actor Alex Shaffer, who is actually a high school wrestler. It’s a story of a family man who is a lawyer, struggling to make ends meet. He makes an unethical decision that at first seems insignificant, but then becomes extremely significant and complicated. He met with Risen to discuss motives, morality, human nature, and how his new movie is a lot like corporate America.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California

Risen Magazine: In all of the movies you have written and directed, it seems there is a morality in your characters, in what they want, the decisions they make. Is that a conscious effort on your part?

Tom McCarthy: Yes. Maybe it’s a morality, or at least it’s a code to live by. In Win Win, the main character Mike (the father, lawyer and wrestling coach) struggles with his morality and ethics, and he literally grapples with his sense of responsibility to his family, community and society. Kyle’s character (the troubled high school runaway) has a specific code that he lives by. He’s not a perfect kid by any means. He has some bad habits, he’s done some bad things, he’s made some mistakes and he comes from a tough background.

Because of all that, he’s forced to live by this code. He refuses to take money, even though he doesn’t have a lot. He doesn’t expect to be given anything. If he’s going to earn a place on the wrestling team he’s going to EARN it – he’s going to wrestle off for it. That’s his code. For Mike, though, here is a seemingly decent guy who loves his family, has a good job, is passionate about his work, is a church-going guy, is a member of the community, volunteers as a wrestling coach – all of these seemingly great things – but he makes a really bad choice in a tight situation. To me, that was the most compelling angle I had on the movie.

RM: Your characters in other movies do similar things – they make little choices which end up becoming bigger issues and the characters pay consequences for those choices.

TM: That’s the ordinary-ness that all of us share. We have a few moments in life where we have to make big decisions and we stand back and say “Wow, this is a big decision.”

RM: But we have a lot more of the other moments…

TM: We do. We have a lot more of the small moments that in many ways become big decisions. That is what’s interesting.

RM: In Win Win there is a scene with the boiler in the basement clanging and probably about to break down and spray water on everything. The characters consider getting it fixed, and then put off that difficult decision. They decide to cover the rest of the basement in plastic instead. They’re ignoring it for now, but we all know it’s going to become a bigger issue. It’s a great metaphor regarding those decisions you were just talking about.

TM: I like that moment in the movie. I’ve seen that with different audiences and when the character says, “We should just leave it,” and Mike goes “ Yeah, yeah, I agree,” people start to laugh. Everyone is thinking “I’ve done that.” It’s a bad decision, but we agree with it right now because it’s the easier decision.

RM: It’s easier to cover a bad decision in plastic than face it now.

TM: As ridiculous as it is, it’s a microcosm of some of the bigger decisions Mike makes in the movie. People see themselves in that. This is human nature. It’s a constant struggle to do what’s right. It shouldn’t be taken lightly because it’s a legitimate struggle. risenmagazine.com 57

RM: But it’s easier to put it off.

TM: Absolutely.

RM: Similarly, there’s a moment in the courtroom, where you can see in Mike’s face that he has another decision to make, where he could tell a little lie and make his own situation better, or he could tell the truth.

TM: It’s right there on the table – the proverbial apple – it’s sitting there, and it’s got a little of that Home Shopping Network thrown in, where it’s like, “I better grab this now because it might not be there next week, and my mortgage needs paying.”

RM: There is also a moment in your movie The Visitor, where you can see the main character’s face as he is confronted with doing the right thing.

TM: Those are similar moments, with Walter, in The Visitor, standing at the window, and Mike, in Win Win, standing in the courtroom. The difference is that Walter’s was actually a generous decision. It was the right decision. Mike’s isn’t. Mike makes the wrong decision.

RM: Dorothy Day said that if we waited for people with pure motives to volunteer to help the poor, we wouldn’t have anyone show up at all.

TM: That’s part of our nature. There are other things at work that we may or may not be conscious of, but it bodes well to try to tap into that and pay attention to it.

Even though I believe that absolute evil exists, I think that most of our problems originate from decent people who make bad choices

RM: But it looks like it’s going to work out for him anyway.

TM: It’s interesting, because once Mike makes the wrong decision, a lot of good comes out of it. The kid is better off, the family is better off, they get a good wrestler, and life in general picks up in a really nice way. I wanted to explore what happens when good things come of wrong decisions. One of the things I kept looking at was the Enron model -- the Wall Street version of this Main Street movie. Enron was a company that served its community tremendously. Before it fell, it was the pillar of Houston. It was a massive company that did many philanthropic things in the community. Everyone benefited until we realized that it was not built on terra firma. Then the whole thing came down, and the consequences were much worse. All those people lost everything. People were wiped out; thousands couldn’t go back to work.

That’s the tragedy of it. But for many years, a lot of good happened.

RM: Do you think there is a fundamental morality we all share, and if so, where does it come from?

TM: I think it comes from life experience. Kyle’s code is derived in many ways from what he learned in the wrestling room. He didn’t have a family foundation, and like a lot of young people when they don’t have that, they turn to something – gangs, drugs, friends, religion, sports. He found his code, his foundation, through sports. That’s why it’s flawed. It’s not complete.

RM: Do you have a view of humanity that you try to portray in your movies?

TM: I’ve been accused of being an optimist, and I probably am to some degree. Even though I believe that absolute evil exists, I think that most of our problems originate from decent people who make bad choices. That’s what my characters wrestle with.

RM: Most of your characters also have mixed motives for what they do.

