Ever eaten camel stomach intestines?

Through it all, he says in an interview with Relevant Magazine, what drives him through all of these tests and trials is his faith in the Person who made him:

Grylls’ childlike nature comes to bear in his faith as well. He uses words and phrases like “home” and “being held” to describe his relationship with God. And when you ask him what it means to be held—what it feels like—his answer is both simple and profound.

“What does it mean? It’s about being strengthened. It’s about having a backbone run through you from the Person who made you. It’s about being able to climb the biggest mountains in the world with the Person who made them. ”

I first heard about Bear’s faith when I saw a commercial he did for the Alpha Course. This article however gave more insight into his personal faith and what it means to him during all of his adventures.

The tests you face are likely quite different from the sort of challenges Bear faces on “Man Vs Wild”, but likely they are no less trying on your soul.

What tests your faith? And how do we seek God’s guidance to continue along the path that He has set for us, despite the tests that we face?

“Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

If you are facing tests and trails, and would like someone to talk with about it, please contact a mentor today, or if you don’t mind sharing publicly, you can always share below in the comments.

Image source: Wikipedia

In the past, celebrities like movie stars or sports heroes carefully constructed their public images.

Recently William Shatner (better known as Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek series) shared his struggles publicly for the first time:

At 79, the Montreal-born Shatner remains a beloved and seemingly unstoppable force in Hollywood … But despite fame, fortune and wide-ranging creative opportunities, he revealed Tuesday night that it has been a difficult journey.

“My life was a series of pools of loneliness [from] which every so often I was able to emerge with some companionship, and subdue that dreadful feeling that had dogged me for much of my life,” he said. “And frequently even with the kudos I was receiving, I was not happy with the private part of my existence. But slowly I changed. The drill that life puts you through can make you or break you, and fortunately I became more comfortable with relationships and slowly evolved in reaching out to friends and family.” (Globe & Mail)

In some ways it’s easier for stars to expose themselves this way: They are already public figures, and they have audiences who are ready and willing to accept whatever they reveal and offer their support. It almost seems to come with the territory of being a celebrity that airing your dirty laundry publicly is accepted, and won’t hurt your career. For average people with families and employers to worry about, that isn’t usually an option.

If you are going through difficult struggles, and would like someone to speak with privately and confidentially who can sympathize with the challenges you face, please contact a mentor today to talk about it with a caring listener.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “What Do I Base My Self-Worth On? ” on June 28 at 10:30 am EDT Please join us to discuss where you get your confidence from.

Jesse James (the West Coast Choppers CEO, not the 19th century outlaw) was thrust into the spotlight after it was revealed that he cheated on his wife, actress Sandra Bullock, with tattoo model and stripper Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. Public sympathy was not on his side, to put it mildly. In a recent interview, James referred to himself as being “the most hated man in the world.” In the same interview James admits he cheated (“Vicki Mabrey: You cheated on your wife. / James: Yup.”) and attempts to provide an explanation of why he cheated on “America’s sweetheart”:

“I grew up with a huge amount of shame and fear and abandonment on my shoulders from a very young age and I think … the way my mind rationalized [cheating on Bullock], ‘Well, you know, I might as well do whatever I can to like run her off cause she is going to find out what I am anyway and leave me anyway,’” he told Mabrey. He broke down, in particular, when noting that his own daughter is now the age he was when his father broke his arm. What he learned in rehab, which he checked into after news of the scandal broke, was simple, he said, and he repeated it often: “I think I do things to sabotage my life.”

The comments on the article are definitely a mixed bag. One lady (who just may have issues of her own) calls James “worse than Hitler”, which is more than a little exaggerated! Most others share some measure of sympathy for him while still condemning his actions. One thing I didn’t notice during the interview was an apology; not to the public, but to his wife. I admit that I have a personal bias; I had a Sandra Bullock poster on my wall for most of high school. But I think the fact that Bullock is a well-liked famous actress has definitely increased peoples’ anger against James.

Do you think Jesse James is really just “bad” like the song says? Or do you think his explanations help mitigate his guilt? If you have been involved in a similar situation of infidelity, what have you learned that you can share with others to help them?

