I sometimes disappoint myself. I guess we all do sometimes, but I don’t know what it’s like to be inside your secret thoughts. I can’t see the dark lust you might have hidden in your heart.
But I know the dark longings that come from my ego — and I often have to remind myself who I am. And what my values are.
I crave attention. I lust for success. I want money and adulation from others. Despite the insecure parts of me which question my value, my ego secretly whispers that I deserve all these things. Deep down, I believe I’m great.
In such moments of weakness, I have to remind myself what matters.
Let me tell you about an artist who I admire greatly. There’s an excellent chance you’ve never heard of Steve Taylor. He was a brilliant rock musician in the 1980s and early ’90s whose music was aimed at the Christian market. He rocked hard. His lyrics were razor-sharp and witty. He mocked sacred cows inside the church and in modern culture, too.
Only a small group of weirdos in the church understood what he was doing. Most people were scandalized by him or simply didn’t understand what it was all about. I loved his work.

Living a sane and healthy life is now radical by world’s standards
I still feel shame for wanting to pursue the desires of my heart
Tools don’t make you great artist, but tools can change how you feel
Spending all of life in politics leaves many out of touch with real people
Creating work that I’m proud of gives me elusive feelings of joy
Now that his threat is truly gone, I realize my father hated himself
VIDEO: Take a break from crisis with a 90-second parody video
Class experiment is evidence: Folks want something for nothing