Why is that?

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TM: I think we all have mixed motives. Motives are never completely pure, whether we understand that or not. There is always another level operating.

There may have been those few people in the history of time who managed to be truly pure in their motive and intention, but for most of us regular folk, it’s a struggle.

RM: Is that something you try to do in your movies – reveal human nature?

TM: I find it most compelling.

It’s something we all try to figure out every day. (He picks up a copy of Rolling Stone magazine from the coffee table. The cover has Howard Stern in an uncharacteristically reflective pose). Even Howard is trying to figure that out! [Laughs]

RM: Who knew that Howard Stern was so reflective?

TM: That’s what he’s doing, I’m sure. Maybe it’s because I have this weird nomadic life, where I’m not in the same place very often, but I’m always seeing people figuring things out. I can endlessly watch a child try to figure something out. I love watching that process. It’s like watching a fire, or watching the ocean.

RM: Is there a faith element behind any of this for you?

TM: (pauses a few seconds) Yeah – specifically in this movie. A lot of times I just try to tap into the faith and/or the spirituality of the story. So every movie isn’t necessarily a direct reflection of my own beliefs, although at some level there are motives we don’t understand. With Win Win, one of the opening images has a glass angel falling. It starts from there and carries. There are tattoos on Kyle’s shoulder blades that look a little bit like wings. His hair is yellow. The last wrestling scene, which is a man literally wrestling with his own morality and ethics, brings to mind that great Rembrandt painting where Jacob wrestles with the angel. It portrays this idea where a man is forced to grapple with what’s in front of him. So this is one of those movies where I would have to own up to that faith question.

RM: Do you have a personal faith that influences what you do?

TM: I do. But it’s personal. Don’t we all, at some level?

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Dept:Q-5

Celebrities Flock to Brazil for Rio Writer: Kelli Gillespie

l to r: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx

Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in the Southern hemisphere and it’s known for its natural settings, beaches and carnival celebrations.

Famous landmarks include the statue of Christ the Redeemer which sits atop Corcovado Mountain and is named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain; and the popular Copacabana Beach. Rio will host the final soccer match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics. But before these festivities come to Brazil, the streets were painted blue for the World Premiere of the animated film Rio. Risen caught up with Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx and Taio Cruz in this beautiful South American city to ask some personal questions about relationships and inspiration.

1 2 3

Risen Magazine: When it comes to friends, who do you choose to surround yourself with?

Jesse Eisenberg: I love to surround myself with people who challenge me, who know more than I do and can teach me something useful instead of just validating everything I think, which is misguided and dangerous anyway.

RM: Would you say your friends tend to have a similar personality to yours, or completely different?

Anne Hathaway: Hmm… I’ve never thought about it. I don’t compare my friend’s personalities to my own, but I think all my friends are really lovely, funny people who have tremendous hearts and forgive me when I fall out of touch when I travel. [Laughter] They all have that in common.

RM: When it comes to really understanding your talent, who has helped you recognize your abilities?

Taio Cruz: You get inspired, and you get pushed and helped by your parents. Teachers at school guide you...I’ve always been great friends with every single music teacher regardless if I was in the music program or not. All your friends encourage you and tell you how good your music is and it inspires you to want to make more and keep going. All of those people are the ones that really uplift you and help you get to where you are.

Jesse Eisenberg: I never really left the country until I started dating someone who took me to Venezuela for my first trip. It

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4 5

changed my life to go there and see how other people live, and to experience a different culture. That was very special to me because if it was up to me I would probably never leave my apartment, and more specifically never leave the bedroom, and even more specifically never leave the corner of the bed. I try to find people to push me to do things I might not otherwise experience.

RM: Has there been a teacher/coach/person in your life that has helped you reach your full potential?

Jamie Foxx: My seventh/eighth grade football coach, and then my high school coach; Coach Bailey taught me about toughness and tenacity. My music teachers and my grandma...so I had a great community growing up around me that taught me about living to my full potential.

RM: (to Anne Hathaway) Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, and Taio Cruiz all sing in the film...and you do too! I loved it for your role in Ella Enchanted so how did it come about for Rio?

Anne Hathaway: Every time I’ve ever sung in a film, Ella Enchanted included, my character didn’t sing when I signed up for it.

And then at some point during the process someone asks me to do it and I guess I’m not very good at saying, No. [Laughter]

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Dept:Q-5

Book with a Biblical Backbone Becomes a Movie:

Water for Elephants Writer: Kelli Gillespie

Robert Pattinson (center) and Reese Witherspoon

Author Sara Gruen has said that the backbone of her novel Water for Elephants parallels the biblical story of Jacob in the book of Genesis.

This #1 New York Times bestseller is available in 44 languages and has more than three million copies in print worldwide. Now the characters come to life on the silver screen as Reese Witherspoon and Twilight’s Robert Pattinson star in the movie version. Risen talks with the two about marriage, potential, and getting punched!

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Risen Magazine: You were a fan of the book, so when the opportunity came for you to star in the film, what was it about the material that made you really want to play this character?

Reese Witherspoon: I just loved the idea of this woman in the 1930’s America that has no education, no opportunities, and is just a survivor. She’s a little tough, but she’s also incredibly vulnerable and has this sensitivity toward the animals. You know, so many of us know people that get stuck in a life with no way out. And the idea that there are second chances at love and having a life that you deserve, it’s really beautiful.

