Music & Songs

I had been married only a year or so to my certified angel when I visited a hospital to see my newest nephew-in-law "Tommy". Here was one beautiful child! Dreaming of the day my wife and I could be so blessed, on the way home the Holy Spirit sent me this song. It was the first song he ever sent me, and I had no clue where it came from. I literally ran from the car into my home to frantically write all the words down before I would miss them. Thanks Tom, for being my first "inspiration".

This song came to me as a young man with my firstborn in my home. A home bigger than I felt I deserved. In a job I didn't believe I was smart enough for. Holding a son too handsome and precious for an emerging alcoholic/atheist to guide appropriately. Lots of confusion in this song. Honest confusion. Sincerely, some still exists for this old man who has been blessed with far more than he feels he ever deserved. Is this God good or what? Today I am so proud of Son #1. His Mom raised him well. He has turned out so admirably, and is one great husband and father. I still hope to shake the thought of sometimes believing the best model I provided for him was showing him what not to do with his most important relationships.

This song carries a story too long for a card — a night by my wife's side during childbirth with uneasy time in the hospital's chapel, a Bible verse no scholar can locate, and a song that arrived way before I was a believer. Go to the "Song to an angel" tab to read the expanded story of this song. What a night! I will wait here. Then go to the link below to enjoy the song. Oh, Son #2? Another great husband and dad.

See the full story from this link

Within a couple weeks of moving into our 4th home, a home more expensive than I ever imagined owning, as a member of and living on one of the most premier golf courses in the Pacific Northwest, this song showed up. I questioned my qualifications for that home. I questioned a lot from successes I was having, challenging a base of little self confidence. The exterior was confident, the interior was weak and shallow. "Liquid courage" was a major asset at the time, on a slow progression from a mistakingly swallowed asset to a major debilitating liability. Yes, pride in my family also kept me strong, and that comes through in this song.

My wife says this is favorite all time song. Neener neener Elvis!. It began with an incredible dream — sliding down a waterslide, on my back, headfirst, crazy scared, surrounded by a crowd straight out of Zorba the Greek shouting "you will be fine, trust that, you will be OK!" Then landing gently in some huge dude's lovingly soft hands (if I had only known then just how huge). The dream was a perfect metaphor for my life. The Holy Spirit was filling the room that night, playing with the wording of AA Step 3 (made a decision to turn my will and my life over to God) and handing me the title. The song did not show up that night. On my two-year sobriety birthday, I was flying from Portland to Redmond, Oregon. That flight is twenty minutes wheels up to wheels down. Right after takeoff, this song showed up. I hastily wrote it all down before landing. When it came in, it was clear the "Thee" could be either my wife — who was clearly the song's inspiration — or God. The words work for both. Clever, Holy Spirit.

More than any other song, the Holy Spirit wanted me to hear, accept and sing this one. Major change happened when this came in. I got the title months before the words arrived — one early morning in a hotel on a short staycation with the angel I live with. Every addict controls their entire world totally around their addiction. I had the sun, all the planets, my family, my job, my friends — everything revolving around my addiction. No one and nothing else had more priority. My best synonym for "addict" is "selfish". The day the title arrived I began to "wonder every day if there's a world outside my own". There is. And it is so much more beautiful watching and admiring all my new-found friends whose world is now more important to me than any of the false worlds my addiction created. "This selfish soul has found some peace by breaking through."

This song's title and "A World Outside My Own" came at about the same time, and so did the words for both — in a hotel room one early morning. Such a simple message. Like the "Thee" in "I Will My Life to Thee," as the words came in I was confused whether the "you" was my angel wife or God. Doesn't matter. I never found myself while looking inside or staring at the fool in the mirror — which I found empty. Power, energy, inspiration, motivation, honesty, clarity, faith and so much more come from gratefully accepting that you > me. Bless you two and y'all.

This one was fun. I was staying in a very pushy former professional athlete's timeshare in St. George, Utah. He was not there. This man had pushed me into my first Bible Study I reluctantly attended, and pushed me into starting a Men's Christian group of golfers when I had no experience at all for that role. Push, push, push. I was on the phone with him and he was asking me how I write songs. I arrogantly stated, "I bet I could write a song a day if I just woke up every day, found my prayer closet and just waited for the song to show up." He said, "DO THAT! Write me a song in the morning and send me the words by 9:00." "Fine," I said, as I was hanging up. So stupid! I awoke the next day, grabbed a pen and paper, sat in his condo kitchen and waited. And waited. We had been reading "Resisting Happiness" by Matthew Kelly. READ IT! It speaks of how we sabotage our potential every day by resisting happiness. So I started doing that. "I can't write a song today, it's just another morning." "Why did I tell that big oaf I would send a song, I can't do that, it's just another morning." I bet you get it. In came the song, on just another morning. About 10 minutes later I sent it to my pushy friend. God bless his soul.

Finally, this website's signature song, and my own personal favorite. If you have not followed the "Why MyEmptyPrayer" tab, it tells the whole story — please do it now. I'll wait. One of the pictures at the front of this website is from the Empty Cross in Kerrville, TX. One great holy place! The inside of that cross visually wraps this song's words for me The total feeling of peace and gratitude I felt the day this song's title showed up is a memory I will savor forever. God has so blessed one formerly totally lost soul — the depth of emotion cannot be expressed. I approach that same peaceful place every time I sing this song. First do a total in-depth review of your own gratitude list, then enjoy this song. Bless you.

