Faith – The Life Renewing Energy of Easter – Tune Your Vibes – Ep022

04/01/18 • 25 min

Energy Tools for the Artist, Leader, Entrepreneur: The Naked Vibes Show

The Difference Between Belief And Faith Have you ever had what you might call a spiritual crisis? Or what’s sometimes called a dark night of the soul? I have. And what I’ve learned through those circumstances is that there is a real difference between belief and faith. I grew up with belief in a loving God. I had loving parents & extended family, so that belief came easily. But then more life happened – experiences in the larger world – out from under the shelter of my immediate family – experiences that challenged my beliefs. I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but at some point I noticed the voices & ideas of religious leaders that spoke of a God I had never heard of – one who was mainly concerned with who He would allow into Heaven & who He would keep out. And these leaders clearly believed they had a direct line to that information. Over time, the voices got louder & louder. This caused a spiritual crisis for me. The thoughts & ideas I encountered were so incongruent with my own that I began searching for new ways to express my spiritual self. I felt like the word “Christian” had been hijacked & was no longer a fitting description. This was one of the driving influences for writing my novel, Heaven. It’s irreverent because I felt an irreverence to the brand of Christianity I was encountering. The novel is about the nature of God as seen through the eyes of an exotic dancer. People have asked me, "Why a stripper?" Because the lead character, Eve, is stripping off the brand. That brand of Christianity that I felt like I was experiencing and that I still see so prevalent in our culture. There's a quote that's been attributed to Ghandi. I don't know if he actually said it or not. "I like your Christ, but I don't like your Christians." It's not my intent to lump every Christian into the same category, because we all have different thoughts and ideas. This isn't so much a categorization of people as it is a description of a brand of religious thought. Interestingly, as I studied other religions & scientific thought, my beliefs changed & broadened to encompass, not less God, but more of God – a much larger God capable of embracing all people, everywhere, engaged in every type of sacred thought. Did I feel a sense of fear that I was losing my “belief”? Yes, I did. But the payoff was that I grew - as a spiritual being having a human experience. 6:36 - SONG: "Heaven" - written & performed by Kimberly Cain, from the soundtrack to the novel (available only as a bonus included in the book. Get it here: Heaven, the novel & cd or on ITunes as a single. I’ve come to see belief as a function of the mind - & the circumstances that inform the mind change over time, so it stands to reason that extremely painful experiences can challenge our beliefs. Cultural shifts & new discoveries in science, history, medicine, psychology, & so on, can also bring new perspectives on our long-held beliefs. Unless we want to hold so rigidly to beliefs that no longer serve us & actually prevent us from growing & living up to our potential, we may have to experience some pain with these shifts. If belief is a function of the mind...faith is a function of the spirit. It doesn’t rely on circumstances or knowledge, from the intellect. Don’t worry – we don’t have to throw out the mind & get weird about “blind faith” being a danger here. I’m talking about the higher principle of Love at work – as an energy that is pervasive, regardless of what anyone believes or understands at any point in time. I learned, when writing Heaven, that there is an inherent mystery in the Divine, that cannot be captured & put on paper or into speech. It cannot be apprehended by any person & explained in human terms. It can only be experienced. And this experience leaves a knowing. Not a knowing of any fact or belief. Just simply a knowing of its existence (in whatever form you want to describe it – because it is formless – so any form is only ...

