“Receive Him”

The story behind the song “Receive Him”

In the summer of 2023 I was sitting in our motorhome at the lake when I started thinking about a friend of mine, who was living far away, and his cancer had come back. He had been struggling on and off with it for quite some time. I had been thinking about him a lot. I had a song rolling around in my head for several days. I sent him a rough draft of the song with just me on acoustic and my vocal.

This was my note to him that day.

“My dearest friend. Lots of dark news coming our way. So here’s a little light coming yours. Because you’ve had enough dark days for one man to bare. I’m not a preacher. I’ve never witnessed, or testified or preached to anyone. It’s not my way of sharing my beliefs. But I’ve been told that I have a gift of music. So I’m sharing it with you today. I don’t need to tell you who, or what inspired it. I am writing a gospel album, that’s no secret. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been on this journey for several years. One thing I do know moving forward. I don’t ever want to say “I wish I would have sent this song to “my friend” when I had the chance.” So here it is for what it’s worth.

I love you my Brother. Praying for you whether you want it or not.

I received a wonderful heartfelt reply from him a few days later….

“Dear Real. 

From the bottom of my heart to the tip of my soul, I’d love to thank you for your words of kindness and inspiration. Your prayers mean everything to me and I will carry them with me throughout this journey. They will motivate me to fight harder, and although I am not a deeply religious man, I am a man of Christ. I am so happy that you sent your thoughts and prayers when you had the chance to do so, and when I had the chance to love and appreciate them.

Thank you again, brother.”

He passed away a few months later.