48 Sermon Illustrations on Fame

On a plaque marking Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace near Hodgenville, Kentucky, is recorded this scrap of conversation: “Any news down t’ the village, Ezry?”

“Well, Squire McLains’s gon t’ Washington t’ see Madison swore in, and ol’ Spellman tells me this Bonaparte fella has captured most of Spain. What’s new out here, neighbor?”

“Nuthin’, nuthin’ a’tall ’cept fer a new baby born t’ Tom Lincoln’s. Nothin’ ever happens out here.”

Some events, whether birthdays in Hodgenville (or Bethlehem) or spiritual rebirth in a person's life, may not create much earthly splash, but those of lasting importance will eventually get the notice they deserve.

Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote "there are no second acts in American life." Fitzgerald was probably wrong when he wrote those words. He's certainly wrong today.

All you need to do to see how wrong Fitzgerald was is turn on your television. Two years ago, sports broadcaster Marv Albert pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from sexual encounters in a Virginia hotel room.

Prior to his arrest, Albert was NBC's top basketball announcer, and considered by his peers and fans alike to be the best play-by-play announcer in the business.

But Albert's reputation didn't stop NBC from firing him after he pled guilty. Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC sports, called Albert's firing "something we had to do."

This past June, NBC quietly rehired Albert, assigning him to less important broadcasts.

By last month, Albert's restoration was complete. NBC returned him to his old job, and Albert will be at the microphone for all of this season's National Basketball Association broadcasts. In the calculations of his employer, Albert's expertise and popularity with fans outweighs the disgrace of having pled guilty to sensational assault charges against a woman.

Albert isn't the only person making a comeback. Less than a year after a scandal that made her last name synonymous with a sexual act, Monica Lewinsky has re-emerged as a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig Diet Centers.

The ads feature "before" and "after" photos of Miss Lewinsky, along with a testimonial that proclaims "I haven't felt deprived on this [Jenny Craig weight loss] program -- at all."

And unlike Albert, who expressed some regrets for his conduct, Lewinsky is back without expressing the slightest remorse.

Her restoration prompted Los Angeles Times television writer Howard Rosenberg to call it "a shame" that Lewinsky is "profiting from the infamy she attained when helping put the nation through enormous agony."

Rosenberg cited Lewinsky and Albert as proof that "the U.S. is either a very forgiving or forgetful nation in which fame tends to assume a life of its own if it exists long enough."

He's right. Fame is the supreme quality we seem to admire, even if the person is famous for all the wrong reasons. Albert's and Lewinsky's public restoration shows how little Americans care about the need for repentance and remorse before restoration.

We no longer require people caught in scandal to prove they are truly sorry for what they did, much less pay a meaningful price. Instead, all we require is that they keep a low profile for a period of time before re-emerging, good as new -- exactly what Albert and Lewinsky did.

The World War II martyr and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer had an expression to describe this kind of bogus restoration: cheap grace. Restoration without repentance doesn't change lives or behavior. What's worse, it blinds people to the need for true repentance and amendment of life. That's a problem, because God isn't as lenient as Jenny Craig.

If our neighbors are going to understand what restoration really means, we have to teach them. They need to know that there are second acts with God. But the curtain only rises after we've repented.

___________________

Copyright (c) 2000 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

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His initials were W.W., and in the 1930s and 1940s they were enough to identify him to most of America. He was widely considered the creator of modern gossip writing, and in his heyday this rude, abrasive, egotistical and witty man was the country’s best known and most widely read journalist and one of its most influential. In 1943, when there were 140 million people in the United States, more than 50 million of them read his gossip column every day in more than 1000 newspapers, including his flagship, The New York Daily Mirror. Even more people listened to his weekly radio broadcast. Hated, feared and revered, he presided over Table 50 of the Stork Club in New York, creating and destroying celebrities at the drop of his trademark gray snap-brim fedora. Yet when he died in 1972, at age 74, he was practically forgotten. Only two people attended his funeral; his daughter, Walda, and the rabbi who officiated at his services. Today, not many people under 40 even know the name of Walter Winchell.

________

Mervyn Rothstein, New York Times, 6-24-1990

"Fame is vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings. Only one

thing endures and that is character."

- Horace Greeley

- _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 128.

Condemned murderer John Taylor, 38, was convicted of killing five New York City Wendy's employees in a 2000 robbery. In January 2003 prosecutors revealed Taylor penned these rap lyrics during his two days on the lam before his arrest. (Taylor's spelling):

so now you know how I go

They got my face on the worlds most wanted show

on chanel five showing live

you'll think I'm famous

I'm airing world wide

I'm a stick up kid so swift you see

in and out like 1 2 3

I said give me the doe you say no, no?

Is it no you said stick some lead to your head

guess what punk now your dead

with all that blood bursting out your Head.

Taylor now says he's sorry for the killings.

______________

New York Daily News, 1/9/03

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #3267]

Winston Churchill knew that public favor was no proof of real success. Once, after he gave a speech for which 10,000 people came out, a friend asked, "Winston, aren't you impressed that 10,000 people came to hear you speak?" Churchill replied, "Not really. 100,000 would come to see me hang."

Once Clarence Darrow was visiting Brand Whitlock, then Mayor of Toledo, when an admirer of the great lawyer burst into the office and asked Whitlock to introduce him. “Ah, Mr. Darrow,” gushed the intruder, “you have suffered a great deal in your life for being misunderstood, haven't you?”

Darrow smiled wryly and replied, “Yes, my friend, but I haven't suffered half as much as I would have if I had been understood.”

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing we do not make any difference in the lives of others. We work and wonder if anything we say or do makes a difference in the lives of others. During such times, we can find encouragement by reading the following story told by Babe Ruth.

“Most people who really have counted in my life were never famous. Nobody ever heard of them except those who knew them and loved them. I especially recall an old minister I once knew whose hair was white and whose face shone. I have written my name on thousands of baseballs in my life. The old minister wrote his name on just a few simple hearts. But how I envy him. He was not trying to please himself. Fame never came his way. I am listed as a famous home run hitter, yet beside the obscure minister who was so good and wise, I have never gotten to first base.”

- “True Success,” Pulpit Helps, December 1992, 8

=======================

Babe Ruth on Fame -

"I knew an old priest once. How I envy him. He was not trying to please a crowd. He was merely trying to please his own immortal soul... So fame never came to him... I am listed as a famous home-runner, yet beside that obscure priest, who was so good and so wise, I never got to first base.”

-- American Magazine, August 1933.

http://www.baseballhistorian.com/html/american_heroes.cfm?page=80

Several years ago when a well-known actress made her plea for funding and awareness of a particular disease, congressional committee chambers were packed to capacity and surrounded by cameras. A stark contrast was seen when an unknown woman suffering with Parkinson’s disease made her appearance: hers was a reception of chairs left empty by legislators.

Remarked a congressman on ABC’s 20/20: "If you have the politically correct disease, the prospects of getting federal funding to help find the cure are 100 times greater than if you have some other disease, even though it may be a much more common disease."

The irrationality of this goes beyond disease, does it not. By granting the celebrity such esteem we seem unable to distinguish between a glamorous skill we admire and the entirety of the person, as though artistry empowers one to be a guru for all matters. Whether one is an actor or an athlete, we are imperiled if we forget that giftedness says absolutely nothing about a person’s integrity or wisdom.

We are now, by design, a culture steeped in manufacturing icons. Some time ago one such person, whose only act on stage was to turn the words of an alphabet and look happy while doing so, wrote her autobiography. The demand was so great that it went into a second printing very quickly. One major news anchorman marveled and wondered what prompted such fawning by the masses for a skill as childish as that. He said it was an indictment against their own profession -- that it did not take much to be a hero.

Transference of authority is a scary phenomenon in our time. Being a great entertainer is just that - a great entertainer. Let us not transfer greatness across from one point to another without scrutinizing the reasoning behind the recognizable face. Our judgements are in danger if our heroes are influential only because they are well known. Jesus’ words are striking: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." He also goes on to say that we look at the outward, but God looks at the heart.

Let us not miss the responsibility of judging an idea by the test of truth and wisdom by foolishly being seduced at the altar of the popular. Life, dear friend is more than glamour and substance is more than image.

_________________________

Copyright © 2002 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis, who made false claims in classes and interviews that he served in Vietnam, will give up the American culture course he teaches at Mount Holyoke College.

College spokesman Kevin McCaffrey said Tuesday that Ellis, 57, chose to give up the class.

In a brief statement, Mount Holyoke President Joanne V. Creighton expressed regret about Ellis' misrepresentation, but stopped short of criticizing him. She did not say whether Ellis would be disciplined for the deceptions.

"I too deeply regret the effect of his misrepresentation on students, colleagues, and the public," the statement said.

Ellis apologized for the Vietnam misrepresentations after The Boston Globe disclosed Monday that he had falsely claimed to have served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. He also had claimed in interviews that his experience in Vietnam motivated him to join the anti-war movement.

