minutus (minutus)
12-24-2005, 02:53 PM
My son's school choir sang at a Christmas concert on a cold night in the park last week. After dropping him off early to join the group, I wandered down the main street of the small town looking for a phone to make a call. It was just about dark and somewhere I heard a voice singing. Didn't see anyone so I continued to my destination.
On the way back I heard the singing, louder and stronger, and then I saw him. Elvis was standing at the bus stop waiting for a ride, singing to the Lord with all his might. Walking closer it turned out to be a fellow with Elvis glasses and fake sideburns hanging from them. His shirt was done up with some shiny stuff and he had a cape draped over his shoulders with the various biblical names of Jesus inscribed upon it in flowing letters. He also had 777 tatooed on his forehead. My time in GGWO made such a person seem just a little less strange than he would be to the average church guy, so I stopped and complimented him on his singing.
He made the Elvis moves and gave me his Elvis rap. "I'm Elvis Priestly, Jimmy Evel Knievel-Keogh, the Bad-<font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> Billy Graham of gospel rock and roll. I love the Lord and He gives me a new song to sing. I'm against bad churches, bad cops, bad psychiatrists with their mind-blowing drugs, and bad judges." Elvis then confessed he was bipolar and off his meds, but the Lord healed him from his depression every time. Figuring Elvis would enjoy some music, I asked him to be my guest at the concert. We talked about the Lord as we walked and somehow the fact that he was diabetic came up. When we got to the park I scrounged around in the car to find the lunch I had not eaten that day and some fruit because I could see he was getting shaky from low blood sugar.
We talked and he shared his songs with me. Most of them he made up on the spot and they were quite good. People pulling their cars in for the concert stopped to listen and cheered him on. As the music was about to start, we joined the crowd and my wife arrived. He wondered if the director would let him sing, so I suggested we ask after the kids were done. The decorated stage and the clear stars above made for a magical evening. After every song, Elvis said "Thank you very much" as only Elvis could to the singers.
Listening to the beautiful songs of Christmas I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God and His mercy towards us sinners. In His eyes, I was no better than Elvis (or James, as I called him) no matter how together I thought I was. As one who bore the image of God he deserved to be loved and listened to and experience a brief evening of blessing. His only desire was to go to Bible school and serve the Lord (and no, I didn't suggest he go to Baltimore for the HIGHEST FORM OF EDUCATION http://www.factnet.org/discus/clipart/lol.gif.)
I introduced him to my son afterwards and they even let him sing on stage with his face on the big screen at the back. His night had been made. I dropped him off at his little apartment and he shouted in the street "I love you, brother!" as I started the long drive home. It was funny later to talk with some of the other parents who attended and confess that I had invited him when they mentioned his presence that night. I think I'll go see him again before too long, if only to hear his Elvis rap again.
CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO ALL
Dave Carson
I posted this earlier on DiscussGGWO as MACE1999, but some folks have really seemed to enjoy it. So here's to all the valiant (and some not-so-valiant) souls on FN.
(Message edited by minutus on December 24, 2005)
On the way back I heard the singing, louder and stronger, and then I saw him. Elvis was standing at the bus stop waiting for a ride, singing to the Lord with all his might. Walking closer it turned out to be a fellow with Elvis glasses and fake sideburns hanging from them. His shirt was done up with some shiny stuff and he had a cape draped over his shoulders with the various biblical names of Jesus inscribed upon it in flowing letters. He also had 777 tatooed on his forehead. My time in GGWO made such a person seem just a little less strange than he would be to the average church guy, so I stopped and complimented him on his singing.
He made the Elvis moves and gave me his Elvis rap. "I'm Elvis Priestly, Jimmy Evel Knievel-Keogh, the Bad-<font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> Billy Graham of gospel rock and roll. I love the Lord and He gives me a new song to sing. I'm against bad churches, bad cops, bad psychiatrists with their mind-blowing drugs, and bad judges." Elvis then confessed he was bipolar and off his meds, but the Lord healed him from his depression every time. Figuring Elvis would enjoy some music, I asked him to be my guest at the concert. We talked about the Lord as we walked and somehow the fact that he was diabetic came up. When we got to the park I scrounged around in the car to find the lunch I had not eaten that day and some fruit because I could see he was getting shaky from low blood sugar.
We talked and he shared his songs with me. Most of them he made up on the spot and they were quite good. People pulling their cars in for the concert stopped to listen and cheered him on. As the music was about to start, we joined the crowd and my wife arrived. He wondered if the director would let him sing, so I suggested we ask after the kids were done. The decorated stage and the clear stars above made for a magical evening. After every song, Elvis said "Thank you very much" as only Elvis could to the singers.
Listening to the beautiful songs of Christmas I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God and His mercy towards us sinners. In His eyes, I was no better than Elvis (or James, as I called him) no matter how together I thought I was. As one who bore the image of God he deserved to be loved and listened to and experience a brief evening of blessing. His only desire was to go to Bible school and serve the Lord (and no, I didn't suggest he go to Baltimore for the HIGHEST FORM OF EDUCATION http://www.factnet.org/discus/clipart/lol.gif.)
I introduced him to my son afterwards and they even let him sing on stage with his face on the big screen at the back. His night had been made. I dropped him off at his little apartment and he shouted in the street "I love you, brother!" as I started the long drive home. It was funny later to talk with some of the other parents who attended and confess that I had invited him when they mentioned his presence that night. I think I'll go see him again before too long, if only to hear his Elvis rap again.
CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO ALL
Dave Carson
I posted this earlier on DiscussGGWO as MACE1999, but some folks have really seemed to enjoy it. So here's to all the valiant (and some not-so-valiant) souls on FN.
(Message edited by minutus on December 24, 2005)