X3 Interns

Intern Travels.

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:27:20 -0700

This is a run down of most of the places we've been to in the past 2 semesters. There's more to come.

Fireproof Office Episode 2mov

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:59:15 -0700

Fireproof Office 1

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:34:38 -0700

Monday updates at the office.

Sierra Leaves Porn

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:05:01 -0700

X3 Pro Watch Commercial

Wed, 30 May 2007 10:37:31 -0700

porn interns logo

Wed, 30 May 2007 17:28:04 -0700

Hate and Love Mail

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:07:14 -0700

We get a bunch of messages and comments here at our XXXCHURCH myspace. Most of the time they're just people asking questions but we got 2 messages back to back and the juxtaposition of the two blew my mind. Message one: "No, Jesus is not with you. You do not know christianity. Porn has nothing positive within its self. You are of the devil. Grow and wake up." Message two: "HEy guys.... I just want to say you guys are amazing people of God.... you guys doing great job of shining light in the most dark places in this world. God bless you for everything you guys doing!" I thought it was pretty awesome. We actually post the hate mail we get through email on our site: http://xxxchurch.com/getinvolved/hatemail.html Thanks to everyone who is praying for us while we're in Miami and to everyone who sends us some encouragement. Grace + Peace pj XXXCHURCH.COM

So long Topher

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:32:23 -0800

Chris is leaving tomorrow morning at like 4 and it's crazy to think that he's been here for 3 months but he has. He came in as this kinda shy guy who you could never tell if he was serious or not. Every chance he got he tried to pull a prank on Brandon and make him feel stupid, lol yeah that made me like him more... That first night at Texas Road House i had no idea that this guy that i would be sharing a room with would become one of the funniest and most creative people i know. Chris is so freaking dedicated to everything he does. It's amazing to see him work on a project that is monotonous and boring and just nail it and not get discouraged(Brightcove Archive). Then when he isn't happy with some thing he'll work on it as long as it takes to see it done even if it means staying up till 4am to finish(Intern Virb Layout). One of the most exciting things that I've got to see in his life is his relationship with God grow. When he came here it was one thing to hear that he had never heard of Mars Hill Bible Church but a completely different thing to see him challenged and respond to that challenge well. I remember going to Barnes and Noble and i was just trying to avoid Homework and enjoy starbucks, and he was all about getting a commentary on the new testament and finding out about this Faith that he is wrestling with; He amazed me. In everything he has heard he has challenged it and questioned it. His faith and relationship with God has grown so much and I am privileged to have been apart of it. I have no idea what he's going to be up to when he goes home, but i know that God has plans for him. He has so much talent and passion for what he does. We are going to miss him around the office for sure, but we know that God is going to use him in so many other ways. Bro, We love you and can't wait to see what God has in store for your life. Know you're always welcome in the GRAP. Be sure to keep in touch. Lots of Love, PJ

New Layout!

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:48:49 -0700

Tis 3:45 AM, I have had too much coffee, but i have made a layout that i dig, FINALLY. Its live, check it out, give me your thoughts. I'll be adding different parts as time goes on, but im tired right now haha. What type of content do you all want to see on the xxxchurch intern page? More videos, Pictures, PJ dancing in the the Rex Suit? Let me know. -Chris

N00bie

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:16:16 -0700

Hello Everyone, My name is Chris Carter, I am the newest addition to the totally stellar XXXchruch/ Difted team! ahh we are so sweet. I'm just kidding, I dont really talk like that. A little history of myself. I am from a small town on the East Coast called the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It's an amazing place to raise have a family / retire but for a 19 year old graphic designer with ambitions of saving the world, it isn't the best situation to say the least. I often feel as if my surroundings have choked and stumped the growth of my spirituality, whether or not that is true, I'm sticking to it. I lived a pretty normal life, both my mother and my father are beleivers of Christ or "Christians" so I had a track laid for a great relationship with Christ, but like many kids, I decided to jump that track as soon as humanly possible by indulging with the best the world and satan has to offer. Around my 11th birthday my paretns split up, it sucks but I really can't sit here and talk about how horrible my life has been since then, how I can't beleive God would be so cruel to one of his children anything else that people say to try to defend their lack of acceptance. I thank God for my parents splitting up, it allowed me to be my own person. I started making graphic art for print and web mediums around age 13, just whatever my band needed. Now I'm here working on projects I couldn't dream of getting my paws on before. It's truely a great expirience being a follower of Christ : ). I'll post some more as time permits, we are so busy here. Oh and I am working on a new layout for the intern virb to launch probably by the end of the day. You will love it. Later! Chris Carter

One of those moments.