Creighton and Ellis both refused to be interviewed.

Ellis also taught a course on the literature of the Vietnam War at nearby Amherst College. Three students there told the Globe that Ellis talked about his Vietnam experiences in that class.

The Amherst class is not scheduled for the next academic year. Amherst officials have not commented on Ellis' misrepresentations in that school's classrooms.

Ellis won the Pulitzer Prize in April for his book "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.

Kip Keino, an uncoached Nandi tribesman from Kenya, burst onto the world track and field scene at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. There he had a legendary showdown with Jim Ryun of the United States. Ryun, a heavy favorite, hadn’t been beaten in the 1500 meters in over three years. Then, on the day of the race, Keino got caught in traffic on the way and was forced to jog the last mile to the stadium. Still, Keino won the race by an astounding 20 meters!

Four years later at the Munich Games, after placing second in the 1500 meters, he entered the 3000-meter steeplechase and won the gold medal, setting an Olympic record.

But Keino remained humble and used his fortune to help others. Although famous enough to ride in limousines, he chose instead to drive an old four-door Nissan with a busted speedometer and no hubcaps. Over the years, Kip and his wife, Phyllis, have taken in more than 100 orphaned and abandoned children and given them hope and love. Keino says, “I came into this world with nothing. I will leave with nothing. While I’m here, I should be mindful of those people who need help.”

________

Bill McCartney in "4th and Goal"

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #2064]

The August 1996 edition of Senior Magazine carried an interview with an actress by the name of Loretta Young. In the article, Young offered an honest appraisal of her life. She spoke of the mistakes she had made, of her “boo-boos” as she called them. Through many a hard knock, she was forced to sort out the priorities of her life and admits that she finally came to the conclusion that the only wellspring of happiness in life comes from God. Not fame, not success, not glamour or material wealth.

“If you’re wise,” she said, “you’ll realize that Somebody Else is running the show and that Somebody Else is smarter than you are.”

Through many a winding turn in her life, this star of television and more than 100 movies, found herself returning home ANOTHER WAY and it’s a good thing she did. For on August 12, 2000, thanks to her faith in Christ Jesus, she returned home to her Heavenly Father.

*

Most would say Chuck Norris has reached the pinnacle of success. A six-time world karate champion, he starred as the hero in more than 23 films and wrote and produced his popular television series, “Walker, Texas Ranger.” But success couldn't rescue the Norris family the night they faced a life-threatening crisis.

Norris felt absolutely helpless when his wife, Gena, went into pre-term labor with their unborn twins. But Norris also knew he could rely solely on God. He recounts the events of that frightful night in his autobiography, “Against All Odds: My Story” with Ken Abraham, published by Broadman & Holman.

“I had earned millions of dollars over my lifetime,” he writes. “I'd been a friend to several presidents, yet all the money in my bank account couldn't help me now.... There was only one person to whom I could turn.” It was God. He'd been with Norris throughout his life, and this would be no different.

'GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU'

Carlos Ray Norris was born into a family struggling to survive, led by an alcoholic father who moved the family 16 times by the time the future actor turned 15. Norris' mother, a strong Christian and prayer warrior, never gave up or let her children give up despite living in extreme poverty.

“God has a plan for you,” she told her son daily, convincing him he could, indeed, beat the odds.

His mother's enormous faith was a great example for the young Norris. It was she who insisted the family go to church wherever they were living. Norris began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at an early age, and he rededicated his life to Christ as a young adult when he attended a Billy Graham crusade.

Norris says his mother continues to be a great influence in his life.

“She loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that [growing up,]” he said, following a book signing in Atlanta. “She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life. She always told me 'God has plans for you,' and I didn't know what she meant. I think I do now.”

FINDING FORGIVENESS

You could say the action star's career “kicked” off as a young airman stationed in Korea studying martial arts. He wasn't initially strong, and success did not come easily, but within eight years, Norris became a martial arts world champion. He holds the distinction of being the first man in the Western hemisphere to receive an eighth degree black belt grand master in Tae Kwon Do.

The chain reaction that followed his success in karate moved him rapidly up the ladder of recognition. His karate championships led him to open a successful chain of karate schools and gain appearances on television, including “The Tonight Show.” Eventually Hollywood took notice, and it wasn't long before he was cast in his first feature film.

But while his career path was leading to fame and fortune, his personal life bore the toll. Norris and his first wife, Dianne, divorced after 30 years of marriage. When their two sons grew up and moved away, the long distances and times apart adversely affected their relationship. Despite the divorce, he and Dianne remain friends.

Ten years later, life took a life-changing twist. A letter from a daughter he'd never known turned up in his mailbox. In his first year of marriage, Norris had committed a one-time extramarital affair while stationed away from home. He'd never known the experience had made him a father.

It would be hard for many people of Norris' stature to relay struggles in a book for all to read, but Norris and his new wife see the theme of forgiveness as a big part of their story. His daughter Deanna and her husband are now a part of the family, and there's been emotional healing all around -- between Norris and Deanna's mom and Norris and his former wife, and new relationships between his sons and their half-sister.

“These are human frailties; we all have them, we all sin,” Norris said. “But as far I'm concerned, the sin that resulted in my daughter turned out to be a blessing. I can't imagine my life without her and her children, my three grandchildren.”

FROM KICK 'STAR' TO 'KICKSTART'

These days, children are very important to Norris. After a difficult pregnancy, his wife of six years gave birth to healthy twins -- a boy and a girl, now age 3. He also continues to work on his KICKSTART program for middle school students. The proceeds of his book will go to KICKSTART.

More than 30,000 kids have graduated from the program, currently found in 37 schools. While the focus of the program is on martial arts, it does a lot more for the kids who participate -- many who are from the inner city. It builds their self-esteem.

“Many have gone on to college, and one of our kids just graduated from MIT on a scholarship,” Norris said proudly.

It's clear he's passionate about the program, almost as much as he is about his faith. By his own acknowledgement, he's grown deeply in his walk with God in the last 10 years. But Norris gets frustrated at the silent majority of Christians who refuse to speak out on issues of faith.

He and Gena have taken a stand to get the Bible back in public schools. They endorse the National Council of Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, which aims to incorporate the Bible as part of elective history and literature classes.

Members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, he and Gena hope eventually to get involved in missionary work as their children grow older. And, of course, he remains passionate about the KICKSTART program.

“We're hoping to help millions and millions of kids and show them that they don't have to give up,” Norris said. “The odds aren't stacked too highly against them to achieve their dreams. I want them to know that if I can overcome the things in my life, there's no reason why any of them can't do the same thing.”

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This list of famous Christians mainly includes people in entertainment, such as TV, movies, sports and music. These are people who are famous because of their careers, not because they are Christians. Most of the names on the list are contemporary.

What criteria is used to determine if a celebrity is a Christian? Basically, if a celebrity says they are a Christian, whether in published interviews or biographical sketches, we take them at their word. We haven't tried to measure how frequently they attend church or in what way God has touched their hearts or what kind of role model they are or what their beliefs are on any one issue. But as far as we know these are all people for whom their faith is important enough that they have identified it publicly, not just as as something they were raised in, but something significant to them as adults. [Asterisk indicates they are deceased]

ACTORS

Willie Aames - former actor, "Eight is Enough". members.aol.com/olfc/truestories2.html

Corbin Allred - actor, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"; "Teen Angel"

Pat Boone - actor and musician

Billy Barty - actor, famed "Little People" activist, "Willow"

Justine Bateman - actress

Gary Burghoff - actor ("Radar O'Reilly" on M.A.S.H.)

Gary Busey - actor. www.naplesfl.net/~gobedo/busey.htm

Kirk Cameron - actor, "Growing Pains"

Carl Ciarfalio - actor ("The Thing", Corman's FF film)

Lacey Chabert - Actress from "Party of Five"

Anna Chlumsky - Actress

Deezer D - Actor on "E.R." & Christian rapper

Anne B. Davis - "Alice" on the Brady Bunch

Clifton Davis - movie star

Hazel Dawn - movie star

Laraine Day - movie star

Mark Deakins - actor ("Star Trek: Insurrection", Axum on "Star Trek: Voyager")

Donna Douglas - actress ("Ellie May Clampett" on "Beverly Hillbillies")

Roma Downey - actress on "Touched by an Angel"

Robert Duvall - actor

Aaron Eckhart - movie star ("The Pledge", "Erin Brockovich", "Possession")

Dale Evans* - actress

Kim Fields - actor, "Facts of Life"

Rhonda Fleming - movie star

Mel Gibson - movie star

Ryan Gosling - actor ("The Believer", Hercules on "Young Hercules") [Holwick: he was raised a Mormon but does not appear to practice any faith now]

Andy Griffith - actor, "Andy Griffith Show"

Charlton Heston - actor, "The Ten Commandments"

Tom Hanks - movie star

Dean Jagger - movie star

Dean Jones - movie star (Academy Award for "Twelve O'Clock High", etc.)

