A Gift I Never Asked For
Way back in 1998 — I think — the Lord totally unexpectedly gave me the ability to write songs. Let me be clear about what I mean by "unexpectedly." I have no musical ability. I don't sing very well — I'm told I change keys when I sing. I can't read music. I don't play an instrument. There was no reason whatsoever to think this was coming.
My Jewish believer friend Phil Pearlman — may he rest in peace — was about to record his first CD. I thought it would be amazing if I could write a song to contribute to it. I worked really hard for a week and actually wrote something. Phil came to my house that next week and I nervously sang the song to him. My only goal was to give it to him as a gift. I didn't care about recognition at all.
I'll tell you right now — I don't even remember the name of that song and only vaguely remember how it goes. Nothing ever came of it. Phil told me it sounded too much like some rock song from the 1960s. Oh well. At least I tried. My intentions were good. I prayed about it. But it appeared that this was the end of my songwriting attempts.
Or so I thought.
The Moment
Doing the Dishes
Several weeks later, I was doing the dishes when I suddenly noticed that I was singing a song I had never heard before. It totally shocked me. What was going on? I had part of a melody and perhaps a few words of a song that had simply appeared in my head. I knew I should do something with it, so I went downstairs and recorded what I had on a cassette tape.
The next day I went back and listened to what I had recorded. I thought: this song needs a chorus. Boom — the chorus just popped into my head. What the heck?
Over the next week I worked out most of the song. To make a long story a bit shorter — this was the song that Phil recorded on his album Fresh Fire. It's called "From the Highest Mountains." Here it is:
From the Highest Mountains
Recorded by Phil Pearlman on his album Fresh Fire
Words by Dan Olds · Recorded by Phil Pearlman
Summer 2001
A Birthday Gift for Lori
After that first song, the floodgates opened. Songs started popping out of me left and right. I had quite a few recorded. But for now I want to share just one more.
In the summer of 2001, I wrote a song for my wife Lori called "Eternal Love" and had it recorded as a birthday gift for her by a wonderful singer from my church named Christel Vander Weide. Here it is:
Eternal Love
Written for Lori · Performed by Christel Vander Weide
Words by Dan Olds · Performed by Christel Vander Weide · A birthday gift for Lori Olds
2019 and Beyond
The Purpose of My Life
Just wait. The best is coming.
Back in 2019 I was listening to the Bible on CD as I drove home from work. I was deep in the book of Ezekiel — and I suddenly started singing what I was hearing. I pretty quickly wrote the song, and I felt immediately that I was supposed to write a whole collection of songs straight out of the book of Ezekiel.
I believe this may be the purpose of my life. It is the summer of 2026, and within a few years I hope the Ezekiel project will be released to the world.
The Ezekiel Project
A collection of original songs drawn directly from the book of Ezekiel — one of the most powerful and prophetic books in all of Scripture. I am at work on what I believe to be the purpose of my life. Stay tuned.