1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: Life Audio. This is Donna Jones and you are listening 2 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: to That's just what I needed. 3 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 2: Hey. 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: Friend, if you've ever been in a conversation where you've 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: walked away thinking, Wow, that was just what I needed, 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: you know how life giving that can be, Well, that's 7 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: what this podcast is all about. We're women who want 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: to know, love, and follow God in our real lives, 9 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: but sometimes wonder just how to do it. So each 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: week we'll talk about what following God looks like in 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: the midst of daily demands and crazy cultural chaos. Because 12 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: this isn't just what we need, it's actually exactly what 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: we need. Well, Hey, hey, and welcome to the podcast. Today, 14 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: we are talking about helping kids, young adults, teenagers navigate culture. 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: We're talking about using our own gifts and talents to 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,559 Speaker 1: God's fullest potential for us. We're talking about the state 17 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: of Christian education. We are talking about so many things 18 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: that you are going to find fascinating, encouraging, and inspiring 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: because today my guest is the president of Grand Canyon University. 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: Brian is a nationally recognized higher education innovator and transformational 21 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: leader who has spent more than four decades reshaping the 22 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: landscape of private and online education in America. And when 23 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: you hear this guy's story, you're going to understand how 24 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: he literally reshaped learning in America. It's so inspiring that 25 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: you are just going to love my conversation with my 26 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 1: new friend Brian Muller. Well, Brian, welcome to the podcast. 27 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. We've heard so much about 28 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: your work and I've had a chance to review it, 29 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 2: and so it's an honor to be here. Thank you. 30 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: As I was mentioned to you before we hit record, 31 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: this is a big honor for me because you are 32 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: the president of the largest university in America or is 33 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 1: it in the world. 34 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 2: I don't know about the world, but yeah, we're the 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 2: largest private university in the country. We're the largest private 36 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: Christian university in the country, and so we've been blessed 37 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: in ways we could have never never anticipated. We're very 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 2: grateful and very thankful for that, and hopefully we're stewarding 39 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 2: that in the best way that we possibly can. So 40 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: thank you for saying that. 41 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: Okay, so you have a very unlikely journey of how 42 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: you got to be the president of Grand can University. 43 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: So walk us through a little bit of your life 44 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: so we can get to know you. 45 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know. I tell our students frequently, whatever you 46 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 2: think you're going to be doing when you're seventy two 47 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 2: years old, like I am when you're twenty two years old, 48 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 2: it's probably not going to be close to what how 49 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 2: things end up? Right, Life is an adventure, and I say, 50 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: if you want to give God a good laugh, tell 51 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 2: them what your plans are, because he has his own plans. 52 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 2: I never intended to be a university president. It never 53 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 2: had entered my mind. I graduated from high school really 54 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 2: liking high school, and went to college where I could 55 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 2: major in history and theology. I wanted to be a 56 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: high school teacher and basketball coach, and so that's how 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: I started two years in Michigan, five years in Colorado, 58 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 2: and then I went back to my alma mater, Concordia College, 59 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 2: Nebraska to work in the education department be their basketball coach. 60 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 2: And I was there for four years. And so I 61 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 2: was moving in that direction and decided to move to 62 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 2: Phoenix because my wife is from here. She was born 63 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 2: in Erasis, she said. Native enrolled in the PhD program 64 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 2: at as she and when I finished, I was going 65 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 2: to go right back into teaching and coaching, but we 66 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 2: were living in a twelve hundred square foot house with 67 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 2: three kids and a wife I had married. Way over 68 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: my head. I was making five thousand dollars a semester 69 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 2: teaching philosophy is part of a humanities class. And I 70 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 2: came home one day towards the end of the second 71 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: semester and my wife said we needed to talk. And 72 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 2: I got nervous about that, but she said, I have 73 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 2: a surprise for you. We're going to have our fourth child. 74 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 2: And you know, my life just passed in front of me. 75 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: It's like, your plan's not working. You've got to do 76 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 2: something different. So I wanted into a place called the 77 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 2: University of Phoenix in just as they were getting started, 78 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 2: barely making payroll. But I really started to like what 79 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: we were doing there. There was this whole market emerging 80 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: and higher ed with working adults going back to school. 