In 1962, I started writing song lyrics.  A few years later I started my own publishing company, on a non-profit basis.  It has been a very successful company.  After all these years I have not made 5 cents of profit.  Often, I have to question the wisdom of continuing on when it seems like all I am doing is spending money.  I balanced this fact with two other things:  (1) I write for my own pleasure and (2) I may say something that will reach just one person, and who can put a price on that? 

   In early 1972 I wrote the lyrics for That Jesus loves Me feeling  and my good friend and co-writer, Billy Stone wrote the music.  During the National Quartet Convention, in Nashville, TN, we played the song for Jim Hamill of the The Kingsmen Quartet of Ashville, NC. Jim liked the song and it was recorded in October 1972.

   My father died in October 1994. Just recently my sister shared some information with me that she was previously unable to.  That Jesus Loves Me Feeling was Pop’s favorite song.  He sang it a lot.  In the last few weeks of his life, Pop did not know who he was or where he was.

Nonetheless, he remembered the lyrics to my song.  One of the nurses at the Nursing Home  told my sister:  “He’s been singing that Jesus song all day.”  Pop was taken to the hospital for an emergency one night before he died, and as my sister was walking into the emergency room, she was able to locate him by the song he was singing.

   Now comes the amazing part.  I was never been able to discuss salvation with Pop.  He steadfastly refused to let me go in that direction.  I felt like perhaps somehow, someway I had failed him.  All my efforts were unsuccessful.  When I learned how much Pop had sung the song during his final days, what joy filled my heart.  As I closely read the lyrics I came to realize it was in fact a song of confession.  You read the lyrics and decide for your self.  Could a person on his death bed sing that song and not be blessed by God?  The third line of the chorus reads:

“Salvation is mine, it can’t be denied”.  I know that our loving and forgiving God said:  Come home, my son, your salvation can’t be denied”. To God be the glory, great things he has done.

GEORGE WELLS

June 24, 2004