Cathleen Falsani - Belieber!: Fame, Faith and the Heart of Justin Bieber

I treat people as if they were telephones. If I meet somebody who I don't think likes me, I say to myself, Bob, this one's temporarily out of order.Don't break the connection. Just hang up and try again.

BOB WILEY IN THE FILM WHAT ABOUT BOB?

T he first thing people usually ask me when they hear about Belieber!: Fame, Faith and the Heart of Justin Bieber is, Did you talk to him?

And the second thing they want to know, when I tell them that I did not, in fact, have an opportunity to interview Justin for the book is, So, do you think this whole Christian thing is a marketing ploy? or Do you think Justin and his team are pulling back from talking about his faith?

When I set out to write this book, my fear was that if Justin didn't participate in the book directly, some readers would question the authenticity of his faith. So let me state this as plainly as I can: No. He's for real. He's a Christian believer. Of that I'm sure.

In my more than a decade as a journalist, I've had the opportunity to interview and spend time with many celebrities, including heads of state and more than a couple of folks who have ascended to the outer stratosphere of superstardom. The demands on their time and the beyond hectic nature of their schedules is something most of us couldn't even imagine. Everyone wants a piece of them. All the time. They are booked out months, and sometimes years, in advance and adding a new commitment to the mix, even if it's something they really want to do, is sometimes simply impossible.

I did reach out to Justin directly, through his management team, and eventually through family friends and Pattie, his mother. We even built a private website for Pattie so she could see precisely what we were working on, what we hoped to be able to speak to her and Justin about personally, and what we prayed the impact of telling Justin's story of faith in book form would accomplish in the world.

Unfortunately, for whatever reasonsee aboveI never got a solid answer. They didn't say yes, and they didn't say no. They just didn't respond. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I was. But I do understand.

I don't take their lack of response as a negative commentary on the book or its intentions. I chalk it up to Justin being a megastar with an untenable number of demands and commitments on his time.

So please don't view the fact that Justin didn't speak to me directly for this book project as a disavowal of his gracious, humble, and, yes, genuine faith. I don't.

As I told Pattie in a letter on that private website, Please know upfront that, no matter how this ends up going, you have had, have now, and will continue to have my prayerful support for you, your sweet boy, and for his and your mission in the world. You both are a great blessing and testament to God's mercy, faithfulness, and abiding love for all of us.

I meant that sincerely and still do.

The following is my heartfelt prayer for Justin:

When your responsibilities and obligations feel like a burden, and when the concerns of this troubled world weigh you down, may God's joy lift your spirit and may you continue to dance and sing with unfettered joy.

When you feel lonely, like nobody understands, or the voices of the haterz are louder than those who love and cheer you on, may you listen for the still, small voice of the One who knows and loves you best and believe what it's saying: You are my precious, beloved child. Walk on.

When the naysayers say you can't, that it's impossible or that you're not good enough, may you remember that the God who loves you more than anyone else can do anythingANYTHINGfar more than you could imagine in your wildest dreams and that you can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens you and lives in your heart.

May you always be a voice for love, grace, hope, and gratitude.

May you always pay it forward and give back and believe.

May you know, deep in your bones, that there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and that there's nothing, not a single thing, you can do to make God love you less.

And may you continue, with boldness and humility, to share the good news of God's love and grace with the world.

Bless you, Justin.

P.S. Hey Justin, if you ever feel like talking about the eternal things that matter most to you, I'm here to listen. You know where to find me.

Cathleen Falsani is an award-winning religion journalist and author who specializes in the intersection of spirituality and popular culture. Currently a columnist for Religion News Service and an editor for Sojourners in Washington, D.C., Cathleen is best known for her personal interview profiles of Barack Obama, Bono of U2, Elie Wiesel, Anne Rice, Studs Terkel, Annie Lennox and many other notables. She is the author of three critically acclaimed books: The God Factor, Sin Boldly and The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers. Religion writer for the Chicago Sun-Times from 2000-2010, Cathleen now lives in Laguna Beach, California, with her husband, fellow author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maurice Possley, and their son, Vasco.