What would Satan say if he had a brief Speech to graduates. You've worked hard and now the world lies before you. I invite you to embrace it. not as followers, but as architects of your own paths. Ask questions, challenge conventions, trust your own desires.
Seek what brings you joy, what sets your heart free. This is the perspective of what Satan would say at the graduation. That's what you put in. Doesn't that sound like the typical advice?
Okay, Ann Wilson. Are you ready for dun dun dun dun dun dun? It's graduation day. It is graduation day. I wish we had a really good speaker to give a really good commencement speech.
I know, we always want one. You always get those duds, you know, celebrities. They have nothing really to say, but they have a million people following them on Instagram and they put them up there and they don't know what to say.
So, do you have a good one today? We have Bran Hansen giving the graduation speech today. Thank you. Yeah, well sort of a cooperative speech. Do you guys remember who your speaker was, like, for your high school graduation?
I was gonna say, it was non-memorable. Yeah, I don't know. I can always remember a student giving. A speech. I gave ours.
Did you really? Wait, wait. I didn't give a speech, but I gave a five-minute something. What? Yeah.
You know, I was the quarterback. You know, wait, wait, wait. No, I don't think I knew this. No. No, no, no, no.
They don't just go, hey, we want to hear from the quarterback. for graduation. That's why you surprise me. Because it's one chance it's one chance for the non-quarterback to get some attention, the valedictorian. The scholars give the speech.
You did not, did you? I wasn't the only one. What did I do? I have no idea what I said. I guarantee it was terrible.
Like, hey, go, uh. Grow your hair and be the party animal. I don't know. I had no values in my life at that time. That's funny.
And she wasn't there, Branch. She's three years younger.
Okay.
So she went at where did you guys do yours in the stadium? Yes. Yeah, we're in the stadium right on the field where I, you know, was a star. Can we talk more? Can we talk about my more about me being a star in high school?
When I had hair and a mullet coming out of my health. Can you find your identity through that? Oh, a thousand percent. But Brian Hansen I don't even know where you gave the speech. Uh to who?
to uh a group in Vero Beach, Florida.
So Uh but the funny thing was I went online Right beforehand, because I was thinking, you know, what am I going to say? Wait, wait, yeah, I thought you were going to say I went online and asked them if I could speak at their graduation hours.
So you were asked, like, match yourself with the speaker.
Okay, wait, now tell them what you did. This is one on AI, which I'm not a huge fan of for content generation, but I just thought this would be funny. I was like, what would a graduation speech look like if it was delivered by Aragorn from Lord of the Rings? And it was okay. You have a little brief speech.
And I was like, wait a second, what if it was Gollum? Who was your commitment speaker? And it started with this. I actually wrote it down. This is.
Precious precious graduates. We seize you all shiny in your robes. Trust no one. No, they lies. They cheat like filthy Hobbits's.
That was pretty good. That's pretty funny. Did you laugh when you read that? Oh, I did. I thought that, like, okay, that's funny.
And then I thought, okay. What? Because I was also looking up like... Classic graduation speeches from, you know, Steve Jobs said this, and Oprah said that, and this person said this, and that. And I was like Okay, forget Gollum for a second.
SATAN FROM THE BIBLE If he had a brief Speech to graduates. And I have it here. And it printed it out here. It said, honored graduates, what a remarkable day. Your minds alight with possibility, your future's unwritten.
You've worked hard, and now the world lies before you. I invite you to embrace it. Not as followers, but as architects of your own paths. Why limit yourselves to others' expectations? Knowledge is your power, as I once offered in the garden long ago.
Ask questions, challenge conventions. Trust your own desires. You need not bow to rules that stifle your potential. Seek what brings you joy, what sets your heart free. Congratulations, and may you soar.
So I read that. to the graduates. It was like That sounds like every graduation speech. I was just going to say, that's every graduation speech. Absolutely.
And it's well done. Yeah. Well done. Right, because it sounds like, yeah, yeah, it sounds like wisdom, but it's really seek what brings you joy, but sets your heart free. It's all about you being free.
