Donny's Ramblings

A few posts back I wrote about an upcoming Nightline ABC story that I was part of, along with XXXChurch. That segment was rescheduled for this coming Friday. Some asked, “What is Strip Church?” Watch this video to find out (it’s just a little over 10 minutes long):

[blip.tv ?posts_id=1516641&dest=-1]

EDITED TO ADD THIS:

I must have jinxed things with that who “so far no bump…” thing, because I received this email, which was sent to Craig Gross by Martin Bashir himself:

“They want to run the story on Dec 4th. Exec Prod. loves it but wants it for finale of dancing with stars.”

Last weekend I flew to Las Vegas to participate in a vision night with XXXChurch.  In the very near future, X3 plans to open Strip Church right on the ‘Vegas strip, and their vision is so unique Nightline wants to tell the world about it.

If you remember, the last time I was to appear on Nightline ABC we were bumped a few times by news from Hilary Clinton’s campaign.  So far today, nothing has bumped this segment that I know of. I’m not really sure how much footage they’ll use of me, but that’s really not very important… the vision of this new endeavor is what the world needs to see!

So.. tonight, turn on Nightline ABC and check it out!  Yahoo has your local television listings here.

FYI: I’m speaking in Miami 3 times tomorrow (and already did so twice today) if any Miami readers would like to come out and say hello. Service times and directions can be found on the Miami Vineyard website:

MiamiVineyard.com

After this evening’s service I was informed that Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the NBA’s Miami Heat, was in the audience tonight. For some reason I find that kinda cool.

I’d rather not call anybody “whacked”, but it seems to me that the “God Hates Fags” people are about as close as one can get, and I don’t really know how to describe them any other way. These are the people who, amongst other things, picket the funerals of our soldiers. They receive a lot of media attention.

Craig Gross from XXXChurch interviews Shirley Phelps-Roper, the founder’s daughter.

The first several minutes of this podcast is a bunch of boring geek talk, but Shirley comes on to rile some feathers at the 14 minute mark (00:14:00). Enjoy! (or not)

[audio=http://donnysramblings.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/dirtysecrets99.mp3]

I was surprised to learn that many of those in the group have advanced degrees, several being working lawyers. Interesting…

Just moments ago I wrote an email and sent it to a few friends. I wasn’t going to share it here, but have changed my mind. The subject line was God’s Back. In the body I wrote:

Believe me, I realize God didn’t go anywhere… that I’m the one who neglected my relationship with Him. The subject/title of this email simply reflects how I feel.

Months before I moved to Corning I felt God wanted me to stay in Redding. I moved anyway, because I was convinced that if I did so my relationship with Wendy would be restored and I’d have a family again. It turns out nothing could be further from the truth. At this point in our lives, Wendy and I can only stand being around each other for a few minutes. Thinking, or hoping, something is going to happen does not always make it happen.

In Corning, my spirit began to die. It didn’t fade completely, of course, but it sure dimmed quite a bit.

It’s only been a few weeks since I’ve moved back to the city I never should have left, and the difference within me boggles my mind. I feel God again. I feel like we’re communicating again. I walk with Him each morning along the Sacramento River trail, and the conversations we have sometimes make me cry. Inside I’m at peace again. Things I’ve worried about aren’t such a big concern.

In Corning, I knew He was there, but just couldn’t seem to reach Him as often or as deeply as I’d like.

Now I’m home, and He’s thrown a welcome back party inside my spirit.

I just wanted to share that with you.

- Donny -

JR Mahon, formerly a Pastor with XXXChurch.com and now the Executive Director for NEOChurch, was one of the friends to whom I sent the email. When he replied I clicked on the link in his signature to visit the NEOChurch Website. I then read the latest blog entry he’d written. I hope you are as touched by it as I was. It’s titled Great First Sunday and reads:

I was reminded Sunday why we do what we do… After a GREAT first NEOsunday service for which we are all very proud of and grateful, we had lunch. In Christian circles thats what you do after church, eat like there’s no tomorrow.

