Are you living for today or are you living with eternity in mind?
During my wedding to the Pretty Lady, the pastor shared how rings are a symbol of eternity. The circle has no beginning and no end signifying the never-ending love between a couple. Did you know a rope could also be used as a symbol of eternity?
In this nearly five minute video, Francis Chan uses a rope as a visual illustration to change our perspective about today so we can start living for eternity.
Author and pastor Francis Chan shows how our life here on Earth is like a short, red strip at the end of the long rope of eternity.
About Francis Chan
Francis was born in 1967, with his mother dying during his birth. After being raised by his Buddhist grandmother in Hong Kong, Francis came to America at the age of five. His father eventually remarried. Francis’ stepmother died in a car accident when Francis was nine. Three years later, his father died of cancer when he was 12 years old. Francis only close relatives were his aunt and uncle. While he was in high school, his aunt and uncle got into a fight, and his uncle shot his wife then killed himself.
Francis losses of those closest to him were significant. Francis said physical and verbal affection in his family was rare especially from his dad. His only memory of affection from his dad came when Francis and his father were on the way to his stepmother’s funeral when his father briefly put his arm around him.
Francis has an older brother and sister: Paul and Grace. He also has a younger half-sister, Gloria. He had family support from his dad’s younger sister and her husband, Marion and William Wong, along with a large extended family and church family. Francis didn’t get along well with his father while growing up. Francis stated he didn’t understand the love of God until he became a father himself.
Despite a childhood filled with loss, Francis never doubted the love of God. He recalls a childhood filled with attending church and belief in God. By junior high school, Francis began to understand what it means to have a personal relationship with God. In high school, he began living it. Francis became a follower of Christ while attending high school in Stockton, California.
Francis was active in Christian youth groups which developed his faith and interest in ministry. He partnered with his youth pastor to reach out to his friends who were still in school. It was during that time Francis decided to become a pastor. He earned a BA in youth ministry from The Master’s College and a Master’s in Divinity from The Master’s Seminary.
In 1992, he worked as a youth pastor for another church. Eventually in 1994, Francis and his wife Lisa started Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California. Within ten years, the church had grown to over 3,000 regular attendees. Before becoming a senior pastor, Francis worked for a variety of employers including Taco Bell, Mic Pizza, Kirby Company, Ralph’s Market, Broadway Men’s Clothing, hardwood flooring contractors and the Acapulco restaurant.
After five years at Cornerstone, a missionary from Papua New Guinea challenged Francis’ theology. A few years later, Francis took a trip to Uganda that further changed his beliefs and life. In his words, “It was there I fell in love with orphans.”
In 2004, Francis started Eternity Bible College as a ministry of Cornerstone Community Church with 100 students. In 2008, Eternity launched an abroad program in Ecuador. As of 2009, the college graduated 47 graduates serving in various parts of the world. In 2005, Francis was the featured speaker in a viral international video titled Just Stop And Think.
Francis inspired many people with his “crazy love” message. His passion and clarity in sharing the gospel has inspired many to wholeheartedly seek the Kingdom of God.
The pastor, speaker and best-selling author believes the life of a follower of Christ will be a transformed life. Francis tries to live out that transformation in every aspect of his life – ministry, family, community, finances and publishing.
In April 2010, Francis resigned from Cornerstone to follow God’s leading. He eventually moved to Northern California. In 2013, Francis’s website said he was “working to start a church planting movement in the inner city of San Francisco and also working to launch a countrywide discipleship movement.”
Francis gives away about 90 percent of his income, doesn’t take a salary from his church and has donated most of his book royalties which have totaled about $2 million to various charities. Much of it goes to organizations which rescues sex slaves in foreign countries.
In September 2014, Chan joined the board of elders of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, California. Currently, Francis is planting churches in the San Francisco area and recently launched a countrywide discipleship movement called Multiply with David Platt. Together, Francis and his wife Lisa raise their seven children in Northern California.
Francis is also the Founder and Chancellor of Eternity Bible College and author of the best-selling book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, and Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. His other works include Erasing Hell, Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples in 2012, and the Basic Series by Francis Chan, a DVD series.
Chan is a highly sought after speaker at many Christian colleges, major national and international events and conferences. He is also currently active with Children’s Hunger Fund, African Renewal Ministries and World Impact.
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