81 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 2: One thing led to another, and I ended up staying 82 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 2: there twenty two years and ended up running that thing. 83 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 2: And I learned two things, how to use the public 84 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: markets to get access to capitol and how to use 85 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: the internet to reach the world. And I thought, after 86 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 2: twenty two years there, when Grand Canyon called, you know, 87 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 2: higher education in this country, if you think back two 88 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 2: hundred years ago, all started with the Bible as the 89 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 2: core textbook. Whenever you were going to study, you were 90 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 2: going to study it in the context of the real 91 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 2: truth about the world, which is the narrative of a creation, fall, redemption, restoration, 92 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 2: and narrative of the Bible. That's the truth about the world. 93 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 2: And so whether you're studying medicine or law, or engineering 94 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 2: or computer science, if you study that in the context 95 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 2: of the real truth about the world, your impact culturally 96 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 2: will be so much greater. Well, in the last two 97 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 2: hundred year or is, that's completely flipped. And so what's 98 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 2: going on in most colleges and universities today is just 99 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 2: the opposite of that. We're trying to get God out 100 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 2: of the world. We'll try to get God out of 101 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: young people's lives. And that has had its impact culturally. 102 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 2: And so when I'd had a chance to come to 103 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 2: Grand Canyon, I thought, man, maybe God has planned this 104 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 2: all along. He's taught us some things we could have 105 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 2: never learned in a PhD program. Maybe we should bring 106 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 2: that over to Grand Canyon and try to create a 107 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 2: university that will flip this whole process. And so that's 108 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 2: kind of a short story in terms of how this 109 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 2: all happened. I never intended to be a university president, 110 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 2: but here I am, and here we are, and hopefully 111 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 2: we're staring this thing the best way we can. 112 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: I love something that you just said about how initially 113 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: private Christian well all universities, not just private Christian universities, 114 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: they started off with the Bible as the textbook, and 115 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: it reminds me of something a friend of mine said, 116 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: which is why she found it so hard to really 117 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: walk with the Lord, especially like in her college years 118 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: and right after, because she said, I found myself segregating 119 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: my spiritual life from my regular life, like my studies 120 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: or my social life, or just my work life. And 121 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: she said, when it really came together for me spiritually 122 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: was when I learned to integrate my spiritual life with 123 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: my regular life. And I think that's the beauty of 124 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: what you're trying to do at Grand Canyon University is 125 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: instead of segregating these two parts of our lives, is 126 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 1: integrating the two parts of our lives in whatever area 127 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 1: that we find ourselves studying. So tell us a little 128 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: bit about how that happens. How you feel like that 129 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: can become a reality for maybe not just students, but 130 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: really for all of us. 131 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I think it's so important. I love my 132 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 2: college experience. I love those four years I was preparing 133 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 2: to be a Christian high school teacher and basketball coach, 134 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 2: and I went to as good a place as you 135 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: could possibly go to do that, Concordia University in Nebraska. 136 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: But the one thing that I thought they got wrong 137 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 2: is when we graduated, those of us that were going 138 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 2: into teaching and preaching ministry got calls into sacred vocations. 139 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 2: Everybody else got a job. I think for too many 140 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 2: years we've told young people, if you really want to 141 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 2: serve Jesus, you must give up your passion in biology 142 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 2: or chemistry, or engineering or computer science and you should 143 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 2: go and become a full time pastor. Now, look, we 144 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 2: need full time pastors, we need full time teachers, we 145 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 2: need Christian we obviously need churches, and we need full 146 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 2: time pastors. But I think we've given up a lot 147 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 2: of our impact in the culture. Just think about even 148 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 2: Jesus ministry, seventy five percent of Verus parables were rooted 149 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 2: in the economy. In the world of work because that's 150 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 2: where people spend so much of their time and can 151 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 2: have such an impact. And so what we're trying to 152 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: do at Grand Canyon is we've got tech colleges, over 153 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 2: three hundred and