There was a guy sitting at the end of my table at lunch. I had watched this man show up early, help set up NEO and sweat if ya know what I mean while helping. I watched him lift things, move things and generally be helpful to anyone who needed a hand. He looked liked us, acted like us and worked like us. He was a blessing.

There he was again at lunch, at the end of a full table of people minding his own business until I started up. “Hey man where do you live?” I yell across the table. He smiled slowly and quietly made his way over to my chair. Bending down to talk with me he says, “I’m homeless, kinda in between things right now.” Imagine that, a homeless dude helps us move into our new church and I’m yelling across the table were do you live! Idiot!

We talked for about 15 minutes… his life, my life, our ups and downs, the next steps, the faith it requires to conquer sin in our lives. This guy had no air about him, no entitlements, no preconceived notions about us or his situation, he was a part of us and yet knew things most of us would never know or want to know. Like how to get a bed in a mission or simply survive day to day while rebuilding his life and faith and yet he showed up to NEO. He served so the Gospel could hit peoples ears and eyes. I’ve done a lot of church over time but this one moment had me speechless. He brought his faith to NEO. Not his cash. great car, stellar career, influence or great theological knowledge just his appetite to help and serve. He was real and in big need of a God who can and will take care of him every second of his life. I shuttered and looked at myself. Do I have the same appetite?

My new friend showed me faith… faith, that says showing up affords opportunity to serve. Nothing more, nothing less. It was pure in it’s lesson, and smacked of the bitter truth in my life. God is like that John Mellancamp song, “Hurt so Good” or in my life “Sucks so Right”

So… we started NEO on Sundays… all the build up, all the work, all the conversations about lighting, plasmas, children’s ministry, 23 year olds in Jesus costumes, steel things, coffee, greeting, rent for the school and sound systems couldn’t hold a candle to me and a homeless guy sitting at the same table enjoying each-other because God gave us saving grace. Thank God!

See ya all Sunday and thanks for making NEO home.

What an inspiring story.

—–

Here are a few photos, taken with my iPhone, from the Sacramento River Trail, along which I walk at least 6 miles each morning:

Heart Support, which is an online community support group for those struggling with various issues such as addiction, suicidal thoughts, depression, eating disorders, and other struggles, has been nominated for a Myspace Impact Award.

The winner of this award receives a sizable donation from Myspace. I’d like you to take 15 seconds of your time to go vote.

Click the graphic above or click here and vote for Heart Support.

Heart Support is a team up of several people you may already be familiar with, including XXXChurch.com and Jon Bell (for those who don’t know Jon, he’s author/pastor Rob Bell’s brother).

Vote, please!

I stumbled across this video over on Craig Gross’ blog. I gotta share it with you! Craig was traveling with Ron for the Porn Debate tour and writes:

So, we were catching up on things, sharing where we had been most recent and I mentioned that I was at a Christian conference the night before with a band. He then says….”I love that Christian Music.”

So, I had to pick up my camera and the rest is below.

We listened to the Chris Tomlin and Steve Fee albums cause I don’t have any Michael W. Smith on my Ipod or the Time Life worship album. I will try and track those down for our two debates next week. Look for Ron and I at a worship concert soon. I will make sure he stays awake.

Good stuff. And the ending is hilarious!

XXXCHURCH.COM SITE REDESIGN

The new xxxchurch.com site redesign has been launched. Click here to check it out. I had a blog called “the Industry” located on their site, but since I only updated it once every month or two Craig decided to simply link to this DonnysRamblings.com blog instead. Craig and I talked about having an RSS feed from here that would automatically repost articles to XXXChurch.com but I don’t see it so I guess that idea was scrapped. There are several new columns on the site written by numerous others so check it out. And leave them COMMENTS. Those of us who write really get a big kick out of your feedback. That means you’re reading. That means we’re not talking to ourselves.

