“What did you think about that movie last night?” I knew this was coming. We are currently feasting around the breakfast table when Juan Carlos #2 pops the question.
“Loved it!” I state. Only now I have some explaining to do. Remember the speech I gave? The one that knocked guys for running 100 plus miles for the sake of… and all the while…? “I loved how he did such amazing things with his wife right there with him as an equal part of the mission. I love that they did it together.”
The movie? “Explorer”. It is a well-done documentary on the audacious life of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a winner of several Guinness World Records. We project the flick onto a white sheet flung over the loft railing that looks out upon the living area. Slap some Spanish captions on there and qué padre! Good to go.
Motives. They really do matter. It is not wrong to do great and amazing things. It is not even wrong to inherit a measure of fame for doing so. Sir Ranulph certainly did. But his for the sake of… and all the while… as the documentary illustrates, have meaning beyond any fetish for attention. Am I making sense here?
This is what I love about BroSummit. It encourages guys to rally together. Do great things together. We are better together. Not because of any singular hero, save Jesus. I shine in specific areas. I suck in several others. I am getting better at not being afraid to do either, due to the fact that I have brothers who are there to encourage me on all sides of the equation.
On the final evening of the Summit, we have a prayer gathering. Twenty-plus fellows take the hot seat to be prayed over by multiple individuals. Add to that, the time it takes to translate. I estimate three hours tick past before we finalize. I am on the front end of the selection. The temptation to check out down the stretch is sitting pretty, close, and sinister. I do resist. What a powerful time it is! To watch the many faces of those I know and am beginning to know, burst with encouragement… I lack the words… Priceless?
Marcos shares this night. If you have not heard his testimony, we need to hook you up. Hold on to your jaw! His brother-in-law Joe opens up next. I feel like I am listening to myself confess the things I was too afraid to when I was Joe’s age. His transparency, his genuine expression over what it feels like to struggle while still going for it… well, I am privileged to run with people like this. God knows, not everyone has comrades of such caliber.
I did not weep the morning we left. Now, I am finding it hard not to. I think about the lives of each individual in attendance. Their joy. Their pain. Everything in life that has shaped them to be where/who they are today. I wonder what God is up to. And why I get the pleasure of being a part of all this. Jesus, you definitely do tell a great story. Thank you!