Risen Magazine Spring 2013

$6.95 USA • $7.50 Canada

American Idol’s Danny Gokey FAITH, FATHERHOOD, AND STARTING SOPHIA’S HEARTLynn VincentBEST-SELLING AUTHOR TACKLES HEAVEN, HEROES,AND HUMAN STRUGGLE Rick TakahashiSURFING SENSATIONSERVES OTHERS

Spring 2013

faith hope love

The BibleMARK BURNETTSurvivor and Shark Tank Creator

Produces NewMiniseries

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Miracle Lisa Nichols Motivating the Masses

Outreach Aaron Treadway Spreading Hope Through Soccer

Q-5 Cheri Keaggy Life’s Journey is Expressed Through Her Music

Dwayne Johnson His Dad, Decisions, and the Dangerous Drug World

Oz: The Great and Powerful James Franco, Zach Braff, Mila Kunis, and Sam Raimi

Sound Muisc Notes Tycho, Two Door Cinema Club, Angus Stone, Niki and the Dove

Expressions Faith On Tour The PGA Guys that Play and Pray

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contents

interviews >> departments >>

spring 2013

Danny GokeyMaking an Impact with His Music and Opening His Heart to Help Others

Rick Takahashi Surfing & Serving Others

Mark Burnett & Roma DowneyMaking the Bible a Reality

Lynn VincentFrom the Battlefield to Best-Selling Author: Heaven, Heroes and Human Struggle

Robby DawkinsHealing, Heaven, and Spiritual Warfare: The Power in Prayer

Planetshakers The Heart Inside this Australian Band

As this issue was coming together the theme that kept presenting itself was that of serving others. Finding joy, displaying love, and changing circumstances permanently are the results of someone being willing to humble them-selves and meet another person’s needs. Former American Idol Danny Gokey showcases this selfless quality in one of the best ways I’ve encountered. His wife unexpectedly passed away and he decided to use the insurance money to start Sophia’s Heart, a non-profit in her name that helps to heal the hearts of families touched by poverty, sickness, and broken homes. He uses his fame and singing abilities to give back and continues to look for opportunities where God can use him in the lives of others. Surfing sensation Rick Takahashi and soccer stand-out Aaron Treadway are two men using their talent within sports to serve others. With seven national titles, Takahashi trains youth while coaching high school and

has started a surf ministry to share the Gospel. Treadway travels the world talking about Christ through the setting of professional soccer. He never dreamed he’d end up a “soccer missionary,” but nothing could bring him more joy than that of serving in a sport he so dearly loves. A funny thing about serving though is that while it appears to be work, and often requires hours and hours of time, somehow the one serving always get blessed in the end. I challenge you to serve someone and then never do it again… you won’t be able to… there is an addictive joy that comes from knowing you were able to make some-one else’s situation a little bit better.

Editor-in-Chief

“If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.” – Mother Teresa

PUBLISHER :: Allan Camaisa

EDITORIALEDITOR-IN-CHIEF : Kelli Gillespie

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS :: Mei Ling Starkey, Henry Ortlip, Samantha Baer, Shelley Barski,

Kelli Gillespie, Nikki Jimenez, Patti Gillespie

COPY EDITOR: Patti Gillespie

ARTART DIRECTOR :: Rob Springer

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ::Henry Ortlip, Rob Springer, Guy Mokia, Casey Crafford, Joe Alblas, Chris Hollo, Christopher Hughes Ellis, Craig Mason, Kailey Seymour, Kristin Barlowe, Julie Bergonz Photography, Complete Music.Video.Photo Nashville, Steve Dieti

MULTIMEDIAWEBMASTER :: Brett R. Schoeneck

PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCYFocuscom Inc :: [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF MEDIA DISTRIBUTION :: Jess FierroEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RISEN PROJECT :: Megan Camaisa

PRINTED :: USA PUBLISHED :: San Diego, CA

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Risen Media, LLC5715 Kearny Villa Rd Ste. 108San Diego Ca 92123Tel: (858) 539-5650 • Fax: (858) 430-3150 [email protected]

The views and opinions expressed by the subjects interviewed are not necessarily those shared by the publisher or staff of Risen Media, LLC. All inter-views remain the sole property of Risen Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Risen Media, LLC.

