BraveMen S3E85: Jim Liberatore - Outdoorsman For God

Hey, it's time for the Brave Men podcast. I'm Paul Cole and with me is Chris Shields our producer and We got an amazing guy that we're going to be talking with today one of the most fascinating men I've ever met this guy And I told you just a minute ago He's seen some of the greatest nicks games ever because he was an executive with Madison Square Garden Wow, he was also president of the speed channel. It doesn't get much more than that It's like a bro speed channel man. I mean he was president of that But now he's been the CEO responsible for overall strategic operational creative vision for the outdoor sportsman group Which is an amazing thing the outdoor channel sportsman channel world fishing channel, which I love yeah, they've got 15 leading outdoor magazines Well, and then we meet Jim and find out that this guy is a Passionate follower of Jesus Christ amazing and And then spoke at our lion's roar global summit. Yes, and just killed it one of the nicest guys to super nice Yeah, dude when he got up it was like hey We're men we got to get our act together Right Yeah, like dude. He he went after it. Yeah, he wasn't playing no games. No, it was incredible Yes, and you know, it makes me when I think of the outdoor channel. It just makes me think of the scripture and Unfortunately, I don't like the chapter and verses not coming to me. Come on man, but you can't start a podcast not going I'll be in the answer man and everything so but when in the Bible it says if If you haven't had an encounter I'm paraphrasing if you have an encounter haven't had an encounter with God nature We'll show you the wonders, you know, and that's what I think of with what Jim Lepertour is doing with the outdoor channel Yeah, he's not blasting scriptures all over the place, but what he is doing is showing the wonders of God Yeah, their magazines are guns and ammo gun dog Fisherman shooting wildfire game and fish fly fishermen bunch of stuff man I mean it's and and the beauty of it is you're exactly right So here's the thing about business and then we get into this interview with Jim Lepertour and again the whole point of brave men Is to is not only to meet brave men. Yeah, but it starts happening doing stuff in our hearts So here's a man who isn't at the top of his field is CEO one of the major Organizations in America one of the top media Organizations and yet a passionate follower Jesus Christ So that's this is part of what I think's fascinating about this interview as he talks about how he walks that and the way you walk It is you just be who you are. Yes, you know, so if you want a transmission shop You don't have to put Jesus stickers on every transmission you put in a car But what you do is you put a good transmission in so you've got ethics you do work excellent People go man that guy that's the place to go. Yes, and then they find out. Oh, yeah, he's he's a follower Christ. That's that's why he's you know I think it's I think it's a fact. I've got a quote. I don't know where it is. It's somewhere in the Bible. I Love the job Somewhere in the Bible, but but basically Well, we're talking about in fact, I'll find a quote. Here we go. I'm gonna find this thing. Okay, do why why you're talking about something interesting Yeah, you're gonna come up something there is a nice couple of minutes. Oh, yeah, I got it. I got it Okay, here it is. We're bringing Manning right ragma from gospel And he said the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips Walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. Wow That is what an unbelieving world simply finds Unbelievable Wow The beauty of a man like Jim Libertor is that he walks out the door and his lifestyle speaks that's so good As loud as his words if not louder. Yeah, he and his wife Cam and Colorado Springs and and just an amazing man of God Yeah, well actually they're north of springs closer to Denver. Where wherever it is But we love this guy. Yes, and Remarkable man. I just you know, it's really amazing to be able to have him be on our podcast and speak to us About things that really matter where it hits the road where stuff happens in our business Right, yeah in our job You know, so Today Jim Libertor who's the CEO of the outdoor Sportsman group outdoor channel sportsman channel world fishing network. That's my favorite And I mean pretty amazing man an incredible track record of growth and Strength and it comes out of his character. Hey, thanks for being with us today. I'm brave men You're gonna hear Jim Libertor with an amazing interview It's brave man with Paul Lewis Cole Wisdom encourage for the journey Talking to Jim Libertor who's the president CEO of the outdoor sportsman group and also a great friend Jim you are involved in the outdoors you guys have got all kinds of stuff going on. We've all seen it the outdoor channel Sportsman channel guns and ammo magazine whitetail It's it's it's wild Yeah, but God's put you in an amazing position of speaking to millions of men in our culture and great to talk to you today, Jim. Oh, thank you I'm really glad to be talking to you Paul and everybody else who we listen Yeah, brave men, you know, the whole concept of this is not just Introducing to our friends to brave men like yourself because you speak up in a culture that doesn't Appreciate a lot of your views But we're also saying hey, we can all be this and we have a possibility to this So hey, you were I want to go back into a couple things We're talking about the outdoors. Okay. What's the most amazing and remarkable animal you've seen in the outdoors Tell me something to just like when you think about it you go. Oh my gosh this When I see this photo it always stirs me Yeah, it's interesting because it's kind of a simple one, but it's an elk when you see an elk bugling and You have the the snow cap moms and