Confessions of a Prodigal Son - The MOVIE (needs you)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8OfsPpe3sk&w=560&h=315] After living in a world of prodigals and feeling the pull to become one my self, I decided to use my gift, love and passion for story to tell the story of the Prodigal Son... To remind a world living in darkness there is a light we can return to.

I wrote a full length feature film as a moden-retelling of the Prodigal Son. Above is the short trailer I directed with the help of amazing volunteers to show just a glimpse of what this film could and will be.

Right now I am in the process of raising enough funds to see this story come to life.

I am asking you to help, because I believe that this is a story that Jesus used to show people the powerful vision of his redemptive power.

I believe if and when this movie comes out, it will be a light in the darkness and a call to all of us who long for redemption and a home back to the one who made us.

If you want to join a movement that is going to make a story that needs to be told come to life please visit the website www.ConfessionsOfAProdigalSon.com and see the amazing prizes and gifts you get for being apart of this project!

Thank you so much for your support, prayers and help.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

-Nathan John Clarkson

Prodigal You?

The Prodigal Son: A story that undoubtedly strikes fear into the hearts of mothers and fathers everywhere, and lights memories in the minds of sons and daughters who remember it's tale.

 It’s the story of a wayward son who demands his inheritance early, and ends up leaving his home and squandering his money on everything from sex to gambling.

The prodigal son eventually finds himself broke and in the dirt with memories of home running through his mind, which is when he decides to return home and beg for forgiveness and maybe just a job as a servant in his fathers household.

But, upon his arrival, instead of bowed heads of disappointment, he finds the loving embrace of his parent.

 I think this story is one we can all relate to, whether we are the prodigal or know someone who is. 

It is a story that has, or will become, a common theme as we observe life.

 Different people focus on different aspects of the story: 

 -As parents, I’m sure the immediate inclination is to ensure that it never becomes a reality for their children.

 -As pastors and teachers, I’m sure there is a need to show the detriment of selfish desires and sinful living.

 -But as a son, who has been a prodigal once or twice in his life, my interest lays in what pulls the Prodigal home.

 What is the voice inside when the Prodigal is the most down and out calls him home, and why did he listen to it?

Why is the wayward son suddenly willing to humble himself to the lowest position just for a chance to be back in his parents care?

 I can remember times in my life when I found myself surrounded by the consequences of my poor choices and willful rebellion. 

And the thing that ended up pulling me home, the driving force to my return to the straight and narrow, wasn’t the facts or opinions on rebellious living I had heard a thousand times in church. 

It wasn’t the countless warnings of sin (now too late to be applied, anyway).

Instead, it was something so much more personal, real and tangible.

It was the song of my home that would play in my ears, as I would sit head in my hands, trying to find the light in a dark situation. 

It was remembering the warm embrace of a loving family and an inviting home. 

It was the grace I knew my mistakes would always be met with. 

It was the warm meals, good conversation and the personal connection I missed with the ones I loved. 

Essentially, my reason for choosing to leave my prodigal tendencies in the past and return home to my loved ones was having loved ones and a home worth returning to.

 There is a Biblical picture for this that God paints masterfully throughout the bible. After all humanity (you and I) decided to live its own way and rebel against the way life was meant to be lived (as Prodigals). God first decides that instead of just getting rid of us, He wants us to have a chance at redemption by forgiving us.

Pretty amazing! 

But he doesn’t stop there. The way God redeems us and shows us forgiveness is giving us a chance at a personal relationship with God! 

But THEN He goes on and creates place for us to come home to, a beautiful perfect place where there will be “No more tears”.

God looks down on you and me, after our display of rebellious independence, and calls us home with to a loving embrace of a parent and a perfect vision of home...Heaven.

Hands On My Life

We can talk all day about the existence of God, or the proof of a creator. That is a conversation I would love to have with you!

But everyday I see his hands so clearly leading and taking care of me that I can't do anything BUT believe in a loving, active God.

If I could I would do anything so you could experience the joy and freedom that our creator has made available to any who answer his gentle call.

-Nathan

Not Enough To Hate

If you turn on a TV, or check one of your three aps delivering you the most up to date news and events from around the world on a minutely basis, you will suddenly be surrounded with information of all the things in the world that are going wrong.

 Flip over to your favorite entertainment channel and or talk-show and you will begin to hear the second part to “bad things happening”-you will hear in unison the reaction to these terrible things, reaction of sadness, disapproval, blame and anger.

 As the light from our TV screen daily lights our eyes, and the sound bites inform us of the terrible and saddening things happening, we feel something rise in each of us.

