2 of 8

Perhaps "Amazing Grace," written by John Newton after the hard-drinking, profane slave trader found God, best describes the journey of Johnny Cash from the pit of despair to the pinnacle of glory. The record shows that he has more lives than ten cats. He wrecked every car he had for seven years, totaled two jeeps and a camper, turned over two tractors and a bulldozer, sank two boats in separate accidents on a lake, jumped from a truck just before it went over a 600-foot cliff in California, brawled and incurred permanent scars, and drove himself into a wild frenzy many times with drugs.

Yet when the raging voices quieted, there was always the "still, small voice" whispering, I am your God. 1 love you. I am waiting.

"The hand of God," Johnny Cash says, "was never off me." In all of his wanderings, Johnny could never escape the "hound of heaven," which pursued him from his childhood.

As a young boy, Johnny had tapped his toes in schoolhouse revivals to the rhythm of guitars, mandolins, and banjos. He'd sung "Shall We Gather at the River?" during baptisms at the "blue hole." He'd been converted at age 12. "A beautiful peace came over me that night. I felt brand new," he recalls. He felt a touch of heaven when he put his cheek against his dying brother Jack's lips and heard him whisper, "I'm going to a beautiful city. … I can hear the angels singing."

Nevertheless, like many other young men from devout homes, he began slipping away from home mooring while in the service. He learned to drink while stationed in Germany although he stopped after returning home and marrying Vivian Liberto, a Catholic girl. He didn't argue with Vivian about the requirement of her religion to raise the children Catholic. In fact, he himself usually took them to the Catholic church when he was home.

As a young married man, Johnny got a job as an appliance salesman in Memphis. He spent more time listening to the radio than knocking on doors. Without any professional experience, he applied for a deejay job in Mississippi. The station manager sent him back to Memphis to attend broadcasting school. There he became friends with two music-loving mechanics, Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins.

Their first request to sing came from a Pentecostal church just north of Memphis. "What are we gonna wear?" Luther asked. After thinking about it a minute, Johnny replied, "Why don't we just wear black because black's best for church." It's been black for Johnny Cash ever since.

next page... |  2 of 8

	What did you think of this story?
	Please to give us your feedback.

Home  |  People of Faith  |  Stories of Hope  |  Today's Culture
Build Your Faith  |  Laughing Matters  |  Archives  |  Contact Us

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless. Give Christianity Today as a gift Order a gift subscription!