On the Death of Celebrities

Two very different people, one male, one female, one black, one white, one a megastar, one quite a bit less famous than that (but still famous). And yet both share in common something universal today:

Today, they were both face-to-face with the LORD.

I don't know a whole lot about either Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett. Of course, MJ's music was ubiquitous, and I remember a ton of his songs. But I was never really a fan, and when he started imploding personally, I guess I just felt sad for him. And as for FF, I never watched her show, and never really watched her movies, either. And after appearing on the scene like a comet, she just kind of flamed out.

And yet today, they were both face-to-face with the LORD.

I have no idea where they were spiritually. I have no idea whether or not they even heard the Gospel. I have to imagine they did, living in America as we do. Maybe it was a solid presentation, maybe it was the watered-down version that we hear so often in our materialistic and self-centered society. I have no idea at all.

Today, they were both face-to-face with the LORD.

I could go on and on about how it feels a bit surreal when I see so many people mourning who never even met them. It's not that I lack empathy, or understanding. I see some people genuinely in pain, and I do mourn with them, even if I am not personally affected. And I know that when an artist moves you, whether musically or sensually or viscerally or however, you can form a connection with that artist in your mind. I totally get all that.

But I guess the one feeling that stands out to me right now is that I really need to be more diligent in sharing the Gospel. Much more diligent. I am obedient, but am I passionate? Am I zealous?

The answer is, I am not. And yet I need to be, and I strive to be.

Because today, they were both face-to-face with the LORD.

Travels

Three weeks since my last post. Where has the time gone? I suppose that's just a rhetorical question, since I know where it's gone, at least in my case. Lots of traveling! Traveling for work, traveling for church, traveling for fun. It was great to see my mentor's daughter get married, and it was great to spend time with the saints, and it was great to be taking a work matter forward to help out my boss, who is busily working on a million other things.

One casualty of the traveling, however, has been my neglected blog. Well no longer! I am on a break from work so this will have to be a fast one, but I've missed writing and I've been looking forward to getting back into it.

I think part of the problem I've experienced is that my perfectionist nature -- and my pride, which is oh-so-closely linked to perfectionism -- often drives me to the mentality of needing to post something deep and insightful and LONG, or else not to post at all. This devolves into a cycle where the longer it's been since I've posted, the more deep/insightful/long I feel the post that "breaks the silence" needs to be.

I think I just need to get over that, and myself, and just go to it. And since I like to keep my breaks at work short, I think that'll have to do for now. :-)