The King of Rock n Roll and the King of Kings

Today is the 38th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the singer, I can remember where I was when hearing the news about him passing away. My family and I were at a Neil Sedaka concert in Fargo, North Dakota. Neil announced from the stage Elvis died that afternoon and then sang his composition “Solitaire” (a hit by the Carpenters but also sung by Elvis) as a dedication to the late singer.

Elvis was often referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll” or simply “The King,” a title he repeatedly resisted. Having been raised in an Assembly of God church, Elvis often declared there’s only one King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Early in his career, Elvis confessed to his pastor, the Reverend James Hamill:

“Pastor, I am the most miserable young man you have ever seen. I have got more money than I can ever spend. I have thousands of fans out there, and I have a lot of people who call themselves my friends, but I am miserable. I am not doing a lot of things you taught me, and I am doing some things that you taught me not to do. But no matter what I do, I don’t forget about God. I feel He’s watching every move I make. And in a way it’s good for me. I’ll never feel easy smoking a cigarette. I just don’t think those things are right for me…I just want to let a few people know that the way I live is by doing what I think God wants me to. I want someone to understand.” (From, Last Train to Memphis, Peter Guralnick, Back Bay books)

Although Elvis strayed from the faith somewhat by dabbling in other spiritual practices, he never forgot his Christian roots as he recorded many gospel albums. It’s noteworthy that apart from a Lifetime Achievement award, the only Grammys won by Elvis were for his gospel recordings.

It’s sad Elvis is still idolized so much in American culture. However, I know one man who is using that for good. Bruno Bigsley performs as an Elvis impersonator but uses it as a way to share his faith in Jesus. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

It will be interesting to see Elvis praising the Lord on the streets of gold. I’m sure he isn’t singing “Heartbreak Hotel” from his heavenly mansion.

“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!  Sing to the LORD, all the earth.” - Psalm 96:1

Death and Life at 27

Just before I logged off the Internet yesterday morning, I decided to check the headlines one last time. The news was already full of reports about the mass shooting and bombing in Oslo, Norway the day before. Still I had a hunch another tragedy had just occurred.

On the home pages of Yahoo and CNN, I read “Breaking News” that British singer Amy Winehouse died in her London home. What stood out to me in those headlines was that Amy was only 27 years old. Immediately I thought of other rock stars who died at that very same age: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. Like Amy, all of them had a history of drug abuse.

I first became familiar with Amy Winehouse while watching the 2008 Grammy Awards on TV. The singer was nominated for six awards and won five of them, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her hit “Rehab.” Amy made more headlines with her erratic behavior and run-ins with the law. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the singer, I occasionally prayed for her. God only knows for sure if Amy (who was Jewish) got right with Him before her passing.

Fortunately, a more positive lifechanging event happened to me when I was 27. After years of pursuing a music career myself, my “old man” died and I became a new creature in Christ Jesus.

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” – Romans 6:6

Sing to the Lord…a Secular Song

One of the biggest reasons I resisted Christianity during my youth was because of preachers crusading against secular rock music. I remember hearing one minister in particular who recommended listening exclusively to Christian rock and gospel music. This led me to believe God only approved of songs that made reference to Him. Later I learned there are two books in the Bible (Esther and Song of Solomon) that don’t mention God’s name at all.

Certainly we must be cautious of the words we allow to go into our ears. Jesus said in Mark 4:24, “Take heed what you hear.” Nowadays I avoid listening to most of today’s hits because of the increasing amount of profanity in the lyrics. There are currently two songs in Billboard’s Top 20 that have the F-word in its title. Shockingly, one of them (by rapper Cee-Lo Green) is up for two major Grammy awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year!

Nevertheless, secular songs can be used by the Lord to minister to people. I attended services at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship where the worship band played classic rock hits like “Love Is All Around” and “All Right Now” but sang them to the Lord. The same thing was done at a conference in Atlanta, Georgia with the Black Eyed Peas’ smash “I Gotta Feeling.” Another church I visited in Pensacola, Florida modified the second verse of the James Brown classic “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by singing, “I feel nice...because of Christ.” Liverpool, England native John Scotland often sings Beatles songs while ministering when the lyrics fit in with a topic he’s talking about.

Yesterday I met a couple that has a house church in Texas. The wife started talking about the old Eagles song “Desperado” and how the lyrics could describe someone running away from the Lord. That prompted me to find the song on YouTube and play it on my laptop computer. This woman started weeping and interceding as the presence of God came upon her.

Don’t let religious people sell you the idea that all secular music is of the devil. God is the true author of artistic works and can put His anointing on anything used for His glory.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” - Psalm 24:1