Singer, songwriter, actress and social icon Dolly Parton has not been shy about discussing her faith as of late, and gives all the credit to God for the blessings in her life.
Parton, 77, has also written several children’s books and has her own wildly successful charity to help engage children in reading called the Imagination Library.
“When we started that 26 years or so ago with my dad, you know, where we give books to children from the time they’re born, they get a book once a month until they start school, and they get the book with their little name on it. So, it’s going to encourage them to read or encourage somebody to read it for them. And so, I think that’s their most impressionable years,” Parton tells Fox News Digital.
“And I’m just proud of that. And to date, we’ve given over 200 million books, and that’s a lot of books, that’s worldwide. So, that’s a lot of kids and that’s a lot of books. And it’s a great program that I’m very, very proud of, but I’m proud of everything good that happens,” she adds.
Education has been a passion of Parton’s for decades now, and the Lord has used her to help inspire millions of children in the pursuit of knowledge through the works of The Dollywood Foundation.
According to the Dollywood Foundation’s website, their main purpose is “to inspire the children in her home county to achieve educational success.”
As reported by Fox News, “Now, she [Parton] gives out $15,000 scholarships every year to five students graduating from Sevier County who communicate a dream they wish to pursue. This is on top of other scholarships she gives out on a case-by-case basis.”
The source of all this charity and drive to help others, Parton says, comes from her relationship with God.
“My faith impacts everything that I do because I do believe that, through God, all things are possible,” Parton says. “And so, I always ask God to bless everything that I do and the people that I work with and to bring all the right things and right people into my life and to take the wrong ones out.
“So, I try to just live through love as much as I can. And so, I just think that my spirituality has been a guiding light in my life and my strength, really, in my creative energy. And my spiritual energy has really been a great force to keep me going all these years and still being productive.”
This reliance on God and trust in Him has led to a business empire that includes best-selling books, iconic songs, a theme park and much more.
According to Matthew 7:16: “You will know them by their fruit. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?” and the fruit that Dolly Parton is producing as a result of her faith has helped change the lives of millions, for the better.
All while giving God the glory. {eoa}
James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
