Larry Norman
When Ed Peace posted on Facebook the other day the information of how I turned my life over to Jesus while listening to this album, I was at first amazed that he remembered this at all. It had to be over 20 or 25 years ago that I had told him that story. The next thought was that when I got home I was going to grab that CD and listen to it again which I have done several times over the last couple of days. More times than I think Kathy can tolerate but she has not complained out loud at least.
You see, July 7, 1985 was the most important day in my life but the back story begins much earlier. First of all, I grew up in a Christian home with a mom and dad that were dedicated to living out their faith. At an early age my brother Rod introduced me to some great Christian music and Larry Norman’s In Another Land was one of the first albums I ever purchased. It reminded me of Abbey Road both stylistically as well as in the way that it used numerous songs in non-stop medley’s moving seamlessly from song to song. The songs were so well written and produced that even as a non-Christian I would listen to this album time and time again making it a staple in my life.
While I won’t go into detail of my life after I moved to Atlanta in 1983, in late March of 1985 I was arrested for a DUI. Since the statute of limitations has long passed I can admit that I was fortunate that was all I was cited for because I was wearing clothes with a lot of pockets and had an eight ball on me divided up into single gram packages. They could have easily hit me up for a lot more than a DUI. For some reason, the officers never searched me and I flushed everything down the toilet once they put me in a cell.
Within what seemed like a half hour, everyone that was in the jail that night had been bailed out except for me. I was stuck there for almost 24 hours all alone in complete silence with nothing to do but think. I honestly believe that fire and brimstone would be nothing compared to the torment of the thought for all of eternity of “How did I wind up here? I know better!” because that is all that ran through my head for the entire time and the thought haunted me relentlessly for the next few months.
Fast forward to Friday, July 5 and I decided to make the trek to the Cumberland Grove Wesleyan Campgrounds in Jamestown, TN where I went to camp meetings growing up over the 4th of July week for my entire childhood. I do not remember who the evangelist was that year. I don’t remember what he spoke on. I don’t remember what old friends I ran into and what we talked about or did. What I do remember is the drive home to Atlanta that Sunday night or at least the first part of the drive. As I headed south on Highway 127 I popped in the first cassette I laid my hands on which was Larry Norman’s In Another Land. For those of you under the age of thirty, a cassette was an ancient method for storing audio data and replaying it on your mobile device which today would be known as an iWalkman.
I probably was singing right along as I always do to “The Rock That Doesn’t Roll” but at some point I began to just listen to the words and I was relating to the lyrics in a way I never had before. I had searched all around the world to find a place of peace and there was none to be found. I had searched for a grain of truth and there was no truth in my life. I was a good person and I was a righteous rocker. After all, I listened to Christian music here and there and I went to church from time to time but without love you ain’t nothing and I was definitely without love.
Then the big bomb suddenly dropped: Now think back to when you were a child, your soul was free, your heart ran wild. Each day was different and life was a thrill. You knew tomorrow would be better still. But things have changed you’re much older now. If you’re unhappy and you don’t know how, why don’t you look into Jesus? He’s got the answer.
I had tried everything else to no avail. Why don’t you look into Jesus? I knew all about Him, but I didn’t know Him. Why don’t you look into Jesus? I could quote verses about Him, but I didn’t follow Him. I didn’t trust Him with my life. Why don’t you look into Jesus? I knew who He claimed to be but I didn’t look to Him for meaning and purpose in life. Why don’t you look into Jesus? He’s got the answer.
When the next song started, “I Am A Servant”, I broke down in tears and began to pray. I don’t remember the words I prayed. I don’t even remember driving home. The next thing I realized I was in my driveway at home in Atlanta and my life had changed. I was a new creation and for the first time in my life I knew that I was serving Jesus Christ and He was my friend and I had given Him the key to my life and that He was driving from that point forward.
While I have had the chance to meet and speak with many Christian artists through the years, I never got the opportunity to meet Larry Norman before he passed away and to tell him how instrumental he was in leading me to Christ. Still I believe that he is in heaven today and he knows the impact of his faithfulness on me that Sunday night. Oh sure, there were many others after that night in jail through that camp meeting in July that dropped seeds all around me but Larry was the one that got to bring in the harvest and as a result this album holds a special place in my heart. This album ushered me into a relationship that changed my life forever and for that I will be forever grateful to Larry Norman. Someday I’ll have the chance to thank him face to face, In Another Land.
Rick E. France
A Musical Retrospective 