seventy academic programs, and we are adding 154 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 2: twenty new academic programs on an annual basis because we 155 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 2: want relevancy. We want to know where the economy is going, 156 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 2: where the jobs are going to be, want to create 157 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 2: programs that we can help young people get into so 158 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: they can access those jobs, because we want them to 159 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 2: bring the Gospel into those areas of our culture. And 160 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 2: so what we want all of our students to believe 161 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 2: is that they're being called into a sacred vocation, whether 162 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 2: it's medicine or law or sciences, or that they're being 163 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 2: called as a full time church worker into those professions 164 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 2: to have the impact that can change the culture. Listen, 165 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 2: we need to crowd into our churches on Sunday mornings. 166 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 2: That's extremely important, But if that's all we do, we're 167 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 2: not going to change the culture. We are now in 168 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 2: the process of graduating thirty five thousand students on an 169 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 2: annual basis, and we want them all to feel called 170 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 2: into public school teaching, or into nursing or into computer science. 171 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 2: We want to teach them how to take the Gospel 172 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 2: into the workplace to have an impact on our culture. 173 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 2: And yes, it's leading Bible studies or leading prayer and 174 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 2: those kinds of things, but more so it's how they 175 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 2: do their jobs, how the impact that they have every 176 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 2: day as they're going about their business, so that people say, 177 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 2: you know what, if that's what Christianity is, If that's 178 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 2: what it means to follow Christ, to be like Bill 179 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 2: or Sally or whoever, I want to hear more about that. 180 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 2: I want to be like that. When we came here 181 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 2: seventeen years ago, when there were nine hundred students on 182 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 2: this campus, that was our goal. We've now got twenty 183 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 2: five thousand students on our campus and we're teaching one 184 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 2: hundred and ten thousand students online. We're building eighty mini 185 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: campuses throughout the country. There'll eventually be another fifty thousand students. 186 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 2: And so God has blessed this thing in ways we 187 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 2: could have never expected, because I think He wants us 188 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 2: to get influence in the key areas of our society, 189 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: of our culture in America again and get the culture 190 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 2: turned back towards him. 191 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: Okay, this excites me because you know, I think a 192 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: lot of times we listen to the news and we 193 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: see what's going on in culture, and there can be 194 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: a subtle hopelessness like Okay, how are we ever going 195 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: to turn the tide? Because it's so post Christian And 196 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: to hear you talk about this is like, wow, you 197 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: know what, if we raise up enough of us that 198 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:37,800 Speaker 1: really just take the Gospel, take Jesus into whatever sphere 199 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: that we are, that's how things start to change. I mean, 200 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: that's really hopeful. So I love, I love your whole 201 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: strategy and your passion, and we're going to take a 202 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: quick break, and I have so many questions for you 203 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,719 Speaker 1: about how we can do this, how we can participate 204 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: in our own lives, how we can have our kids, 205 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: our grandkids do this so that we can really make 206 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: a difference in our generation. 207 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 2: Okay. 208 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: So, Brian, you were just filling us with hope about 209 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: what your mission and your vision is for equipping these 210 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,839 Speaker 1: young people to go into their spheres of influence and 211 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: you know, bring the gospel in just thousands of thousands 212 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: of kids, thirty five thousand every year. Tell us First 213 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: of all, let me ask you this, this is a 214 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: personal question. So you started off as a basketball coach 215 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: and a teacher. So did you always have that passion 216 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,959 Speaker 1: just personally to represent Jesus in your professional life, your 217 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: coaching life for instance, or did something happen. 218 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 2: No. I was very fortunate. I was born into a 219 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 2: family with eight children. Second, there are two boys and 220 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 2: six girls, and so eight of us. And my dad 221 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 2: was a successful business person. My mom stayed at home 222 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,439 Speaker 2: and managed eight children and the growing up of eight 223 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 2: children and all that. And it's interesting all eight of 224 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 2: us went into some form of education. 225 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 1: Oh interesting. 226 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. We went to Christian schools as we were growing up, 227 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 2: in elementary school, in high school. And even though my 228 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:04,679 Speaker 2: dad wasn't a professional church worker, it was my mom. 229 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 2: It was the thing that was most important in our family. 