For the young, we think we will live forever. It helps us work 100 hrs a week and inspire our drive to live the American Dream.
Death, Failure, Health, Relationships, Children, Economy fight against our vision of “success”.
In full disclosure I carry many tools in my life journey. One is “Faith”. I’ve seen the loss of many in addictions and suicide, freak accidents and horrible disease. We’re not taught that this is part of life.
Every mortals journey will have more questions than answers: to remind us we’re not God.
I’ve been in a ministry following the half Jew Jesus for over 50 years. I wake each day to attempt to repeat a day of attempting to life as Jesus taught us; sometimes with words.
Jesus hung with the least of these, and was finally hung in the same company.
Now at nearly 70, I’ve been humbled in my understandings of my Creator. I say “my”, because every souls journey will have an understanding of their Creator differently. That’s natural. Music is the flame that my Creator allowed me to carry. I’ve been a Gospel Artist, Classical choral and theatre minion, Folk artist, Pop, Disco, country and now finally Jazz artist.
I believe our heartbeats reveal our tempo. Mine is slow:) Love songs and ballads. Great Melodies that carry great lyrics..
I’ve lived a life of all kinds of music but my heartbeats for this. Everyone is different. Some love and are driven by uptempo dance tunes or …. whatever.
This brings me to “change”. I left ministry to realize my life and I believe all lives are “life ministry”. You, me and every person has a life purpose; a life “ministry” to find.
When you travel this road, you begin to relate more and more with “the less than”, “the broken”, “the misunderstood”.
So: I began years ago relating not to “believers” but to “Seekers”. Those who want to believe. but their intelligence makes it a long journey. Yea! It’s beautiful. But this crowd of wanderers wants authentic people and they they can naturally discern bullshit. This makes me happy. They will find truth.
Now, then, many end up discovering they have mental illness, chemical addictions and life triggers that leave them broken and alone.
I’ve begun working with a ministry for “the least of these”. “http://www.unwaveringresolve.org“. Helping the least of these get off the street, find purpose thru missions programs, learn new skill sets and begin a 2nd chance in a world that doesn’t want to trust them. We raise funds to do a retreat for 10 to 20 adults who’ve traveled a long way to be prepared to re-enter the community. We go to places in the wild where nature is primal and the world can not infiltrate God speaking truth to lies. “I created you, you are beautiful, you are not a mistake, lifes journey includes remarkable failures that must be addressed with a will to survive. We bring songwriters “mainly from Nashville” to the wild to meet with these recoverers and in the end write songs about their journeys and sing them to them in a final concert before they leave.
I’ve only been a part of this for year three now. The teachings, the food, the unconditional love , the lessons, are so powerful in giving these souls a launchpad back to a new journey for each person.
I do an opening 1hr concert for everyone in the community day one and then work with the writers and the band that will play these new songs within 24 hours for a final concert on day three before they leave.
I spend each June and or July in Montana for decades, fly fishing originally with my best friend and now with schedules alone in the wild for a month in southwest Montana; walking the rivers and sleeping on the banks. looking forward each year to the fellow wanderers who come to “Gods Country” to connect with what we all don’t fully understand.
But now as of this year I take two or three weeks in the high elevations of Wyoming at a remote camp to do – now – up to six retreats for the homeless and their recovery. Then , I head to MT to dust off a bamboo rod, pepper spray, a handful of pistols and my tents and campers to sit quiet and re-center.
Last year we began inviting native tribes to be a part of this life ministry. It was a total different experience but one that needs to happen and I look fwd to being around the fire with new tribes coming out of addictions.
Now that my bride of 44yrs and I are apart of the Social Security late boomers? We live on cash, no debt and just don’t really care about success as we used to anymore. This allows us to choose these types of life choices to serve others.
I hope to find “you” on the road at a show in the future. I hope I can be a blessing of light regardless of the style of music show I’m doing when you see me. I hope to shake your hand. I hope to make you smile. I hope to bring you light.
I hope you leave with peace.
Here’s a few photos of last summers retreats music writers, artists and players. Grammy award winning artists and writers.
