Welcome Back

January 15, 2010

After a season away from the blogosphere I feel truly liberated to be back. Many of you already know  my 19 year old daughter Amber is an anointed singer/songwriter who felt (and I concurred) that God wanted her to try out for American Idol… for reasons we have yet to learn. So we drove up to Atlanta this Summer and waited in line with 10,000 hopeful contestants and thousands more of their family and friends at the Georgia Dome where they methodically sorted through the “kids” until they finally worked down to just 25 that advance to Hollywood with the proverbial golden ticket, and Amber was gleefully in that number. Due to a confidentiality contract they asked me to sign (to protect the integrity of their reveals) I agreed to stay silent these 6 months since, which partially explains why I took a break from blogging here at JesusDNA. There’s more to my short sabbatical, and I hope to further explain once my contract expires. But now that they have aired her Atlanta audition episode and disclosed that she is one of the Hollywood finalists, I am free to discuss that much, and feel it’s okay to get back to my ministry here, as close to “real time” as the contract allows.

I’ll admit that I’m proud of Amber for competing with Christ as her driving force, and I’ll admit that these past 6 months of the hidden processes have proven very fruitful for her growth as an artist and as a woman of faith. But I’ll also admit that I haven’t enjoyed the controls we both have had to submit to due to the contracts we were required to sign… understandable as they are. After watching the way they edited her post-audition interview (see below) I’m reminded that the entertainment business has no obligation to promote Jesus Christ. Yes, they honored Amber with a excellent edit, and we are grateful to the wonderful folks that produce American Idol for this wonderful opportunity (they honestly are some great folks including many believers and we love them all) but Amber and I both would have preferred more of what she said about her testimony of faith than the preppy stuff they showed. Regardless, as a family, we are grateful.

Those of you who know Amber and me know that we have no delusions of grandeur… but lots of big visions of God moving in awesome ways in the coming years. So Amber did not audition for American Idol in search of fame or fortune. Through AI she simply wanted to shine her light before the world, to do her part… even if that ended in the packed Georgia Dome. Despite her archive of live music performances and album of originals (which is nearly ready for press), Amber is still just 19 and has only put music on the front burner for 6 months. Before that it was school, then sports and martial arts. She’s an excellent artist now… imagine how good she’ll get… I’m so proud of my kid.

Amber’s original music is written with a singular purpose, and even the secular songs she sings all contain a Gospel message or call to repentance (we all know those aren’t well received on prime time TV), so we honestly don’t expect much more than what she has already gained from the experience, which has been far more than we could have hoped. All that said, with the Hollywood round coming in February, I remind Amber that her destiny in Christ was written before Adam bit the apple, and the recording and performance of her Holy Spirit inspired original songs are far more important to God than the glint of light American Idol may allow her to shine through their television show… IF they even choose to advance her. They give a a great stage to those seeking fame… that’s for sure, but spreading the Gospel is not their mission. I wish it were. But God’s will be done. Amber is having a blast and she loves the friends she’s made among this year’s finalists… some that will last a lifetime, some may last for eternity, and she’s truly growing in Christ. I’m an eye witness to that fact. I can thank American Idol for creating an environment that was fertile in that respect… and that’s huge. She’s shining her light and gaining in the savor of her saltiness… right along with few others who are doing the same. As a father, I’m so blessed to witness my only child experiencing such adventure in steps I KNOW the Lord ordered for her (we’ve received some amazing signs and stories we’ll someday share). And for Amber, “I want for nothing more.” So as many of you have sent your best wishes and congratulations and beautiful words of encouragement, please know that Amber is already victorious… in Christ. She will go on to sing the Gospel of Christ with new songs whether she wins the whole thing or if she gets booted before she even sings another note for Simon and the gang. It doesn’t really matter to me, and I know it doesn’t matter to God. As for the physical adventure of competition, if she wins, I’m sure she’ll cry with joy. If she gets cut, I’m fairly sure she’ll cry tears of sadness… just as she did when she lost at the State finals as a hurdler, just as she did when she lost her first karate tournament as a black belt, and just as she did when she lost the National History competition playing Galileo when she was 12. And just as she did in each of these losses in her young life, she will look to God and the tears of loss will soon turn to tears of joy. I’m reminded that she’s cried in victory far more than in defeat… 1000 times over. She’s lived a blessed life, and she knows she deserves “nothing more” than the right to shine the light of Christ. That’s true for us too.

Amber knows that tears of sadness can be more beautiful than tears of joy, as long as our hearts are still set firmly in the beauty of God’s creativity… as all “these” are simply manifestations of His divine pen… stories written by the creator of the universe, so gracious to write His chosen children into stories of loss, and stories of gain. We cry at movies even though they’re fictitious. It’s the way we’re wired (most of us are), and there’s no shame in that. So I know that when my daughter cries on American Idol… whether for the joy of winning or the sadness of loss, she is never defeated, but always victorious for having given it all to God as ink for His pen. So as we watch this TV show unfold, please remember with me that it is just a show, and that win or lose Amber will be victorious, as she is committed to shining her light before the world as a psalmist and musician in Christ… to the glory of the one and only God. And pray with me that God find a way for her to share the Gospel through this show, or otherwise release her… win or lose… to get back to the REAL purpose of her gifting. The preaching of the Gospel to all nations… by living it out loud, whether she becomes a famous Christian recording artist or an unknown worship leader in a small village in Haiti. which will lead me to my next post… hopefully in the next few days… concerning why God would allow such suffering among His children. It has been a sobering 48 hours since the horrific earth quake… and Amber longs to hold and heal a hurting child in her arms… just as does her Daddy.

Click Here to see Amber’s Interview video at AmericanIdol.com

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