Welcome to the recent speeches podcast presented by BYU Speaches, featuring inspiring new

devotionals and forums given each week on BYU campus. Be sure to check out our other podcasts

by searching BYU speeches wherever you get your podcasts or by visitingspeches.bYU.edu slash

podcasts.

This devotional address entitled Lessons on Endurance was given on November 12th of

2004 by J. Tai Hopkins, then professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Sciences

at Brigham Young University. I think it would be appropriate to start today by offering two of my favorite words,

Go Coogs.

I was hoping that wouldn't fall flat.

It is fantastic to see you all. You are a fantastic sight. I thank you for coming, sincerely.

For decades, I've been coming to the Marriott Center for devotionals and forums.

And in every single case, I can honestly say that I've left here inspired.

I'm so grateful for this time we have together each week.

This is an incredible place.

A couple months ago, when I announced to my family that I was invited to give the devotional address,

the consensus response was something like, really? Like the Tuesday devotional? Are you sure?

Needless to say, I'm humbled to speak today, and I pray that we can all leave here inspired.

Like many of you, I'm fascinated with stories and accounts of survival and endurance. Some of my favorite examples include Sir Ernest Shackleton.

What an incredible story of survival.

After his ship, the endurance, was trapped and eventually crushed by the ice in the Antarctic.

The entire crew survived for over a year and a half in conditions, in extreme conditions,

before navigating an impossible open water crossing in a wooden lifeboat.

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