230 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 2: It was just and so it's interesting that we all 231 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 2: became attached to wanting to work in schools, and some 232 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 2: of us in Christian schools, public schools, different things. But 233 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 2: I think back on that, I thought, I think, you know, 234 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 2: my dad was successful, but he never talked much about 235 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 2: his business. It was always about the church, the school, 236 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 2: the faith, all of that. I was very fortunate. Then 237 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 2: I went to a high school that I really loved. 238 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 2: The high school I went to, and I had a 239 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 2: lot of good teachers, a lot of good coaches, and 240 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 2: I loved that time of life. And so that's what 241 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 2: I wanted to do. And I spent seven years doing 242 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,440 Speaker 2: that and loved it. And then I went to the 243 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 2: small college and was a professor and a basketball coach, 244 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 2: and I loved that. And so the turn to the 245 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 2: University of Phoenix and learning how to run a major university, 246 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 2: the largest university in the country at that time. We 247 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 2: grew up to four hundred thousand students. And I've used 248 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 2: the Internet when the Internet wasn't being used to do education. 249 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: I went, appie, right there, you use the internet. What 250 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: year was this when the Internet was not being used yet? Yeah, 251 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: what year was it? 252 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 2: It started in nineteen ninety seven, nineteen ninety eight, Yes, 253 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,319 Speaker 2: when the Internet wasn't a part of education at all. 254 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 2: We were the first to say, you know what, we 255 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 2: could reach literally hundreds of thousands of people all over 256 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 2: the world if we believe we can teach and learn 257 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 2: effectively using the Internet. And we were the first ones 258 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 2: to do it. And it was an unbelievable experience. But 259 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 2: I think back on that, I think God was teaching 260 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 2: us some things that we could have never learned in 261 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 2: some PhD program because nobody was doing them. And when 262 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 2: Grand Canyon called seventeen years ago, I was fifty seven 263 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 2: years old, and I thought, you know, maybe this is 264 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 2: what God was leading us towards all along. He was 265 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 2: teaching us some things that we could use to create 266 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 2: this dynamic Christian university that could be model for how 267 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 2: we could win the culture back. 268 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: Okay, so let's let's go down this trail here. So 269 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 1: here you are. You're fifty seven years old. You are 270 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: the president of the University of Phoenix. Now you've grown 271 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: this to be the largest university in the country. You 272 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: leverage the Internet and all this. And then now Grand 273 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: Canyon University, I mean, it was in a terrible state, 274 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: right You had like a thousand students there or something, 275 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 1: and it was in debt. And you're fifty seven, so 276 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: you're probably I would imagine thinking, Okay, retirements coming up. 277 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: I could just like work for a few more years 278 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: at this great university that I built and just coast 279 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: What made you think, no, there is more for me 280 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,119 Speaker 1: to do? Because I think that some of my listeners 281 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: right now are kind of on that maybe I should 282 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: just coast place in their life and perhaps maybe God 283 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: has something more for them, So talk to us a 284 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: little bit about that. 285 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: It was a big decision, that's for sure, because you know, 286 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 2: I went from merely homelessness, you know, with not even 287 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 2: you know, and then twenty two years later, I'm sitting 288 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 2: here as the president of Apollo Group, which is running 289 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 2: the University of Phoenix. I have now hundreds and thousands 290 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 2: of friends that we've all built this thing and done 291 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 2: this thing together. What was ironic was this opportunity to 292 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 2: take what we had learned and apply it to building 293 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 2: this Christian university was twenty minutes away. That is part 294 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 2: of the miracle. God has overseen this thing, and that's obvious. 295 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 2: But the fact that this was sitting twenty minutes and 296 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 2: it was not in great shape, that's for sure. But 297 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 2: it had always been a great place. But it was, yeah, 298 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 2: less than a thousand students. It was twenty million dodds 299 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 2: in Dad, there was And we were at thirty thirty 300 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 2: Avenue camel Back, which is the worst place in the 301 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 2: city at east from a crime staff point and so 302 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 2: what makes you leave this and go over here. It 303 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 2: was pretty convinced that this opportunity presented itself because God 304 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 2: wanted us to do this, and so the fact that 305 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 2: this opportunity was here, there was a lot of risk involved, 306 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 2: but the fact that it was sitting here twenty minutes away, 307 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 2: so that one hundred of my closest friends could come 308 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 2: with me to do this is more than just coincidence. 