July 13th - The Last Lecture

"The Last Lecture"

If you were unable to attend class this past week, I strongly encourage you to take an hour out of this week to experience what the class experienced on Sunday. I know an hour out of a busy week often seems like something we cannot afford to do. But I believe you cannot afford not to do this. Please see the basic transcript from this past Sunday's class. Go ahead... turn off the TV, get an hour less of sleep one night... whatever it takes. Just do it! I think you will be glad you did.

Instructions before you start:

In watching the video, do your best to remove the lenses with which we normally watch a story like this. Remove the lenses of inspiration. Put aside, just for this one time, the temptation to get wrapped into the individual life lessons of the story. The lessons are wonderful, the words inspirational, but individually they do not stand. Inspiration is often fleeting. It is at the forefront of our conscious one day and forgotten when we pick back up with life’s routine. There is a foundation to all of this, and that foundation is where we must begin.

So, try to replace this temptation with your analytical thinking. Replace the feelings you have about the individual insights, with the search for a broader meaning. Place yourself in Randy’s shoes, and in his family’s shoes. In a previous blog post, I wrote that comprehending the feelings and insights of a dying man like Randy is almost impossible for those of us, whose death does not seem so near. So we must use our imagination to begin to understand.

This is not an exercise to depress you or make you fearful. This is not an exercise about death, or dying, or suffering. It is an exercise of examination, of self examination, of life examination, of spiritual examination.

There are no right answers for this one, but there are a lot of revealing ones.

"The Last Lecture" - Things to consider while watching the video.

1. What are some of Randy Pausch’s attributes (victories and struggles)?
2. What are some things Randy feels are important?
3. Not so important?
4. What are your thoughts on Randy’s outlook?
5. Is God revealing anything to you?

The Last Lecture - Love Story of Your Life (Diane Sawyer - April 23, 2008



It is a powerful story isn't it? I love the ending. In the entire lecture, Randy talks in more detail about how he loved pulling off head fakes as a teacher. He says that head fakes are when his students enter an assignment believing they are learning one thing, and in the process, they begin to learn something totally new and unexpected.

And he concludes his lecture with two head fakes/two revelations:

1. The lecture is not about how the achieve your dreams; it is about how to live your life.
2. The lecture is not for you, or me, or the millions of people who have watched it on you-tube; it is for his kids.

And beyond the inspirational qualities of his message...I think there is a 3rd head fake that Randy did not mention. He spoke in the lecture and in the special of leaving spiritual matters to his personal life.

But, what we see rise to the surface, in what seems to be his last days on earth, what we see as his final message, his final example, is, in my mind, so Christ-like. No matter his stance on leaving spiritual matters to his personal life, God is bringing them out.

Randy's story is about embracing the Jesus perspective. Understanding what is important, and more importantly, what is not.

So we leave today with a "to be continued." And we leave with one question, a question that we did not have time in this class to answer. I think that is a good thing...we could not do it justice in one day. It is a question that needs some long thought, some digging, some wrestling. It is a question that I would encourage you to consider over the next few weeks, and when Shelly completes her series, we will pick it back up again.

The question is: Why does it often take the sentence of death, or a tragic experience, or extreme suffering for people to learn how to live?

In seeking answers, keep in mind that it does not have to be this way for us. Christ told us so; the Bible tells us so, and Randy has set an example for us all. His example is not how to die with a positive outlook, with strength and courage, but how to live with these traits.

What are your thoughts? As you take time to over the next few days and weeks to process Randy's story, his attittude, his challenge...please share them on the discussion board (click on "post a comment"). You may post your name, but you do not have to...it can be kept anonymous. You don't have to be a member of the class or even a member of our church. I would just like for us to generate some discussion and conversation and have a place to share insights with each other.