Episode 434 - For He Fatherless - Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)

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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 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.

Welcome back to Voices in My Head. As always, I'm your host Rick Lee James, and I am so glad that you have joined us again for another great conversation with two wonderful musicians today, Brian and Krista Yak. They are also known as the musical duo for the fatherless. They are offering hope through their music, uh, to many people And they are actually offering hope to everyone, but there is a select group of people that Brian and Krista are ministering to specifically because they particularly are people who grew up without fathers in their lives, thus the name For the Fatherless. I'm looking forward to talking with them today about their story and also talking with them about their new EP that just recently came out titled Poetry. It has some wonderful music, and you're going to get to hear some of it on the show today. But for right now, let's just get into our conversation with them. Brian and Krista for the Fatherless, welcome to Voices in My Head.

Hey Rick, thanks so much for having us.

Well, I'm really glad to, uh, to have you here today and to be able to visit with you for a while on the podcast. It's, it's really an honor. And I want to say, first of all, congratulations on the release of your, your new EP Poetry. It's always an exciting time In the Life of a Musician. And it— I know it's, it's been like a month since the— since it released, but for musicians, you put so much time. I, I know how it is because I am one. And you put time and energy and effort, and, and, uh, you know, it seems like you put all the effort into like, it's released now. And then sometimes it feels like, well, a month has gone by and the world has moved on, but you're still like, man, I'm excited, these are new songs, let's get them out there, you know. Uh, it's amazing how fast sometimes Um, that time goes by, but these are really great songs and they're great to hear. Um, I love the groove of the songs. Um, they're, they're really, uh, they have a good feel to them. The lyrics are rich and, uh, there's something that you can really get into, uh, on, on many different levels. So let me start with the first question today. Um, other than It is the name of one of the songs on the EP. Why did you feel like you needed to call the EP Poetry?

Yeah, so, um, it is named after— that's really the title track of the EP, is our song Poetry. And really, that was the song that kind of kicked off, um, just this whole project and kind of this group of songs that we've released. And so it kind of is just like the banner over all the songs. Um, and the song Poetry, um, we were inspired actually by a verse in Ephesians, Ephesians 2:10, that probably a lot of us might be familiar with, where it says that we are God's handiwork. And there was a footnote at the bottom of our Bible that just kind of let us know that that word handiwork is, is the word poema, which is where we get our word poem from. And it kind of just opened up this really just cool and exciting creative idea of just you know, what would it look like if we saw our lives as poetry and as God, and if we saw God as the great poet? You know, me and Brian are kind of nerdy. We love poetry. We have had nights where we just read poetry to each other, just sitting on our couch. And, you know, there's just a richness and a depth when you read a beautiful poem. And there have definitely been times where I read a great poem and I think it's so beautiful, but I also don't understand really what it's about. Like, you get to the end of it and you're like, "That was really beautiful. What was the poet trying to say?" And, you know, I think that's sometimes how life can feel for us in our own stories where there are parts that just don't make sense to us, maybe because we don't have the whole picture or maybe because it's never going to make sense to us. But— It's just, that's the same idea of our lives are poetry in the hands of God. He makes it beautiful. And even when the story is not over yet, when we don't understand it, we can trust that, you know, when his hand is in it, it's going to be beautiful. And so that's kind of, I would say, one of the, the overall themes of the, of the EP is just that idea.

It's great. When you reminded me, when you said that, you know, it's been years ago now. But when I was a kid, I remember Michael Card had an album by that same name, Poema, that, that was from that scripture word from the— I believe it was, you know what, I don't know if it was Greek or Hebrew now that I think of it. But, but it was, it would have been Greek because it was New Testament. So there I caught, I caught myself. Good for me. But anyway, yeah, but that's great. And I remember him even singing about the rhythm and rhyme of The poem of your life. And I think that's a really beautiful way to think about not only life, but the way that we do our music sometimes. And the songs that you've written and presented about life and the topics that you're engaging with, they aren't necessarily topics that— well, they're messy topics, let's put it that way. They're topics that aren't always easy. And, you know, I've heard it said before, I've actually heard and spoken with friends who write for Christian radio that, you know, to write a Christian top 40 hit, you know, you sit in a room with other people, um, and part of the formula is you don't use minor chords. And, you know, I mean, you kind of— it's got to be poppy and happy and things like that. And as I hear you talk even about this, it's not necessarily the most faithful way to do it though when you're talking about like poema. The poetry of life. You're not always sure where life's going to take you, where God's going to take you on this journey, the ups and downs and the minor chords and the keys. Um, and speaking of minor chords and keys, how's this for a transition? Let's talk just a little bit about the, the production of this because it really has a great sound to it. From the first track with Poetry, there's this really great electric guitar feel, like this rhythm sound. I, I was trying to— I can't even place it what another song that it exactly sounds like, but it's really great. Um, almost like a— if it was an acoustic song, I would think it was fingerpicked, but it's done like with an electric in the way that it's played. And it just, it just has this great soulful feel to it. And you can tell that, uh, the, the producers, Brian Fowler, Austin Cannon, I'm sure they must have had something to do, um, with helping to make the sound what it is on, on this album, uh, in a big way too. So I just wonder What was it like entering into the studio with, with, uh, with these great producers who have worked with artists like TobyMac and other people? And, and what was your experience like just on a musical level?

