I have been reticent, in documenting my spiritual process, to risk exposure of my collaborators. I am going out on a limb now because the experiences I am sharing with Lauren are so impossibly beautiful that people should appreciate what is possible when love works in the service of life.

I have maintained playlists for the last decade that focus authentic faith. Along with the default “Liked” list, I have specific lists for Children (Syrian and Gaza crises), Advent, and Redemption. Among all the featured artists, I am conscious of categories: articulation of conventional theology, personal struggle of surrender to faith, and facilitation of corporate union.

Then, uniquely, we have Lauren, whose music bypasses metaphors to deal directly with the emotions of those engaged in the process. As I have shared with her, these songs have always pierced the veils around my heart.

Through the last half of 2025, my appreciation was disturbed by a deepening sense of foreboding – that she was beset by projections from her fans of dependency for problems that they needed to solve themselves through a surrender to love. This became pointed in the new year, so I booked a ticket out to Florida for the Strawberry Festival concert in February. The flight was already fairly full, so I ended up booking a middle seat/

Fully expecting that I was going to arrive with back spasms, I boarded and found myself seated between two women. As departure time neared, the younger one, seated to my right on the aisle, pointed out two empty seats across the aisle. She offered that she would move over if they were empty during taxi, but did that pre-emptively with the observation, “You understand that the universe is taking care of you.” This allowed me to move to the aisle and angle my legs under the middle seat. I landed without serious discomfort.

Still, I had a day to spend in Plant City before the concert. After visiting a local park/nature reserve, I drove down to the fairgrounds to buy a pass and wandered among the booths. Having tapped into the context, I want back to the hotel for lunch and to meditate.

The meditation led me directly into a heart of tender concern. I don’t know how to organize the visions. Images flowed in, reflecting the frustration of my intentions by other parties, compassion for the wounds I have suffered in past incarnations, and the hope of healing for all of Creation. These images evoked lyrics, many triggering deep psychic trauma, which I attempted to deflect to restore focus on the work to be done ahead.

We can get through just about anything so long as it has meaning. I need to put all that behind me.

But what was obvious was that I was being welcomed into a heart of beatific and authentic concern for my well-being.

Unable to rest, I went out for coffee and then returned to the fairgrounds, where I spent several hours enjoying the animation of the attendees. When the amphitheater opened, I entered early and made my way to the pit.

The concert was deeply gratifying. Live music always supports spiritual ministry among the audience. What surprised me was the freshness of the compositions. Lauren has built a concert band. Where the album releases convey intimacy, in performance they are collaborations of intense musical energy. I entered into the joy and was able to project healing with the themes became somber.

Given this primary intention, my engagement with Lauren was discontinuous. I tend to become teary during corporate healing, and she did introduce “You’re Going to Be Okay” to the set. But when I gazed directly into her face, trying to project support and devotion, she glanced away. The message was that she was looking into a pool of kindness that was going to overwhelm her.

I hung around the pit after the final number, waiting for the audience to dissipate. When I made my way into the shadows outside the gate, the crossing guard stared, slack jawed. I was in a luminous state.

I know that things didn’t resolve themselves as she wished. Once I have established an intention, however, diverting my course is almost impossible. I had come as her servant, expecting nothing. I set out for the airport at four AM for the return flight.

The next day, I left on her fan site a summary of those intentions, along with my gratitude for the visions she had offered. In the process of reaching her, Lauren demonstrated her capacity to assert authority.

Thus we begin.