Fame
I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna learn how to fly
High

I’m gonna live forever
Baby remember my name

Though this song was much older than I, I remember being a teenager when I first heard this song, from the movie Fame and I still remember how it connected with what seemed like every student’s dream at the time – to do something, be something, or leave something behind that would be remembered forever. 

Fast forward 10 years from when I first saw the movie, and we have the remixed, rebooted movie that looked promising in the previews, but still is not a flick that I think will live forever.

Except maybe in the bargain bin of misfit movies at Blockbuster.

That being said, there’s something in the song and movie that I believe still connects with the soul of a teenager.  In fact, not only the soul of a teen, but of all human beings.  We want people to remember our names, don’t we?  I know I’ve never met anyone who said, “Gee…I hope my life turns out to be a meaningless, purposeless collage of failed attempts to be remembered for something.”

But how does one go about lighting up the sky like a flame?  Do we have to have mad music and dancing skills?  Do we have to attend a special school and look like Abercrombie and Fitch models?

Well, that would definitely rule me out…but no big deal, because I’m looking for a very different kind of fame – the kind that actually will live forever because it’s attached to something that lasts forever.

You get this, right?  You understand that even the highest level of recognition and celebrity status will eventually fade away, so that all the attempts to live forever will eventually be thrown into the bargain bin of eternity.

It’s too bad that so many people believe the lie that fame equals happiness and take their God-given desire to leave a mark on the world and use it for themselves.

You want fame?  Take this advice:

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever (1 John 2:16-17, NLT).

Did you catch the formula for “fame” here?  No special talents, looks, or connections…simply an unquenchable desire and unflinching direction to do “what pleases God.” 

In other words, when you take fame off your agenda and instead live to make Jesus Christ famous, you attach yourself to something that will never fade away.  And if you do have special abilities, you can use the applause of the crowd as a platform to bring praise to God.

Of course, the best way to make Jesus Christ famous is to spread the word about who He is and what He has done for all of humanity.  My song and dance in life is telling everyone I know about the High King of heaven who humbled Himself and died a horrible death in our place in payment of our sin, then came back from the dead to show His power and plan to raise us from the grave as well.

And my fame?  No, it won’t be in this life and frankly, I couldn’t care less about that because my sights are set on a day that is painted beautifully in this song:

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me;
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
We turned and saw a young man running
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, “Friend you may not know me now.”
And then he said, “But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart.”

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said, “Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn’t have much money,
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that’s why I’m here today.”

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done,
Sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven, now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You’re not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, “My child, look around you.
Great is your reward.”*

*Music and Lyrics by Ray Boltz

That’s fame. That’s forever fame.

Do you want in? Then make this poem your life motto:

“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”
—Unknown Author

Under the category of “Did that just happen???,” I’m sure by now you’ve heard about or seen Kanye West’s wildly inappropriate outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Of course this is not what you would call a great career move to say the least, but I guess the silver lining for Kanye is his honorable mention in the Urban Dictionary:

Imma let you finish [eye-ma-let-yoo-fin-ish]:

1. Obnoxious way to interrupt someone and steal their moment, while wrylymocking that media train wreck that is Kanye West.

Based on West’s instantly infamous interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video with his insane microphone-stealing shout out to Beyonce.

Bob: Thank you Mr. Brown for having us in to give this sales presentation. We’d like to talk to you today about…

Alfred: Yo, Bob, I’m really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but I just got to say our product is  one of the best products there is!

I guess West did let Taylor finish…sort of.  But the cool part was the moment Beyonce recognized Swift and gave her a chance to have her moment of glory.

Have you ever been completely and rudely interrupted?  I’m thinking the majority of us can relate – but how about interrupted during an extremely important moment by someone who obviously doesn’t care about you or your mission at that moment?

OK, let’s take it one step further. The VMA disaster was a physical interruption and as I watched it play out, a thought occurred to me that I’d like to share. No seriously, Imma let you finish, but first consider this:

Are there ever spiritual interruptions that are as rude and inconsiderate as Kanye’s? I sure believe so, and there’s a very well defined plan behind them.

Think about it…have you ever stopped to take some time to pray, and suddenly your thoughts are bombarded with worry or unpleasant memories?  Or have you planned out a quiet time to read the Bible, and suddenly the phone rings, or you remember something you have to take care of first?