Trusting in the Lord with all your heart demands patience. So often we fail to understand or respect His timing. While attending a mid-west university approaching over 60 years ago, a dorm mate and I created a calming acoustical guitar melody. And over those years I never had a name for the song. While in an addiction recovery center 15 years ago, I found that the Serenity Prayer PERFECTLY fit the very end of that tune. Zero change to the melody was needed. So I have Accepted the Courage and His Wisdom to include the end of that melody with that wonderful prayer.

With My Serenity Prayer song I noted that while in recovery I realized that the Serenity Prayer perfectly fit an acoustic melody a dorm mate and I created over 50 years ago. A few years into recovery I then discovered that the Lord's Prayer fits in there even better. Enjoy. Oh, by the way, the lyrics are not among my originals. 😇

As you can hear from the two prior songs, a 60+ year acoustic melody I created with a friend in college fit well with a couple God-blessed prayers. Here is the entire original melody, again with the Serenity Prayer included at the end. Bob, if you are on this site and recognize our tune here, PLEASE reach out. Would love to connect. And yes, I know you initiated and contributed greatly to this tune. Thanks so much for the inspirational gift of your time and talent. And yes, you know Paul was not my name then.

Thanks for getting this far. Time for comic relief. I have this friend Chuck, and my wife and I went on some road trips with his wife and him. He drove the whole way. And insisted on having real old Glenn Miller and similar sleepy music on the radio the entire trip. Boring!!! I would declare, "Chuck, you have to upgrade to country music. They have absolutely the best song writers. Like my favorite ever line was 'I just fell from her favor, 'cause the only ring I gave her, was the one she had to scrub around the tub.' Now THAT's great song writing." So every time a new country song would come out with a cute line, I would call or text Chuck and jab his brain. One day I get a call. "Paul, I have a song title for you. I was playing golf with a friend today and could tell he was not himself. So I asked him if he was OK." "No," was his response. "My wife and I had a huge fight last night. And we never fight. Get this — we were on the couch for about 10 minutes, both giving each other the silent treatment. All the sudden she pokes me on the shoulder and blares, 'I want you to take back what you just didn't say to me.'" The song showed up on about hole 11 on the golf course the next day. All I had to write on was a scorecard. The words filled the scorecard by the end of hole 12. Chuck still prods me for royalties. Dream on, friend.

I was running a chain saw about 3 years ago. Not a big one, but I was trimming some trees in my yard. lt was getting away from me. I was getting concerned, appropriately determining that I was too old to be doing this safely. Then a wonderful feeling came over me. I thought then declared, "This is the last time in my life I am ever going to be seen running a chain saw." After I also made a self-declaration about a tall ladder, I realized I had some good fodder for a fun song. My Upside Down Bucket List of things I never ever plan to do again. This one I might have actually written myself, over time. At church one morning awaiting its start, my wife said "give me your book, I have another linefor your bucket list song." "I'll never more walk alone" appropriately ends this song and sums up my life's joy now. Thanks for that one, dear angel. And thanks for loving me through it all, sweetheart. And thank you Jesus.

I haven't received a song in a while. Which means I have been stifling my brain's antenna recently. Got some thoughts to develop, each of these could be a song. Being a former atheist-wanna-be, it is easy for me to relate to non-believers. I now have one simple question for them: "Do you think you will rot in a box for eternity, or is there even a small chance that you actually have a soul — one that could live on?" I understand now that when I was trying to be an atheist, I rejected the God concept, simply denying His existence. In that state, my learning stopped. Obviously, I knew it all. Once I became willing — even barely willing — to believe I actually might have a soul, one that (maybe, just maybe) could live on after this aging body stops, that willingness opened an endless flood of new learning opportunity, intuition, understanding, and yes, FAITH in all that things could be. Fresh learning and healthy inquisitiveness sprung out of one dreadfully closed mind. I believe my church when it tells me "humans are not bodies with a soul attached. We are first and foremost spiritual beings, very temporarily (and I believe only partially) stuck inside a constantly changing body." ...and more similar thoughts awaiting the words from one amazing Holy Spirit.

I love my sister-in-law Tina. At the time I was arrested for drunk driving 15 years ago, she was the principal of the Catholic School in that town. For years she had been lovingly telling me that I was doomed as a non-believer. I had been lying on a very cold prison floor for about 8 hours, scared as hell and completely broken, when the jailer shouted out "Paul! Do you know someone named Tina? Well she is coming here to pick you up!" As I say in AA meetings, I immediately said my first-ever prayer. "Oh God NO, don't send Tina!!!" I was certain I would get into her car and she would fire both God barrels at me saying "see, I told you so, you wretched scumbag! You are doomed for sure now!" While guessing that was her initial thought, her God planned otherwise. After about 10 minutes of silence in the car, she offered "Paul, you are not going to understand what I am about to tell you. But you are going to turn this event into the best thing that has ever happened to you." I shouted "What God are you listening to??? I just got arrested, I will lose my job, my kids aren't talking to me already, my wife is about to file for divorce...you are crazy!!!". About two months later, including 30 days in a recovery facility, I went back to that town to write Tina a note, expressing my deep gratitude for her God given wisdom. She was so right. Sitting at my table, I started to write "dear Tina." Then I noticed my arrest warrant hanging out of my briefcase. Did not even know it was in there. Purely a God thing. I read it. So "dear Tina" became "dear Detective Harris... thank you for saving my life. You took a true threat to society off the streets that night, saving his life and possibly others." I related my Tina story to him. Endless thanks to Tina and Detective Harris. In these thoughts is a song or two. Are you listening, Holy Spirit? I am now ready again. Thanks Detective Harris. God has blessed you Tina.