Amazing Grace...Friday

2/7/14 

I was watching a rather odd movie this week.  I was only watching it because a particular actor was in it; so therefore, I knew nothing about the movie.  It was classified under the genres of comedy, drama and crime.  This movie started out a bit silly, which intrigued my curiosity of what would be to come.  Then it turns bothersome to me with scenes of a couple of drug addicts.   I consider turning it off, but still curious as to where this is going to go.  The next character story line arrives and this plot gets me very curious to find out what he has to do with anything that has already taken place.  This character takes on a violence and nudity theme, which again, I consider turning off, but the curiosity has taken hold of me in my attempt to figure out how all three story lines connect.  There is one more character that emerges which is a down and out Elvis impersonator.  He is quite tolerable, other than the fact that he is inviting everyone he runs into to the carnival to watch his show.  The poor fellow’s girlfriend leaves him. She is finally fed up with traveling around penniless for too many years as she endures his horrible performances.  There is also a preacher type guy that appears randomly offering to show all what they can do to be saved.  Elvis listens to a bit of what the preacher has to say, but he is not convinced that he has the answer for him. He leaves the preacher with a ticket to his performance. 

About now you are probably wondering what my point is to sharing with you my experience with this questionable movie.  Which brings me to the movie ending…..Elvis does his carnival performance, and he is horrid!  He is booed off the stage, his back up singers leave him, the sparse crowd is leaving him, he is distraught, a failure!  Guess who appears….”Preacher Guy!”  Elvis decides to accept his offer.  Guess what?  Elvis does a beautiful performance of “Amazing Grace”.  The crowd comes back, as well as all the other characters from the movie, the nudity is covered up, people healed, all of them coming together.

I find myself smiling and feeling warmth in my heart.  I even have goose bumps on my skin.  I come away from this movie with the reminder that God saves all of us with His amazing grace.  It doesn't matter what sins we have committed, where we have been, how low we have gone, or how down and out we are.  The Lord God is always there for us.  All we have to do is accept Him and have faith.  He saves us with His gift of grace.

Made Alive in Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,  in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:1-10

New International Version 
(NIV)

 I am not sure if all the characters in the movie accepted God’s gift in their lives. We all know our circumstances don’t change in an instant as it did for Elvis, but, what I am completely sure of is that with God’s hand in mine and yours we will walk this earth with faith, hope and love.  All obstacle, pits and challenges will turn into open doors of opportunity for us to shine for God’s glory….over and over and over again!

Written by 
Kelly Dobyns

Song for today..."Amazing Grace," sung by Elvis Presley