| I began a journey through his past and probably like | | | | heavens and said, God please forgive them for they |
| everyone else who has become interested in Elvis | | | | know not what they do. We have to be willing to |
| Presley, I have imagined and re-imagined how things | | | | give up our life in the flesh before a life in the spirit |
| must have been. I also think that none of us will ever | | | | can take place. Elvis wanted a life in the spirit, but |
| know "exactly" how things must have been. I feel | | | | was not willing to give up his life as he knew it in the |
| this especially after reading the written words about | | | | flesh. His burdens got heavier and heavier. We cannot |
| him that are conflicting in many ways. The facts of | | | | make things our own way and expect God to follow |
| his life remain constant, but with each story teller, | | | | after us. We have to follow after God. |
| one has to only imagine what is told is coming | | | | Elvis went on to tell Larry Geller, "Man, Larry," "I |
| through sort of like a distorted lens. For that reason | | | | swear to God no one knows how lonely I get. And |
| every new inquiry into his life is a beginning rather | | | | how empty I really feel." With those words, Elvis |
| than a definitive end to who this man truly was and | | | | burst into tears (Guralnick, 1999, The Unmaking of |
| how things really were. | | | | Elvis Presley, Careless Love). This is exactly how a |
| I think he had "short" episodes when he drew nigh to | | | | person feels when they are being called by the |
| God. One of those is described in the book written | | | | Father in heaven into the elect of God. Scripture says |
| by Peter Guralnick, "The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, | | | | the spirit seeks after them that the Father in heaven |
| Careless Love." I am unsure what kind of spiritual | | | | knows desire to worship him. The spirit of God was |
| books hairdresser, Larry Geller, introduced to Elvis, | | | | calling Elvis Presley; however, the movie business and |
| but some of it rings true to me. This was a time | | | | his manager as well as those he surrounded himself |
| during his movie career. As he talked with his | | | | with had other plans and kept calling him as well. |
| hairdresser Elvis became ecstatic as he related so | | | | There is no need to blame his doctors or Dr. Nick for |
| closely to the same kind of things Larry Geller was | | | | his early death due to the prescribing of medicines. |
| talking about - an individual's real purpose. Elvis | | | | Others responsible were the people who lead him |
| confided that secretly these were the same kind of | | | | through the movie and music career. These were his |
| things he thought about all the time saying he always | | | | supposedly closest friends and were the first to |
| knew there had to be a purpose for his life and that | | | | criticize Elvis for any kind of spiritual aspirations. Why |
| he walked about known there was an unseen hand | | | | was this? Well, perhaps Elvis's spirituality would take |
| behind him. He said guiding him, but I think it was | | | | him away from them and they were having way too |
| probably more an unseen hand "trying to guide him." | | | | much fun with him just as he was. Elvis was one big |
| His manager, the people who surrounded him, his job | | | | hoot to be around when he was in a good mood! |
| as a man making a living in this world by the sweat | | | | However, in the end, we all have the ability to |
| of his brow was actually the things guiding Elvis | | | | choose regardless of what anyone else around us is |
| Presley. Elvis made the decision to follow. It was like | | | | saying or doing and it was Elvis Presley who chose |
| in one ear was those who surrounded him and in the | | | | the road he traveled on. |
| other ear was the voice of Jesus. | | | | Still yet, just imagine for a minute or two, if Elvis |
| If only he could have followed after that spiritual | | | | Presley would have been more encouraged to listen |
| path, he would have still been famous but in the | | | | to his spiritual aspirations he may even be alive today |
| spiritual world. I believe Elvis Presley would have been | | | | preaching the gospel, winning souls to the Kingdom of |
| able to throw away all his pills if he would have | | | | God, building bible colleges and universities, and singing |
| allowed the unseen hand to truly guide him through | | | | the gospel. I am not saying his hairdresser was an |
| this land. Experiences with the unseen hand and | | | | appropriate guide. I believe he probably should have |
| experiences with the hand of evil were many. He had | | | | broken ties with the hairdresser's spirituality books |
| a manager. He had a job. His job then was in | | | | because he had some kind of "other strange |
| Hollywood making movies. People had other plans for | | | | doctrine" I am feeling was not the same spirit that |
| him and those plans are what overtook his life as he | | | | called to Elvis. There are many spirits in the land, |
| continued to make the decision to follow after the | | | | many quite convincing, but only one real spirit of God. |
| plans made for him by all the people surrounding him. | | | | I believe the real spirit of God was following after |
| People remember him as being in charge and to an | | | | Elvis Presley. |
| extent he was in charge, he was the one key person | | | | Ideally, a born again of the spirit of God wife should |
| making all the money that kept everybody else in | | | | have been his constant companion to replace the |
| business, and it was a business those around him did | | | | mother he lost. There are strict rules to follow as a |
| not want to let go of including Elvis. | | | | born again of the spirit of God wife to a "sinner" |
| The lesson here is we cannot follow after the flesh | | | | husband. It is actually her job and part of her |
| and people. We have to listen to the deep still voice | | | | salvation requirements to win him over with her good |
| and seek to know all there is to know about the | | | | works while remaining in subjection to her husband. |
| spiritual world if we truly want to find our spiritual | | | | He didn't need another woman who clung to the |
| purpose in this life and an eternal life in the hereafter. | | | | riches and treasures of this world and who delighted |
| Scripture says a person has to forsake mother, | | | | in whatever Elvis could purchase for her, however, |
| father, brother, sister and friends, take up the cross | | | | these are the kind he chose. He was like Saul in the |
| and follow after Jesus. Paul was a great servant of | | | | Bible overtaken by the beauty of women. One of |
| the Lord as told in bible scripture yet he suffered | | | | the things he actually needed was a true born again |
| perils of nakedness, ship wreck, imprisonment and | | | | Christian wife, but even with this, she may have not |
| many people of his time "hated" him. Stephen was | | | | been able to win his soul, however, to be obedient to |
| another great man of God in bible history who was | | | | God if she was truly a child of God, she would have |
| stoned to death by listeners as he preached the | | | | to follow these scriptures. A wife's behavior definitely |
| gospel of God. As he lay dying, he looked to the | | | | has a great bearing and influence upon the husband. |