So there I was, totally awestruck by this American pastor whose podcasts, sermons, and bestselling books I had been reading, following, and learning from, all these years.
I couldn’t believe he was talking to me like I was an old friend. Not stand-offish at all, nor “I know I’m famous and I’m giving you one minute of my priceless time, you ordinary human being, you.”
Instead, he was refreshingly ordinary. He was asking where my husband was, so he could meet him.
As we walked towards my husband (who was a few meters away, talking to some friends), our celebrity pastor was asking me what country were we from? Were we attending a conference? How many were we from the Philippines?
What outstanding humility! He walked to where my husband was, instead of asking me to bring my husband over to him.
He said he loved Filipinos and the Philippines! A beautiful country with very charming people. As we were talking, we were walking towards my husband who was absolutely clueless that he was about to meet a celebrity pastor in just a few seconds.
I wish I had taken a photo of my husband’s face when he saw this tall, burly man suddenly standing in front of him, flashing this disarming smile. He greeted my husband warmly, tapping him on the shoulder with one hand, and giving him a vigorous handshake with the other! It was such a warm introduction that immediately, our nervousness evaporated.
The pastor held an easy-going conversation with us for a while – until a man with a video cam came, and asked our celebrity pastor to greet this church in South America.
So the pastor softly excused himself, told us it was so nice to have met us, and turned to the video cam man.
I felt a new rush of admiration as I watched this ordinary human being – who keeps doing extraordinary things for God – carrying his celebrity status so well. If only more celebrities were like him. Not awestruck with themselves!
I’ve had other close encounters with celebrities – but this next one is hands-down memorable.
My daughters and I were given free tickets to the sold-out concert of this super famous Kdrama Hallyu star. He’s one of the most well-known, well-loved Korean actors today, with a squeaky-clean reputation at that.
He’s the only Korean celebrity I’ve ever met in my life. This was during a “meet and greet” where we were all given the privilege of meeting him face-to-face, as close as 3 feet in front of him.
We were allowed to give him maybe a four-second high five and a short greeting – all simultaneously executed, of course. So the line in front of him had to keep moving at a brisk pace. People were orderly and well-behaved.
It reminded me of this moving line we were in – the line closest to some heavy-duty glass compartments that looked bullet-proof. We were inside a room that was actually a huge vault. It showcased some of England’s magnificent Crown Jewels. Absolutely an eye-popping, mind-boggling experience.
The guards repeatedly told us – “Keep moving! Pls keep moving! There are many others behind you!”
So back to the Korean celebrity – when my daughters and I were so close to him already, so close that we could already see his dimples – I was thinking: what in the world will I tell this tall, fair-skinned, handsome young man with such a pleasant, innocent smile? Something that he’d hopefully remember for the rest of his life?
In a heartbeat, I knew what I was going to say! So I took firm, quick steps towards him, smiling from ear-to-ear when I high-fived him. Then I said in a cheerful voice, “Hey! Jesus loves you!”
In a split-second, I saw his eyes immediately light up, and he gave me this absolutely dazzling smile. He suddenly lunged forward as I was walking away. He called out, “Jesus loves you, too!!!” And he extended his arms to me, as if reaching out… like he was my long-lost grandson.
It’s a moment that’s forever etched in my memory. Crystal-clear, fade-proof.
Definitely a priceless encounter. And mind you, the focus was not on fame. Not on money. Not on prestige or power.
The focus was on Jesus. The most awesome Celebrity of all time.
Which is as it should be. True celebrity status belongs only to Jesus – and ironically, He didn’t even want it when He was here on earth. In fact, He shunned fame, power, and wealth. I’m thinking that should teach us volumes about wanting to be in the limelight!
It’s so easy to get awestruck with ourselves when we get a little bit of fame, when people kowtow to us, invite us everywhere, want their photos taken with us, or flock to us whenever we enter a room.
All that is quite dizzying and flattering, of course. But it’s also deathly deceptive. Because the minute a little bit of fame goes to our heads, then we’ve just stamped an expiration date on ourselves.
Remember that saying – “The higher they go, the harder they fall!”
