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One of my favorite quotes from the Shack takes place during a conversation between Mack and Jesus.
'Does that mean,' asked Mack, 'that all roads will lead to you?'
'Not at all,' smiled Jesus... 'Most roads don't lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.'
And there is no example of Jesus' ability and determination to travel any road to find us that is more perfectly illustrated than in the stories of two men I happened upon during my cyber trips this weekend.
Noah Levine and Brian (Head) Welch. Two very different guys...yet strikingly similar. Two very different paths but again, strikingly similar. I have no doubt that God is using both of these men to reach people who would not respond to someone more traditional and mainstream. These two guys both lived in the "worlds" they are now trying to enlighten...punk rockers and heavy metal fans...those walking on the dark side of both of these similar, yet distinct, worlds. Noah and Brian were both prisoners of the dark side.
A Beliefnet article written about Brian Welch earlier this year sums it up:
On the outside, things seemed great for guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. He was a member of one of the most popular heavy metal bands of the '90s, Korn, he had lots of money, and he was partying with some of the biggest names in the music industry. But behind the fame, Grammy Awards, and Billboard hits, Welch was battling many demons--an addiction to crystal meth, depression, and what he described as evil of a spiritual kind. It was only after hitting rock bottom that he found what he believed was missing in his life--God.
About Noah Levine Wikipedia says:
....as a youth he had several periods of incarceration. His first book, Dharma Punx, in large part details Levine’s teenage years filled with drugs, violence, and multiple suicide attempts - choices fueled by a rebellious nature and identification with punk rock and culture. His substance abuse started early in life - at age 6 he began smoking marijuana - and finally ended in a padded detoxification cell in juvenile prison 11 years later.[ It was in this cell where he hit “an emotional rock bottom” and began his vipassana practice “out of a place of extreme drug addiction and violence.” While incarcerated, he saw for the first time how the practice his father taught him gave him the tools to relieve the fear and uncertainty that pervaded his life.
Noah Levine is a Buddhist teacher who studied under Jack Kornfield and other well known Buddhist teachers. His father is also a fairly well known Buddhist teacher.
And they have both written books about their experiences....\
Noah Levine is the author of two books:
Brian Welch has written a memoir about the story of his life with Korn and his conversion to Christianity. The book is called
More about these guys to follow....
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