Austin Carty: More Than a Survivor

CBN.com LIFE AFTER THE SHOW
Austin Carty abruptly left college to compete on Survivor Panama: Exile Island.  The day after he was voted off he was invited to speak at a U.S. Postal Service trade show.  He planned to speak to a secular audience without talking “Christianese.” But to his surprise, questions afterwards centered more on his Christian faith than his feelings about host Jeff Probst. 

One man pressed him to speak to his daughter’s youth group.  Austin didn’t see himself as a famous evangelist.  “Just talk about Jesus,” the man said, which Austin did. 

Now, he is talking about Jesus around the world.    Austin has become a highly sought-after speaker at churches, youth rallies, ministry conferences, and similar Christian events because of the portrayal of his Christian faith on Survivor.   In addition to speaking at Christian events, Austin has also been praised for his ability to relate to non-believers, and he enjoys exercising his ability to build relationships with people who are typically turned off by religion.   He learned to build these relationships by truly finding ways to connect people. 

Whether it is speaking live at venues or on his blog, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, he has learned to connect with people with genuine compassion and love.

ESSAYS OF HIS JOURNEY
Writing is something that Austin has always loved.  His first novel, Somewhere Beyond Here, was released in 2003 (before his appearance on Survivor) and received critical acclaim.  He has been working on several fiction and non-fiction books.   Though it has been a painful process, it has taught him something valuable:  if we really want something big, if we really believe in it, it is possible to grab it. 

Austin learned to persevere, listen to his heart, and follow his dreams.  His current release, High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out is a testament to the power of perseverance and doing what we have to do to keep our dreams alive.   Its pages contain candid stories of Austin’s own journey of faith as well as food for thought about one’s own Christian beliefs.   Austin wanted to write a book that people could relate to.   In order to get to that place, he had to be honest about his own motivations.  Only then did Austin find an authentic relationship and faith in God. 

In hindsight, he admits that he had to ask himself if he was doing things because he was a “good Christian” or because he loved God.  He says being real with yourself allows you to be real with God and others – you have to understand your own motivations.  Austin admits that in the past, he did things for the wrong reasons and was just going through the motions.    He finally came to a place of understanding a relation interaction with God. 

BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE
Austin’s journey has lead him to places of true soul searching.  Another place of truth for him came after he listened to "This Is Your Life" by the popular musical group Switchfoot.  Though Austin had heard this song numerous times, this time it caused him to assess his life and the decisions he was making about his future.  He had decided to rule out moving to New York or Los Angeles for the sake of furthering his acting career.  Austin did not want to be one of many reality TV stars who flock to Hollywood thinking they were meant to make it as an actor.

He had been invited to give a speech at a Florida high school and was having trouble writing what he was going to say.  He decided to add the song’s lyrics to the beginning of his speech.   Austin started off by telling the students how art fascinated him and how 11 words of this Switchfoot song had changed his life and inspired him to make a major decision concerning his future.  He told the students the words that affected him:  “This is your life.  Are you who you want to be?”  These words penetrated Austin to his core.  He always thought he had his future mapped out, but he discovered that the decisions we make in our lives today will affect the people we will become tomorrow. 

BASEBALL AND THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
One of Austin’s essays that showcase pure faith is one called “Baseball and the Rhythm of Life.”   This essay is about the death of his best friend Chris’ father, Bruce.  Bruce was a pastor that truly practiced what he preached.  This man of integrity was diagnosed with cancer.  Bruce and his congregation believed that God could heal him.  Through this difficult process, Bruce seemed to be at peace with whatever God’s answer was.   Bruce passed away.  During this event, Austin admits there were a lot of tough questions, like ‘where was God?’ or ‘why does God heal some people and not others?’  From this, here are some conclusions that Austin came to:  There is no answer.  There is only the promise of faith; nothing more.  In situations like these everyone has moments of doubt and people hurt.   Bruce’s passing reminded Austin that he didn’t have to understand all of life’s mysteries. 

After Bruce’s death, Austin knew there was really nothing he could say to cheer Chris up, so Austin just got his old baseball glove and played catch with Chris as they did when they were younger.  Though they didn’t have all the answers, there knew is only faith.