An NC-st-orato-what?
NCFCA and Stoa are speech and debate leagues. An Original Oratory is a just a normal speech with nothing particularly fancy in it.
Since a lot of people have posted awesome speeches on their blogs, I thought I'd try doing the same. (I'll make you the judge of it's awesomeness or non-awesomeness) I posted an excerpt of it a week or so ago, but here's the whole thing.
Please pardon all of the parenthetical citations. Speech. You know. :P And for some reason blogger wouldn't copy the font/formatting from word, so I had to wrestle with it a bit. As a result, sometimes the font randomly changes.
Do you know why you’re sitting here, judging me today? Why am I standing here, giving you a speech? Why do you read books, watch movies, listen to music, or study a subject? If you analyze the “why” of everything, you can always trace it back to one thing: happiness. Everything you do is either to make yourself happy or to make someone else happy: whether consciously or not.
Baruch Spinoza, a Dutch Philosopher(Baruch, Wiki), said that: “what everyone wants from life is continuous and genuine happiness.” (Spinoza)
Why? Because when we are happy, it gives us a feeling of satisfaction; of contentment. It makes us feel secure not only in ourselves and our abilities, but also in the world around us. Different things make different people happy – laughter, friendship, surprises, gifts, vacations.
But what happens when these things are taken away? What happens when they’re gone? Should happiness really be our focus? Today, I would like to present to you a different kind of happiness: joy. However not even that joy should be our focus: rather that the giver of joy – that is Jesus Christ – should be our focus, because true joy can only come from a close relationship with Him. First we’ll look at our natural desire for happiness and how it actually hinders us in our relationship with God. Next, we’ll see how happiness contrasts with joy. Lastly, we’ll see how we can truly experience joy in our lives.
As human beings with a nature to love and be loved, we all have different things that we cherish and treasure, things that make us happy, or give us a sense of security and control, and we have to take great care that they do not hinder our relationship with God – becoming an idol, and keeping us from true joy.
Over the years, I’ve had multiple different understandings of what idols are. When I was little, I thought idols were simply things like Buddha, or anything that you declared better than God.
But the older I got, I discovered more idols competing for my worship. It wasn’t just things you obsess over. And it didn’t have to be something I blatantly put ahead of God. In fact, the idols I found in my life were things that became more subconsciously ahead of God. Things I didn’t quite notice had taken God’s place – like family, friends, and activities.
In his book, “The Age of Opportunity” Paul Tripp presents a new way of seeing idols.
Put your hand up to your face and look through your fingers. Now turn your head about to see what's around you. No matter how you turn, your view will always be distorted by your fingers getting in the way.
The same is true with idols. Whatever we idolize becomes the mask through which we filter everything. The thing that distorts or tints our vision to see things a certain way.
And these aren’t just any idols. They’re different for each person, but they are specifically what makes you happy.
I found this particularly prominent in my social media/online life. As I would go about my daily tasks, the little things in life that I enjoyed or found interesting I would find myself instantly writing it in my head as a facebook status or blog post – because that had become a mask through which I filtered how I saw everything. It was what made me feel good about myself and who I was. It made me happy.
Another example of idols is that of people. We often picture the person we love as if they were always right next to us – their voice plays in our head, converses with us, and gives us advice. Why? Because that person is someone we value, and thus someone who makes us happy and gives us that sense of security and belonging. Instead of seeing things through God’s eyes, we start filtering it all through theirs.
These are idols. They not only hinder us from God but they become our very motive for living.
I often ask God to become real to me. To satisfy me. I want to hear God speak to me – to show me His will. But the powerful realization is that…if I have all these masks up that I’m seeing the world through, how can I clearly hear the call of God? He can’t speak to me when I’m filtering everything, including His words, through the distorted views that I hold.
God cannot give me joy when my desire for happiness is my focus. Instead the mask through which I filter everything should be God Himself. I can’t even be seeking after joy – but rather Christ, who gives joy.
So what exactly is joy? We often confuse joy with happiness. Everyone wants to be happy. But according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word happiness comes from the word “hap”, meaning “luck” or “fortune.” (Online) Happiness or unhappiness is an immediate and natural reaction to a circumstance you are in. An immediate and natural reaction to a circumstance you are in. Have you ever noticed how one little thing can turn your day for the better – or for the worst?
