This week on Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast), I share one of the most unexpected chapel services I've ever led.

Our scheduled speaker didn't arrive. I had no sermon prepared, no notes, and not even a Bible in front of me. As I played the opening worship song, I found myself praying, listening, and trusting that somehow God would provide a message.

Out of that moment came an impromptu reflection on the friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus and a fresh hearing of the words of John 3:16-17. What if, instead of hearing, "For God so loved the world," we imagined the name of someone we love in that verse? And then, what if we put our own name there?

Recorded live in our hospital chapel, this episode is a reminder that God's love is deeply personal, Jesus' invitation is still open, and sometimes the messages that touch us most are the ones we never planned to preach at all. Sometimes all we can do is show up, trust the Spirit, and begin with a song.

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

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Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

This week on Voices in My Head, I'm sharing a chapel service I recently led at Springfield Regional Medical Center. Using the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina and reflecting on Romans 12:9–21, I explore what it means to offer the gift of presence to those who are suffering, drawing inspiration from Henri Nouwen’s A Spirituality of Caregiving. Along with prayer, scripture, and music—including a closing rendition of “Trust in God”—I invite you to join me in considering how God calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn, and walk alongside one another with compassion and grace.

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

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Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

In this episode of Voices in My Head, Rick Lee James welcomes back author, pastor, and theologian Brian Zahnd to discuss his newest book, Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things. Together they explore heaven as a present reality rather than merely a future destination, the “serpentine spell” of modern materialism, the lifelong pilgrimage of conversion, and what it means to journey toward our true home in God. Brian also shares insights from his own experiences walking pilgrimage routes such as the Camino de Santiago, reflects on grace, judgment, and the formation of the soul, and discusses The Reverend, a companion piece to the book that was ultimately left out of publication. This conversation is an invitation to recover wonder, embrace mystery, and learn to see the world as charged with the presence of heaven.

Follow Brian Zahnd on Substack:

The Reverend: Narrated by Boyd Barrett

Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things Unseen Existences (Book)

Brian Zahnd Books

• Unseen Existences

• The Wood Between the Worlds

• Postcards from Babylon

• When Everything’s on Fire

• Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

• Beauty Will Save the World

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

In this Pentecost-themed chapel service from Springfield Regional Medical Center, Chaplain Rick Lee James leads a gentle time of worship, prayer, and sacred listening through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina. Reflecting on Acts 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit, this service invites patients, families, caregivers, and listeners alike to slow down, listen deeply, and consider what word, invitation, or stirring God might be speaking into their lives today. Featuring music including “Fire” and “I Then Shall Live,” this quiet reflection centers on hope, compassion, understanding, and the Spirit’s power to bring people together across every difference.

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

On this episode of Voices in My Head, I’m joined by theologian Hank Spaulding and his father for a conversation that spans three powerful and deeply connected books: The Gospel of the Incarcerated Christ, The Rhythm of Grace, and Between Two Gileads.

Together, these works explore some of the most pressing questions facing the church today. What does it mean that Jesus was executed as a criminal? What if holiness is less about performance and more about grace? And how should we respond when Scripture is used not to heal, but to justify power and control?

From reflections on incarceration and justice… to a reimagining of holiness through beauty and grace… to a thoughtful critique of Christian nationalism and the misuse of passages like Romans 13, this conversation invites us to take a deeper look at the kind of faith we’re living and the kind of people we’re becoming.

It’s honest, challenging, and ultimately hopeful.

Find the book they wrote together here: https://wipfandstock.com/9798385242016/the-rhythm-of-grace/

Bonus: See Hank speak at the 2025 Karl Barth Conference Here: https://youtu.be/SMSaNp1Zd-o?si=DrCozfXxBN9td0YX

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

In this episode of Voices in My Head, I sit down with Ginny Owens to talk about her new EP Different Kind of Water, the creative journey behind her music, and the deeper spiritual questions woven throughout her songs. We explore themes of longing, letting go, faith conversations with those who believe differently, and how seasons of dryness can actually lead to meaningful creativity. Ginny also shares about life and ministry in New York City, the diverse musical influences shaping her work, and her upcoming book on courageous compassion and living out justice and mercy. It’s a rich, honest conversation about faith, artistry, and the courage it takes to keep seeking what truly satisfies.

Different Kind of Water is an intimate look into Ginny’s life, faith, and music. With songs that inspire and encourage, Different Kind of Water is sure to connect with listeners, no matter where they are on their journey.

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GOA Speakers info@goaspeakers.com 615-790-5540

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing a chapel service I recently recorded at Springfield Regional Medical Center, where I offer a reflection on the story of Job—especially focusing on his friends, who I believe deserve a little more grace than they often receive. Together, we explore what it means to sit with others in their suffering without trying to fix or explain it away, and I talk about the power of simple presence—what we in chaplaincy call the ministry of presence. Through scripture, song, and prayer, I invite you to consider where you might be called to listen more deeply, speak less quickly, and simply be with others in their pain.

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast

In this brief, early-morning episode of Voices in My Head, I reflect on the controversy surrounding an AI-generated image depicting Donald Trump in a Christ-like role, and why, while it’s troubling, it may not be the biggest issue we should be concerned about. I talk about how easy it is to get caught up in outrage, especially within our media echo chambers, while missing the deeper call of Jesus to care for the hungry, the poor, and the vulnerable—people I encounter every day in my work as a hospital chaplain. Rather than taking a partisan stance, I offer a pastoral challenge to all of us, myself included: to examine whether our lives actually reflect the love and humility of Christ, and to make sure we’re not so focused on images and symbols that we miss where Jesus says he truly is—among those most in need.

Website: RickLeeJames.com Email: RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com Streaming: Search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform or on Spotify https://t.co/S7nCRl0xqa

Audiobook Out of the Depths: A Songwriter’s Journey Through the Psalms (Audible): Audiobook Link

Special Offer 10% off at Bandcamp: use code 10off at checkout RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com

Hosted by Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast