When I was saved as a young teen, I found myself wanting to find more and more people to pray for, so it occurred to me one day (and I'm sure it was the Lord speaking to me), to write down some of my favorite actors and singers on my prayer list. Being a big music and film fan, I had plenty of names to write down! Then someone recommended a devotional to me called, "Praying for the World's 365 Most Influential People" in which each day you pray for someone who influences our culture, from actors to world leaders, both Christian and non Christian. It seemed like everyone who is anyone was in this book (dcTalk, Billy Graham, Marilyn Manson, Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Hefner, Steven Spielberg, Dr. Laura, Michael W. Smith, Bill Clinton, etc). I thought this was a wonderful idea, and for me, it was a breathe of fresh air. I had begun to get really sick and tired of hearing Christians whine and complain about people in the entertainment industry, in politics, in the news, etc. I rarely, if ever, heard an ounce of compassion from their lips, nor did I ever hear someone stop and say, "let's pray for them," but I heard a whole lot of anger, gossip, and ridiculing. How does that bring glory to God? Better yet, how does that lead anyone to Christ? If you were not saved and yet you heard a Christian calling you names, saw them wagging their fingers at you, or heard them talking about how awful you were, would that draw you close to God? I seriously doubt it. It's time Christians stopped shaking their heads at those who are lost or those who have messed up, and instead did something about it. Actions speak louder than words. Just like Africa or the Middle East or anywhere else where the Lord may lead you, Hollywood is also a mission field. Why will we run to third world countries, on fire for God and ready to preach the Word and reach out to the lost, with all kinds of excitement, love, and compassion, but when it comes to the entertainment industry, we stay away from them, choosing instead of judge them from afar and sit in our own little Christian circles, talking about how evil they are and how they're destroying our youth? If they're so evil?isn't that one reason to go TO them instead of running in the other direction? Those in movies, music, and politics need Jesus just as much as those in other countries. If God has led you to Africa to minister to the lost then GREAT, but don't look down on believers who have been called to do the exact same thing in Hollywood or New York City or Washington D.C. We can whine and complain about how bad pop culture is, but nothing will ever improve if we just sit around talking about how bad everyone is. Talk is cheap, but miracles can and do happen by the power of God. Nothing will ever change until we first surrender it to God and second, get off our butts and actually DO something about it. That's one reason this site exists?to encourage you to think differently about "celebrities" and to see them as God sees them?.human beings in desperate need of a Savior. Just like the poor or the sick or the needy, the rich and famous need Him just as much, if not more. Sometimes it's easy to turn to God when things are tough, but when you seem to have it all (the money, the fame, the finer things in life), it can be even more difficult to understand the need for something bigger then you are. It can be hard to see that in reality, you do NOT have it all and something is missing from your life. So I am asking you all to stop and think about how you speak to people and about people, reminding yourself of these scriptures: