Bear Grylls and How He's Changing Everything

Mission: Renaissance

Bear Grylls is mostly known for performing outrageous stunts and eating disgusting foods in his survival series, Man vs. Wild, which I frequently bring up on this blog. A while ago he suffered some weighty criticism when the media labeled him a fraud and blew the reality behind his show way out of proportion. While the negative media attention was pretty strong, Grylls handled it well and was honest with people about the "behind-the-scenes" life of filming an outdoor survival show. To make a long story short, it takes 12 days to film an hour's worth of adventure, and he generally spends 2 of those 12 days literally "surviving" in the wild. It is television, after all. There are liability concerns and logistics to deal with.

Luckily, he recovered from the conflict and so did Man vs. Wild, which continues to put out quality episodes on the Discovery Channel.When push comes to shove, the quarrels about authenticity and production techniques are really beside the point. The show is designed to entertain, and while he can't vouch for the television executives, Gryll's motivations are sound and noble. Bear Grylls is the real deal, a man concerned with the future of children across the world. His show has inspired hundreds upon hundreds of young people around the world to venture into the unknown again! And these days the "unknown" is as close as the backyard. Grylls, the new "Chief Scout" in the UK, is a role model for children (and some adults! can I get a show of hands??). It also seems, as time goes by, Grylls becomes ever more comfortable discussing his Christian faith, which you can witness in the video below. Here is a guy - incredibly famous - yet giving the glory to God... and on national television!



I will never forget the episode when he is stranded on a plateau somewhere in the wilderness of Patagonia, sheltered behind a rock. The stars are out; it is windy and nearly freezing; and he's got a fire going. Alone, he pulls out the hand held camera and talks about his faith in God and how nights like this one remind him how small he is while also revealing how big his God is... As he says on occasion, he "cherishes" these experiences and looks to God for his strength.

In the next video, Grylls talks about his new book series for young adults, which gets me very excited! Not that I intend to read them - although I wouldn't rule that out necessarily, because I imagine they are pretty fun! - but it so encouraging to hear him talk about these books, what they mean to him, to children, their focus, and what he hopes they will accomplish.



In this technology driven culture (exhibit A, right?) we need more people like Bear Grylls. We need to inspire optimism and activity. We need to get young people (and ourselves) outside, away from the computer screens (MUST-BLOG-LESS, UGHH) and into the fresh air. There is so much joy to be found in the simple things of this world.

Thanks, Bear, for reminding us.

Manventure: The Motion Picture

November, 2007

Shenandoah National Park, VA ~ the Appalachian Trail

Humpback Rocks

Music: "The Last of the Mohicans," original motion picture score by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman

Behold the Grandeur of the World

God's Grandeur

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;					5
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;					10
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

~ Gerard Manley Hopkins

Behold the Mighty Mountains!



And the Vast Oceans!



We live in a world that was purposefully created by a God with power beyond our comprehension. He did it for His own glory and for our deep enjoyment. He formed the mountains and filled the oceans. He angers the volcanoes, gives speed to the wind, and unleashes the floodgates of Heaven to water the earth. The boundless mysteries of the world are a powerful reflection of His majesty and character. This planet is full of wonders. Every day we must try to find the glory in Creation. While we may not live among the mightiest mountains or the widest oceans, Creation surrounds us, and God is in it.

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

~ Romans 1:20

Prelude to Adventure

"For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."
~ Psalm 95:3-4

God must delight in surprises, because He sure is full of them. While I'm sure it pains Him to watch His children suffer when their plans fall apart under the weight of His superior plans, I'm sure He also finds great joy in knowing what is best for His children and acting upon it. While His purposes are rarely clear in the beginning and while we may suffer - torn, at times, from our hopes and dreams - His will is ultimately better, and because He loves us, we are left better off in the long run.

These are the thoughts I often turn to when I reminisce on the adventure that transformed my life. In December of 2005, I was a junior in college and still bent on my high school dream of writing a novel. Long ago, I had worked everything out in my mind. I would write a story of unparalleled inspiration, tearing through traditional expectations, and, upon graduation, I would already be a best-selling author. I felt it was my purpose. My primary aim in life seemed the fulfillment of this dream. But it was getting harder to accomplish as I became distracted and confused. To make matters worse, I was losing interest. As I desperately clung to my teenage aspirations, like a sailor to the mast of his sinking ship, I became frustrated...then angry. Why had God led me down this path only for it to end in failure? I felt defeated and lost. I had spent so much time and energy... and for what? What was I supposed to do now? By the end of 2005, I was distant from God, unsure of His faithfulness and unsure of my relationship with Him. Little did I know, He was never far.

One day, I got a phone call from an old friend. "I think it would be really cool to get the old crew back together for a camping trip on New Years," said my friend, Rich. "We'll hike to McAfee's Knob and spend the night. It'll be like old times." The idea of spending some quality time with my old friends, The Nightwalkers, interested me more than the idea of backpacking, but it was more than enough for me to commit. I had not camped, let alone backpacked, in a long time. I didn't know if I'd be up to the challenge, but Rich assured me it wouldn't be a difficult hike, and everyone would be out of practice. And although the hike was a little tough - since I was way out of shape - it ended up being totally worth it. We reached the Appalachian Trail shelter ahead of schedule and made camp, our Scout skills resurfacing as if we had never lost them.

It felt good to be doing something. To set up a tent, pick up firewood, light a stove, get dirt on my hands. The air was crisp and clean with a little bite as I breathed through my nostrils. Leaves crunched beneath my feet, and the chilly mountain breeze gently stung my skin. I felt inspired... alive! This experience - the outdoor experience - was new to me all over again. That night we made a scorching fire and crowded together, cupping bowls of steaming brunswick stew. It was good to reconnect, to talk and laugh in the still and quiet of the night. I remember a satisfaction I had not felt in a long time.

The next day, we shouldered our day packs and began the climb to McAfee's Knob, Roanoke, VA's most photographed landmark and Appalachian Trail hot spot. Again, I struggled but succeeded. We reached the Knob, and I stood, amazed. Only once in my life could I remember a view such as this. While staring across the wintry, Virginia valley, I realized how much I had taken for granted, and the ache of my heart told me what was missing. In this moment, I found myself caring more about the present reality than any fictitious moment I could create. The granite cliffs were real. The drifting clouds were real. Me, standing on the mountaintop... real.

And in retrospect I attribute this experience to God, the Creator of those mountains. The Annual Nightwalker Trip (which it would ultimately become) at McAfee's Knob laid a seed. In little time, I became enthralled with the natural world. I could feel its power and testimony. It both amazed and perplexed me. I felt drawn to it, and so began my great love for outdoor adventure. But more importantly, it was through the outdoors that God spoke to me. For so long I had been making plans, uninterested in His own. Then, when things fell apart, I fell away. Now, I look back on my first, true, outdoor experience, and I can see God pursuing me. I can see God's hand in the mountains, how He conceived and shaped them. Being as stubborn as any man, I needed a strong example of God's strength and faithfulness, and He delivered with His Creation... Of all things.

My life has changed in many ways since 2005. God has fostered in me a great love for the outdoors. I care very deeply about peoples' interaction with nature, especially America's children, and I want to share my appreciation for God's splendor, depicted perfectly through Creation. And I still write, only now with a different purpose.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
~ Hosea 6:3