Yeah, the songs for us have carried so much joy. And that's even when you're thinking about kind of the heaviness or what's hard about the subject matter of digging into our stories of fatherlessness, or even, even when we just kind of come to the table to write a song to really encourage and be a blessing to others that are experiencing a similar hurt or a similar loss in their life. You know, I want it— I want that song to carry joy that meets them where they are, whatever their thoughts may be toward their story that day. I really hope that just hearing a melody and hearing a song introduces some joy into the equation. And those guys you mentioned, Brian and Austin, did such a great job. You know, Krista and I, one of the ways we've found joy is just listening to pop music and, and making sure we take opportunity to dance, and in our house, in our kitchen, in our living room. A lot of that turns out to be Stevie Wonder and kind of like the old, you know, the great pop music that we all love. And, you know, a lot of what we had done before the CP was more acoustic-driven and more kind of worship, even like a singer-songwriter kind of vibe for us. And when we heard these songs and we started thinking about like, what kind of feeling we wanted people to experience when they were listening to them. We just, we knew we wanted it to carry as much joy as it was carrying for us when we wrote those songs. So we went down the pop road and got to sing a little bit more of a poppy style, which was really fun. And I actually didn't, you know, you hear some acoustic guitar, but I didn't sit there and play it. We had somebody else come in and play it, more of like a pop style playing. And it really I think it really does carry, carry some joy for us. You know, when we started, we started getting those mixes back kind of when we were still waiting to see what was going to become of the world post-COVID and still just kind of tiptoeing out of, out of the first kind of quarantine season. We were getting mixes back that were like, Immeasurably More Remix was the first song we did, and we started hearing some, uh, some references of it, and it was just like, we could not be more grateful for the way that the joy of that Hearing that song come together that way for the first time, it just, it was, it was something to just lift our spirits out of that time. And, um, I'm hoping that's continuing for people even as we, we look forward to what's next for our world and what's next for our communities on, on the other side of all this.

Yeah, well, that's, that's great. And I, I do think that the, the poppy feel of the album is a great way to actually talk about some of the harder subjects that you two actually deal with. And, and I want to get into a little bit of that, if you don't mind, here. And, and some of your story, um, it's going to mean a lot to a lot of our listeners. And I know it means a lot to me too, because there's been some intersection in, in my own life with it. And I believe that, that this new record, it came from a place of both tragedy and triumph, uh, for you, um, for you both. And I, I first want to say I'm sorry for the miscarriage that you experienced. And on a personal note, my wife and I have experienced 4 miscarriages. And it's, it's, it's one of those things that, as you know, it's, it's something people don't know quite how to grieve with you about because they don't see it necessarily with you. And it sometimes can feel like Nobody's grieving along with you at times because they, they haven't met the child and they aren't experiencing it the way that you are. So I first just want to say I know that grief. And, and we're sorry for what you've been through on that end of things. And I also want to say how much we rejoice with you knowing that you also have experienced the birth of your son, and we— my son is actually in the next room. He starts third grade tomorrow, and he's not super happy about that, but it's coming. But all that is to say, I can feel the tragedy and the triumph coming through, I think, in your songs. And so I want to say that I grieve and rejoice with you. Both as I hear these songs. And I want to ask you, as maybe not just songwriters but as people, how have these events really kind of shaped you in your life, in your story? And just even those events alone, I want to talk to you more maybe in the next question about the fatherlessness and where the name comes from. But I'd love to maybe, if you don't mind, Could we just kind of talk about, um, this first, if you don't mind? And we can go as deeper as not as you want to, but yeah.