you see hit the the breath coming out of his mouth. It is It's so freeing, you know Because the other thing I would say is a dog off his leash You know when a dog is off his leash is running around and the freedom of that look with that elk We had a cabin and and you don't even need to see him. We were sitting out there having a cup of coffee and you hear that Bugle through the valley and Gives you chills. I mean, it's just really really cool. You know, that's why you know The just the other day as we're as we're recording this gem the Las Vegas schools reopen the high schools because of the suicide rates in spite Well young people because they were quarantining young people indoors, right So the outdoors is is something God gave us. It's emotionally healing spiritually enlarging Yeah, you know, it's interesting because we'll talk a little bit about this But in my my past career. I was in the stick and ball world. I was in the auto racing world And that was fine, you know, but when I got into the outdoor space. I didn't hunt. I didn't shoot. I didn't do any of that But because of This idea of the created with the creator in his creation, you know, the idea of what hunting represents as far as the campfire father sons daughters mothers You know the family the Christian DNA and the hunting DNA is completely commingled and For anybody who wants to experience that that's the other beauty doesn't caution you to walk outside your door You know, and so I really got on fire for the outdoor industry because of the Christ centered aspect of it God's creation, you know, even if you live in the middle of Cleveland and an hour away, you can be in the woods You know, yeah, yeah, I think sometimes we just miss it. We get some myopic in our daily lives We get so busy. We're so if you will turned in yeah, though we forget what God's done outside Hey, you were at you were with Madison Square Garden sports, weren't you right? Yeah, I was for about six years It was awesome really fun time and then you did the racing channel in other words You were very successful in a number of different areas, which is what brought you to this position right right right It started with sales and then moved into developing A media media companies basically, which is why I came into the Honey, it wasn't because I hunted it was because I built media companies, which we've done here So that's what it was really about. Well, tell. Okay. Let's go back to the ball and that kind of stuff What was one of the greatest games you've ever been at? It was there's two of them the bull's nicks playoff games And this is when there was Charles Oakley and Jordan and Pippin and If you recall that was the time a again political practice is even ruined sports You know, but but they would it wasn't what they call a technical foul now would have been just a common foul there Yeah, back then you you'd be you know if if if what those teams did do each other during the playoffs Charles Oakley would probably be a jail today But man, they were just I know the sounds better. They were brutal in a really cool way like they were And it was really neat and then I also Was at the the game seven of the Vancouver Connux New York Rangers Stanley Cup Where the Rangers won the first Stanley Cup in 42 years and that was really too. Yeah, so those were those were fun That's amazing things and and I think it's one of the things I appreciate about my my father He took me to games when I was a kid I was talking to Darrell strawberry the other day and I was telling him about some of the Dodgers games. I was out as a kid Yeah, and um, you know seeing Willie Mays play and I actually saw Ted Williams play as a young man in Finway Park Yeah, yeah, which probably ages me nonetheless Yeah, it's those special memories and I think as as uh dads and his men I think we need to avail ourselves of these things Yeah, yeah, it's it's interesting because it's it to me it's it's sad though in that how Sporces changed and evolved to become political and and you know, there are there are less and less athletes I think you can really really look up to but they're out there, you know, I mean you like Carson Wentz is a awesome Christian It's a hunter. I mean there are the guys who will stand up Kurt Warner was a great example of that. I mean it's It but you got to find them But the cool thing now is is that you can use these athletes and direct your children and say look Here's a guy worth looking up to, you know, and this is why um So it's it's a little it the culture is you know kneeling for the national anthem. I mean I haven't watched the football game in really in three years You know just because I don't know something about that that I can't get over, you know, well, you know, again using that platform In order to you know for political correctness and at the same time we've got tomorrow Davis, you know with the saints and other great followers of Christ Yeah, we're speaking up for as an example he's speaking up about the genocide happening in Nigeria where Christian being killed You know three or four hundred a day Yeah, Ross Northern Nigeria And so uh man, that's what I that's what I love and men like yourself president CEO Of the outdoor sportsman group and talking to Jim Liberator My friend who heads up this outdoor sportsman group But I mean you guys have had the premier uh largest and premier multi-media Ted destination for outdoor sports that there is in North America and you're in 50 nations Yeah, yeah, actually now 192 We have in five languages. We have a subscription video on demand app that like a Netflix that has 15,000 hours of hunt fish and shoot on it or 15,000 episodes So we're all over the globe. That's what I meant by building a media company the way people are consuming there They're you know their entertainment is completely changed Paul you we're gonna I'll tell this