309 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 2: We didn't even have to sell our holes. We didn't 310 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 2: have to. We just resigned from one place, showed up 311 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 2: at the next place, and went to work. And then 312 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 2: we thought we had a good idea. But between two 313 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 2: thousand and eight and twenty eleven, as we're building our 314 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 2: online program and it's growing and it's profitable, we decided 315 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 2: we had to start building out the campus. And the 316 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 2: big question was are we going to do it at 317 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 2: thirty third Avenue Camera back in Phoenix, Arizona, which was 318 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,239 Speaker 2: the worst place in the city of Phoenix. Drugs, prostitution, 319 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 2: gangs rule this neighborhood, and we thought, if we're going 320 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 2: to put two billion dollars into building a campus, are 321 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 2: we really going to do it here? Most commercial real 322 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 2: estate people would say you don't put two billion dollars 323 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 2: in this place. You go it to Scottsdale or Paradise 324 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 2: Valley or Cherry Creek, Colorado, anywhere, but you don't do 325 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 2: it here. And then we thought, you know, if Jesus 326 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 2: came back today and he came back to the greater 327 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 2: Phoenix area, would he go to Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, 328 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 2: those are great places. Probably not. He probably would come 329 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,360 Speaker 2: to a place like this. You know, I say frequently 330 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 2: to our students, Christianity is the only major religion in 331 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 2: the world that migrates. Every other major religion in the 332 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 2: world started in a place it's still centered in that place. 333 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 2: Christianity started in Jerusalem, it moved to Europe, across to 334 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 2: North America. Now it's moving to Central America, to Africa, 335 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 2: to South America. Wide Christianity and the Gospel resonates with 336 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 2: people who are hurting. Jesus was like his mind was 337 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 2: like a steel trap, but he always would pick out 338 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 2: the people in the crowd that were hurdy, and the 339 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 2: gospel resonated with those people. And so the decision was, 340 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:39,959 Speaker 2: you know, we're going to build it here, We're going 341 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 2: to plant our flag here, because we think that God 342 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 2: is blessing this thing, because He wants to bless it here, 343 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 2: we started to build it out. We said, we can't 344 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 2: just put walls around this place. God has put us 345 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 2: here for a reason. This is a neighborhood of immigrants. 346 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 2: When we got here, forty two languages were spoken. Today 347 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 2: it's seventy two languages within ten square miles. I tell 348 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 2: our student udents who like to do international missions trips, 349 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 2: and I support that one hundred percent. God is bringing 350 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,640 Speaker 2: the world to us. I don't know why, but he's 351 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 2: bringing it here. And so we put together this five 352 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 2: point plan and said, you know, the government isn't able 353 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 2: to do anything about poverty, Lyndon Johnson, the Great Society, 354 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 2: the War on Poverty, the welfare system that's made things worse, 355 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,919 Speaker 2: not better. But if you put a free market entity 356 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,199 Speaker 2: with the Christian worldview perspective in the middle of a 357 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 2: neighborhood like this, can we restore this neighborhood and bring 358 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 2: prosperity to it. Because if we can do that, the 359 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:38,479 Speaker 2: evidence for Christianity and for God and all of that 360 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 2: is just going to be striking to people. So we 361 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 2: put this five point plan together and said, you know, 362 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 2: number one, a neighborhood like this needs jobs. But we've 363 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 2: created sixteen thousand jobs since we came here. We hire 364 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,159 Speaker 2: people into entry level positions in the neighborhood, gives them 365 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,159 Speaker 2: a salary, benefits, and they can send their kids to 366 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:58,199 Speaker 2: college for free. We spun off sixteen new businesses in 367 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 2: this neighborhood which employ over another six hundred people that 368 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 2: we hire in the neighborhood. Secondly, it needs safety. We 369 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 2: have a safety planning place with the city feedings police 370 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 2: in our own police department, which is restoring order it 371 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 2: to this neighborhood. I can't go into all the details 372 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 2: of it, but it's amazing what has happened. The third 373 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 2: thing is homes. We have the largest Habitat for Humanity 374 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 2: program in the world going on in this neighborhood. We 375 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 2: we built over six hundred homes. The fourth thing is 376 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 2: students in our neighborhood. We've raised over twenty million dollars 377 