Danny Kamekona - actor (popular Hawaiian actor; "Hawaii 5-O"; Miyagi's rival "Sato" in "Karate Kid II")

Al Kasha - actor, two-time academy award winner. www.alkasha.com/bio.html

Richard Kiel* - actor; Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker"

Carol Lawrence - singer/dancer/actress, once married to Robert Goulet

Bruce Marchiano - actor, Jesus in "The Gospel According to Matthew"

Gavin McLeod - actor, Captain Stubing on "The Love Boat"

Terry Moore - Academy Award-nominated actress ("Come Back, Little Sheba")

Tia and Tamer Mowry - Actresses on "Sister Sister"

Robert Newman - actor

Chuck Norris - actor, "Walker Texas Ranger". www.centuryma.com/bios/norris.html

Austen O'Brian - actor on "Promised Land"

Merlin Olsen - football player, actor ("Little House on the Prairie"; "Aaron's Way")

Jennifer O'Neill - actor

Kelly Packard - Wonder Years; Blossom; Step By Step; Baywatch; Boy Meets World

Austin Peck - Soap Opera actor

Pat Priest - actress ("Marilyn Munster" on "The Munsters" TV show; "Easy Come, Easy Go" opposite Elvis Presley)

Della Reese - actor, "Touched by an Angel". http://members.aol.com/jwbalkwell/della.html

Fred Rogers* - "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood"

Roy Rogers* - TV star

Mickey Rooney - actor

Jane Russell - movie star

John Schneider - actor, "The Dukes of Hazzard", founder, FaithWorks. www.faithworksproduction.com/front.html

Connie Selleca - actress

Christian Slater - actor (according to an article in the Calgary Sun on 9/11/2000)

Nancy Stafford - actress "Matlock", "MacGyver"

David Suchet - actor ("Hercule Poirot" on the PBS series "Mystery")

Mr T. - Actor

Russ Tamblyn - actor ("Peyton Place", "West Side Story", etc.)

Ben Vereen - Actor

Paul Walker - movie star ("Varsity Blues", "Meet the Deedles", "The Fast and the Furious", etc.)

Robert Walker - actor ("Strangers on a Train", etc.)

Lisa Whelchel - actress, "The Facts of Life"

Johnny Whitaker - actor ("Family Affair")

Demond Wilson - actor ("Lamont Sanford")

Marie Windsor - movie star

Elijah Wood - actor

Heather Young - TV star ("Land of Giants")

Loretta Young - movie star (Best Actress Academy Award for "The Farmer's Daughter")

RADIO

Warren Duffy - radio talk show host, KKLA. www.kkla.com/personalities/duffy.html

Bob Larson - radio talk show host

Dawson McAlister - radio talk show host. www.christiananswers.net/paradise/au-dawson.html

Janet Parshall - radio talk show host, "Janet Parshall's America". www.wava.com/jpa/janet.shtml

Michael Reagan - national radio talk show host. www.regan.com

Paul Harvey

TV/MOVIE PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS

Don Bluth - animation director/producer (Land Before Time; Titan A.E.; The Secret of NIMH; etc.)

Richard Dutcher - director/screenwriter/actor (Girl Crazy; God's Army)

Keith Merrill (Academy award-winning IMAX director; "The Great American Cowboy; "Amazon", etc.)

Jerry Molen - movie producer (Schindler's List; Jurassic Park, Twister; Hook; Rain Man; etc.)

Richard Rich - animation director (The King and I; The Black Cauldron)

Ken Wales - producer, "Christy". www.lifesite.net/interim/august98/16hollywood.html

Michael Warren - producer, "Family Matters"

Martha Williamson - executive producer "Touched by an Angel". touched.com/martha.htm

John Woo - director, "Mission Impossible II", "Broken Arrow"

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT – OTHER

Kim Alexis - professional model

Jane Clayson - co-anchor, "The Early Show" with Bryant Gumbel

Howard Finster - former preacher turned artist. www.finster.com/biography.htm

Jeff Foxworthy - comedian

Kathie Lee Gifford - television talk show host. www.otherside.net/kathylee.htm

Johnny Hart - cartoonist, "B.C." comic strip

Michael Klausman - president, CBS Studio Center Hollywood

Mark Lowry - comedian

Deborah Norvill - "Inside Edition" anchor

Heather Whitestone-McCallum - first deaf Miss America. www.wpsd.org/deafawareness/hwhitestone.html

ATHLETICS - FOOTBALL

Bobby Bowden - college football coach

Dennis Byrd - former profession football player

Vince Carter - professional football player

Bob Christian - professional football player.

www.atlantafalcons.com/rb.htm

Randall Cunningham - professional football player.

www1.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/ssm/archive/football/features/rcdec97.html

Joe Gibbs - former professional football coach.

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/memories/gibbs/jg91fet2.htm

Rosie Grier - former professional football player

Tom Landry* - former professional football coach

Dan Reeves - professional football coach.

www.atlantafalcons.com/98coach.htm#reeves

Frank Reich - professional football player.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/profiles/frankreich.html

Eugene Robinson - professional football player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Eugene

Deion Sanders - professional football player.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature112498.htm

Mike Singletary - former professional football player

www.christianentertainment.com/feature61698.htm

Gene Stallings - former college football coach

Emmitt Smith - professional football player

Kurt Warner - professional football player

Reggie White - former professional football player.

www.cbn.org/living/christianwalk/interviews/reggiewhite.asp

Lenny Wilkens - professional basketball coach.

www.nba.com/history/wilkens_bio.html

ATHLETICS - BASKETBALL

A.C. Greene - former professional basketball player

Hersey Hawkins - professional basketball player

Meadowlark Lemon - former basketball player, Harlem Globetrotters

www.christianentertainment.com/feature9898.htm

Pete Maravich* - professional basketball player.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/sportsministry/tracts/maravich.html

Dikembe Mutombo - professional basketball player.

www.nba.com/playerfile/dikembe_mutombo.html

Mark Price - former professional basketball player.

www.lifestory.org/sports.html#price

David Robinson - professional basketball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#David

ATHLETICS - BASEBALL

Brett Butler -former baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Brett

Joe Carter - baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Joe

Gary Carter - former baseball player

Darren Daulton - former baseball player.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Darren

Dave Dravecky - former baseball player.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature81898.htm

Orel Herschiser - professional baseball player.

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/profile/oh-ra.html

Paul Molitor - professional baseball player

Terry Pendleton - professional baseball player. http://

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/topstory/tsarchive/topstorypendleton.html

Andy Pettitte - professional baseball player.

http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/lambeth71.html

John Smoltz - professional baseball player

Walt Weiss - professional baseball player

ATHLETICS - GOLF

Paul Azinger - professional golfer.

www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/ssm/archive/golf/features/paulqa/index.html

Bernard Langer - professional golfer

Tom Lehman - professional golfer;

www.christianity.net/mp/8M4/8M4030.html

Larry Mize - professional golfer

Scott Simpson - professional golfer

Larry Nelson - professional golfer

ATHLETICS - SKATING

Janet Lynn - Olympic figure skater

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz - Olympic winning Figure skating dance team

Rosalyn Sumners - Figure Skater

Paul Wyle - Olympic figure skater

ATHLETICS - TRACK AND FIELD

Gail Devers - professional track athlete

Jackie Joyner-Kersee - professional track athlete.

www.christianity.net/tcw/8W5/8W5046.html

Eric Liddell* - Olympic Gold Medalist, "Chariots of Fire"

Jesse Owens* - professional track athlete

ATHLETICS - OTHER

Davey Allison* - professional race car driver.

www.gospelcom.net/gci/sf/sports/sportsministry/tracts/allison.html

George Foreman - former professional boxer.

www.mrshowbiz.go.com/people/georgeforeman/content/bio.html

Mary Joe Fernandez - professional tennis player

Jeff Gordon - professional car racer

Evander Holyfield - profession boxer.

www.intranet.ca/~sheehan/stbarts/xathlts.htm#Evander

Todd Huston - mountain climber, motivational speaker, amputee.

http://199.227.134.77/index.html

Mary Lou Retton - former gymnastics athlete, Olympic Gold Medalist

Jesse Romero - world chamption kick boxer

Sheila Taormina - Olympic medalist, swimming.

users.erols.com/rpdigest/01499.htm

BUSINESS

Truett Cathy - founder Chick-Fil-A

www.chick-fil-a.com/content/about/aboutInnerFrame.htm

Cecil Day* - founder Day's Inn

Arthur DeMoss - businessman and author, founder, DeMoss Foundation

H.G. Heinz* - founder, Heinz ketchup

Leonard Lesord - founder "Guidepost Magezine"

Norm Miller - Chairman of the Board, Interstate Batteries

www.interstatebatteries.com/norm_miller/normtest.htm

Lowell "Bud" Paxxon - founder PAX-TV.

