healing a leper

Jesus of Nazareth challenged the power structure of the day and deeply held belief that the Messiah would come and rescue the Jewish people from Roman rule.  He was born to an exceptionally poor family, in a system of oppression with little to no privilege (minus being a male in a world where women were considered property). He was fully human, and I believe fully divine.  He felt rejection, pain, anxiety, joy and hope.  He practiced being fully present in the human experience alongside his friends and family – and stopped at the inconvenient and addressed the deepest problems of humans in the here and now.  

And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. And he strictly charged him, and straightway sent him out, and saith unto him, see thou say nothing to any man: but go show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Mark 1:40-44 ASV

Compassion is deeply human, and often takes us from a self-centered narrative to shining our awareness on another person and their needs. If I were starting a ministry and emulated the powerful teachers of 2021, I would heal the leper in front of a crowd and tell him to go and tell it on the mountain.  I would share videos on Instagram of the event, tell my friends to share the news and I’d be a sponsored influencer before the week’s end. I’d make a shirt that says “super spreader” and sell thousands. I’d drive from city to city in my Chevy Tahoe with sweet rims and speak at all the conferences, selling books on healing and telling the world how “God” had blessed my ministry and given me the power to heal the sick.  The human desire is to align with the power structure of the day and lift your name to celebrity status. 

 In our latest episode with Kyle Isenhower on Ravi Zacharias, we asked him how to save American Evangelism. Kyle stated a good place to start is ending the dangerous practice of celebrity ministers and the power structures that protect their kingdoms in the name of Christ. Unchecked power, wealth, and God’s name stamped to the side of a private jet is a recipe for destruction. Throw in a gifted speaker, writer or minister and start treating them like a King.  Jesus rejected the temptation in the desert.  I hope our celebrity pastors are wise enough to set up accountability structures in their castles to help them do the same. 

David 

a van, friends and cornerstone music festival

What would you go after if you would succeed? I wonder if success is a term best defined in the eyes of the beholder.  When I was in high school, I dreamed of loading a van with my band, Zach and Brad of Distractions of Less, and traveling the country playing hole-in-the-wall bars.  Our band at the time basically played music in Claremore and Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Every show, regardless of attendance, was intoxicating.  I felt alive on the stage, playing my bass with every ounce of me I could muster.  I looked out in the crowd at friends and fellow misfits, and in my 16-year-old analysis knew this was what I was built for. 

 In the summer of 2003, my mom, despite her misgivings, gave me permission to travel from Oklahoma to Bushnell, Illinois to the Cornerstone Music Festival.  I packed her white Econolodge Van, and my boys Jake Krumweide and Zach Ramey jumped in. Cornerstone (rest in peace) was the one music festival where punk misfits could walk around dusty roads and run into their idols standing in line at the port-a-potties.   I have flashes of memory that burn bright.  I remember walking into the merch tent wearing oversized cargo shorts, a band tee and a cowboy hat. I scanned hundreds of tables looking for the Pedro the Lion table.  As I moved through the throngs of adoring fans, I zeroed in on David Bazan for the first time.  Should I approach? What will he think of me? I took account of my appearance, the smell I surely carried from camping in a van and approached. I fumbled over my words and began to vomit my adoration.  In reflection, who knows how many kids did this that day.  Bazan looked me in the eye, listened with patience and had a conversation with me.  I left the tent riding high and living my confidence.  I can’t say for sure, but I think I told him I play bass and should tour with him.  

 Each morning in the van Zach, Jake and I awoke to the sound of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire.  A neighboring camp blasted the song in the early morning, signaling a new day in this musical heaven.  Pedro the lion played a pretty large stage that year, and I was in the second-row stage left.  I passionately sang his lyrics and attempted to flirt with this flowing dress hippie goddess next to me.  David Bazan wrote and released a new track lamenting the war and futility of the US in Iraq called Backwards Nation.  At that point in my journey I didn’t curse, drink and was especially critical of those who lived outside my Baptist ideology.  I was especially touched when Bazan sang through this song and instead of saying camel f***ers he stepped off the microphone.  I saw my idol, who was going through a difficult deconstruction of his faith, respect the faith of his fans in front of him enough to not expect them to be where he was on his journey.  

 My summer that year opened my eyes to humanity in a new light.  I began to see the complexity of our human existence.  I want to embody patience and love with my friends and neighbors who see the world as good versus evil.  I want to listen as an empath and with the centered calm of a yogi. Jesus of Nazareth demonstrated this restraint, this knowing, and asked questions instead of dismissing the hardened heart, told parables that confound us. Instead of giving a laundry list of ‘to dos’ or a three-step process to wealth and financial freedom, he taught us how to pray and notice the least of these.  

 In 2021, I want to take risks emotionally, musically, as a creator and do it like I can’t fail.  I want to reframe my expectations of what success looks like, and channel my 16-year-old capacity to dream again.  I wonder if it’s possible to do this and be fully present to the needs of those around me - to channel a spirit of calmness and understanding in the process. After all, love is a burning thing.  

-David

the power of meditation

I deal with stress poorly. I don’t think I’m alone with this.  Some people stress eat, snap at friends and family, drink too much. I take it out on my family and the people I love the most. I come home from work – look around my house in disarray, toys everywhere, dishes in the sink, my clutter littering the countertops and look to my wife. She of course is managing two boys under 4 years old, their constant needs and our boys longing for her attention. When stress is owning me, I may glance at her and go straight to the dishes. The dishes are a point of control for me, a point of comfort for my fragile psyche. I think once I conquer this domain, wipe the sink and hit start on our dishwasher my stress will dissipate. Empty the sink and my ability to control the uncontrollable world I live in will once again tilt in my favor.  

 I listen to podcasts every day as I drive across southern Mississippi for work. I heard an interview with Sam Harris on the power of meditation. He created an interactive app called Waking Up. It includes guided daily meditations for 10 or 20 minutes as well as additional podcast episodes on mindfulness and related topics. In 2020, I committed to taking 10 minutes a day to stop, slow my brain and meditate. About two weeks in, I began to sense a change. A year into the practice, and I am able to access the peace that passes all understanding in a matter of seconds. I now know through this spiritual practice that controlling my thoughts, emotions and physical desires is not the end game. Noticing them is.  Identifying the often-subtle shifts in mood and narrative by being fully present is a gamechanger. Attention to the subconscious voice, stepping back and looking at the racing narratives of “me” cripples its power.  

 After one year of meditation practice, I’m ready for more. The still, quiet voice of the creator of everything is hidden deep within every human -- but is it heard? Practicing meditation helps me listen more intentionally. I hope you will give it the college try. 

david

photo by Daniel Meigs