Posts Tagged ‘Courtney Clark Cleveland’
Get Your Umbrella!
HOW’S IT GOING!?!
Seriously, is Revolve almost here because I miss your faces. Real bad.
Okay, so we were in the middle of talking about what it looks like for YOU to be a good friend. This fall I want to suggest four ways that you can do this. If you missed the first one – check it out!!!
So #1: ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.
How’d that go? Did you have a moment where you realized that your friend trusted you with something special?
The thing about asking good questions is that then people might start sharing some really personal things about themselves. When this happens, you have a choice to make – you can hold that information and care for it or you can tell a whole bunch of people about it.
That brings me to my next suggestion.
#2: BE A SAFE PLACE
Sometimes it may seem like everything is all fine and sunny when actually life could be raining really hard on your friend. They may be looking for a break or some relief; you never know. Offer her your umbrella.
The thing about an umbrella is it doesn’t stop the rain or make the clouds disappear, but it does provide a shelter from whatever storm your friend might be in.
Being a safe place means being trustworthy. A place where your friend knows she can be herself and share whatever she is going through without judgment. Sometimes it means just being a good listener. Sometimes it means inviting her over to your house for a chilled out sleep over – you know, a simple pizza and a movie kind of night.
To be a safe place for your friend, all you have to do is ask good questions and listen for their response. You’ll know what to do. Just reach for your umbrella.
Where Is Courtney This Wednesday?
Courtney Clark Cleveland is missing her buddy Chad Eastham.
Where are YOU today? Download one of our speech bubbles and take a picture of what you’re up to today, then upload your pic to our Facebook page!
Courtney Clark Cleveland on Friendship
So summer is over. My guess is you are either SUPER EXCITED about starting school or FULL OF DREAD. Lets be honest, there may be few things more exciting than organizing new school supplies in your brand new backpack. But on the other hand there may be few things more dreadful than hanging up your swimsuit and trading your lazy summer morning for a blaring alarm clock.
Either way you’re feeling, one thing is for sure . . .
School IS starting.
So let’s focus on the positive—you get to see all your friends you’ve been missing all summer!!! Or have you not really been missing them? Hmm . . .
Here at Revolve, next to questions about boys, we get tons of questions about friendship. So much so that I thought this fall I would devote my blogging to the subject.
Friendship can be tough, huh? You get annoyed with each other, they hurt your feelings and never return the clothes they borrow. And you always feel misunderstood.
I think the thing about misunderstanding is sometimes we fail to understand where our friends may be coming from. We are always seeking to be understood and never doing the understanding.
But friendship can be so great too! You laugh till you can’t breathe, you have the best heart to hearts and you borrow each others clothes.
We need friends, but more than that we need GOOD friends.
You’ve heard it said, “To have friends, first you have to be a friend.” I’m not sure there is better advice than this.
So how can you be sure YOU are a GOOD friend? I want to suggest 4 ways over the course of this fall that will help you become a better friend, as well as tackle one of your questions about friendship.
This month, lets work on one thing:
#1: ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.
And genuinely want to know the answer.
Most people love talking about themselves. Questions are a great way to get to know people and show them that you care.
When we show people we care about them, they tend to share their stories. And when you know people’s stories you almost always can find a connection. And when a connection is made a friendship is born! Ha! If only it were that easy, huh? Well, at least it’s a start. 
A good question I received this week was:
Can I have friends who aren’t Christians?
My answer—you not only can, but WILL you, please! Probably one of the greatest ways we can be a friend to people is to show them the love of Jesus. I think too often we judge people and we think we have them figured out. We don’t take the time to ask them GOOD questions to find out why they might be mean to others, wear those clothes, why they keep to themselves, or party like crazy. I’m not saying you need to spend every second with them (spending every second with any one person is a bad idea) but eating lunch with them at school or a random trip to the mall is always a great way to get to know somebody.
All I’m saying is get to know people. Learn their story.
What are some good questions? I’m so glad you asked. 
Here are some examples:
- What do you like to do after school?
- What is your favorite school subject?
- If you had to choose between having one best friend and a room full of acquaintances, what would you choose?
- If you could travel to ANY place in the world, where would it be and why?
- Tell me about your family—Do you have brothers and sisters? Have you always lived in this town or somewhere else? Have you grown up in the same house?
*Notice all of these require more than a yes or no answer; they all require you to listen.
Try asking some good questions this month and see what happens. Check back in September for my second suggestion on how to have great friendships.
I’m here for YOU always. And as far as your relationship with me goes—ALL questions are good questions.
That’s just how good of friends we are.
The 411 For This Week On RevolveTour.com
Nicole from the Revolve Tour gives the 411 on what will be happening this week on RevolveTour.com.
