"I Am A Servant" by Larry Norman

This beautiful song of devotion to Christ ought to be our most sincere prayer to him. Enjoy this touching and profound song here:

Jesus himself told his disciples to watch and wait. By extension, we being his disciples too, we must also be ready with our eyes and ears open.

Christ likened his return to us as like the bride groom coming to his home. As he directed his disciples  in Luke 12:35 and 36 (Bible in Basic English), "Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning. And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly."

According to John MacArthur, the original Greek word for servant actually meant slave. This is because he bought us with his atoning sacrifice on the cross. 

We read in 1 Corinthians 6:20 (BBE) that, "For a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body." In other words, we're Christ's property.

That being true, we must obey him always. As Paul wrote in Romans 6:16-18 (BBE), "Are you not conscious that you are the servants of him to whom you give yourselves to do his desire? if to sin, the end being death, or if to do the desire of God, the end being righteousness. But praise be to God that though you were the servants of sin, you have now given yourselves freely to that form of teaching under which you were placed; And being made free from sin you have been made the servants of righteousness."

If this sounds irksome to you, remember Christ's words in John 8:36 (BBE). "If then the son makes you free, you will be truly free."

Randy Stonehill: "Big Ideas (In a Shrinking World)"

This Christian artist was led to Christ by Christian rock pioneer, Larry Norman. He became one of many singers and bands in the Jesus People movement of the early seventies but he kept releasing records long after the movement fizzled. Listen to one of his songs here.

Just like the people with big ideas today, the early church had their own pompous people. As Galatians 6:3 (Bible in Basic English) reads, "For if a man has an idea that he is something when he is nothing, he is tricked by himself"

Paul also worried that proud Christians would laud themselves rather than giving all praise to Christ. As 1 Corinthians 4:6 and 7 (BBE) says, "My brothers, it is because of you that I have taken Apollos and myself as examples of these things, so that in us you might see that it is not wise to go farther than what is in the holy Writings, so that no one of you may be lifted up against his brother. For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?"

Paul also knew some folks would fool gullible believers with feigned humility. That's why he wrote in Colossians 2:18 and 19 BBE), "Let no man take your reward from you by consciously making little of himself and giving worship to angels; having his thoughts fixed on the things which he has seen, being foolishly lifted up in his natural mind, And not joined to the Head, from whom all the body, being given strength and kept together through its joins and bands, has its growth with the increase of God."

Peter likewise wrote in 1 Peter 5:5 (BBE) regarding the value of humility. "And in the same way, let the younger men be ruled by the older ones. Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low."

If the longed-for return of Christ hasn't happened by Saturday, I hope to feature a song about a sniper.

Larry Norman: "I Am The Six O'clock News"

Back in 1973, America was only giving Air support to South Vietnamese troops. And being the ongoing story it was, reporters from the three U.S. networks were sent over to film the battles.

This Christian rock pioneer wrote a song about one reporter and how he felt. I also apologize for the racial slur in this song. Anyway it's a thought-provoking message which you can hear here.

Back when the Bible was being penned, the news reporters ran on foot to tell what they saw. This is the report of King David's rebellious and treasonous son in 2 Samuel 18:31 and 32 (Bible in Basic English). "And then the Cushite came and said, 'I have news for my lord the king: today the Lord has done right in your cause against all those who took up arms against you.' And the king said to the Cushite, 'Is the young man Absalom safe?' And the Cushite said in answer, 'May all the king's haters and those who do evil against the king, be as that young man is!'"

Then there was the incident in Numbers 18:32 (BBE) when ten of the twelve spies brought back discouraging news to Israel. "And they gave the children of Israel a bad account of the land they had been to see, saying, 'This land through which we went is a land causing destruction to those living in it; and all the people we saw there are men of more than common size.'"

But not all news reports were tainted with fear. In 1 Kings 10:6 (BBE), the  queen of Sheba came to Solomon to find out if what she heard was correct. "And she said to the king, 'The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true.'"

