In the Morning of My Life

by Tom Netherton, Marie Chapian

Tom Netherton is probably one of the most normal, clean-cut, wholesome young men you will ever his father, an army officer with a distinguished service career—mother, a loving, devoted homemaker a handsome brother and two beautiful sisters—doting grandparents and loyal friends. Nr. Nice Guy! Why then did Torn battle loneliness and despair? Why did a thread of restless discontent weave itself through the fabric of his life? Questions nagged at him through his early school days and on into high school life, where he began to discover his musical talent. Enlistment in the U. S. Army brought rapid advances, but Tom still struggled under a cloud of doubt concerning his own worth. Who was he, really? Would his life ever make a difference, would he amount to anything? And why didn't any of his successes bring lasting satisfaction? When the army sent Torn to Panama; he went with a strong sense of destiny, as if Panama would be a turning point in his life. Then a friend invited him to a local church to hear Major Ian Thomas speak—and with the touch of God's Spirit, Tom found his destiny. For as long as I could remember, I had wanted my life to count for something. When I discovered my life actually did count and that I was an important person, it was not because of my accomplishments or my good life. My life counted because it belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ, every moment and every part of it. That is what gave me true identity.

Genres: Biography

Paperback

Published February 1, 1981

Reviews

[Lance Lumley]

Netherton was one of the popular singer on the Lawrence Welk show, singing gospel and other classic songs on the television show. When I found the book through my library's inter loan system, I was excited to read it.
There isn't much here that hasn't already been known, and since it is a short read, like the Welk-penned books, you could get through it in a day or two. The fact that some of these singers are largely forgotten by many, it was good to read about his life, but I preferred the books Lawrence wrote instead which combined more stories about the cast.

[DumDum]

Nope, never read this. My dad gave me this book for my 22 birthday when I attended the U of O. It seems he was fearful about the salvation of my soul. Tom Netherton was a singer on the Lawrence Welk show. I was a vocal performance major. He also became a born again christian.
My dear Father, God rest his soul. What 22 year old in 1984 wanted to read about the salvation of one of the champagne singers? I guess dear old dad had never heard of Iggy Pop or the Violent Femmes.

[Linda Klager]

Good book.

[Zazzy]

For Netherton's fans, this is the best source of information about his life. But more than an autobiography, this is a chronicle of the singer's spiritual journey, from aimlessness to a Christ-centered purposefulness. Netherton's life story is much more engrossing and emotional than one might expect. The most pleasing aspect of this book is the wholesome feeling it leaves with you -- the knowledge that there's a famous, touring singer out there who doesn't have raunchy tales of the road to shock us with.