” Do you remember hearing those lyrics back in the day, when Dylan sang "Serve somebody" (see the vid)? I heard that Keith Green and friends who lived in Lindale at the time (now Garden Valley, east of Dallas) helped him with it and Slow Train some.
"You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance, You may be the heavyweight champion of the world, You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You're gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you're gonna have to serve somebody..." ~ Bob Dylan
I loved hearing them sing it! Dylan’s girlfriend, Mary Alice Artes, had recently “re-dedicated her life to Christ” and was very concerned about his eternal welfare, about Dylan's influence, and their relationship together. And she should have been! She was a fun-loving young attractive African American sister who was pretty rambunctious and humorous.
Of course I personally never met him, but Mary had taken him to a home Bible study in Cali in ’78 ...as she helped her boy friend Dylan – a Jew – explore the West Coast Jesus Movement and Christianity. She so wanted Him to know and to minister the Word …and basically to go the distance with Christ. I remember how he later came out to visiting Mary in Dallas. She went by "Mary Alice" and had been attending the Bible school where Liney and I got together. She studied there for four semesters in 1980 and 1981. Yup, it sounds kinda like a strange urban legend, but a great worship dude friend of mine named,
Bob Mason, had been counseling her and Mason also talked with Dylan some when the rock legend showed up to see Mary. But what a message Dylan gave! In or out, Heaven or Hell... no inbetween. Dylan left the ball in your court (you can be saved and serve Jesus all your days if you want) ..and in his own court. It's totally up to you if you want to be fruitful. Jesus said, “The person who isn't with me is against me, and the person who isn't gathering with me is scattering” (Matt. 12:30, niv). Now what about you? Will you be good soil--sold out for Christ? He is so much greater! Will you prove to be faithful ...the kind of soil that is right for the seed of the Word (with that needed openness to the working of His Spirit), or just have some kind of “spiritual experience” for a time? You choose, and time will tell for each of us. Anyways, your're gunna have to serve Somebody ...and you only have two options!