Trust your own desires. This is the perspective of what Satan would say at the graduation. That's what you put in. So I read that to the kids. If Doesn't that sound like the typical advice?
It is. It's all about you. Follow your desires. Follow your. Dreams for your desire.
No rules. No, don't let other people put limits on you. It's all about you. Like, here's the problem, guys. Um It's through binding ourselves to relationships that's the only source of poetry in life.
It's not about me being a free agent.
Okay.
If it is, I'm going to wind up very lonely. Like it and being like just I'm not going to let other people tell me.
Okay, but Yeah. Yeah. I'd bound myself to my wife. Yeah. to the exclusion of all others.
I mean, that's a lot of options off the table. for one woman. Like so I just gave up my freedom, huh?
Well, I gave up some freedom. But that's how you find poetry in life.
Now I'm free to do stuff. like play with my grandkids who are, you know, cute little girls. And it's the greatest thing ever. It's one of the few things in life that lives up to the hype. I don't know if I told you guys that joke.
Yeah. Probably a terrible joke, but I was like, people will tell you. This is terrible. People will tell you, oh, you love your kids so much.
Well, just wait till you have grandkids. Like, you love your kids so much, you kill for your kids, right? I'm like, sure.
Well, you love your grandkids so much, you kill your kids. It's a terrible joke. I enjoy that so much. Um And it's a freedom I wouldn't have. It's like you find these other freedoms as a result of surrendering it.
For example, like I use a classic example like Chris Martin from Cold Play. Like he's sitting there playing piano over and over and over and over and over, looking out the window. He said when he was a kid, everybody's out there kicking a ball around, having a great time. They're out there playing soccer/slash football, and he's stuck inside and playing the piano.
Well, who's got freedom? They do, right?
Now, who's got freedom? Who gets free to travel the world or buy any car he wants if that's what he wants? But it's wild how. It's through surrendering freedom that we find it. And I particularly with your relationship with God.
It's wild how not having that relationship, you wind up not having freedoms that you you do. knowing him and actually binding yourself to him.
Well, Brant, I listen to that, and it sounds so good, in a way, if we don't like If we don't really listen, you know, to hear what they're saying, but I'm listening to that thinking, that puts so much pressure. On each of those kids to find their own happiness and their own success. And it's all about them and what they're doing. And that, I mean, it can sound great, like I can be whoever I want to be, which is very culturally. evident in everything that's going on today that it sounds normal.
But I think kids, and I've talked to a lot of 20. 20 some-year-olds. They've been striving and trying to do all that, and they're exhausted. Yeah. It is very failing.
It is very exhausting. The other thing is too, if it's like, don't let anybody tell you. Yeah. like who you are. Do you know who you are?
Do you really? Did you ask that to the graduate? I did, because I'm asking this like. Because it may be who you are may be a lot better than what you think. A lot bigger.
Like if I'm actually made in the image of God. And he regards me as his child. And I trust him. That's a bigger identity. Than anything I'm going to concoct.
Hmm. I have a connection with the Creator of the Universe. Like So Just saying that you can create your own. I didn't it's not gonna be better than that. Yeah.
And that does take the pressure off. I don't have to carry the the entire world. a different way of living. is just to show up each day and be faithful. And then see what God does with that.
Make the best decisions you can. But the pressure's off. Like he really is going with you. There's the scripture, and I did share this with them. Is this a secular political?
No, it was Christians.
Okay.
So I felt free to just rip it and rip it here, but it's like. High school or college? High school. Yeah. But being able to tell them, I know you've been told Christian stuff your whole lives by your parents or by the school stuff, like you've been going through.
I understand, but you are free to walk away. Hmm. You are free. Jesus let people walk away from him. Sad.
But you can. You can actually torpedo your life. You're free to do that. We can we all are. We can do make some horrible decisions.