Of course the best news is the gospel. Like Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:30 (BBE), "The light of the eyes is a joy to the heart, and good news makes the bones fat."

If Christ hasn't come for us by Saturday, I'll feature a song based on the plane which dropped the first atomic bomb.

LEARNING THE REST OF THE STORY

In the summer of 1968, a band called People had a hit out called "I Love You."  Sharing the lead vocals was a young man named Larry Norman. I didn't know it at the time but he went on to become a pioneer of Christian rock music.

Ten years later,I discovered Larry Norman's solo album, Bootleg, at the public library in Edmonton. While listening to the double LP, I realized that he was the same person whose voice I heard a decade earlier. I confirmed it by looking at the line-up of band members on the People LP cover, a record my mom bought for me for a dollar back in 1974.

I've heard that the very day that "I Love You" hit number one in America, Larry quit the band. According to Wikipedia, most of the band members accepted Scientology. Larry had recently given his life to Christ so he left the group to pursue a solo career.

What was so significant about Larry's music for me? It showed that rock music was merely a tool and it could be used to spread the gospel. Many Christians insisted that it was the Devil's music and some even claimed I'd become possessed by a demon if I listened to it. Larry's lyrics showed me that those folks, sincere though they were, were mistaken.

Certainly music does effect one's mood. That has been demonstrated through experiments done on various people groups around the world. Even so, believing one can receive a demon merely by listening to rock music is superstitious nonsense.

I'm eternally grateful to Larry Norman. In spite of horrendous criticism from evangelical Christians and poor record sales, He persisted in making rock music with Christ-honouring lyrics. In spite of his weak heart and other health problems, he persisted with his vision of evangelizing and commenting on social issues through his distinctive musical style.

When I get to heaven or if Christ returns before I die, one of the first people I'll seek out is Larry. I want to thank him for giving me hope during a difficult time in my life. To learn more about this difficult time and how the heavenly father led me out of it, visit Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.

IT'S LIKE FINDING A LONG-LOST FRIEND

Have you ever heard a band and desperately wanted their music, yet no store stocked their albums? That's how I felt back in 1984 when a friend introduced me to a Los Angeles group called Daniel Amos. This Christian band didn't play the usual insipid music which my fellow church members offered me but real rock.

Back when I was a teenager, rock music was considered to be from the pit of hell. Some concerned Christians even warned me that the beat attracted demons and I might become possessed. How refreshing it was therefore when I discovered Larry Norman's music at the Edmonton Public Library in 1978. He wrote and sang genuine rock songs, not like the usual novelty attempts made by other bands to ride the religious pop gravy train. Larry was a committed Christian who put his complete trust in Jesus Christ.

Six years after that discovery, a preacher's son named Paul Morris introduced me to two wonderful Daniel Amos records. Not only did he play their Horrendous Disc and ¡Alarma! albums but he invited me to their concert while they were in Edmonton. I felt absolutely blown away at how fantastic the group's music was.

Though Paul made me a cassette copy of both albums, I still wished I owned the vinyl versions. Whenever I was at a Christian record store, I would enquire about Daniel Amos and get only blank stares from the clerks. As the years passed, my hope of finding even a used copy of Horrendous Disc or ¡Alarma! faded.

Only lately was I able to find the CD version of ¡Alarma! on Amazon and purchase it. To my delight, there was a second disc in the CD package containing unreleased tracks as well as alternate takes of the songs. Now I'm enjoying those memories of the summer of 1984 which the tunes bring to mind.

Since I know how to find even obscure artists on Amazon, I'm eager to buy all those albums which I taped or were given to me on cassette by friends. I've already bought many albums of German rock bands from the seventies and I hope to fill my shelves with many more memory-evoking recordings.

My love of obscure rock music and groups, considered wrongly as satanic, permeates my three memoirs. The first two are available from the Bruce Atchison's books page. How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity is stocked by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's Books, and Virtual Bookworm Publishers.

"WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE GOOD MUSIC?"