We feel a voice, a cry for justice and change... 

We find ourselves entering in the discussion, trying to find solutions and make the changes necessary to make this world a better place.

We talk about banning the things we don’t like and and taking a stand against the people who have the wrong ideas, we speak-out with emboldened voices against those who represent what we appall, and we learn to hate what we know is wrong. 

 But, is that enough? Is that enough change the world?

 No......

 I believe with all my heart it is not.

 We as people have learned what we should hate, detest, and stand up against. 

And maybe, just maybe, that is half of it, maybe that is a the place we begin. 

But it must not be where we stop.

 Have we forgotten the other half of the story? 

Have we forgotten the only reason why we even take stands? 

Have we become so entangled with our own rage for what is dark, that we have forgotten to love the light?

 God tells us.

 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

 It would seem we have the “Hate what is evil” down. 

But we just might have forgotten about the ‘sincere love’ and ‘clinging to what is good’.

We have become a people who love nothing, but have learned to get angry at all the right things.

But is this really the way to change?

God says

 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

 It seems that anger is something God has called us to use VERY sparingly. But if that’s the case.

Are we to simply lay back and allow immorality, injustice and perversion? NEVER!          We must stand up against it.

 BUT, we must stand up against it, with the only thing that has or ever will change the world.

 Love... 

• It is now no longer enough to HATE violence, we must now LOVE peace and pursue it while turning the other cheek.

• It is no longer enough to HATE unborn children being killed because of bad situations, we must now show our LOVE for life and the very real possibility of redemption even in the midst of catastrophe.

• It is no longer enough HATE the idea of people starving or living in poverty, we must now LOVE giving what we have to anyone who needs it.

• It is no longer enough to hate the devastating messages sexuality our culture portrays, we must now LOVE purity and show what a beautiful thing it truly is.

• It is not enough to HATE the destruction of marriage, we must now LOVE the beauty of what that union was made to be. And fight for our OWN!

• It is not enough to HATE the idea of so many becoming prodigals and wandering lost through this world, we must now LOVE redemption and celebrate anyone who hears and responds to the call of home.

 It is no longer enough to hate and be angry about the things we disagree with, we must now face them with the all encompassing, all powerful, unrelenting force that is the Love of God.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but LOVE covers all offenses.

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us LOVE one another, for LOVE is from God, and whoever LOVES has been born of God and knows God.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his LOVE for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16  “For God so LOVED the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not LOVE in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in LOVE, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The Song YOU were Made to Sing

http://youtu.be/vBRJUqadjTw I was 17, I had bleached my hair, and I was looking to change the world, I didn't know how but I was always willing for an adventure.

Even though I was just on the stage of my local high-school with my best friends as part of a last minute dare we gave our selves. I knew that was where God wanted me.

So even as I sang ignorant of the fact God was lighting a fire in me - to have a passion to be a light in front of people (taken very literally in this performance in my entirely white get up) through mixed metaphors, missed notes, and forgotten lyrics. He wanted me there-living out of the box, in front of people, singing and performing my heart out.

I am still, even now, six years later- learning, hearing, and fine-tuning what exactly God has called my song to be, but as long as I am here, and willing to sing, I know without a doubt he will continue to teach me the song I was made to sing.

So in this new year, be willing to take the dares God gives you and sing the song you were made to sing. It just might change the world.

Now watch, laugh, and try not to swoon.

Loved you before

It was Christmas eve and I was eleven years old. Around the house were smells and sounds of years of Clarkson traditions coming to life. But there was only one thing on my mind…All the loot and awesome stuff I would be getting the next day.

I sat on the couch just imagining all the cool things most eleven year old boys dream of getting on Christmas. But as I stared at the tree just picturing all the amazing things that would be under it in just a few short hours, another thought crossed my mind. It was of how beautiful the room was I where I was sitting and how well placed and thoughtfully all the decorations were placed.

I heard mom in the other room frantically putting together our Christmas eve dinner, rolling out cinnamon rolls, trying to let the carols on the CD player to distract us from the fact there were about one million things left to do. From wrapping gifts, to cleaning for family coming over, to making sure everyone one of us kids was feeling cared for in a thoughtful way–after all, it was Christmas Eve.

Also, worth mentioning, she had a husband who would be home from a long day at work who would be hungry. It was then something suddenly clicked. I got up off my seat, temporarily packed my mental list of loot away, and I ran to the nearest sibling with a driver’s license, and demanded a ride to the store.

In the spirit of the holidays I was given a ride. Upon my return, bag of treasures in hand, I found my mother still in a tizzy over everything that still needed to be done. I can only imagine her feeling as I walked in and said, “Mom can you come with me for a second I need to show you something.”