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:27:20 -0700

I had one of those moments yesterday where you realize that you'd rather be doing this for the rest of your life instead of making lots of money; it was really good. I love this. It's not a feeling, it's action. Each day I get to see God at work and it makes me realize that the money I make, or the lack there of, doesn't matter. No money, job, thing could compare to genuinely helping people. It's the easiest question I've had to answer all month. This is as much an adventure as rafting the Nile was. I've only been here a month and I still feel insecure in a lot of things but what is going on here at XXXCHURCH and DIFTED is something worth giving your life to it and I'm glad i did. The money still doesn't matter, God takes care of that stuff. I'll post more. about this story when it unravels. There were some emails that amazed me at how God took care of it all. Keep watching.

Ozzfest, a little intense.

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:25:05 -0700

Silence sounds so good right now. Man. Metal all day is what I do, but Ozzfest is new to me. It's like another language. Anyway our day went as follows. We showed up just as the Showdown was getting started. We've seen some good shows and hung out with some cool folks but these guys are too genuine not to want to hang out with. It's been awesome hanging out with Riley from the Showdown; that guy is legit. His passion to love people is so strong you just can't deny it. After we saw the Showdown we hung out and just watched the people interact with each other here and it definitely is a culture within it's self. We ate and watched the side show act, which at times is sad and at others is pure enjoyment of performance. It was crazy. Now we're getting ready to interview the showdown's lead singer David. It should be good. Something that has been getting to me that I've seen all over the place, not just here at Ozzfest but at all secular music festivals and events, is that women looking for attention get it in ways they should be. There was a point today where I watched as the stage was being changed over a guy onstage had four girls get up on four guys shoulders and make out with each other. The whole thing was greatly encouraged by the crowd. I've heard this written on numerous times but what I want to key in on is the fact that no one in the church, as far as I know, was here loving on these people who obviously need the love and acceptance they haven't found. The Showdown are guys who follow Jesus Christ and are out here because God has blessed them in this way and their approach to all this is something the church at large would frown on. They have lighters that have their name on them and have shot glasses that were provided for by a major beer company, just like every other secular band here. What makes them different is Jesus. They don't need Christian t-shirts. The people here at ozzfest don't need another person telling them what to do. They resonate so well with the lyrics of these bands because they're full of angst and a lot of the time anger. They don't need anymore upset Christians protesting. They need love. Yeah it doesn't look good on your Christian resume to be at ozzfest but who cares. It's where the people who don't know that they can be saved are. Those people are not at church. I heard the same guy who did the girls making out thing say, "so you guys didn't go to church today (agreement shouting)... well we have the church of ozzfest where you don't have to leave (more shouting)." People in this circle don't even feel like the church is something that would have them. And as pastor Marvin Williams said this morning, "for a long time the church has been blocking people from Jesus, and it's time to change that." It really is. I'm not ashamed of the beautiful bride of Christ. Not by any means but the majority of the church has been ignoring these people and no one pays attention to it any more. When two groups of people no longer even acknowledge each other than in a negative way it becomes more then just a gap. If our only goal in the world is to "go" and we sit, how are we ever going to reach any one? We need to step out. The first thing in going is a step. Step out even where things are taboo and uncomfortable. It's how things, real, tangible things get done.