HACKFEST – MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008

To explain what Hackfest is, I’ll quote Craig Gross:

Once a year we gather together and try and raise some money for the ministry. We do this by playing 100 holes of golf and none of us our golfers. Each of the staff will assemble a team. We’re playing 100 holes of golf in one day and the goal is to raise $25 a hole. You can start by sponsoring yourself at $1 a hole, that’s a $100 donation from yourself, then ask others to do the same. If that means getting 24 people to donate $1 per hole each, 5 people to donate $5 a hole, whatever… It’s up to you. You don’t have to collect the money. All you need is an address, phone or email from the person so we can contact them and collect. This is where those booklets will come in handy. ALSO, if you’re not living in the Grand Rapids area, we will fly you here, put you up and feed you.

Since I like to be flown in, put up, and fed, I’m looking for sponsors. I’m taking Craig’s advice and sponsoring myself for $1 per hole. Which means I’m invested a hundred bucks.

The goal is $25 per hole total, so I need 24 more sponsors at a buck a hole or… well, I’m sure you can do the math.

If you’d like to sponsor this hacker, please email me and let me know what address/phone number to put on file for XXXChurch to collect from later. I need your help, and so does XXXChurch.

Besides… I hear Rob Bell is going to be there. I want to golf with Rob. Really badly. And I’m not gonna stop buggin’ y’all until I’ve reached my sponsorship goal. Seriously.

Roschel Wynn modeled for me when she was 19 years old. Yesterday I interviewed her for this podcast (which is also going to be released on the XXXChurch podcast as well as Jason Harper’s Triad Podcast). She wanted to share her story, her experiences.

Beginning with a shoot that incorporated both photos and video content, her first job for us was for a Playboy owned website. She also modeled for a handful of amateur sites that purchased content from us. Even though she did all “solo” work and never touched another person, the work she did for us still affects her to this day.

Roschel reads this blog, so if you’d like to say something to her feel free to leave a message.

This audio interview lasts 33 minutes, 16 seconds. You can listen here:
[audio http://donnysramblings.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/donny.mp3]

Or download the file here:
Right click and save to your hard drive…

I’m flying home from Orlando, Florida at the moment.  The GPS map on the seat in front of me says the plane’s path will soon cross the Oklahoma/Kansas border and continue slightly south of Pueblo, Colorado.

Last night Craig and I watched the Nightline Debate from our hotel room, not long after receiving an instant message from a friend letting me know that someone on a porn message board had started some “board drama” about me.   It turns out a former business acquaintance of mine, a man named “Lightspeed” Steve Jones, offered a $100 reward, payable instantly via paypal or similar payment option, to the person who could find a particular discussion thread I started a few years ago , a little over 7 months before surrendering my life to God, where I told my fellow porn colleagues that I had an “Evil Plan to Go Mainstream” where I’d become a Christian and make a career out of fleecing the Saints.  Steve thought this would be a fun bit of information to pass along to X3 and ABC, as if it would derail the message Craig and I shared on Nightline’s Face Off.

Craig’s response?  “Tell us something we don’t know.”

Because the thing is, this has never been a secret.  For years I’d rant and tell people that I was going to con Christians.  It was a fun thing to laugh about while plastered from alcoholic beverages at parties.  I used to say a lot of really hurtful, stupid things.  I spit venom in the faces of Christians all my porn producing career, and said things much more horrible than the message Mr. Jones offered payment to find.  At one point I even told my “Evil Plan” to a XXXChurch staff member during a conversation at their booth at a Las Vegas porn convention, mocking them and telling them Christians are gullible and stupid.  I did the same with dozens of other Christians with whom my path crossed during my years of ultimate rebellion.  If only I’d been reading the message board where Steve made his offer a few moments after he posted it, I’d be eating sushi with his money tomorrow.  I’d have given him the link he wanted rather quickly.  Think he’d have paid up?

There are still a handful of people who read this blog and have been constant readers since before I became a Christian.  I’m sure you remember my rants against Christianity.  Even the very night before finally asking God to take control of my life I posted a message about how Christianity was a bunch of crap based on ancient greek myths such as Dionysus and Mithra and questioned how anyone could believe such garbage.  If you’ve heard me speak, the “ancient myth” post was made during the two week time period I talk about where I’d offered God a deal, informing Him that if He answered all the questions I had about Christianity I would dedicate my life to serving Him.  As you know, He didn’t take me up on the offer of surrender on my own terms.  But once I came to Him anyway I’ve since found many of the answers I sought.  The “Greek Myth” answer came courtesy of books by Rob Bell and Lee Strobel, along with a lot of prayer and time with God.

