July 2010
It is such an honor to
have you return to the site once again.
I will be reporting on the death of a dear
Christian brother who went home to be with
Jesus. In light of his passing, I will share
the importance of believing in Jesus for
eternal life. As Jesus prayed, "...this
is eternal life, that they may know You,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent."1
Norman Ezell's Passing...
 On
May 8, 2010, Norman Ezell stepped into the
arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
"For we know that when this earthly
tent we live in is taken down--when we die
and leave these bodies--we will have a home
in heaven, an eternal body made for us by
God Himself and not by human hands...For
we will not be spirits without bodies, but
we will put on new heavenly bodies...Yes,
we are fully confident, and we would rather
be away from these bodies, for then we will
be at home with the Lord."2
I met Norman in 1966, where
he and four other men played in a rock band
known as the "Five Americans."
They were riding the wave of Beatle mania,
with their forty hits like "I
See The Light" and "Western
Union." Then, in 1977, a couple
of years after we were both saved, we met
again when he visited the prison chapel
with Teen Challenge as
a music minister. It wasn't long until we
were best friends. In 1979, he was my best
man.
Over the years, Norman
visited me often. He will be deeply missed,
yet I rejoice in this: I know he no longer
has to imagine what heaven is like. He is
experiencing the "gloryland,"
that he sang about in his music. You can
listen to his song "Gloryland"
and others on this site. We hope to help
continue his ministry in some small way.
For a complete obituary on Norman's passing,
click
here.
What's Most Important?
Most of us would agree
that our physical health is very important.
The body is the vehicle that transports
our soul and spirit on earth. Without question,
the Scriptures tell us that our body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit,3
and we are to do things that promote physical
health, such as a proper diet, exercise,
and good medical care.
Our spiritual heart or
inner man is even more important. It is
made up of our spirit and soul [the mind,
will, and emotions]. The condition of our
inner man has a great deal to do with our
physical health. In the beginning, "...the
Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground
[body] and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life [spirit]; and man became
a living soul."4
Because of the fall of
Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3, the heart
of man suffered spiritual death, "...sin
entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men."5
As a result, "...the wages [price]
of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life through Christ Jesus our
Lord."6
Our spiritual rebirth through
receiving the gift of eternal life is most
important because our spirit and soul lives
forever as children of the light,7
or in spiritual darkness.8
Jesus said, "For what will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul."9
The soul is the real person, who will live
forever in heaven or hell. To have all that
the world has to offer yet not have Christ
is to be eternally bankrupt. All the world's
goods will not compensate for losing one's
soul eternally.
The Children of the Light
In the '60s, Norman and
I were sinners. It was all about drugs,
sex, and rock 'n roll. He did not break
all the Ten Commandments like myself, but
by breaking even one, the price was still
death. When we saw that Jesus paid the price
that we owed for our sin, we took God up
on the free gift by surrendering our lives
to Him. We were tired of our foolish behavior,
and the consequences of our sin.
Norman is in heaven now,
leaving his music
to bless us. Here are the lyrics of one
of his songs, "Children of the Light."
We are children of the
day, we don't follow any crooked way,
we are righteous, we are holy, we are
pure.
We don't care what the
heathen may say,we pray to God an hour
a day, we love Jesus and with patience
we endure.
Peter walked upon the
water, 'till he lost his faith and sank
beneath the waves. How we feel doesn't
matter, put your trust in Jesus, He's
the only one who saves.
Paul was beaten and imprisoned.
Peter was crucified upside down. James
was beheaded for the Gospel. If we die
for Jesus, we'll wear a golden crown.
We are children of the
day, we don't follow any crooked way,
we are righteous, we are holy, we are
pure.
Here's another, one called "Hand to
the Plow."
Jesus said we would have troubles in
this world. Life would sometimes treat
us unkind, but I've got my hand to the
plow, dear Lord, and I'm not even looking
behind.
Satan comes sneaking with lies everyday,
trying to mess with my mind, but I've
got my hand to the plow, dear Lord, and
not even looking behind.
I am a sower in the garden of my Father,
reaping and healing the blind, and I've
got my hand to the plow, dear Lord, and
I'm not even looking behind.
The harvest is plenteous and the laborers
are few, everyone says give me what's
mind, but I've got my hand to the plow,
dear Lord, and I'm not even looking behind.
One day I'll see Him in the sweet by
and by, the crown of righteousness will
be mine, and I've got my hand to the plow,
dear Lord, and I'm not even looking behind.
I fell in love with the Spirit of God behind
Norman's song lyrics, like many of his friends
and those that he reached in ministry. He
was singing the testimony of Jesus Christ,
about His cleansing blood, and the Holy
Spirit living within us to bring forth power,
love, and a sound mind.10
Still today, the message of God's amazing
grace rings loud and clear through his music
and testimony, though he is absent from
the body, and present with the Lord.
"For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life."11
A Prayer For You ...
Heavenly Father, I want
to surrender my life to Your plan like Norman
and Charles did. I believe that You sent
Your Son Jesus to take my sin, guilt and
pain upon Himself, so that I could be made
right with You. I believe my sins are completely
forgiven because of the precious blood of
Jesus. I believe that You raised Jesus from
the dead, and I confess Jesus as Lord with
my mouth. Forgive me for trying to save
myself by my own works. I turn to You with
all my heart, and trust only the finished
work of Calvary. Thank you for this awesome
gift of eternal life. Thank you for taking
up residence in my heart and for inviting
me into Your glorious kingdom. I commit
my life to serving before Your throne forever.
Amen.
More From Norman ...
Norman Ezell My
Story: pt1
pt2
pt3
pt4
pt5
Scripture References:
Acknowledgement: A special thanks
to Sherry for transcribing this months view!
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