She paused briefly before getting back to never ending list of things to do while saying, “Can we wait until later Nathan? I am very busy right now.” But I insisted, “Please mom it will only take a minute” She put down a roll of wrapping paper and with a deep breath and long sigh, agreed to follow me.

My eleven year old hand grabbed hers and led her into her room and sat her down on the couch in her bedroom, where I proceeded to pull my surprise from a Safeway bag. It was a one long stem red rose.

I handed it to her, and she took it with a question in her eyes.

I said, “Mom, I just wanted you to know that before you give any gifts to me or anyone, I love you. Before I get anything I want you to know I love you not because you give me stuff but because your my mom.”

We all need to know we are loved for not what we can do, but who we are.

This Christmas no matter what you are going through with family, or money, depression, addiction, or anything else you can possibly imagine, Jesus (as cliche as it sounds) loves you right in the middle of it. Not for what you can do, but simply because of who you are- his cherished creation.

Merry Christmas, and for anyone else out there celebrating anything else, Happy Holidays ;)!

-Nathan

I would like

I would like to come to so many less conclusions, and enter so much more awe.

To express humility in the staggering amount of uncertainty of anything and everything, I think I can know, and arrive at the sweet embrace of not having to.

I want to rest in the arms of something bigger, something wiser, and something stronger than my self, to be fully acquainted-and in harmony with the one who is.

I want to walk and be carried by the something that, when the length of my ability to understand stops, its goes on forever.

When my strength is is found lacking, its is found complete.

When my love fails and is doomed to be finite; its is passionate and infinite.

Vote For Something Better

When I reached Los Angeles and found a place to live after a month of searching and sleeping on floors- I was ecstatic. I discovered a small but perfect place in North Hollywood. As I walked into my room my first night there, my mind suddenly burst with ideas about how to make my space complete. Immediately I began to make it the best place to live I could, hanging up pictures on the plain white walls and arranging furniture in the most feng shui way possible. But I also found out other people had ideas about what was the best way to arrange the apartment. Living with three other people, my roommates and I (of course) often differ in opinion on the best arrangement for our shared space. Our most common discussion is where the best place for a TV. So we (more than we should) talk back and forth about where the optimal placement for the old hunk of screen is. We weigh where the light would be best and where the sound would have the most epic feel. But as I think about it, I realize, rarely do we ever actually care where the TV actually is, and we end up not even moving it at all. I think the reason for this is, at the end of the day, we know while making our apartment the best it can be is important and fun- we know somewhere in the back of our minds, that this tiny old apartment is not our permanent home. Each of us have dreams of moving out someday to better places and even owning our own homes.

While, I never want to diminish the importance of elections or leaders, I think it important to remember that this physical  earth/country/state is not our permanent home. Our creator and designer has not called us to set up on earth a kingdom but rather add to the kingdom of heaven.

In these last hours as we eagerly await to see who will run out country and become essentially the most powerful man in the world. I think it is our nature to get caught up in the worries and fears of losing, or the excitement of what winning would feel like, to feel hope when we see our candidate speaking of how they will make a better world for us. But among all this political talk and policy toting, I think we forget maybe where our hope actually lyes.

To be honest, no matter who wins the election to run this country, God is still in control. And yes, while building a better place and country and world is optimal, it still is all passing, it is all part of a world that we will leave. It is all part of a temporary home.

We are living for a country beyond this, a place where we will be face to face with our creator living in true purpose and fulfillment.

So today, pray for God's will, and HIS kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. And remember no matter what happens we are passing through on our way to the best country of all.

The Artist, The Scientist and ME.

I am an artist, in my head there is always something new to be made, sung, seen and created. I was made this way, I was made this way because I was made by a designer who made me to follow him on his love for creation.

When I write a song, draw a picture, or create a story, I am literally living in the image of my creator who loves artistic expression so much that He - being the first artist - after creating beauty in nature for his and our pleasure, created ME to create beauty for his and others pleasure, to greater reveal his nature as an intelligent designer and bring share in his artistic endeavor called life.

But there is a belief now, that if you believe that god is an artist, you don’t believe in science.

But I also think God is the master scientist!

Individuals who believe in intelligent design, don't not believe in science, in fact it's the opposite, they believe in science to it's fullest, they respect science far more than those who think it simply happened. They honor the beauty of science by believing that something as beautiful and increasingly complex as something like DNA must have had a master designer. That the amazing life we find in our scientific searches is simply to beautiful to have just happened, and rather was built intentionally and specific purpose.

