Jesus Is for Everybody
by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
Last Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Jason Bradley DeFord accepted the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary Country Album entitled Beautifully Broken. At the 68th annual Grammy Awards that evening, he also won two other Grammys (for Best Country Duo/Group Performance of “Amen,” with Shaboozey; and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Christian singer/songwriter Brandon Lake).
Jason is better known by his stage name, Jelly Roll, a nickname given to him by his mother when he was a child. Jelly Roll began his career in hip hop music before transitioning into country music. He has been very vocal about his past struggles with chemical addiction and incarceration, which have heavily influenced his music and advocacy.
The moment everyone is talking about from the award show, in the midst of other artists who made statements against ICE, was Jelly’s acceptance speech for the best country album. If you missed his comments, you can see them here.
With Bible in one hand and the Grammy Award in the other, Jelly Roll proclaimed loudly, “Jesus, I hear you and I am listening, Lord! . . . I want to thank my beautiful wife. I would have never changed my life without you. I’d have ended up dead or in jail. I’d have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus.”
Then, after thanking his record label and country radio, Jelly Roll continued, “There was a time in my life, y’all, when I was broken,” he said, while pulling out his pocket Bible. “That’s why I wrote this album, I didn’t think I had a chance. There were days that I thought the darkest things. I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life when all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size in a six-by-eight foot cell and I believed that those two things could change my life. I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life. I want to tell y’all right now: Jesus is for everybody.
Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus and anybody can have a relationship with him. I love you, Lord!”
After the award, backstage Jelly Roll told reporters, “Imagine being one of the few people in the world from the very beginning who believed in this overweight, white trash kid from Tennessee, that he was going to figure it out one day. . . . I think there’s a lot of people that are watching the Grammys tonight that feel like they’ve been represented for the first time in a long time on this kind of stage. And I’m excited to be the guy to do it.”
Wow, what an amazing story about the redemptive power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you think you know someone who is “too far gone,” check yourself and think again. Do you really understand the unbelievable reach of the grace of God and his ability to bring about transformation in the lives of anyone and everyone? Exhibit A: Jason Bradley DeFord, AKA Jelly Roll.
We’ve Come a Long Way
Just a few years ago during his college and NFL career, quarterback Tim Tebow faced significant media, fan, and critic scrutiny for openly practicing his Christian faith, including kneeling in prayer (thus coining the word “Tebowing”), and wearing Bible verses on his eye black. Some of his critics viewed his public displays of his faith as performative, attention-seeking actions. Despite the criticism, Tebow’s actions became a hallmark of his career, and he has been “known by his fruit”—he went on to found the “Night to Shine” prom, a worldwide celebration event centered on God’s love for people with special needs, which we will be hosting next weekend at Christ’s Church for our twelfth consecutive year.
Tim seemed to be a lone voice crying in the wilderness, but how many kids did he inspire who are now playing college or pro football themselves? Have you noticed the growth of the number of professional football players gathering to kneel and pray with members of the opposing team either before or after a game? The media used to overlook the few players that were praying, but it’s hard to ignore it anymore when a large group of them are gathered on the 50-yard-line after a game.
And grassroot revivals for Jesus all across college campuses in our nation continue to spread. According to a Barna study as part of the “State of the Church” initiative in April 2025, at a time when organized religion in America faces scrutiny and skepticism, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important to their life today. That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021. Among the biggest drivers of the Jesus resurgence are the Gen Z (born between 1999 and 2015) and Millennial (born between 1984 and 1998) generations. Young people are seeking authentic, experiential faith, characterized by prayer, repentance, and a hunger for God’s presence, rather than just religious ritual.
Hard Fought Hallelujahs
And it’s not just happening on our nation’s landscape. It’s happening here in Mason at Christ’s Church in our young adults group, facilitated by Brad Wilson and Brian Boroff. It has been documented that Gen Z is looking for something more than just smoke machines and flashing lights in worship, they want to hear real authentic truth, and get real answers to their questions. We are fortunate at Christ’s Church to get that kind of teaching every week from our lead pastor Brad Wilson. This past Sunday, he delivered some relevant truth
from a Scripture passage rarely preached from . . . Judah and Tamar. If you missed Brad’s teaching last Sunday in our “It’s Complicated” series, you can check it out here.
As Brad shared last Sunday, “God is not intimidated by complicated relationships. Our chaotic and messy lives don’t bother God, he is just interested in redeeming our lives. No matter your past, God wants to redeem you and your story! Your story does not disqualify you from what God is offering!”
Why has Jelly Roll struck a nerve with this generation? Because he is not hiding his flaws, he has been over-the-top vulnerable and transparent, holding out hope to thousands of people in desperate need of it. His collaborative effort with Brandon Lake, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” achieved platinum status (over 1 million units sold) in just four and a half months last year. The hit song, which crossed over from the Christian charts to the Billboard Hot 100, was noted as the only Christian song released in 2025 to reach platinum status that quickly. When it won “Song of the Year” at the 2025 Dove Awards, upon acceptance, Brandon Lake said, “This year I’ve gotten to share the gospel in places where people really, really need it.”
This song of worship is born from overcoming, reflecting on gritty, personal battles to praise God despite pain. Jelly Roll and Brandon sing about finding strength in struggle, bringing a broken, but honest, heartfelt “storm-tossed,” “been through Hell,” with a “story to tell” Hallelujah!
If you haven’t seen their impassioned performance of this song, click here.
Jelly Roll, Brandon Lake, our young adult leaders, and many others are using the stage God has given them to, as the apostle Peter challenges us, “revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).
They are not even waiting for people to ask, they are just putting it out there on a regular basis. How about you? When was the last time you said to someone in your life, “JESUS IS FOR EVERYBODY!”?