What Glenn Writes

If you live anywhere in northwest Ohio, close to northwest Ohio, traveled through northwest Ohio, or even looked at northwest Ohio on the map, then you may have recently played the Six Degrees to Crystal Bowersox game. For my international readers, Crystal Bowersox is a very talented musician who has signed her next ten or twenty years over to a television reality show called, “American Idol”.

Her hometown is about ten minutes away from where I am writing this article, and her voice is filling living rooms and kitchens throughout the world each weeknight as American Idol works slowly toward a dramatic conclusion (or is that anti-climatic conclusion? I get those mixed up when referring to the American Idol show).

The Six Degrees to Crystal Bowersox game is this naturally occurring phenomenon in NW Ohio starting up at social gatherings, at the grocery store, in the library, in the schools, or wherever people happen to stop, look at each other, and search desperately for something to fill the awkward silence settling between them – because it is just un-American to be silent. In some cases people don’t even realize it is happening, and in other cases the competition is fierce. How do you know or whom do you know who knows Crystal Bowersox?

At a gathering last night, I learned a good friend of mine used to babysit her son while Crystal practiced or played shows, and came very close to being roommates with the American Idol star. The Six Degrees to Crystal Bowersox game was in full swing as we learned of common hair stylists, friendships with Crystal’s mother, restaurants where she eats (or ate at one time), and other frantic attempts to claim contact with the local property of American Idol.

The same thing happened in this area when Tom Cruise jumped up and down on Oprah’s couch over his new girlfriend, Katie Holmes. The Six Degrees to Katie Holmes game sprouted up as people tried to figure out how they “knew” this Toledo, Ohio native.

Let there be absolutely no mistake in why this social game becomes so popular so quick: It is all about whom you know. This may be difficult for some academic people (and you know whom you are) to accept, but the bottom line is it is not what you know, but whom you know.

Think about it: According to Scripture, you can have all the wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge in the world, but if you don’t know Jesus Christ when you die, you lose. It is not what you know, but Who you know (and that is Who with a big old capital “W” to signify I am referring to the Big Guy, Numeral Uno, the Alpha and the Omego, or however else you would like to respectfully refer to Jesus Christ).  

And by the way, Jesus played a little Six Degrees to You when He prayed for you to His Father in John 17:20-26.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message… May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am… Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

I am one degree to God, how about you? Want to know Him and don’t? Shoot me an email at glenn@sasscer.com.

Glenn Sasscer

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