Evangelizing Willie

 

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:

and be ready always to give an answer

to every man that asketh you a reason

of the hope that is in you

with meekness and fear. . . .

— 1 Peter 3:15

 

            We got to see Willie Nelson at the grand opening of our friend's theater in Branson, Mo. An American original! Never been anyone like him, and never will be.

 

            Willie was in fine form: Always On My Mind, Good-Hearted Woman, On the Road Again . . . he wailed out the favorites and whaled on that potholed old guitar, "Trigger." What showmanship, for a Texas cotton-picker nicknamed "Booger Red" who'll turn 74 later this month.

 

 

Note the hole dug in "Trigger" by decades of Nelson's passionate playing;

that's Nelson's harmonicist standing behind him at last week's concert.

 

 

            Nelson's songs reflect the story of his life. His mama abandoned him when he was a baby. He once sold vacuums door to door, and ran a pig farm. Just about everyone in his life is divorced. He's on his fourth marriage. His son hung himself at 33. He once attempted suicide himself, and has been prone to depression. His house once burned down, the IRS confiscated millions of dollars of his property, and he's consumed a fair amount of psychedelics, hard drink and "Austin torpedoes" in his day.

 

            But he's still one of the best-loved entertainers of all time.

 

            He mixed musical metaphors, linking the establishment and the counterculture, creating billions for the music industry. He has written 2,500 songs, sold more than 50 million records, and acted in 25 films. He advocates for biodiesel fuels, world peace, horses, and tsunami relief. And he's beloved for more than 20 years of Farm Aid concerts raising millions to help down-and-out farm families.

 

            During a pre-concert interview onstage, a woman rose to her feet in tears to thank him for that assistance. He responded humbly. Despite the long, bedraggled braid and Wally World outfit, the crowd saw classy genius, grace, kindness and generosity personified.

 

            And then, in the midst of the glitz and cornpone that is Branson, we witnessed pure gold - a moment to savor, especially this Holy Week.

 

            The interviewer was Ralph Emery (www.emerysmemories.com), the king of country radio, who's interviewed everybody and his hound dog. He's about Nelson's age.

 

            He brought up Nelson's latest book. It promotes the ancient Chinese philosophy of "tao," New Age gurus Kahlil Gibran and Edgar Cayce, and the Hindu religion's principles of reincarnation and karma. Nelson believes that we are all part of the same whole, we can't help anything that happens, and we are forced to live many lives to perfect ourselves before we can get to "heaven." Basically, there's no room for a personal God in that worldview, certainly not the God you can get to know by reading the Bible.

 

            You can't be Christian and believe that. See Hebrews 9:27 and 10:10. If reincarnation were true, the Cross would be a lie. Our Bible teaches that God knows each of us individually, and we live just once and die just once. Jesus' bloody death on the Cross covered each of our sins, once for all time, and gained us eternal life, if we only just believe. Everybody gets one life, and that's it. That's enough, because of His love.

 

            In other words, Willie Nelson, YOU were always on HIS mind.

 

            At interview's end, Emery did something I really admire and wish I had the boldness to do regularly in my private life, much less in the spotlight in front of all those people. Emery gave Nelson a book. We were close enough to hear him say: "Read it while you're on the bus, Willie. It's in a style you'll like. It proves that God is real."

 

            I couldn't see the title, but Nelson clutched it; you knew he would read it out of respect for his old friend.

 

            At that moment, Ralph Emery's faith took the spotlight. He saw through the glittering fame into the heart of the man - his pain, his shame, his separation from the truth. Emery saw that Willie Nelson doesn't yet know the One Who really can help him make it through the night. So Emery determined to make that introduction.

 

            Awesome piece of evangelism. Let's be Christians like that.

 

            Awesome American, that Willie Nelson. Let's pray that book will rope in that cowboy.

 

            Let's pray that, when Willie gets "on the road again" for the last time, at the moment of his death, he'll wind up in a jam-packed honky-tonk called heaven . . . with nothin' but blue skies smilin' at him . . . makin' music with his friends . . . for all time. †