3 4

RM: Speaking of second chances… when it comes to marriage, some people view it as a partnership, some for love; you just recently got married again, congratulations...how do you view marriage or what do you think it should be like?

RW: My character got married very young and I can definitely relate to that. And the idea that what seems right when you’re very young, sometimes changes and you evolve as a human being.

I think there are many evolutions in a life, and many chapters. It’s funny how you pick movies and they kind of mirror your life and you say, “Oh, I see now why I picked that movie. I was kind of working something out.” But I think everyone wants to think that there are new chapters to life and new opportunities.

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RM: Who has helped you realize your full potential?

RW: I’ve had teachers throughout the years that were so great in helping me learn to write and express myself. My English teachers really helped me with my career because I have to always look at material and read it, and analyze it, and that was a really important thing for me.

RM: Have you felt like your life has always gone in the pattern you wanted it to progress, or was there an unexpected shift that sent you onto another path?

Robert Pattinson: I guess yeah, for the last few years it’s kind of changed and rapidly accelerated in a semi, out-of-control way… whereas before I thought everything was going according to plan.

It’s interesting to play Jacob because it’s not just about someone hit by massive tragedy, but it’s [also] replaced by kind of his ideal life afterwards in a really quick succession. How would you feel about that? Can you appreciate the new world you’ve been given if the old wasn’t so horrible? It’s a difficult situation to be in.

RM: You definitely transformed in the role and I didn’t even think about Edward from Twilight, but a lot of that was the physicality of this role.

RP: I know. I’m constantly being beaten up, it’s so weird. We had to shoot some stuff at the end because I had gotten beat up about 12 times in the movie. I never [get to] throw a punch and I was like, “C’mon this is getting ridiculous I have to throw like one punch otherwise I just look like a complete moron.” It was strange constantly getting beaten up.

Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley 64 Risen Magazine

Dept:Television

More Than a Dark Cast of Characters, The Vampire Diaries Boasts Dedicated Followers

Writer: Heidi Ortlip

It’s a textbook plot—two brothers in love with the same girl. But that’s about as textbook as it gets. The brothers are vampires, the girl is a human, and there are a slew of witches and werewolves running around the ill-fated town of Mystic Falls. Oh by the way, the brothers have an attractive and ruthless vampire ex, who resembles their new love, and is hell-bent on getting her out of the picture. Needless to say The Vampire Diaries takes complicated relationships to a new level. Although based on the book series written by L.J. Smith in the early 90’s, it wasn’t until the characters were brought to life by a beautiful cast, that the show gained a dedicated following worldwide. Risen caught up with this cast to talk about their characters, Twitter and shooting on location in Atlanta.

Risen Magazine: You play two characters, Katherine and Elena. How do you get into each role, and make them so distinct?

Nina Dobrev: It’s like playing two different people, in two completely different jobs. When I’m one I feel like I actually act and seem different. People say they perceive me differently and that it’s like I have a split personality disorder or something. It’s kind of weird. It’s what I have to do to get there and to make it believable. To make it real, sometimes I have to go to a really dark place I find myself saying things, and sometimes I can get away with saying a lot more and doing a lot more and being a little swankier. There’s a whole process I don’t think is appropriate to go through, but sometimes actors have to do a lot of crazy things that we keep behind the scenes so it reflects on camera.

RM: The Vampire Diaries is shot in Atlanta. How has the location affected you personally?

Ian Somerhalder: Not being in Los Angeles has been a very good thing. It is definitely a double-edged sword. Another great thing is that we are all here and we’re forced to sort of bond together and the only thing that matters is the work. So by virtue of being here, yes, there are a lot less distractions.

There aren’t all the parties in our daily lives. It does lend itself to being a much slower pace of life, but the workload is still the same. The only thing is, that it’s invariably difficult for us to get to Los Angeles for meetings and movies and what have you. But look, if I were to complain, I would tell you to slap me in the face. It’s the blessing and curse of being on a successful television show.

Matt Davis: My transition to Atlanta has been difficult, but now that I’ve gotten through it I feel like it’s actually really good that we are here. You are forced to focus and buckle down. We are out in the boonies and it’s very good not to have the distractions of Los Angeles or New York. In Atlanta you are grounded with people who work outside the business, who have values outside the business. It’s nice. It’s humbling and its grounding.

RM: Your character [Caroline Forbes] keeps a big secret from someone she loves. Is this something you’ve experienced in your own life?

Candice Accola: Yes.There is lying, and then there is just the omission of truth. And we like to pretend they are two very different things, but they are not. I think that’s just part of growing, saying the wrong thing - not saying enough. I definitely had those moments where I let people down in my life and tried to convince myself that an omission of the truth wasn’t necessarily lying. It’s not fun when it all comes out and the volcano explodes. But it is a part of growing up, and it is a part of life.

RM: Paul, You said you would never get Twitter. What finally made you breakdown and get an account?

Paul Wesley: Here’s the deal. I said I wouldn’t do it because I felt like if I were [tweeting] it would be for purely ego-maniacal social reasons. But I realize now that getting Twitter is an advanced way of communication. Communicating without Twitter to a large base of people is very difficult. So I think that if you have a message and have something to say and it’s important I think you kind of need to have it these days. I hate to say it. It’s crazy that as a society we’re now dependent on this technology.

