Sometimes the secular entertainment industry feels like a sea of tragedy. With every wave of excitement, there seems to also come stories of broken families, drug addiction, suicide, overdoses, and DUI arrests. Yet, in the past few weeks, I saw a few article headlines about celebrities that I was surprised to know professed hope in Jesus Christ (aside from award acceptance speeches).

You might expect me to share about the Robertsons, Candace Cameron, and Tim Tebow, but while I do adore them, I wanted to highlight a few people that may surprise you. This article is in no way a claim that any of them are perfect role models or perfect people; who is beside Jesus Himself? These are celebrities in the secular arena where talking about God vaguely might be okay but Jesus is controversial, yet they shared their testimonies of hope and that's inspiring!

1. Jim Carey

My generation grew up with his timeless comedy and hearing him share his message gave me chills. He has had his share of heartache, mistakes, depression, and bad publicity but he had a hope filled message for former inmates recently! He made them laugh, he told him that the room they were in was "filled with God," and he let them know that forgiveness was the only way forward. He told them that Jesus "...suffered terribly and He was broken by it, to the point of doubt and a feeling of absolute abandonment, which all of you have felt. Then there was a decision to be made. And the decision was to look upon the people who were causing that suffering with compassion and with forgiveness, and that's what opens the gates of heaven for all of us. I wish that for all of you. I wish that for myself."

2. Justin Bieber

A few years ago we witnessed Bieber Fever and not only did middle school girls swoon to "Baby, Baby, Ohhhh..." but boys asked salons for Bieber haircuts at a rate that rivaled women getting Jennifer Aniston cuts. As is usually the case, cute child stardom turned to young adult trouble. After hitting rock bottom and befriending the pastor of Hillsong NYC, Justin found that he desperately needed Christ. Now he has a changed life and shares messages of hope in concerts, prays for papparazi that attack his car, and approaches his career with a sense of purpose .

3. Patricia Heaton

What makes Patricia Heaton so entertaining is her very real, down to earth portrayals of ordinary people, moms, and women. We know her from Everybody Love Raymond, The Middle, and her hilarious movie Mom's Night Out--all of which are family friendly and simply funny. She's quite outspoken about her Christian Faith and Pro-Life views and she aims to take away the stigmas about Christians in Hollywood. Much of her work as an actor portrays ordinary relate-able families who happen to believe in God and go to church without being preachy.

4. Kelsey Grammar

I loved Frazier and Cheers! He's such a funny and compelling actor who is also no stranger to heartache. Both his father and his sister were tragically murdered and he struggled with substance abuse for many years until a heart attack nearly claimed his life. He has said that he must have had a guardian angel and that Jesus helped him overcome his addictions. "As a Christian, we always fail because we can't become Christ," he said. "But I can try to at least emulate the best qualities, even if I may fall short."

5. Sylvester Stallone

The story of how he made Rocky was an inspiration, to begin with, but you should hear why he tells Pat Robertson he has Rocky looking at a picture of Jesus at the beginning of the movie! The Rocky movies are not only about boxing but they are a metaphor for life and the quotes are meant to inspire and teach people about humility, core values, perseverance, overcoming, love, and more. Stallone has said that it is by the grace of God he's been able to do these films and overcome his own missteps in life.

6. Paul Walker

It's a shame we lost him to a car accident but before his passing, he said, "I'm a Christian now. The things that drove me crazy growing up was how everyone works at fault-finding with different religions. The people I don't understand are atheists. I go surfing and snow boarding and I'm always around nature. I look at everything and think, 'Who couldn't believe there's a God? Is all this a mistake?' It just blows me away," (Christian Post).

7. Bono

"Jesus isn't lettin' you off the hook. The Scriptures don't let you off the hook so easily...When people say, you know, 'Good teacher', 'Prophet', 'Really nice guy'...this is not how Jesus thought of Himself. So you're left with a challenge in that, which is either Jesus was who he said he was or a complete and utter nut case...You have to make a choice on that. And I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God" (Focus on the Family Interview).

I wish them all the best in their walks!

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26