Before he would become the host of the historic Haven of Rest radio program, Paul Myers stuffed his shoes with cardboard and newspaper to fill their soggy holes as he set out on the long walk home from San Diego to Los Angeles. Upon first glance, he would have looked like a vagabond. But if you looked closer, you’d see a man with renewed strength. He was determined to make things right.
Just hours before, Myers was stumbling along the San Diego harbor. Having drunk his way out of every radio job he held in Los Angeles, he also found himself estranged from his wife and family.
Feeling alone and abandoned, it seemed like the end of his story had just begun.
Suddenly, the sound of a ship’s bells caught his attention. Realizing it was Sunday morning, he decided to go to church. But even there, no one spoke to him or approached him.
Discouraged, he went back to his tiny flophouse room and opened a Gideon Bible. Later, he would recall, “I don’t remember reading one verse. I just opened it and knelt down and told the Lord, ‘If you can use me, I will serve you.’”
Using the rest of the money he had on hand, Myers sent a telegram to his wife saying, “Your prayers answered, I’m coming home.”
Fortunately, he didn’t have to walk the full 100+ miles home because of two generous drivers who picked him up and drove him much of the way. The next morning, Myers told his wife he wanted to start the Haven of Rest, a Christian radio program with a quartet and pipe organ. And he wanted to do it in 30 days.
He quickly found a first and second tenor, but not a baritone and base. One Saturday morning, Myers drove to Southern California Bible Institute (now Vanguard University). Most of the students were either at work or had gone home for the weekend, but, as he pulled up, he saw two young men standing outside.
Myers approached and said, “I’m starting a Christian radio program and I’m looking for a bass and a baritone for a male quartet.” Ernie Payne replied, “I’m Ernie and this is Bob Bowman. I sing bass and Bob sings baritone in the School quartet.” After hearing them sing, Myers signed them up on the spot.
Still needing an organist, he asked if Payne or Bowman knew of anyone. At that very moment, they saw their friend and organist Lorin Whitney walking across the lawn to say hello. The Haven of Rest was born.
From then on, Paul Myers would become endearingly known as First Mate Bob. The lonely days he faced became exactly what the Lord would use to comfort countless listeners who, like Myers, needed to encounter Jesus as their savior, redeemer, and friend.
Loneliness: Don’t Hate It or Waste It. Redeem It
In a time when loneliness is at an all-time high, Steve DeWitt demonstrates how the gospel of Jesus empowers us to redeem the deep ache of isolation.
For years, Steve DeWitt was the only never married megachurch pastor in the U.S. This put him in proximity to thousands of people, yet he lived his daily life alone. With over two decades as an adult single, and now eleven years married, Pastor Steve now has a unique perspective on solitude and aloneness.
In this book, DeWitt speaks to all hearts with rich biblical truth and practical help. Writing on relevant topics such as loneliness and the gospel, singleness, marriage, and leadership—he also shows us how loneliness doesn’t have to be our enemy. Instead, God can redeem it for our souls to experience the presence, promises, and power of Christ.
