Years ago, I dressed up in an “Elvis” costume to share a children’s message at church. I waited outside the worship center until my time to enter the service. While I was waiting, a man walked up and asked to speak to a minister and that he needed some help. I told him I was a minster…he said he didn’t know Elvis was a minister… I told him I wasn’t Elvis but was a minister. He seemed very confused at that point…mumbling something about being ” all shook up” (name of famous Elvis song).We talked about his need (gas for his car) and I prayed with him and as he left…he turned to me and said he didn’t think his family wouldn’t believe our encounter but he was grateful for the prayer and the help. I just couldn’t resist saying: ” Thank you, thank you very much”…I wondered if I would see a tabloid newspaper later with some story about his personal encounter with Elvis at church…
Then I went into the worship center to do my children’s message. I started by asking the children about what they thought makes a good imitator. My message was about us being imitators of Christ or a positive example ( I Corinthians 11:1 ). When asked the question, one little boy raised his hand and said to me: “You are the fattest Elvis I have ever seen!”. It was all down hill from there, but everyone seemed to enjoy the moment.
Later that day I lip sang ( imitated) some Elvis songs at a church fellowship party. I had practiced some spin moves at home. The big difference was that at home I practiced on carpet but the performance at church was on a stage made of finished and highly polished wood …So when I went to do my spin move I couldn’t stop sliding. I look like a spinning helicopter with no place to land… I slid from one end of the stage to the other and ended up barely hanging off the front of the stage on the last note of the song…the crowd went wild . I was hurting in places on my body I didn’t even know I had before that moment! I saw people laughing so hard that they had tears in their eyes…
Afterward, one of my friends commented: ” That was a good performance but if I was you I would not give up my other job.” Amen. I agreed. I felt like I was at “Heartbreak Hotel” ( name of famous Elvis song) or I was “Nothing but a Hound Dog” ( name of another famous Elvis song) and I had “Lost that Loving Feeling” ( yet another famous Elvis song). I think I learned a valuable life lesson that day, it is good for me to follow God but not imitate someone else at church or anywhere else …