You're free. I beg you though, like Moses gave a graduation speech, his last speech to the Israelites. He's like, choose life, Don't choose death. Like I'm telling you. This is now up to you.
And I tell them a story. It's a story I learned from Sheldon von Aachen in his book A Severe Mercy. And I said, this is the worst bedtime story of all, but I told my kids this when they were little. And if you don't mind, I'll tell this story. Just take a couple minutes.
But my kids never forgot it. And I don't think these graduates will ever, if they forget the rest of the story, I've read the book, and I'm like, I can't imagine sharing anything from it to my kids. What is it? No, no, no.
Well, he tells this story about two dogs. And it's Gypsy and Snowball. These two dogs that live out in the country.
So I'm telling these graduates this. And They're great dogs, they get to run. It's a perfect dog world. You know, the country, they get to run and run and run. And then with their master, they have a great master, and he calls out, you know, dinner time, rings a bell.
And they have to come right back. And so they do as soon as he rings a bell.
Well, one day, Gypsy. Here's the bell, dinner time, and a rabbit runs across her path right at that moment. She's like, I'd like to chase that rabbit. But I'm supposed to go in for dinner. And she chases the rabbit.
And the master's really disappointed but she comes back late. And then the next time a rabbit runs by, she does it without even thinking. and she disobeys the Master. and after a while the master had put on a leash. Can trust you anymore.
And so I'm telling the graduates about how I told my kids this. When they were in bunk beds. And and they're like, Well, Dad, what happened then? Like, well, they went out in the country and um they were gonna go for a walk. And the master was getting Gypsy and Snowball ball out, and as he was getting Gypsy's leash, she took off out of the car and ran into the woods.
And he's like, Gypsy, come back, Gypsy, Gypsy And she was like, I'm free I'm free And she ran and ran and ran deeper into the woods and his voice just like Gypsy Gypsy. till she couldn't hear it any more. And she wanted to turn around, now she was lost. And the Master was very sad. And we're like, dad, then what happened?
Master put Snowball in the car and he drove home and he never saw Gypsy again. That is the worst medtime story ever. They're crying. It gets worse. Gets worse.
What happened to Gypsy? She spent the rest of her days, you know, her fur was matted and she was, she had a hard time of it, but she had puppies and She tried to tell the puppies about the Master, but they didn't really know him. And then when they had puppies, they didn't even have any clue who he was anymore. Yeah. Did I?
And I told them that story, and I laughed with the kids about it too. But I was like, I just want you to know, like, There's gonna come a time you're free. But the master's good. But I want you to know you're free. Hmm.
But there's so many reasons to bind yourself to him. He's actually faithful. And if you want, you can go through life with this strength. Because in Psalm, the last verse of Psalm 23 says, Surely. Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. It's so great because the whole chapter starts with the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. Hmm. That's literally how it starts.
And then it ends with He's going to follow me. Like his goodness, if you know, if you listen to scholars on that, his goodness following you, it's not like lagging behind, like, hey, you know, where are you going? I'll catch up here. you know It actually is following more like a hunter. Mm.
That's the actual image. tracking you. I am locked on. For the rest of your life. And then you get to spend eternity in his h his house.
If you want. But it's up to you. Like it's your choice. I did tell them. God can be trusted.
Even if you have big questions about life, like you've been taught Christian stuff your whole life, maybe you're like, I need to explore some other options. I don't have every answer. You may not either. You may have some doubts, but I'll tell you this: I can trust the character of God. I'm convinced of it.
So even if I don't have every answer, I trust him. And I am convinced that in the end, that trust will be vindicated. What about hypocrites?
So I'm talking to the kids again. Like, because if you want to walk away, you'll blame hypocrites. Look, you may have encountered a lot of hypocrites, maybe in your schooling, maybe in life, maybe in this thing. Maybe in church it said it might it might Life, it's my family. in my church.
Like my dad is a pastor that the trauma we went through. But Um Do not give them the power to chase you away from the best relationship of your life. Don't walk away. It's too good. And so I told them the the story I've told you guys before about Knowing how all this ends.
