Monday, July 21, 2008

from the Clark-ives: twu wuv and youth pastowing

123 comments:
 
Part II in a historical series about we the Clarks. You can read Part I here.


We got married in August of 1996. I was 17 and he was 18. My parents went to the courthouse to sign me away, and to the poorhouse to pay for the wedding. Fortunately, they made trips to the poorhouse and back all the time, so within a few months, they were rich again. Until the next round, anyway. RIP Cal Stanley, computer extrordinaire but a little weak on the bookkeeping.

We were doing youth ministry and didn't really have any desire to go to college... to us, it was a stepping stone to a career and we already had the job we wanted, ministering to kids. We have never regretted that decision.

We set off on married life and very quickly landed amazing jobs making lots of money. We were 18 and rich (for teenagers, anyway) and we lived in an apartment by ourselves. We were pretty giddy.

3 months after we got married, we brought home a kitty, and then a 16 year old. Andrew was estranged from his family.. he got invited to our home group (one of our kids invited him to a kegger, little did we know. He said he just kept waiting during the prayer and worship for somebody to break out the beer...) Both Andrew and the kitty (Chopper) lived with us for the next several years. We were working full-time, and doing youth services and home groups and it was crazy and busy but so fun.

We were either the same age or 2-3 years older than the kids we pastored... I got "carded" at more youth pastor functions than I care to remember. The pigtails and knee-high socks probably didn't help with my street cred.

Around this time, kids were just flocking to our youth services. It was a sovereign thing. We did very little promotion and no games. Just worship and preaching... and God showed up week after week and blew us all away. I quickly got an education in dysfunction. These were hurt kids, messed up kids. They were 14, 15 years old and in many ways on their own. My heart expanded and I LOVED them all. Even the ones who only came one time. I would look at them with their smeared eyeliner and scarred arms... and just see hurt little kids. They were beautiful. I miss those kids.





We gave ourselves body and soul to serving those kids for the next 3 years. During that time, Richy started writing songs... we had a hard time finding anything that really expressed our hearts and the movement, so he just started writing. More on that later.

We actually youth-pastored for 7 years, but I will stop here around the 3-year mark, because... 3 years into our 5-year plan, we discovered we were expecting our first mini-Clark!

Part III here

123 comments:

  1. man o man
    a blog before noon
    i am impressed

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  2. what ever happened to andrew

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  3. Wagonshoot married and divorced.....Misty?

    child?

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  4. The wedding I remember...my hair was so curly that day I was sporting a 'fro...chi-mex's and fro...not so much.

    B

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  5. Andrew is remarried with three kids... we haven't seen him in years

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  6. I am so glad to hear that......

    I love Andrew......

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  7. is andrew still in the conroe area
    just wondering
    making small talk
    getting the blog movin

    blah blah blah blah

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  8. Blog moving info


    Dolly in the Gulf headed towards Brownsville

    I need rain but my poor riding lawn mower...

    O no

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  9. Dolly is expected to strengthen and make land fall Wednesday.......first rains might be felt tomorrow evening in Houston area


    God news for us......Cuz Mercy and Madi and Wes and Em are all swimming tomorrow.....

    We need the rain to stay away for just a little longer.


    These 4 kids spent the first 5 years of their lives together....and everyone is very excited about our plans.....

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  10. hi jessica! i have my account back now lolzzz

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  11. how r u??? those r really cute pics of u and richy whenever u were ypunger

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  12. i mean whenever u were "younger" ha ha ha lolzz. hey like my icon? zac efron. i wounder wut my mom would say about this...

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  13. I think your mom would be ok, considering her icon used to be Tom Cruise...

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  14. What a dreamboat... too bad he's NUTS

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  15. lmao means laugh my @$$ off!

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  16. i like using lmao better its kooler!

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  17. Tom cruise huh... when mercy saw that u said that..she made her icon tom cruise lolzz.

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  18. ok im gonna change my icon...lets see wut my mom will think of this..

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  19. this icon is even HOTTER! mom did u hear that?!! wah ha ha ha

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  20. awwww mercy thats sooo nice of u! so r u.

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  21. im probably neva gonna change this icon and username wah ha ha ha!

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  22. sorry jess..me and mercy r fighting on UR blog...

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  23. he may be short but hes not a wimp he could beat up your tall person.

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  24. riiiggghhhhtt...like he can do that...

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  25. now this guy is hott!!!!!!!!!!! he could KILL zachary quinto!

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  26. nachoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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  27. both of you jokers need to put radiant on your favorite music list, or I will personally come to Texas and destroy you.

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  28. y is pete there all of a sudden out of nowhere?

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  29. ok i put hideous radiant on my fav music!

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  30. madi i was just being random!

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  31. hi mommy if ur there! luv ya! we only got 20 more minutes on the computer...

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  32. its robert redford time!!!!!!!

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  33. mercy, u change ur icon a lot...im keepin mine..even how much my parents say that im a dork!!!

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  34. i'm right here listening to your ridiculousness

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  35. jack coleman jack coleman jack coleman!

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  36. hey wut do u know?! its the glasses guy er jack coleman!

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  37. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  38. i saw those cute young pics of u and richy when yall were just widdle kids lolzz

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  39. we were older than you, whippersnapper

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  40. i bet ur gonna make 100 comments!!!

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  41. were gonna make 100 comments today!

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  42. ha ha ha i know! oh and whimmpersnaper is such an OLD word no offence. just kidding (jk)

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  43. whippersnapper was an old fashioned word back when bedste was a whippersnapper. I am awesomely retro.

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  44. ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! mercy showed bedste that lolzz!!

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  45. ok im changing this right now!

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  46. OMG MERCY! spock is sooo hideous! my spock is cuter! im dead.

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  47. woops...i forgot to change my icon when i waz talkin bout rocky lolzz

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  48. im the heavy weight champion of the world!

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  49. wow we r over 100 comments ya know!

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  50. woops i forgot to change my stinky icon again!

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  51. u r NOT nacho lebre ya know!

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  52. thats better goodbye jessica bedste is forcing us to go 2 bed!

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  53. oh my! i wondered how you got almost to 100....and then I see.....

    ello ercy and addy....

    love you gals!

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  54. hey only rocky sats ya know!

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  55. Radiant so ROCKS.......................

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  56. goodnite jessica! we have to go 2 bed now..luv ya and i will talk to u tomorrow..

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  57. hey jess. the 1 that says "cruisy" is bedste talkin on mercys thingy lolzz! radiant is a hot band by the way...

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  58. thanks... we are so HOTT OMG

    nite

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  59. Andrew is remarried with 3 kids. A set of twins!! He's doing good...too bad things didn't work out with us. But they DID work out! Love you Jess....

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  60. I love you, too, Missy. You have a beautiful family :)

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Jess here: if Blogger gives you problems, just click "Anonymous" and sign your name. Roll with the punches, folks...

 
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