Paul Ammendola

Band Story

Paul was born into a very musically talented family. As a young boy, nothing describes him more than the phrase “bouncing baby boy”. He was a child of determination, an extrovert and full of joy. That was soon lost as he found himself weighed down by the frustrations of life and a nagging consitant feeling of despair that was later diagnosed as depression and severe hypothyroidism. His kindness and passiveness was also seen as a weakness, and others crossed over many emotional boundaries, leaving him a wounded soul. In 5th grade a student handed him a bag of pills and he tried them all in order to find relief from the pain and depression. During high school, depression set in deeper, along with insecurities and fear. The “drugs, sex and rock' n roll” scene became a familiar scene to Paul but he found himself searching for more. He used alcohol, drugs and women to seek satisfaction and relief from his misery. As his musical talent began to blossom, songwriting became a way of expressing himself and sorting through his emotions. His insecurities prevented him from clearly expressing his emotions through his songs, so in order to avoid embarrassment the vague obscurities of his lyrics only made people confused. Paul was approached by record labels in his pursuit to fill this void in his life. He thought fame would be the answer. Record labels thought his voice would sell love songs, however Paul couldn't provide them with what they were looking for. This was because he did not know what real love was. He didn't understand why he wasn't breaking through to the next levellin the music business, but God knew. God knew commercial fame would kill him! The never ending chase for fame caused a hatred to grow toward God until Paul called himself a self proclaimed atheist, denying God for years. But it didn't end there, He continued his quest, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and began exploring various religions from Native American spirituality to Buddhism right into new age, searching for truth and love. He explored all types of religion, looking for God in anything from smoke, trees, rocks, sun, moon, candles, psychics, tarot cards, women, Hinduism and more, anything and anyone but Christ. Among the many religious practices that he mixed together, he went to Arizona in search of spirit guides where he asked his then girlfriend to meet him in Arizona on his quest for truth, it was there he proposed to his wife to be, Lisa.  They were later married by a new age minister. Still no matter what he did, his deep dark, underlyinggdepression continued to envelope him and it became all that he knew. In his pursuit to satisfy his emptiness and a longing for fame, he released a record a CD of his original songs in 2001. His CDDwas entered in the Grammy process, he hung around with many of the succesful rich and famous and his music even received much critical acclaim, but no real financial fame or success. Paul sang on numerous records and jingles, produced quit a few artists, and became a voting member of the Grammy's as he continued pursuing the dream. When Lisa and Paul had their first born, a baby girl named Camille, they battled over her baptism. While Lisa desired to have Camille's baptism in the Catholic church, Paul wanted to do it in a lake in the mountains. On the advice of a family friend who was a deacon in the church, Paul reluctantly gave in and they baptized Camille in the church, concluding that she would decide her own path when she is older. At this time, their marriage was in ruins but Paul considered himself “spiritual” and was pursuing all of the things he believed brang happiness, but most was just a surface smile. Lisa lost her job of 19 years on the close of their first home and Paul ended up becoming “the wedding singer” after 20 years of rejection in the music business, now performing at weddings in order to support his family. They were lost, broken, and Paul did not write another song for 4 years. Then God began to speak to Paul through others. Paul describes Christians as though they were""little aliens" beginning to pop up all over the place. It was at this time when Paul was a musical guest at a 9/11 Malverne Ceremony in Sept 2002, singing his “spiritual” songs when he heard a humble preacher, Bishop Craig Bates from the Church of The Intercessor speak directly into his heart. This took Paul by surprise and made him hunger for what this man of God had. Around this time, a mysterious lady from Canada, named Laurie was also emailing Paul telling him about Jesus and that he should rewrite some of his lyrics for the Christian Market. Through a course of events, he met several people not realizing that they were all Christians and that God would use them all to be instrumental in his journey to truth. Paul began debating about Jesustwith a musical instrument salesman from Sweetwater Sound who he didn't know, but later became his cowriter of "I Am With You" named Matthew Harwood. Matthew, unknown to Paul at the time was coproducing records with Father Joe Ciccarello a priest at the church that Paul has now spent every Sunday at since January 2003. Matthew was working for Sweetwater Sound in Indiana at the time, coincidence??? wAt the same time a neighbor who lived behind him began to tell him about a Priest/Music Minister named Father Joe Ciccarello, who happened to be part of the same Church as The Bishop Bates who he heard speak at the 9/11 Service, coincidence??? Many high school friends were at this church as well as a high school friend, Dn. Brett, coincidence??? Do you think God was calling him?i Do you think some kind of Divine plan may be in motion? Paul and Lisa were broken, on their knees, marriage in ruins, and decided to visit the 2002 Church of the Intercessor Christmas concert. Lisa and Paul began attending The Church of The Intercessor and took the Alpha course. Paul at the end of the course was Baptised in the Holy Spirit and renounced his past beliefs on Feb 22, 2003 and his conversion was so radical that he was sick for 2 weeks with massive spiritual opposition coming from the enemy, he even lost his singing voice for 2 months. Right at that time Paul was visiting Las Vegas for a prescheduled Party, and started realizing something had radically changed when he found himself boldly ministering the Gospel to strippers in a Las Vegas strip joint. He knew right then and there that his past days were done and his old life had officially ended on Easter morning 2003.  For a year after that, Paul sat on the sidelines, not singing, not writing, absorbed teaching and scripture, focused on his marriage, becoming a Man of God, a good father and most of all developingehis relationship with Christ. He took the Alpha course two more times... just in case, until God began to transform and correct his mind and heart. Paul says, “When I read my testimony and I look back at it now I don't see chance, but What I see now is the focus and pin point precision of a God who loves me so much that he would orchestrate so many various details with people, time and circumstance, intricately woven together just for me, into one perfect moment. The moment that I would finally see His Face for the first time. ”God completely restored his marriage and realized God comes first in everything, especially a marriage. Paul had finally discovered real love through his relationship with Jesus Christ, which now easily transfers to his wife, daughter, family and friends. Now Paul sees his parent's perseverance through their marriage as a gift and an example to build on. He sees the wounds that he suffered as empathy and hopes that he can share this with others as he works as a Counselor for the Drug and Alcohol addicted at Bridges of New York. God gave him back his energy, his sense of humor and compassion. He sees his sensitivity now as God's love, God's heart for His children, not weakness. “I've seen the enemy's work first hand in my life, but now I see Jesus crushing his head and destroying him. The cross means love to me, that He would die for me so that I can now live”. Paul continues, “God's hand print is all over my life. When I listen back over my old music, He is all over it, whispering to me, calling me, but I just never heard him, because the sin and darkness in me was so great my ability to see was nonexistant. Thank God for the cross because I would not be standing here right now if not for the revealing of His love to me. I would probably be dead and the enemy would have won. Take it from me to those who are still searching or think they found God elsewhere, I have tried every path that claims to lead to God, But now I am no longer blind and I see that there is only one. I believe that God's plan was to have me here for such a time as this to speak to you. To show that He is the way, not one of the ways, but the only way." Paul has a new single out off of the Church of the Intercessor CD Treasure in Heaven that he wrote with Matthew Harwood and it is being played and sung all over the world. It was the first song that he wrote and recorded in 4 years. He is presently working on songs for a new Christian CD. Please stay tuned for samples from his new and upcoming Cd. .been