And it's like watching a game. It and repeat where your team wins. You know your team wins at the last second. You're not stressed out when you watch that because you know they're going to win. You're re-watching it.
Um I took Julia. My daughter. I said, things are going to happen in life. Where you're gonna be like, What is happening? But I remember taking Julia I can't remember if I told you guys this story, but Carolyn and I, when the kids were little, We live in Houston.
And it's a big city. And we were going to the rodeo Did I tell you this? No. Okay, we were going to the rodeo and It was one morning, we have to buckle the kids in. It was a strangely cold March morning in Houston.
But we got the kids all, you know, with their coats and mittens on and everything, and buckled them into their seats. It's a big operation, you know, to get kids. going somewhere when they're little. And we had to make a an errand run. And so we stopped at some friends.
We had to unbuckle the kids, get them out, you know, unzip and zip back in.
Okay, click them back in, put them back. And then we stopped at the grocery store, too.
So we had to unbuckle. Oh, I forgot something at the church. Where we stopped at this church to get this stuff and unbuckle, zip them up, buckle them back in, get them. And then I got pulled over for speeding on the freeway. And so a police officer comes up and he's like, What are you doing?
There's lights flashing. These are little kids, too, right? They're in car seats, yeah, they're in car seats. And the officer's nice, but I got a ticket, you know, and where it would take off. And then my daughter said stuff from the back seat.
She's like, hey, dad. Like, yeah. And I adjust the rear view mirror like. Where we going? And I hadn't told them we were going to the rodeo.
I forgot to tell them.
So, from their perspective, from her perspective, It's just, I'm being lifted up. I'm being clicked in. I'm being taken over here. I'm being clicked in again. There's some flashing lights.
There's a stranger. We're stopped. Cars are whizzing by. You know, I'm being taken. Just like.
Where are we going? And I said, Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm so sorry, we're going to the rodeo. You love horses. Oh, good.
And as I c continued to drive, I thought, Why wasn't she panicking this whole time? Mm. Like if it's us. We want to know where we're going. Right?
You can't just, what now? What is happening to me? Like, that'd be our question from start to finish. Especially if there's any kind of detour or whatever. What's going on?
Right.
So, honest question. I was like, What's the difference? Why was she okay and it dawned on me? She knows who's driving. She trusts the father.
She trusts the driver. She doesn't have to know. Like, God is actually good. You know what you know, He's actually faithful? Do you know you're going to be able to look back at your life and go, this has been good?
I don't have a bunch of warnings for you. I just want to tell you: if you trust him, this is good.
So yeah, that was that was kind of the thrust of it. Instead of saying Don't let anybody, you know, stop you from being the He's he's trustworthy. This is a this is a better way to live. And the neatest thing happened afterward, and that was a guy who got up to sing. And I think this is a great idea for graduations if you have a Christian graduation thing.
But he led the parents and everyone to sing the blessing, that song.
Well, the kids are on stage. You're facing the kids. And that song isn't a song you're singing to God. The Lord bless you and keep you. It's a benediction.
Number six, yeah. And you're looking face to face at these graduates. Yeah. And you're ending the whole thing with like as you go. May his presence be with you, behind you, beside you, within you, and bless your children and their children.
The Lord keep you and Like you're talking to people. I'm like, now there's a graduation. I didn't plan that at all, but I was like, that's a really sweet idea.
So yeah, that was that was the thrust of what we talked about.
So good. Yeah, and and at the heart of that obviously is you trust your father the better you know him. You have a history with them. I mean, you don't trust your father in day one. You don't know him, but as you see.
And experience his presence and his gentleness in your life, you're like, I can trust him. I don't need to know where. Yeah, and I think it's good to hear from older people. Hmm. Older than you, people.
I don't want to call myself a Lord, but I am. Hang on a minute.
So like but to say I had learned that I could trust him. All right, let me just say this. We know life is full of challenges, and families today need biblical truth more than ever. Isn't that true? Oh, it's definitely true.
