I have been pondering this for the last few days. I have posted some of my thoughts in the threads on this topic. Here, I would like to share some of my more recent thoughts.

A few things come to mind when I think of how he might have said this, what kind of voice he might have used. The first sentence, especially, catches my attention. Did he use a voice of contempt and disdain? Or, possibly, one of compassion and concern, tinged with sadness? He appears to be a tender-hearted, compassionate young man. I think of the first few lines of More To This Life: Today I watched in silence, as people passed me by, And I strained to see if there was Something hidden in their eyes But they all looked back at me As if to say Life must go on

Also, a song by Steve Green, a CCM artist I once knew:

Every day they pass me by I can see it in their eyes Empty people filled with care Headed who knows where

On they go through private pain Living fear to fear Laughter hides their silent cries Only Jesus hears

I wonder if perhaps, when you factor Clay's faith into the mix, it is possible that he sees the people around him who ARE focused too much on external, temporal, material things, and sees their spiritual state, and feels compassion and sadness for them.

There's a wonderful book by Frank Peretti called Prophet. In it, the main character, John, has a father who can see and hear certain things that God shows him(this is for dramatic effect.) John inherits the gift(although, he doesn't see it that way at first. He thinks he is going crazy, and tries to ignore it.)

In one scene, John is sitting in a mall, watching people shopping. They go from store to store, buying the latest fashions, trying to look and be like everyone else. They buy things, trying to fill up the emptiness inside. The whole time, there is a giant whirlpool in the middle of the mall, sucking everyone in. They ignore it, frantically buying more things, trying desperately to hold onto their purchases, while getting sucked into the void.

Clay's words give me that same impression.

Today my heart was burdened. I knew what I would be doing when I went on break. I spent 20 minutes walking around the parking lot.

I started out praying for Clay. Then, I moved on to his fans...all of them, everywhere, whatever their needs might be. Then, I prayed for the people in the entertainment industry. Then, for the people in Indonesia and Uganda. By the time I was done, I was praying for the whole world.

Clay's words...three simple sentences, taken not as an insult, but as a heartfelt observation of the effects of focusing on the wrong things...pricked my conscience, and sparked something in me that I had not felt in several months. For that, I am grateful. Not so much to Clay, but to God, for using him in that way to prod me into such heartfelt prayer for people who need it.