Copyright © 2013 “Risen” is a Trademark of

Risen Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Cover Photo :: Guy Mokia

Photo: Kristin Barlowe


dream and desire to sing led Danny Gokey to a fi nal spot in the popular competition of American Idol. But the journey get-ting there was woven with the sudden death of his fi rst wife and more heartache than he thought he could endure. Th rough

it all, Gokey captured the hearts of millions of Americans and he’s quick to say that he did it through his faith. Now nearly fi ve years later, with a second album soon to be released, this talented singer sat down with Risen to talk about his foundation that helps homeless families and reaches out to youth with after-school programs, the joy of fi nding love again, and becoming a father. All exemplifi ed with a humbleness rarely found in the music industry.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in Rocklin, California

Risen Magazine: Let’s go back to your childhood. You are one of six kids. What was your house like growing up and when did you develop a love for music?Danny Gokey: My dad would play the guitar a lot and write. We grew up singing together, sitting around the living room and the kitchen table. He would write songs and make things fun. For instance, if we didn’t want to go to bed or school or do something, he’d make it fun with a song. [Imi-tating his dad on guitar Danny singing] “We’re going to bed right now, bed right now, (beat…beat…shsh shsh…)why? Cuz we got school tomorrow, school tomorrow…early.” And when my sister didn’t want to learn how to turn the shower on… “I wanna learn, I wanna learn…how to turn…the shower on…,” and by the time music was involved it helped motivate us. Dad would do it like that for things we didn’t want to do to help motivate us. Th at’s where we got started and all eight of us [including mom and dad] sang in front of the church.

RM: Did your dad work in some music capacity at the church? DG: Nope. He was involved because we liked to sing, or tried to sing. I have no idea how we sounded, but everyone said they liked us. RM: Like the von Trapp family!

DG: [Laughter] Yes. I would love to see a whole family sing too. I also sang in my youth group a little and at about age 20, I [moved] to another church and it was there that I really started to use my voice and develop it.RM: Did you watch American Idol (AI) for the fi rst seven seasons and think, “I’d really like to try that?” How did your auditioning come about?DG: Actually, it was the seventh season that I watched. My fi rst wife was really into it and watched it all the time, but I couldn’t because I was work-ing a lot. I was doing praise and worship at two churches on Sundays and week nights, and drove a truck during the days. When we fi nally got a DVR and could record it, I got into it. It was during that time that Sophia [wife] and I agreed that I was going to go on it… it was going to be my chance.

RM: What was the process of competing on AI like for you? Do you think the competition is the same today or what has signifi cantly changed?

DG: I think it is the same in a lot of ways. But you know, after watching all of the newer shows that have come out, there are some in better formats, like Th e Voice, which allows you to work with the judges one on one. We didn’t get to work with the judges, we had voice coaches, [and worked] mostly with people in the industry; those who were behind the scenes. But the show [AI] is very popular and very good…I think it is the same.

RM: Ok let’s go back a bit. When you were on American Idol, the show highlighted the then-recent death of your fi rst wife, Sophia, which was ob-viously very diffi cult for you. You made a decision to compete before she passed away, so was your audition before she died? DG: No. I had made up my mind In February-March of that year [2008] to go for it. I talked to my pastor and other parishioners, because I was very committed there [the church]. He [pastor] gave me his blessing. We were ready to go and Sophia went into the hospital in the end of June and ended up passing away July 9, from surgery complications. So there I was, it was very unexpected. I was faced with a choice, do I go or not? Because you know, if I had had another year to recuperate I would have done it, but at the time I was 28 years old and that was the cut-off age; but it was a good place for me to be and the show really helped me. Sophia passed away one month before the audition which was on August 8th.

