Celebrity: Now and Then

 

There has been something rolling around in my brain for a week and I can't yet put the pieces together, so maybe you can help me.  

Do we treat God like...a celebrity?

When we have an encounter with Him, is it something we brag about, like meeting, say, Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp?

Do we go on and on about our "conversation", when it was just a few quick words?

It can become all about US. 

Meeting face to face with a celeb can make most people a little giddy for sure, I have been there.

But we are talking about GOD!

We are told by Paul that we should "Pray without ceasing"!  A constant stream of communication.

Just something I am wondering about!

BONUS MATERIAL:

 

Here is an interesting article to ponder on the whole topic of Christian celebrities!

Speaking With Intention...Excellent Notion!

Confession time.

Occasionally I will watch Jane Austen movies with my wife.

She has her favorites and we own them on DVD.

When the mood strikes, they come out and we enjoy them together.

Here is what I love about them.

The way they talk!

The characters express themselves with such perfect clarity!  I want to be like that!

It seems that communication these days has become a bit muddled.

When I watch these movies, I am inspired to speak with directness and intention.

Some of the phrases and expressions get burned into my mind and I wish I could use them in everyday conversation!

Bring back Victorian speech!

Fare thee well and good morrow!

Stand Up for God!

Me and Tim Maassarany having our usual fun on the All New Breakfast Club!

In my opinion, I have the best job in the world.

It's also the strangest.

My business card says Todd Gale "Morning Show Personality".

My employment is me. 

My qualifications, aside from some technical know-how, are just being who I am.

What?

Let's examine this for a moment.

As a morning show co-host, I help start YOUR day with some great music, information and some fun thrown in!

As a naturally introverted geeky type, I have had my challenges doing this odd but wonderfully satisfying job!

So, since my skills basically revolve around connecting with a large audience on a daily basis, how do I constantly improve those skills?

The basics come to mind. 

Respect those who tune in, pray for them. 

Understand that every person has value, even if they don't believe they do.

Build them up and make them smile!

Ok, now, what about more growth?

Every day we open the mic and, it's just me and Tim Maassarany in the control room.

We don't SEE you all. So this led to the following chain of events...

I had it in my mind about a year ago that I would like to try my hand at Stand Up Comedy.

Why?  Good question, so glad you asked!

First off, I am a goof and love to be funny. 

But, the funny for me is usually spontaneous, in the moment, reactionary and only among a small group of two or three people.

Stand Up seemed to me the best way to learn how to relate to a larger audience of "real" people.

It's a chance to be in the moment, with actual PREPARED things to say, and to see the reactions of people in real time.

It's an opportunity to see what's really funny and what is just funny to me.

So, God set this whole thing up.  Who do I meet here in Barrie?  A comedian!

Someone said, "You should meet Wil Twynstra."  I said "What kind of name is that?"

Anyway, we got together and I related to him my desire to do stand up as an exercise in growth.

This got the ball rolling and before I knew what was going on, we DID IT!

My mom drove 3.5 hours to be in the audience!  She snapped this pic of me making some kind of point!

I actually went onstage and did it!  What a rush!

Stand Up For God 5 was a ton of fun and one of the most scary things I've ever done.

Family and friends were there to cheer me on and I think it went pretty well!

We raised a good chunk of money for Arise Christian Academy to boot!

I am still dissecting all that I learned from the experience, but one thing is for sure...

I want to do it again!

What a great night!