Michael Jackson

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. I grew up listening to his music, so of course I was shocked and sad to hear about his death. I actually got the news via Twitter. Since his death, I've really tried to dig deep into his life, interviews, performances, and of course his music. While doing this, I realized something about Michael that I wish I had realized years ago: he had some serious passion! And as Michael grew to be "the King of Pop" his passion for performance transferred straight to his adoring fans, bringing a lot of them to their knees or even to lose consciousness. I've watched a lot of his live performances in the past few days and I see why those adoring fans of his were so moved. Nothing he did on stage was half-hearted. Not once did I see Michael be nonchalant by any means in his performances. He always seemed to deliver everything he had and I respect that so much! My life goal is so live a life of passion, so seeing a man who had such passion die like that breaks my heart. I'm very thankful to be able to go back and see what he did while he was alive.

Michael created some of the greatest music, but as I watch his videos, I don't think it was the singing or the dancing that really earned him the King of Pop title. No, I think it was his passion. Many artists have had great voices: Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Chris Martin from Coldplay to name three, and many artists have been able to dance, but I've never seen fans respond to anyone as fans responded to Michael Jackson and I honestly believe it was because of the passion he showed on stage.

Side note: I'm not saying the artists mentioned did/do not have passion because that would be a lie.

What I'm trying to say is that Michael made me realize this: passion creates intrigue which (if allowed to) will grow into more passion. If you sing with passion, people will notice and will become intrigued by your music. Take the album "Thriller" for example. Michael didn't just sing and dance until it became the #1 selling album to date. He had passion for Thriller and his fans had passion for Thriller.

Hosea 7:6 (NLT) "Their hearts are like an oven blazing with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it breaks out like a raging fire."

If you love with passion, people around you will notice and become intrigued. Perhaps enough to let a little passion for love to grow inside of them also. It all starts with intrigue and passion. I think Michael Jackson knew this was true and could be used for pop music, and he certainly used it. I'm really going to miss him in this world. My dad and I were talking tonight about how young he was, but he lived such a full life, and I think that fullness helps to make up for how his life was cut short. Again, rest in peace Michael Jackson.