Comments on: An Open Letter to Britney Spears http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/ Trying God's patience since 1958 Tue, 22 May 2012 08:26:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Rabid_womble http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-2/#comment-52544 Rabid_womble Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:06:16 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-52544 John, I'm a long time reader of your blog because of the characteristics displayed in this post. Warm, intuitive, humane and, most of all, speaking from a deep place of wisdom. A place you only find having gone on a long and, probably, painful journey (heck, maybe even a 'spiritual'). I respect you. Also have been glad to watch the growth in appreciation of your work. (Proves I'm right!) John,

I’m a long time reader of your blog because of the characteristics displayed in this post. Warm, intuitive, humane and, most of all, speaking from a deep place of wisdom. A place you only find having gone on a long and, probably, painful journey (heck, maybe even a ‘spiritual’).

I respect you.

Also have been glad to watch the growth in appreciation of your work. (Proves I’m right!)

]]> By: Hephaestion http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-2/#comment-6357 Hephaestion Sat, 03 May 2008 20:53:41 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-6357 Great advice. Whitney Houston should also leave showbiz for the foreseable future. The fame is killing these gals, just like it did Elvis and Michael Jackson. Britney & Whitney don't need fundamentalist Christianity; they need freedom to be themselves and breathe.... j Great advice. Whitney Houston should also leave showbiz for the foreseable future. The fame is killing these gals, just like it did Elvis and Michael Jackson.

Britney & Whitney don't need fundamentalist Christianity; they need freedom to be themselves and breathe….