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 2: to work twenty three hundred full ride scholarships to kids 378 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 2: that come right out of our neighborhood, inner city kids, 379 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 2: immigrant kids. They're selling in high school, they're coming here, 380 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 2: they're becoming teachers and nurses and engineers. The goal is 381 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 2: to have them employed in this neighborhood and then to 382 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 2: buy homes in this neighborhood. And the fifth thing is 383 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 2: a thing called city Serve, which is a remarkable thing, 384 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 2: but I won't go into all the details about that, 385 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 2: but it's kind of become our identity. We need to 386 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 2: preach the gospel. We need to teach the gospel, but 387 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 2: we need to live it out in a way that 388 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 2: the world takes a look at this and says, you know, 389 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,159 Speaker 2: the two greatest ideas in the history of the world 390 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 2: are foundational to America. Number one, the Christian worldview perspective 391 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 2: and number two of the three market economy. The free 392 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 2: market economy unleashes the creativity and ambition that Guy has 393 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,679 Speaker 2: put on all of us to do something to make 394 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 2: a mark. But if you combine that with the Christian 395 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 2: world view perspective of putting the needs of others in 396 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 2: front of your own, which Jesus did when he came 397 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:35,199 Speaker 2: to earth and lived and died and rose again. You 398 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:40,680 Speaker 2: put those two things together and there's unlimited potential for prosperity. 399 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 2: And we want the world not just to hear us 400 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 2: teaching that in our classrooms. We want the world to 401 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 2: see it happening as we live out in this neighborhood. 402 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: Wow. I mean you're minister him to the whole person. 403 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: You can't just give the gospel and not show the gospel. 404 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 1: I mean we really are doing both taking care of 405 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 1: people's physical needs and educational needs and safety needs and 406 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: housing needs and all of that. That is absolutely incredible. 407 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 2: Wow. 408 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,880 Speaker 1: I mean, talk about living out the gospel. That's amazing. 409 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting how God is attracting now students to 410 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 2: our campus who want to do that. And so out 411 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 2: of this five point plan has come one hundred ministries 412 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 2: that our students are involved in literally five six nights 413 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 2: a week in our neighborhood. Our kids go in, they 414 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 2: will focus on a group of kids, will focus on 415 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 2: an apartment complex where maybe they're Syrian refugees, and they'll 416 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 2: show up two nights a week. They'll help kids with 417 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 2: their homework and teach the English as a second language. 418 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 2: We had a Muslim community in a neighborhood Middle East 419 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 2: refugees who, after two years of our students helping their children, 420 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 2: came to one of our worship services. The entire Muslim 421 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 2: community came to one of our worship services, and so 422 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 2: it's kind of become the ethos of the campus. And 423 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 2: not all of our students are involved, but a lot 424 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 2: of them are them and they can see as part 425 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 2: of their education the transformational impact of the Gospel. And 426 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 2: so I go back seventeen years and I think we 427 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,719 Speaker 2: had a plan. Did we ever think it was going 428 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 2: to work out like this? We didn't. It is far 429 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:20,639 Speaker 2: better or more impactful than we ever could have imagined. 430 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 2: And we know that we don't own the university, be 431 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 2: just stewarded. But I do know that there are people 432 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 2: in the Greater Phoenix area that are not Christians that 433 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 2: are looking at this thing and goes because they talk 434 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 2: all the time about our students. There's babysitting sites out there, 435 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 2: and I run into people's first criteria for a babysitters 436 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 2: at GC to public schools are saying the first criteria 437 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,400 Speaker 2: for us hiring new teachers is GCU. Students hospitals say 438 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 2: that about our nurses. What they're seeing is the impact 439 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 2: of the Gospel on the character of the students of 440 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 2: the graduates, not anything I'm doing it. I get asked, 441 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 2: you know frequently, how did you create this culture. I 442 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 2: can't do that. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. 443 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 2: But if you ask the Holy Spirit in, he will 444 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 2: come and he will impact the culture in a way 445 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 2: that is transformational. 