ND: He [Paul Wesley] was the biggest anti-tweeter. He wanted nothing to do with it, and we all did it – I think he caught the bug. He got jealous because he was the odd man out. I think a lot of the recent natural disasters in the world have been a big eye opening experience. He saw how much traffic and awareness you can give towards any kind of topic or subject or cause that you are passionate about, and how many people it can reach. A bunch of us were passionate about spreading the word and getting donations for the tsunami in Japan and I think we really reached a lot of people.

RM: What do you do to unwind after a rough day either in love or in life?

ND: I do yoga sometimes – that gets me out of my funky zone. And I do rely on sugar a lot to get me happy and laughing. I don’t always hold grudges, but sometimes I’ll let things build up so much that I’ll explode eventually. So I feel like the only way to not let that happen and get past the sucky moment or the sucky day, is to let it explode and then get past it and move on and get your mind off it.

PW: I am eternally blissful! I will not succumb to the idea that love sucks. I love snowboarding. I love the winter sports. If I get one week a year where I can go up to the mountains and go skiing or snowboarding, and have a cabin, and drink a hot toddy, then that’s great. But if the hot toddy’s not involved, then it’s a disaster.

IS: Listening to really great classical music will always calm me down. I meditate as much as I can. But when I’ve had a sucky day I usually just grab a glass of wine and go lay on the floor and let my animals walk all over me and just lick me and lay on me. And literally, that is all you need. That’s it. Or I call my sister and talk to my niece or my nephew on FaceTime and I look at them and I realize, “What’s wrong with me? Be happy and that’s it.”

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Walking This Way with Wisdom:

Rev and his family ‑ Run’s House

REV RUN

Writer: Mei Ling Starkey

n a culture where hip hop artists are characterized by bling, drugs, and women, Rev Run is flipping the script. Going from a front man using his words as a rapper to a family man spreading his wisdom through Twitter and reality TV, Rev Run capitalizes on his platform to inspire others to action. Risen sat down with the hip hop legend to talk swagger, street cred and how he keeps his family grounded even in the midst of adversity.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in Newport Beach, California

Risen Magazine: You have a huge Twitter following and the basis of your tweets are wise sayings. Where do you pull your material from?

Rev Run: They are God inspired. They pop into my head… usually things I am going through, things I am dealing with, how I am trying to untangle myself out of a problem…I just tweet it out. It gives me strength to give my slight solution to the universe. The energy comes back to me and it’s a lot of fun looking at the responses.

RM: If you could leave this generation with one piece of advice, what would it be?

RR: Do your best and forget the rest. It’s my favorite because it frees you to 66 Risen Magazine

do your best and not to let everything else drive you crazy as you’re trying to get what you are trying to accomplish. It’s my favorite word of all times.

RM: Looking back on your life, what is one piece of wisdom you wish someone had shared with you?

RR: Funny, I thought about that last night. [The wisdom would be] a period of great favor the book of Ecclesiastes talks about; there is a season for everything. I was in belief that because things were going so beautifully for a nice four-year stretch when I was 18 to twenty-something, that it was going to continue without any drama. I wish I would have saved better and had a better mindset. This moment is going to end and you should pack up some

Dept:Television

nuts like a squirrel – not only money, but everything – momentos, clippings, pictures, etc. It doesn’t last all through your life. I wish I would have known that I was supposed to be saving money, thoughts, trophies, during this season of prosperity. Like Joseph told Pharaoh, save up some money, there are going to be some years that are going to be nuts.

RM: We often hear people talking about getting this pair of shoes, or do this and you will have instant street cred. What would you tell people they need in order to establish spiritual street cred?

RR: What is spiritual street cred?

The streets of gold in heaven? What do you mean by that?

RM: One of the hardships that your family endured was the loss of your daughter, Victoria, who died shortly after being born due to omphalocele.

How did you and your family deal with that?

RR: Being a spiritual leader for my family I was like, God is still God. And God is still good. It’s coming at you, it’s trying to hurt you and you believe in God. You have to believe in God anyway. You have to take off your sackcloth, get up and mourn a bit. Go back to God ask for comfort. Keep it moving. It’s that simple, but it’s a little bit longer of a process. But God is still God, and God is still good, no matter what happens.

Definitely a rock star is okay, but it can’t beat being a man of God.

RM: Where people become wise and knowledgeable for whom they are in Christ and the spiritual legacy that they leave.

RR: The hood doesn’t really care about spiritual street cred. You just got to do what is right no matter what. Whatever you are feeling about your god and the way you are operating, the way you are walking. Stay true to that and people respect that. Don’t give into what everybody thinks is going to be cool.

What is going to be cool is the confidence in who you are.

RM: How would you describe your faith journey?

RR: I knew it was swagged out. Run becoming a reverend was fly. I went to an African American church. The pastors had their wife and everything was in order. They had swag. They were cool to me.

RM: Can you explain swag to those that might not know?

RR: Swag is very simple. That is not a hood word. They have been using that word forever. Swagger means walking with confidence and having a little coolness about you. Men of God and their walk fascinated me. They had it together. I figured if I showed my community this world through me, it would be cool. I had it stuck in my mind. Whether it was work the first eight years before it hit MTV… I was building it. Not everybody understood what I was doing. But I knew it was going to eventually be extremely cool. It took a while like anything else. But you can’t break focus off of what you think is cool. It takes a special anointing too. You have to be smart, be a wise witness.

