About Being Famous

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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Merry Christmas!

In the final Sunday of the Advent season, my word for the week was, “I will make you famous.” I’m having a hard time believing this word and what the Lord is speaking to me this time. But I’m sharing in hopes that God will work through this witness, however feeble it may be.

I’ve only heard the sentence “I will make you famous” once before at Mass! The previous time was also during Advent, five years ago. It meant a lot to me at the time, but I could never find the exact quote in the Bible afterward—until last Sunday.

The first time I heard this word was a direct answer to prayer. Right before Mass, I prayed about “being famous.” It was a surprising and disconcerting desire of my heart. “Being famous” seemed like such a shallow hope. In fact, “I don’t want to be famous,” had been a mantra of mine since I was a teenager!

What I really meant by the words “I don’t want to be famous” was that I didn’t want to seek fame over seeking God. Plus, a quiet and peaceful home life seemed like a much more altruistic goal. How could a calm family life be compatible with fame? And yet, five years ago, I felt this deep pull on my heart to share the gifts that God has given me with many people.

So there I was, kneeling in front of the tabernacle before Mass. I told the Lord directly, “I want to be famous. I don’t know why this desire is on my heart, but You know. I’m giving it back to You.” Low and behold, once Mass began, the words rang out in the first reading: “I will make you famous.” And the Lord has certainly followed through with that promise over the past five years.

Through seeking to do God’s will, I have found myself in situations that time and again fell into the category of “being famous.” 

An overview: being recognized as a singer by strangers in surprising places (a bus in Hawaii, a hospital in California, a doctor’s office in Arizona); regularly singing live for thousands of people, recording songs in a professional studio for patrons of my music and message. Book signings where people stood in line for hours to meet me. Traveling across New York City in a limo upon flying in for a tour. The list goes on.

My greatest fear about being famous was that I would lose sight of why I want to sing in the first place. I only wanted to sing, speak, entertain people in order to point to Jesus. And I only wanted to minister to others if I was first serving Christ through my own family! Back 5 years ago, the Lord assured me that any fame of mine would be of His own doing; I didn’t need to worry about selfishness.

Fast forward to this Advent Season. The past few months have been the most quiet, hidden months of my adult life. David and I are focusing 100% of our ministry outreach in the online realm, but we won't be ready to release our new content until mid-January at the earliest. It's been so quiet that I’ve questioned whether this pause signals the end of my public life.

Maybe it's time to stay out of the spotlight for good?!

Then, last week, on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Lord reminded me what He is doing in our lives. “I will make you famous.” There were those words again! This time, I was able to find the text in 2 Samuel, Chapter 7. Turns out the version in the lectionary (the readings from Mass) is a slightly different translation than what I could find in other versions of the same scripture.

Wow. This Christmas week has been so filled with grace. In the midst of the celebrations, I believe God is asking me to believe in the good work that He began through our ministry of music and evangelization.

I believe God is still calling me to speak to His people, to share the gifts He has given me, and to do so on a large scale. Yet He has given my family this hidden time to rest and recharge. What a reassurance that He is leading! I feel so convicted that anytime I need a break from the spotlight, the Lord will provide it!

Look at this Advent: no traveling, no concerts, no photoshoots. Instead, lullabies and laughter with my kids, decorating our house for Christmas, nap time each afternoon and early bedtimes in the evenings. The Lord knows what He is doing.

My word for the week reminds me that in the middle of this great pause—both through the season of Advent and through the global pandemic—God is leading us and giving us the necessary rest along the way.

To anyone else who might be wondering about the timing of God’s promises, I'll invite you to join me in remembering St. Paul as the tentmaker (Acts 18:1-4). Yes, St. Paul is known as the great Apostle. But he also spent that hidden season making tents for a living. Maybe many of us are going through a hidden season where God is building us up, so that eventually we can go back out and proclaim His word in new ways.

Oh! Not to mention, Jesus spent most of his earthly life in obscurity in Nazareth with Joseph and Mary. So wherever we spend today, let us remember that God knows what He’s doing. And it’s often through the quiet, hidden seasons that magnificent ministry takes shape. 

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