j

]]> By: jeffmo http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-2/#comment-1053 jeffmo Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:00:05 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-1053 B Spears is another example of a soul swallowed by the world that is now being destroyed but the world that she once loved. Being a youth pastor I see so many young people being sucked into the glitz and glamour of popular culture. Do not think for a moment that non-Christians are the only ones obsessed with such talent search programs such as American Idol and other like programs. Ask the young people in my youth group who their favorite performers are and if they are honest they will rarely reply with the name of a Christian song writer or performer. They also watch the same secular TV shows as the rest of the world, many full of sex and violence and a lack of morality. It is sad, but it is the truth. People want to deny the truth and hide under a blanket, and the church can blame ourselves for it. We claim the name of Christ but live like the rest of the world. All to often we claim to reach out to people and witness to them, and tell them about the love of Christ and how He died for them and they do not get the message for two reasons: (1) They do not understand what they are being saved from, because we do not tell them about death, eternal punishment and hell, the results of breaking God's commandments, and (2) We speak one thing and live another, thus making one believe that we are all the same regardless of what we believe in. This is why Pilate when looking into the eyes of Truth Himself, Jesus Christ, said "What is truth?" in a sarcastic manner. He lived in a time when people claimed to be followers of the One True God, but were lying and manipulating their God's commandments to empower themselves. We to can blame ourselves for speaking the name of Christ in one breath, and pursuing worldly lusts and fantasies in the next. It is like me before I was truly converted, standing in the bar with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other trying to witness. It was absurd. And since I have lived this and was once blind but now made to see by wonderful grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, I must say in love to you: please read your letter again. You speak a lot of finding the "inner girl". This sounds very much like some sort of secular psychology or eastern world philosophy. Do you really think this is what Jesus would say to Britney if He approached her as He did the woman at the well? " Hello Ms. Spears. I know that you have broken my Father's Holy Commandments and have sinned and are in danger of dying and being sent to an eternity in Hell, but don't worry about all that. I love you! Please close your eyes and seek out the little girl you used to be, and take her by the hand and skip off into the sunset and maybe some where along the way you'll discover Me!". Is this how Paul or any of the other disciples taught us how to witness? John, just like so many today in the church, you have a heart to want to help people but you are missing the main point. You do not help people by trying to make them happy in this life time, if by doing so in the process you leave them in their damned state. And if you think I am being harsh here, let me point out the term you used in your letter about "a rats backside" was hardly the vocabulary a follower of Christ should chose to use. Let us be Holy, seperated, a peculiar people. Let us declare the truth about the realities of sin, death, and the coming judgement and the wrath of God. This is the only thing that will convinct the world of the state that they are in, and their need for a Savior. Then they will be ready to meet that Savior, and we can introduce them to the God Man, Jesus Christ, the only name under heaven and earth by which men can be saved. The the Spirit can work on their heart and by the love of God one more lost, hopeless soul can be saved from the fiery pit of hell. Thanks, and God Bless you. B Spears is another example of a soul swallowed by the world that is now being destroyed but the world that she once loved. Being a youth pastor I see so many young people being sucked into the glitz and glamour of popular culture. Do not think for a moment that non-Christians are the only ones obsessed with such talent search programs such as American Idol and other like programs. Ask the young people in my youth group who their favorite performers are and if they are honest they will rarely reply with the name of a Christian song writer or performer. They also watch the same secular TV shows as the rest of the world, many full of sex and violence and a lack of morality. It is sad, but it is the truth. People want to deny the truth and hide under a blanket, and the church can blame ourselves for it. We claim the name of Christ but live like the rest of the world. All to often we claim to reach out to people and witness to them, and tell them about the love of Christ and how He died for them and they do not get the message for two reasons: (1) They do not understand what they are being saved from, because we do not tell them about death, eternal punishment and hell, the results of breaking God's commandments, and (2) We speak one thing and live another, thus making one believe that we are all the same regardless of what we believe in. This is why Pilate when looking into the eyes of Truth Himself, Jesus Christ, said "What is truth?" in a sarcastic manner. He lived in a time when people claimed to be followers of the One True God, but were lying and manipulating their God's commandments to empower themselves. We to can blame ourselves for speaking the name of Christ in one breath, and pursuing worldly lusts and fantasies in the next. It is like me before I was truly converted, standing in the bar with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other trying to witness. It was absurd. And since I have lived this and was once blind but now made to see by wonderful grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, I must say in love to you: please read your letter again. You speak a lot of finding the "inner girl". This sounds very much like some sort of secular psychology or eastern world philosophy. Do you really think this is what Jesus would say to Britney if He approached her as He did the woman at the well? " Hello Ms. Spears. I know that you have broken my Father's Holy Commandments and have sinned and are in danger of dying and being sent to an eternity in Hell, but don't worry about all that. I love you! Please close your eyes and seek out the little girl you used to be, and take her by the hand and skip off into the sunset and maybe some where along the way you'll discover Me!". Is this how Paul or any of the other disciples taught us how to witness? John, just like so many today in the church, you have a heart to want to help people but you are missing the main point. You do not help people by trying to make them happy in this life time, if by doing so in the process you leave them in their damned state. And if you think I am being harsh here, let me point out the term you used in your letter about "a rats backside" was hardly the vocabulary a follower of Christ should chose to use. Let us be Holy, seperated, a peculiar people. Let us declare the truth about the realities of sin, death, and the coming judgement and the wrath of God. This is the only thing that will convinct the world of the state that they are in, and their need for a Savior. Then they will be ready to meet that Savior, and we can introduce them to the God Man, Jesus Christ, the only name under heaven and earth by which men can be saved. The the Spirit can work on their heart and by the love of God one more lost, hopeless soul can be saved from the fiery pit of hell. Thanks, and God Bless you.

]]> By: John Shore http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-902 John Shore Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:12:53 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-902 Wonderfully said, Sukky. Thank you. Wonderfully said, Sukky. Thank you.

]]> By: Sukky Fagbohun http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-870 Sukky Fagbohun Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:29:54 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-870 Hi John, what an excellent post. It was painted with the strokes of compassion and encassed in a frame of care. I personally did not watch Britney's performance, neither did I have an inclination or desire to. After reading your post and going through all the posted comments, I hear an intentional cry for help from a scared and lonely child who is in need of attention, acceptance and approval. Her case is that of the prodigal in search of a comeback. Britney has obviously thrown a challenge out to us Christians. This is our chance to pray for her and lead her on the right track. She is ripe for the plucking on the harvest fields of souls. We must not let her rot out, or banish her to a world of seclusion and utter damnation. This is not the time to throw stones at her already shattered castle, but time to dig her out of the shambles. We all must remember that if it were not for God's grace, we too will be wandering in prodigal city. Hi John, what an excellent post. It was painted with the strokes of compassion and encassed in a frame of care. I personally did not watch Britney's performance, neither did I have an inclination or desire to. After reading your post and going through all the posted comments, I hear an intentional cry for help from a scared and lonely child who is in need of attention, acceptance and approval. Her case is that of the prodigal in search of a comeback. Britney has obviously thrown a challenge out to us Christians. This is our chance to pray for her and lead her on the right track. She is ripe for the plucking on the harvest fields of souls. We must not let her rot out, or banish her to a world of seclusion and utter damnation. This is not the time to throw stones at her already shattered castle, but time to dig her out of the shambles. We all must remember that if it were not for God's grace, we too will be wandering in prodigal city.