I mean, we, we have learned that when we need to be open to be faithful to the songs that we're singing is if you don't share the heart behind it and what it came out of, really what's the point in sharing them at all, you know? Um, and I think we've, we've learned that more and more kind of, you know, throughout our marriage and throughout singing together as For the Fatherless, you know, our— the story of For the Fatherless is rooted in grief. Um, there's no way to get around that. I know that sounds really heavy, but it's true. Um, both of our stories started out with loss and grief, and, and we can get into that a little bit more, um, later on. But so when we, um, lost our first pregnancy, um, I think it was kind of a familiar hurt for us in a way. Like, because whenever you experience grief, any grief that comes after that, it can almost bring you back to like, you know, when, when I lost my first pregnancy, I went back to 7-year-old Krista who lost her dad to cancer. In a way, it wasn't the same exact thing, but it was just such a loss that I couldn't understand, um, and just this deep grief, you know. I mean, you know, and thank you for sharing even the parts of your story with us. Like, having a miscarriage is such a unique kind of grief because you go from such a high of this excitement and joy that comes with new life and expectancy for what's to come, and then it just goes completely to the opposite of just like the floor comes out from beneath you. Um, and so, you know, we we kind of had to go quiet for a little bit after that and, um, just try to make sense of it. And, you know, for me it was mornings waking up and it basically would feel like I was crawling to my Bible, um, and I would just sit down and I would read maybe one verse and I would say, that's really all I can process today. And, you know, the Lord was— he really was faithful, um, and I, I felt his nearness in that time, um, but it took a while for us, I think, to be ready to just put the grief and the loss into words and eventually into melodies. But I think, you know, what it's taught me as a person and also as an artist is really the importance of sharing our stories, which for the Fatherless was always— we've always wanted to be kind of grounded in that. And wherever we go, we want to be faithful to share our stories and not just sing a few songs but not share anything about ourselves. Um, but I think it, it really showed me just like how close we all really are. Um, I know that sounds really cheesy maybe, but I was absolutely shocked by the amount of people that I knew that had experienced, you know, miscarriages, and I had no idea, you know, I, I had no idea. And so when we kind of first started sharing about it with people and eventually even sharing it you know, at churches when we played, we would, we would share that part of our stories. And before we sang, just the amount of, you know, men and women that came up to me and shared their stories and that they had experienced the same exact thing. And I think when we're vulnerable, we're able to see each other in a different way that I think is a glimpse of like how the Father sees us all, because He knows every single part of our stories and like the hardest, deepest, darkest parts. So when we're able to see that in each other, I just think that there's a unifying that happens. There's attunement that happens that I think that we were made for. And so I've been trying to be faithful, you know, whenever we go to a church and share our stories to always say, You know, the story is not over yet. Like, because we have, we have had, as you said, like, there's been great joy on the other side of this in welcoming a son who will be 2 years old in December now. And he is, I mean, he is such a joy. He really truly is. But the story's not over, you know, and I still think about our first baby and I still miss our first baby and I think about what our family would look like if that baby were here. And so I just think it's really important for us to just not try to tie it all up with a neat bow and just be like, well, it's, it's redeemed, it's good, it's over. Of course, that's true. But God is— he is redeeming all things. But I think when we're able to kind of stay in that uncomfortable place of the story is not over yet, and that's okay because we're, we're in this together. I think there's just something really powerful in that.

Sure, yeah. And, and it, and it takes as long as it takes, doesn't it? I mean, those are the kind of griefs that, uh, that stay with you. I've— I don't know how many times I've quoted Andrew Peterson and Andrew Osenga's, uh, lyrics. Uh, I, I think the two of them wrote the song together, the, the Silence of God. And there's a lyric that says, uh, the, the aching may remain but the breaking does not. And I've, I've often leaned on that and quoted that lyric so many times times about the aching may remain, but the breaking does not. And, um, and I think that's a very true statement of many of us. And, and, um, I, I'm grateful to both of you for being able to, to share your stories of both the tragedy and triumph. And you've already shared today the way that you never know what people are going through that you're ministering to when you're playing concerts, when you're telling your story, and you're allowing them to have a place to open up to, and what a ministry that is to them. Maybe they didn't have anyone else to share that with. Maybe they were thinking that same thing. And I, I have found that at times too, um, places I've been on the road who shared that, and I've thought, uh, I might, you know, my wife and I might be the only people that they've met, that they've encountered, you know, that they've realized. So, um, it's a good thing to be able to to kind of lean on each other in those times. And, and there's another part of your story, and you've both mentioned it, and I wanted to talk a little bit about this today because I know that just, just reading about your story and hearing some about your story with Brian being abandoned by your father as an infant, and, and Krista, you— I did you say you were 7 when you lost your father to cancer?