www.lifeatwork.com/journal/article.html?id=90

James Cash Penney* - founder, J.C. Penney department stores.

www.jcpenney.net/company/history/jcpbio/bio6.htm

Charlie Plumb - motivational speaker, former Vietnam P.O.W. http://

www.charlieplumb.com/

Tom Pryor - ICMS; ABM http://

www.icms.net/whois.htm

Dave Thomas* - founder, Wendy's

Sam Walton* - founder, Walmart

Zig Ziggler - motivational speaker

LITERATURE

Oswald Chambers* - author, My Utmost for His Highest;

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/oswald_chambers.html

G. K. Chesterton* - science fiction, mystery, non-fiction, Orthodoxy

Tim LaHaye - author, "Left Behind".

www.leftbehind.com/authors/tim_lahaye.html

C. S. Lewis* - author of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction religious

books such as Mere Christianity;

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/cs_lewis.html

Catherine Marshall* - author, "Christy".

www.intouch.org/INTOUCH/portraits/catherine_marshall.html

Norman Vincent Peale* - author, Power of Positive Thinking;

www.guideposts.org/gp2/about/about_guideposts.shtml#founders

Frank Peretti - author, This Present Darkness;

www.bookpage.com/9907bp/frank_peretti.html

Charles Sheldon* - author, In His Steps

Charles Spurgeon* - author

Danielle Steele - author

J.R.R. Tolkien* - author, The Hobbit

Joni Eareckson Tada - author, Artist & Speaker. Quadriplegic.

www.jafministries.com/about/tadabio.htm

COUNTRY MUSIC

Johnny Cash* - country musician

Charlie Daniels - country musician.

www.charliedaniels.com/frames.asp?main=spotlight.htm&left=sidebar.htm

Barbara Fairchild - country singer

Ernie Ford* - country musician

Larry Gatlin - country music singer.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature9198.htm

Barbara Mandrell - country musician

Dolly Parton - country musician

Kevin Sharp - country music star

MUSIC

Steve Amerson - musician, "To the Ends of the Earth"

Randy Bachman - member of Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive; "Takin'

Care of Business"

Tal Bachman - contemporary, guitar, Emmy winner

Backstreet Boys - singing group

Philip Bailey - musician, formerly with the band Earth Wind & Fire

Margaret Becker - contemporary Christian musician.

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,106,00.html

Jody Benson - Broadway star; voice of "The Little Mermaid"

Ray Boltz - contemporary Christian musician

Boyz II Men - singing group

James Brown - singer

Jeremy Castle - Oklahoma country singer/songwriter

Alice Cooper - rock singer

Rick Cua - formerly with the band "The Outlaws", contemporary Christian

musician

Carman - contemporary Christian musician/evangelist

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,208,00.html

Steven Curtis Chapman - contemporary Christian musician;

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/0,1146,236,00.html

Bob Carlisle - contemporary Christian musician

Dino - contemporary Christian musician

John Elefante - formerly with the band "Kansas", contemporary Christian

musician. www.praisetv.com/profiles/elefante.asp

Michael English - contemporary Christian musician.

www.michaelenglish.com/bio/index.html

Mark Farmer - formerly with the band "Grand Funk", contemporary Christian

musician

Don Francisco - contemporary Christian musician

Bill Gaither - traditional Gospel singer.

www.billgaither.com/

Gloria Gaither - traditional Gospel singer.

www.billgaither.com/

Keith Green* - contemporary Christian musician.

www.keithgreen.com/learn.htm

Steve Green - contemporary Christian musician.

www.stevegreenministries.org/

MC Hammer - rap musician.

www.mchammer.com/pg4.html

George Frideric Handel* - classical composer

Christian Jacobs - lead singer of the Aquabats

Kim Hill - contemporary Christian musician.

www.jamsline.com/b_hill.htm

Whitney Houston - singer, actress

Francis Scott Key* - composer

R. Kelley - Mainstream singer

Gladys Knight - of "Gladys Knight and the Pips"; pop; R & B

Patti Labell - Singer

Mylon Lefevre - contemporary Christian musician.

www.mylon.org/biopage.html

Glen Leonard - of the Temptations

Willie Lewis - singer, "The Platters"

Kerry Livgren - formerly with the band "Kansas", contemporary Christian

musician. //users.aol.com/guitarron/kerry/kerry.htm

Babbie Mason - contemporary Christian musician

Denise Matthews - formerly "Vanity" with Prince.

www.capitaljournal.com/stories/030299/fea_relmatthews.shtml

Rich Mullins* - contemporary Christian musician

Larry Norman - first Christian rock performer.

www.ccmcom.com/ccmmag/95oct/1095norm_troub.html

Stanford Olsen - opera tenor

Twila Paris - contemporary Christian musician

Leon Patillo - contemporary Christian musician. Formerly with the band

"Santana"; www.leonpatillo.org/Bio.htm

Christopher Parkening - classical guitarist.

www.musdoc.com/parkening/cpbio.html

Charlie Peacock - contemporary Christian musician

Elvis Presley - singer

Smokey Robinson - singer

Run DMC - rap group

SHeDAISY - contemporary group

Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand - contemporary fusion/ethnic

Michael W. Smith - contemporary Christian musician

Noel Paul Stookey - singer with "Peter, Paul, and Mary"

John Tesh - musician.

www.christianentertainment.com/feature41498.htm

Randy Travis - country singer

Vanity - Former singer for Prince

CeCe Winans - contemporary Christian musician.

music.crosswalk.com/artists/bio/1,1146,1482,00.html

BeBe Winans - contemporary Christian musician

POLITICAL

George Bush - former U.S. President.

www.csdl.tamu.edu/bushlib/papers/1992/92082000.html

Jimmy Carter - former U.S. President.

www.CarterCenter.org/pcbio.html

Abigail Adams - first lady, wife of U.S. President Samuel Adams

John Ashcroft - former Missouri Gov. & Senator

Christopher Darden - Lawyer, prosecutor in O. J. Simpson case

Elizabeth Dole - director, American Red Cross.

www.edole2000.org/moreabout.cfm

Stonewall Jackson*

Alan Keyes - U.S. Presidential candidate.

www.alankeyes.com/bio.htm

Steve Largent - U.S. House of Representative from Oklahoma, former

professional football player. www.house.gov/largent/hall_fame.html

Robert E. Lee* - Confederate General

Abraham Lincoln* - U.S. President [Holwick: Lincoln's faith is problematic]

Don Nickles - U.S. Senator, Oklahoma

J.C. Watts - U.S. House of Representative, former college football player

Dan Quayle - former U.S. Vice President.

www.quayle.org/

Clarence Thomas - U.S. Supreme Court Judge.

www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9107/thomas.html

George Washington* - U.S. President

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND EXPLORATION

Robert Boyle*

George Washington Carver*

Christohper Columbus*

Kenneth H. Cooper - "Father of aerobics"

Michael Faraday*

Jim Irwin* - astronaut, Ark Hunter

Samuel Morse*

Isaac Newton* - inventor, scientist

Louis Pasteur*

Hugh Ross - physicist

Francis Schaeffer* - theologian and thinker (1912-1984)

Carol Swain - political scientist, author of Black Faces, Black Interests and

The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration (a

convert to Evangelical Christianity)

Wright Brothers*

People who are well known because of their efforts or careers in ministry include:

Kay Arthur, Jim Bakker, Gary Bauer, David Berkowitz, Bill Bright*, Larry Burkett*, Ryne Hart Bonke, Corrie Ten Boom, Michael Brown, Tony Campollo, David (Paul) Yonggi Cho, Chuck Colson, Kenneth Copeland, James Dobson, Elisabeth Elliot, Jim Elliot, Tony Evans, Charles Finney, Jerry Fallwell, Franklin Graham, Billy Graham, John Haggee, Hank Hannigraf, Marilyn Hickey, Steve Hill, Benny Hinn, Rees Howells, Bill Hybels, Calvin Johnson Jr., Grant Jeffries, Ben Kinshlo, Paul Krouch, Nicky Cruz, Hubert Lindsey, Hal Lindsey, David Livingstone, Crawford Loritz, Max Lucado, Peter Marshall, Bill McCartney, Josh McDowell, Walter Martin*, Dwight Moody*, George Mueller*, Larry Poland, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Dave Roever, Robert Schuller, Demias Shekarian, Robert Slairden, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Hudson Taylor*, A.W. Tozer*, Kevin Turner, John Wesley*, Susana Wesley*, David Wilkerson, Ravi Zacharias.