story and I know you you know But remember there was a time when you had three channels you watched yeah, and uh when something was on if it was on at seven You went and watched it seven or guess what you didn't see it You know um and and it's just completely changed over the last 20 years and over the last five years And so you've got to be able to keep changing with it. Hey, where do you find the wisdom to deal with this you got I don't know how many magazines channels five languages all this And and you're dealing with the quarterly returns and all the stuff that comes with business Yeah, we deal with his business people Uh, and it feels like you know it feels like the intensity of the world is getting greater all the time And how do you deal with that Jim? How do you deal with with those stresses and pressures? How do you find the wisdom to do what you do? You know, it's interesting because first of all I have a great staff I mean that obviously, you know, and I I mean this in in it's kind of sound like it's self-deprecating It's not I think one of the greatest blessings God has given me is just average intelligence, you know So that I recognize I need smart people around me, you know some of the worst bosses I've ever had have been really smart, you know, because they figured they they got it all figured out. I know I do Um, but it's interesting in as the world gets crazier and crazier I find that focusing on my role as a Christian Makes my job easier and easier because what happens is it all gets put in perspective You know where um we're struggling and we have you know, Eva Dodd we have you know investments and we have you know You know, we we actually of really pushed Ownership to create this SVOD app which has cost tens of millions of dollars. So our necks are how out out on the line, but And I am solely getting focused now on how I use all of that to to try and introduce people to Christ. I know that sounds Strange, but it's it's not I believe there is a Choosing time that really is on us as a nation right now and it in a way diminishes the importance of all of that You know as these other things start taking center stage the other thing too is as since The beginning my beginning. I mean I try to manage from biblical perspectives You know really loving on people and trying to have people succeed and trying to make sure they have what they need making sure They have some level of of job satisfaction. You know that Really means promoting and helping the smart ones along and it means getting rid of the people who aren't you know because yeah And when you do that you get rid of the people who aren't you're really talking about the health of the organization Right, right and the worst thing for someone is to be in a job. They can't they can't do You know, it's so it's good for them to fire if I know that sounds strange but it's true Yeah, no, I I remember the first time I had to let you know I had a business that had grown and would expanded quite a bit and it was you and and then we lost a client I thought man, I've got to cut it by a couple people. I sat down with the young man as I was driving there Jim The Lord just gave me this thought. He said, you know, you're not that young man's source Yeah, and that young man is is misplaced. He's he's actually not in the place where he's gonna thrive right And so I sat down with him and I just told him I said hey And you know, you've got to couch this in the right words, but I said it basically this hey I have a sense that you're not in the right place I want to release you to go where you're going to be highly successful and to do that you'll no longer be an employee here Here's a check and because I owned the company I was able to pray with them, you know in that setting And I think that's true. Now here's the other thing because you have an identity of who you are in Christ You don't have to be the hero at every board meeting do you? No, and you that that thought it shouldn't even you know I mean it shouldn't even be in your in your mind. I mean the idea is You know again you and again, I'm 58 so you do have I do have some You know benefit of of experience, but If you're focused truly is glorifying God and everything, you know, then successor failures determined by God You know in your your obedience, okay, let's start you know with that and you're trusting God You get fired you get promoted you get mister. It doesn't matter because it's all working according to his plan And here's the thing that that men need to really grapple with do I believe that you know do I really Really believe that do I believe that there was a day in time when a stone was rolled away from a grave Maybe it was a 70 degrees and sunny and there were smells and sights and sounds So I believe that stone was rolled away and do I believe Jesus walked out of the grave And to the degree we believe that the rest of our life takes on this amazing joy And expectancy for God to show up and it turns into the peace and joy look we were we were Created to walk in the cool with with God Yeah, we sort of that up right, but to the degree that that's real to us You know if you're stressed and you're freaking out you're anxious Then then the reality of who Jesus is really isn't real, you know And that's kind of where I'm coming to my older in my latter years, let's say I would say you know Seth Godin says you're right in the middle right now. Yeah good. I like that. Thank you So so so you handle the stress your faith helps you handle so because here you are with Large staff multi-million dollar budgets. I mean monthly yeah, and and you handled some guys After a while they these burn out, but you handle the stress through your faith Yeah, you know, let me tell you story four years ago There was all this stuff going on it at work. We were acquiring a networks and and And some magazines and