Steve's Post Porn Debate Tour Thoughts

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:49:41 -0700

The Great Porn Debate Tour has officially come to a close. After serving the extent of the tour as the official "porn taxi," I am exhausted both mentally and physically. Each night after the debates and after parties concluded, I would drive from the night's venue to the next. One of these nights included Ron Jeremy sleeping the passenger's seat all of the way from Milwaukee to Chicago after a strip club appearance. He didn't budge. So the question one might ask is, why was Ron so tired? Now it was 3:30 am and it is reasonable that a person is tired at this time of the night, especially at age 54, but I think there is something more to it than that. He has no vision of it, no comprehension of it, but I truly believe Ron is extremely tired of the life he leads. The 4,000 women, the 1,900 porn films give him nothing when it comes to eternity. Ron will tell you that. He completely admits that porn leaves nothing to the world but short, cheap entertainment. I couldn't believe Ron telling Craig and I that the truest form of love is when a couple grows old together and can't live without the other person. He told us of the love Johnny Cash and June Carter had for each other and how Johnny, who was reasonably healthy, died shortly after his lovely wife. Ron Jeremy was telling us this is the truest form of love. Why? It's what he wants so badly yet it's what he is afraid of most. You see, people look at Ron and think, what a great lifestyle. He gets to bed these girls each night and can keep it fresh by having a different girl every night. If this life is so great, why is it he wanted to bet Craig's wife, kids, house, basically his life, on a game of ping pong? Sure it was a joke, but there's still a sense of seriousness behind that joke. Why would a porn star, the NUMBER ONE porn star of all time, want the life of a monogamous pastor? Because Craig's life has meaning to something bigger. Whether you believe in God or not, you cannot deny the fact that lives changed under Craig's leadership has great meaning to the rest of history. Transformation of lives cannot be denied. So as I am riding home to Grand Rapids after spending 7 solid days with the porn king himself, why do I feel as crappy and dirty as ever? I feel right now like I have experienced over this week some extreme levels of spiritual warfare. I don't use that kind of language. I am usually turned off when people use that vocabulary, but I can't describe it any other way. I really believe Ron is a genuinely nice, good guy. He cares about me as a person, and I really appreciate that. But Ron has been so deceived through his 29 years of porn that this sense of just darkness is covering me right now. I see a man who is so deceived that he can't really even admit that anything is wrong with what he is doing. I feel dirty. The husbands and wives who so desire pictures with him and the 18 year old girls who look up to him really hurts me. I like Ron. Ron is a good guy. But these people are looking to Ron for the shear fact that he is this iconic porn star. They love him for his role in porn. Love Ron because he is a person, not because he has starred in over 1,900 films. Love Ron for who he is in everyday life. A lonely, broken man. This is a bunch of jumble and I don't know if this makes sense at all. But if spending a week with Ron Jeremy isn't proof enough that porn will leave you empty, I don't know what will. Ron is empty. He is in need of something bigger than himself. Pray for Ron. Signing off. -Stephen the Intern

sorry it's been so long

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:23:38 -0700

well i'm heading down to a glorious thing known as campmeeting. now being from the south it is normal for a family that goes to church to pack up for a week and head to campmeeting. it wasn't until this internship that people have been completely foreign to this idea. "what is campmeeting?" one might ask...i'll give the best rundown i can of the campmeeting i attend, "indian springs holiness campmeeting." 50 weeks out of the year this small town of cabins is desolate. there is no one except weinke carlock, the groundskeeper (who does a mighty fine job). for 2 weeks, though, well over a thousand people come down to flovilla, ga to basically go to church. the best preachers come to preach, and people come to listen. this is where i lose people. i go to flovilla, ga to hear preaching. yes. but there's more. there's this strange sense of a community there. there are people i only see once a year there. we pick up right where we left off like it was just yesterday that we left. we play king of the dock in the lake. beach volleyball. ping pong (craig thinks he can beat me, but won't actually take me up on my challenge). and the best yet, my family runs the snackateria. never heard of a snackateria? that's because there is only one. we have the best hamburgers and cheeseburgers, hot dogs, nachos, fries, ice cream, and FRESH PEACH MILK SHAKES!! so after writing this, no i cannot explain what goes on at campmeeting, but if anyone ever wants to join me at indian springs holiness campmeeting, my family has 2 cabins. you are more than welcome.

ichthus and all things kentucky

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:18:30 -0700

a week in wilmore, ky can be compared to a week in the promised land. everyone talks like i do...everyone is on the same page as me...the joy of seeing family force five 3 times in 2 days is kind of a dream....rex the rabbit dancing on stage with family force on 2 out of the 3 is unreal (look out for rex on stage at all the festivals this summer)... the conversations i got to have were very good for the most part...there was a lot of recovery that was started on this trip...it is always an encouragement to get to plant a seed in that. the conversation that stood out more than anything was the woman who tried to convince me masturbation was okay (probably 45 years old). after i had shared my opinion and knew it was going absolutely nowhere, i told her, "tj actually knows a lot about the subject...why don't you go talk to him?" yesterday was a solid day...father's day snuck up on me (got my dad some yard tools)...father's day i spent more reflecting on who my father is than anything. tj is convinced that if you are a christian in the south, you go to campmeeting (a whole other story...will talk about it later) and you know greg rose (my father). my dad is an interesting guy in that no matter who your are, whther he has any idea of who you are, or if he even cares who you are, he will come up to you, ask you how you are, ask you where you're from, and thank you for your support of xxxchurch. i promise you people who came up to the xxxchurch booth when my dad was over probably thought he was an intern...he's 55. i'm down eating some dinner with my girlfriend's family at one point (wonderful time with her this weekend) and i get a call from my little sister...see craig just tells us to shut down the booth if we are ever away or want to go do something else...so tj and i shut down the booth for dinner at this point...this phone call from my little sister goes something like this..."stephen!! there were people standing around the booth and dad opened it up and is selling stuff!" cracks me up...upon reflecting about my dad, i realized he is probably the most genuinely friendly and happy people i know...the lord has blessed him with that, and he uses it to his advantage... everyone should know greg rose...and if you're a christian in the south you probably already do... solid..