RM: I did watch the show that year and there was a lot of press and focus about that story on it. You did an amazing job.DG: Only by the grace of God.

RM: While on American Idol, you got to work with a lot of artists. Who would you love to collaborate with?DG: Well, maybe Brian McKnight or Michael McDonald, and there are

Writer: Patti Gillespie

Making an Impact with His Music and Opening His Heart to Help OthersDANNY GOKEY

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Surfing & Serving Others:

urfi ng sensation Rick Takahashi holds seven national titles, he helped Team USA win a silver medal for surfi ng, and recently took sixth place in the world. But he doesn’t just stand on the podium; he takes that platform and uses it to help others. Even

in the midst of being on track to break the National Scholastic Surfi ng Association (NSSA) Masters Division Title, Takahashi still fi nds time to coach high school surfers and serve the beach community. Risen caught up with Takahashi to talk about mottos, mindsets, cliques, and serving the surf community.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine in San Diego, CA

Risen Magazine: How did you get started in surfi ng and what do you hope your career continues to look like?Rick Takahashi: It’s been almost 27 years! I started late considering how early kids start now. I was a freshman in high school and started surfi ng because we [my friends]were skating all the time. I lived in Santee, Califor-nia – which is not close to the beach – so I had to hustle rides to the beach all the time. All of my friends were surfi ng and I didn’t have any friends to skate with anymore. It started out just as building relationships, hanging out and having a good time with my friends and it just grew from that and has stuck ever since. Currently, I’m on the USA Team. I am about to break a record this year, God-willing, if I don’t get injured in the next three events. We have a division on the USA team that is 50 years old and up, so techni-cally I could still be on the team even when I get older. At my age, if I just stay healthy I can excel at what I do. If I have an injury that takes me out of surfi ng, then I will contribute to the industry in another way. Th e end is a mystery, but it’s an awesome road to see where God leads me.

RM: Because you didn’t live near the ocean, when you fi rst started surfi ng, you weren’t accepted right away. What advice do you have for others who face criticisms or challenges when pursuing their dreams?RT: It’s pretty hard. I coach [surfi ng] at La Jolla High School also and I see how it all works and how people are accepted. Th ere are people on the surf team, people trying to get on the surf team, and people in the crowd who the others want on the team because they are in the clique. It was like that at my high school too. Growing up in East County, I wasn’t in the surf community. I wasn’t hanging out everyday at the beach so no one saw me. Th e fi rst piece of advice I would give them is to put God fi rst. Because when you do that, everything else is going to be fi ne. I wish I would have known that when I was a kid instead of trying to be the best. Th e best is going to come when you put God fi rst. Our focus is so much on us excelling instead of God letting us excel at what we do. It would have made it so much easier if I would have put God fi rst and had the perspective that if it’s meant to happen, God is going to make it happen. Th ere are plenty of contests that I did where no one knew me and it didn’t matter because ultimately, I’m going

to Heaven if I win that contest or not. If I would have had that outlook in the beginning, and had my faith, then all of that wouldn’t have mattered to me at all. You have to build your relationship with God fi rst and everything else is secondary.

RM: You are part of the USA Surf Team and recently competed in the ISA World Masters Surfi ng Championship where you took sixth place in the world and helped the United States get a silver medal. You also have seven National Championship titles. With all of these amazing accomplishments, how do you keep things in perspective?RT: I used to take pictures of myself on the medal podium and once in a while I still do. Last year, I had a perfect season so I wanted to remember it visually. Th e diff erence is though that when I wasn’t saved I would celebrate these things. Now I give all glory to God when I achieve these accom-plishments. It is not ours to gloat about. I have this opportunity to share the Gospel with people who aren’t saved. Instead of being like the football player who points to the name on the back of his jersey, my hands are up pointed to God. Before, I used to come out and talk about what I had done in the competition. But now that I know that I didn’t do anything, it keeps it all in perspective. I thank God for using me to have this platform to talk to kids and share the Gospel. Th e accomplishments are great and I am on track to break a record. People ask me what I am going to do after I break this record and I keep the perspective that I am just padding the record so the next person can break the record, because it will be broken. It still means something and I still set goals, but all of these goals can only be accom-plished with God. It’s easy not to celebrate these things when it seems like it is God-given. So I am thankful for these things and I have to recognize that it is only because it’s his will.

