Jon Acuff

I didn’t know Dolly Parton well.

I did an event with her in 2020 and met her backstage briefly.

She spent hours taking photos before she put on her show. The line out of her dressing room was massive but she made sure every single person got a picture.

I wasn’t expecting one. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. (I can be pretty pessimistic sometimes.) I stood in the hall getting ready for my speech and overhearing her dote on each person that met her.

Two hours later, when the line was gone, my friend said, “Do you want to meet Dolly?”

I have to imagine she was exhausted. Even introverts get tired from so many micro conversations with so many strangers. She was 75, about to do a long concert (for charity) and probably ready to be done with that part of her night.

Instead, she took one more photo and I got a memory that made me look like a cool dad to my kids.

She even complimented my kin, Roy Acuff, who she knew through the Grand Ole Opry.

God bless Dolly Parton and the impact she made on millions.

She was 1 of 1.

You’re still going to get letters asking you to pay for those CDs.

I didn’t watch @thechosentv at first because I had a chip on my shoulder like, “It’s probably terrible like a fake $100 bill that’s a tract.” I grew up in an age where Christian meant “poorly made art.” I was wrong about this. It’s fantastic.

One of the reasons that this very reasonable question gets asked is that culture ran a decades long psyop to convince us kids were impediments to the best life possible. I didn’t move to the suburbs for dull Friday nights, I signed up for the adventure known as family and 22 years later wouldn’t change a single thing.

It’s always a real joy when your friends read your book! Thanks Greg!