The Petra Zone

is mark farner famous?
i have his
"Wake up album."

He was. He was a well respected musician, in Grand Funk Railroad. Here is his website: http://www.markfarner.com/

Read the bio. It skirts the "Christian" part of his life. Doesn't say anything about the content specifically. Bummer.

Mark Farner is awesome!!! He was in my very favorite 70's rock band, Grand Funk. He started writing songs when he was just 16. I'm not sure, but I think he was just a teenager when he wrote I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home which was a huge song for Grand Funk. A short version of his testimony is below. He did Christian music for awhile in the 80's, which he called "God rock," but I think he is doing secular music again now....not sure. He voice is amazing to be 60 yrs. old!! So to answer your question, he WAS famous, as far as rock bands go.

THE TESTIMONY OF MARK FARNER
Well it started out in heaven. At least that´s what I believe, because that´s what the Holy Bible says. Since all scripture is inspired by God I believe that it is the only source of true instruction in righteousness and therefore the only authority by which those of us who long for truth and holiness can look for council.

This will be a very brief summary of some of the events leading to the total surrender of my will to the will of God, and to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

I was born in September 29th,1948. I was raised in the countryside to the east of Flint, Michigan. It was there I gained most of my love for the land and beauty of our Heavenly Father´s creation.

When I was nine years old my dad, who was a fireman of the city of Flint, died in a car/train wreck killing him and a fellow fireman instantly. After a few days it had become reality to me that he was really dead. That he was never gonna walk in that door again. It was then that I began to mourn his death. I remember my Aunt and Grandmother trying to console me but it wasn´t working. I had just lost the person I loved most the in the world.
I didn´t want anything to do with the love of any others.

One day I was watching T.V. and a Billy Graham crusade was being broadcast on a local channel. I was overtaken by what he was saying and when he asked all the people that were watching to pray with him, I did.

I know that Jesus came into my heart like I asked him to. Being so young and having no one to teach me the Bible or the ways of salvation. I ended up walking away from the Lord. He didn´t leave me, I left him. Life was hard and I did a lot of growning up real quick.

I began playing guitar when I was fifteen. I ended up with water on the knee as a result of a football injury. I was laid up for awhile so my mother bought me a guitar to help pass the time. At sixteen I began playing in a local band and I had adopted a lot of the band habits.

Eventually we started a three piece band called Grand Funk Railroad. The band became very successful and as a result we became very rich. After buying everything that money could buy and marrying a young girl,
I was shocked to find that one day she had left me. After a while I was sitting there crying in my beer and wondering what my two boys were going to do.I remembered the comfort that I had gotten from God when my Dad died. I began to look for God. I went from church to church but couldn´t find the comfort I needed.

Finally I went to the right one. As I sat there in the back row I knew God was there. Everything that the preacher said was like live rounds shot from the preacher´s mouth straight to my heart. When the sermon was over I went to the altar, and there I rededicated my life to Jesus.

I asked him to send my wife Leisha back to me. That afternoon in a city fifty miles away she was asking the Lord into her heart for the very first time. THAT´S GOD!

Today we are united in the spirit of the living God and striving together to glorify Him. I predict that we´re gonna live happily ever after.

ALL FOR JESUS,

Mark Farner