*Deceased

--------------------------------------------

Sources:

http://members.truepath.com/testimony/featured.html

http://www.inertiafilms.com/testimony/featured.html

http://members.tripod.com/~StrongConvictions/famous.html

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/6111/pneumatikos/famous1.htm

http://www.naplesfl.net/~gobedo/goodnews.html

=============================================================

Another source from http://www.christianadvice.net/famous_christians.htm

Famous Christians - list of famous Christian Men & Women in Media & Biographies

There have been lots of famous Christians past and present. I've collected

a list of names below. Many people may say they aren't Christians because

of something they've seen and heard on TV or in newspapers or things done

in the past. This is wrong. Remember..... "ALL have sinned and come short

of the glory of God." We all mess up and should never judge someone elses

Christianity. "There is only one Judge". As far as we know these famous

Christians are all people for whom their faith is important enough that

they have identified it publicly. OK - here goes....

Great Britain’s most famous Christian

Sir Cliff Richard - in the UK Cliff Richard is the foremost Christian

entertainer that springs to mind. Not least because he is one of very

few entertainers that is celibate and vows to remain a single Christian!

He is a great and strong guy who stands up for Christian values and

still manages to remain respected in the secular pop world!! Check out

his life story and biography.

famous Christians – General

KIM ALEXIS: Supermodel

JOHN TESH: Musician and former Entertainent Tonight Anchor

CONNIE3 SELECA: Actress

POCAHOTNUS: Indian

JOAN OF ARC: Saint

DEION SANDERS: Football Player

AC GREEN: Basketball Player

PAUL WYLE: Olympic Figure Skater

JANET LYNN: Olympic Figure Skater

REGGIE WHITE: Football Player

ROMA DOWNEY: Actress

DELLA REESE: Actress

AUSTEN O'BRIAN: Actor on TV's Promised Land

MOTHER THERESA

THE BACKSTREET BOYS: Mainstream singing group

BOYZ II MEN: Mainstream singing group

WHITNEY HOUSTON: Singer

MICKEY ROONEY: Actor

ROY ROGERS: Late TV star

BRUCE MARCHIANO: Actor, played Jesus in "The Gospel According to

Matthew)

EVANDER HOLYFIELD: Boxer

KATHIE LEE GIFFORD: Talk show host

DAVID ROBINSON: Basketball Player

JIMMY CARTER: Former United States President

JON SCHNIDER: Actor (Dukes of Hazzard)

ELVIS PRESLEY - US entertainer

MC HAMMER - USA singer

GARY BUSEY - American actor

JUSTINE BATEMAN

ALICE COOPER - American pop star

ROSALYN SUMNERS: Figure Skater

AUSTIN PECK: Soap Opera actor

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

TIA AND TAMER MOWRY: Actresses on Sister Sister

EDITH STEIN: Saint and Holocaust Victim

VANITY: Former singer for Prince

KIRK CAMERON: Actor

SHAE-LYNN BOURNE AND VICTOR KRAATZ: Olympic winning Figure skers

ANNE B.DAVIS: ?Alice? in the Brady Bunch

MARY LOU RETTON: Olympic Gymnast

LACEY CHABERT: Actress from Party of Five

DEEZER D: Actor in E.R & Christian rapper

BEN VEREEN: Actor

PAT BOON: Singer

R.KELLEY: singer

PATTI LABELL: Singer

ANNA CHLUMSKY: Actress

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN: Lawyer

DEBORAH NORVILL: Inside Edition anchor

FRED ROGERS: Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

famous Christians in Arts & Entertainment

Willie Aames - former actor, "Eight is Enough".

Billy Barty - actor, "Willow"

Justine Bateman - actress -"Family Ties"-("Malorie")

Gary Burghoff - actor ("Radar O'Reilly" on M.A.S.H.)

Gary Busey - actor.

Kirk Cameron -actor, "Growing Pains"

Anne B. Davis "Alice" on the Brady Bunch

Donna Douglas - actress ("Ellie May Clampett" on

"BeverlyHillbillies")

Kim Fields - actor, "Facts of Life"("Tootie")

Andy Griffith - actor, "Andy Griffith Show"

Charlton Heston - actor"The Ten Commandments"

Gavin McLeod - actor Captain Stubing on "The Love Boat"

Chuck Norris - actor"Walker Texas Ranger".

Mickey Rooney - actor

Mr T. - Actor-("I pity the Fool who ain't know Christ")

Ben Vereen - Actor

Lisa Whelchel - actress, "The Facts of Life"("Blair)

Desmond Wilson - actor ("Lamont Sanfor

Famous Christian Sports people and their stories

Dikembe Mutombo - professional basketball player.

Joe Carter - baseball player.

George Foreman - former professional boxer.

Meadowlark Lemon was probably the best-known Harlem Globetrotter of all

time. But Meadowlark gave his life to Christ and now preaches the gospel.

He has own television program on TBN.

Jimmy Blacklock is another former Globetrotter who is now a Christian.

By the way, the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was an ordained

minister. He invented the game in 1891 as a way of curing the wintertime

boredom of the boys he taught.

Turning to football, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is a devout

Christian. So is Joe Gibbs, coach of the Washington Redskins. Former L. A.

Ram and actor Roosevelt ("Rosey") Grier preaches the gospel, and recently

went to minister to O. J. Simpson in jail.

Mike Barber, formerly a Houston Oiler starter, now ministers the gospel to

inmates in prison and has a program on TBN. Football lineman Reggie White

is an ordained minister. Former Baylor star and Chicago Bear Mike

Singletary is supposed to be a Christian, as well.

Natalie Nalepa, an All-American track star at Baylor, is a Christian.

Pro golfer Corey Pathen was Jewish, but was saved 1991. The list of

Christians in pro baseball includes some of the top stars of the sport.

Orel Hershiser of the L. A. Dodgers had his Christian testimony printed as

a gospel tract by the American Tract Society. Brett Butler of the Dodgers

is also supposed to be a Christian. Other Christians in baseball are Rod

Booker and Terry Pendleton.

Few stories are more compelling than that of former pitcher Dave Dravecky.

He lost much of his shoulder to cancer. But he did what was considered

impossible: trusting in God, Dravecky came back to pitch again--only to

have his bone in his throwing arm snap in mid-pitch. Dravecky now goes

about telling his testimony to groups across the country.

In the field of boxing, one can surely not ignore the likes of George

Foreman and Evander Holyfield. Foreman, of course, pastors his own church

in Houston. Holyfield retired as heavyweight champ not long ago because of

potentially life-threatening heart problems. But he recently claimed to

have received a physical healing by the power of God. Indeed, doctors have

found a marked improvement in his condition.

On that note, let me close with a mention of actor/singer/dancer Ben

Vereen, best known for his role in the TV mini-series "Roots." A few years

ago, he had a stroke while driving, resulting in multiple car accidents in

which he received life-threatening injuries. However, after years of

suffering, Vereen testifies to having been divinely healed and now being

able to dance again.

As I said before, I cannot vouch for the faith and commitment of all these

who ascribe to Christianity. Some, as often happens, might cling to Christ

during hard times and fall away when things get better.

But this is an important lesson for us. We sometimes might seem to "have

it all." We might imagine ourselves able to take whatever comes. I could

contrast the list above with a list of all those celebrities who took

their own lives in despair, such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe.

Business

H.G. Heinz - founder, Heinz ketchup

Sam Walton - founder, Walmart

Literature

T.S Elliot-poet

C. S. Lewis - author of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction

Christian books such as Mere Christianity

J.R.R. Tolkien - author, The Hobbit

Music

MC Hammer - rap musician."he's a dancin machine"

Run DMC - rap group

John Tesh - musician.

Political

George Bush Jr.-current U.S. President

George Bush - former U.S. President.

Jimmy Carter - former U.S. President.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Abraham Lincoln - U.S. President

George Washington - U.S.President (he's old.)

John Adams: 1735-1826 American Statesman

Helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Second President.

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is

wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Patrick Henry: 1736-1799 American Statesman

Lawyer, legislator and later governor of Virginia.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great

nation was founded, not by religionists but by Christians; not on

religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Famous Christians in Science, Technology and Exploration

Christohper Columbus

Samuel Morse -morse code dude

Isaac Newton - inventor, scientist

Wright Brothers

Arthur Eddington, an important mathematical cosmologist, was a Quaker.

Georges Lemaî´²e, a Roman Catholic priest, proposed the Big Bang theory.

Henry F. "Fritz" Schaefer is one of the foremost theoretical chemists of

our day.

William Phillips was co-recipient of the . 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics

Francis Collins (also here) is the director of the U.S. Human Genome

Project.

Rustum Roy, one of the world's foremost materials scientists, holds

three chairs

Nicolaus Copernicus: 1473-1543 Polish Astronomer

Developed the heliocentric theory of the solar system.

Galileo Galilei: 1564-1642 Italian Physicist

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us

with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

Johannes Kepler: 1571-1630 German Astronomer

The 3 laws of planetary motion. Advanced Copernicus' heliocentric

theory.

"Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the

book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our

minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."

Blaise Pascal: 1623-1662 French Mathematician

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be

filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known

through Jesus Christ." (Pensees)?

But by Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ, we prove God and teach doctrine

and morals. Jesus Christ, then, is the true God of men."