Yeah.

And gosh, what, what amazingly profound losses for both of you. And I've always wondered, you know, and you two would both be good people to ask this question to. So I'm just going to ask, ask it. Since you were both raised without biological fathers, now that you are both parents especially, and I know you, you you must be seeing the world in a whole new way because all of us do when we become parents. I mean, we just— everything looks different. Um, and you start, you— I mean, you start watching TV differently, you start reading things differently, you start, you know, everything's a little more dangerous than it was before, you know. It's kind of, you know, um, it just— you just can't help it. But I've often wondered, uh, because The image of a father is used so often in scripture, and so many people have so many different ideas of what that means. Some people have had wonderful experiences of what a father means, and so when they hear the word father, it just like— they go to this place of, of, yeah, I know what a good dad is, you know. Some people have had horrendous experiences of a father, of maybe not being abandoned but almost wishing they would have been. Because the experience has been so traumatic to them. Um, and then there's stories like yours, just not having them present. And it's interesting because I think scripture gives us so many images of God, because God, uh, is, is so vast in who God is, you know. There actually is a question coming up, I promise. Um, but I've just wondered for you how helpful or unhelpful, I guess, is that image of God as a father in your own life, um, when it comes to like talking about God? Because you've had a different experience with, with what fatherhood means, uh, in your own life, with, um, with what it means now. Um, has that been the best image for you when like trying to talk about who God is, or when someone tries to explain this is what God is like, or have there been other, you know, more helpful ways to— for you that, that you've thought, you know, for me there's a different image that comes to mind that goes, yeah, this is what makes me think more. I've always been curious about your, your thoughts about that.

That's a great, that's a great question. Um, and I, I would say that the way scripture portrays God as a loving Heavenly Father is incredibly meaningful to me specifically because it satisfies a longing that has been really instilled in me, like you said, from a young age, is not having that— not having my biological father in the picture. Um, you know, it, it satisfies a longing for somebody to initiate with me when I want to— when I feel the Spirit move, when I feel like confidence that God has given me a purpose and a direction and he's leading me. Um, it feels, um It feels redemptive when I feel like I'm able to be comforted by His word, you know? And like, I'm getting the chance to— our son is 20 months old, and I'm getting a chance to kind of get to know his fake cries and his real cries.

Right.

There are some times when he's doing the fake cries, and I'll just kind of look him square in the eye and I'll say, "Hey bud, I think you're forcing this a little bit." And we're gonna— I'm gonna pull back or I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing. But then there are times when I I know it's a real cry and I'm booking it from one end of the house to the other end of the house to figure out what's going on. And I get to even feel in that like a joy because I know when I've cried out to God and he's answered me and he's heard my plea. And that's— those are the kind of experiences where those pictures are all helpful because even before I knew what it was like to be the dad you know, clearing the living room to get to the other side of the house to help my son, um, I feel like I understood that the longing God had in me for a father was good, and it was a part of his goodness, all of us, and it was a part of a way he wanted to just reveal his goodness to his children, to his people. And, um, so I think it's— I think if you have Part of the heart of us even sharing our stories and sharing songs and trying to be a way to draw, um, people that are experiencing fatherlessness in— part of the reason we're sharing this music and we're always trying to pull them into those conversations is because, you know, we've realized that He is, He's true to His word. And the circumstances of our stories of fatherlessness are all different, but the character of our Heavenly Father is the same. And when you, when you feel those things play out in a relationship with him, it's, it's so powerful, you know. And it's— and it, it, it heals something in me. Um, like I said, that I wouldn't have had words to even ask anybody to heal when I was, when I was 1 years old and I was being raised by my grandpa, my grandma, my mom, you know, as best they could do. I would have no idea how to ask them for, for any of the things that that I felt like as I grew in my faith and I grew in my understanding of who God is, that I found that healing from. And that's been beautiful in my life and in my story, and it's a big part of why we're doing what we're doing and why we're wanting to draw people in with similar stories, with songs, and with testimony.

Yeah, that's great. How about you, Krista? I'd be interested to hear from you as well on that.

