Grace to be Different to Make a Difference

I love the troublemakers – the square pegs religion tries to force into round holes. They see things differently. These rebels are crazy enough to think they can change the world, and they do!

Larry Norman was one of the crazy ones. Born in Texas, he grew up in the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco. Destined to be a hippy, he joined a band called “People,” a Christian band under contract to Capitol Records. Larry and “People” opened for secular giants The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and The Byrds. This is where Larry made a huge difference, and where the controversy was.

 He was under constant criticism from non-Christians wanting him to drop his faith in Jesus, and terrible protest by the church wanting him to drop his music, cut his hair, and become respectable. Larry kept churning out songs and strumming his guitar.

 Larry took Christianity into non-Christian cultures around the world. He was a missionary in the truest sense of the word. I was thrilled when my band opened for him when his tour came to Dallas. We were not close friends, but we shared a stage and sat in the same booth at IHOP.  Larry, regarded as the “father of Christian rock” was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame.

 Before he died, Larry wrote a letter in which he said something deeply prophetic: “I feel like a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks with God’s hand reaching down to pick me up.”

 Larry was God’s surprise to a world deeply in need of a rebel to bring music and ministry out of the religious realm of the Frozen Chosen. So, hats off to the rebels who use their gifts to serve God and save sinners. I don’t know if you realize this, but the rebels, misfits, and strays are my tribe – and if you’re reading this, it means you! Like Larry, dare to be different to make a difference! When you feel like you don’t fit in, remember this is not your home. You are just an ambassador traveling through. Represent Jesus well but be yourself and give glory to God!