A beautiful brown-skinned child, naïve to the world and in love with a song that had soul, that had pull, that had motion, better yet, emotion - and I felt it, I swayed it, I loved it. I fell in love with a classic, "Rock With You," yes, being all of six years old, but I knew this song was special and I knew and loved Michael Joseph Jackson because he was so incredibly special too.

Millions around the planet continue to ponder and wrestle with the painful reality that the King of Pop has died. A reality that is all too soon, way too unbelievable and unmistakably devastating for his family, friends, the music and artistic industries, and the millions of fans he's left behind around the world.

When I heard the news, it seemed like a film strip of images, video clips, facts and my own personal feelings and memories about this uniquely talented and gifted man played through my mind at one time. All the music, all the memories, all the influences he had from that white rhinestone glove, to those fluid and precise dance moves that are mimicked to this day, and even to that infectious, soulful and so amazing falsetto voice.

But the single, most vivid thought that continued to pervade my head and prick my heart wasn't how many #1 hits this man has made, how Thriller is the best selling album of all time (50 million copies, to be exact), how his music, from the early days with his brothers to his later solo career, has defined and set a mold for generations of Pop, Rock, R&B, and Rap music, choreography and culture, or how incredibly gifted and talented he was.

No, what made me distance myself from the media frenzy and information overload upon the news of his death was this question: How did he live his life for the One who truly mattered? I thought about God and what type of relationship Michael had with him. I thought about this incredibly gifted, musically inclined, creatively talented individual and I wondered did he truly, really know the One who gave him all that talent, who put into him all that rhythm, all that love for music to express and create himself, did he truly know in a personal way the One who fashioned him in his mother's womb, knew his name before he had a name, knew him from the core of his being and loved him?

I soon landed my vivid mental airplane of thoughts on a runway that made me pause in contemplative suspension. By faith and grace alone, I have a personal relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ. This relationship is not based on what I bring to the table, not based on how good I can be, not based on how much money I can make, but is simply based on the fact that the one true and living God, the God of The Bible, the Triune God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, loves me.

He loves me, always has and has fashioned an incredible plan for my life. In loving me, He also knows that I'm inherently sinful, broken, and depraved at the core of my soul and my entire being. Whew. And as such, I'm in desperate need of rescue, desperate need of being saved, desperate need of having a Savior to free me from the destruction, evil, bondage and death that my sin, my choices, my decisions to live a part from Him and suffer the consequences of my actions will undeniably lead me to.

In loving me and loving this entire world that He's made, and the billions of people that have graced the stage of life on this planet since He made it, including Michael, God gave us the Savior, the rescue that we needed, He gave this to us through His Son, His only Son, Jesus Christ. And it is through this Son that He flipped the script, and instead of us being the ones to suffer the anguish, the pain, the ruthless and horrific consequences, feelings and suffering of our sins - past, present and future, Jesus Christ bore these sins, these choices of ours, on a criminal's cross for us. He died, one who was sinless and knew no sin, he gave up his life willingly and died for sinners because he loved us that much. But he didn't stay dead. He rose on the third day of his death, was resurrected by the God of Life, the one who created life, and through Christ's death, burial and resurrection, we were given eternal life as gift from God.

Jesus became the bridge for us to cross over and be free from the evil and death that our sins would lead us to, and instead enabled us to run to God, the One who has always loved us, always wanted the best for us, always made Himself available to be known to us, and has always wanted to be in relationship with us -us, His created, us, fashioned in His own image, us, given His breath of life, us, given the secured hope of eternal life with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

And each of us has a personal choice to make this side of heaven, a choice of whether we desire God, whether we want to be in relationship with Him and will accept the gift He's provided us through His Son Jesus Christ. God's desire is that none perish, that no one be separated from Him. In The Bible, John 3:16 speaks to this vividly:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

But, He also has given us the gift of free will, and we can choose if we want to know Him or if we would rather not. Choosing the latter means we are saying with our own mouths that we do not want to be in God's presence, that we do not want the gift of salvation, the forgiveness of our sins, and the eternal life that He so desperately wants to give us. Any place a part from God's love, presence, light and life is not a place anyone should desire, nor want to be. And in the face of the reality that people will choose to receive Him or not, God continues to pursue each and every one of us on this planet in a distinct and personal way, revealing Himself and giving Himself to those who will receive Him.

Other remedies, other religions, other beliefs, or lack of belief really can't cut it, can't do for us what only He can do. Each of us, whether we want to admit it or not, has a God-shaped hole in our hearts and souls that sex, money, fame, relationships, technology, careers, addictions, other people, music, talents, food, drugs, abilities, alcohol, beliefs and anything else you could find and attempt to put there can never fill. He was made to fill this place because He created it in us for Him, a desperate need for Him that nothing else can ever satisfy.

