Why "Chasing the Lion"?

The idea of the lion comes from a mixture of biblical references. The first being in Revelation 5:5 (ESV)

"Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and[b] its seven seals."

Here we are introduced to the Lord being directly referred to as a Lion. Because the Lion is referred to as the "king of the jungle" and our God is the "King of kings", it's easy to see why this parallel is drawn. However, this is not the only time that scripture references lions.

in Proverbs 30:30 (ESV) we see a reference to the strength of the animal:

"The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any"

In Proverbs 19:12 (ESV) we see how those who know of the lion are aware of its danger and ferociousness.

"A king's wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass."

These are just a couple of the times that the power of the lion is mentioned. It is clear that in the time that the scriptures were written, The might of the lion was feared and respected among all of those who heard about it. The animal is used to invoke a sense of fear, but respect. A sense of majesty, and ferocity. This animal's reputation was widely known and must be the reason the authors invoked its likeness so often. In more modern times, C.S. Lewis, an incredible Christian writer, based an entire series of novels on the comparison of the Lion and our God known as The Chronicles of Narnia. In this novel, C.S. Lewis creates the character Aslan who is known as the One True King of Narnia. A quick summary of this character is this:

Aslan appears in Narnia as a large and terrifying, but equally magnificent and wise, lion with kind eyes. He appears in different sizes to different people, although he himself never changes; as people grow in wisdom and character, they can perceive more of his greatness. Aslan is very wise, and a powerful force for good, but as Narnians often say, “He’s not a tame lion.” He is dangerous, and an unconquerable enemy, but he is unquestionably good.

WOW! I mean c'mon! what an incredible metaphor of the king we serve! I know what you're thinking though,

"Hey this is all neat, but I still don't understand what chasing the lion means."

Well, here it is.

The goal of all of this is to push young men to search find and continuously chase the Lion of Judah. The One True King. The Lord of lords. God.

I have had the unique opportunity to serve and lead in a ministry that serves an extremely diverse high school in Chattanooga TN. As I've walked with high school dudes, the most common thread I have seen is a lack of any type of respectable man that they can look up to. Heck, most don't have a dad in the house or if they do, they wish he wasn't. I have had my own dad problems as well, but the Lord has blessed me with incredible and wise male mentors that stepped up and helped push me to become more and deepen my walk with Jesus.

That's what this podcast is all about. Since the King has blessed me with those men, I wanted to find a way to give that back to others that have spent their life wondering what it looks like to really be a man seeking Jesus in the every day. My hope is that through this endeavor we will impart on young men around the world to be courageous. Inspire them to fight for the king. Push them to have the bravery to be set apart from the world, and hopefully, teach some basic man skills that all men need to know. See, to truly hunt and chase a lion requires much from a man. He must enter into the wilderness and seek the track of the animal. He must withstand the elements. He must battle through lonely territory and long nights. Finally, when he meets the lion, he must have the courage and the ferocity to engage him and wrestle with him until there is victory. There is a world of broken men out there yearning for more. My hope is that through this, we will raise up men willing to have the courage, to Chase the Lion.