Christian rock pioneer, Larry Norman, expressed this sentiment in a song on his album called Just Visiting This Planet He received plenty of persecution because of his God-honouring tunes. Because many older Christians believed rock music would lead teenagers into hell, they condemned every form of it.

In my upcoming How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity memoir, I related how one church member took it upon herself to rectify my taste in music.

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In spite of my efforts to bring people to Thee Church, certain members fretted once more about my apparent lack of sanctification. Because I remained a fan of rock music and had already purchased several dozen LPs, they sought to rectify my musical tastes.

"I'm concerned about the music you're listening to," Sister Eileen began as we finished eating supper one Wednesday evening in August. "I've bought you this nice album of music for young people." She pulled a record out of a plastic shopping bag and handed it to me. "I'm sure you'll like it."

I frowned as I examined the contrived cover art on the album in my hands. "Thanks," I replied, though I felt little gratitude.

The record sounded far worse than I feared when I played it the next afternoon. The moralistic, goody-two-shoes tone of its ghastly tunes and skits set my teeth on edge. Whoever composed both tried to relate to teenagers, but it sounded mawkish. Only my duty as a friend to Sister Eileen kept me listening to both sides of the disk.

"So, what did you think of that record?" she asked at lunch after the Sunday service.

"Well," I stalled, "I certainly appreciate you buying it for me."

"Yes, but did you enjoy the music?"

"Well, it's really not what I like listening to," I mumbled as I stared at my lap.

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of how God revealed his true character to me after charismatic house church elders misled me for more than fifteen years. You're welcome to contact me directly for more information about this upcoming paperback.

"Why should the Devil have all the good music?"

Today's christian teens have access to a wide choice of God-honouring music. Thirty-five years ago, this genre was in its infancy. LPs by a handful of Christian rockers were often found only in a few specialty record shops. Apart from Sweathog and Ocean, the latter being a pop group, I heard no Christian acts on the local rock station. Through the Edmonton Public Library's record collection and a friend I met through the Full Gospel Fellowship International, I discovered that there were artists and groups who really rocked for the rock. Here are just a few of these pioneers.

Larry Norman, who passed away in February of 2008, has a website where his CDs are available for purchase. The stock keeps changing as his organization has limited editions of his albums pressed or burned to CD-R. Even so, Larry's music was ground-breaking and unique. He often received criticism from older Christians for his songs due to the popular belief that the beat was a Satanic influence on teens.

Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band and Rez, started out as part of a larger band called Charity in 1972. When the Jesus People community in Milwaukee split into four groups, the members moved to Chicago. As rock music was thought of as the Devil's tool by many Christian record companies, they had difficulty finding one that would sign them. They released two independent cassettes of hard rock before being signed to Star Song Records four years later. After going through stylistic and personnel changes, they broke up in 2000. The Resurrection Band site is inaccessible to screen readers but it has pictures of the group and audio of the band's music.

Stryper burst onto the music scene in the mid-eighties as a "white metal" overtly Christian band. Dressed in yellow and black, they often tossed Bibles into the audience during concerts. The group broke up in 1992, reforming and touring in 2003. Two years later, they recorded the album called Reborn and in 2009, they released Murder By Pride. Stryper, at the time of this writing, is still performing and touring. Samples of the two newest album tracks can be heard at the Stryper site. Information and photos of the band are also there.

Daniel Amos Band, also called D.A. or Da, formed in southern California, playing acoustic guitar music at coffee houses during 1974. They released their self-titled album two years later. Their 1977 LP, Shotgun Angel, showed the band's shift from country to rock stylings. The band went on to record rock albums such as Horrendous Disc and ¡Alarma! until some of the members started a side project called The Swirling Eddies in the late eighties. Daniel Amos came together again in the nineties for several more albums and concerts. Their music is still available at the Daniel Amos site.

In my upcoming memoir, How I Was Razed, I tell of how the cult church elders criticized me for the music I loved and how a handful of Christian rock records strengthened my faith. I also mentioned my passion for secular rock music in my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir. More information about it can be found at the Inscribe writers group page.