Heather: We’re here with Stephen Baldwin on VTN Carbonated. We’re going to ask him a few questions. How are you doing today?

Stephen Baldwin: I’m pretty gnarly. How are you Heather?

Heather: I’m good, I’m really good. What was the pivotal moment in your life that made you get serious about your faith in Jesus and what made Him relevant to you?

Stephen Baldwin: For me personally it was like the whole year after my wife came to faith first, that I started to really kind of get serious, because I saw the amazing transformation that she was going through. And then it was actually the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that were kind of the straw that broke this camel’s back. You know, 9/11 was an event that I thought was like…something that was a total impossibility in my lifetime, you know. So for me that was the big wake up call.

Heather: Cool, and what have you discovered or learned through your involvement in Livin It?

Stephen Baldwin: Well, I’ve learned that there’s a whole younger generation out there, you know and…your age, even younger and maybe even a little older, that are hungry for God, you know what I mean? They want to know God, they want to know the things of God; it’s just that nobody’s given it to them in a way that they can connect with - you know. So we’re stoked that Livin It is this very anointed, blessed ministry that God is doing. Not Stephen Baldwin or The Luis Palau Association. We give all the glory to God, because He’s the one doing it.

Heather: And what has the response been like from the generation your reaching?

Stephen Baldwin: The kids are stoked. The kids are really digging what we’re doing, you know. They love skateboarding and… you know times have changed. You know those days where these old cheesy Christians that are telling us, you know, that you can’t be hardcore for Jesus and be on a skateboard or have a tattoo or be a Christian hip-hop artist, you know. Those days are gone. You know this is a new movement for Jesus Christ here in America.

Heather: How has the church response been when you bring Livin It into town?

Stephen Baldwin: It’s been totally positive. You know we did the 2005 skate tour with about 24 cities - Little Rock Arkansas here, being the last stop for the ’05 tour. We have 340 churches requesting the tour for next year.

Heather: Wow.

Stephen Baldwin: So it’s just…you know we never could have done that on our own, you know. That’s a God thing.

Heather: Not many people pray to Jesus as dude. Do you encourage the youth that you minister to to make prayer a personal experience between them and God?

Stephen Baldwin: Well, yeah. You should make it a…definitely a personal experience as much as you can, but…you know I think that there’s just a lot of people that are just hung up about prayer and again I think there’s a whole lot of kids out there that really don’t understand how to do it, you know. I’m not encouraging kids to call Jesus dude, but you know what…if there’s people out there, if there’s kids out there that have to start their prayers that way, and say you know…’Lord Jesus, you know, dude.’ It doesn’t matter. God knows your heart, you know. I think it’s a little bit more respectful to refer to Him as The Lord Jesus, but I think that the important part of prayer is that kids give it a try. It’s really just a conversation between you and God. So just have that conversation. That’s really what it’s all about. When you first start trying it, it may seem a little awkward or weird, but God will start speaking back to you and you’ll know.

Heather: How do you recruit the riders? Do you seek them out? Do they find you and say ‘Hey, I want to be a part of this.’

Stephen Baldwin: Well, all the guys involved right now. The skaters from The King of Kings Skateboard Ministries are guys that we made the first Living It skate video with. We have a whole new line up of guys in Livin It L.A., which is the second installment of the Livin It skating video series. We’re recruiting new guys all the time. Obviously, on the tour we’re meeting new young kids, hot skaters and you know if you’ve got a love for Jesus and can ride a skateboard send us an email at LivinIt.com.

Heather: What kind of impact do you think Livin It is having on how people & the church think about ministries?

Stephen Baldwin: Again this is another one of the incredible blessings and bonuses that we’re seeing with the Livin It skate ministry. You know a lot of older folks are getting this video and watching it with their kids and enjoying it. And it’s open doors of communication not only in the church, but within families as well. So, it’s been… unilaterally and multilaterally it’s been a blessing in many other ways. And churches…I think we’ve seen something like 300 skate ministries grow up in the last year or two as a result of the Livin It skate tour and the idea of using skateboarding as an outreach and ministry.

Heather: What about other ministry outlets like movies and music? Do you think they’re being utilized to their full potential?

Stephen Baldwin: No way. Not yet, but there gonna be. Since Mel Gibson and The Passion of the Christ, I think we’re going to see a lot more doors opening for kingdom expansion in the media.

Heather: What does the church need to do to make sure it stays relevant to today’s generation and culture?

Stephen Baldwin: Be willing and able to take risks. Be innovative. Be radical. We’re in a time right now where the culture is distracted by so many things of the world, so be relevant by taking risks, trusting the Lord, staying true to His word and God’s gonna honor it.

Heather: Why are you doing this (Living It)?

Stephen Baldwin: I’m doing this, because God’s doing this and I just want to be obedient to God, you know. For me, there was never supposed to be a Livin It skate tour. So for me…I’ve got a front seat on the roller coaster ride that the Holy Spirit is doing, which is reaching out to a new generation. We’re going to see a great revival coming to America as a result of reaching this culture, the skate culture, here in the U.S. It’s going to be awesome. And right now we’re on the cutting edge of that and God’s doing it, we give Him all the glory and we’re excited.

Heather: Where do you see Livin It in 5 years?

Stephen Baldwin: You know that’s a question I can only answer humbly, I have no idea, you know. Livin It could be whatever God has in mind for it to be. I mean, it could be the next biggest global youth ministry. I really believe that that’s possible, but I’m taking it one day at a time. I’m just letting God drive the boat here, and He’s in charge so…every time I do it Stephen’s way or I get out in front of God, He slaps me back a little bit so I just want to give Him all the glory and let Him be in charge.

Heather: What’s next? Are there more ‘hardcore’ outreaches being developed?

Stephen Baldwin: Well we have 5 Livin It books coming out. We have a new distribution deal on the videos coming out. We have a big merchandizing deal coming out and …you have to understand - I’ve been in Hollywood 15 years, this isn’t about money. This is about connecting with the youth culture for Jesus Christ and that’s what we’re trying to do. So for me, yeah, we’re partnering with all types of new ministries and trying to promote all types of new ministries - so be on the look out for this new revolution.

Heather: Rock on.

Stephen Baldwin: It’s gonna be hot.

Heather: This has been Heather and Stephen Baldwin at the Livin It tour…