PARTY HARD – PEOPLE ARE WATCHING
(Photos of John on Hollywood Blvd. are by photographer William Shepherd.)
Living in a city like LA where there are 15 million people, it nonetheless can be a very lonely, solitary, difficult place especially if you’re trying to follow what God wants you to do. That can be true anywhere. Humans were built for a relationship. We’re relationship people. A strong marriage is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given to the human race.
There is one thing that Hollywood knows how to do and that is party. In fact the people of Hollywood know how to throw a party for themselves. No one else in the world does that like they do it here.
That was a huge culture shock for me when I moved here. I’m from the South where most people either go to church, their parents go to church or at least they are not against church. If you ask them if they are Christian they would probably say yes whether they are or not just because, “I’m not Muslim, I’m not Jewish, I believe there is a God so sure, I’m a Christian. Sounds good.”
Here in LA it’s such a different atmosphere. It’s a culture that is anti-Christ. It is against Christians. So that makes you dig into what you believe and lean into it wholeheartedly or just kind of leave it alone. Hollywood has a culture that will really draw people into it. It draws personalities that are self-centered anyway. It is a whole city that is built on make-believe. They estimate that 50% of the people in the city are connected to the entertainment industry. So at least seven to eight million people here get up every day and go to work and pretend for a living. That feeds into people’s personal lives as well.
These people buy cars, want to live in houses and go to parties and present this idea of their life to people and to themselves, which may or may not be true. That’s a difficult life because for people like me who initially move here with no job or friends that kind of atmosphere can really draw them into it.
That culture will use you, eat you up and then spit you out. People get caught up in that party atmosphere and it’s just not real. It will not fulfill you long term.
Not to compare Hollywood to some country where you could die for your faith, but here it makes you definitely hold on to what you believe and figure out if you really believe it or not because it is going to cost you something to believe it. If you don’t believe it, you’re going to let it go because it isn’t worth it. It could cost you jobs, friends, popularity, or other temporary things.
Culture may be making it more and more unpopular to hold on to Christian values but that is fools gold. The truth is, when you speak out and go in a different direction from how everyone else is going, people see that and recognize it. People see how you live your life and that impacts them. So sure it’s difficult but it is important to live for Christ. They are always watching even though they are going the way they feel is safe for them. But they always know they are missing something. They are paying attention for someone who is doing it a more difficult way, trying to figure out what they don’t have.
One of my bosses one time asked me, “John you always seem like you are in a good mood. Do you go home and kick the dog everyday? Why are you different from everybody else?”
Redemption, sacrifice, love, or something else that God has put in your soul are pictures of the great story that God has put in everybody’s soul. It’s the story that God is telling everybody. When you show people a picture of God they are drawn to it. When people capture that, they love it even if they don’t know why they love it.
You too can be HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. Use the social share tool below to share John’s story with all your contacts. Be sure to use our hashtag #ourpartycalledlife Then, Let The Party Begin in your community by being bold for Christ. CONTACT US for support.
