This blog post is about Michael Jackson, but first I want to give a plug: if you're in the area on Tuesday the 29th, come to a new listening group called "Belief." We'l be asking in what ways do our ideas about God help us reach out to others and deeply into ourselves.

One year after Michael Jackson's death, my son still gets up and dances to Michael Jackson’s music. And in his dancing, and in his love for the King of Pop, I see a glimpse of the Christian faith. Everyday, I get up and try to dance to the music of the other King, the King of Kings. However, it is the reality of watching a child learn what you teach and become better at it than you: my son dances better to Michael Jackson than I can, and he probably dances better to the music of Michael than I to the music of JC.

So what gives with Michael Jackson? Well that is truly what you call living a life with impact. The man, the King of Pop, managed to touch many with his music. He touched the young, the old, black, white, Christian, Muslim, Jew, those who spoke English and those who don’t. “If music be the food of love, play on,” Shakespeare said and Michael has managed to do that. One billion dollars since his death, good lord. Michael Jackson’s genius lay in his ability to craft words and music that could seep into the heart, mind, soul, and body and cause people to love him and his music with all their mind and heart and soul.

The ongoing question and lesson from all that is why shouldn’t our lives have a similar impact? And the question to and for the church: how do we capture the imagination of this world? Long live the King. Watching my son, I know Michael will live forever, because he also has had a hold on my life for a very long time. I hope my son will always dance to Michael, whose name by the way means, “like unto God…”