RM: You and your family were a wise witness when you starred in Run’s House. We consistently hear how reality TV show stars break up or get divorced. How did you and Justine keep your marriage a priority? How did you make sure your family was balanced throughout the show?

RR: We don’t fight each other. We look at it as the enemy coming with energy trying to stop us. We don’t turn on each other when things go crazy.

This is an attack against us. The Bible says when you leave your parents you cleave to your wife. You become one. I am one with my wife. I want what she wants, she wants what I want and we watch out for each other. It’s about prayer, scriptures, and knowing where to go to when a dispute comes. We let the Bible settle it rather than what we think. And once the Bible is involved, that’s the book; we sit there with the rules. We don’t have to do it like that, but we know the Bible has the answers to anything that would try and hurt my family.

RM: You and your wife made the decision to film you breaking the news to the kids about the loss of your daughter?

What did that process look like?

RR: We didn’t let the whole thing play out. The whole time she was pregnant, we let that play out. We didn’t tell everybody that Justine was having complications. I knew throughout the whole pregnancy that there was a problem. When the final moment came, I was told by the Holy Ghost to let the people see what is going on. “ You took them through the happy times, take them through every time.”

RM: It was encouraging because so many couples struggle with that.

RR: Thank you.

RM: You also keep your family grounded in other ways by supporting each of your kids in their music and fashion endeavors. The media has criticized the parenting of Dina Lohan and Billy Ray Cyrus saying they were more concerned with managing the money than stepping in as parents. How do you and your wife encourage your kids in their dreams, while helping them navigate the realities of the industry?

RR: I took them to church. They do what they do. They are at the age where they are going to do what they are going to do. I can’t take them further than I take them. If a kid is going to act foolish, they are going to do that. If you are 21 years old, you are on your own. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they won’t depart from it.” They have a general idea of what is right. They were taught right. I can let it go. I might come out with another season of what my kids are doing now. I might not be pleased with everything that they are doing, but I am willing to show it.

RM: How do you hope to impact the culture?

RR: I’m just a man of God who loves his family. That’s all I want to show.

God’s first plan - man, wife, kids, be a good man. There is no higher honor.

Definitely a rock star is okay, but it can’t beat being a man of God.

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Dept:Miracles

Nick as a child skateboarding

Created for a Greater Purpose:

Nick Vujicic Writer: Krislyn Smith

N

ick Vujicic tells the story of a young boy who quizzically gazed at him. He knew something was different about the person in front of him. Up and down, up and down, with searching eyes, the boy tried to figure out, why is this person different than me?

Finally, the boy uttered, “Well, at least you’ve got a head!” And it is that pure reflection from a kid that makes Vujicic smile, because to many people, it is an instant realization. You see, 28 years ago Vujicic was born without any arms or legs. Determined not to live a life unlike that of any of his peers, he, along with the help of his family, took on a never-give-up attitude that he carries on with him today. As he grew older, he also grew in faith. A faith that is woven throughout the story he shares to audiences all over the world.

Interviewed Exclusively for Risen Magazine in San Diego, California

Risen Magazine: Taking it back to baby Nick, what was your first memory?

Nick Vujicic: Wow, I’ve never been asked that question before. That’s a good one. I think it’s just playing around and rolling around. I definitely remember I had a happy childhood.

RM: When you speak to others, it’s about the seeds planted in your heart by loved ones. Tell me about the seeds planted by your parents?

NV: It was the truth of knowing that God has a plan for me and that he hasn’t forgotten me. My parents said that I’m special, and they used that word so many times in my life I began to dislike it. I didn’t want to be special; I wanted to be normal. Those were the difficult times when I needed those seeds of encouragement in my life. They were trying different ways to plant the word in my heart and in my mind that I would be growing in faith. As you hear the word, you grow in faith. Sometimes I had good days, sometimes I had bad days. There are even days I remember where it only took within five minutes of gettig to school before someone teased me and then I was down again. My parents would just encourage me every time I came home.

It’s definitely learning that the truth of your value is not determined on how you look or what you can do, but knowing that you’re created for a greater purpose.

RM: Speaking out to the teasing, were there a lot of people that would put you down, hold you back, or tell you that you couldn’t do something when you were growing up?

NV: I think mentally it was the challenge of me getting over me at first. Not knowing if I could do something or if I could achieve something, I would ask

for help. My parents actually gave me the courage to try. You don’t know what you can achieve until you try, and you don’t know what God can do until you give him a try. In my life, I definitely learned that as a kid. I did surprise some people along the way when they said, “I bet you can’t do this,” and you know I actually did it. It was cool to surprise some teachers. They never thought I’d be able to play soccer and stuff and I’m like, “No I’m getting out there.” I got out on the field and kicked with my foot.

RM: It reminds me of your quote, “If I fail, I try again and again and again”.

How do you tell that to teens today?

NV: It’s not about how many times you actually fall or how many times you fail, it’s about how many times you’re going to get back up. If you give up, you’ll never get up. I just try to bring the truth to people who feel like giving up… who feel like they can’t get up, but to trust in God and He will give you that strength to get back up again. Don’t give up on God because he’ll never give up on you.

RM: Living through that as a child, what would give you hope as a teenager?

NV: The love of my home definitely was keeping me grounded. Knowing that no matter what happened during the day, I could always come home to love. I could always come home to acceptance and grace. As I grew up through my teenage years, I would set little goals and then I would achieve them and that would build up my confidence. It would always give me more courage for the next challenge.