and that that group had a president and I was a president Um, how that was all gonna unfold Um, had me completely stressed out, you know for Uh, six months. I was stressed out. I was waking up. I wasn't sleeping and and there was this moment and and it's what I talked about it one of your conferences Where God didn't come to me and and hug me and and you know just pat my shoulder He came and kind of kicked me in the butt, you know, and I was sitting with my wife And I just heard clearly what he said to Philip How long have I been with you? You know and and immediately I looked at my wife who was sitting there Uh, a wife I thought I would never have I I haven't adopted daughter downstairs a family. I thought I would never have I looked over at the bookshelf You know shaper CS Lewis, you know, um, all this yeah cool. That's right And I looked outside my window and there we have this beautiful front-range view and man. I was shamed I was I was convicted and yeah like it's like This isn't what matters and that was a life-changing moment um and I thought man is Jesus real to me or not? You know is he real is he real and is he my savior and and and does is he planning does he have a place for me? You know that I'm going to go to one day and am I you know am I believing this? You know and what I realized is as I it must not have been real enough to me and You know the struggle is continue obviously. You still have those moments of stress. Yes, you know, there's a There's a there's a story that if the how fast your heart gets back to its normal beating after a workout Determine your health. Yeah, I think it's the same spiritually how fast you get to that place where you're like calm and Joyful and peaceful Determine your spiritual health, you know um, and if you're not ever there then you're about to have a spiritual heart attack one of these days Yeah, it's true. You know the thing is is that we have to you know definitions are so key and as a follower of Christ What you're helping us do is dial in bracket in and define what it is to be a man of God And the fact is is that uh the disciples were in many storms. Jesus was in many storms You know, I mean physical and and emotional and everything else The the fact is if we're not careful we misdefine the word peace The world defines peace is the absence of conflict the absence of storms Uh, peace in the Middle East as an example treaties. Yeah, right uh And and but peace in the word of God God defines peace as his presence in the middle of the storm right right is presence in the middle of the conflict Right, so you can so in other words you can be a man like yourself who's in charge of a major organization You know mega national organization and and all the stresses that come with it And yet at the same time find that place of peace in the midst of it because of your faith. Yeah, it's uh It's it's just it's it's almost sad to be the amount of my life I've not really been able to dial this in as it's again, it's still a struggle, but Yeah, man there it's it's it's just a simple this this relationship of pressure is just simple It's got to it once it's the most important thing to you and you believe it's real Everything else becomes beautifully simple, you know, yeah, and again, it's up and down, but that's the basis You're you're a You've written a movie called a harvest. I want to talk back up just a moment And then I also want to talk about conservationism Because I'm I'm such a huge advocate of it, and I think we as Christian men need to be recognize our places trustees of Of the earth and everything, but I want to ask you is what's your what's your daily ritual? You know, no, where how do you habitually find that place? It is it You know, is there a certain time in the morning certain time in the evening you read the word. How do you yeah? You put that together, Jim. Yeah, it's it's a it's a regiment, you know, my wife and I wake up between five and five 15 She goes to her place. I go to my place and we pray Honestly, um, I start my mornings on my knees. Um, I put my face on the ground Hmm, and I just really pray that Lord I want you to fill me with your spirit and with your wisdom Everything I do today. I want to glorify you You know, and then I kind of go through whatever some of the things on my mind are then I get up I go pray she prays then we get together Our devotional is Oswald chambers. We do my utmost first highest. We do that every every morning Then we pray and we talk and we get there Um, through the course of the day You know, there's the ups and downs. I I'm really thinking about this path maker, you know being a path maker And the idea is that I know when I'm lost in the jungle I know where the path is back to Jesus. Yeah, when my doubts come up. I remind myself um You know, yes, I believe that he has a plan for me. He's with me I believe you know, I believe he loves me and you you can I can get back there Um, and I may have to do that 50 times a day, you know, but you get back there quicker and quicker and quicker and you have this path That is so well-warned, you know, that you just get on it and you can get to Jesus, but um Also through the things we've been working on there's a great. I just you know, God put this in my heart yesterday I was reading the 42nd chapter of Job and at the end of it, Job says this awesome thing He said I've always heard you But now I see you. Yeah, you know, and when as Christians we can get the hearing into the scene and where we recognize him It just becomes a lot easier, but imagine we got to step up. I mean that takes work Um, but it's awesome. I mean it's uh, you know, I look at it in your world, you know, uh guns and ammo and all this I look at his bracketing You know if you're if you're trying to hit a target You're not always going to hit it the first time But you're going to see where you're off