10 February 2008
Everything I learned in life I learned from... Elvis?!?!?!
02/11/2008 11:40 PM
Elvis is one of those
folks who had to endure so much public and private
pressure, and was actually fortunate enough to be as
grounded as he was. Now don't get me wrong,
there were a ton of little things in Elvis' life that
popped up, but hey, none of us are
innocent. There are a couple of
things that stick out in my mind. One is a time
when Elvis was absolutely paranoid and fixated on
weapons and law enforcement. I know there was a
time when Elvis was reported to have tried to get
some friends to go put a hit on Mike Stone, the
Karate Champ who in Elvis' eyes romanced Priscilla
away. Considering how Elvis lived for so many
year, isolated and insulted in his own world that was
so far removed from regular society, Elvis had no
understanding that his request to have Mike Stone
killed was out of line. If you figure out of
100 things he would ask for on any given day he would
get, it can be hard for someone like Elvis to
understand no. The other Story that is crazy is
when Elvis and a bunch of friends boarded his private
jet in Memphis to travel to Colorado to feast on
these "Fool's Gold" sandwiches that they were hungry
for. I honestly don't know what is more
crazy That Elvis spent tens of thousands to fly
his crew to Colorado from Memphis to eat these
sandwiches and flew right back home without leaving
the airport is definitely out there. But to be
hungry for a whole loaf of bread, hollowed out and
filled with a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a
pound of bacon, then topped with butter and
baked. Not too appetizing to me
personally. Not that I wouldn't try it
though. I was at the Peppermill in Reno, and
they had frog legs on their buffet. I would
never order frog legs on a menu, but with them
sitting right there I figured why not try em?
I'd try the "Fool's Gold" sandwich, but I don't see
myself being obsessed with them. So what was it
about Elvis that gets me? The man died 30 years
ago, when I was 7, but he ranks. Uma said
to Travolta in Pulp Fiction that you were either
an Elvis person or a Beatles person. You may
like both, but you will never like both
equally. It's one or the other. Let's
break it down here into say three parts to see what
it was about Mr. P.
1. Elvis' faith. There have been many stories and documentaries done about Elvis' faith in God and love of Jesus. Elvis was really fortunate to have grown up in the time and place he did, in the South in the 30's 40's or so. He was raised in Church, and it was just a fact of life. This grounding helped Elvis greatly throughout his life I'm sure. I do believe that were it not for his faith, Elvis would have been much wilder and died much younger. The temptations that Elvis faced were unbelievably monumental. Had Elvis been able to maintain relationships that regularly enabled him to show and share his faith, such as relationships with JD Sumner and the Stamps or the Jordanairres, things could have been different for Elvis. What top pop or rockstar could you see today devote 3 full length albums to gospel music? It's not done by today's artists because their career is too important. Could you see Justin Timberlake talking about Jesus in the middle of a concert or his next CD being a gospel CD? From Elvis singing Peace in the Valley on Ed Sullivan to his gospel recordings and Grammy's, he was willing to show his faith through his music and at his concerts.
2. Elvis' love for his family. Elvis is a man who really loved his family. Whether it was his mom, grandma, dad, or Priscilla and Lisa Marie, Elvis really cared about his family. he gave cousins and uncles jobs and made sure that Priscilla had "everything" she wanted. The unfortunate thing for Elvis is that what he thought Priscilla wanted seems to not be what she wanted. Talk about true love. It's a shame, but things may have been different had Elvis had a chance to develop more that he did. By achieving superstardom at such a young age, his relationships surely suffered from his lack of growth among people coming into his life.
3. Elvis' God given ability to touch people. Elvis definitely had a God given ability to sing, but it was his ability to make a connection with people that I feel is unteachable. Singing, it's not a monopoly. Yes, Elvis had an unbelievable voice and stage presence and sense of a song that was just innate. But so do the Elvis tribute artists. There are some really talented guys out there who can perform a great Elvis. I've got some pics and may get my jumpsuit out one day again too mind you. If you let yourself, some of the tribute artists can make you believe that you're seeing Elvis. The difference is, Elvis didn't see Elvis and follow Elvis. He was the original. Sure he had some influences from the Southern Gospel singers in his day, and he admitted to finding Tom Jones' vegas act intriguing prior to his reinventing himself in 1969 or so to the end of his career. But Elvis had the goods and went for it without a blueprint for success or formula to follow. This was great and is what gave him his audience. But Elvis had an ability to inspire blind loyalty from his friends, and fierce love from his followers. Elvis seemed to have a humble spirit underneath the glitz and issues, and was able to connect with anybody regardless of age, status or financial situation. Reminds me of Christ, and given Elvis' upbringing, it's no accident.
