The church is in danger of becoming lost in a post modern desert. There is so much talk about thriving that it has over looked the initial steps of simply surviving. I’ve heard it said in the church so many times “We don’t want to just survive. We want to THRIVE!” Of course we do, but by skipping the steps of learning to be survivors, we end up simply working on our image and not our core. We create form, but no function. We have beauty, but no heart. I think it comes down to the fact that we equate, “survivor,” with, “beaten up mess,” and isn’t that just a breath away from, “loser?” But here’s the thing; survivors have a different perspective of the world. For starters, they have had the opportunity to truly look into their core and see what’s there. They’ve had the chance to learn (often the hard way) and found who they really are and what really makes them tick. They don’t sugar coat how easy it is to become lost, and their vigil is to keep themselves found. But even more they can now see the beauty all around themselves. They understand that they are not in a struggle to overcome the natural systems they find themselves in, but rather are part of that system. They are not a slave to it, but a participant in it. They have earned the right to see it like none others can. The blinders are off. It is from here that they can start growing. It is here when they can start building the form to go with the function and the heart to go with the growing beauty. Faith tells us the church will survive because our God wills it and His will is supreme. But that doesn’t mean that individual churches will become a center of significance in their communities. Many times we see churches, ministries and even whole denominations start off strong and lose their way because they allowed themselves to lean on their own initial success and lull themselves into a false security. In many ways the same method of a hiker getting lost in the woods relates to a church getting lost in their society. But that doesn’t have to be a death sentence. So let’s talk a little about it in the next three articles. Let’s talk about that path to becoming a survivor to becoming one that thrives. We’ll divide the next three articles into three parts: Find yourself, Grow yourself, Change yourself So, what does the company Xerox, being lost in the woods and future church growth have in common? Let’s find out as we learn about Finding Yourself. It’s remarkably easy to get lost, and there are so many ways it can happen. I remember getting ready for my first Triathlon. Granted it was a humble effort as far as they go. Sprint triathlons are the, “baby,” of the genre. Typically a kilometer swim (or less), 20k bike ride, and a 5 k run. Still, it was the longest distance I have ever attempted. Probably the most daunting element of a Tri is the initial swim. It’s what keeps most who refuse to attempt one away. One in relatively good shape can bully through the bike and the run, but unless you are a functional swimmer, this style of racing is just not practical. And for some, this is what makes the concept terrifying. It is not uncommon to make a local race more accessible and appealing to have the swim portion both shortened and done in a comfortable, controlled environment of a swimming pool. However, as a half decent swimmer, that took the romance out of the experience for me. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it, “right”! Doing it right, for me anyways, meant an open water swim. The problem was in training. As a naturally cautious person, I was wasn’t up for solo swims out into open water for training purposes. Living in southern Florida at the time, open water meant 2options: Shark-infested oceans or alligator-infested lakes. Neither was anything that seemed too appealing. I didn’t have a training partner nor did I have someone experienced enough to guide me through a practice session. So instead I had to make due with two strategic approaches. First I would make sure I was trained in a pool environment to complete the distance effectively. Second, I would read up on what I was getting into. My guide was, “Your First Triathlon,” by Joe Friel. One thing that started to unnerve me was how Joe began to talk about what a first time triathlete (and even an experienced one) will go through during their initial approach. He began by saying that in almost every race, there will be a hand full of people that turn back within the first few minutes and then he told us why. It was a June morning that I stood with my bare feet in the sands at the starting point. The beach was crowded with over a thousand people. The sun was showing signs of peaking up above the horizon, but hadn’t quite made the commitment yet. The American national anthem was already sung, and wave one, the ELITE races, were already in the water swimming for a large inflated buoy way off in the middle of