446 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,680 Speaker 1: Okay, you bring up a really good point there, because 447 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 1: it's the Holy Spirit. And I think sometimes when we 448 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: think about, okay, how can we change our culture, we 449 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: come up with our own plans. Let's do ab, C 450 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 1: and D, and sometimes it's like, no, let the Holy 451 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: Spirit lead. And as you said, when you have students 452 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: and faculty and they're kind of filled up with Jesus 453 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: and filled up with the Holy Spirit, and they're learning 454 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,640 Speaker 1: about the Gospel in class and with their fellow students, 455 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: but then they're putting it into practice. So it's not 456 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: just learning it, it's living it. That's where the Holy 457 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: Spirit just takes over and leads, don't you think? 458 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,200 Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, absolutely that. We started a process about thirteen 459 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 2: years of going out called the Integration of Faith, Learning 460 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 2: and Work. And so we've got ten colleges in three 461 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 2: hundred and seventy academic programs. But what we did is 462 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 2: we integrated the Christian worldview perspective across all of the 463 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 2: colleges and across all the programs and over now fifty 464 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 2: percent of the courses. And we can't overlook the fact 465 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 2: that students have to be taught how to do this. 466 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 2: They need to be led to be able to do this. 467 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:25,919 Speaker 2: And so whether you're preparing to be a nurse or 468 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 2: teacher or an engineer, what they're getting in there three 469 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 2: or four years with us is engineering education. But they're 470 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:37,000 Speaker 2: also getting engineering education from a Christian worldview perspective. And 471 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 2: how should I think about myself as a christ follower 472 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 2: who's also an engineer. And if they get a chance 473 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 2: to practice those things while they're on our campus by 474 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 2: living out in our neighborhood, it can be impactful for them. 475 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 2: It's a tremendous witness to the world because these people 476 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 2: are more about the moral maturity. You know, they are 477 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:07,000 Speaker 2: sinners and saved by grace alull like everybody else. But 478 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 2: once you experienced that saved by grace and you've had 479 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,479 Speaker 2: that saving act happen, your interactions with everybody else are 480 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 2: going to be different and they're going to be noticeable. 481 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 2: People can see it, which is what we're trying to do. 482 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: I love that. Okay, as we're winding up here, I 483 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: want you to talk to the parents of kids who 484 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: might be interested in going to your school, or they 485 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: have younger kids or their grandparents, and I want you 486 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 1: to talk to them about their role in raising up 487 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:42,719 Speaker 1: this next generation. And looking at your life, Brian, if 488 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 1: I can just be honest with you, and I'm like, Wow, 489 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:50,640 Speaker 1: this is a man who has taken his passions education, basketball, business, 490 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 1: and you've really leveraged it for the Gospel in just 491 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: the most beautiful way. And Brian, I really believe that 492 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,239 Speaker 1: that's what God wants to do with all of us. 493 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,360 Speaker 1: He wants to take whatever our passion is and then 494 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: just help us leverage it in the way that we 495 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 1: can stear it at the best. So what would you 496 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: say to parents and as their modelingness before their children, 497 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: because it starts searching the home before it starts even 498 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: in the university. 499 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 2: That's absolutely true. You asked me about my life and 500 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 2: the fact that I was raised in a home by 501 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,359 Speaker 2: two Christian parents and the church was so foundational to 502 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 2: our lives. I experienced that I had the good fortune 503 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 2: of experiencing that I've now raised four young men who 504 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 2: are now all working for GCU, and so have had 505 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 2: that experience of raising my own family. It's impossible to 506 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 2: do church by yourself. Christianity is doing it with other people. 507 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 2: Kids are having trouble connecting today. We've got anxiety and 508 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 2: depression and this social media, the negative impacts of social media. 509 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 2: But Christianity is the ultimate connector. Right when God devised 510 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 2: his plan to save the world, he sent his son 511 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,080 Speaker 2: Jesus here and to connect directly with the world. And 512 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:01,919 Speaker 2: he could have done in any way that he wanted to, 513 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 2: but he chose to send his son to live in 514 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 2: the world and connect with his disciples and the future 515 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 2: of the church. And so you know, obviously, if you 516 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 2: can send your son or daughter to a Christian elementary school, 517 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 2: a Christian high school, a Christian university, I would highly 518 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,920 Speaker 2: recommend that because where the Gospel and where the Bible 519 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 2: the narrative about the truths about the world is foundational 520 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 2: to their learning. I think that's really important. Doesn't mean 521 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 2: that if you send them to a public school, you 522 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,920 Speaker 2: can't surround them with people who they can connect with, 523 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,120 Speaker 2: who