Writer: Mei Ling Starkey




hat do you get when you combine Mark Burnett, producer of Survivor, Th e Voice, Shark Tank and other successful reality TV shows with actress, Roma Downey of Touched by an Angel? Th e answer: an extremely talented married couple pas-

sionate about using their gifts to inspire others and make the Bible come to life. Th eir new television series, Th e Bible, airs on the History Channel and features stories from Genesis to Revelation. Risen talked with them about how they handle critics of their work, dispelling misconceptions about faith in Hollywood, and their hope for their upcoming project.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine

Risen Magazine: How did you come to faith and what has that looked like as you each navigate Hollywood?Mark Burnett: It’s such a funny question, because it makes the assumption that most people in Hollywood have no faith. I come across people in this business everyday that have lots of faith. People assume that Hollywood lacks faith, which I hope is not the case. When I spoke at Catalyst West a year ago, I was sharing about Th e Bible and I remember people coming up to me saying, “Th at’s so cool. Th e guy who makes Survivor and Th e Voice is a Christian.” I said, “What’s so weird about that?” Th ey said, “You just don’t think that people who make good TV could be Christian.” If you think about it, some of the greatest written word and visual art in history were made by Christians… C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. It’s an interesting reoccurring question though because people assume that when you are in Hollywood, people in the business don’t have faith. I think that’s a misnomer. I don’t think that’s true. I think some people don’t, but a lot of people do. RM: I think what you shared will actually help others to understand that there are people in Hollywood that do have faith and help dispel that mis-conception.

MB: Roma and I have collectively made thousands of hours of highly-rated, top-level television, but I would say Th e Bible is our best work ever col-lectively. We love the Bible. We love that it is God’s love story for us and I think we’ve told it in a really exciting and compelling way so that you can emotionally connect with the story. People who may need to reconnect with the Bible or have never even read it, can enjoy it and maybe will want to connect with it. Because in the end, the Bible is beyond a sacred text of faith, it is the underpinning of our society; it’s the foundation of all of our law. So, Th e Bible is a very important project. I think it could do very well not only in terms of viewership, but spurring on more biblical projects, which I think could be a very good thing.

Writer: Mei Ling Starkey | Photographer: Casey Crafford



Risen Magazine14L to R: Mike Webber, Liz Webber, Rudy Nikkerud, Sam Evans, Joth Hunt, Joe Vatucicila


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Risen Magazine: Only being able to piece together bits of your personal story, can you share what your childhood was like and how you came to know God?Sam Evans: I was 16 years old, and two weeks before Christmas my dad packed his bags and left. It was quite a devastating, shocking experience for us all. I remember my mom came into my room, and it was really early in the morning, the sun hadn’t even come up yet. She was crying and woke me and said, “Sam, Dad’s left. Dad’s gone.” Th at was a really devastating moment in my life. I didn’t know Jesus personally at the time. We were a religious family I suppose, because I grew up Catholic and we would go to church every week, but God to me was distant. After my dad left, I en-tered into my fi nal year of high school. So that particular year became the most tumultuous year of my life. I was trying to get my high school diploma and get into college, but all the while hurting. So I tried all sorts of things to dull the pain and every weekend I would be at a diff erent party with friends, drinking and doing all of those sorts of things you turn to when you just want to numb the pain. Of course it wasn’t work-ing. You can feel happy for a little while, but wake up in the morning with that same heartache. During this particular year, my Auntie began to talk to me about a personal relationship with Jesus. It was a week before my fi nal exams and she came to my bedroom and said, “Sam, do you want to ask Jesus into your life?” and so I just said, “Yep.” I’d tried it all and it was just not working. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed next to my Auntie praying this little prayer, “Jesus come into my life. Take away my pain. Take away my sin.” As soon as I started praying, I was bawling my eyes out. I hadn’t cried. I had really tried as hard as I could that year to shut down any emotion. I couldn’t cope with the emotion. So it was like a fl ood of tears and I just felt physically like this burden lifted off my shoulders. He [ Jesus] came in. And as soon as that happens, it’s like you see the world in black and white, and you thought you were seeing it in color, but you weren’t. From that moment it was like my eyes were opened and I knew he was real, he wasn’t far away anymore… he was loving me. I haven’t looked back. God has taken every pain and every heartache; he’s amazing.

