Speaking out to help others

Young Chang

At 29, Matthew Kelly says he has already figured out the big

things in life.

He knows that who you are or become is more important than what

you do or have.

He believes everyone should have a mission in life.

And he believes everyone contains a seed of genius in them --

something they were created to do.

“Your parents can’t tell you, your friends can’t tell you, MTV

can’t tell you, CNN can’t tell you,” the author and speaker said.

“Ultimately it emerges from a discovery of who you are as an

individual, and the discovery of God. It’s this dual conversation,

this dual discovery, that brings about the emergence of genius in an

individual.”

The Australian will speak on the importance of finding a mission

in life Sept. 8-11 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in

Newport Beach. He spoke last year for one night and the crowd ended

up being standing-room only. So church leaders booked him for four

nights this year, on dates that happen to coincide with Sept. 11.

“All the more reason why people need to hear some sense of hope,

encouragement and good news,” said Daniel Murray, the church’s senior

pastor.

Kelly, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio for eight months of the year

and four months in Australia, visits about 100 cities a year to speak

on motivational topics.

“I enjoy helping people step back from their lives and see their

lives in the truer perspective and see all they can be,” he said. “I

enjoy being part of the process that helps people to transform their

lives in a richer, fuller experience.”

He learned all that he knows, in the short three decades he had to

learn it, through traveling (50 countries in the last nine years),

and studying everything from philosophy to history to theology. He

said he reflects on the big questions, the ones having to do with why

he’s here and what God is calling him to do. In his talks, he tries

to place the teachings of Jesus Christ in the context of the modern

world.

He also spends quite a bit of time in what he calls “the classroom

of silence.” He encourages his listeners to do the same.

“Basically it’ll be an invitation for people to spend time in

prayer, reflection or meditation,” Kelly said of his talk at the

church.

He started speaking and studying up on the subject of self

discovery 10 years ago, when he was still a teen. A family in Sydney

used to hold gatherings once a month for about 10 families to hear a

different speaker each time. Kelly’s family would attend, and once

the host family found out he was interested in spirituality, he was

asked to speak.

He didn’t want to, they kept insisting he should, finally he gave

in.

“I went there and I gave the talk and they taped the talk and once

they taped the talk, they started copying it and passing it around,”

Kelly said. “And then people started inviting me to speak.”

Today, he is the author of “The Shepherd,” “The Rhythm of Life,”

“A Call to Joy” and “Mustard Seeds.” Almost 2-million people the

world over have heard him talk.

“His message is very refreshing,” Murray said. “He’s young, very

dynamic, a very good speaker, but also very solid. It’s very

important to hear in this day and age.”