Yeah, I, you know, for me, this reality— it's— I was going to say image, but it's really reality of God being a perfect Father. Um, it's been so healing for me in my life, you know. And I— and my background is different, so even though I lost my father at a very young age, he was a good father to me, you know. He was present, he was in my life, he was actually a musician and worship leader, just like I am now. And, um, so even though I don't have many memories with my earthly father, the ones that I do have are good. Um, but for me, it's been very healing to just understand more and more fully and deeply about the Father's love for me. You know, I tell this story a lot, but I remember very clearly being like 11 or 12 years old and reading in Psalm 68, there's a verse that says, "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling." And to me, that really was— I just felt seen by God in a way that I had never felt before. Because that was not just a nice verse. It was a verse that spoke directly to me, to my situation, to my family, you know, and it it just let— I was able to see that God does more than just see our hurts and our losses and just, you know, he's there to comfort us. He actually steps into them and he fills that emptiness. And for me, that's been incredibly healing, um, just to, to try to understand that even more. And I'll say that, you know, for me becoming a parent, um, It's been humbling for me to kind of realize how perfect of a parent God truly is, because I'm faced with my own imperfections on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly basis. Um, but really, it's been really powerful for me to just kind of think of God as a father and just you know, the fact that He doesn't get irritated with us. If we cry out to Him in the night, you know, 100 times in the middle of the night, He's not exhausted. You know, He's, He's always ready and available and, and wanting to be there for us however He can be. And so I think that's been just kind of a cool new way that I've just been understanding, you know, just the fatherhood and perfect parenthood of God. Um, is just how often I'm met with my own imperfections as a parent. It has really opened up my eyes to how perfect He truly is.

Yeah, that's good. Those are great answers. Thank you for taking time to share those things. I really appreciate your perspective on both of them. Well, just a couple more questions here with our time together, if you're still all right hanging with me here. Um, You have a really great song based on Ephesians 3, uh, verses 20 and 21, one of my favorite scripture passages. So, um, and it's, it's really— if you don't mind, I want to read the verse before I ask the question, actually, because I just, I feel like it's, uh, it's, it's so good they ought to put it in the Bible, you know. But, you know, because, you know, um, but Ephesians 3:20 and 21 and you could probably just quote it, but now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we— than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Um, that passage of scripture, it obviously meant enough to you not only to write a song but then to do a remix of it for this album, you know. And, and, you know, if a scripture passage didn't speak to you in that way, you wouldn't spend that much time with it, you know. Um, immeasurably more, you know. Uh, there's a lot just in that phrase alone, uh, when it comes to scripture. I, I wonder what you are hoping listeners won't miss about, um, maybe what you're finding in that scripture verse and, and what you're trying to bring forth, uh, in, in a song like Immeasurably More?

Yeah, wow. Um, I think I've always kind of had a hard time, um, letting go of my own expectations and really I think a lot of my story kind of lands on just like self-sufficiency and just kind of only really thinking that if I put the work into it, I'm only gonna get as much back as I put into things. And that's kind of a really transactional way of living and building relationships. And it's a really, it's honestly like a really, lonely and hard perspective to have on life. And when I hear the verse you just read, it reminds me that like, I'm a part of something bigger than myself, and I should live that way. That would be the big— that would be the big thing for me is, you know, I'm a part of a bigger plan. I'm a part of God's plans, and I should live that way and dream that way and let myself rest that way. And commit to my work with that in mind. Because if at the end of the day all I'm going to get is what I can do myself, you know, I know I'm going to miss out. I know that's not going to satisfy what my heart and what my soul are desperate and hungry for. And that verse just kind of helps me remember how big God is and how much I need to depend on Him and trust Him. And just lift my concerns and my cares to Him.

Yeah, every day. Yeah.

Okay, I think that, you know, that verse— I'm so glad you read the verse because it really— if I were to say, here's my life verse, it would be, you know, Ephesians 3:20-21. And I think those words, immeasurably more— there was just something about those words that I just, I kept saying to Brian, I really want to write a song called Immeasurably More. I have no idea I don't know what else to say, but— and I think, you know, for us trying to sit down and write it really kind of led us to this place of he is able to do immeasurably more because he is immeasurably more. Like all of scripture is pointing us to Jesus. And I think, you know, we can be tempted sometimes to read verses like that and just the beautiful grand language, it can kind of almost, at least for me, lead me to a place of, oh, like, what's, what's God gonna do for me? Like, he can do more than what I dream. I think the realization that we kind of came to in writing that song is it leads me to Jesus because he is the immeasurably more. So if I keep my eyes on him, that's where I'm going to find immeasurably more than all I could ever dream or imagine. Um, so yeah, it's a special song.

