Superstars

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Margaret

Our society is fixated on celebrity and the aura surrounding it, believing everyone who’s rich and famous must be happy.

My sister, brother and I flew from Chicago to Los Angeles last week with the goal of spending 5 vacation days with 4 well-loved cousins. On previous visits, we three Midwesterners always pushed for a day’s adventure in Tinsel Town, whether a tour of movie star homes, a visit to the cemeteries where they’re buried, or tickets to the taping of a TV show.

In the 1950’s, we’d seen the making of an “I love Lucy” episode in a cavernous warehouse, sitting with 50 spectators on crude wooden bleachers much like those at a Little League game. Lucy came out in a glittering ball gown and talked with us before her show, and everything was low key.

Last week’s trip to Hollywood (actually Burbank) gave us a modern day perspective on celebrity. Several of us got to attend a taping of “The Tonight Show” hosted by Jay Leno from NBC’s Studio 11. Although tickets are still free, securing them is competitive.

We arrived at 1:00 pm and were lined up with 100 others in a “holding pen” in the studio parking lot. A page showed us how to stand single file on the asphalt, then pointed to the gated lot beyond. “One of those cars is Jay’s,” she said. “He drives a different one every day, choosing from the 250 he owns.” A hushed “ooo” rippled through the line.

An hour later we were briefed: cell phones off; pocket knives and other dangerous items taken back to our cars, along with cameras; food and drink eliminated. We were counted 3 times, then shuttled from the first fenced area to the second. Once again we were lined up, given a numbered badge and recounted multiple times.

In this second waiting area we were put through a metal detector and then cautioned: no one was to change seats with anyone else; if a cell phone was seen, it would be taken; no inappropriate yelling or whistling would be tolerated.

Groups of 50 were led in and given specific instructions on where to sit, 300 people in all. Once seated, we noticed guards posted every few yards and not just run-of-the-mill security guards, but genuine Burbank policemen packing side arms. Times have changed.

Today’s rich and famous have to fence themselves in from the public that’s in awe of them. Celebrity watchers can over-love, much like a toddler over-loves a new baby. People like Britney Spears or Johnny Depp would be literally torn apart if it weren’t for muscle-bound guards keeping the adoring public at bay.

I can’t help but compare this misplaced celebrity worship to our thoughts about a worship-worthy God. Do we get this excited about him? Would there ever be a need for armed guards to keep us from over-loving him? Even when he calls to us, often we don’t respond, the opposite of the response a celebrity receives. Does this grieve him? Scripture says it does.

Should it grieve us?

Yes, since God is the only Person meriting hero worship. Although a celebrity may be on the top of the popularity heap for a time, most fall eventually as another takes their place. A “will be” can quickly become a “has been.”

God is the only one on top of the whole heap without a single competitor. And interestingly, every Hollywood celebrity will one day submit to him, agreeing that he is greater than they could ever be. He is and always will be #1, and when we’re tempted to go gaga over a movie star, we ought to remember the Star who put the real stars into space, just one of his many talents.

“I, Jesus, am… the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

Time’s Up

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Margaret

We all awoke to the surprising news that Muammar Gaddafi had been killed. As journalists scrambled to determine how much was rumor and how much true, one report said he’d been found hiding in a hole when confronted by those who’d been hunting him down. Apparently his last words were, “Don’t shoot.”

It’s interesting that Saddam Hussein was also found hiding in a hole, an ignominious end neither of these ruthless dictators could have envisioned.

This morning I heard a newscast quote from Gaddafi. Years ago he said, “I will become the king of kings.” Those of us who believe in Jesus Christ know that position has already been filled, permanently. Scripture describes the coming Messiah as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), and we believe Jesus is that One.

Apparently Gaddafi didn’t realize he was never even in the running.

As a Christian, I have many questions but know they’ll all be matched with answers in eternity. When the executive pastor of my Illinois church lost his wife to cancer, he commented how she instantly had more knowledge and understanding than the most degreed seminarian. I believe that’s true of Nate, too. To see Jesus will be to “get it,” and that glorious moment of answered questions is awaiting all of us who love him.

One minute after Muammar Gaddafi died, he “got it,” too, as he stood in front of the real King of kings. Scripture attests to that (Hebrews 9:27), and I trust it. We’re not told what happened next, but we do know Gaddafi’s soul is now in the hands of a flawlessly righteous Judge whose decisions cannot be contested.

Justice will be done.

“Come and see the works of God. He rules by His might forever. His eyes keep watch on the nations. Let not the rebellious exalt themselves.” (Psalm 66:5,7)

Willing to Wait

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Margaret

Life is full of waiting. We wait for paperwork to arrive in the mail, investments to grow, and phone calls to come. We wait for our kids to graduate, our incomes to go up, and the scale to go down. We wait in government offices, theater lobbies, bus stops, and airports.

None of us are any good at waiting. We want results, and we want them yesterday. With the whole world on fast-forward, it irritates us to have to push the pause button, especially when anxiety is running high. A friend of 3 decades recently received a surprising cancer diagnosis. It began with a routine appointment and a bit of question-worthy data.

One test led to another, and in just a few days, she’d heard the shocking news. After surgery to remove a tumor, her doctor told her it would be another 2 weeks before he could give her the details of her post-op treatment, and suddenly she’d been plunked into some very worrisome wait-time.

The waiting rooms of doctors’ offices might just as accurately be called “anxiety rooms.” As a person waits, she may have an open magazine on her lap, but her mind is far away, pondering the what-ifs. Whether we’re upset about new symptoms, waiting for a specific diagnosis, or wondering what our treatment will be, the feeling is the same: apprehension.

I remember waiting to hear what was physically wrong with Nate, wondering if our lives might radically change with what we would be told. My friend, too, has experienced that same nervousness, but she’s made a conscious decision to submit herself to whatever God allows into her life. Asking for prayer, she sent a group email that included a unique testimony. Not knowing what would happen, she was able to calmly write, “I’m in God’s waiting room.”

The minute I read that I knew she was going to rise above her circumstances, because she had lined up with God’s sovereignty over her life, even a life involving cancer. No fidgeting while waiting, no “why me,” no “how could you!” and no anger. Sure, she has questions, but she has fixed her gaze on her heavenly Father and is accomplishing a supremely difficult task: waiting patiently.

While the world’s waiting rooms are marked by angst and dread, God’s waiting room has divine purposes for each occupant. Instead of magazines to read, he offers security. Instead of stale coffee he hands out contentment. Instead of frayed nerves, he provides inner peace. My friend has been brought to a screeching halt, but God hasn’t. He’s energetically putting a plan in motion that will eventually pour considerable blessing into her life.