Wake Up, Look Up

Hello, everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode, we're asking the question, what can Jelly Roll teach us about redemption? This is an article from an article I read on CNN's website about country musician, country star, really, Jelly Roll. If you don't know who that is, you should Google image him at least because it's going to drive home the story. Big guy, face tattoos, kind of a huge star right now in country music. he's been nominated for Grammys, won some CMA awards. Huge, huge star, but with a really interesting story, challenging story. He's been convicted of a number of crimes, drug crimes, robbery crime crimes. Been, under court mandated supervision. He's been incarcerated, even testified before Congress about fentanyl. And it's damaging. Well, he's come out of that life, actually become a confessing Christian, I might add, and since has channeled his story into songwriting and service. And he's written a number of songs, songs like I am not okay, where he's talking about his struggles and really become a little bit of an everyman for people coming out of drug addiction, difficult stories and even criminal backgrounds. He's also become a champion of reforming the way we think about formerly incarcerated people. Because in this country, a felony conviction sticks with you for the rest of your life and really changes, the amount of opportunities you have. And what he's been saying is, well, hold on a second. What if a person changes? And can we ever have a category for redemption? Well, just recently he, found a new fan in Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who issued a Christmas pardon to Jelly Roll, pardoning him of his felony convictions, which will free him up, not completely, but in many ways to do some of the things he was after. I find this story so fascinating because I have to tell you, and I hope this is a theme of this podcast, that sometimes it feels like Christians undertake all the wrong political causes. maybe that's not the best way of saying it. It's not so much of the things we talk about we shouldn't talk about. It's just there are so many things that we're not talking about that I think the Bible cares deeply about. And redemption is one of those things. Like just consider, for example, how many of the biblical characters in if they Live Today would have spent time in prison. Jacob was a thief. Moses killed a guy. David. Political conspiracy, political corruption. Solomon all kinds of laws related to sexuality and marriage. The apostle Paul participated in the murder of Stephen. but the idea of the Bible is not that these things are okay or that they should be consequence free. The idea of the Bible is, is that who you were doesn't have to be who you are or who you will be, particularly as God gets a hold of you. The Apostle Paul says in first Timothy, this is a faithful and trustworthy saying. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. In other words, Paul says, here's my worldview. Jesus came to save and change people. And the way I know he can do it. And is he saved and changed the worst person I know me. But if that's what we believe, shouldn't Christians more than anyone be championing the idea that people can change, that stories that start in a hard and dark place can go somewhere really great? Shouldn't Christians be people championing, pathways for people's lives to show actual reform, to actually be redeemed? Shouldn't Christians be saying, hey, does it really have to be once a felon, always a felon? Certainly when it comes to laws, there are gradations. And certainly some things we do in life have consequences that last for a lifetime. The Bible teaches that. But is that true of everything we attach a felony conviction to? Where are Christians to stay? The story of Jelly Roll is an example of what else could be true. Because you know why we're talking about Jelly Roll. And I'm glad that we are. But you know why? Because he can sing. Because he's a musician, because he's a star. But somewhere in the world, there's a guy who was convicted of a felony, does his time, gets out, and has been driving a semi truck for 20 years, putting food on the table, faithful to his wife, following Jesus. But when people see him, they still see a felon. Not in the church. The church should be a place that believes about redemption. And my prayer is that Jelly Roll will be a figurehead for this country, rethinking the way we think about formerly incarcerated people. What you were does not have to be who you are. It does not have to be who you will be. And Jesus is the champion of life change. Hey, thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!