Adventures in Saying Yes

Carl Medearis has written a new book. It’s called Adventures in Saying Yes: A Journey of Fear to Faith.

I caught up with Carl recently to discuss his book.

Enjoy!

Instead of asking, “What is your book about?” I’m going to ask the question that’s behind that question. And that unspoken question is, “How are readers going to benefit from reading your book?”

Carl Medearis: Well, I think they will have a good time, first of all. We recount lots of stories—crazy stories, true stories—that remind us that God really does invite us into the adventure of a lifetime.

Following Jesus is the furthest thing from boring. But I think so often we unconsciously do our best to make Jesus small and manageable; somehow we use Him to justify the walls of fear and security we’ve placed around ourselves. But, in the end, we wonder, “Is this really what I signed up for?”

Our hope is that readers will be inspired to love and follow Jesus more . . . to overcome the fears that hold them back and to trust Him in those places where life feels scary, or the big Kingdom dreams He’s put in their hearts seem unachievable. I think we all want our lives to matter, right?

And, if we consider ourselves people of faith, or followers of Jesus, most of us desire that impact to not only be for the “eternal by-and-by,” but for the here and now. I think readers will see through the book that the awesome things of God that we want to see and be a part of don’t just happen.

We have a choice in the matter. And most of the time, it is an “unfolding” of sorts. Choosing to say yes to God in those places we feel nudged, privately and publicly . . . not being sure of what the outcome will be. Trusting God with that—that’s the key to living the abundant and fruitful life that Jesus came to give.

Share with us a teaser of the story, to give readers a flavor of it.

Carl Medearis: Well, my wife and I moved to Lebanon in 1992 with our two little girls, right after the civil war. And, it was great . . . at first. I was crazy busy, teaching small groups, speaking in churches, passing out Bibles, doing all the things good missionaries do. And, everyone, including myself, thought I was great.

Lots of kudos were coming from back home for all the “tough work of the Kingdom” I was doing in a “hard” place like Lebanon. I spent hardly any time at home with my wife and babies, and we lived in a small apartment with barely-there electricity and water. I was exhausted every day, but it felt good thinking I was “sacrificing” for God. But something was off.

And, deep down, I knew it. It took the painful honesty of my wife and some close friends to help me see that I was saying yes to a whole lot of “good” things, but maybe not to Jesus. Lots of “activity” was happening, but my family was suffering and it was really questionable whether any of the “fruit” I was seeing would last. God broke through to me in that difficult time, helping me see that what was driving me were the opinions of people and my own need to feel important and successful. Lots of things, but not Jesus.

And, thankfully, I began to learn what it meant to say yes to Jesus, to discern those adventures—or places of risk for the sake of the Kingdom—that He was inviting me into. I began to discern the fears that held me back. And, I began to be free . . . free of fear and free to see the amazing things that happen when we let God take the reigns and say YES to what He is doing!

Give us two or three insights from the book that would be helpful to Christians.

Carl Medearis:

• Fear—I like to think of fear as anything that potentially threatens our sense of safety and security. Clearly there are times where fear is a healthy response . . . like when you are in the middle of the street and a car is barreling toward you, you are afraid and jump out of the way.

That’s good fear. But let’s be honest; most of our fears are “potential fears” . . . often based on worst-case scenario outcomes that are unlikely to happen. And those keep us trapped in “wise,” “normal,” and “responsible” lives. Recognizing these “potential fears” that can rule our lives is the first step in taking a risky journey with an uncertain outcome . . . what I call an adventure.

• Expect Failure—Not everything you try is going to work. And that is okay. So let’s stop being afraid of failure. But there is an answer to it. Don’t give up. “We will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

What specific kinds of feedback are you getting so far?

Carl Medearis: So far the feedback has been positive. I think people are really feeling stirred by it, by this realization that they can take risks with God, that failure is okay, and that they aren’t responsible to guarantee the outcome.

Only God can do that. I heard of this man, 70 years old, a banker, very responsible, and a conservative southerner. He read this book, and it seemed to set him free in some ways. He realized he didn’t have to be afraid of Muslims. He began to see them as people that God loves and realized he would do no good for the Kingdom sitting in his house being afraid.

So, currently, he’s considering how he can initiate friendship and relationship with people in his area. For him, this was a pretty radical transformation of thought and practice. We’re hearing of people being able to put words to the fears that hold them back, realizing in essence where they’ve said no to God, and being freed to dream again, encouraged to choose faith and trust over fear . . . which so dominates in our American, and especially Christian, culture.

I also heard of a discussion group happening at a church, where they really dove into this idea of fear. For many in the group, it was the first time they had even acknowledged these huge fears they were living out of. Deep stuff. Healing stuff. Usually there is a root to our fears, you know—a painful experience, a lie that has taken root.

I’m so encouraged to hear that the sharing of our own journey—both our failures and the truly amazing things we’ve gotten to be involved with by saying yes to little and big invitations from God—is having a multiplied impact on others.

What do you hope readers will walk away with after they finish your book?

Carl Medearis: Jesus is not boring! And following Him, walking with Him is an invitation into freedom from fear and glorious risk. All for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom. We don’t have to live in fear, we really don’t. And your adventure, your purpose, isn’t mine.

But He did say He would be with us . . . as in really be with us. And that we can hear His voice. It’s this real, living relationship. And He said He’d make us fishers of men. All of us are invited to play and trust the captain with our parts. But if we sit out, if we hide behind walls of fear, we miss it. We miss the joy. And the world misses that unique contribution, that unique expression of the love of God, that each of us has to offer.

What else do you want to say about the book that would interest readers?

Carl Medearis: This book is about war. And danger. And big mistakes. And a rocky marriage. And questionable parenting. It’s about the journey of a family . . . in the Middle East, the United States. And, it is a story about the grace and faithfulness of God to weak people doing their best to follow and trust Him in the midst of their failures and fears. I think everyone can relate to that. Unless they are perfect. Then, they might not want to read it.