Mark Clement

Sex Slaves in America

Over the last year there has FINALLY begun to be some consistent buzz/chatter about the booming sex slave industry. Not only the one overseas, but the one right here in America. As Tammy and I have learned more we have been overwhelmed with the sheer enormity of it. The fact is that Americans are the #1 consumers of the sex slave trade worldwide. Not only are Americans traveling to international locations solely for this purpose, but now they can get it right here at home. Did you know that Atlanta, GA was the number one sex slave destination in North America? Not New York, or Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Atlanta. I know, it's hard to believe.

To learn more about this unbelievable situation, check out this trailer for the upcoming movie, The Playground Project. I want to encourage you to spread the word about this film and more importantly about this issue. We need to start talking about it, giving to organizations that fight it, and doing what we can individually, as families and as churches to stop it.

Life Lessons In The Middle Of The Night

Yesterday was a big one. Had a lot to do including an extremely important meeting. As usual on an occasion like this, I did not sleep well the night before. Too excited. I woke up, probably around 4:30 (I never look at the time as it only makes things worse), wide awake, mind racing. I felt compelled to pray but resisted the urge. After all I was all prayed up, fully prepared for the day. I didn't need to pray anymore. I stubbornly fought through it and eventually fell back asleep.

Later that morning while getting ready the thought hit me: why did I feel that my only option was to pray for myself? Why didn't I think of others around me, close friends and family who need prayer? I was flooded with thoughts of specific people who really needed lifting up. I was immediately embarrassed by my lack of thoughtfulness.

The truth is I can't answer that question. I'm not really sure what it is. I do think that sometimes we slip into that mode where prayer becomes a self serving, self protecting kind of thing. Not so much a wish list, but just make my life better, help my things go smoother, etc... And to be clear it's not simply that we're just that selfish, but we get into survival mode and our view becomes extremely narrow, only seeing what's right in front of us. I don't think it's bad to petition God for strength and support, but we really need to think more about others and less about ourselves. Maybe it's just me, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not. I'll pray that you do better, and hopefully you'll do the same for me. Promise.

I'm Sorry For Being A Jerk

Those of you that know me know that I'm a very easygoing, laid back kind of guy. I rarely get worked up about anything and tend to keep a very cool head even in stressful situations. I usually think before I speak and when I do speak I try to focus on solutions more than obstacles. That trait, part personality, part acquired skill, has served me extremely well over the years. But yesterday I blew it. 

I wasn't having a bad day. Things were actually going pretty well, but the sheer volume of things was starting to wear on me. I hadn't eaten lunch (no time) and it was getting to be about 2:30 when I started to fade. I had just finished a long conference call and had a voice mail waiting for me. It was my eye doctor's office telling me something I didn't want to hear. Nothing bad, just another thing I had to add to my crazy schedule. It ticked me off and I immediately called them because this was crazy. And wrong and unjust and unfair and just ridiculous. Mind you this was all over a set of contacts. 

Debbie answered the phone. I started off nice enough but as soon as she repeated what she had already told me on the VM I lost it. Now for what it's worth, I didn't yell or raise my voice. My aggressiveness is more of the passive type. Emphasis on the ass. I was short with her. I was sarcastic. I sighed very loudly several times. I paused dramatically before answering her questions. In other words, I was a total jerk-face. I was wrong and unjust and unfair and just ridiculous. Did I mention this was all over a set of contacts? 

I begrudgingly scheduled a new appointment and when she thanked me I basically hung up on her. Classy, I know. Again, emphasis on the ass. 

I spent the next few minutes stomping around my office, trying to justify my anger but I couldn't. I felt horrible. I knew I was wrong. Way wrong. And I had to make it right. I had to own my stuff. 

The second call had a very different tone. Debbie answered the phone. I won't relive the entire conversation but suffice it to say it was riddled with groveling, humility, shame and repentance. And most importantly; forgiveness. She was so sweet and kind, which of course made me feel even worse at first, but she forgave me. Just as Christ forgave her for whatever stuff she's done. Past, present and future stuff all rolled into one big pile of forgiveness. 

As Christ followers we are absolutely not perfect. If anything we're broken vessels held together only by the grace and love of God. And in the same way we're forgiven and loved, we are compelled to do the same for others. That means asking for forgiveness when necessary, and granting forgiveness always. That's what being a Christian is all about. Emphasis on Christ. 

My Boy Is Growing Up

Been on a really interesting journey with my son Marcus (20) over the last few months.  Not unusual for his age, he's been on a search for purpose and direction, taking a semester off from school, etc...  It's been tough on him and not a lot of fun for his parents either (nobody said parenting was easy) but something we all joined together to tackle.  I kept believing through this trial that he would eventually get where he needed to get and life would continue.  I'm very proud to say that he has, and he has articulated it extremely well in his blog.  Check out the post here and enjoy.  I know I did. 

