“Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, ‘I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.'” – Isaiah 42:5-8

I have lately been pondering the state of our world, and particularly the state of the church. The Church seems to be losing its effectiveness to permeate society with the gospel. I have often wondered why that is the case. I wonder if some of this might center around the fact that our society is drawn toward “stars” (those who are given a “voice”) — whether the Hollywood type or the social media type or some other type. It seems that even those who know Christ can get caught up in the trappings of the world and particularly the trappings of becoming well-known (i.e. famous). Too often, we find that the moment we, as the body of Christ, discover someone who displays a strong outward gifting (teaching, music, communication, etc.) that is easily marketable from the world’s perspective… well, we make a “star” (or in our Christian vernacular “leader”) out of them. Too often, we are quick to accept these “stars” at face value.

This process has become the norm, even within Christian circles. It is a bit reminiscent of the Hollywood Dream Factories. The ingenue is ushered in …fresh, pure, innocent, and greatly gifted. The starlet is wide-eyed and unjaded and subsequently dips a toe into the mighty waters of this great big world …and the great big world takes notice.

The ingenue then begins to acquire an audience… at first small, but steadily growing. It may be through writing books. It may be through music. It may be through blogging. It may be through social media. But whatever the vehicle, the audience grows increasingly larger. The starlet is attractive, wears the right clothes, speaks eloquently, shares warm stories of true life, and has the newest fresh take on whatever the ills of the day in our society may be. Usually, there is a great deal of self-effacing humor accompanying this fresh take. This person shares from his or her own life details that we can all relate to… how they find humor in their daily routines, how they have a passion for their family, how his or her passions go beyond just their own family to those around them, and later how those passions to help eventually extend to the whole world. Their message is powerful, significant, and has 10,000 retweets or re-posts. And a “star” is born.

Somehow, our culture has shifted so that we feel insignificant if we are not making a splash in front of the masses. Our Facebook (“Fakebook”) generation has created a culture of narcissists. Now (don’t get me wrong) there are some wonderful things about social media. But, it tempts everyone to want to “live in front of the masses” in whatever way makes them the most visible. The social world ushers forward someone with a heart for people, who just may have a fresh take on faith or some significant world issue, and puts that message out there so frequently and so powerfully that these “stars” can begin to believe that they have the great and final word on not just that subject, but every subject. The attention they are receiving from the masses is intoxicating… more intoxicating than any drug or alcohol could ever be.

The masses are watching THEM. What they have to say MUST be right and important. People are literally waking up and waiting for them to tweet or post. This process is a dangerous apple to dangle in front of the newly-minted star. But if they did not have a solid foundation and grounding in God’s word before they were launched into stardom, it can become a deep, deep and deadly pit. We have seen this too many times to count. Satan is crafty, and he knows just how to lure us lesser-powered humans into the trap of self-promotion. He himself lost his place in heaven because he desired to stand in the place of God. So, we must be vigilant not to desire that kind of place for ourselves, and further we must be diligent to NOT put others into the place that only God should occupy. Are we waking up seeking to see what this or that person is saying, or are we waking up and seeking what the Creator of the Universe is saying? Are we hitching our wagons to the newest Christian star/leader/guru, or are we hitching our wagon to the Creator of the galaxies? These are important questions to ask in our ever-changing world.

So, in this world of stars and hero worship, I am looking to boil things down and simplify what is important… thus, Mind Altaring. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Becoming transformed by the renewing of my mind. Looking intently into the perfect law of liberty which is able to save my soul.

I’m not a star nor a hero, and I’m not looking to become one.  This earth and the “stars” that it makes are all perishing.  There is only one true Star of the universe …and there is only One King for Whom I perform, my audience of One.  I am a plain and simple human looking to become more conformed to the image of Christ, day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. The God of the universe and of eternity calls me His child. And, that is enough for me.

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:13-14