Scientific exploration no more negates the idea of intelligent design, than opening up a computer learning about how and why it works, and coming to the conclusion that there must have been a programmer does.

I cannot ignore the beautiful intent of what I see every day.

Wherever I look I see finger prints of a master craftsman left scattered across his masterpieces.

When I look into the night sky and gaze at the ever expanding splashing of stars, I see a master designer, when I look at a close up view of a human cell I see an engineer, meticulous and sensical. When I study the human brain I see a programmer carefully installing the necessary programs to sustain life, When I see a human face, I see an artist passionately molding beautiful form utilizing all different colors to create beautiful eyes hair and skin.

If you choose, to look at these things and simply see an accident, that is you choice and you have every right to it your opinion.

But, I will always implore you to look again.

Make Your Demons Dance To a New Tune (Guest Post)

Tonight I rushed home from work…feeling exhausted, a little sick, and rundown. I was ready to curl up with my dog and watch some mindless television.  I didn’t want to be convicted, or forced to think, or have any deep realizations. So, I turned on E News.I was thinking I’d see some “who wore it better” or “fashion police” type of stuff. But instead, one of the hosts was talking about how many young Hollywood actors, full of potential, tragically died under the age of 25. The exact words of this host were: “These talented young people succumbed to some very dark demons.” This immediately sent chills down my spine. We all know that Hollywood can be a very dark place. One of my goals in being here is to somehow bring light to this city. But it’s not just temptation we’re fighting…it’s our own demons. We are fighting a war everyday…and remaining complacent about it. The host said that the most common downfalls of these young starlets were drugs, addiction, depression and suicide. I think not only Hollywood, but our entire generation, puts so much pressure on being “famous”…being “liked”…even on Facebook, it’s all about how many people “liked” your food photo of the day. We are longing for something so deeply in our hearts and souls. We are aching for love. We are hurting for affection. We are in pain because we are lacking this crucial affirmation. This pain leads to anything that will numb us. This is exactly what Satan wants.

Sometimes I let myself forget that Satan is real. I forget that there is a war going on…and we are in the midst of it. Living in Hollywood, I sometimes feel that I am fighting so many battles…so many demons. Drugs, sex, alcohol, money, fame, glory. I sometimes become overwhelmed and wonder why God has called me to be in LA. What does He think I can possibly do? I’m trying my best, but how can a tiny girl have any power over these demons we all face? And then I remember…it’s not me who holds the power. Luke 10:17 says:

“Master, even the demons danced to your tune!”

Jesus goes on to tell the seventy he had chosen that he had given them “safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy.”

We all face demons everyday. The demons manifest into severe temptation. Maybe you want so badly to drink your depression away. Maybe you want to have sex with your boyfriend and you really don’t see the harm in it anymore. Maybe you’re tired of feeling alone and feel that a few pills could ease that hurt. We allhave demons…but we aren’t supposed to face them alone. Turning on E News (and informing yourself on Hollywood history) is enough proof that when we try to fight these wars alone, it doesn’t work. Like it or not, we will always have demons in our lives, twirling around us, that we are dancing with daily. But what if there was a way to change the tune of that dance? Place your trust in God’s hands tonight…and He alone can make even the worst demons dance to His tune.

-Rachael Lee Stroud

Read more by Rachael here

Am I too Immune?

The warm summer air hit my face as me and my friend stepped out into the 9 a clock evening.

We had decided it was the perfect night for some frozen Ice cream, so we headed to our usual down the street before we settled in for the night.

As we strolled down Magnolia Boulevard, the smells of ethnic food and the sounds of night life filled our senses, telling the story of the mash-up of cultures and backgrounds crammed into this small part of LA.

We passed our local grocery store enjoying the weather and plethora of unique and diverse characters that seemed to cover the streets in this area all on their way to who-knows-what.

The cheap rent and close amenities seemed to invite and nurture people from every walk of life to cohabitate in this place called the NOHO Arts District.

Once we had our hands wrapped around cups of heaping sweetness we headed to our usual eating spot, a wall next to the street that gave the best view of this part of the city, enabling good conversation and great observation capability.

Usually we were able to sit in peace while watching all the young actor/dancer/singer hopefuls, dressed in their slim cut pants and thrift store t-shirts, here to make it big, gathering together for a night stroll with others of their kind.

Or the large families pushing kids across the street laughing with their spouses.

Or a young-love filled couple holding hands for the first time, standing like a movie scene under streetlights.

But that night offered a very different scene.

As I crammed a huge bite of vanilla goodness into my mouth I asked my friend a question about an audition he had coming up the next day.