The Mystery

They call this the information age and it's no wonder.  There's really not much of anything you can't find out with a wi-fi connection and a few keystrokes.  Gone are the days of brain aneurysms as you strain to remember the words to a song, or trying to place an actor you know you've seen before.  Or the wager for pride as you and your significant other argue over what year in high school a certain song came out.  Click, click, click, type, type, type...bing! YES, I knew it!  In your FACE! 

The secrets are out and nothing is off limits.  Between the www and the reality shows and the entertainment news and 400+ cable channels for every niche you never heard of...nothing is sacred.  You can see every star's bio, go inside their house, their fridge (no wonder they're so skinny) and even their bedroom (where the magic happens).  You can see behind the scenes of everything.  How Disney REALLY works, how McDonald's cooks it's food, and how your widgets are made.  And then you can watch the 'making of'' the 'How Disney Really Works' behind the scenes special.  And if you still have a little time left you can wander on over to YouTube and see 50 home made knock-offs of the same thing all over again. 

Truth be told, as absurd as some of this sounds, I must admit I love this stuff!  My little brain is packed with more useless knowledge than I know what to do with.  What can I say, I'm curious.  

The reality is, many of us ARE curious and we're not afraid to ask the tough questions.  We want to go deeper, to understand, to decide for ourselves.  This applies to all aspects of life, especially the spiritual ones.  But as much as we dig and search and ask, there's a great endlessness to this quest.  If you're like me you've found the more you know about God, the more you realize you DON"T know.  And I gotta tell you, I'm more than OK with that.  I love that my God cannot be put in a one hour special or defined in a blog post.  There's great comfort in the knowledge that I don't have all the answers, but that He does, and that He will reveal them to me as needed.  There's a peace knowing He's so much bigger than I am.  Because of this our relationship with Him is never boring.  It is, in fact, a mystery.

Enjoy!

Accentuate The Positive

Back in the 40's there was a song by Bing Crosby called 'Accentuate The Positive'. 

 You've got to accentuate the positive
 Eliminate the negative
 Latch on to the affirmative
 Don't mess with Mister In-Between

There's a great lesson here.  Not original though.  Consider

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

 ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

In the late 90s I was on staff at a church plant in Kansas.  Things were booming, doubled to 300 in one year, reaching tons of people, tons of buzz around town...it was great.  But there was this one family that wasn't happy.  One.  Out of hundreds!  And my pastor could think of nothing else.  It was a huge distraction to him which ultimately made it a distraction for all of us.  I remember asking him how in the midst of all of this incredible success did that one thing bother him so much? Apparently I wasn't listening to myself.

Fast forward to the last 7 days.  Most of our spring clients are wrapping up and getting final products from us.  The accolades have been awesome.  I'm honored with an incredibly talented team who have been knocking it out of the park and the clients notice.  Some recent client comments:

"Dude, VERY well done!  Very well done!  You guys do great work."

"That looks FANTASTIC!  You guys are the bomb!  Great Job."

"Take a step toward your window.  Listen for the wild applause coming from me
for this work!  Might be the best intro we have ever done!  Perfect
for this group! Goodness, it is good!  Proud to be associated with this work!"

"Just fabulous, especially for this audience!  You and your team outdid
yourselves on this!"

"You were all great to work with.  Maybe we will work together again and will give your name to others."

The list goes on.  I was flying high.  Then it happened.  One small, indirect, off hand, inferred, sort of negative comment.  And I was crushed.  Disappointed.  Disillusioned.  Distracted.  Defeated.  Tammy let me pity-party for a while then lowered the boom.  In essence she said 'Are you kidding me?'  She was right. 

Amazing how one small issue can overtake 100 great things.  If we let it.  You can walk for miles with a pebble in your shoe, or you can simply take a minute, pull it out, see it for what it really is, put it where it belongs, and get on with it.  Lesson learned.

21 Years Baby

On Thursday, April 7th, 1988, 2 young kids, both 19, walked an aisle together and promised to love each other no matter what for the rest of their lives.  Nothing but faith could have prepared them for the journey they were about to undertake. 

When I look at Marcus and realize that he is now the exact age I was when Tammy and I made this commitment to each other, it scares me speechless.  I know our parents must have been freaking out!  Either that or praying 24 hours a day.  Probably a bit of both. 

We had no jobs, a place to live only for 30 days, and absolutely no idea what we were doing.  Neither of us had ever kept a checkbook, never paid a bill...there were a lot of nevers.  I remember that when I proposed to Tammy I told her I had no idea what our life together would be like, but I knew that it would NOT be boring.  We both knew and believed that God had a specific plan for our lives and that following him would require all that we had. 