a little bit where you're off a little bit there and then you begin to dial it in Right and and you bracket it in the target and Yeah, and that's where you've got to know the word God That's where you have to be in the word because This stuff then comes up in your daily life and you have daily course corrections if not hourly or minute by minute course corrections You know, I know stuff comes to be it. I'll go like oh man and then I've just got his step back for just a second And then move back in Yeah, yeah, it's it's Look, I mean, it just it really does come down to you know us Thinking about what it is that really matters what you know, it's it's it's that reality You want to tell guys who are freaking out? Well, what's real to you and um that that's That's beautiful like whether and I mean this Clearly whether I have tons of money no money a house and apartment. I can honestly say it does it. It just doesn't it just doesn't matter Right and and when you when you abdicate your success and failures to God Biobadians and by reaching out and seeking him Then you know, then this other stuff doesn't doesn't really matter and and I know that sounds crazy, but it's real Well puts it in perspective Hey, this is Chris. I want to take a moment right in the middle of this great conversation to let you know the brave men Podcasts is a production of the Christian men's network worldwide in the global fatherhood initiative Christian men's network has helped pastors and leaders disciple men for over 40 years You can find all the resources for mentoring and fatherhood at cmn.min That's the Christian men's network at cmn.min Christian men's network does special events across America and around the world You can find all the information at cmn.min That's the Christian men's network at cmn.min Click on events We have tremendous resources for churches with special discounts for groups on that website Everything a church needs from a to z to mentor and disciple men of all ages and backgrounds It will help us continue to reach the lives of many men around the world if you would like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to this podcast and share it That is the Christian men's network in Paul Lewis Cole Now, let's get back to this powerful interview between Paul and Jim Libertor Tell me about the harvest film that that God placed on your heart a few years ago Yeah, it's interesting like I said when I came into the hunting space. I Was just blown away by the story of honey And that I never knew it There's two aspects of it one is the the technical the game management land management You know, there's something called excise taxes that all the gear hunters buy the money goes back to the parks The groups that have bought millions and millions of acres of lands which has revitalized the duck population that deer Elf I mean you can go down the list But the other thing I loved about it was what I call a campfire the heart of the campfire You know families going out in nature and spending time and hunting I love the idea of a 13-year-old kid who knows how to handle a firearm He can hunt harvest cook and eat his own food There's a confidence that is with those kids that they're not going to be out burning buildings in Seattle because They they have this family and this bond and this confidence and they've been out with God whether they recognize that or not That's how it is so I fell in love with that story at the same time for many many years I just so desperately believe Christians need to step up I I look at a revelation and I look at the third chapter where you know You're neither hot nor cold your lukewarm, but Jesus says I prefer you one to the other and that was terrifying to me Because what he's saying is I'd rather you be cold than lukewarm And yet where have I spent a majority of my Christian life Right so so we as as Christians we have step up so The film is going to tell the beautiful story of hunting to millions of people, but the real message is Testing your faith who do you say Jesus is and does your life reflect that so in the film it's like a Kendrick's movie From the knowledge standpoint that Christians are going to be powerful challenged about your faith is it real Okay, that's what we need yeah, no kidding. I am so excited about this film you've done a trailer on it And is it at the harvest home film calm the harvest movie calm the harvest movie calm The harvest movie dot com so I'm excited about that. I want guys to go to it support it Get behind it pray for Jim talking with Jim the liberator CEO and president of outdoor sportsman group, which is the outdoor channel White tail magazine game and fish. I've always been more of a fisherman than I have been a hunter But I got my first Buck this year, so that was calm. I saw that I saw that Congratulations. Yeah, I think I think I sent you I think I sent you a photo of it right there from the field out there The one thing you need to share then is when you're eating the bath strap share that photo too because it makes that connection between the hunt and the harvest Oh, man, that's that's true So the harvest you're working on you've written this this movie you've done a little Treatment on it in terms of a video and now you're getting ready to shoot the major motion predict motion picture I'm I'm so psyched up about it man. It's this thing's gonna be I believe it's just you know It's gonna help a lot of dads regardless of they take their kid hunting. Yeah, to just take him do something Yeah, yeah, you know, that's the point is they're gonna see the outdoors the outdoor is gonna be spectacular So it's gonna be like a a nature you know film where you're gonna see the snow peaks you're gonna See all this and we're gonna build I believe in the script We're talking now about building on this theme of the great embrace Right, so when the the hunters