Larry Norman Says Good-Bye

I never told people I did music. I just witnessed to them like a stranger. I tried to have the most casual conversations to take them unaware. I didn’t want them to know I was a musician… I just have to be the guy that’s just as poor as them, as haggard as them, except there’s just one weird difference and that’s that I’m happy about where I’m at. It’s just because of Jesus.

What do people say when you tell them who you are?

You’re not supposed to thrive and benefit from your ministry to the world. You can get cuddles at church, but you’re not supposed to get cuddles from people that hate God. That’s my goal - to find people that hate God and just talk to them until something happens inside of them, but it has nothing to do with discussing what they believe…

You don’t have to educate people; you have to find out where they’re at. Some people don’t need to hear about hell because they already know there are grave consequences to the life they’ve been living, and they’re so desperately happy to hear that Jesus loves them. Other people say, “Yeah, love. Jesus was the first hippy, man. Rock on.” Then you’ve got to say to them something else that has merit about hell or responsibility. So there are just all kinds of ways to witness. It’s really talking to people—and it’s mostly shutting up and letting them talk to you.

Do you struggle with fear?

My job as a believer is not to be afraid. My job is also to have faith at each moment… I pray and relax. I find it comforting to just say Bible verses that I’ve memorized, just passages of Scripture, and meditate upon them and thank God for being who he is and for not being who I thought he was. My life is good and I’m happier and happier. So really these are the best years of my life. I can’t do much, but I can still minister.

What message is on your heart these days?

I have one message and that is: Do something with your life and don’t expect to enjoy it. Your ministry does not need to fulfill you. You need to fulfill your ministry and be prepared for rejection and be prepared for people not to understand…

Copyright © 2008 David Sanford, author of If God Disappears (Tyndale House, September 2008) and president of Sanford Communications, Inc.

____________________

Fast Facts about Larry Norman
Born: April 8, 1947

Died: February 24, 2008

Grew up: San Francisco, in a mostly African American “ghetto”

Trusted Jesus Christ: Age 5

Started writing music: Age 9

Motivation to start writing music: Norman felt Elvis Presley was stealing the music of the black church, “so I decided to steal it back.”

Started performing concerts: Age 16

Landed first professional contract, under Capitol Records: Age 19 (joining the Beach Boys and the Beatles)

First person called: “Jesus freak”

Best known as: “The father of Christian rock”

Trademark: Raising an index finger toward heaven (signifying “One Way”)

Largest live audience: 180,000 people

First mainstream top ten hit: “I Love You,” 1967

Most famous songs:
* “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”
* “Sweet Song of Salvation”
* “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music”

Started his own label, Solid Rock Records: Age 27

Most recent article: “Is Christian Music Fulfilling Its True Purpose?” (Christian Musician, March/April 2005)

Accomplishments:
* He discovered and helped launch the contemporary Christian music ministries of Randy Stonehill, Steve Camp, Keith Green, Mark Heard, Sheila Walsh, and others
* His songs have been covered by DC Talk, Rebecca St. James, Petula Clark, Frank Black (The Pixies), and more than 350 other artists
* His fans include Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Van Morrison, U2’s Bono and The Edge

Media accolades:
* Billboard called Larry “the poet laureate of the Jesus movement” and “the most important songwriter since Paul Simon”
* CCM Magazine named Larry’s Only Visiting This Planet record the “most significant and influential gospel album ever released in the field of contemporary Christian music”

Randy Stonehill quip:
“If not for Larry Norman, we might all be doing Christian polka or something, but not Christian rock.”

Notable quotables:
* “Well, people used to tease me and say, ‘Oh, you’re a Christian Bob Dylan.’ And then when Dylan became a Christian in my Bible study, they’d say to him, ‘Oh, you’re a secular Larry Norman.’”
* “I believe we’re supposed to follow Jesus. A lot of people follow the church and then they find themselves unhappy. That’s because they don’t know Jesus. They don’t have a personal relationship with God at all. They just have some kind of relationship with the church.”

Favorite authors:
* G. K. Chesterton
* C. S. Lewis

Web site:
www.larrynorman.com

Story on one of his last U.S. concerts:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/news/2005/larrynorman.html

Posted on March 3, 2008 12:00 AM