If you’re going through relationship problems, and need someone to talk to, please contact us today, and speak with someone confidentially via email.

Related: A husband and wife are able to put their marriage back together after her infidelity
From his side: My Wife’s Affair Shattered our Marriage
From her side: Four Slippery Steps to Adultery

One of the things he said is “It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.” That made me wonder, what does integrity look like? Who are the public figures that we (and Tiger too) should try to emulate? As I thought about that, I realized that it was hard to think of many, maybe because they are by nature not the type to be constantly in the spotlight. Living a quiet life of integrity usually doesn’t get featured on the daily news.

Tiger concluded his press conference by saying “I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.” This raises the issue of forgiveness.  When a person admits they have engaged in “selfish and irresponsible behavior” and says he wants to change, how does the process of forgiveness work? Is it different when a person is a public figure?

One of the impediments on the path to overcoming the shameful aspects of our lives is that it’s hard to admit that we have done wrong. If you feel you are struggling with “selfish and irresponsible behavior” today, or trying to find forgiveness, please contact an online mentor to talk It’s confidential, free, and you’ll received personal responses from someone familiar with your struggles.

Related reading: Rebuilding Trust – When someone betrays your trust, how can the pieces be put back together?

*Image by Keith Allison used under Creative Commons license

What’s our attraction to scandal?

The headlines proclaim the potential fall of another celebrity. Tiger Woods, who has spent his career sporting a squeaky clean image now is cloaked with scandal.  We all crave love, sex and romance. We see movie stars and politicians fall in love, and believe that beautiful relationships like theirs lie on the horizon for us as well. We crave intimacy and desperately desire meaningful relationships. So, why then are we attracted to scandal? > Read more
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Featured article: Help for growing families: Give Better Gifts this Christmas!

You said it: Ginny commented on Keeping Your Balance at Christmas saying: “As I was reading [the article], I have already decided to remove one of our social events and replace it with drinking some hot chocolate … and talking about the real “Christmas” story around the tree with my husband and kids!” What do you think? Add your own thoughts.

Video: Do you Crave Meaning? (Part 1)
Maybe these cravings for meaning aren’t there by accident. Maybe instead of denying them we should search for their source. > Read more

Holiday Feature: What are your Christmas Expectations?
Somehow we think the perfect Christmas is happening in someone else’s house, not our own. > Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “What does Christmas mean to you?” Join us in the chat room December 13th 2009 @ 12:15pm EST for this chat, and check our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

My only appearance on television so far (that I know about, anyways) was in the background audience of a talk show, and that’s quite enough for me. But fame is something that many people covet, and appearing on television is one way to attain some small measure of notoriety.

Lately we’ve seen shows that focus of the most intimate personal details of family life, such as Wife Swap, Trading Spouses, Nanny 911, or The Week the Women Went. We’ve also seen dubious “celebrities” created by mass media, such as Nadya Suleman, the “Octomom”, bearer of 14 children, who became famous merely for her misguided life decisions.

Often we don’t get to see the aftermath of becoming celebrities, the consequences of these families’ 15 minutes of TV fame. But on Jon & Kate Plus 8, we’re witnessing the unfortunate results after they publicly announced their divorce recently. I wonder how often this sort of thing happens after the cameras are off, once these families leave the public eye. Is fame and fortune really worth it? A great man once said “What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?”

To repeat our initial question: Would you ever put your family on television for the world to see? If so, why, and if not, why not?

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I am Patrick, a sinner. I am contemptible in the eyes of a great many people. My father was Calpornius, a deacon. He was the son of the presbyter Potitus. He came from the village of Bannavemtaburni where he had a country residence. It was there that I was taken captive.

My captivity

I was almost sixteen at the time and I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people. We deserved this fate because we had turned away from God. We had not kept his commandments nor obeyed our priests, who had warned us about our salvation.

The Lord’s fury bore down on us and he scattered us among many heathen people, even to the ends of the earth. This is where I now am, in all my insignificance, among strangers.

God’s protection and comfort

The Lord there made me aware of my unbelief that I might at last turn my attention to my sins and turn whole-heartedly to the Lord my God. He showed concern for my weakness and pity for my youth and ignorance. He watched over me before I got to know him and before I was wise or distinguished good from evil. In fact He protected me and comforted me as a father would his son.

