Are We Caught Up With a Brand or a Name?

In the words of Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, in his book, Pour Your Heart Into It: "Once I asked out a girl from a different part of New York. I remember how her father's face dropped in stages as he asked: "Where do you live?" "We live in Brooklyn.
" I answered "Where?" "Carnarsie.

" "Where?" "Bayview Projects.
" "Oh.

" There is a mental picture that is forming in our mind when we see the name Bayview Projects.
It can be attached to the word failure, poor or hopeless.
So most of us take special care in choosing the place we live if we have a choice because we want to be identified a certain way. Is that really important? While walking through corridors of middle and high schools, I see young people wearing almost similar clothing and shoes if they are from a certain neighborhood.
Most young people have great attachment to branded products like Abercrombie, Nike, Hollister, Coach, Roxy, the list goes on. As we drive through the Interstate, we see Factory Outlets carrying branded products.

Young and old go in droves to the outlets to get their branded goods.
Why are we so concerned about branded or named items? Who taught us that these products will make us filled with pride, joy, satisfaction, cool or belong? The marketers are doing a great job because if we follow them and keep on getting stuff from them they succeed. There is nothing wrong with that at all.
Unless it becomes a must have (while we have other more important priorities to take care first).
When our daughter turns thirteen, suddenly, Old Navy was no longer cool.

Many times we have to be sensitive to her growing passion for a certain look while at the same time we had to tell her the danger of attaching ones worth to a name brand or place.

Far more important is our own name.

What do our children think, when they think about our names. We, their mom or dad.
.
. what comes to their mind? Are we branding ourselves well to our children that they would want to follow us, appreciate us, identify with us and model us? Have the sports figures, singers and movie stars become their role models instead of us? Do you think celebrities qualify to be our children's role models? They are branded very well and their names are attached to cool, success, passion, fun. Are we? Are we called quitters, procrastinators, lazy, persistent, fun, determine, inspirational, loving, caring or fearful? Who can our young people identify with? Louie Giglio, who founded Passion since 1997 have a desire to see spiritual awakening come to the college campuses of the nation and the world.
His team is committed to spreading the fame of Jesus Christ to the 16+million college students of the nation and countless others around the globe.

What is in the name of Jesus? Why is He still relevant today as a role model even though He walks on earth 2000 years ago? Louie Giglio called this the 268 Generation. They want to see a radical generation of Christ-followers rooted in the confession of Isaiah 26:8(from the Bible). During the early days of the Passion vision, they connected with the verse Isaiah 26:8, specifically the last phrase which says, "For Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.
" Here is a thought, what names are influencing our children? Who are they modeling and getting inspiration from? What names are they buying into? Even little ones attach happiness and reward with ToysRus and McDonalds! Think about that!