can make sense of what they're learning in terms 524 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,399 Speaker 2: of the Christian worldview perspectives. And so this can be 525 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 2: done in a lot of ways, but young people need 526 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 2: to connect with other christ followers who can be their 527 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:53,679 Speaker 2: foundational group of people to help them learn about the 528 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 2: world and how to connect with God and with other 529 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 2: people in a way that is wholesome, and that is 530 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 2: the grow spiritually, and they'll be able to grow in 531 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 2: a way that they can overcome the world. And so 532 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 2: there are so many great Christian universities out there, and 533 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,160 Speaker 2: there's a lot of different ways to do this. We're 534 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,640 Speaker 2: not a covenant institution. We're a missional institution. Whether it's 535 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 2: a covenant institution or a mission there's lots of ways 536 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 2: to do that. Some are baked, some are small. We 537 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 2: recommend all of them. We're not in competition. We need 538 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 2: more Christian universities, not fewer. More Christian high schools, not fewer. 539 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 2: There are wonderful ministries and a lot of state universities too. 540 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:38,240 Speaker 2: And so if that becomes the place where your son 541 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 2: or daughter goes, as long as you can help them 542 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 2: understand that they need to learn about life in the 543 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 2: context of the real truth about the world, which is 544 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 2: the Biblical narrative. And if they can get around other 545 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 2: students like that, they can thrive in those environments as well. 546 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 2: And so you're absolutely right. It starts in the home 547 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 2: and it stays in the Home's always foundational, and you 548 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 2: can build off of that in a lot of ways. 549 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 2: We think this is a great one and if that 550 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 2: works for kids, we'd love to have them here. This 551 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 2: thing is going to grow from twenty five thousand to 552 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 2: fifty thousand students. It's so funny. I used to say 553 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,960 Speaker 2: years ago when we had nine or students, and then 554 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 2: three thousand students and then five thousand students, and people 555 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 2: will say, you know, as you get bigger, you're going 556 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 2: to lose that gospel centeredness. And I thought, you know, 557 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 2: one of Christians ever been scared about size? What is 558 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,240 Speaker 2: it saying the Books of Acts three thousand were added 559 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 2: and five thousand were added, And when have we ever 560 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 2: been nervous about the bigger week? Get the more gospel 561 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 2: centered week, get the stronger we get and more God 562 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 2: blesses us that. So I would just say that, you know, 563 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 2: there's lots of ways to help your son or daughter 564 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 2: grow up, and this is a good one. But there's 565 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 2: a lot of Christian universities that are there are great places, 566 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 2: and even there are wonderful ministries at some state institutions 567 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,360 Speaker 2: and so there's a lot of ways to do this. 568 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 1: That's so so so good, Brian. Thank you so much 569 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: for sharing your passion, your wisdom, your vision, and it's 570 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: just been inspirational to me actually honestly, just to witness 571 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: your life and how God used your life. I mean, 572 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: I hope that all of our listeners, whatever their vocation is, 573 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: whether they're a stay at home mom, whether they are 574 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: an engineer and urse, whatever they are, I hope that 575 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: they embrace the passion that you have for life and 576 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: steward every single bit of what God has given to 577 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: them in terms of their giftedness and their passion and 578 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: the stewardship up raising their children and their families and 579 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: their grandchildren and do what you have done to glorify 580 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: God and advance His kingdom. So thank you so much 581 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 1: for being on the podcast. 582 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me, and God can use 583 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,080 Speaker 2: all of us, I guess the least of us. And 584 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 2: congratulations on everything that you've done to promote and push 585 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,280 Speaker 2: the Gospel forward and the Kingdom forward as well. 586 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: Well. Wasn't that an interesting conversation? Inspiring men? Bryant just 587 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: hired me up to live on all cylinders for Christ. 588 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: And I hope you did that same thing for you too. Hey, 589 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: as a reminder, if we don't follow each other on 590 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: social media, let's take care of that today. You can 591 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: find me on Instagram at Donna A. Jones. On Facebook, 592 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 1: I'm at Donna Jones, speaker and author and I would 593 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: love to come speak to your church or school or organization. 594 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,000 Speaker 1: You can find all about my books and speaking ministry 595 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: over at Donna Jones dot org. And as always, my friend, 596 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: I can't wait to see you next time, for that's 597 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: just what I needed.