Previous Episode

Jamey Perrenot – Guitarist, Producer, Songwriter – Music & Conversation – Ep021

Guitarist, songwriter, & producer, Jamey Perrenot, shares adventures of his christening into rock superstardom while touring Argentina with Guardian, to his experience in the studio with a female WWE champion, to the spiritual works that have most deepened his faith. He shares some sweet moments playing acoustic guitar live from his Nashville studio in this episode, along with some rockin' songs written for upcoming films. As you'll hear, we had too much fun, so I'll just have to invite Jamey back for another round. SHOW NOTES: 3:23 - Jamey talks about how he makes his songwriting collaborators comfortable in the sometimes uncomfortable moments of getting started on a project. Great tip for applying to relationships in any area, both personal and business! 7:23 - Challenging communication requires us to become fully present in order to come to resolutions. 8:05 - Writing songs for movies adds a new level of collaborative effort. Jamey talks about the process of creating music for pictures. 9:57 - SONG: Excerpt from “Help Me” performed by Kat Perkins (from The Voice). Producers/Songwriters, Jamey Perrenot & Sean Gasaway. 11:16 - Stories about Jamey’s experiences playing guitar and touring with LeAnn Rimes. 13:20 - Bands and collaborative partnerships can be like a marriage, sharing intimate parts of ourselves with one another and allowing our vulnerability to open the door to creativity. 13:45 - Guys who know how to hang well with women. Why do some men know how to do it while others create sexual friction (and not in a good way)? 16:15 - Jamey’s experience working with WWE superstar, Mickie James. She’s a cool chick who wrestles and sings and...FYI...she can throw a grown man down! 18:14 - Jamey works with a lot of women as a producer in the studio and as a touring musician. The current climate of sexual harassment accusations that have been coming out regularly in the news affects men as well as women. He talks about the way it’s affected him. #MeToo 20:42 - Intentions make all the difference in the way we, as men and women, interact with one another. We have to use compassion and discretion in allowing people to be themselves, in addition to being strong enough to draw clear boundaries when necessary. 26:45 - Jamey hasn’t personally witnessed abuse. I wonder if it could be that the presence of an upstanding guy prevents other guys with ill intentions from acting on them. 29:33 - We need men to be men. The interplay of the masculine and feminine is creative energy and it’s very powerful. We all need the freedom to express ourselves, but in order for that to occur, we must create an environment of trust. Men who create an environment of genuine safety get to experience the best and most playful feminine energy because women know they are respected and loved. 32:17 - LIVE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE - Jamey plays the intro to “Almost Home”, recorded by Guardian Sign up for Kimberly's newsletter to stay in the know about upcoming videos, courses, performances, & more! Get a free "Instant Ignition" eBook to help you tap into your most powerful creative energy when you confirm your subscription. 33:55 - Jamey talks about the experience of playing acoustic versus electric guitar 35:30 - Story of Jamey’s induction into the Christian metal band, Guardian, when they toured Argentina and played for a crowd of 80,000 fans in Buenos Aires. 38:35 - SONG: “Firefly” - Written and recorded by Lost Days of Summer - Jamey Perrenot and Jamie Rowe (lead singer, Guardian). Get it on ITunes. 42:50 - The inspiration behind “Firefly”. Many songs “coincidentally” turn out to have a meaning that was never intended when the writing began. 44:00 - Influences of Dr. Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, and The I Am Discourses open up creative spiritual thinking and eventually deepen our faith in more traditional spiritual works like the Bible. 47:00 - People need Good News, but they often think spirituality shouldn’t be connected to money.

Next Episode

Dean Lindsay – Singer-Songwriter, Business Thought Leader – Music & Conversation – Ep023

Dean Lindsay dares you to ask, "What's possible?" He's a multi-talented business thought leader, drawing from his background in performance & songwriting in order to be helpful to others. Dean has performed for audiences all over the world as a vocalist for Up With People. He's authored three business books and has much to share on the ways we can all make a difference in our own lives and in the world. Infusing music into his presentations for corporate and teen organizations alike is just one of the ways he intends to rock your world. SHOW NOTES: 2:56 - Story of Dean’s return to music after a few years away from the craft. 3:41 - Rock music is meditation for those of us who come from that background. 4:39 - Dean’s journey through meditation courses with The Art of Living. The breathing exercises he learned helped him reduce stress when he most needed it. As a thought leader and performer, breath exercises are essential for staying centered. 9:16 - SONG: “Long Breath In” 15:00 - Remo Drums HealthRhythms® - a drumming protocol backed by scientific evidence for reducing stress, releasing cancer-fighting cells into the bloodstream & promoting overall health & wellness. My trainer in this protocol is a long-time friend & colleague of Dean's. Christine Stevens was instrumental in putting Dean in front of audiences all over the world as a solo vocalist in Up With People. Dean talks about how he pushed through the fear that was holding him back prior to this experience. 17:46 - Musical training & performing has helped Dean in business applications, as a thought leader, & with the understanding of people & how to be most helpful & compassionate. He talks about Love as an essential attribute in life & business & the misconception that it's a frufru concept. It promotes curiosity & growth. It manifests in respect & willingness. 20:41 - Big Phat Goals is being embraced by, not only corporate groups, but also teen organizations. The audio version of the book contains the song, “Long Breath In”. 22:23 - It’s never too late & there is never a wrong time to connect with music & creativity. Dean talks about the importance of reconnecting to this energy in his own life & the meaning of being a "whole person". 27:32 - Building a business presentation uses essentially the same tools as writing a song. It’s all “stating your case”. 28:00 - Dean’s message comes from a spiritual place. It’s not a religious message, but it carries a message of encouragement & progress. Self-talk is powerful & Dean endeavors to teach people how to transform the way they see & talk to themselves. 30:22 - Instead of moving from “negative” to “positive” thinking, Dean explains that the next best step can be to move from “negative” to “possible”. It may be a very small step that progresses you into the positive. Dare to be all you’re made to be. 33:26 - Walking with no headphones, no buddies, no other distractions leads to greater clarity & broader perspectives. It's an essential tool for creativity. 34:45 - Dean is no longer looking to write "good" songs, but to write "helpful" songs. We can use music to create better health for ourselves & better lives. Music is a very intimate medium of communication & can reach places in people like nothing else can. 37:13 - Songs or other manifestations of creativity can often become the “friend” to another person in their darkest moment. Once you release your creation into the world, it becomes its own entity with a life of its own. 39:38 - Dean shares the story of performing his song, “Can’t Fight The Devil On Your Own”, at the House of Blues, which led to a songwriting connection with the group, The Relatives. The son of the group’s founder explained that his father always wrote songs from a “place of suffering” & this impacted Dean’s own writing. 42:21 - SONG: “Can’t Fight The Devil On Your Own” 45:02 - Dean introduced me to the guys at SyncLab Media who shot video at ...