But he didn’t answer, instead his eyes grew wide and he looked past my head.

As I turned around, I saw a car full of young guys in the parking lot, it seemed as if they had been trying to leave but had been stopped by a young girl looking to be not much older than me.

She was leaning with attitude into their now open passenger window, talking and flirting to them.

She was wearing high heals and clothes that seemed to tight for comfort

The young men in the car started laughing and signaled her to turn around, she did, showing her self off, in a fashion-show esque style.

Then suddenly the car took off out of the parking lot down the road, their laughs echoing coldly into the warm air as it they faded away down the street.

The girl (who I had now gathered was a woman of the night) just stood there.

Perfectly still, like a statue, frozen where she had been left.

Then, coming back to the moment, she began to look around as if searching for another car or potential client.

I looked back at my friend, we stared at each other waiting for the others reaction.

My first impression was one of confusion, almost letting out a laugh at the ridiculous scene I had just been subject to.

Then remembering who I was -a caring and self proclaimed ‘good guy’- I quickly added “That’s very sad”

my friend agreeing with an “Of course”

The young girl walked by us on the sidewalk almost shamefully lifting her head to look at us.

My friend smiled and said “Hello” politely, unsure of how much eye contact was appropriate as she made her way into the darkness.

A few weeks earlier I had sat in the same place eating the same concoction of vanilla sweetness.

I had left the house to get some fresh air right after dinner and was hoping to have a relaxing time of contemplation and thought.

When suddenly seemingly out of nowhere appeared a young man.

As I lifted my head from my second meal, I saw he was shirtless and dressed in torn and worn out clothes, his short hair and young face were dirty.

I noticed his vacant look on his countenance, that had at some point in his young life, taken up residency over his face.

From what I could tell He looked to be about my age.

As I gave another a quick and hopefully unnoticed glance at him, hoping he would just go away, I saw he had walked up to me, stopped and just stood beside me looking into the distance, as if he was an actor who had forgotten his lines.

I realized I had seen him before, wandering around this part of the city by my house.

He was clearly homeless, and alone.

I often became annoyed when seeing him hassle people for money, or hitting on girls as they crossed the street, I wondered why didn’t he just ‘get a job’ and live like a normal person.

The awkward seconds past as he stood there silent, just staring past my shoulder as if fighting to remember what he was doing, clearly under the influence of something strong.

I had seen it many times before, addiction ruining lives, but rarely this young.

I felt he had no excuse.

I’ve gone through hard things, but you don’t see me acting crazy like this, I thought judgmentally.

Then suddenly.

“Have you seen the girl with the cigarettes?”

He said breaking the uncomfortable silence, still looking past me into another world.

What? I thought

“No.” I replied coldly

Then suddenly he looked at me, I felt his eyes on my face, studying me as if to see if I was a friend.

I looked back into his probing blue eyes that seemed to speak of more sadness than most did for the amount of years he had been on this earth.

“Do YOU have a cigarette?” He asked a little quieter.

Again, I gave him the short answer.

“No.”

And with that he was off, he leaped over the wall and began looking for his smoke elsewhere.

On my my way home that night, I kept seeing his eyes as they would appear in my mind, interrupting whatever thought I had.

Like a movie that I couldn’t hit the STOP button on, the vision of his distant blue eyes looking at me kept ringing in my head.

I couldn’t help the feeling that somehow, I saw my self in his gaze.

We both were around the same age, living in the same city and we even both had blue eyes.

I wondered how I would have treated my self, had I ever chanced upon meeting my self in less than ideal circumstances.

Would I have turned my self away with a cold “No” like I had just done.

How could I have been so cold?

As I sit here at my desk this morning, just down the street from the wall I experienced these stories.

I think about my reactions to each one of these people, to the young girl in the throws of desperation enough, that she would sell her self and her body.

I think of the young man who felt so chained by addiction he had alienated himself to the point of poverty and living in a run down car, parked next to the grocery store.

I think of how my first reaction to each of the scenes was one of coldness.

I wonder why.

Have I become so used to looking at the world through a screen of my computer or TV or car window, that even while I am faced with real life, I look at it as if in third person?

As if the darkness around me doesn’t effect me that it’s not real?

Have I become so desensitized to the sadness of the world around me, I think it normal and something simply to be observed?

Even the beautiful things in the world I realize, have become normal to me.

I suddenly am taken back to the time when I was a child, when the first time I saw something as simple as snow, it was literally magical, and was shocked that anyone could ever be homeless or not have enough to eat.

I want that again, I want to be affected by the world, good and bad, I want to be amazed at sunsets and heart broken over heart break.

