Read & Loved & Wanted To Share

Good morning Pastor Brian This week I saw Donald Miller’s tweet for “Getting famous is not how you will change the world” and it brought to mind your articles on celebrity. So I read Donald’s post and I really liked it too.

My favorite part was at the end when he writes, “Here’s a thought: What if our desire to be known and validated and even famous isn’t a misappropriated desire to actually be people of significant impact, which doesn’t require fame at all?”

That idea makes a lot of sense to me. I mean, it seems like practically everyone who gets air time on media, is only getting it because of their fame. Often times, they don’t have interesting news, people simply recognize their ‘brand’ & that brand draws in the attention of the crowd. And when I think of everyday people who strive for celebrity, feeling cravings for fame, trying to make it into the spotlight.. often times, they are actually emulating celebrities whom they have grown to love because of the significant impact they have had on their lives. I just think of the billions of people who are inspired by an actor’s role, or a musicians storytelling, or an author’s depth, because if touched their life in some way. So yeah, I agree with Donald that there may be more to the idea of wanting to be famous. I think it’s possible that a lot of our desires to be validated & noticed may be linked with a desire to be of such a significant impact in someone else’s life. We want to shine for other’s, and I wonder if that’s a manifestation of something more natural & integral to who we are as people- the inner awareness that we do contain light, and that we can indeed shine in someone’s darkness, helping them find their way.

Also, I want to give a shout out to you PB!! I thought it was cool the way you posted your weeks series all at once. I read them all in one sitting and I was just so much in agreement I haven’t thought of anything specific to comment. I guess, just thank you for all the food for thought, it’s good stuff man. Reading “Didn’t have to run,” reminded me of parts of my own story, and I think it’s incredible how God is able to work through our lives in ways we would never expect. Thank you for being so forthright about God’s openness, and the ways he shows love for us. It can never be spoken of enough. I also wanted to let you know that I am truly looking forward to seeing you in person at the Together14 conference this week. I think it’s probably been about 8 years since I’ve seen you or Shari or Ashah. And although I feel like I’ve been able to keep up with how you’ve been doing, in a sense, through your blog, it’s not the same as a real conversation, so I’m looking forward to that. Will the girls also be coming to Yakima with you?