A few days ago Thom Shultz at Group Publishing posted an article on the dangers of celebrity worship – both for the celebrity and for those who follow them based on their being famous. It was not a blanket indictment of great talent or legitimate accomplishment but a warning about the temptation to be caught up in fame and pursue it for its own sake.  Reading it reminded me of a note I received from Eugene Peterson asking me to help him understand something about the participants of our upcoming Gathering conference. In my work I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with many talented speakers and communicators and have never received such a note from anyone like this. Of course I have never sent such a note myself!
“As I prepare my soul for the conference it would help greatly if you would give me some sense of who these people are and the circumstances of their lives. I am a pastor and congregation is an important ingredient in what I say. I don’t have a “stump speech” that I give. So anything you could tell me that would help me in the months I have in prayer and imagining would help.”
Remarkable isn’t it?