]]> By: My newest find: John Shore « ric booth - poet, writer, speaker http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-813 My newest find: John Shore « ric booth - poet, writer, speaker Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:45:55 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-813 [...] http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/ [...] [...] http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/ [...]

]]> By: John Shore http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-806 John Shore Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:00:38 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-806 Man, have I been lagging in the Comment on Comments department. Sorry, all. (Um. Not, I imagine, that anyone CARES all that much. Still. If someone comes to your house, you can at least ... offer them a COOKIE.) I've got this BOOK that's due 'ere long, so I'm very busy now watching movies in my furious attempt to divert myself from my Actualy Responsibilities. But: Taryn: Hi! Still in college, I hope! (If I'm remembering right.) Thanks for all the loving words. And, yes, of course you're right: That girl just needs love. As do we all. CLEARLY she's gotten way, way too much of the wrong kind of love. Justin: Perfect said. GET OUT! I'LL SAY EVERYTHING PERFECTLY HERE! (You know, somehow that looked funnier in my head.) No, but beautifully said. That simple truth is soooooo ... encompassing. Kentucky: Awesome. Thank you. WAY TO BE EMPHATIC!! I love it. Allen: Hey, Allen! (People: I KNOW Allen! He runs a church soup kitchen for poor people! He does more solid good for more people in two hours than most of us will ever do for others EVER. Well, more than I ever will, anyway. A lot you seem awfully...charitiable. Thank God. Right on with what you said, Allen. Shikes! I'm at a Starbuck's, and my computer just told me it's going to die NOW! No warning! Bye! Love! Man, have I been lagging in the Comment on Comments department. Sorry, all. (Um. Not, I imagine, that anyone CARES all that much. Still. If someone comes to your house, you can at least … offer them a COOKIE.) I've got this BOOK that's due 'ere long, so I'm very busy now watching movies in my furious attempt to divert myself from my Actualy Responsibilities. But:

Taryn: Hi! Still in college, I hope! (If I'm remembering right.) Thanks for all the loving words. And, yes, of course you're right: That girl just needs love. As do we all. CLEARLY she's gotten way, way too much of the wrong kind of love.

Justin: Perfect said. GET OUT! I'LL SAY EVERYTHING PERFECTLY HERE! (You know, somehow that looked funnier in my head.) No, but beautifully said. That simple truth is soooooo … encompassing.

Kentucky: Awesome. Thank you. WAY TO BE EMPHATIC!! I love it.

Allen: Hey, Allen! (People: I KNOW Allen! He runs a church soup kitchen for poor people! He does more solid good for more people in two hours than most of us will ever do for others EVER. Well, more than I ever will, anyway. A lot you seem awfully…charitiable. Thank God. Right on with what you said, Allen.

Shikes! I'm at a Starbuck's, and my computer just told me it's going to die NOW! No warning! Bye! Love!

]]> By: ricbooth http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-803 ricbooth Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:59:49 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-803 Thank you! You put words my heart that is broken for Brittney (many brittney's for that matter). Will she/they find this letter among the deluge? I dunno... but I found it, so there's hope. In fact, I found out about John Shore through this post. Suddenly Christian at 38, eh? Apparently, I am a bit more stubborn than you. I was 39 before I stepped, ahhh, fell off the treadmill. Thank you! You put words my heart that is broken for Brittney (many brittney's for that matter). Will she/they find this letter among the deluge? I dunno… but I found it, so there's hope.

