Is anything real?...Lance, Falcons, "Duck Dynasty"?
That is the question that TV personality, Al Troutwig, asks following some of the information coming out of Oprah Winfrey's conversation with Lance Armstrong. Immediately many will jump to either side of the argument - "I am", "My marriage is", "The Falcons aren't", "Honey Boo Boo is", "Duck Dynasty isn't", "The physical world is", "The spiritual world isn't." On and on the list could go based on your experiences and your perspective. Here a couple of mine.

I read Lance's first book, "It's not about the bike", around that same time that I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Being an avid runner at the time and a cross country coach, his grit and determination to overcome a very serious cancer of his own and to compete at the highest level of cycling was very encouraging to me. He had a very tough life growing up in Texas but nothing deterred him from his passion...competing...at anything. I even purchased a "Live Strong" t-shirt (which I still have) and one of those familiar yellow wrist bands. For me in that moment, Lance Armstrong was as real as it gets. I light of his admission to doping is he less real now?

I am an Atlanta Falcons fan mainly because I love football; I live in metro-Atlanta; and my friend, Michael Palmer, plays for Coach Smith and gets paid by Mr. Blank. I have watched just about every minute or every game this year and even went to the last game of the season on a ticket from Michael. Even though the Falcons had the best record in the regular season, won the NFC South Championship, got the #1 seed in the NFC, and now are in the final four hosting the NFC Championship this Sunday after a thrilling comeback victory over Seattle, many of the pro football pundits (that's the "talking heads" on ESPN, FOX, etc.) say these Falcons are not real. Really? Are you kidding me? What do they have to do to prove themselves?

Now to "Duck Dynasty." Folks you have got to watch this show on A&E. The Robertson Family led by Phil and "Miss" Kay along with their boys Jace, Willie, and Jeb and their wives make for a great view every week. These guys love to hunt ducks, make a lot of money putting together duck calls and best of all enjoy everything from making their own "redneck" water park, to blowing up beaver dams,  to teaching Sadie, Willie's daughter, how to drive by weaving through piles of duck decoys. For me and other guys the draw has got to be the wish or hope that we could live and act like them. That we could be free to be ourselves, make a living, and have plenty of goofball fun. But, is it real? I seriously doubt that they have a multi-million dollar company that rests solely on Uncle Si, Jace and three others making duck calls in between all of their hi jinks. I'm not sure they even show up to the office except to film the show. So, is any of it real? I want to believe that their love for family and their faith in God is real. The rest of it may or may not be, but it is a lot of fun to watch and even more fun to fantasize about doing and living out parts of their lives myself. 

So back to Mr. Troutwig's question - "Is anything real?" Let me tell you a few things you can take to the bank that are real and hopefully they will free you up to understand that as long as you know the truth of these realities whether or not anything else is real doesn't really matter. The Gospel that proclaims God's love, grace, and patience towards you is real. The creation by God is real. The sovereignty of Almighty, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient God is real. Jesus death, burial, resurrection and return to the right hand of the throne of God is real. The power of Jesus shed blood to cleanse you of your sin is real. To that point, and don't kid yourself, your sin is real. This list could go on for hours, but suffice it to say that anything contained in the Word of God, The Bible, is real.

This has gotten real long so I'm out.

Richard