I cannot be silent then, nor indeed should I, about the great benefits and grace that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my capacity. This is the way we praise his wonders before every nation under heaven.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

Story written by Kevin Miller, story told by Eddie Kennison, #87-Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

My wife was rushed to the hospital on a Thursday night. She had started experiencing some strange symptoms the previous evening. Now she was unconscious. Things were getting serious fast.

One day passed, and then another. The doctors ran all sorts of tests, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong. We began to worry. She was pregnant with our second child. How would this illness affect the baby?

In the midst of this crisis, I was trying to prepare for a Sunday game. On Saturday night though, my wife was still in the hospital, and my son didn’t want me to leave. I didn’t know what to do. Should I play or not?

I knew this was an important moment, a life-defining decision. What would I choose: my family or football? It wasn’t easy, but deep inside; I heard a clear voice telling me exactly what to do.

The media really beat me up for missing that game. They thought I had quit on my teammates. It hurt me to hear that, because I knew I hadn’t quit. But the most important thing was, I hadn’t quit on my family.

Eventually, my wife was diagnosed with Lupus, a chronic, debilitating disease. Dealing with it has been a struggle. But as long as we keep focused on God and each other, I know we can make it.

Do you want to know God like Eddie does?  You can join God’s team today by praying the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

For the first time in my life, I encountered people who followed completely different belief systems – Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, you name it. That called my own beliefs into question. Sure, I believed in God, but why? Was Christianity merely something I was born into, or was it really true?

Taking a class in world religions helped. A confrontation between my brother and some of my Muslim friends also added a few more pieces to the puzzle. Seeing him answer every one of their questions gave me even more confidence in my beliefs. However, the clincher came a couple of years later during what I can only describe as a supernatural encounter with God. Once again, my world exploded, but this time in the best possible way.

That encounter didn’t answer all of my questions, but now my faith is stronger than ever. I know God is real not because someone convinced me of that fact through argument, but because I have experienced Him for myself. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to take them to God. But be prepared for Him to answer in ways you’d least expect!

Do you want to know God like Jason? God can handle any of your questions.  We encourage you to pray the following:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

More than four decades after arriving in America from his native Argentina, Luis Palau is more intent than ever to follow his calling: to spread the powerful word of God throughout the world. Whether on stage speaking to crowds of a quarter million people; through his radio messages heard daily in over 40 countries; or in counsel and prayer with leaders from the local church to the White House, Palau consistently remains one of the world’s most effective and compelling spiritual communicators.

From his early days sharing the Gospel on the streets of Buenos Aires to the “Great music & Good News” festival evangelism ministry that has had a positive impact on audiences around the globe, Luis Palau has continually inspired the millions who have heard his message of faith and hope. In 2006, Palau is keeping an ages-old faith fresh and alive for the 21st century.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Luis Palau embraced the new millennium – and contemporary life and culture – long before it arrived. His festival evangelism ministry, which travels to numerous cities and countries each year, has all the best elements of today’s most popular music festivals (everything from hot contemporary music acts and exotic foods to a state-of-the-art action sports skate park).

Though these elements help draw huge crowds and provide free, family-friendly entertainment, Palau never loses sight of his ministry’s ultimate goal: to share to claims of Christ with a troubled world in troubled times.

“A nation will not be moved by timid methods,” says Palau, explaining why his free festivals have attracted millions of young people and families of all races and denominations. “Today’s young people understand music and technology, but few have an understanding of what a life walked in faith can produce. They don’t know the person of Jesus Christ – that He is alive, that He is divine, and that He wants every one of us to know Him personally.”

What makes Luis Palau’s ministry so effective is its non-traditional and “open arms” approach. Each year, Palau stages 4-6 major festivals in the U.S. and abroad. These world-class, full multi-media productions feature the biggest names in Christian music, from rock to rap to gospel. In addition, the Palau team – in partnership with another Palau ministry called “Livin’ It” – erects a massive skate park in each city that showcases some of the top Christian athletes in the action sports of skateboarding, BMX and motocross. For children, there is a tie-in with VeggieTales, one of the most popular family video franchises in history.