Newton Isaac: 1642-1727 (born Dec 25) English Mathematician

Laws of gravitation and motion, developed calculus. Major contributions

to optics, physics, math and astronomy.

The solar system itself could not have been produced by blind chance or

fortuitous causes but only by a cause "very well skilled in mechanics

and geometry."

Michael Faraday: 1791-1869 English Chemist

Discovered Benzene, electromagnetic induction, lines of force,

relationship between polarized light and magnetic fields. Strong

believer in the literal interpretation of Scripture. Deacon and elder in

his church.

"Since peace is alone in the gift of God; and since it is He who gives

it, why should we be afraid? His unspeakable gift in His beloved Son is

the ground of no doubtful hope."

Lord Kelvin: 1824-1907 (William Thomson) British Physicist

First and second laws of thermodynamics. Absolute temp scale.

Trans-Atlantic cable.

"I believe that the more thoroughly science is studied, the further does

it take us from anything comparable to atheism."

A young couple asked a preacher who traveled as a Christian speaker how he coped with being a 'famous Christian.’ They wanted to know if it was hard to avoid the sin of pride when he heard how people's lives had been changed or affected by things he had said somewhere.

So he said, “Right, here's a question for you. When your postman brings you a nice fat check or a letter from an old friend, how do you feel?”

“Good, of course,” said the female half of the couple. Thinking of ways to spend money's always fun, and we really enjoy getting news from people we love.”

“But,” he said, “you don't chase down the road after your postman so you can throw your arms around him and thank him for the money and the letter?”

“Not as a rule!” she said.

“And why not?”

“Well, because his job is just to deliver them.”

“But you are a little bit grateful to him---for doing his job, I mean?”

“Of course, yes.”

“Well, that's all I ask,” he told her humbly, “just a little gratitude for being a postman who does his best to deliver the right messages from God to the right people. That's all I do, you see.”

________

Excerpt from the novel “Ghosts - The Story of a Reunion” by Adrian Plass (Zondervan); source: The Timothy Report, Copyright (c) 2004 Swan Lake Communications, http://www.timothyreport.com

*

Due to my trade, I read a lot of biographies on the stars. Like many others, I’m fascinated by Hollywood’s constellation. People like Bogey and Sinatra and John Wayne have captured the imagination of many a film watcher for many a decade. Including me.

These people seem bigger than life. Some, like Errol Flynn or Marilyn Monroe, were exquisite. Others were gifted with almost everything –- from looks to talent to long-lasting fame. Remember Dean Martin? At his height of coolness, the handsome crooner had conquered nightclubs, radio, TV and movies. And though much of his screen time was wasted on dreadful D-movies such as the Matt Helm series, he occasionally wowed critics with performances in films such as “The Young Lions,” “Rio Bravo” and “Some Came Running.” (Oh, and as bad as those Matt Helm movies were, they made Dean a fortune.) A great singer, considered the best straight man in the business, he also had a quick, hilarious wit. He even had great hair. Dean simply had it all.

Dean Martin’s easygoing manner made it difficult to associate him with everyday problems the rest of us mere mortals must endure. The truth, however, is that even Dean Martin had his trials and tribulations. And because his career always took precedence, his family (seven kids and three ex-wives) suffered added ordeals.

In latter years, poor health took its toll on the once great-looking guy. He became frail, emaciated, like a skeleton of his former self. He suffered from pain and also from heartbreak. His son Dino, a pilot for the California Air National Guard, died in a jet crash. It is reported that Dean never recovered from that loss.

Countless movie stars lost fortunes through bad business ventures or crooked money managers. Dean lost tons of money. So did John Wayne. So did Errol Flynn. So did Jerry Lewis. These were lucky; their fame endured long enough for them to make new fortunes. Others weren’t so lucky. Comedians Abbot and Costello and bandleader Woody Herman (showbiz giants in their day) got in trouble with the IRS and spent their remaining years struggling with finances.

MGM leading lady Lana Turner married seven times and had countless lovers. She searched her whole life for the right man, only to find the right man for the moment. Marlon Brando, considered by many as the greatest actor ever, lost one child to suicide, while another went to prison for shooting his sister’s abusive boyfriend. There was even question of Brando’s sanity through much of his life. Debonair David Niven, perhaps the wittiest actor of his generation, was abandoned by an unfeeling second wife during his final years.

I have yet to read a bio of an actor who didn’t suffer from turmoil and mental distress at some point in his lifetime –- usually at the end, finding little if any satisfaction from worldly success.

Even the rich, good-looking and famous are unable to escape problems. And no matter how much they obtain, there’s just a little more outside their reach. Conclusion: Life is about more than gaining the whole world –- or even the little cottage with the white picket fence. Life is a fleeting moment in time, an obstacle course filled with mountains and valleys. And each obstacle we face has to do with character development and faith.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my bothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

There are those, even in the Christian community, who associate success with fame or financial abundance. The last line in the film “Patton” refutes that theory, “All glory is fleeting.”

Just ask a 16-year-old, “Who’s Dean Martin?”

[see also HolwickID #36069]

Sometimes a newspaper headline tells as much as the article itself. A recent caption confessing “India Embraces Superlatives” promptly won my attention. The article summarized the growing obsession in India with holding Guinness World Records. “How do you stand out in a land with a billion people?” the article inquires. The answers are as extreme as the superlatives themselves: longest backwards run, fastest drinker of a bottle of ketchup, smallest writing on a mustard seed, longest ear hair ever grown. “We are desperate to be acknowledged by the world as being worthy,” says a columnist for the TIMES OF INDIA. “We hunt for any signs that the external world recognizes us, and then we celebrate them.” To distinguish oneself in one of the biggest crowds in the world, embracing superlatives is imperative.

Ironically, there could not be a more common human behavior. Though India might be embracing a unique path to superlatives, the road to noteworthy is one of the oldest, most well-traveled paths in the world. We are constantly about the work of distinguishing ourselves from whatever crowd we find ourselves standing in. From increased interests in book writing and extreme sports, to becoming one of reality television’s idols, aspirations to be the fastest or the richest or the greatest are nothing new.

But the ever-spinning world of the best and the brightest reaches well beyond personal aspirations. Thus, the best bottled water can no longer be simply from a source in Texas; it must be from the coldest waters of the highest springs of the Swiss Alps. Grocers now have 12 kinds of bottled water on their shelves, each promising a better superlative. Of course, by nature, superlatives only exist because there are less extreme idols, talents, and water by comparison. The word is derived from the Latin SUPERLATUS, which means “carried beyond.” Though it is not always clear what standard we are using for comparison, it is arguable that we are now about the business of carrying absolutely everything “beyond.” A recent report on NPR showed that the number of choices in a grocery store in 1969 was somewhere around 7,000. Walking into the average grocery store today we are confronted with 50,000 choices. Sometimes it seems we are intent on the endless pursuit of out-doing our own superlatives.

It is in the midst of this wearying competition with ourselves and every crowd that the church stands tall to do what it does best: not finger-wagging, not nay-saying, but extending a resonant, viable, and hopeful alternative. When Jesus proclaimed “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” he was stating something essential for the one desperate to be acknowledged as worthy. Knowing who we are without our records and superlatives, knowing that all our efforts cannot give us what we need, knowing that worth is something quite different than standing out in a crowd is the starting point for finding life as it exists MOST ABUNDANTLY.

________

Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Ellen Goodman is morally troubled. The liberal columnist for The Boston Globe surveys the moral landscape and laments “there’s no shame in the game.”

Goodman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, whose observations are predictably liberal and feminist, but also marked by a keen eye for cultural detail. In “Whatever Happened to Shame?,” published in the December 18 edition of the Boston paper, Goodman reports that The New York Post has hired Ashley Dupre, the prostitute at the center of the controversy that brought down former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, as an advice columnist. Goodman does not welcome this news: “I may be a cynic, but somehow I don’t think the Post was motivated by a desire to reform a wayward (call) girl. Dupre’s second act isn’t reformation. It’s confirmation, if we needed it, that there’s no shame in the game.”

Ellen Goodman is not a scold. She tells us this, insisting that “Shame on you” is “not a phrase that trips off my lips.” But she does see a loss of shame as an ominous moral signal. She referred also to the “scandal of the moment” centering on Tiger Woods and the financial scandals of the last two years.

Her greatest concern is the absence of shame:

If, as anthropologists say, shame comes from a violation of

cultural norms, it seems to have found its match in a newer

cultural norm: fame. Notoriety isn’t so notorious anymore. If

Hester Prynne were around, she wouldn’t be the subject of a

novel, she’d be the author of a tell-all memoir with cellphone

pictures of a buff Arthur Dimmesdale.

Goodman’s reference to THE SCARLET LETTER will, I fear, be familiar to a decreasing number of Americans each year. The story has less hold on a society that does not fear (or even understand) shame.

