Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
It was a blast getting to pick with Jimmy Redden, Nick, and Little Wayde. We call him Little Wayde not because he's small but because his dad (who was to the far right in this video, scrolling on his phone) is "big Wayde." :-) It's just a way to make sure everyone knows which Wayde you're talking about. Nick, Jimmy, and Little Wayde have all played professionally with bands, and it was fun to hear them swap "road stories" about various crazy things that happened on some of their tours, both good and bad. I should have mentioned in the video that Jamie Shook (our tenor singer for Hickory Stand) also helped me and Nick with the carpentry. He was planning to sing with us but needed to get back down to Atlanta to be with his wife, as Thanksgiving was approaching.
When Little Wayde and Nick were kids, Pap and Ray recorded albums at Big Wayde's studio in Young Harris, but they recorded the "I Believe in God" album for a different studio, so it's a lucky, random thing that someone else introduced Nick to the song (vs him having heard it while they were recording at his dad's studio). Pap and I got to hear/see the Marksmen sing "I Believe in God" once during one of their shows, but unfortunately, Nick had already left their band by that time. They continued to sing it after he left, so they must have liked it. :-) The Late Earl Wheeler introduced the song before they sang it, and he bragged on the song. I think it gave Pap a sense of satisfaction to hear another group of gospel singers value one of his songs. They did the song very well. Somewhere in my house, I have a CD/album of them doing the song, with Nick singing the verses, but I wasn't able to find it in time for this upload.
In the live recording of Pap and Uncle Ray singing the song, if you listen closely, you can hear Pap make an unusually high number of guitar runs during the verses. I can tell that he had his capo on the 5th fret and was playing in the D position. Though the runs were simple, the were well placed and well selected. I will have to point them out to Corie of the Pressley Girls. I think she will really like hearing Pap make so many runs because he usually made very few by the time she came along and Pap and I were singing together.
Anyone out there who sings gospel music is more than welcome to sing/perform/record this song. I placed the lyrics below.
If there were hope here in this life only,
I'd be so lost and alone.
I'd have no savior; 't'would be so sad and lonely.
There'd be no need to go on.
I'm glad I believe God's promise is true.
I'm glad I believe He'll make all things new.
Though I find trouble, as through this vain world I trod,
I'll make it. I believe in God.
There was a time my life was empty and vain.
It seemed my last hope was gone.
Then, Jesus found me. My life's no longer the same.
He gave me the strength to go on.
Repeat Chorus
Listen to original singles released on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC
Listen to original singles on YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg
Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016):
open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
It was a blast getting to pick with Jimmy Redden, Nick, and Little Wayde. We call him Little Wayde not because he's small but because his dad (who was to the far right in this video, scrolling on his phone) is "big Wayde." :-) It's just a way to make sure everyone knows which Wayde you're talking about. Nick, Jimmy, and Little Wayde have all played professionally with bands, and it was fun to hear them swap "road stories" about various crazy things that happened on some of their tours, both good and bad. I should have mentioned in the video that Jamie Shook (our tenor singer for Hickory Stand) also helped me and Nick with the carpentry. He was planning to sing with us but needed to get back down to Atlanta to be with his wife, as Thanksgiving was approaching.
When Little Wayde and Nick were kids, Pap and Ray recorded albums at Big Wayde's studio in Young Harris, but they recorded the "I Believe in God" album for a different studio, so it's a lucky, random thing that someone else introduced Nick to the song (vs him having heard it while they were recording at his dad's studio). Pap and I got to hear/see the Marksmen sing "I Believe in God" once during one of their shows, but unfortunately, Nick had already left their band by that time. They continued to sing it after he left, so they must have liked it. :-) The Late Earl Wheeler introduced the song before they sang it, and he bragged on the song. I think it gave Pap a sense of satisfaction to hear another group of gospel singers value one of his songs. They did the song very well. Somewhere in my house, I have a CD/album of them doing the song, with Nick singing the verses, but I wasn't able to find it in time for this upload.
In the live recording of Pap and Uncle Ray singing the song, if you listen closely, you can hear Pap make an unusually high number of guitar runs during the verses. I can tell that he had his capo on the 5th fret and was playing in the D position. Though the runs were simple, the were well placed and well selected. I will have to point them out to Corie of the Pressley Girls. I think she will really like hearing Pap make so many runs because he usually made very few by the time she came along and Pap and I were singing together.
Anyone out there who sings gospel music is more than welcome to sing/perform/record this song. I placed the lyrics below.
If there were hope here in this life only,
I'd be so lost and alone.
I'd have no savior; 't'would be so sad and lonely.
There'd be no need to go on.
I'm glad I believe God's promise is true.
I'm glad I believe He'll make all things new.
Though I find trouble, as through this vain world I trod,
I'll make it. I believe in God.
There was a time my life was empty and vain.
It seemed my last hope was gone.
Then, Jesus found me. My life's no longer the same.
He gave me the strength to go on.
Repeat Chorus
Listen to original singles released on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC
Listen to original singles on YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg
Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016):
open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