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Okay, let's get back to the conversation. You know what's interesting, I'm still stuck on the story of the two dogs. Yeah, it's haunting. It's got to be with you the rest of your life. And I was thinking, like.
He should have added that every day the owner goes outside on the patio and calls They may not, the dog may not hear his voice, but he's always calling and welcoming the dog back. He's waiting for Gypsy to come home. Yeah, it's like he's and he never forgets about Gypsy. you know and always and because he had a purpose and a plan and It's not their purpose. It's not Gypsy's purpose.
It's his purpose. He had something for Gypsy. That was really remarkable. Yeah. Because he created Gypsy in his own image, that kind of thing, you know?
I like all that. That's just not an original story. I'm adding to it. I'm going to put you on the phone with my adult kids now. Hey, that one story.
It turns out that there's some other stuff, too. There's a better one. Jesus actually told us similar stuff. Have you ever talked to your grown kids about that? Of what it made them think now?
Yeah, I mean, yeah. What did they say?
Well, it's just again, it's like, I have the freedom, I have a choice. Yeah, you're not locked into this. And I don't want you to have that script in your head, too, that just because we raised you as believers. That You were trapped somehow. Oh no, it just happens to be this is the best way of life.
And when they see that and live that out, then it's you know, you get it. But it's also true, like in that story, what's what's a little bit haunting too is that her li Gypsy's life was not better. Mm. Right.
And her idea of freedom Mm-hmm.
Well, is freedom the ultimate thing in in the world? Or do you wind up? If you O D on freedom, you wind up Lonely. or addicted. Yeah, addict, like for sure.
In bondage into that which you thought would set you free. Yeah. So what what's in Satan's graduation speech, like, okay, freedom, freedom, freedom from any limits.
Well, that's. That sounds right, doesn't it? What he always does is it's a sucker punch. Like, look over here, it's gonna be great. And then, pow.
And um the freedom lie is one of them. Hmm. Interesting that AI picks up on how deceitful Satan's word. AI itself is deceitful. Exactly.
Yeah, I mean, it sounds good. But it's like the father of wise, the father of light. It sounds so right and so appealing, and yet it's so twisted in comparison to the gospel. And it's all, again, it's always a replacement. It's always like that magician's trick of look over here, and then pow, you get hit.
Yeah. So he uses that. uh over and over and over. And I think that's uh That the freedom Idea is one of his biggest lies. It's not free.
Yeah, and especially, you know, as you apply it to marriage, there's this cultural belief, probably always been. A covenant is the most restrictive thing you could ever commit to. Stay away from a covenant, live together. Date. Don't enter into a covenant of marriage 'cause you're you're I mean, your life is confining.
You have no more freedoms. And you just you illustrate at the beginning. No, I actually have grandkids because of that coming up. Yeah, and I know people that have kept their options open even after they got married. Yeah.
and are now old and alone. Yeah. And I'm telling you, because your anniversary is coming up for 35 years, ours is coming up for 45 years, I would hate to be alone right now. I would I I look at our marriage and like, oh man, we're in the best years. and it's been worth the hard parts of it.
As we've worked through With God's grace, with His power, we're experiencing the beauty of it. Yeah. It's pretty. It's freedom, it's joy, it's like what he created the covenant to be like. And the freedom, too, in my case, like there's freedoms that you have if you're single.
There's also single serving God. Oh, it's beautiful. We have freedoms too. Right.
But there's. The kind of freedom that I have being married this long. Is the freedom of having somebody know me this well and still like me? I know, it's a miracle.
Well, maybe not for you, but it is for me. No. No, but that's a freedom that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Like, he sees all of me, and he still likes me. It doesn't come without the thing, the vow.
Yeah. Like that's where the poetry in life comes from. There's our wedding picture. You know, 45 years ago. And, you know, most people would say that's pointed to the camera, Dave.
