Paul is a Founding Father of Tikkun Global
Jacksonville, FL

Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. At age nine my Jewish dad handed me a Sears Silvertone guitar that would mold and direct my life and future in more ways than I could have imagined. Writing and recording music in real studios in Manhattan while still a teenager made it clear that music would be more than just a hobby for me. I went on to major in music at a prestigious undergrad college in Cleveland, Ohio where I gained a love for opera and sacred Jewish music, and then studied privately in Milan, Italy for a time. Back to Cleveland to teach high school vocal music and guitar classes for two years, and then on to Indiana University for a Master’s degree to polish up my vocal skills before looking for stages to work on.
It was during a reluctant Sunday morning ‘date’ with my attractive accompanist that my life would take a dramatic turn. The only reason I was in church that day was because I was interested in the young lady sitting next to me. There I was, minding my own business, when I heard a sound. A young man about my age (27ish) had come to the stage to sing a ‘special’ to open the service. I was being moved by what I heard, but I wasn’t exactly sure why! I could tell that he was singing to someone he actually knew, not just someone he had heard about. I remembered singing Hebrew in the Temple choir sitting next to the Cantor, but not ever feeling this kind of ‘closeness’ to God.
The feeling I had that morning was strangely comfortable and yet unsettling. I wanted to hear more, but the visitor left the building and the service was over. I returned to the church auditorium several Sunday evenings after this experience and asked some folks where I could find the young man whose song had stirred my soul.
No one seemed to know who I was asking about, so I dropped the inquiry. Then one Sunday evening the pastor made me an offer I couldn’t refuse; a free dinner! All I had to do was sign the attendance pad and I would be assigned to a church family for next Sunday night’s dinner. The dormitory cafeteria was always closed Sunday night, and so a free meal was absolutely the best way into the heart of a starving graduate student putting himself through school.
As I prepared to visit my hosts’ home the next Sunday evening for my free meal, I had no idea what to expect. I walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the apartment door, and what?...there he was…the young man who had sung the song and moved me so many weeks before! I couldn’t believe my eyes! “It’s you!” I said, with my jaw hanging wide open, enough to capture any fly in the vicinity. After dinner we spoke at length, but not about music as much as the reason for singing. Another week later I was riding with Jerry and a couple of his friends from church on a fishing trip to Bumpus Mills, Tennessee. That night before bed Jerry shared his personal testimony with me. I knew this was what I was looking for my whole life…a reason to sing! Early the next morning on a walk by the river I met Yeshua. I offered Him my life and my song; He accepted, and now I travel the world to make music that moves the hearts of men.