I reflect and I wonder was Michael's God-shaped hole filled before he passed on from this life into eternity? Did Michael have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? His life speaks volumes of accomplishments through music, artistry, along with benevolence for charity, helping the less fortunate, desiring to better care for the planet and make it better for the generations of children to come.

The later years of his life also speak to financial distractions and challenges, deep hurts, painful accusations, and a passionate desire to re-ignite a stellar career to a higher level that millions were sitting on the edge of their seats ready and willing to experience. People wanted to hold on to a belief, a prayer that this music child prodigy who became an incredibly talented man would be invincible, that this idol, icon, megastar, king - that the world has made him to be -would, could live on…forever.

In his music, his artistry and gift shall indeed remain timeless. But Michael was not invincible and he was not immortal. None of us are. Our mortality is one harsh reality of this world as it presently is. There is a season to live and there is a season to die. But I must tell you, I must, I must say that for those who are in Christ Jesus, physical death is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning. And I'm not talking about reincarnation or anything like that. I'm talking about God's promise to those who place their faith and their trust in Him through His Son Jesus Christ. And this promise is this:

"Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be found guilty. He has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." - Revelation 21:3-4

Michael Jackson's 50 years were made just for him, and there will not be another like him. For those of us left behind with purposes and journeys before us still to live, I challenge you from this point on to live it, do it, be it differently than you have before. For those who believe, follow and have placed their faith in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you know what's up and what He requires of us. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) isn't an option, it's a command and the time is short. Your life must be lived through the lens of Christ, everything you have done, are doing and will do, means nothing if He isn't at the center of it and if those things you do aren't propelling you forward even more to love, serve and tell more people about Him.

For those who are searching for truth, searching for more, searching for God and curious about who Jesus is, I invite you make what can be the most important decision of your entire life, and today choose God. It's simple to do:

1. Recognize and admit you need to be forgiven of your sins.

2. Admit you can do nothing on your own to free yourself from your sins.

3. Turn away from your sins (repentance) and place your trust in Jesus Christ alone.

4. When you trust Christ, you receive His complete forgiveness and an eternal relationship with God. 

Knowing intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is not enough. Having an emotional experience will not change your destiny and allow you to experience His love, peace and freedom.

We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will. You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer, and prayer is just simply talking with God. God is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.

Here is a suggested prayer:
Jesus Christ, I need you. I confess that I have sinned against you and have been running my own life and have sinned against You. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please come into my life and forgive my sins and set me free. Begin directing my life. Change my destiny.  Make me into the person you created me to be. Thank you for answering my prayer by coming into my life and giving me eternal life. Amen.

Does this prayer express your heart's desire? If it does, pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

If you prayed this prayer, guess what? You're now an official new member of God's family and there are angels in heaven rejoicing madly with excitement and gladness for you, yes you! This relationship with God is one of the most exhilarating and life-changing experiences you will ever have and you're not made to live it alone. There's an incredible body of believers all around this world who love God, are serving Him and love you too. Fellowship with other believers is incredibly vital to your new life in Christ and your growing relationship with God. There are several resources that I and other believers can provide you with as you begin growing in God. Feel free to e-mail me at melody.copenny@impactmovement.com. I'd love to hear from you.

And, for those who have decide at this point, the God-thing is not for you, Jesus can't possibly be the only way to God, you don't believe there is a God, or you feel you're doing life pretty fine without Him, I encourage you and I urge to consider your stance again. Consider God. And consider that for every question you have, every problem or issue you have, even with Him, He has an answer. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, exactly where you are. I do believe if you seek Him, you will find Him.

June 25, 2009 marked the end of a memorable and unique era in music history. Michael Jackson is gone. But my prayer is that many, many, many more lives would be transformed and changed for eternity, not because of this man or his music, but because as people search to make sense of his death, they would seek out the One who authors life and conquered death, the God who outlines our comings and our goings, shapes our days and our nights, sees and rejoices for our successes, weeps with us through our failures and hurts, the God who loves each and every one of us individually, uniquely and passionately.

The God who gave His Son's life to completely demolish sin, annihilate and defeat it, because we didn't have the strength, ability or power within us to do so for ourselves. And so, I ask that you consider the bigger picture of Michael's life and the bigger picture of your life: I ask that you would choose God and that you'd do so today. Don't bank on tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. Live today as if it's all you got and live it completely, boldly and recklessly abandoned to Him. Choose well, choose life and I pray you choose Him.