I now look back over the last 21 years and stand in awe of all that God has done.  A lot has happened and lots of changes have taken place.  We have moved more times than I care to remember.  We have taken the journey of raising 3 wonderful kids.  We have been dirt poor and have had more than we knew what to do with...both more than once.  We have helped start 3 churches and been on staff at many others.  We have owned our own business.  We have led worship for literally thousands of people, spoken in front of thousandss more.  We have made horrible, heart breaking mistakes.  And we have experienced life altering forgiveness and grace.  We've been blessed with many incredible friends and have known others who have come and gone.  But 2 things have never changed:  God's love for us, and our love for each other.  It has been an unforgettable experience.

Father, thank you for trusting me with the precious gift of Tammy Jo Lowden Clement.  Each man on earth should be so blessed. Second only to You she is the love of my life.  She is my best friend, something I do not take for granted.  She is the perfect balance to me, the very thing that makes me complete.  We are now, and forever will be, ONE.   

It has been an amazing, unforgettable ride.  And I believe with all my heart that it has been a warm up for what is still to come.  God has been preparing us, for years, for what is coming next.  He has promised us that He will be doing 'a new thing'.  We don't know exactly what that 'thing' is, but if experience has taught me anything I can promise you this...it will not be boring.

Here's to the next 21!

I love you baby. 

 

Tribute to Rick Pearson

This is a bit of a long story but I'll try hard to keep it short.  In 2005 I met a young worship leader at Mountain Lake Church, one of my closest clients, where we have Churchplanters.com.  His name was Rick Pearson.  He was about 22, brilliantly talented, great guy.  Candi Pearson's brother, so you know the kind of talent we're talking about.  He was rooming with my good buddy Casey Graham and Rodney Anderson, also on staff there at the time, bunch of young bachelors.  This painting was on the wall of their apartment and I loved it.  Turned out it was an early work of Rick's mom, Elaine Holk.  I never forgot it.

In the summer of 2006, barely a year after I met him and just 40 days after being diagnosed, Rick died of leukemia.  He had turned 23 in the hospital.  To the outside world a tragedy, but to those of us who believe, a simple reminder of God's divine plan.  Rick's time on this temporal earth was done, but we would be reunited one day for all eternity.  Rick had a great impact on everyone he met.  He was a giftted musician, passionate about our God.  He was incredibly handsome but didn't know it.  Humble, teachable, eager, wide-eyed to explore it all.  He had lead my wife and son in worship at Big Stuff the summer before he died.  Even then, before we knew him, they were talking about this kid that God was using in such a great way.

Fast forward to 2008, working on a video project for Casey Graham's Rethink $ project and one of the people we're interviewing is Elaine, Rick's mom.  I shared with her how her work had stayed with me these years and asked her if I could commission her to do something for our family.  She suggested instead that she simply give me this, the same painting.  I refused, but she insisted, saying that if I would tell Rick's story every time someone commented on the painting, she would love for me to take it.  Of course I was honored to be able to do that. 

The painting has been hanging in my office now for about 90 days and I've had the honor of telling Rick's story at least a dozen times.  I look forward to telling it hundreds of more times over the many years to come.  I love to tell it because Rick's story is your story and mine.  A reminder of the love of our Father, his divine purpose and plan for each of our lives, and our privilege to trust it all to him. 

We miss you Rick.  But we will see you soon my brother.  Until then, your story, God's story, will continue to be told, comforting and inspiring us all. 

Check out this video of Elaine talking about Rick and her art. 

Surreal But Nice

Sitting here on a Sunday morning.  At least that is what the calendar says.  My days are all off.  Saturday felt like a Friday because I was working and traveling.  Today feels more like a Saturday.  But even that seems weird.  I mean yesterday I had on shorts.  Today it is freezing, and snowing, here in B'ham.  And I don't mean snowing, I mean SNOWING, like crazy, howling wind, the whole 9 yards.  We've got at least 2 inches so far and looks like it's going to last for several more hours.  Got a fire going, all hanging out in the den.  Just feels surreal.  But nice.  And I don't mean nice, I mean NICE.  A great break before my 'getting up at the butt crack of dawn early morning' flight to Indianapolis tomorrow morning. 

I'm pumped about hanging with a ton of my peeps in Indy Mon and Tue at the first of our 4 2009 Cornerstone Knowledge Network conferences.  Looking forward to spending time with Bryan Miles, the Couchenours, Jim Sheppard, Will Mancini and a bunch of others. 

A King Is Born

Just received an email from a good friend, David Bensinger, who's stationed at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. It contained a youtube link of  a video of about 300 people on the base at Christmas Eve singing a Christmas song I wrote. Very cool. Check it out.  http://tinyurl.com/89hfvw.

You can hear the original here.  Download A King Is Born