Faith Far from Idle on Idol

We are part of God's plan - we have accepted the plan of salvation, and now He wants to perform His will and express His presence toward and through us.  He has wired is in certain ways so that we
might reflect Him. Romans 12 says:
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

The usage or expressions of God's gifts relates directly to His faithfulness, as well as to our faithfulness to Him.  He has been faithful to call us in to a relationship with Him through Christ, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to direct and empower us - He is faithful to walk with us.  And, we, in humility and a spirit of surrender, express our love and faithfulness to Him.  We commit ourselves to doing His will and share in the blessings of seeing His work come to pass through us.

+++++

God, by His grace in His sovereignty, has granted to each of us one or more gifts to be used for His glory. 1st Peter 4 states:
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The reboot of American Idol on the ABC network has now entered the live program stage, with weekly performances and the elimination announcements being carried out on the same night.  This is in contrast with the 2-night format that Fox used in the previous version.

And, the ratings seem to show increasing interest.  Variety reported that, excluding West Coast viewership, the episode last Sunday, with a Disney theme was "the show’s highest-rated and most-watched in weeks, according to the Nielsen overnight ratings," adding, "The episode, the first time the show has aired live coast-to-coast, drew a 1.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 8 million viewers. That is up nearly 20% in the demo compared to last week and the show’s best numbers since the premiere back in March."

Last week, prior to Sunday night's show, CBN ran an article that stated:

Despite some extreme contrasts between characters in background and musicality, more than half of the contestants have one thing in common: Jesus.

Six of the 10 remaining singers on the show have declared Jesus as their savior and are using their platforms to glorify God.

Now, that's not to say that there aren't some contestants that provide some concern, such as the transvestite - a male dressing up as a woman, who has a male boyfriend - going by the name of Ada Vox, who, thankfully, was voted off the show this past Sunday.  There's also a young lady by the name of Jurnee who is "married" to another woman who serves in the military - the banter with host Ryan Seacrest about the lady's "wife" was a bit too uncomfortable for me.

Now, after the "nationwide vote" on Sunday, 4 out of those 6 contestants who had an apparent Christian connection are still around.  So, going in this weekend, that leaves 4 out of 7.

There always seems to be the rocker contestant in the Idol group of finalists - think Colton Dixon or Chris Daughtry.  This year, it's Cade Foehner, described by CBN  as "part-time rocker, part-time minister."  The article states:

After he soared through to the top 10, he posted, "I know for certain I do not deserve a single bit of this, yet our Lord did this. I am humbled and grateful."

Perhaps one of the memorable moments of the last episode was the confirmation of Cade's budding relationship with another contestant, Gabby Barrett, about whom it was written:

Barrett, also a country singer, shared a video during Easter weekend of her singing the lyrics, "Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?" And she reminds her followers to "count their blessings."

Then, there's the young man from Georgia named Caleb Hutchinson.  The CBN article stated about Cade and him:

The two are seen pictured together on Hutchinson's Instagram where he calls Foehner his brother in Christ.

Foehner replies to Hutchinson saying, "You make me want to serve Our Lord all the more. I see your good works and I glorify Him."

Caleb has also posted, "Thank the Lord for this amazing experience and the amazing friends I have made so far."

Finally, among the final 7 Idol contestants, there's Michael Woodard, who typed on Instagram, in capital letters:

TOO GOD BE THE GLORYY. TIME TOO VOTE! 🌫 I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL GLORY GOES TO THE KING OF KINGS. NOW TOO VOTE YALL SWIPE LEFT FOR DETAILS.

There's probably plenty more here about this foursome, and I will look forward to keeping you posted about these contestants who project a faith perspective throughout the season.

So, what do we take away?  Well, as I have been historically, I am thankful for contestants who are bringing their faith to the national stage.  American Idol throughout the years has brought us a number of Christians who are impacting Christian music today - think Mandisa, Danny Gokey, Colton Dixon, and the emerging Jasmine Murray.  But...you don't have to be a national singing sensation to impact lives - God calls some to be more visible than others, but it should be everyone's aim to make Christ visible. 

We also can think about how God will use the gifts that He has given to us.  He has called us to simply be faithful with what He has entrusted to us.  He is the One who is responsible for the results.  He doesn't call us to try to make something happen; rather, He wants to make Himself known to us personally and then through us.

Finally, I have to admit, for better or worse, I tend to watch these contestants and pay a little more attention to how they project themselves as believers.  You know, there are people who are watching you - we have to make sure our profession and practice line up, for we are representatives of the Most High King.