are going up into the mountains One of the the guys is gonna say well you're about to experience the great embrace and The idea is that at the beginning of the movie you think that great embrace is nature in the skies and the stars and it is But it's the author of that great embrace that comes into the end of the film I'll never forget getting to the I learned a ski at Lake Tahoe area and I'll never forget heavenly valleys at South Shore High peak they're overlooked you can see the whole you know massive 40 mile long Lake Tahoe one of the most beautiful lakes in the world Alpine Lake and I remember getting the top of the lift skiing and turning around and looking and all of a sudden there's this Valley with the Lake Tahoe and the beautiful peaks Yeah, we're all all around it And all I could do I just exclaim it just came out of me I just went yay god Yeah, yay god It blew me away and you have got a friend who just Has a house in Ed Preston who you've met who has a house in Phoenix So he he but got a place there to go down in the during the winter because he lived in Oregon Wet and rainy and stuff He said he moved down or he thought man, it's just desert around here And he had been there a couple winters and went out and we saw them and we took his Took his side by side out up in some of the mountains and hills And he said you know I've come to absolutely love the beauty of the desert Yeah, yeah, and I think when we get out there there I don't know that there's anywhere where you can't get out I mean you could just be a city park for that matter Yeah, yeah, sit and get in that in fact, let me hit this. I want to come back finished with the harvest Uh, because I believe that's what's going to happen out of this also There's a harvest But uh, but as a conservationist what are the challenges that you and I face and it what can we You know me and the guys listening what can we do about some of the issues we face as conservationists? Yeah, the the first thing is if you see a piece of trash on the road pick it up You know, let's start with that but but really it's understanding it, you know And in in the the hunting world This is one of the things I love about it You know, there's there's people who will say that You know ducks unlimited Rocky Mountain elk foundation National white national turkey federation these are these are organizations that are hunting organizations But have purchased millions and millions of acres of land to Preserve to make sure that it's healthy habitat for the animals and what they talk about is an organization like pita The next foot of land they buy will be the first foot of land that they buy And in the hunting world you have to understand that that the hunting that I'll give you just a if I can't really quickly just to understand why this is important Let's say you have a a million acres that sustains healthy herds of 100,000 elk Every year guess what happens to those 100,000 elk it becomes 130,000 elk and then I heard you know because they have Each year they're they're they're they're I mean birth If you were not in managing the herd then those animals would starve freeze get hit by cars, you know So you have to manage that population that's what hunting does and that's why When you hunt the numbers increase as opposed to decreasing the other thing is is that every time a hundred buys ammo or guns money goes from taxes Straight to the parks You do have all these organizations and you're eating the healthiest You know hormone-free food you possibly can so everything about hunting is conservation The other thing is is conservation organizations are also for money and there are you know that that's something else that you can do But the amount of of Habitat is shrinking, you know, which is a challenge for hunting But it sees organizations that have bought this land and present trump tried to protect a bunch of it I'm sure that will be undone, but you know, it's it's protecting these lands Also in California is a good example what they don't do Because they they won't clear out the underbrush. They don't take care of their Of their their land and therefore there's horrible fires and they blame climate change It's like no it's because you're never clearing out the land, you know and keeping the habitat healthy They didn't manage up, you know, it's it's they didn't manage the timber. It's a friend of mine who managed huge amounts of land for warehousing in southwest Washington for years Jim Jim pure botanon and Jim and Jim took me out there one day and he showed me everything He said you see all this where we've caught he said for every tree we cut he said it's all it's a business thing But it's a stewardship thing too. It said every tree we cut we plant three He said that's the spirit of conservation and conservationism. He said plus our forests are healthier Which means that our air is cleaner? Yeah, yeah, so that's where I get into an issue personally between what we call environmentalism Which has a tendency to be stuck in the middle of Berkeley or you know Boston commons and with people who haven't necessarily been out there getting your hands dirty You know Being a conservationist and to me that's the difference between the two Yeah, yeah, it's it's true. I mean, and it's like you It's easy to say You should not kill an animal. That's a that's a winning combination for the ignorant I don't mean that negatively. I mean, but but when you are educated you know that doesn't make sense same with that underbrush You know, I If it were your property in your house guess what you'd be clearing it out every all the time Yeah, yeah And and people died because of that people died because of the mismanagement and then when the president said Well, you guys have mismanaged everybody kind of pushed back on them And then later the report comes out says yeah, we mismanaged it And so part