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:

1 John 17:3
2 2 Cor. 5:1,3,8
3 1 Cor. 3:16, 17
4 Gen. 2:7
5 Rom. 5:12
6 Rom. 6:23
7 Eph. 5:6-8
8 Jude 6, 7
9 Mark 8:36
10 2 Tim. 1:7
11 John 3:16

Acknowledgement: A special thanks to Sherry for transcribing this months view!