The problem with Ellen Goodman’s understanding of shame is in her paragraph above. If shame is rooted only in “a violation of cultural norms,” then shame disappears as cultural norms change and what was once condemned is now celebrated.

I share Ellen Goodman’s concern about the disappearance of shame, but I do not believe that a secular understanding of morality can sustain a stable structure of shame. Cultural norms are changing before our eyes. The shame that matters is the shame that led Adam and Eve to fashion aprons out of fig leaves and hide from God in the Garden. This is shame rooted in the knowledge of sin, not mere cultural norms. It is shame rooted in the knowledge that we have sinned against God, not merely that we have violated a cultural standard.

It is a good sign that Ellen Goodman is concerned about this. I share her concern and appreciate her candor. But my greater concern is that the absence of the category of sin leaves shame floating on an unstable platform of cultural norms.

The crying shame is the absence of the conviction of sin, and that absence is explained by the cultural disappearance of God as moral judge. The formula is simple: No sin, no shame. Just ask America’s newest advice columnist.

The “27 Club” is not an en vogue New York City venue where the rich and famous gather to party. Rather, it is a designation given to a collection of music artists, primarily those of the rock ‘n’ roll genre, who have all died at the age of 27.

The most recent inductee into the inauspicious club took place on July 23 when British singing sensation Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment. While the cause of death for the multiple Grammy Award winner is yet unknown, her untimely demise came as no surprise to family, friends or fans.

Winehouse’s lifestyle had for some time been out of control. Dominated by alcohol, drugs and eating disorders, she had been in and out of rehab numerous times. So destructive was Winehouse’s lifestyle that a website appeared in 2007 asking people to predict when she would die.

No doubt Winehouse’s untimely death is tragic, especially to her family. However, it is intriguing to note that she died, as have so many other rock performers, at the young age of 27.

In fact, so prominent is the number of singers and musicians that have died at the age of 27 that a book was published in 2009 exploring the subject. Written by Eric Segalstad and illustrated by Josh Hunter, “The 27’s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll” examines the lives and deaths of 34 musicians who each died at the age of 27.

The word “myth” in the title of “The 27’s” is a bit misleading. Rather than referring to something that is fictitious, “myth” is to be understood as a story that explains a social phenomenon.

Among the more prominent members of the “27 Club” are: Brian Jones, founding member of the Rolling Stones; Jimi Hendrix, pioneering guitarist; soulful singer Janis Joplin; Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors; and Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana.

One thread that is common to the vast majority of celebrities who have died at an early age is they pursued with wild abandon what some call “the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.” Simply put, they practiced unbridled hedonism. They did what they wanted, when they wanted and without any regard to negative consequences.

Are there lessons to be gleaned by examining the lives of the members of the “27 Club?” I think so. One is that fame and fortune are poor substitutes for meaning and purpose. It seems, in the end, that celebrity and wealth are empty pursuits.

Amy Winehouse, like other “27 Club” members, had it all. She was famous, wealthy and her talent was celebrated. Yet, it is clear that “having it all” did not quench a yearning in her soul. Something was missing.

I am convinced that a life that is void of meaning seeks to find purpose and fulfillment in experiences. And for too many members of the “27 Club” the experiences they pursued were self-destructive.

Another lesson is that the so-called “rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle” is simply unsustainable. A human body can only take so much abuse and then it breaks down -- physically, mentally and emotionally. A person running on a hedonistic treadmill succumbs, sooner rather than later, to drugs, disease or despair.

Many rockers who have escaped untimely deaths did so by leaving the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle behind. While many still perform, their off stage hedonism has become nothing more than a memory.

“The No-No Song” sung by Ringo Starr sums up well the sentiment of celebrities who have changed their self-destructive ways. In the song the former Beatle turns down the offer of drugs and alcohol by singing, “No, no, no, no, I can’t take it no more. I’m tired of waking up on the floor. No thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze, and then it makes it hard to find the door.”

Young people would be wise to look past the fame and fortune heaped on members of the “27 Club” to the reality they experienced. Rather than lives of meaning, significance and serene success, their private pursuits reveal souls that were writhing with unrest.

While members of the “27 Club” may have gained the whole world, they seemingly lost their souls. In the end their lives were, as Jesus indicated in the Gospels, personally unprofitable. And that is beyond sad; it is tragic.

James Corden, host of The Late Late Show on CBS, might be famous for making us laugh harder than any other late-night TV host these days — but there’s a side of the British comedian most people never knew existed, until now.

Since taking over The Late Late Show in 2015, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment has become one of the most popular sketches in late-night TV.

Although the British comedian seems to have it all, Corden’s secret struggles tell the story of someone who’s faced unfathomable tragedies in life — and overcame them with a strong faith in God.

I’ve always loved James Corden, but after hearing his testimony, I love him even more! His story of salvation is truly inspiring, and it’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps and tears.

James Corden was born on June 17, 1978, with a devout Christian upbringing. His mother, Margaret, was a social worker and his father, Malcolm, was a musician in the Royal Air Force, and they were both very active in the Salvation Army and their local church.

Corden discovered his passion for performing at an early age, and he began studying his craft at an after school program that gave children acting and dancing lessons.

“I wanted to entertain people, to act, sing, dance; everything and anything that would mean people would look at me and smile,” Corden recalled.

Corden was only 17-years-old when he landed his first professional part in a production of the musical Martin Guerre. Shortly after, Corden landed several substantial roles on television.

Although Corden was raised in a Christian home, he found his walk with the Lord getting detoured by the devil with all of the toxic temptations the new-found fame had brought him.

However, James Corden now credits the prayers of his Christian parents for saving him from a life of depression, partying, and alcohol.

The British comedian realized how far he had fallen from his Christian foundation after exhibiting “ungracious, ungrateful and brattish” behavior at the 2008 BAFTA awards.

“The person I had become wasn’t the person I wanted to be. I had drifted so far from family and friends that I didn’t really know how to pick up the phone and talk to them anymore. I was lost and needed to find myself,” Corden revealed.

Corden was sitting alone and depressed in his London apartment when his devout Christian parents made an “out of the blue” visit, claiming they were “worried” about him.

“My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden recalled.

“They sat on the tiny two-seater sofa and I sat on the floor. I was just talking to the floor really. I felt embarrassment that they were seeing me like this, so embarrassed about so many things – about the way I’d behaved or acted at points over that seven or eight-month period,” he said.

When I heard what Corden’s parents did next, I realized God was using this man in extraordinary ways...

“My dad just stood up and walked across to where I was, and he just put his arms around me and said, ‘You’ve just got to get through this, son.’ I started to cry. Just as you do when your dad hugs you and you are 30. My mum came over and joined us and we sat there. My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden revealed.

“Every tear that left my eyes made me feel a little lighter. Dad said a prayer as he kissed my forehead, and Mum came over and joined the hug. I’ve no idea how long we stayed there, but it felt like a lifetime. When they left later on, Dad turned to me and said: ‘You’ve so much to be thankful for, James. I know it’s been a tricky year, but you can’t carry on like this,’” the British comedian recalled.

It’s been four years since Corden put his damaging ways behind him thanks to the power of prayer. He now has two children with his wife, Julia, and his career is better than ever.

Corden hosted the Tony Awards earlier this year, and last summer, he was awarded an OBE by the Princess Royal at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Not to mention, his “Carpool Karaoke” segments have been going viral every time.

Despite his success, Corden remains humble as a reflection of his Christian faith. When opening The Late Late Show in 2015, he expressed his gratitude to viewers and the audience in an admirable way.

“However shocked you are that I am doing this job, you will never be as shocked as I am. It really isn’t lost on me what a privilege it is to be given a show like this, and I will really do my best not to let any of you down. I promise it will be fun,” Corden said.

James Corden’s testimony reveals the salvation and peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ. In addition, his parents’ devotion to heal their son through the power of prayer illustrates the importance of community and compassion.

When the devil tried to detour Corden’s gift of entertaining with traumatic temptations, Corden’s devout Christian faith empowered him to persevere and reach heights most comedians will never see.

The world needs more celebrities like James Corden – ones that shine the light that can only be seen through Jesus Christ, in the midst of deceptive darkness.

Kip Keino, an uncoached Nandi tribesman from Kenya, burst onto the world track and field scene at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. There he had a legendary showdown with Jim Ryun of the United States. Ryun, a heavy favorite, hadn’t been beaten in the 1500 meters in over three years. Then, on the day of the race, Keino got caught in traffic on the way and was forced to jog the last mile to the stadium. Still, Keino won the race by an astounding 20 meters!

Four years later at the Munich Games, after placing second in the 1500 meters, he entered the 3000-meter steeplechase and won the gold medal, setting an Olympic record.

But Keino remained humble and used his fortune to help others. Although famous enough to ride in limousines, he chose instead to drive an old four-door Nissan with a busted speedometer and no hubcaps. Over the years, Kip and his wife, Phyllis, have taken in more than 100 orphaned and abandoned children and given them hope and love. Keino says, “I came into this world with nothing. I will leave with nothing. While I’m here, I should be mindful of those people who need help.”