RM: What was the turning point in your life that makes you the person you are today? risenmagazine.com 69

Dept:Miracles

Nick speaking at a stadium in Colombia

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Nick visiting students in India

Egypt- November 2009

Dept:Miracles

Nick visiting the Great Wall

Nick playing on a trampoline NV: I want to be real and say that I believe it is worse being in a broken home than having no arms or legs. You can have arms and legs and have a broken heart. In perspective, whatever we’re going through we can still be thankful. That was the first step, of two, that really gave me a turning point.

[The next step] came actually through a reporter who wrote a story in a newspaper of a man with a disability. That story really encouraged me and changed my perspective. I realized I have a choice either to be angry at what I don’t have or thankful for what I do have. I had zeal of change in me and a zeal for life and a passion for really living my life to its fullest potential in Christ. I was 15 years old when I read John, Chapter 9, about a man who was born blind and no one knew why he was born that way. Jesus said he was born that way so that the works of God would be revealed through him. That’s when I’m like, “Wow, if He has a plan for a blind man, then he has a plan for me.” I didn’t really need to know what that plan was at the time, but I just trusted. I asked him [ Jesus] to come into my life, forgive me of my sin and give me His peace.

was blessed to have a family that always told me that. I thought; this is it. This is what God is calling me to do.

RM: Did you ever expect to be reaching the amount of people you do?

NV: Between meeting six presidents and speaking at five congresses around the world with crowds as large as 110 thousand, and seeing lots of people come forward to receive Jesus Christ in the last nine years, I would say I didn’t expect it this fast. I had an idea and I was dreaming big, but I never imagined this happening at 28 [years old].

You don’t know what you can achieve until you try, and you don’t know what God can do until you give him a try.

RM: I think there is nothing more beautiful than finding your purpose in life through God. In finding your purpose, how is God using you to reach others?

NV: I was 13 years old when I started to think of becoming a speaker. A speaker had come to my school. It was a hot Friday afternoon and we were ready to get out of there and go home. This guy comes up and just shares. I’m like, “Wow. That’s really cool.” This guy had a powerful testimony. I thought maybe one day, if I had a good enough story maybe I could be a speaker. At 19, I started speaking at youth groups. Then I spoke to 300 teenagers and I was so nervous. I had no idea what to say and this one girl in the middle of the room started weeping. She puts up her hand and apologies. She then asked to come up and give me a hug. In front of everyone she came up to the stage and hugged me and whispered into my ear, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, no one has ever told me that I’m beautiful the way that I am; no one has ever told me that they love me.” The world needs to know those two things and I

RM: What are you thankful for?

NV: I used to blame God for giving me this disability and not understanding why he would do this and why He wouldn’t change it. I realized that it’s not God punishing me. Bitterness…I realize everybody’s human and we all need God. You are here to save souls; you are here to know God, to populate heaven and to devastate hell.

When you have that perspective everything else sort of adjusts its size. Not to say that I’m happy all the time, I still get sad sometimes and there are fears in my life that come and uncertainties.

I’m human just like everybody else. When that happens, I come back in full humility and I pray to God and thank Him for everything He has done. I’ve got salvation; I’ve got his Spirit; I’ve got angels around me. God is never too far away.

RM: Your strengths and perseverance exude from you. What do you hope is the one thing that others take away from your message?

NV: Be grateful. Apart from that, it is in understanding that there are no limits. There are no limits on what God can do. There are no limits on how much God can love. There are no limits on how God can change everything around you. But when he doesn’t change things, he’s still with you.

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Spray Paint + Bible = The Most Unlikely Readers

JIM HOULISTON Writer: Jimmy Rippy

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or Jim Houliston the honest and raw desire to experience truth ultimately changed his entire lifestyle. He discovered faith in God by rejecting religion and drawing closer to the source of revelation – the Bible. Through that process he found his calling to reach out to his culture through art. Taking that a step further, Houliston now uses that art as a creative way to get the Bible into the hands of people who would be the most unlikely folks to ever step foot into a church.

Risen Magazine: How did you discover your calling to be an artist?

Jim Houliston: I remember as a kid one of the first things I ever wanted to do was be an artist. I loved drawing and coloring, and in third and fourth grade kids really loved the art that I did, but my teacher didn’t, so I got really discouraged. I had no real outlet for art and my parents insisted that I play sports even though I didn’t really like it. Art just kind of went out the window to the point where I totally forgot about it.

But, the very first Bible that I spray painted wasn’t for anything artistic, it was simply to hide the fact that I was reading a Bible. I had a pocket sized Gideon Bible that I wanted to read to get educated with an opinion of why I didn’t like Christians.

RM: And once you became a Christian, how did this evolve into a business?

JH: I started ordering some extra Gideon Bibles, spray painting the covers of them and I’d keep one on me. I’d be out and share part of my story to whoever I was talking to. I’d say, “Listen, don’t take my word for it, don’t take any of our words for it, but read what these dudes wrote, read this book.” And, it was because it was spray painted they thought that it looked cool, and would say, “Alright, cool.”

RM: How many Bible covers have you painted?

JH: Over a thousand.

RM: Which piece is your favorite?

JH: I really like the “Numbered Hairs” stencil. I like the “Rose from the Dead” stencil. A lot of people that I meet, Christians primarily, like the “Angel in the Crowd” stencil. I really like the “He Went in Secret” stencil. I like that one a lot because I want to reach those of us who would never read the Bible as a result of our own perceived experiences here in the United States, where it can seem fake and sort of tied to a political agenda kind of thing.