of that is is really the mismanagement of public funding And putting things uh, it's it's kind of like spending billions of dollars on You know issues that are immaterial to culture and then the things that really matter Not spending enough money on it Hey talk about Jim Libertor who's the chairman president and CEO of the outdoor sportsman group And you and your wife came with committed and your daughter you committed your lives to Making the world a better place And I mean for everyone I I just can't applaud you enough for what you do Jim and in this whole sphere And really what you're doing is you're taking the place where you where God's placed you And you're driving the stake in there Yeah, like God put me here. I'm gonna I'm gonna pray over this thing make this thing happen and use this platform The glorify God and man, we just got to commend you for that and then the movie that's gonna be coming out is called the harvest And it's the harvest movie dot com is that right right yeah the harvest movie dot com So we can go on there get get on you really on your mailing list uh talk about it You know when you guys send out the social media stuff. We'll all post it that kind of stuff, right? Yeah, and we have a prayer team that we uh update with prayer requests every month Let's do that. That's not a throw and that's not a box checker. I mean, that's real um And so that that's a way you can help um and you know we're we're You know being told that we're gonna have a very large investment because this is also public private basically where we want individuals to be part of this and um, you know major investors Um, and I believe it's interesting because in my weakness, you know, there were so many times I had to ask God to validate this, you know, where I'm and I was disappointed with myself. I'll be honest You know, I'm like, you know, I lay in bed one time. I said God. I said look if you still want me to do this I'll do it, you know, but but if you don't I'm I'll stop, you know Let me know what you want me to do and I said I apologize again because you're gonna have to validate this for me I need to hear from you, you know Walked out 15 seconds later my wife read me an email that said if God says he's got it. He's got it If God says he's gonna do it he'll do it If God says he's in it, he's in it and then I'm not exaggerating on the 15 seconds I was right after so I have a ton of stories like that, but the beauty of that then Is it abdicates the success to him. You know, this is now his project If I sell one ticket millions of tickets. It doesn't it truly doesn't matter to me Because all I care about is that they have standard face-to-face with him And he's not gonna say oh man, you're marketing programs or you know He's that I listen to him. Yes, and I hope he just is satisfied with with doing his work. That's the success of this You know that and that sounds to me Jim Libertor like it's your measure of success as a man That you stand one day and he and he says what did you do with my son and you say I shared him with people Right, right and you know, it's if I could tell one other quick story my daughter. She's a 11 we adopted her from Haiti and she came over here when she was five she on an August 10th this year came to Christ and I asked her I said, huh? Why did you decide to do a how did you do it? She said I got on my knees and I asked Jesus into my heart I said why did you decide to do it? And she said well, it's we read Jesus calling every night She said, you know, it was those conversations. She said I feel God brought me from Haiti for a reason And then she said and I watch all the work you and mama are doing on the hardest to tell the world about Jesus And I thought about that as it applies to me So right then I said okay, the harvest is officially hugely successful And then I also told her and my job with you is done. So have a good life So that hurdle is is cleared. Thank you. You're on your own Yeah, that's so good, Jim Hey, man, this you know, I've got a hundred other things that will hit on another edition of Brave Men podcast But we've been talking to Jim Libertor, president CEO, outdoor sportsman group and Kim Kim Libertor's husband and you guys And the the producer writer of the harvest movie the harvest movie calm And really excited about the stuff that God's put his your hands to Jim And thank God for you. You've got you've got I mean You are you're ahead of the the premier multimedia destination for outdoor sportsman In the world 192 nations and God's put you in an amazing place. So we pray for your success Yeah, both in business and personal Every part of your life and that everything your hands touch will prosper and every place you put your feet will be holy ground Yeah, I let me God will keep you and your family deep within the grip of his grace Thank you, and the last thing I want to say is to men out there. Please spend time praying alone Listening to God and whatever you're told to do just step up and do it and I will say this if you tell yourself Yeah, I can't do that you you have to do that as blasphemous, right? God is putting something in your mind And you say I can't do that what you're really saying is God can't do that it's your arrogance and blast with me It says yeah, I can't do that either God's doing it or it's not happening But I just we guys the world right now we have to step up. We have to be on fire for our faith or you know The world's parachute one way or another. I mean, but but we got to start really stepping up and make Christianity attractive You know if the day when men it's a day when men need to grow a pair right exactly I didn't want to say step-to-hell up Because that's my job. Come on, man But you know it's step up We have to and God will help you do that. You're not going to do it on your own now And that's the beauty of the brotherhood is