I learned early on in campus ministry to avoid pointing out the conversion of a celebrity as proof that God works in the lives of individuals. Because often the same celebrity slipped up—as we all do—and then their faith looked disingenuous.

I discovered the phrase, live by the celebrity, die by the celebrity.

The psalmist writes, Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.

Celebrities—our modern-day princes—cannot save. Political princes cannot. Princes from our massively overblown entertainment complex fail as guides. Financial princes sour. Certainly the princes of social media (the influencers) fall flat. Despite what leaders in these arenas assure us, ultimate answers remain elusive.

Again to the psalm. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Enjoy them or ignore them, but don’t live by the celebrity. Instead, pick the one who knit each of us together in our mother’s womb (including our celebrities) to live by and die by.

Psalm 146 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by De’Andre Bush