It's interesting to look at Elvis from the angle of what his gifts were, and what he did with those gifts. Sure there are many trials in life that will wear us down or even keep us down, but if we keep striving toward our goal to be like Christ, everything will be okay. Like James Blake said, I'll praise God through my trials, or He may as well take back all of the victories He has already given me. i know too, that if He were to remove all of His victories from my life that He has blessed me with, my current issues would look pretty small all things considered. If you want JEsus on your side but don't know if He's there or not, just talk to Him. He has done so much for me and so much for you already. He paid for it all on the cross for us and that was more than enough for whatever our problems are. Just talk to Him. Jesus, I thank You for what You've done for me, for how much You love me, and for what You've yet to do for me. I thank You for dying for me on the cross, for taking my place and paying for my sins. I ask You to come into my heart and take control of my life. I trust You to use me and lead me where You want me to go. If you're praying to Jesus for the first time, let me know. If you're asking Him to lead you in your life, get ready, because as I used to say, it's an "E" ticket ride (ask me and I'll explain it to you). Until next time.
Grace and Glory,
![thoughts[1].html-2a](page5_blog_entry4_1.png)
1. Elvis' faith. There have been many stories and documentaries done about Elvis' faith in God and love of Jesus. Elvis was really fortunate to have grown up in the time and place he did, in the South in the 30's 40's or so. He was raised in Church, and it was just a fact of life. This grounding helped Elvis greatly throughout his life I'm sure. I do believe that were it not for his faith, Elvis would have been much wilder and died much younger. The temptations that Elvis faced were unbelievably monumental. Had Elvis been able to maintain relationships that regularly enabled him to show and share his faith, such as relationships with JD Sumner and the Stamps or the Jordanairres, things could have been different for Elvis. What top pop or rockstar could you see today devote 3 full length albums to gospel music? It's not done by today's artists because their career is too important. Could you see Justin Timberlake talking about Jesus in the middle of a concert or his next CD being a gospel CD? From Elvis singing Peace in the Valley on Ed Sullivan to his gospel recordings and Grammy's, he was willing to show his faith through his music and at his concerts.
2. Elvis' love for his family. Elvis is a man who really loved his family. Whether it was his mom, grandma, dad, or Priscilla and Lisa Marie, Elvis really cared about his family. he gave cousins and uncles jobs and made sure that Priscilla had "everything" she wanted. The unfortunate thing for Elvis is that what he thought Priscilla wanted seems to not be what she wanted. Talk about true love. It's a shame, but things may have been different had Elvis had a chance to develop more that he did. By achieving superstardom at such a young age, his relationships surely suffered from his lack of growth among people coming into his life.
3. Elvis' God given ability to touch people. Elvis definitely had a God given ability to sing, but it was his ability to make a connection with people that I feel is unteachable. Singing, it's not a monopoly. Yes, Elvis had an unbelievable voice and stage presence and sense of a song that was just innate. But so do the Elvis tribute artists. There are some really talented guys out there who can perform a great Elvis. I've got some pics and may get my jumpsuit out one day again too mind you. If you let yourself, some of the tribute artists can make you believe that you're seeing Elvis. The difference is, Elvis didn't see Elvis and follow Elvis. He was the original. Sure he had some influences from the Southern Gospel singers in his day, and he admitted to finding Tom Jones' vegas act intriguing prior to his reinventing himself in 1969 or so to the end of his career. But Elvis had the goods and went for it without a blueprint for success or formula to follow. This was great and is what gave him his audience. But Elvis had an ability to inspire blind loyalty from his friends, and fierce love from his followers. Elvis seemed to have a humble spirit underneath the glitz and issues, and was able to connect with anybody regardless of age, status or financial situation. Reminds me of Christ, and given Elvis' upbringing, it's no accident.
It's interesting to look at Elvis from the angle of what his gifts were, and what he did with those gifts. Sure there are many trials in life that will wear us down or even keep us down, but if we keep striving toward our goal to be like Christ, everything will be okay. Like James Blake said, I'll praise God through my trials, or He may as well take back all of the victories He has already given me. i know too, that if He were to remove all of His victories from my life that He has blessed me with, my current issues would look pretty small all things considered. If you want JEsus on your side but don't know if He's there or not, just talk to Him. He has done so much for me and so much for you already. He paid for it all on the cross for us and that was more than enough for whatever our problems are. Just talk to Him. Jesus, I thank You for what You've done for me, for how much You love me, and for what You've yet to do for me. I thank You for dying for me on the cross, for taking my place and paying for my sins. I ask You to come into my heart and take control of my life. I trust You to use me and lead me where You want me to go. If you're praying to Jesus for the first time, let me know. If you're asking Him to lead you in your life, get ready, because as I used to say, it's an "E" ticket ride (ask me and I'll explain it to you). Until next time.
Grace and Glory,
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