is you're not on your own And that's what we talked about a christian men's network Is that you're not alone your part of a brotherhood? And if you don't have one fine one getting a local church getting a local group of men If you have to somewhere Create your own And put together a brotherhood because it's in brotherhood iron sharpens iron that will grow stretch become larger And and be the men that'll actually change the future of the world Jim, you know, we live in a in a shifting changing culture My contention is that we may be postmodern But I believe we're pre-Christian Yeah, yeah, yeah, I believe the greatest churches have yet to be built the greatest sermons have yet to be preached Some of the greatest the leaders have are right now in elementary school. Yeah, I believe I believe in the next generation because I believe in Christ and he is hope Yeah, yeah, hope was alive hope as a name. Hope's name is Jesus. Yeah, absolutely a man and that is so true And if you've got the kid in kindergarten of rake school, it's up dust to be raising them up Yeah, and take him outdoors Yeah, exactly. No doubt about that. I am a bow. Get him a hand got whatever it takes to do the fishing rod might be the Yeah, yeah, in the little community pool go catch some And at least get him juice up with that, right? Yep. Amen. Took my grandkids out. We caught some you know Little trash fish and the little community pond around here, and it's just they just had a blast Yeah, yeah, but I got my hand stuck, but other than that You know Well, the fish we can't it had the little little the little fin had all the spiny things. Yeah, spiny had to spiny things on it I wasn't thinking I just grabbed it I'll do that again. So anyway, it's not like a trout that tore anybody out of the trout or a bass Anyway, hey, Jim Libertor, a lovely bro. You're a awesome man of God and we praying for your great success Yeah, it's all got all the time. That's no question about that All right, thank you, sir Paul for too long Christianity has been looked at as something that is boring But when we see any people like Jim Libertor and we hear the stories of all the amazing things that he has done And how he just doesn't stop he just keeps going We can't live by that narrative no more. We realize that no It's fun. It's an adventure Yeah, and you know is upcoming movie the harvest all the things he's got his hands to Is is about enlarging people's hearts getting them outdoors. Yeah, I'm telling you man this whole pandemic thing Has just jacked people up. Yeah keeping us indoors Particularly in big cities. Yes, we're guys aren't getting out and it is mess people's minds up it we've got so many psychological issues and issues with children and I love gyms like he's a warrior for let's get out Let's go camping. Yeah, let's do stuff And I believe that the things he's doing will fundamentally change people's lives You know and then to know that all of that comes on a foundation of such a strong faith. Yes in Christ Yeah, you know that he that he talks it and walks it Yeah, and he he is a poster board for building a community poster board. Yes I agree because it's like community is what we are lacking that's what the pandemic you know messed up We could not do life together, but now we're fighting to do life together again You know, I think boy, that's a really good comic Chris because everything you know his movie All the projects have got with uh, you know the outdoor group When you talk about fly fishermen when you talk about the outdoor channel All of that stuff you do it with friends. You're doing community by and large You know, it's uh, it's an old adage when I was growing up when the coast in Santa Cruz was you never surf alone Yeah, especially in the shark waters But but the fact is is it is don't go off someplace where nobody knows where you're not Make sure you've got friends exactly and I think gyms speaks of that in such a Yes, you know in his lifestyle in his Materials and the book and everything you know in I mean the magazines and everything I um I just thank God for men like Jim and I know there's hundreds more men like that. Yeah, they're walking it and walking it out well And so thank you Jim liberator for being on brave men podcast and thank you to everyone who has shared this podcast with somebody else And uh, it's a it's a long form Broadcast but I've got a lot of uh, we get a lot of feedback from men who listen to it on their way to work on their way home It fills your heart. Yes, you feel positive you feel stronger if you'll you know, you've got more depth going on And uh, I want to remind you everybody go back and listen to the podcast on priorities. Yes, I thought that thing really rock We talk about prioritizing your life and and how priorities change everything does So uh, and then there's some amazing You know John Cooper just recently. Yes, and then all in north here a few months back all in north and and other people like that Dale Bronner in fact we put it on youtube. Yes, amazing story and interview with him on legacy So uh, thanks for being with us today on on brave men remember it's an outreach ministry of the christian men's network cmn dot Men as chris so ably talked about it the mid break with about five edits So funny about it. Okay, let me say this again We thank you Now you nailed it you nailed it. See Paul keeps me strong guys. Yeah, strong Good to keep you home. Yeah, you know Hey, so really the uh, let somebody know tell somebody about it and uh, let's let's win the world for Jesus Christ one man at a time God bless you. Thanks for being with us. Remember hope is alive. Hope has a name. Hope's name is Jesus and I love my wife. Amen God bless You just experienced brave man with Paul Lewis Cole Paul is president of the christian men's network Connect with Paul at cmn dot men or write to him at Paul at cmn dot man