Not Political, Not Religious, It's Only Love

10.21.09

 It’s not a political movement and it’s not a religious movement…it’s a love movement.

These words echoed into many of the media interviews I participated in on my journey through American Idol.  My name and face became familiar with millions of people through the television set.  People began to find out about the underlying passion that I was speaking of that had already started to unveil through the establishment of Sophia’s Heart Foundation.  Many were trying to figure out what I was doing.  On one hand, I had just faced the greatest tragedy in my life and on the other hand, I was fulfilling a promise I made to my wife; a promise to try out for the largest television show in the world. 

I have to admit, I felt over my head so many times and questioned myself as to why and what was I doing.  It’s interesting to see how one's life will undergo intense scrutiny when put into a spotlight.  At one moment, people loved me and the next moment people hated me…at least that is what I felt. I couldn’t figure it out although I must confess, I desperately needed to attend some kind of media training class or T.V. etiquette class.  The show is so popular.  At times I felt we were tossed to the media and asked so many questions.  Sometimes the good intentions deep in my heart were not properly conveyed through the words that were spilling out of my big mouth.  

I remember many times I would walk out of interviews kicking myself in the butt saying “Why did I say that?” or  “I should of said it like this”.  There were even times I would ask the interviewer not to air a certain thing I said because I would unintentionally say it all wrong.  I look back on those days and I laugh...and I laugh hard; almost as hard as I did when I belted out that “blood curdling” scream at the end of my performance of “Dream On”.   As you can see, I was thrust into an arena of which I knew nothing about and walked into the massive spotlight very “green” and "wet behind the ears".  

The reason why I laugh now is because I was one of the many contestants who would go online and “google” my name to see what the media outlets and local blogs were saying about me.  I read it all, the good, the bad, the ugly, and sometimes just complete nonsense.  It was definitely a whole lot to take in for a boy who just only really sang in the church and now wanted to pursue a career in the mainstream market.  I could go into detail and share with you the terrible things that were said, written and taken out of context, but they don’t matter anymore.  I learned the important lesson of never allowing what other people say about me to define me.  I’ve learned that when you let other people’s negative words sink deep into your heart, you’ll sometimes succumb to the pressure and sink back, never fulfilling your purpose.  Admittedly, it took me a little while to finally let those fabrications role off my back, allowing me to rise above it all.  Internally from that point forward, I made it up in my heart and mind that I was going to be very forward about my dream and not allow people to influence me just because they didn’t understand me.  If you have not already learned, you will eventually learn that some people are going to flat out despise you no matter what you say or what you do.  Please understand I’m not trying to be the “party pooper,” but once you lock this concept in like I did, you will make the right choice to just brush it off, rise above it, and move on towards your dream or particular goal.

Amongst all the mistakes and all the mess-ups, I was eventually able to share the following with people: Sophia’s Heart - It’s not a political movement, and it’s not a religious movement…it’s a love movement.   Because I was very open about my faith in God, people speculated that I hated certain groups of people whose lifestyles or beliefs differed from mine.  But in fact it is because of my faith that I have learned that love is unconditional and it goes beyond lifestyle, beliefs and any limitation that we as humans tend to put on it.

My music career will not only consist of entertainment, but will intertwine with my non-profit.  It will be a movement of inspiration, filled with love that goes far beyond words and is driven by actions.  This is how Sophia’s Heart is and always will be defined.  I know that I cannot do this on my own and I will never try to.  However, if I can possibly use the platform that I have been given, I can somehow raise awareness to the need that is in our world and help link hands with you and with others.  We can’t sit back anymore in our comfortable little nests and pretend that problems don’t exist.  Crime, poverty and hate are on the rise like never before.  What are we to do? Mother Teresa said it like this “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand”.  She also said that we don’t have to do great extraordinary acts but just do small acts with great love. This is where Sophia’s Heart Foundation comes in.  We want to do our part within our arena of influence, helping inspire people to make changes that make our world a better place.  With your help we will see this come to pass.  Please take a look at our website and see how we have begun with programs and services that we feel can influence the change that we talk about.  We have a lot of exciting and new announcements that will be announced in the next couple of weeks, so please stay tuned.  In ending this piece, I would like to echo the words of President Obama; “YES WE CAN”



Comments (30)

I cant wait to see what God has planned for this foundation!  He's so faithful and He's wanting people who are willing to be used... and its clear that you are Danny. Through your willingness to be used and your obedience to God, He is going to rock this world! I will be praying for your success as well as that of this foundation. Right now prayer is all I can give, but its pretty powerful stuff :) 
Posted by: deedee
Posted On: 11/30/09 at 06:38:41 PM

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