I have little brothers. And I can be having a great day, and they can say one thing – and it can ruin the rest of my day. Sometimes it can ruin the rest of my week. Why? Because my feelings are based off of circumstances.
Joy, however, is different. Joy does not come from happenings or circumstances, and it does not disappear in the blink of a mood.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 says Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (NKJV Hab 3:17)
In this translation, the New King James Version, the word “joy” is used as a verb: indicating that it is an action. Unlike the fleeting, temporary feeling of happiness, joy is a choice: driven by something so much more than just circumstances.
Pastor Earl Palmer, in his message “The Search for Joy”, looks at a definition of joy given by C.S. Lewis – He says that joy is a meaningful acceleration in the rhythm…of celestial experience. In the rhythm of our experience with God’s character. (Palmer)
Our experience with God’s character. How do we experience God’s character? When we strive for happiness, the results are the tangible things we can see and feel. But when circumstances turn against us, we don’t always know what God is doing or what the result is going to be – yet this is the confidence we have: that there is a greater, eternal purpose. Something that we cannot see that is far beyond our imagination.
This brings me lastly to how we can truly experience joy in our lives.
As we have seen, joy is not a feeling – rather it is a choice. But it’s more than just a choice: it’s total surrender to God’s will. It is not based on the worldly everyday events around you – but comes from God.
In summer of 2009, my family left our church – a church I had grown up in and learned from for years. Church ministry was something I had become really involved in and loved – and it was very hard for me to suddenly leave best friends, activities I had been involved in, and a place that had brought me closer to God. For a very long time, I let my immediate feelings rule me – to become the mask through which I saw everything. I was unhappy, depressed, and could not understand why God would take me away from something that brought me closer to Him.
But slowly, God began to show me a different way to see that situation, to take away the old mask and to give me a new one – and even today He continues to do so.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (NKJV 2 Cor. 4:15)
We may not know what God is doing – and we may not feel happy with our circumstances. But the apostle Paul says that we should be content, no matter what state we are in. (NKJV Phil. 4:11) Because this too, shall pass. Psalm 30:5 says weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (NKJV Ps. 30:5)
It sounds cliché to say that I realized that God is with me no matter what the circumstance, and that He does have a perfect plan that only He can see. But this becomes such a beautiful truth when you simply don’t know what God is doing. It’s hard to choose to be cheerful when you feel just the opposite. But I discovered that when I was willing to give up my circumstance-based feelings completely to God – to surrender my desire for happiness for His desire for my life: He returned it with joy – joy that can only come from Him.
Happiness is a feeling – joy is a choice. We have seen how focusing on happiness can be an idol, and how happiness is different from joy. We’ve also seen how the choice of joy and a relationship with God can become real in our lives by seeking to the only One who can satisfy us completely. When we are willing to take that action, to come before God and surrender ourselves to Him, realizing that there is a greater – eternal – purpose that will bring glory to God: He will give us joy.
John 16:22 - Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. (NKJV John 16:22)
Despite all awesomeness of the tourney, I came home and promptly got a 101 F fever which refused to go away all week, despite the amount of work I had to do.
My brother and his duo partner (who have like the most awesome duo ever) made finals for their duo. That was pretty epic.
Next I had a lovely 3-week break (in which I did NOT get sick!) until the NEXT tourney, which was at Seattle Pacific University.
This tournament was probably the worst tournament all year. Sort of an emotional roller coaster and I didn't break with any of my speeches. It was, however, the biggest qualifier in the nation, and Raymond placed very well in all 3 of his speeches. But God did some pretty amazing things at that tournament too - like teaching me that I'm not doing any of this in my own strength.
They gave us foot-long sub sandwiches (and nothing else) everysingleday for lunch. Yeah. I have a love/hate relationship with subway now, thanks to that.
Duo impromptu is WAY TOO MUCH FUN. You go in, draw three places, three conflicts, and three sets of 2 characters, and combine them to make a really whacky story. It's great fun. :)