And More Stories . . . from Courtney Clark Cleveland
STORY #2
A few weeks after I got home from Africa I volunteered for a week at a Young Life Capernaum camp. A camp dedicated to kids and young adults with disabilities. This week was one of the greatest privileges of my life (although I did not know this going into it).
Before this week, I had never really had anything to do with people who had disabilities or special needs. I just didn’t know how to relate or what to say. Of course, I would never be ugly or make fun, and I try not to stare, but be their friend?! Uh, that might be asking too much.
But what I learned this week was that you CAN laugh with them and you CAN talk to them just like normal. They want to be accepted and loved just like me, just as they are.
I was struck by the similarities of Africa and Young Life camp:
- Both places were full of uncomfortable situations.
- Both places were full of language barriers.
- Both places give the BEST hugs and have the most GENUINE smiles. Because both places have the same core desire that I do, our life experiences may offer us different perspectives, but deep down our desire to dream, be loved, have friends, experience triumphs and hurts – IT’S THE SAME.
And God started to shake the comfort out of me. I met a girl named Koren.
She is trapped in her body. Her central nervous system just doesn’t work. By all intensive purposes, it appears like nobody is home. But somebody is at home. She’s absolutely brilliant and so desperately wants to be treated with respect. I spent some time with her one afternoon and afterwards had to go for what I like to call a “cry walk” with God begging for forgiveness for how I have ignored or been too uncomfortable to care.
Even the time that I spent with her I had to force myself to stay. All of her body language said, “Get away from me.” But I had to trust that what she had TYPED was true. That she desired to hug me and respond well but her body didn’t allow it. I had to force myself to talk to her like a 29 year old and not a baby. I had to force myself to simply sit and be with her. And I’m so glad I did.
I interviewed her so that you guys could meet her. I hope you enjoy and soak in what she has to say.
Jesus tells us – “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Well, doesn’t that make SO much sense!!!
Pavis and Koren have FOUND LIFE in the midst of what many might perceive as LOST LIFE.
Meeting Pavis and Koren gave me perspective. It might seem like God has allowed some really bad things to happen in their lives, but I’m encouraged and in awe of how they have responded despite what’s in front of them.
Neither of them said, “Oh, it’s been so great!!!” or “I’ve NEVER been mad at or questioned God.” They just love Him. And are continuing to simply wake up each morning and live for Him.
I’m not saying that Koren or I or Revolve have the right answer but it helps to get some perspective that I hope pushes us closer to wanting to engage with God. To not stop asking the hard questions. To keep wrestling with Him.
We won’t ever be able to have all the answers but my hope is that we scoot a little closer to trusting Him with our lives.
STORY #3
And just to finish strong – the day after I got back from camp – I fell down the stairs and here I still sit nursing my swollen ankle that won’t heal because I won’t stay off of it.
Stories . . . from Courtney Clark Cleveland
IT’S SUMMER!! The smack-dab-middle of it actually. And boy is it HOT! I’m in Texas, where are you? If you are at the beach . . . I’m jealous. We love seeing where you all are on WEDNESDAYS here at the ole’ RevolveTour.com – so don’t forget to tell us tomorrow!
Hopefully you are finding some time to relax and enjoy a snowball here and there. In the meantime I thought I’d share a little bit about my summer and tackle one of the questions we get often.
THE QUESTION: “Why does God allow bad things to happen?”
You know, something light and easy.
It’s a tough question and let me say right here and right now, I’m not saying I can answer it, but I was hoping that through sharing a few encounters I’ve had this summer, maybe you’d find some encouragement.
STORY #1
I went to Zambia in June with Hoops of Hope to deliver some backpacks that many of you helped us raise money for by shooting hoops. (Thank you so much btw!!!)
One of the moments that impacted me was meeting a volunteer caregiver named Pavis and her baby girl Joy.
Pavis volunteers her time once a week to visit Monica, who is HIV positive, and provide her care. It is such a long walk for Monica to get to the clinic. It’s a very long walk for Pavis, as well.
Pavis is a mom and a farmer. It’s not like she can hop in her car and run a few quick errands. And it’s not like Pavis has a ton of resources herself. But once a week she straps baby Joy onto her back and heads to Monica’s village to love her.
I asked her why she volunteered so much of her time each week to care for Monica.
She told me, “I lost both of my parents to HIV. This is just my way of giving back.”
Oh.
So let me get this straight.
That’s a really bad thing that happened to you. Losing both of your parents.
And you are choosing to love others and serve out of this tragedy that happened to you.
Hmm . . .
(More stories coming soon!)
Courtney Clark Cleveland Is Back!
World Traveler. Revolve Host.
Courtney guides us through the weekend with enthusiasm and style.
About Courtney . . .
Last year she traveled the country in an RV, then went global (but not in an RV). Whether she’s in Africa or the OC, this coffee-loving southern girl is always on a mission.