I enjoy sharing these things.  It excites me to see how much my mind has been rewired by having a real encounter with the Creator of the Universe. In fact, even during this morning’s Porn and Pancakes event, Craig read the very letter Steve Jones paid to find.  You get an “A” for effort, though, Steve.  And I still like you despite what you may feel about me.

—–

The church hosting P&P this morning had a great atmosphere and the men who attended were receptive.  I love talking to people afterward.  LOVE. IT.  I can’t speak for Craig, but the feedback we receive really fuels me and reassures me that we’re doing the right thing.  One man walked up and said, “You have no idea how much we needed this!   God really spoke to us today.”  Even though we hear the same response over and over all across the country, it never gets old hearing it.

Some of the men also shared with me their personal struggles with porn.  One young man told me he has contemplated suicide in the past due to guilt he’s felt and that he’s had trouble with it since he was in the 6th grade.  A group of us discussed how we can still remember the very first pornographic images we ever saw.  They are forever burned in our minds.  My first porn exposure, for example, was a magazine abandoned in a park near a friend’s house.   I still remember the words used to describe what was going on in the pictures.  None of these things are new stories.  At a past event, one man even admitted things his porn addiction led him to do, and it was rather shocking even for me.  Sadly, for many consumers, porn is progressive.  It’s not like a person can “just” look at “this” type of porn and be happy viewing the same thing forever.  The same ol’ same ol’ gets boring quickly, and it takes something new to satisfy.  That’s why XXXChurch mentions porn taking you places you never thought you’d go and keeping you longer than you ever thought you’d stay.  Getting conversations started is a good step toward overcoming problems.

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but when Craig and I debated Ron Jeremy and Nina Hartley at Ohio State University back in October I was really shocked at how “behind the times” Ron Jeremy seems to be.  Even after filming more than 2,000 adult films, he doesn’t seem to be aware of what’s really going on in porn.  I’ve heard him mention some of the more “kinky” porn (his term) as if it’s not really very prevalent.  At first I thought he was just saying that to try to prove his points, but I have come to believe that he really doesn’t fathom how hardcore porn has become.  When told what’s “popular” amongst porn consumers these days, he scoffs as if we don’t know what we’re talking about.  I haven’t viewed any of Ron’s most recent work, but I’m beginning to wonder if he just plays the same roles he’s always played.  He doesn’t seem to comprehend that porn has moved in a more hardcore direction.  Or maybe he does and he fakes a lack of knowledge really well.  I dunno.  I don’t think so.  What I can tell you is that Craig Gross is very correct when he says the research Ron uses during debates is pre-internet, and jokingly adds that it’s older than Craig himself.  

When I was in the porn world and kept in communication with other producers and webmasters on a regular basis, it seemed as though some groups always wanted to “one up” each other by “raising the bar” to new levels of depravity.  I have to admit that what used to turn my stomach early in my career didn’t bother me by the end of it, and as each “new” trend rolled out I was not in the least bit shocked.  Once in awhile I’ll hear about something new going on in porn land and it still doesn’t shock me.  I just kinda shrug my shoulders and don’t give it much thought.  I guess I’m a bit jaded.  I don’t know if I should be saddened by that or if it’s just a fact of the life I’ve lived.

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There has been some great feedback coming in via text messages, phone calls, email and myspace to both Craig and I.  Thank you to all who have taken the time to contact us with your thoughts.  And I’d like to send a special “thank you” to Craig Gross.  You really showed Christianity in a favorable light during that debate and you were definitely very articulate in getting your points across.  Thank you for inviting me along, both for the debate as well as these P&P events.  You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.  I believe you and all the staff of XXXChurch are really doing God’s work.

We’re crossing the Rockies now.  The air is getting pretty turbulent.  I’m shutting down so my computer doesn’t keep bouncing into the lap of the passenger beside me.

Until later…