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Post Info TOPIC: a tribute to Larry
Chuck

Date:
a tribute to Larry
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I first saw Larry in the summer of 1972 on 8th Avenue in mid-town Manhattan.  It was an event that changed my life forever.  The whole city was buzzing because that summer the Newport Jazz Festival was held in NYC spread out through all the main venues (MadisonSquareGarden, RadioCityMusic Hall, etc.)  I was with a friend attending the Jazz Festival, but as we walked down
8th Avenue
, a girl just outside CalvaryBaptistChurch handed me a flyer with a picture of this long haired hippie with a guitar and a "one way" sign on his shirt.  It was an invitation to come back for a concert that afternoon.   

 

Could it be a contemporary artist singing a Christian message?  I'd never dreamed that could even be a possibility.  I left my friend, skipped out on the next jazz session to join a small band of young people who heard Larry that afternoon. I was spellbound at his simple but ingenious ways of communicating the Christian message.  He spoke to the real issues of the street people of my day.  Like something I'd never heard.  It gave me a vision for the rest of my life.   

 

How could such a brief encounter be so life-changing? Just about two months before this I was in college just east of Nashville, playing with a local band.  That spring, I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.  When my dad introduced me to him I knew he was real and he instantly changed my life.  I knew from that moment that all my questions were answered in him. But I was a rocker and it was the early 70's.  Where could I find a church that would accept me?  I had a new relationship with God but no where to go where I fit in.   God led me straight to Larry that afternoon and I discovered the Jesus movement.  And I knew from that moment on that my life was headed for full time ministry.

 

Although Larry's life was plagued with injury, illness, and sometimes misunderstandings, his life was totally committed to the sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And I consider myself part of the fruit of his ministry.  I could never place a value on his influence in my life.  During the early 90's I met him in Santa Cruz back stage during one of his concerts where I was able to tell him this story and give him a big "thank you" hug. 

 

Last Sunday morning, while I was stirring in my sleep preparing to preach in the morning services of the church where I am the pastor, Larry slipped away to be with the Lord.  Though we are sad he's left us, we rejoice that he is now with the Lord, and no doubt tuning up to play in that "heavenly band" he sang about,  probably with guys like Keith Green, Mark Heard, and Rich Mullins. 

 

For the past two years with my own band I've sung Larry's songs on the street, and in local coffee houses.  Although we will miss him so much, his message continues through my own ministry today not just in my music, but even in how I seek to proclaim the Word of God every week in a way that touches people where they live.   Thank you Larry, and in the words of one of my favorite songs, "Good bye, farewell, we'll meet again.  Somewhere beyond the sky."

May God bless and comfort Larry's family and friends at this time.

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wayne williams

Date:
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Chuck...

Were you aware that the cd Restless in Manhatten is the recording of that Sunday afternoon concert from July 1972?  It brings back memories and smiles from that afternoon!  What a concert!  Check it out...it's available on Larry's website...




Charles & Kristin...

My family is praying for you and your family, and we thank you for making it possible to be with Larry in NYC last summer...it was a week we'll never forget!

Blessings & prayers...

Wayne, Doris, Kate-Lynn, Dana, & April



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