Chasing Famous: Living the Life You've Always Auditioned For (A Book Review)

Chasing Famous: Living the Life you’ve Always Auditioned For  is a book that encourages readers to take a look at their lives and consider how they can use their “story”, “gifts” and “every day moments” for the glory of God. It’s a book about not running after fame, accolades, or the admiration of others for the purpose of trying to fill yourself up, or reach some worldly standard of success, but to make God famous by embracing your God-given call and inviting other’s into His story.

Lisa Lloyd creatively uses her own story and experience as an actress as a clever way to organize the chapters of the book.  Each chapter title is a term or idea from “the business”, as she puts it.  Chapters like “Find Your Light” (about discovering your gifts and using them to serve others and glorify God),  “Waiting for Your Cue” (waiting on God’s timing),  “Love Scene” (how your marriage can honor God), and “Booking the Job” (listening to God’s call in our lives) all point to the bigger, overarching theme that God has deliberately crafted every detail of our lives to reflect and glorify Him.

The chapters tend to start out with an explanation of the title or topic, move into honest,  personal narrative,  and then offer Biblical story or scripture to support that topic or idea. The chapters end with some personal application suggestions and several well-crafted questions that prompt you to think about your own life in terms of the topic.

For example, I loved how in Chapter 10 “Booking the Job”, Lloyd takes us back to the life of Moses and the moment when God is calling Him to free the Israelites from slavery. Quite frankly, Moses wasn’t so sure he was up for the task!

(Excerpt from Chapter 10)

“As we will see, God loves to use ordinary people to fulfill His plan and glorify His name. For His fame, not ours. 

Moses asked,  “Who am I?” 

So God replied to Moses, “But I will be with you”. Why didn’t God answer Moses’s question? Come on, now. Moses didn’t ask, “Who’s coming with me? Moses asked, “Who am I?”

The answer Moses received was not, by any stretch of the imagination, an assurance of who he was. Moses didn’t get an “I’ll tell you who you are, Moses. You are perfect. You are called. You are talented. You are adequate. You got this, buddy.”

But here, who Moses is, is not the question God wants to answer. But rather, Who is with Moses to get the job done.

Moses asked, “Who am I?” implying his complete inadequacy. God replied, “I will be with you” implying His completely adequacy.

I love that! 

And, I found it speaking right to my own full of inadequacy heart.

So, while I wasn’t sure I would connect with the  actor/actress framework when I first received my copy of Chasing Famous, I have to say that Lisa Lloyd won me over by the end of the book. Her honesty, conviction, passion for God, and desire to see herself and others walking into their God given purposes as women, no matter how timid or “less than” we may feel, was refreshing and encouraging.

This book would be great for college aged women and up who are trying to discern their path and calling. That said, it was just as relevant for me as a stay at home mom who sometimes feels like part of my calling (besides the mom piece!) is buried beneath dishes and laundry somewhere.   I can assure you that you'll walk away feeling refreshed and with a little more confidence to lean  into what you feel God may be calling you to do with the pieces of your own life. 

[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Lloyd is a charismatic speaker and writer, dedicated to helping women break

free of the lies that convince us we don’t have a purpose, when in fact God has created us to herald His fame. She reminds women of who we are in Christ, and no matter what the world tells us, God wants to use our past mistakes, our current talents, and our future choices for His glory. Each year, Lloyd is the keynote at women’s conferences and mom’s groups across the country, being uniquely vulnerable in her communication, vision casting through stories, and bringing her listeners continuously back to the truths of Scripture.

Lloyd graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BFA in theater. She met her husband, Markus, when they were performing on stage together at Dallas Theater Center in the musical, Guys and Dolls. A few of her acting credits include What Would You Do?, Prison Break, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful. She has performed for many theaters. You might see her on current commercials or on billboards in the Dallas area.  

The Lloyds live in McKinney, TX, and have two sons. 

Keep up with Lisa Lloyd’s speaking schedule, read her blog, and more by visiting www.lisalloyd.org, following her on Facebook (LisaJLloyd), or via Twitter (@LisaJLloyd).