In fact, I found out about John Shore through this post. Suddenly Christian at 38, eh? Apparently, I am a bit more stubborn than you. I was 39 before I stepped, ahhh, fell off the treadmill.

]]> By: Teacup http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-802 Teacup Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:55:23 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-802 Wow...so many good things written here. I don't know....as someone who has, in my own way, experienced where she is (not in degree of fame but in brokenness) and been rescued by the Lord, in my opinion there is no way that we on the outside looking in at this young girl can tell that she is ripe for the gospel. Only God knows when and if that happens. John, I think much more than what you told her may have been over-doing it. I know the heart of Jesus breaks for her as it broke for me, and continues to break for me if I get off the "straight and narrow" path that leads to life. My instinct in the past would have been to judge, condemn, DO HER IN with a ferocity that is to me, looking back, frightening. But we forget that those who are not of the household of faith are not bound to live by the same standard, because without being redeemed by the Redeemer, they are not able. They will be judged someday for not accepting salvation through the blood of Jesus, but not for not living up to a standard that is for us alone. May our hearts TRULY break for the lost. Wow…so many good things written here. I don't know….as someone who has, in my own way, experienced where she is (not in degree of fame but in brokenness) and been rescued by the Lord, in my opinion there is no way that we on the outside looking in at this young girl can tell that she is ripe for the gospel. Only God knows when and if that happens. John, I think much more than what you told her may have been over-doing it.

I know the heart of Jesus breaks for her as it broke for me, and continues to break for me if I get off the "straight and narrow" path that leads to life. My instinct in the past would have been to judge, condemn, DO HER IN with a ferocity that is to me, looking back, frightening. But we forget that those who are not of the household of faith are not bound to live by the same standard, because without being redeemed by the Redeemer, they are not able. They will be judged someday for not accepting salvation through the blood of Jesus, but not for not living up to a standard that is for us alone.

May our hearts TRULY break for the lost.

]]> By: Ross http://johnshore.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/comment-page-1/#comment-794 Ross Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:51:19 +0000 http://johnshore.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/an-open-letter-to-britney-spears/#comment-794 John I've got to agree with the above Byron Borger. If Brittany were to look inside herself and actually find her inner child, she would find the same sinful person that she is today. She like all of us was born into sin and who she is today is the result of many choices she made. No, her only hope is to have the gospel given to her (and boy is she ripe for it...and I agree with you that we should be concerned for her) and her receive the Lord into her heart. Leaving Hollywood and going back to Georgia to live simply and focus on child rearing makes sense to us, but I don't think that that is a decision should could possibly make at this time. She's in the grip of Hollywood celebrity and the life that it entails, even though the price to live it is high, I think it's impossible for her to give up. Like telling a Heroin addict, "just stop doing Heroin" ....to us it seems clear. Actually it's probably harder for Brit to turn from the life she lives than to kick Heroin. Also, I might be exposing myself as a simpleton here but I think it's possible that in this case, as in all cases where people become self destructive, that there could be some demonic influence. I almost feel embarrassed typing that. But, the Bible is clear that we fight not against flesh and blood.... John I've got to agree with the above Byron Borger. If Brittany were to look inside herself and actually find her inner child, she would find the same sinful person that she is today. She like all of us was born into sin and who she is today is the result of many choices she made. No, her only hope is to have the gospel given to her (and boy is she ripe for it…and I agree with you that we should be concerned for her) and her receive the Lord into her heart.

Leaving Hollywood and going back to Georgia to live simply and focus on child rearing makes sense to us, but I don't think that that is a decision should could possibly make at this time. She's in the grip of Hollywood celebrity and the life that it entails, even though the price to live it is high, I think it's impossible for her to give up. Like telling a Heroin addict, "just stop doing Heroin" ….to us it seems clear. Actually it's probably harder for Brit to turn from the life she lives than to kick Heroin.

Also, I might be exposing myself as a simpleton here but I think it's possible that in this case, as in all cases where people become self destructive, that there could be some demonic influence. I almost feel embarrassed typing that. But, the Bible is clear that we fight not against flesh and blood….

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