I want to once again to put my self in peoples places and remember when I was lost and in over my head, the people that looked on me with compassion and helped me through my struggles, not merely dismissed with with a cold word.

I wish now, I could go back and to the young woman, give her whatever money I had in my pocket and remind her there are good men in the world who are able to love her for more than her body, and remind her of her worth that God made her with.

I want to go back to the young man and buy him a meal and tell him we have all been there, dealing with vices we think we can’t break or escape from, but remind him, there is hope and a God who designed him with a purpose.

But I can’t.

So instead, I have made a decision, as I sit her typing away on my little Mac in the heart of North Hollywood- I will no longer be immune to life.

I will let my heart break for the broken in the world and do whatever I can to bring light.

By not being immune to the darkness the exists OR the beauty of world that can bring light.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helples

The world needs Heros

The world needs Heroes. There will always be darkness. So let's raise out lights even higher.

Please pray for all involved in the horrible events of this morning.

Wouldn't You?

Even if it was all a lie, Even if it all turned out to not be true...

Wouldn’t you rather go through this life believing that-

You were made intentionally and with a specific purpose, by a loving creator that gave his life for you.

That this isn’t all there is, and there is a better place waiting for you after this world with no hurt or pain.

That you aren’t some random gathering of mass, that luckily got a few years to exist. But rather you were designed.

That you are a beautiful soul, instead of simply a decaying physical body.

That all of the love, laughter, pain, triumph, joy, sorrow, friendship, family and life you experience is actually shaping eternity. And not just a futile way to spend time?

Even if it was all a lie, and all of it was made up.

Wouldn’t you rather believe?

And if you did, wouldn’t just simply believing it...

Change        e v e r y t h i n g ?

Is God Bigger than the Fire?

Right now, my home-town is burning, a fire is ravaging its way through houses and neighborhoods destroying countless memories and lives. It burns almost completely out of control, sending tens of thousands of people from their homes and forced to seek shelter from this monster arriving in epic but tragic movie fashion, here to wreak havoc and ensue chaos.

I cannot even imagine the pain so many are feeling.

My home is filled with people seeking shelter from the fire, praying for Gods will.

But while millions watch as this fiery creature eats its way through so much beauty leaving only ash. I am forced to evaluate and ponder what I think about God and who He is.

I would be lying to my self and you if I were to say I haven't struggled and questioned him. I want to know how He could let this happen and how He could let this go on.

But, as I pray and ask these questions, as I look God in the eye and ask why and how?

I am met with an overwhelming peace. The same comfort we feel as children when our father is near, no matter what is happening.

Then I hear him ask me...

"Who do you believe is greater?

I look at the pictures of the fire covering my precious mountains I grew up in, again I hear him ask

"Who do you believe is greater?"

I see and hear the stories of people losing everything they owned in flames.

"Who do YOU believe is greater, me or the fire that rages on?"

---

No matter where we are or what happens in this life, the truth is - there will never be a time when there is not going to be a monster threatening to destroy, or a fire waging war.

Rarely do we see it so vividly. But none the less this world will never have a shortage of fires, figurative or literal.

So as I struggle and wrestle, at the end of the day as the fire roars on, I remember that my hope lies not in the absence of fires but the presence of a loving, powerful God.

I remember I am not living for this world where sickness kills, thieves steal and fires burn, but for a kingdom to come.

But until then, we have a loving God who cares about our smallest worry concern and heartache. He is ready to hold, love, comfort and remind us He is bigger than any fire we could ever face.

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Please join with me in praying for protection, comfort, community, wisdom and peace.

Prayer is real and will change things. We have a powerful God. The Powerful God.

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‎"We don't have a permanent city here, but rather we are looking for the city that is still to come. "So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name." -Hebrews 13:14-15

23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8Ihq4Wtig My new song where I did my best to describe what it sounds like to turn 23.

Can you can feel it, in the night Lonely sheets, dancing lights Through the window, feel the cold Whispers softly, you're getting old

Hear the voices, in the wind rushing through these halls again Sending shivers to your bone Taste of somewhere takes you home

Chorus:

Can you hear me In the night, Telling stories of you and I Through the darkness we will fight Because the morning was made from the night

Feel the fire beneath your skin Wooden bed-frames and scary men Stealing gentility all your dreams Off your night stand stealing me

I swear I made your ancient glow Maybe a million years ago Your hair is different, but so am I Have you lost the fire you held tight

You are what you chase

Living in LA, everyday I see people chasing things. I’m no exception, about three years ago I came out here chasing a dream as well. For the first year I lived here, I very cliche’dly worked many different jobs supporting my dream of becoming an actor/musician/writer. One of those jobs; was being and extra in movies and TV shows. Before I got to LA, I always thought this would be a very exiting way to make money, some of the time it was. But, what many people don’t know that working as background on a movie, is not all explosions, special effects and movie stars. Most of the day spent as an extra, occurred next to the snack table surrounded by a group of other extras waiting for lunch. When you had hours in-between shots, the way you would pass the time would be to talk with people. what I found out very quickly is that It seemed that everyone else had come here chasing dreams as well.