Or worst of all, have you ever tried to share the gospel with someone and out of nowhere, people cut into the conversation or something sidetracks the person away from the most amazing message on earth?

Not a coincidence folks…Satan and his army of demons are completely dedicated to preventing and halting any efforts on your part to connect with God through prayer and reading the Bible.  And they are literally hell-bent on halting even a single word about Jesus Christ from escaping your lips.

Just check out a few descriptions of this from God’s Word:

Satan, who leads the whole world astray… (Revelation 12:9).

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

See what I mean?  Satan just sits back and waits until you try to take the stage for Jesus Christ, then he jumps in and steals your microphone and your chance to glorify God.

Oh – and he doesn’t let you finish.

Here’s the great news though.  If you can see an interruption coming, you can usually prevent it or ignore it.  And now that you know spiritual disturbances are headed your way whenever you try to connect with God or share the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can be more prepared.
How?

First, recognize the interruption and take it to God.  That way, what Satan meant for evil will actually focus your thoughts more on your Heavenly Father!  Pray something like: “Father, I know that what’s happening right now is an attempt to keep me from connecting with you.  Please help me keep my thoughts and spiritual eyes focused only on You.”

Second, resist Satan, and you can be sure of this promise:

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 4:7-8).

Here’s the way The Message version of the Bible puts it:

Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time.

Finally, refuse to give up. When you stop praying, you miss out on God’s peace and blessing.  When you stop reading the Bible, you lose out on God’s truth and strength. And when you stop sharing the gospel, you trash the opportunity to lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Bottom line: stay the course in connecting with God, reading His word, and sharing your faith.  Refuse to be interrupted and never give up. On Judgment Day, God will call you back on stage and you’ll hear the words from Jesus that are more valuable than any earthly praise:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

Now that is how you should finish.

The musical set at a high school has its dark side, but these students with a song in their hearts are fun to watch.*

Such is the description of the Fox show Glee, which has a lot of people texting, tweeting, and talking about. I must admit that at first I figured this show to be a lame TV version of another rather popular high school musical story called…well, you know.

But I stand corrected. Glee is definitely and defiantly not life at East High, rather it is an insightful, sarcastic, and downright enjoyable journey through senior high existence.

Enjoyable for me anyway – because I’m done with high school, so I’m out of the lame games, drama, and mean boy/girl interactions that I’m sure most of you reading this are painfully aware of. So maybe that’s why it’s popular with teens? As someone once said – “misery loves company” – and there are a lot of characters we can connect with in Glee.

Most of the principle characters are not who would be voted into the ‘most popular on campus’ sort of deal. In fact, the place where this crowd hangs out was dubbed the ’sub-basement’ by the head cheerleader – and I doubt she meant that as a compliment.

So let’s play a little comparison game. If you were able to choose, would you rather go to East High with Troy and all the gang, or does McKinley High with Kurt and Mercedes seem more like your style?

For me, I think both high schools would be fun, but in the end I think I’m going with McKinley…why? Well, what was true of me when I was a teen is still true now as a Youth Minister - I like the Glee Club students.

Sure, I get along with the other cliques, but the group of students that doesn’t seem to fit in reminds me of what it means to be a Christian in this external image focused, materialistic, shallow values, pleasure-seeking world. We’ve decided not to play the popularity game, and we realize that oftentimes the cost of ‘fitting in’ is not worth the compromising price tag.

Here’s the way the Apostle Paul explained it to a group of believers who were starting to make the church into a clique oriented carbon copy of the world:

My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.

What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-30).

See what I mean? Paul is basically telling them (and us) that we are the Christian Glee Club. He didn’t call us to follow Christ because we had anything to offer, actually just the opposite. We are the ‘losers’ who deep inside carry incredible gifts and talents that He wants to use to change the world.

So if you’re feeling like you live in the ’sub-basement’ of this world, be loud and proud that ” you are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy.”

And remember, most if not all, school campuses have a ‘glee club’ of sorts. Students who truly believe that not a soul in the universe loves them or believes in them. But you can change that! Start a Christian Glee Club at your school that isn’t all about the performing, but about proclaiming the good news that Jesus Christ loves them, died for them, and wants to have a forever relationship with them.

*Source: Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2009.