Imagine for a moment that you haven’t consumed water or food for nearly three days and you are in desert like conditions that requires you to do everything in your power to “survive.� Now, just imagine what the difference would be if you had a companion by your side sharing this miserable experience, would the presence of one person make a difference? For Austin Carty, it made all the difference in the world. Austin was a contestant on Survivor Panama Exile Island this past season on CBS. Although, Austin may not have won the million dollar grand prize for being the sole survivor, his relationship with Christ grew because he knew that he was incapable of pulling this off on his own. He realized that his faith in Christ was the only thing that was going to encourage him enough to continue on in the scorching Panamanian sun.

Although, he obtained instant notoriety from the hit reality television show based on his testimony and faith in the Lord, Austin was not always as close to the Lord as he is now. As a matter of fact, after 21 days of nothing but prayer, survival, and work, Austin was able to develop that relationship between him and the Lord that began for him as a young child. Austin grew up in High Point, NC and attended First Wesleyan Academy where he played soccer and first learned what it really was to pray and talk to God and know without a shadow of a doubt that God was indeed listening. After graduation, Austin spent three years in Lynchburg, VA at Liberty University where he majored in public speaking. He has written several books including a couple of novels and is currently working on a new book that he is extremely excited about concerning prayer.

Now that Austin is back from Panama, his literary work has continued and God has opened up some exciting doors for public speaking in various venues across America including Saddle Back Community Church in Lake Forest, CA where he will be a speaker at The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry Leadership conference in July. With a book in the works and several speaking engagements booked it is exciting to see what God is doing in Austin’s life.

One particular event that took place in Panama on the reality series that has effected me was Austin’s brilliant plan to “trick� Danielle into believing that he had the hidden immunity idol which was a new “twist� from the other seasons. Austin knew that the plan was genius and the immunity idol meant leverage in the game that would put him closer to winning the million dollars, but he came into the game with his integrity intact and he wanted to leave with the same amount that he came with. According to Austin, the idea wasn’t stretching the truth or even bending it just a little, he was lying and it was eating him up inside. I’m sure that there have been times in our lives where an opportunity presented itself for advancement on the job or maybe on the playing field. Regardless, of how great the scheme or the plan was deep down inside the idea of executing the mission was tearing you up inside. The Bible says in Proverbs 11 that the man of integrity is the man that people follow. After talking with Austin extensively, he is that man that is willing to take the stand for God and lead this generation with his integrity to another level.

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