When I first got to Hollywood- I would be on set, or at a restaurant, or church, I would meet someone and ask them questions like. “Where are you from” “What do you do” “What have you done” And things like that. But now, after spending a considerable amount of time out here I think I am going to begin asking people a different question. Something a little more direct. “What are you chasing?” I’m sure I will get some weird looks, but I think it will help boil down past the pleasantries most stand behind. Out here, if you posed a question like this, and asked for complete honesty, you will undoubtedly find answers like. “I’m chasing fame” “I’m chasing respect” “I’m chasing money” “I’m chasing love” Which should be no surprise to me finding answers like that, considering it being such a self centered world. But, to be fair, I don’t think it’s just Hollywood in which people are chasing things. I think everyone, everywhere is chasing something. You, are chasing something. We were made to.

God put in us a spirit to chase, to have ambition and seek out the things we are passionate about, God made us to chase him. But somewhere along the way we stop chasing God and start chasing other things. They’re not always even bad things, sometimes we are simply chasing love, or security. Longings that God him self has put in us. But, I think the failure to chase the creator of love and security and simply chasing the feeling- can lead us down destructive paths to places and relationships we can’t find the way out of.

I see this played out daily. As I grow up a little more each year it becomes more and more apparent in mine and peoples behavior. Every night when go turn on the TV, and see one more girl taking off her clothes for TV show ratings. Then, quickly change the channel to the news, and see one more powerful man, caught in a web of his own lies, ruining his life and the lives of those around him, just for money. Or, I will read about a star who overdosed on drugs because even the ‘good life’ didn’t numb his pain. Or hear the very real fact that where I live in the San Fernando Valley; There is more pornography made here, the anywhere in the world.

When I let theses things sink in, I start to wonder how these things could possibly happen. How and why do we end up, selling our dignity, start loving money more than people, give up on life and even sell our bodies for a few dollars?

I think the answer to HOW we end up in these places, are the things we CHASED there. Maybe we had no idea we would end up in those destructive life ruining places when we started chasing attention, money, relief and love. But now that we’ve arrived there, we can’t get out. So, is there any hope for us?

Yes...

God is the creator, redeemer and lover of all, and there is nowhere or place he can’t find us and make us new. I think if we have found our selves in a place we don’t like, or, even see our selves stepping in directions we didn’t think we ever would and want to get out or avoid hurt and pain, we must start chasing Jesus, the one who created perfect love, security and self worth. But, for that to happen we have to be willing to stop chasing everything else in our lives and begin chasing only him. When we do this we will start to see all the things we were looking for in the first place, but could never find, come in the ways they were always meant to.

In the pursuit of the creator we will find we are on the path that leads to life. God wants to give us the desires of our hearts but He also knows the way better than we could ever know on our own. So, when Jesus becomes the desire of our hearts, we’ll will find our selves more loved, more satisfied more content than we could ever imagine. Because only in the pursuit of him will find what we are truly looking for.

So I encourage you to ask yourself, “What am I chasing? Why? Where is it taking me?” And maybe if your up for it, try chasing the creator of every good thing, and just see where He might lead you.

When I was nineteen I had just moved to NY chasing a dream, shortly after I arrived God asked me the question, “Are you going to chase your dreams and desires, or are you going to chase me and the dreams and desires I have for you?” I chose to chase God, I am not perfect and I trip often, but nothing will stop me on my pursuit of him. After that I began writing a book Wisdom Chasers, a collection of essays formed into a bible study, pondering what it looks like to live a life in pursuit of Jesus.

If you would like to get a copy for your self (I would love if you did) Click here for the NEW printed version Click here for the Ebook

ineed

I woke up this morning and with no hesitation I went through the list of what I want,

I wanted to eat, so I planned what food I should give to my self.

Then, halfway through making my self breakfast I had an unhealthy desire for coffee, so I poured caffeine down my throat.

Then I wanted to sit down in my the blue chair, but my roommate was sitting in the chair I wanted to sit in, so I decided to have a bad attitude and be grumpy.