Most of us never want anything to do with that because we’re really uncomfortable with what we think it is…church, God, Jesus…our precepts of that.

I want my art to appeal to those of us who feel church-burnt.

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Bible spray paint workshop outreach. San Diego, CA

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Numbered Hairs - Matt 10.30

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RM: How do you want your art to resonate with those people?

JH: I want someone to look at it and be intrigued. First and foremost, I have had a lot of people comment that because its art they really like it. A lot people see it first as art before they see it as a Bible. This has allowed it to be displayed and distributed in bars and even a public school, tattoo parlors, skateboard shops, skateboard parks, street scenes, and different places.

All my stencils are in reference to different scriptures. It’s not just an arbitrary stencil on the cover, it’s a reference to a scripture, but it’s my interpretation. And, I try to make it look like something that nobody will recognize as coming from a church.

RM: How have you seen lives changed through this?

JH: I don’t know. I’m really not sure – and that’s not easy to really say. I mean I’ve had people say that they’re really stoked on the art. One of the art pieces I did is titled The Adulterous. It’s a reference of Proverbs [book of the Bible] chapter seven. It’s a display piece that I made for a tattoo parlor in Chula Vista [to be displayed] for a month.

I got a phone call from the dude who was running the store at the end of the month and he left me a voicemail. His words were, “Jim, it’s blowing up down here…today alone I had five different people at different times come in because they had a friend or met somebody who had one of your Bibles. They thought it looked really cool and that they wanted to come in for one!” …At a tattoo parlor… And that guy went on to tell me that one of those dudes got a Bible, he read it, came in a week later and the owner was actually having a Bible Study.

A week later he ended up inviting Christ into his life. I don’t know how much of what I’ve done contributed to that, but he made it seem that it was a crucial thing. I remember asking God back when I was working at this job and was so discontent, “God what should I do with my life?” At that time I was thinking of three different things: Bible School in South America, Peace Corps, or going to get my Masters Degree – something that would translate into an occupational calling.

Over a six month period on three different occasions I believe that I got an answer from God or something of God that was telling me to spray paint Bibles. I had no clue what that meant. I just ran away from it and didn’t do anything about it. Then, I came back to it and experimented with it more. I began to get some really immediate and interesting responses. Actually, the very first batch that I made, I took in to my church and showed it to some people who thought it looked cool. I really wanted to know in particular what this dude, who played the keyboard in PB [Pacific Beach] on the beach with a big sign about Christ, had to say about it. I took [the Bibles] down and had them lying out on the ground and asked him; he said they looked cool. As we’re talking, this dude, whose like my age or younger, kind of a hippy, free-spirited dude, rolled up and points down at me and says, “Dude those look dope, how much do you want for one?” I said, “They’re free, pick whichever one you want.” He said, “Right on!” He opened it and saw that it was a Bible and was confused. I told him, “ You know I read the book, invited Christ into my life and it changed everything.”

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He Went in Secret Outreach. In reference to John 7.10

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Dagger display

Rose from the Dead - Matt 28.7

Angel in a Crowd - Hebrews 13.2 risenmagazine.com 75

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Photo: Robert Maxwell

Aaron Chang Sees Emotion and Beauty from Inside Out

Writer: Jimmy Rippy

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:30 a.m. Zip. Click “On”. In the water, he swims out into the deep through set after set of waves - so powerful they could effortlessly pick up a school bus and toss it. The sun starts to peak on the eastern horizon. World renowned photographer Aaron Chang moves into the best position possible to capture the moment where light, water, and energy come together in the blink of an eye to create the perfect picture. The amazing thing about Chang is his emotional discipline – to be inside a crashing wave, yet remain calm and still enough to find the beauty and real meaning in what’s going on around him. He recently took time at his gallery to share with Risen that through art, people can become more aware of how beautiful the world is, if they simply choose to see it that way.

Risen Magazine: Your photography speaks volumes about your love for surfing. When did you start surfing?

Aaron Chang: I started in the late 60’s when I was 10. My dad actually helped me get my first surfboard. It was a beat-up, used long board that I think we paid 25 bucks for in a local surf shop. It was so long that I couldn’t carry it myself. One thing that I’m really grateful for is that my dad actually encouraged and understood surfing. I think it’s because he grew up in Hawaii and knew what surfing was from a “roots” level. You know, I think that’s where it starts.

RM: How did you discover your love for photography?

AC: Well, it wasn’t an instantaneous love affair. It was kind of a dabbling as most kids do. My father was a teacher and during summer sessions he taught photography. So I know that my first introduction to a dark room was with him one Saturday – I remember that very clearly. But, I was also exposed to printing pictures at the Boys Club in Imperial Beach, where I grew up.

We just reached in a box of negatives and put it in the enlarger and made some prints. I happened to choose a picture of the San Diego Ferry. It was an amazing process to see something materialize out of nothing. I think that was one of my first memories.

I went on to shoot some stills with a little camera that my dad gave me.

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• Perfect View

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• Russian Market

RM: The very first photograph someone sees when they walk into your gallery is the one called Perfect View. Why did you select that piece for the entrance?

