In this episode of Clemenz With a Z, I’m doing something I haven’t done in a while: I’m talking about the good. Specifically, I’m sharing about the camp I grew up going to "The Swamp". This was the one place in my time in the church that truly felt like a safe space. A place where I was seen and heard, where I could be my weird, creative self without fear. This story isn’t just about camp—it’s about the power of being seen, the impact of adults who show up for kids, and the importance of creating those pockets of light in a world that can feel so dark. I hope you’ll sit with me as I unpack it, and maybe find a little bit of light and hope for yourself along the way.

Thank you for your support of Clemenz With a Z. Your support and your willingness to sit with these stories means the world to me—it helps keep these important conversations going. If you’re a member, were a member, or know someone who was part of the ICOC or ICC and you’d like to share your story, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach out at clemenzwithaz@gmail.com or send me a DM on Instagram.

And as always—if this episode resonated with you, please consider leaving a rating or a review. It helps more people find these conversations.

If you’d like to support the podcast financially, you can follow this link: https://gofund.me/7ebb0524

Or head to clemenzwithaz.com and grab a sticker or something cool from the shop—every little bit helps keep this going, and I’m truly grateful for it.

Until next time—remember: there is light, even in the dark places. And sometimes, it starts with one person showing up and saying, “I see you.” Peace.

This episode starts with a viral Instagram reel that’s been stuck in my head for days. In it, a pastor watches a video of a mom sharing how her son—just four or five years old—picked out a pink backpack. You hear the dad in the background, upset about it, saying he needs something more “boyish.” The pastor looks at the camera and says, “This is why we need dads.” But what does that really mean? Because when I hear that line, I don’t just hear a statement—I hear an old, familiar fear. A fear I’ve felt myself. A fear that showed up one day in a shoe store, when my own son reached for a pair of pink sparkly Vans and I almost steered him away. In this episode, I’m wrestling with that fear—the one that tells us to shrink, to hide, to protect our kids from the world instead of protecting what’s good in them. I’m talking about what color really means, how it’s never just about a backpack or a pair of shoes, and what kind of dad I actually want to be. It’s a conversation about masculinity, shame, freedom—and the healing we’re still called to do.

If today’s conversation stirred something in you—whether you’re a parent, a former kid who got teased for wearing the wrong color, or someone just trying to unlearn the fear you were handed—just know you’re not alone.

These stories matter. Your story matters.

And I’m grateful you’re here, doing the work with me.

You can reach me at clemenzwithaz@gmail.com or shoot me a DM on Instagram at the Clemenz With a Z podcast page.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to rate and review. It helps more people find their way to these conversations, and maybe find a little peace, too.

And if you’d like to support the show, you can donate at gofund.me/7ebb0524, or grab something meaningful from clemenzwithaz.com to help keep this space alive.

In this episode of Clemenz With a Z, I take a hard look at how fear-based faith and the obsession with the afterlife can steal the present from us—how it turns life into a constant performance instead of a real, lived experience. Using a gut-punch line from Frank Turner—“If you’re all about the destination, then take a fucking flight”—I unpack how Jesus’ own teachings and presence call us back to the moment, to the street, to the beauty of now. This isn’t about throwing away faith—it’s about reclaiming it from the systems that make it all about tomorrow, so we can finally start living today.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Clemenz With a Z. If this stirred something in you—if you’re beginning to question the constant striving, the obsession with the afterlife, or the idea that you have to earn your worth—I just want you to know: you're not alone.

I’ve been there. And I’m still here, learning what it means to stop performing and start being. To believe that maybe presence is the point. That maybe the Kingdom really is already within us.

If you're a member, were a member, or know someone who was part of the ICOC or ICC and wants to share your story—especially around what it felt like to live under all that pressure—please reach out. You can email me at gofund.me/7ebb0524, or grab something meaningful from clemenzwithaz.com to help keep this space alive.

Until next time, take care of yourself. Slow down. Be here. And remember: I’m just a channel. I ain’t the source.

Peace.