I pulled out my iphone, and wanted to send a text without moving my fingers and suddenly wondered why I had to be the only person in the world without Siri...Life is really hard on me.

Then I walked back to my room and saw this picture of a young girl living in a third world country, celebrating because her village now has clean water. She is ecstatically happy because of water......just water.....

I have water, in fact I have around 20 glasses of half filled drunken water on my counter. I sometimes take hour-long showers because I can. And every now and again I pay people to dump it on my car because there is a smudge on my car window. And I don't think I have ever once been as thankful as her for water.

I have lots of water, food, friends, but somehow I still find something to complain about, daily.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having, wanting or needing things. But how often are the things we find ourselves buying spending time on or getting-revolving only around ourselves and what we think we should have.

How often do we need a cup of coffee so we buy one for four bucks, how often are we hungry so we get a snack for our selves, how often do we want a new ipad so we get one for our selves? There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but lets turn it on the flip side.

How often when we are eating, we think of the millions of people (thousands in our own country) who wont be eating today,

How often do we play angry birds on our ipad do we think of the fact that for the same price of single ipad an entire village could have a well providing clean water, saving the lives of thousands.

I every day, ignore, coddle, and intentionally live selfishly. I have decided to fight that. So I am not going to do that with you.

If you have a sink, and have eaten today, you are blessed and richer than 99% of the world. You need to give. You will never actually be happy until you do. Neither will I. So, I don't care where it is. But we need to give, I need to give, You need to give.

So I started a fundraiser for a group started by a young man in my church that is giving the most basic and necessary thing for life there could be. Giving water to those who need it.

I would be absolutely honored if you would consider giving to my fund-raiser Nathan John Clarkson's Give a Cup of Cold Water

Honestly, to reach my goal I need you, but for someone to live another day they need you. Please don't think about giving, just do. The new iphone can wait. A child's life cannot. Your awesome, no go be awesome.

Click this link to give to my fundraiser.

Give a cup of cold water. Jesus said so, that's why.

The next time you walk to your kitchen and turn on your sink to fill up a glass of water I want you to do a couple of things.

First- drink and enjoy it. Enjoy the wonderful nectar of life, let it satisfy your thirst and sustain you.

Then- when you're done, I want you to think of one billion people around the world, who have no access to clean water, or the ability to a basic necessity of life at their disposal, for maybe their entire life.

Recently yesterday I was at church, I had attended in hopes of doing my spiritual duty for the week expecting to make a clean entrance and exit, not expecting to be convicted. As I sat there counting down the minutes to punching my spiritual time card, a young man about my age (23) got up on stage and shared something that was on his heart. He was talking about a movement he had started after visiting a third world country in which people didn't have clean drinking water. Then he shared startling statistics.

• The lack of clean drinking water is the number one cause of death in the world, more than war, aids and famine combined.
• Nearly one billion people don't have access to clean drinking water (about one seventh of the world's population)
• 84% of the 9,800 deaths a day as a result of the lack of clean drinking water, are children under the age of 14
• The list goes on, but I think you might get the picture.

As I sat there and listened to what this young man had to say, it hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. So I decided to jump on board in what ever way I could. I love to write, I love being in-front of camera. So I decided to start my own fundraiser and raise 1000 dollars to help make wells and give clean water to those who have none. But honestly to do this, I need your help.

I am not going to spend paragraph to try and guilt you about you not doing your part, or trying to convince you why you should give. You know why. I just want to remind you of one thing.

"And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded."

-Jesus

So, I would absolutely love it if you would help me give a cup of cold water to Jesus, by giving it to someone who might never have it if it wasn't for you.

Click on the link to get involved in my and fundraiser for generosity water's nobel mission.

Then get involved and share this post with your friends and family and lets change the world one cup of water at a time.

-Nathan John Clarkson

I am 23 years old and looking forward.

Today is my first day of being 23 years old.

God is very good to me.

It meas so much to me, that anyone at all reads the words I write.

It would also mean so much, if you ever get a chance, to pray for me.

Pray for God's leading, open doors, and wisdom in everything I do.

God has always been faithful for the past 22 years of my life, I can't wait to see the way He will work as I step into this new adventure.

Thank you all for reading and sharing this journey with me.

Thank you Jesus.

-Nathan John Clarkson

He has risen indeed!

My church Oasis in Los Angeles

No matter who you are, or what you believe, it's impossible to ignore the incredible and unequaled death and mote importantly life of Jesus. I believe with all my heart he did it because he loves me and he loves you with all his heart. Happy Easter!

-Nathan

John 3:16