It's about travel time

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:50:50 -0700

Tomorrow we're packing up the Porn Cruiser and heading to Wilmore, KY. The great music festival known as Ichthus is going to be hit up with the X3 booth, and the interns are manning it. Before I man it, however, I will be taking a young lady by the name of Chelsea out to dinner... What does that mean to you? Absolutely nothing. But since TJ plugged Julianna so many times, I figured Chelsea would not be too happy with me without a mention. Not really. But seriously. Thus far the internship has been phenomenal. I'm learning a ton and trying to get some work done at the same time. The thought of "teams of people" that TJ mentioned is absolutely true. The fact that xxxchurch is a small team of people working their butts off hit me when TJ, JR and I were in Craig's driveway putting together Porn Sunday kits. Isn't there a company that does that for us? A team of volunteers? Nope. It's JR and the interns in Craig's driveway...very interesting. Brandon has not ceased to amaze me with the amount of time he can spend in the bathroom...unreal. He is always the first one up and the last one in the office. I guess he's looking good for someone...not real sure who. This blog is going absolutely nowhere. With not one creative bone in my body, these blog posts should be interesting. If anyone has an idea of what I should write about, send me an email to stephen@xxxchurch.com ... I'm always open to ideas.

Twenty-seven Days

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:25:56 -0700

Twenty-seven days ago I graduated college. The evening after I graduated I got down on one knee and asked a young lady by the name of Juliana to marry me (She said Yes). Two days after that I packed all of my belongings and moved from Philadelphia, PA to Grand Rapids, MI to intern with xxxchurch. When I received the internship with xxxchurch I was pumped. I thought I would move to Grand Rapids and stay there for the rest of my life working either with xxxchurch or another organization in Grand Rapids. I was ready to move. Philadelphia was great but at the time I got the internship my life was frustrating and instead of confronting the frustration I thought I would just leave it and start over. Juliana and I weren't speaking and I thought things were never going to improve. Two months after I got the e-mail from Craig inviting me up to Grand Rapids Juliana walked back into my life. We began to talk and mend the brokenness that was caused in the past. My feelings of Philadelphia started to change. I started to see that Juliana was the one I was suppose to be with forever. My excitement for the ministry didn't change but my priorities were elsewhere. The weeks before the move I spent almost every minute with Jul and we talked about marriage and the move and her having two years of school left. Things were good, but that moving date was getting closer and closer. Then it came and I moved away from my fiancé to start a new job in a new place with new people that I really didn't know. I really had no idea what to expect of xxxchurch and when I got here I was surprised. I always pictured xxxchurch being run by teams of people. I thought there was a team of people updating the website, a team of people answering e-mails and a team of people editing videos. Upon arrival I was surprised to see that the teams of people I envisioned weren't here. Instead of teams of workers I found Craig, JR, Clint, Jeanette, and Brandon doing a majority of the work that it takes to run the ministry. It was a relief to see that in the middle of these giant Christian organizations there were people humbly working behind the scenes for the sake of Jesus. It's been inspiring and as I find my place within this group I only hope that I can find the same humble passion that is behind the xxxchurch name. So after twenty-five days of interning and twenty-seven days of lots of change I find myself in a place where I need to trust God. I need to trust him that the work I do for xxxchurch, whether important or mundane is advancing his kingdom. I need to trust that even though I am 717 miles away from Juliana God will keep her safe, and I need to trust that God really does love me and really does want the best for me. So far the experience has been great and I only hope that it continues to help me draw closer to the Lord.