RM: You’ve just made this decision, and I think many get to that point and have an encounter with God, but then you don’t know exactly what to do next. What did the following steps look like in your life? SE: Of course I didn’t know any better so I still kept going to Catholic church as a faithful religious person, but I went there and thought what I experienced in my bedroom, wasn’t there [at Catholic church.] I started to

search for the same feeling I suppose and that’s when my Auntie talked to me about going to a diff erent church. And of course for a Catholic, if you go to another church, you’re going to hell. [Laughter.] I went to this little Pentecostal church, maybe a half-hour from where I lived, and then had the funniest experience, because Catholic church is so quiet. You walk in and everyone is whispering, it’s just real quiet. So I go into this church and nearly fell over to see that they are clapping in church, there is a live band, and it was like a culture shock. But inside, I came alive. Th is is when I started going to this church every week and this is what started to grow my hunger

for God because every time I came into that building with all of these people that have had a similar experience as me, we’d wor-

ship, and listen to the word [Bible], and that’s when it just started to grow. Th en someone at the church

talked to me about devotions. I was like, “What’s devotions?” I remember they gave me a little

encouragement [book], “Every Day With Je-sus.” So then I started doing the devotional book, and then I did “Every Day With Je-sus” and a journal. It just started to grow and I started to write to the Lord. And my journal is really a letter to the Lord; I just talk to him. Th e next step was to get involved in the church. I thought, “I love kids”, so I’ll give helping out with the

kids a go, and I remember the pastor also saying they needed someone to help with

words. You know what I mean, help with the overhead projector. I thought, “I think I can

do that.” So I would take it in turns. One Sun-day I would do children’s church and I’d work with

the 3-year-olds and another Sunday I would be doing the overhead projector. I was hopeless at it I’ve got to tell you. Trying to

line up those words [on the transparent paper,] I was always off . [Laughter.] But I think that involvement as well helped me grow in my relationship because then I’d be hanging out with people all the time, or be part of a leadership team, and they would disciple me, so that’s all part of the growth in my relationship as well.

RM: Because you came to know the Lord later in your teen years, you prob-ably didn’t think, or aspire to be a pastor. So how did you handle the idea of

usband and wife team, Russell and Sam Evans, founded Planetshakers band with a passion to unite generations worldwide through worship. Both pastors at Planetshakers City Church in Melbourne Australia, the vision started with a 300-person

conference in 1997 and has grown into tens-of-thousands of people and 25 albums; including songs like Th e Anthem, which is a popular worship song heard throughout Sunday morning church services worldwide. Risen sat down with pastor and worship leader Sam Evans to learn about healing heartbreak, getting into ministry, and overcoming rejection.

Interviewed exclusively for Risen Magazine at the Planetshakers Conference at the Rock church in San Diego, California

Writer: Kelli Gillespie | Photographer: Rob Springer



The enemyalways targets yourgift. He doesn’t bother with stuff you’re not good at, or stuff you’re not called to do. He’llalways targetyour gift.

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Risen Magazine Spring 2013