#8 - Q&A with Nathan Ford

by James Baker

We thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A every-once-in-awhile with an FCC'er (or others) that we find interesting.  And perhaps no one's more interesting that our friend Nathan Ford.  He was one of Toby's high school buddies, and he and his girlfriend, Amanda, have been coming to the church for several years.  I like Nathan because I don't know anyone else like Nathan.  He's a 27-year-old throwback to a different era, and probably should've lived during the Civil War, or maybe fought at the Alamo.  The modern conveniences of Twitter, Blu-Ray, and running water aren't really his thing.

Before I knew Nathan well, a few of us were sitting around discussing movies when the subject of Lonesome Dove came up.  As I confessed that I had never seen the movie, Nathan's demeanor turned noticeably cold.  When I asked him what was up, he said, "I'm just having a really difficult time not judging you right now."  I was a little ashamed, but mostly amused.  I figured anyone that had such deep convictions over movies was an alright kind-of-guy.

Nathan's as rough & tumble as they come, but he's also got a good heart.  Here's a peek at some of what makes him tick:

Q:  So you're camped on the side of a mountain in Colorado, and in the middle of the night, your buddy has a severe asthma attack.  His rescue inhaler is in a dry bag 40 feet away, In the glow of the fire, you notice there is a black bear cub asleep on top of the dry bag.  You see that the mama bear is maybe 50 yards beyond that looking straight at you.  Another friend is complaining that his sleeping bag isn't very insulated and he's kind of cold, your girlfriend has just called you from back home on your SAT phone wanting to work out the argument that you had right before you left, and your phone battery is about to die.  What do you do?

A:  Easy.  I hang up on her, kill the mama bear, catch the cub and get the inhaler.  I skin the mama and make a bear skin blanket for my wuss buddy.  Then I will train the cub to do cool stuff and give it to my girlfriend when I get home.  How could she be mad at me then?

Q:  I've noticed that in restaurants, you always need to be sitting in a booth and facing the door....why is that?

A:  Well, booths are obviously more comfortable.  Typically they are located on the perimeter of the restaurant and I hate being in the middle because I feel too exposed and feel like everyone is watching me.  I sit facing the door so I can see who is coming in and identify a threat quickly if one should arise.  I only trust one person to eat with that I will have my back to the door and that depends on who is buying.  If he buys he can face the door, if I buy I face the door.  I also identify all known exits when I enter the establishment.  It's all about situational awareness.

Q:  If you have a say in the matter, how do you hope to die?

A:  In a hail of gun fire. 

Q:  What is something you will definitely not name your child?

A:  Nathan.

Q:  Your yet-to-be son-in-law asks for your yet-to-be daughter's hand-in-marriage....what is one piece of advice you give him?

A:  It depends on the type of guy it is.  Some hippy punk, the advice is run.  A good guy that I like, the advice is don't screw it up.  I don't know, communication is important, make God the center, blah, blah, blah.  Something Christian.

Q:  If you could be friends with any movie character, who would it be?

A:  Augustus Mcrae, or Woodrow F. Call.

Q:  Any regrets?

A:  I have many regrets, but they don't eat me up too bad.  I guess the main one is starting smoking, stupid choice.

Q:  What breaks your heart?

A:  Innocent victims.  Sex slaves and victims of sexual abuse.

Q:  When does God feel most real to you?  Most distant?

A:  God feels most real to me when I am poor, or out enjoying his wild creation or during severe storms.  He feels most distant when I am making good money, and "have it all together."

Q:  Who is your hero, and why?

A:  My grandfather, he was a great man.  My father, for a million reasons.  And Chris Spealler, he is an incredible crossfit athlete.  His work capacity to body weight ratio is insane, he breaks all conventional exercise science rules.

Q:  Describe your perfect day.

A:  My perfect day would begin nasty cold and early in the morning, I would build a fire on the back porch and drink coffee and spend a little time with the Lord and have a few smokes.  Then I would be with just the guys and go fish or anything outdoors and have a near death experience and make a memory.  Then we would go back to the house and meet up with the girls around a fire and tell our tales and have community.