Man vs Wild
Within months of broadcast, Bear became an international celebrity, motivational speaker and the most admired man in the UK (declared by a national British poll amongst teenagers). Bear later signed on as an ALPHA spokesperson too. Bear had known the Lord from a young age, but it was in tough survival situations that he really came to trust and rely on God. And his TV show has afforded him many opportunities to share this faith with others. “As a child, I never questioned the existence of God. I had a really natural faith. I knew God existed; I felt loved, and [my faith] was there. But I lost it. I met Christians as I grew older, but they seemed judgemental and boring. I thought, ‘I don’t want that,’ and I walked right away from it.”Bear thought his life was OK until his teen years when some close friends suddenly abandoned him. “It’s so easy to be brave when everything’s OK, but real bravery is being OK when everything else is not.” Sitting alone one day, Bear began to pray. “I wanted that same faith and friendship with God that I had known as a young boy. I wanted that freedom again. I remember saying to God, “If You’re there, will You be that Friend to me again? Amen.”That was the end of Bear’s simple prayer, and the start of a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Years after that conversation with God, Bear and Shara attended an ALPHA course, where they settled the ‘big’ questions of life. (ALPHA is an evangelistic course adapted by Nicky Gumbel of Holy Trinity Brompton Church in the UK, which has a global reach and has seen 12 million attendees hear of living faith in Christ).A private and some-what shy person, Bear was not always outspoken about his faith. But he was drawn to ALPHA because of its simple, non-threatening approach to Christianity. “Alpha was a really good excuse for me to ask questions, about God and His plan for humanity and me. It was easy and it was fun.” Bear and Shara soon signed on as spokespeople for ALPHA and are passionate about spreading the Good News to all people, including those in prison (where Bear sometimes does motivational talks).