Yeah, that's— it's, it's a great song. And I think of even that scripture verse, and every time I read it, there's just so much in it that keeps coming out every time I read it, you know. And he's immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work, you know, within us presently, right now, you know. It's not, it's not a power that's gonna work someday or did work at one time, but there's something that's happening right now in this moment. And we think we're often so concerned about something that's going to happen one day, or someday God will do something, or I'll do something. And it's such a great reminder, and, and your song's a great reminder about this, um, what is, what is at work right now, you know, and what is happening now. And, and we need that kind of encouragement, especially in this pandemic that we seem to keep going in and out and in and out of, you know, who knows how long we're going to be in and out of it again with winter coming on and whatnot. But we need to be reminded even now, even in these moments, immeasurably more, God can still be working and doing, and there are things that God is working at. Well, I told you before we started recording that I wanted you to pick a song that we could play at the end of the podcast today. So I hope you've been thinking about that. Just before we play play that song today, and I'm going to let you pick. Um, I want, I want you to, to tell our listeners today, where can worship leaders who might be listening, or maybe even just people who enjoy playing music in their own homes— there's people out there that do that as well— but where can people find like music and chord charts if they want to, to use their songs, uh, in their, in church, or even just for their own enjoyment?

Yeah, you're welcome to reach out to us at forthefatherlessmusic.com for anything you might need. We're working with multitracks.com to post charts and also some of the audio samples and the files that you would need to lead these style of songs at your church. Eventually, it'll all be available in multitracks, but it might be quicker to reach out to us on our website, liftbylesmusic.com, and we'll make sure we get you whatever you need.

Great. Well, we'll make sure also and put links up on our podcast page so that people can quickly, if they're listening, hopefully just click right through from where they're listening at today too and find links to those type things. All right, well, here's the big question. What song should we close out our time together with today then?

Yeah, you know, I feel like just after our conversation, I think there's a song called Faithfully Mine off of the EP that I just think would be just a good song to play at the end of our conversation, just talking about, you know, some deep things and grief and loss. And, you know, the main idea behind the song Faithfully Mine is, just this idea that God is always pursuing us, um, in every moment of our lives. Um, you know, when we wrote it, I was very postpartum. Um, felt like a mess. The pandemic had started when I was just coming out of the newborn phase with our son, and I just felt like a mess. And I didn't know how to come to God anymore, mainly because I just didn't have time because I wasn't sleeping and I was with a newborn all day.

Yeah.

Um, But, you know, it's just this idea. It says, "I am faithfully yours, be faithfully mine." In other words, we don't have to clean ourselves up. We don't have to fix ourselves to come to God. He is already there. He's already pursued us first. We're just responding to His pursuit. And so for anyone who was listening to our conversation, maybe has experienced similar, you know, grief or loss, just to have to be reminded that God just is so faithfully pursuing you and He sees you and He's just waiting for you to come to Him, to be with Him.

That's great. Well, that is what we will do then. As we close out our time together, we're going to play the song Faithfully Mine by the group For the Fatherless. They have been our guests today. Brian and Krista, thank you for being the voices in my head this week. And here is Faithfully Mine by For the Fatherless.

Let me take away those burdens from your chest.

I know you're tired and you're weary of all those feelings.

You're so worried.

Don't you know that I'm providing everything you've been desiring? You belong in my presence. Your presence right here in my arms. Lay down your defenses, come and know my heart. There's no secrets between us, there's no fault here to find. I am faithfully yours, be faithfully mine. Take my hand, let me show you who I am beyond this mess. I know where you've been, let me help you find true beauty once again. I know you're trying to find a to break the silence and shake the pain. Don't you know that I'm not running from anything that you've been hiding? You belong in my presence, right here in my arms. Lay down your defenses, come and know my heart. There's no secrets between us. There's no fault here to find. I am faithfully yours. Be faithfully mine. Oh! Oh! I know that you're scared of letting go, but know that I'm here holding on to you. I know that you're scared of letting go. You belong in my presence, right here in my arms. Take down your defenses, come and know my heart. There's no secrets between us, there's no fault here to find. I am faithfully yours, be faithfully mine.

Thank you for joining me here this week on Voices in My Head. I hope you'll visit me on my website 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 a 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 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.