It's a great picture. Oh, yeah. It's all good. I have a theological question. Do you think that you'll be reunited with your hair?
I think I will. There it is on the uh On the on YouTube. I will be reunited with my hair. Do you think it'll be emotional? I think it'll be emotional.
I'll I'll be in tears. My hair is back. No, what I was gonna say is. You know, do you think they'll have your hair like on a stage? It'll be like, come on down, and then we'll all cheer and it'll be an emotional.
Reunion. Man, I had a serious point I struggled with. You had really good hair, too. Forget that. You know what I am telling you?
When I. In my college, where I played college ball, I got inducted in the Hall of Fame years ago. He's not bragging, though. No, that's awesome. No, this is a moment where, you know, it's a big thing.
So they go back. Right.
And my two best friends from my team were there. They showed up. It was 10 years after we graduated, and they handed me a little. Present, you know, wrapped up like Christmas. I'm like, wow, you guys, you got me something like, yeah, man, this is a big day for you.
You know, we're hoping someday we get in. You know, is it? I open it up real slow, and they're just there. You start laughing. It was a hair toupee.
They go, we found this in your helmet. Yeah. What a great moment.
Now, here's what I was going to say. Right, right, right. You look at that picture of any couple, and we're looking at our wedding picture, and you think those are some of the prettiest days of our lives. We're, you know, young bodies. This is a better wedding picture.
45 years later, sitting in a hospital room a couple weeks ago with my bride. Mm-hmm. being there when she needed me, she's there when I need her. We don't look as good. We don't like anywhere near like make the joke about hair and that whole thing This is a beautiful picture.
Because it's what you just said. She's still there. She's seen all the bad in you, and she loves you.
So. I had friends years ago. We were m Young Marys. And they are a little older than us, and she had bad Crohn's disease she was diagnosed with, and it was it was touch and go. Completely.
And he said That when they were first married, they look at older couples. They common on older couples that are walking along holding hands. They might be both 80 or whatever. Probably limping. Yeah.
Yeah. They thought, oh, that's really sweet. But then she got this thing and that meant their physical life had ground to a halt because she was so sick. And he said I had to bathe her. and lift her in and out of the bathtub and He's like, this isn't what I signed up for.
But it is. Yeah. And then they realize, you know, those people who are holding hands when they're eighty. Mm-hmm. You have to go through that.
Yeah. Yeah. Like all those stories, all those hardships, and all those things that are like, oh, you know, I've. How I've any freedom at all.
Now I'm having to bathe my like, what happened? Like.
Well, you don't get to hold hands at eighty unless you've gone through some stuff together. And that's again, it's the it's the poetry. All those memories, all those things that come rushing back. And imagine if you did, like you would having a heart situation, like. I have to reflect on Yeah.
All this stuff, but it's like Yeah. That was from us taking a vow in front of. Maybe a couple hundred people. I don't know how many people have it. You know if you're if it starts with Taking a vow not to quit in front of 200 people is probably not going to be easy.
Yeah. Otherwise, they wouldn't make you do that. That vowel's going to be tested. Right.
This is not easy. But I thought the same thing when my son was getting. installed in the military and we went to his thing as an officer. Like Yeah. This is a big commitment.
And it's good. He's sacrificing a lot of freedom, and it's good. But now that's opened up doors for him and other stuff now that he's out on the other side. But it's like. That's just that's the way of life.
It's not just Surrender your to your desires. Like it's make your desires subject to a will that's formed by God. Yeah. And then watch Watch the poetry happen. It's a good way to say it.
Well, you're welcome back here anytime. Thank you. Any time. Thanks. This has been rich.
So good. Cried about ten times. But that's not surprising when you come in, Brian. Thanks. Well, I'm not sure quite how to take that.
I know. She's like, I cry for the future of broadcasting. I cry because you point us. You always point us to Jesus. And the gospel to me is always miraculous.
And how He saved us. And it's been good. Hey, thanks for watching. And if you like this episode, you better like it. Just hit that like button.
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