AC: When you shoot surfing your whole life you look for something that makes you feel surfing visually. When I look at that picture I feel surfing. I feel the wave. I feel the energy. And, that view of looking out of the wave is the perfect view for a surfer, which is where the name comes from. So it’s one of our newest pieces and the funny thing about it is that it’s so perfect, and so beautiful, that my brain always tries to make it some place exotic like Fiji or South Africa, but it’s actually Torrey Pines, which is quite remarkable and speaks to the strength of the photograph.

it’s a funny blend of telling a complete story. Street shooting is always an element of composition, and this one has that composition – it’s equal parts planning, equal parts luck. There are many things at work in this photograph as you can read different chapters, different layers of depth into the composition and the subject. I think it really works.

The story is about the social issue of human trafficking. So in any scene you can look at it from two perspectives. You can say there’s an interesting composition here, but also if you dig into this photo you can see the potential issues. There’s a very sinister looking man in the middle of the photo. He may be a family man or a nice guy, I don’t know. When you look at it you don’t know, and that’s the story. The issue affects a lot of people, and people you would never suspect are traffickers who are right in front of you all the time. I have this guy that anchors the very dead center of the photo and coincidentally there’s a young girl between him and me. Whether he’s looking at me or the girl, you never know. Again, there’s the story. There’s also the indifference of people moving around that story that point to the indifference that we have on the whole issue altogether.

The thing that gets me the most about this photo, if you notice the power lines, the support they happen to use there is a cross. All power comes and goes from the Cross. So, for me there’s a lot in this that really comes together in a unique way to make it very satisfying for me.

RM: In addition to shooting surfing, you’ve also done a few socially relevant pieces. Tell me about your photograph titled, “Russian Market”?

AC: I was recently invited by Kevin Murray of Jedidiah [surf clothing and streetware] to join him on a trip to Cambodia to look at World Vision’s efforts against human trafficking in Phnom Penh. The piece which is called “Russian Market”, was taken in central Phnom Penh excites me because

RM: Most of your photographs deal with waves, but you have one that’s very colorful of a pier. What inspired this piece?

AC: It’s one of the photos that I did quite a long time ago. It’s shot where I learned to surf and where I learned to shoot photos. There’s a lot in it for me emotionally, but it’s also something that was done when I was learning to recognize light for its true colors or temperatures, and at the time it was a

I’d shoot stories of giant ants attacking matchbook cars and villages, you know things like that. It wasn’t until high school that I became really active in surfing. I happened to break an ankle and I couldn’t surf. One of my best friend’s father loaned me a Super 8 camera and I’d hobble out on the pier and shoot movies of my friends surfing. That first roll that I shot was three minutes of Super 8 film. When it came back from being mailed off to Kmart, we blackened the room and turned on the projector…it was a magical moment, truly magical. We were so enamored with watching my friends surf and we put music on and it was just great. That was the first thing that really got me fired up about photography.

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study of light and composition. It has timeliness to it because it has the right balance of unique composition and unique lighting and strange perspective.

RM: So you focus on light and water, which are life-nourishing elements.

There are some photographers who make a career out of shooting suffering and poverty, but your photographs seem to be there to inspire the viewer.

AC: With photography you can choose to see almost anything. If you want to see the worst of humanity with a camera – it’s very easy. If you want to see the best of humanity – it’s very easy.

RM: Do you think that’s true about how people can view the world or their circumstances?

AC: I think people don’t realize that they can do whatever they want to do.

Particularly as Americans, we have such massive freedoms that we don’t even understand what our freedoms are. People say to me that I’m so lucky to have seen all these beautiful waves and these places. It’s because I took the step to go see them. I have the freedoms in this country that are afforded by our forefathers to go and do basically whatever I want to do. The only limitations on that is whatever barriers I put up.

RM: Now on a more personal level, have you seen lives changed through your art?

AC: Initially, I set out to shoot surfing because I loved surfing, I loved the energy, I loved the ocean. In that process I discovered the world and that I really loved the world. As a photographer, you often work shooting photos to try and capture and convey things that you’re seeing, messages or impulses that you have. Over the years, I’ve come to figure out that my message is to be a hope filled message that we live in a spectacular place filled with beauty and wonder. And, it’s been quite remarkable. I’ve had people come up to me 80 Risen Magazine

and say, “This particular photo changed my life. It caused me to get out of what I was doing and go travel around the world.” I’ve had people tell me that certain photographs impacted them so much that they made major life changes as a result of seeing that photo.

RM: What has been the craziest thing someone did as a result of seeing one of your photos?

AC: Somebody tattooed our logo on themselves. It was embarrassing for me, and I think for him ultimately. There’s a back story to it. I was in Puerto Rico to develop our T-shirt line at the time. I ended up spending a lot of time there and photographing the area in an extensive, serious effort. I spent a month and a half traveling and shooting everything. I was working with a fledgling publication and did the entire magazine with just my photographs.

I was able to show Puerto Ricans what an incredibly beautiful island they live on. Years later locals still come up to me and say that they really appreciate me showing them the beauty of where they live. I think that’s one of the most incredible byproducts of the work I do, is that it’s able to actually inspire and change people’s perceptions.

RM: What inspires you the most?

AC: My mission is to document the beauty in life. If I can cause people who view my photographs to stop and ponder the wonder of God’s creation, I succeed. We are, as all things in this world are, such marvels of design and artistry. I see things daily that remind me of the overwhelming perfection that is God. That we are children of God, created in his image and loved as he loves us, unconditionally, inspires me to share this message through my art.

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