The Burner ventured on down to downtown L.A. (right across the street from Teramachi Luxury homes for residents “55 or Better“) on Saturday night to attend a screening of Munyurangabo and to meet Brett McCracken, CT film critic and current blogosphere shooting star for his book, Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide. While the book is generating some strong feelings, McCracken isn’t anyone to villianize. For the 15 minutes TB sat with him outside a Korean BBQ food truck, McCracken was soft-spoken, unassuming and seemingly wide-eyed at everything that has come at him: writing for Relevant and CT, pitching his book idea to Baker, submitting the Wall Street Journal column and having it published, interviews upon interviews that have come at him since Hipster dropped on the first of this month. In fact, depending on one’s theology, it seems success is either pre-ordained or available for him to choose.

Actually, success is loosely defined here as getting a lot of attention. Is it what McCracken wants–meaning, is it his deepest, most precious dream? TB didn’t think to ask. What does success mean to him? What does it mean to TB? What does it mean to you?

Sometimes, things seem really easy for some people and it’s easy to try to emulate their actions or personal qualities to attain the same kind of success. But God doesn’t give all the same gifts, or do all have the same opportunities. As TB has pointed out before, when Peter asks Jesus what will happen to John, Jesus replies, “What’s is it to you? You follow me.” (John 21:22)

Following Jesus might mean articles and books published and Christian radio shows beating down your door by the time you’re 27. Or it might mean toiling away in Kolkata feeding starving Indian children for 60 years. Or it might mean becoming the president of some country. Or it might mean doing the most with what you have left after a nearby megachurch ‘stole’ all of your members.

What is it to us? We follow Jesus.