Thanks so much for helping me! ~Nathan
One of the best things to me about the blogging community is the wonderful friends I have made over the past few years. These sweet women are motivated, love the Lord and want to have an impact through their inspiring messages.
Because of you and my sweet friends at Themobsociety.com (mothers of boys), Nathan reached his goal. I was in Dallas for an interview, and couldn't be present at the party, but checked my phone constantly to see what the Lord was doing. It was pretty exciting for our family to watch the amounts grow!
Thanks so very much. Thought you would want to see this article as written on the mobsociety's blog. I so appreciate each and every one of you who were of so much encouragement.
A Facebook Party Recap {Interview with Nathan Clarkson}
Did you hear the news? This incredible BoyMom community had a HUGE hand in helping our own MOB Writer, Nathan Clarkson fund the beginning stages of his incredibly powerful film project, Confessions of a Prodigal Son.
Yesterday afternoon, the Kickstarter campaign hit the $10,000 mark and it’s still climbing! If you didn’t get a chance to jump on board, you’re not too late — you can donate, share the link with friends and family, and pray for the work that God has already begun with this project!
As part of our celebration, we hosted a special interview with Nathan on our Facebook page last night and had such a fun time connecting with our wonderful BoyMoms! In case you missed out on the festivities, we wanted to showcase the interview portion of our evening with you here — we hope you’ll find encouragement and hope as Nathan shares his journey of being an “out-of-the-box” boy and the incredible work God has done in his life as a result!
Nathan, you represent a sense of hope to our BoyMoms because so many of them are dealing with out-of-the-box boys just like you. We know you dealt with ADHD, ODD, and OCD growing up. What are some things you might say to our moms to give them hope for their own out-of-the-box boys tonight?
I think maybe first to realize that being out-of-the-box isn’t something simple to deal with, but rather it’s something to celebrate! Somewhere along the way I had to realize that God had actually made me like this! I’m sure my mom and all you moms out there, sometimes worry how to deal with us OCD, ADHD, ODD boys, us sometimes being a little out of hand. I’m sure it can feel helpless sometimes, but I think once you realize that God actually created us this way (the way He actually intended), You will start seeing your task less of “dealing with disorders” and begin to see your amazing job as guiding our gifts and helping us become the best men we can be! Also, as far as hope goes, I see now in my life that all these things are often considered disorders in places like a classroom. Now, they are the strengths that have enabled me to be doing what I’m doing — to live an out-of-the-box life!
Here’s a beautiful quote from your mama, Sally Clarkson: “Read as much as you can about any issues your child may have so that you can know how to neutralize issues. When I understood my OCD children and that they could not help being the way they were, I knew it was not a discipline issue, but a capacity issue.”
It was so helpful for me to have a mom, who not only put up with, but understood what I was going through. Oftentimes, the things that make us different are the things that can make us feel lonely and want to hide. But having a partner (my mom) in the game with me, enabled me to cross any bridge I came across. I had a teammate. That’s all we need.
Nathan, we love what you share about the reason you were able to turn your heart back home after walking away for awhile. Tell our moms how they can make their homes a place their boys want to come back to.
To this day, no matter where I go or what I do, I have my mom’s voice ringing in my head. It follows me into every kind of situation and choice I make. It’s not a voice of judgement or one listing off rules, but rather it’s the thousands of times she would look up from a book she would be reading and say, “Nathan, you are a Hero, just like the one we are reading about,” or “Nathan, no matter where you go or what you do, I will always love you,” and “Nathan, I am your best friend and champion, I will help you become whatever you were meant to be,” and “Nathan, God has made you to be His man, don’t ever forget that.” I think that all of us find ourselves wandering away from what we know is right. But as I would find myself in places or situations I knew I shouldn’t be in, I would begin to hear the words my mom had spoken to me thousands of times. Not condemning me, or looking at my mistakes, but reminding me of who I was made to be, calling me back to the hero I had inside of me. I always knew that no matter where I went, I had a home that had arms to fall into when I couldn’t stand and voices reminding me and pushing me to be the man I was made to be.
God gave Nathan a dream to tell stories in Hollywood with a redemptive edge. Growing up, how did stories impact your life, Nathan and how do you think God uses them today? Stories have the ability to inspire us, make us think, push us, and remind us who we were meant to be. Since I was young there were stories of heroes being read and shown to me, whether it was Superman or the great emancipator William Wilberforce. I began seeing myself in their stories and emulating the kind of heroic lives they had. Unfortunately, most of the stories now are simply inspiring us to live “how we feel,” pushing us towards a painful life apart from God and His perfect plan with the guise of “freedom.” I think now, more than ever, good stories are needed to bring light into an ever darkening world. Stories that show truth and remind us of the people we were meant to be!
Speaking of stories, tell us the story behind the movie you’re making, “Confessions of a Prodigal Son.” Why is it so important for the boys of our generation?
I think The Prodigal Son is a story that we can all identify with, it’s a story of redemption that we all crave and need! I think today, we live in a generation of Prodigals — not bad or evil people, just a generation lost in the consequences of trying to live life alone and without God. I think this story is the amazing picture of what God does for all of us, He reminds us that we are His, takes us back into His arms (no matter where we have been), and helps us become the people we were meant to be! Who doesn’t need to hear that story?!
As we concluded our evening, Nathan shared that his team is currently working on a website for the movie and a unique site called, The Prodigal Wall. This wall of stories will be a place for people to post their Prodigal story or leave a prayer request for one that needs to return home. Nathan hopes this will be a space for prayer, encouragement, and hope! To stay up-to-date on all the details of the film and related projects, be sure to head over to their Facebook page,“Confessions of a Prodigal Son” and click the “like” button.
The amount has now grown to: $11,240 and will be used, with accountability, to get the project started. We will keep you abreast of what happens next!
We ended our party with this question and we’ll ask it again here:
What do YOU most relate to in the Prodigal son story?
I would love to hear what you mamas love about this story--I think we are all prodigals and Jesus is looking for all of us to return to him.
About Alle
Most people run on food, sleep + strong coffee to get through their day. We're pretty sure Alle's energy comes from pure shots of creativity(although, she'd never turn down your offer for a Coke)! Her heart is fullest when she is being an image-bearer of the Ultimate Creator with her design work, writing, + music. Her day-to-day is filled with old children's books, large doses of refrigerator art, life-giving music + the world's best cuddles from her two favorite little people, Augustine + Caedmon. She prays that by infusing her messy-but-beautiful nest with worship + creativity, they too will learn to become followers of the King. With a passion to see the online conversation filled with the redemptive work of Jesus, Alle has partnered with her husband, Nate at Finding Eden where they document their creative journey as brand builders, blog designers, + story crafters for bloggers, ministries, + creativepreneurs.
Thanks, Allie, for writing this article!
Just got back from the airport and I think I will sleep tonight! Friday I will write about Desperate!