The festivals are always free and open to everyone. The finances are raised behind the scenes, and there is never a financial offering requested from the massive crowds. Palau Festivals are able to do this by overseeing a highly professional and strategically organized operation that spends nearly two years building financial and spiritual support from hundreds of area churches and businesses and from national resources as well.

Palau’s organization has over 100 full time staff people on four continents; thousands of volunteers and local supporters join in as the festival dates approach. The ministry is led day-to-day by Palau’s adult sons (Kevin, Keith and Andrew), whom he credits with helping him realize how much evangelism needed a fresh, modern approach if it was to communicate the claims of Christ in contemporary society.

”We work hard with business people, professional people,” he says. “We start with the area churches and supplement it with financial support from businesses and individuals. We work night and day to keep the operation one of total integrity.”

All of this enables Palau to keep the entire festival focused on the entertainment and the spiritual message, one that is also unlike that of many of his contemporaries.

“We emphasize Christ more than Christianity or denominations,” Palau says. “We focus on what Christians are for, not what we might be against. As an evangelist, my role is to share the Good News of our Savior: we leave the politics to others.”

“Some Biblical Christians and evangelists have made an issue out of one or two major concerns, and that’s it,” says Palau. “What we seek always to be is more than a ministry that only deals with two or three particular sins. We want them to know answers to: ‘Who is Christ? What can He do? Can He really change my life? What does it mean?’ That’s what we’re really trying to do. We want people to think of Christianity differently. And of Christ differently.”

Palau’s lively and relevant messages – and the invitation to follow Jesus Christ – are the core and heart of it all, but they’re effectively surrounded by performances by the nation’s biggest Christian acts.

“These Christian musicians are very spiritual people.” he says. “The music is contemporary and not always to everyone’s particular tastes, but the musicians are committed, grounded, and very effective at reaching people through their music. Christianity is contemporary – it’s for today. Christ is alive today! He understands and loves today’s kids and wants them to be part of God’s kingdom.”

Born into an affluent family in Argentina, Palau discovered Christ while still a child at home with his parents. His father died when Palau was 10, and Luis soon became the sole support for his mother and five sisters. He recalls days when the sole meal for the family was a single loaf of bread. While still a teenage, he began his lifelong vision for world evangelism by preaching on street corners.

He entered the banking industry, become a successful executive before entering Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he met his wife, Patricia. Together they embarked on a missionary journey that took them throughout Latin America. They took the Gospel to places where, all too often, they weren’t welcome.

Luis and Pat began building an evangelistic team and aiding other evangelists-—including interpreting for Billy Graham, a primary influence on Luis’ own ministry. In the 1970s, invitations started coming from Europe and other parts of the world. By the early 1980s, Luis Palau’s ministry had made a great impact in Western Europe and new doors were opening around the globe.

Not until the 1990s did Luis focus on the United States – by 1996, he’d led evangelistic crusades in 15 U.S. cities. Yet despite continuing invitations, the Palau team felt it was time for a change.

“We were on the verge of saying, ‘OK, maybe somehow God doesn’t want us in America.’ The crowds were OK, but we weren’t getting through.”

“We began to realize that the classic ‘campaign model’ – uniformed choir, the suits on the platform, the old hymns – wasn’t the way to go for us,” Luis says. “We want to attract the un-churched, and we want them to encounter God, and bring them all to Christ and to understand and to connect. We also want to unite and energize the church community wherever we go.”

Palau, at the suggestion of his sons, moved to the current method of “Festival evangelism” in 1999. Since then, over 4.5 million people have heard the Good News at a Palau Festival.

“We wouldn’t ever go back to the old method. This is for today,” he says.

Today, Palau maintains his operation in Portland, Oregon but brings his message to the world, from China to Western Europe, from South Florida to South America.=

“I’d love to see a massive breakthrough,” he says. “An international revival of Christianity. I’d love to see the nations truly reawaken where not just a few thousand, but millions discover Christ again. That is my dream.”

Have you ever felt like you’re looking for meaning in all the wrong place? Are you circling round and round but still not finding happiness? Perhaps it’s time you asked Jesus to help you take stock of your life before a crisis hits. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.