Our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Legacy of Music and Trusting the Lord” is Christian singer Larnelle Harris, whose music career has spanned five decades and earned him five Grammy Awards and 11 Dove Awards.
His life of faith and music all started with his piano teacher, Ms. Georgie, who encouraged him to believe in his voice and to use it for God’s glory. She once told Larnelle, “You can do this. You’re good. It’s out there. And you can get it.”
Along the way, Larnelle’s journey with God survived many ups and downs, like when Larnelle was a child and his dad got arrested and spent time in prison. Thanks to the faithful prayer of Larnelle’s mother, his dad came out with new hope and greater purpose. Larnelle now says that most of the good in his life is the result of watching his mom and dad turn bad situations around through prayer.
That same faith strengthened his own belief in God and turned him into – literally – a powerful voice for the Lord.
His commitment to faith was influenced largely by a man named Stan Morris, who shared the Gospel with Larnelle. He didn’t accept Jesus that first time, but after he graduated from college, an unusual experience sparked his belief.
It involved 10 miles of new, flat highway constructed between Danville, KY and Stanford, KY, and Larnelle’s desire for speed. He remembers going fast enough that his knuckles hurt from holding the steering wheel so tightly. When he feared losing control, he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. That’s about the time a state trooper pulled in behind him and told him, “Kid, you could have killed yourself. It’s a good thing you stopped because I wasn’t going to kill myself to save you.”
In that moment, Stan Morris’ explanation of the Gospel rang true to Larnelle. The officer had no desire to risk his life for Larnelle, but Jesus had gone to the cross and given Himself to save him.
In the song “I’ve Just Seen Jesus,” a duet he sings with gospel singer Sandi Patty, is this line: “All that I’ve done before doesn’t matter anymore.” Why? Because Jesus is alive and has covered it all. He wants to come into your heart and bring it alive again.
Hear Larnelle’s story on your local radio station, online, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.
For deeper insight into the Christian faith, you may be interested in a free online booklet we’ve written called, “Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God’s Family,” which explains what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Larnelle Harris’s book Shaped Notes: How Ordinary People with Extraordinary Gifts Influenced My Life and Career is available for a gift of any amount. Click here or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
