Elvis’ achievements are undeniable. Estimated over 1 billion records sold. Around 150 albums/singles that have gone gold or platinum. Didja know? Elvis was nominated for 14 Grammy’s, and won 3…all for gospel songs.

Didja know? Elvis also made 31 movies.

Call him the comeback kid. After being gone from the stage for more than 7 years, Elvis returned to the stage for a televised concert and was as electrifying as ever. In 1969, he shattered all Las Vegas attendance records for a 57-show engagement. One year later, he broke his own record. Again the following year after that, he shattered another concert record in Houston. Long live the King!

The term “Bible Belt” often refers to the southern states where conservative, evangelical, Protestantism is pre-dominant. This is a term oft-used by journalists and should in no way be taken to mean disrespect to the strong moral values and Christian faith of the South. I only include it here because it cannot be missed during this part of our trip. And for many who meet “godless, heathen, Americans,” they do not often get to experience this part of the country. They also miss out on the “Rosary Belt” of the southern tip of the US, the Mormon (Church of Latter Day Saints) corridor of Utah, Muslims in the Washington-Boston corridor, Jewish communities in New York and California, and the other faith-strong communities throughout the United States. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the earliest immigrants who came to this country were those seeking religious freedom. In difficult times it can be one of our most divisive issues, and in better times it gives us a chance to have important dialogue to better understand that we share far more things in common than we have things that differ and separate us.