Thursday, July 31, 2014

I Now Have A Reason to Watch TV Again

http://www.nbc.com/running-wild-with-bear-grylls 


So I'll confess right here to being a fan of Bear Grylls.  I've said many times that my perfect vacation would be to spend a few weeks in the wild with Bear.  That, to me,  would be the ultimate vacation and it would be a LOT of fun.

So when I saw that he had a new show coming on I was pretty excited. When I learned that it would be him taking celebrities out into the wild for an expedition I was really pumped.  I couldn't go on vacation with Bear, but I could vicariously see what it might be like.


After watching the premier I can say I was not disappointed.

Now before I get 'haters' telling me that his shows are all contrived and that it's more about drama than actual survival situations.  I know full well that most of his stuff is staged and that in REAL survival situations a lot of what he shows wont work. I get that.  But you have to admit that it's a TON of fun to watch him. He is a genuine, hard-core, survivor and his real story is pretty amazing.  If you haven't read his books, I can highly recommend them, in particular "The Kid Who Climbed Everest" and "Mud, Sweat and Tears".

 Bear is a genuinely good man and his life is guided by values of faith, family and doing good.  One of my favorite quotes in guiding my life comes from Bear:

"Live a wild, generous, full, exciting life - blessing those around you and seeing the good in all."

I'm excited for this new show. I'll be watching all six episodes and hoping that NBC orders more.  Hope you all will enjoy it as well.

NO FEAR - NO WHINING - NO REGRETS

Thursday, July 10, 2014

What do YOU think?

I recently had the opportunity to be the driver for the High School Boys Cross Country team as they ran in and competed in the RAGNAR Wasatch Back Relay.  (this is a 196.5 mile relay race that spans 2-3 days)  It was a great experience and one that I have fond memories of. 

There were many experiences there that I could relate and teach with but one that really struck me was the following.

I had 6 boys in my van, ranging in age from 15 to 18.  They were all members of the Church and all of them pretty active.  Throughout the entire trip I never heard anyone swear or put another person down.  There were no dirty jokes or off color statements.  They spoke with respect about the girls they knew and when we did encounter females they showed that respect in their actions.

It was an honor and a joy to associate with them.  I never had to remind them WHO they were or what they represented.

The same cannot be said of the YM of my ward when we go on activities.  Some groups are better than others, but I think that I’ve always had to remind them at least once of who they were and what they stood for. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Why it is that way? Why do some YM feel the need to push boundaries? Why did the XC team behave so well while other Aaronic Priesthood bearers need so many reminders? How can we make it different?

NO FEAR - NO WHINING - NO REGRETS