Rick Lee James Podcast Network

Voices in My Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 637: The Faith We Receive In this special episode of Voices in My Head, recorded during a hospital chapel service, I reflect on what it means to receive a faith that was handed down long before us and to pass that faith on to the next generation. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 15 and the story of the Road to Emmaus, I explore how the Christian sto...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 636: East Meets the West: Kirk Sauers of The Wood Drake Sessions Rick Lee James welcomes Kirk Sauers of The Wood Drake Sessions back to Voices in My Head to talk about their new album, East to West . Together they explore songwriting, worship, Scripture, anxiety, depression, work, financial uncertainty, death, and the persistent human struggle...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 635: Targets of Jesus In this short, early-morning episode of Voices in My Head, I share some reflections from my reading of Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, particularly its observation that Jesus and His disciples often focused their ministry on those who were chronically ill, disabled, and marginalized. Drawing from my experiences as a hea...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 634: The Politics of Jesus This episode of Voices in My Head explores “The Politics of Jesus” through Mark 1:15 and the announcement that the kingdom of God has come near. Drawing on Wendell Berry’s Jayber Crow and the work of John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas, and William Willimon, Chaplain Rick considers politics not simply as elections an...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 633: Sturdy Worship Music I’ve been struggling to put into words why so much of the worship music I’ve encountered in the church, especially over the last couple of decades, leaves me unsatisfied. I think this is why. I spend my days with dying patients, grieving families, people battling addiction, loneliness, and unanswered prayers. Could th...

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Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 632: Phil Keaggy and John B. Hatch On this episode of Voices In My Head , I’m joined by two very special guests, John B. Hatch and Phil Keaggy, to talk about one of the most remarkable albums in the history of Christian music: What A Day, by Phil Keaggy . John is the author of Oh What A Day!: Exploring the Genius of Phil Keaggy’s Iconic Debut...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 631: Garden of the Lord with Justin Gambino My guest today is Justin Gambino, an award-winning Texas-based singer-songwriter whose music is rooted in redemption, hope, and faith. After a troubled past that included an arrest at age 18, military service in the U.S. Navy, combat deployment to Iraq, and battles with PTSD and depression, Justin ex...

Voices in my Head (the Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 630: Every Moment Holy with Douglas McKelvey and John Lowry In this episode of Voices in My Head , I sit down with acclaimed author and songwriter Douglas McKelvey and singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Unspoken member John Lowry to talk about Every Moment Holy: Prayer Songs and their newest project, Anchoring the Heart in Hope . W...

I recently joined Father Gerard on CFN Live from the Catholic Faith Network for a conversation about my song “Heaven Is Full of Criminals,” my work as a healthcare chaplain, and how chaplaincy has influenced my songwriting and life as an independent artist. Here’s the full conversation from August 11, 2026. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...

It’s Bandcamp Friday Today is Bandcamp Friday , which means Bandcamp is waiving its share of sales, allowing more of your purchase to go directly to the artists you support. Since its release, Heaven Is Full of Criminals has been viewed more than 7,000 times on YouTube , streamed nearly 5,000 times on Spotify (and added to 44 playlists) , and continues to find listeners on Apple Music, Amazon Musi...

Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 628: Truth, Justice, and the Way - Episode 11: Supergirl - Redemption or Revenge? This week on Voices in My Head , i'm sharing an episode of my other podcast that I host with David Dault, Truth, Justice and the Way. What happens when a superhero story trades redemption for revenge? In this episode of Truth, Justice, and the Way: Superman & Spi...

Today, Heaven Is Full of Criminals is finally here. This song has been living in my heart for a long time, and over the past several weeks I’ve been grateful to share a little of the journey that brought it to life. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of introducing you to some of the remarkable people who made this recording possible: Craig Adams, Brandon Shattuck, Phil Keaggy, and Rick Stull....

As we arrive at the eve of tomorrow’s release, I want to recognize one more person whose work helped bring Heaven Is Full of Criminals to life: my friend Rick Stull of Media Explosion . I’ve had the privilege of working with Rick on a number of projects over the years, and every time I’m reminded what an exceptional artist he is. His creativity is remarkable, but what I appreciate most is his comm...

The People Behind Heaven Is Full of Criminals: Phil Keaggy If you’ve spent any time around guitar players, you’ve probably heard the old story. Someone asks, “Who’s the greatest guitarist in the world?” and the answer is, “You’ll have to ask Phil Keaggy.” It’s a great story. It’s also almost certainly not true. Even Phil has graciously debunked it over the years. But here’s the thing: legends don’...

As we continue the countdown to Friday’s release of Heaven Is Full of Criminals , I want to introduce you to another person whose work made this song what it is. Today’s spotlight is Brandon Shattuck of Parafonic Recordings . Recording a song is only part of the process. At some point, you have to trust someone else with all of those performances and hope they can hear what you’ve been hearing in...

As we count down to Friday’s release of Heaven Is Full of Criminals, I want to introduce you to the people who helped bring this song to life. Today’s spotlight is on my friend, Craig Adams. Craig and I go back more than a few decades. He produced my album Hymns, Prayers, and Invitations ten years ago, and I’ve admired both his musicianship and his character ever since. Today, Craig serves as the...

One week from today, my new single Heaven Is Full of Criminals will be released. As a hospital chaplain, I spend most of my days listening to other people’s stories. For the last several weeks, many of you have kindly listened to me talk about this one. Thanks for indulging me. I’m also grateful to share that, for the second week in a row , the song is in the Top 20 on PLAY MPE —a music delivery s...

Phil Keaggy Has a Message About My New Single Dear friends, Thank you for taking a few minutes to watch Phil’s message. Having him play guitar on this recording is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. His musicianship has inspired me for years, but his encouragement throughout this project has meant even more. On July 24 , I'll be releasing my new single, Heaven Is Full of Criminals ,...

Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 627: Amber Carroll is “Ready To Talk” about gender and sexuality This week on Voices in My Head , I sit down with Amber Carroll, Vice President of Equip and author of the upcoming book Ready to Talk: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Gender and Sexuality . Drawing from her experience as a former public school teacher, a single mom, and someone who...

“Do not despair, one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume, one of the thieves was damned.” –St. Augustine. Heaven Is Full of Criminals, my new single featuring Phil Keaggy, releases July 24, 2026. Spotify Pre-Save: https://show.co/sOrc2zb This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickleejames.substack.com/subscribe

Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 626: A Chapel Reflection on John 3:16 and the Invitation of Jesus 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 f...

Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 625: Lectio Divina and the Compassion of Christ 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 inspiratio...

Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 624: Brian Zahnd - Unseen Existences 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, th...

Vinyl Sale! Get Thunder on vinyl + digital download for just $10 + shipping. Songs for quiet nights, thoughtful mornings, and the storms we all walk through. Order now: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickleejames.substack.com/subscribe