In this solo episode of the "Voices in My Head" podcast, host Rick Lee James opens with a brief introduction to his show and personal life, noting a recent 6‑mile run, the return to school, his wife’s teaching job, a new son, and two new dogs. He then shifts to a heartfelt discussion about the ongoing COVID‑19 pandemic, specifically the Delta variant, and the challenges of vaccination despite his family being fully vaccinated. Rick shares anecdotes about his own doctor’s frustration with patients refusing vaccines, a nurse who faced verbal attacks for sharing factual information, and the broader spread of misinformation—particularly among white evangelical circles. He uses this context to publicly thank doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers, describing the COVID‑19 vaccine as a "miracle drug" born of decades of research and urging listeners to appreciate and apologize to medical professionals for the ingratitude they have faced. The episode also serves as a promotion for his new single "Shine a Light in the Darkness," which he dedicates to healthcare workers; he recites extensive lyrical verses that blend Christian themes of love, trust, and redemption with a call to let light overcome darkness. The episode concludes with a benediction‑style lyrical prayer encouraging listeners to love, trust, bless, and follow the cross, reinforcing the song’s message and his gratitude toward the medical community.
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Welcome to Voices in My Head, the official podcast of me, Rick Lee James. I'm a recording artist, a singer, a songwriter, an author, a worship leader, and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. The Voices in My Head podcast is where I discuss music, movies, books, pop culture, theology, and more with friends, colleagues, and sometimes just by myself. Now make sure to let me know what you think of today's episode by leaving me a review on iTunes or by tweeting at me @RickLeeJames on Twitter. And please join my mailing list at RickLeeJames.com where you can receive an email every time a new episode is released. By the way, in case you're interested in a daily dose of kindness and encouragement beyond this podcast, I also run the Twitter account @MrRogersSay where I post daily quotes from Fred Rogers, one of the voices in my head. Well, I guess that's it for the intro, so sit back, relax, and listen to the latest episode of Voices in My Head.
Hey friends, I hope you are doing well. This is Rick Lee James, your host, and I'm so glad you're listening to Voices in my head today. Hope you're hearing everything okay. I'm trying something new. I'm actually just finishing up my run this morning, just finished 6 miles, and, uh, I am glad to be trying this out on my phone this morning. You might be wondering why I'm doing this. Well, life's busy right now. Things are getting back to, um, I'm not going to say normal because, gosh, things haven't been normal for a while now. I think normal is just a setting on a dryer anymore these days. But we are getting back into, uh, where the school's starting up again. And so my wife is a teacher, my son is a student, and, uh, of course I'm in the middle of helping both of them try to get ready for those things. We've just added two new pets to the family, two dogs, and life has been kind of crazy. Just when we've been thinking things are getting back to normal with life and not having to worry so much about the coronavirus, then tell us about this Delta variant. And even though my wife and I are vaccinated and thinking we don't have to wear masks so much anymore, they're telling us we might need to. And I know everything seems a little stressful, and, and yet I realize there's a lot to be grateful for in these days. Grateful that, uh, we do have our health and our family at this time. It's been a hard summer. We've had a lot of loss. I know that's not unique to just us. I know a lot of us have been facing loss. This year. Um, but I know there's a lot to be thankful for too, and I wanted to take a moment on today's show to say thank you for a couple of different things. I want to say thank you in a very specific way first to people that I have neglected to thank on this show that I really need to just say thank you to, and that's our healthcare professionals. I have had a number of visits over the last few weeks to, uh, not only my family doctor, uh, been having some migraine issues, and, uh, thankfully there have been some medicines that have really been helping me with that. Um, but I've been talking with my doctor and I couldn't believe it when she was telling me that she has patients that are coming in that won't get vaccinated because they don't believe her. As a medical expert when she tells them it's safe and that it's something they need to get to be protected from this virus, uh, which they do not have antibodies for because this is something new. And they would rather believe Tucker Carlson or people on Fox News or their Facebook feed or a Google search rather than the CDC or places that literally put $65 billion of research a year into medical research. And they think you know, a quick Google research that they did is better than medical advice. And then I was talking to a lady in my church who's a nurse on Sunday who has recently— she told me, she said, you know, she went to a nearby county just to give an information meeting for the health department. And she said, she said, Rick, I got beat up. Not, not literally, but metaphorically. She said, people just brutalized her for telling, um, information about facts to know about the vaccinations, about coronavirus, about things that are happening as a medical expert is coming in to tell people things. It has become so politicized, it has become so much disinformation, and I am so sad to say that so much of it is coming from the church, especially from white evangelicals. And I just wanted to take a minute today on the podcast to say thank you to doctors, to nurses, to all the people in the medical community in that field who are doing so much to help us right now, who are getting so little thanks for it, who are being sometimes, I think, literally assaulted for sharing the truth with us, for trying to protect us. I want to say thank you for this miracle drug that's in my arm, that's in my wife's arm, that as soon as it is available will be given to my son. I'm grateful that this 30 years of research that has gone into making this vaccine happen, that the FDA is about to approve, to approve, that God has made a way for this to happen for us. It's happened so quickly, it is nothing short of a miracle for us. And it is the peak of irresponsibility, in my opinion, for people to treat their— the people in the medical community who are caring for them, and especially people that I've talked about today on this show who I know have big hearts who are not in the field to make money, but are there because they actually do care for people and are there because they want to help. It's, it's so irresponsible for people not to listen to advice from medical experts who are there helping them. So I wanted to say thank you. And so if you're listening today, if you're in the medical field, if you have someone in your family or someone you know someone you love who is in the medical field. If they don't listen to this show regularly, maybe just because this is a short show today, maybe just let them hear this, um, or maybe just go thank them and say, I appreciate you. I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know that you are so tired, and I know that you are so stressed, and I'm sorry for the ingratitude. I'm sorry for the disinformation. And on behalf of The church, for so many of us who have so wrongly treated you so badly from information from bad sources, I want to say I'm sorry. And I just want to say how appreciative I am of you. And because my new song is called Shine a Light in the Darkness, and because I believe so many of you have been shining a light in the darkness, The song is for you as much as anybody. You have been shining that light, and I want to say thank you for that. And I also want to say broadly, thank you for listening to the new single. Thank you for sharing it. It's been showing up on a number of playlists on Spotify. It's been showing up on a lot of people's shares online. I'm just— I'm grateful for that. And so I think the best way for me to maybe close out this show today is to say thank you to you all. And I dedicate this song, my new single available everywhere right now, Shine a Light in the Darkness, and I dedicate this today to all of you and in the healthcare profession who are on the front lines taking care of us right now and are not getting much thanks for it. Thank you for shining a light in the darkness.
After the lies you said were true, the compromise you waved on through, I know you're wishing for something new, but the ancient roads are calling you. Yeah, the same old love is crying out to you. Say it, where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us bravely walk through the shadow of death. Shine a light in the darkness. You burned bridges and destroyed the roads. There's no one left for you to know. You've held grudges and they're dragging you down. If you don't let it go, then you're sure to drown. But it's not too late to turn it all around. Where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us break Bravely walk through the shadow of death. Shine a light in the darkness. It's time to let all the fighting cease. Take up your cross and follow the way. Come out and see what love can bring. The lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak, the mourners cheer, the lepers clean. Prisoner set free. Where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us Bravely walk through the shadow of death. Shine a light in the darkness. Shine a light in the darkness. Shine a light.
Thank you for joining me here this week on Voices in My Head. I hope you'll visit me on my website at rickleejames.com where you can find out more about me, get my music on vinyl and CD, follow my blog, and even schedule me for a concert or speaking engagement. Better yet, even a book signing in your neighborhood. You can find all that and more at rickleejames.com. Also, it would mean a great deal to me if you could write a review of this podcast on iTunes. The more positive reviews that we receive, the more visible this podcast will be online. And now for the benediction. May May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. God bless you, and thank you for listening to Voices in My Head.
