There's more where that came from . . .

We've had some interesting guesses about the speaker in the interview, ranging from Nelson Mandela to Anne Lamott. Here's a little bit more where this person speaks of their public persona -- remember, this is an internationally known person -- and their relationship with their father.



Occasionally, he would ask a real question, meaning I had to give him a real answer. It was always about my belief in God: "There's one thing I envy of you. I don't envy anything else," he said to me one time. But think about it: I was singing, doing all the things he would've loved to have done, had a creative life. He said, "You do seem to have a relationship with God." And I said: "Didn't you ever have one?" He said: "No." And I said: "But you have been a Catholic for most of your life." -- "Yeah, lots of people are Catholic. It was a one-way conversation . . .You seem to hear something back from the silence!" I said: "That's true, I do." And he said: "How do you feel it?" I said: "I hear it in some sort of instinctive way, I feel a response to a prayer, or I feel led in a direction. Or if I'm studying the Scriptures, they become alive in an odd way, and they make sense to the moment I'm in, they're no longer a historical document." He was mind-blown by this.

So . . . did he find you pious?

I wish I could live the life of someone you could describe as pious. I couldn't preach because I couldn't practice. It's plain to see I'm not a good advertisement for God. Artists are selfish people.


I chose to share this portion because I think it articulates the living nature of our communication with God so well. I'm sure that every week our churches are filled with people who faithfully go through the motions but never hear from God in the way described above. I don't think there are easy answers for why this is true.

This portion also speaks so clearly to grace as an integral part of our relationship with God. That last paragraph: "I wish I could live the life of someone you could describe as pious. I couldn't preach because I couldn't practice. It's plain to see to see I'm not a good advertisement for God."

Do you ever feel that way? I know I do. I cherish my relationship with God and don't doubt his love for me or his forgiveness of my sin, but there are many, many days where "I'm not a good advertisement for God."

So are you ready for me to end the suspense?

My friend Deb was right. All of this was taken from an extensive interview with Bono, the lead singer of U2. If you'd like to read the rest, you can find it here.

Surprised?