________

Bill McCartney in "4th and Goal"

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #2064]

The famous actor Robert Redford was walking one day through a hotel lobby. A woman saw him and followed him to the elevator.

“Are you the real Robert Redford?” she asked him with great excitement.

As the doors of the elevator closed, he replied, “Only when I am alone!”

Most would say Chuck Norris has reached the pinnacle of success. A six-time world karate champion, he starred as the hero in more than 23 films and wrote and produced his popular television series, “Walker, Texas Ranger.” But success couldn't rescue the Norris family the night they faced a life-threatening crisis.

Norris felt absolutely helpless when his wife, Gena, went into pre-term labor with their unborn twins. But Norris also knew he could rely solely on God. He recounts the events of that frightful night in his autobiography, “Against All Odds: My Story” with Ken Abraham, published by Broadman & Holman.

“I had earned millions of dollars over my lifetime,” he writes. “I'd been a friend to several presidents, yet all the money in my bank account couldn't help me now.... There was only one person to whom I could turn.” It was God. He'd been with Norris throughout his life, and this would be no different.

'GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU'

Carlos Ray Norris was born into a family struggling to survive, led by an alcoholic father who moved the family 16 times by the time the future actor turned 15. Norris' mother, a strong Christian and prayer warrior, never gave up or let her children give up despite living in extreme poverty.

“God has a plan for you,” she told her son daily, convincing him he could, indeed, beat the odds.

His mother's enormous faith was a great example for the young Norris. It was she who insisted the family go to church wherever they were living. Norris began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at an early age, and he rededicated his life to Christ as a young adult when he attended a Billy Graham crusade.

Norris says his mother continues to be a great influence in his life.

“She loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that [growing up,]” he said, following a book signing in Atlanta. “She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life. She always told me 'God has plans for you,' and I didn't know what she meant. I think I do now.”

FINDING FORGIVENESS

You could say the action star's career “kicked” off as a young airman stationed in Korea studying martial arts. He wasn't initially strong, and success did not come easily, but within eight years, Norris became a martial arts world champion. He holds the distinction of being the first man in the Western hemisphere to receive an eighth degree black belt grand master in Tae Kwon Do.

The chain reaction that followed his success in karate moved him rapidly up the ladder of recognition. His karate championships led him to open a successful chain of karate schools and gain appearances on television, including “The Tonight Show.” Eventually Hollywood took notice, and it wasn't long before he was cast in his first feature film.

But while his career path was leading to fame and fortune, his personal life bore the toll. Norris and his first wife, Dianne, divorced after 30 years of marriage. When their two sons grew up and moved away, the long distances and times apart adversely affected their relationship. Despite the divorce, he and Dianne remain friends.

Ten years later, life took a life-changing twist. A letter from a daughter he'd never known turned up in his mailbox. In his first year of marriage, Norris had committed a one-time extramarital affair while stationed away from home. He'd never known the experience had made him a father.

It would be hard for many people of Norris' stature to relay struggles in a book for all to read, but Norris and his new wife see the theme of forgiveness as a big part of their story. His daughter Deanna and her husband are now a part of the family, and there's been emotional healing all around -- between Norris and Deanna's mom and Norris and his former wife, and new relationships between his sons and their half-sister.

“These are human frailties; we all have them, we all sin,” Norris said. “But as far I'm concerned, the sin that resulted in my daughter turned out to be a blessing. I can't imagine my life without her and her children, my three grandchildren.”

FROM KICK 'STAR' TO 'KICKSTART'

These days, children are very important to Norris. After a difficult pregnancy, his wife of six years gave birth to healthy twins -- a boy and a girl, now age 3. He also continues to work on his KICKSTART program for middle school students. The proceeds of his book will go to KICKSTART.

More than 30,000 kids have graduated from the program, currently found in 37 schools. While the focus of the program is on martial arts, it does a lot more for the kids who participate -- many who are from the inner city. It builds their self-esteem.

“Many have gone on to college, and one of our kids just graduated from MIT on a scholarship,” Norris said proudly.

It's clear he's passionate about the program, almost as much as he is about his faith. By his own acknowledgement, he's grown deeply in his walk with God in the last 10 years. But Norris gets frustrated at the silent majority of Christians who refuse to speak out on issues of faith.

He and Gena have taken a stand to get the Bible back in public schools. They endorse the National Council of Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, which aims to incorporate the Bible as part of elective history and literature classes.

Members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, he and Gena hope eventually to get involved in missionary work as their children grow older. And, of course, he remains passionate about the KICKSTART program.

“We're hoping to help millions and millions of kids and show them that they don't have to give up,” Norris said. “The odds aren't stacked too highly against them to achieve their dreams. I want them to know that if I can overcome the things in my life, there's no reason why any of them can't do the same thing.”

*

James Corden, host of The Late Late Show on CBS, might be famous for making us laugh harder than any other late-night TV host these days — but there’s a side of the British comedian most people never knew existed, until now.

Since taking over The Late Late Show in 2015, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment has become one of the most popular sketches in late-night TV.

Although the British comedian seems to have it all, Corden’s secret struggles tell the story of someone who’s faced unfathomable tragedies in life — and overcame them with a strong faith in God.

I’ve always loved James Corden, but after hearing his testimony, I love him even more! His story of salvation is truly inspiring, and it’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps and tears.

James Corden was born on June 17, 1978, with a devout Christian upbringing. His mother, Margaret, was a social worker and his father, Malcolm, was a musician in the Royal Air Force, and they were both very active in the Salvation Army and their local church.

Corden discovered his passion for performing at an early age, and he began studying his craft at an after school program that gave children acting and dancing lessons.

“I wanted to entertain people, to act, sing, dance; everything and anything that would mean people would look at me and smile,” Corden recalled.

Corden was only 17-years-old when he landed his first professional part in a production of the musical Martin Guerre. Shortly after, Corden landed several substantial roles on television.

Although Corden was raised in a Christian home, he found his walk with the Lord getting detoured by the devil with all of the toxic temptations the new-found fame had brought him.

However, James Corden now credits the prayers of his Christian parents for saving him from a life of depression, partying, and alcohol.

The British comedian realized how far he had fallen from his Christian foundation after exhibiting “ungracious, ungrateful and brattish” behavior at the 2008 BAFTA awards.

“The person I had become wasn’t the person I wanted to be. I had drifted so far from family and friends that I didn’t really know how to pick up the phone and talk to them anymore. I was lost and needed to find myself,” Corden revealed.

Corden was sitting alone and depressed in his London apartment when his devout Christian parents made an “out of the blue” visit, claiming they were “worried” about him.

“My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden recalled.

“They sat on the tiny two-seater sofa and I sat on the floor. I was just talking to the floor really. I felt embarrassment that they were seeing me like this, so embarrassed about so many things – about the way I’d behaved or acted at points over that seven or eight-month period,” he said.

When I heard what Corden’s parents did next, I realized God was using this man in extraordinary ways...

“My dad just stood up and walked across to where I was, and he just put his arms around me and said, ‘You’ve just got to get through this, son.’ I started to cry. Just as you do when your dad hugs you and you are 30. My mum came over and joined us and we sat there. My dad said, ‘I’m going to say a prayer for you. It will be all right, but you can’t carry on like this and only you can decide what happens now,’” Corden revealed.

“Every tear that left my eyes made me feel a little lighter. Dad said a prayer as he kissed my forehead, and Mum came over and joined the hug. I’ve no idea how long we stayed there, but it felt like a lifetime. When they left later on, Dad turned to me and said: ‘You’ve so much to be thankful for, James. I know it’s been a tricky year, but you can’t carry on like this,’” the British comedian recalled.

It’s been four years since Corden put his damaging ways behind him thanks to the power of prayer. He now has two children with his wife, Julia, and his career is better than ever.

Corden hosted the Tony Awards earlier this year, and last summer, he was awarded an OBE by the Princess Royal at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Not to mention, his “Carpool Karaoke” segments have been going viral every time.

Despite his success, Corden remains humble as a reflection of his Christian faith. When opening The Late Late Show in 2015, he expressed his gratitude to viewers and the audience in an admirable way.

“However shocked you are that I am doing this job, you will never be as shocked as I am. It really isn’t lost on me what a privilege it is to be given a show like this, and I will really do my best not to let any of you down. I promise it will be fun,” Corden said.

James Corden’s testimony reveals the salvation and peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ. In addition, his parents’ devotion to heal their son through the power of prayer illustrates the importance of community and compassion.

When the devil tried to detour Corden’s gift of entertaining with traumatic temptations, Corden’s devout Christian faith empowered him to persevere and reach heights most comedians will never see.

The world needs more celebrities like James Corden – ones that shine the light that can only be seen through Jesus Christ, in the midst of deceptive darkness.