Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Today, once again, is Elvis' birthday. Somewhere out there, he's celebrating by eating a banana and peanut butter sandwich - which sounds awfully good right about now, actually. To think: a year ago, we were in our series "Graceland," where Madison got to meet and hang out with Elvis for a month!

The weather forecast is getting firmer, which means we're bracing ourselves for one of the bigger snowstorms to hit this area in quite some time. We'll see what it's like this time tomorrow, but until then, I'm wanting to go out and find a sled!

Daddy has been working, and Mommy and Madison have been moving things from the old house to the new. We've gotten a little work done, but hopefully we'll accomplish even more next week (after the weather improves). We're anxious to empty the old house out - it's just that Christmas and the work related to that time of year were keeping us both really busy.

Tonight we might watch an Elvis movie "Blue Hawaii," or at least "Lilo and Stitch," in memory of the king. Of course, he isn't the King of kings. Elvis said that often. In fact, as we look back on Elvis, take a moment to one of my devotional entries from last year, related to Elvis Presley:

HOW GREAT THOU ART

“There’s only one king,” Elvis Presley once said, “and that’s Jesus Christ.”

Elvis Presley’s first songs were in a church, and they were beautiful songs of praise to the King of kings. In the small town of Tupelo, Mississippi, the Presley family attended a tiny church, which inspired their young son Elvis to sing and even maybe play guitar some day.

His burning ambition was to sing in a gospel quartet, and after moving to Memphis in 1948, the king regularly went to all-night gospel sings at the Ellis Auditorium, nearby his home.

He soon rocketed to fame, and the rest of course, is history. But somewhere along the line in his journey, the influences of the world drew him away from God. All have sinned, Paul told us. In fact, Paul said that he himself was chief among sinners. King David was guilty of murder and more, and Peter, who was one of Jesus’ closest friends, abandoned the King of kings when Jesus needed him most.

Towards the end of his life, Elvis told a friend, “Just think what I could have done if I had become a preacher! Just think of the good I could have done for the Lord!” He prayed, “Dear Lord, please show me a way. I’m tired and confused and I need your help.”

He wanted to do more gospel records. He had recorded almost fifty gospel songs already – and three gospel records. It is interesting to note that although Elvis sold over a billion records, more than any other single artist, his only Grammy awards were for his gospel songs “He Touched Me,” and “How Great Thou Art.”

You see, despite all his talent, and despite all his flaws, Elvis knew who the real King was.