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It's been over four months since my last podcast episode, and in that time, I’ve been focused on family, school, our home, and building my business. This conversation with David Curtis has been ready and waiting, but I truly believe that the timing of this release is in God’s hands. Today, I feel the nudge to share it because someone out there needs to hear his message right now. 🙏
In this episode, David, a worship pastor, cancer survivor, and musician, opens up about his journey of faith over fear. His story is filled with inspiration, laughter, and the reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. Whether you’re facing a health challenge or seeking encouragement, there’s something here for everyone.
SARA: Welcome to the Positive Gene Podcast where we explore personal journeys and the science behind living with hereditary health challenges. I'm your host Sara Kavanaugh here to bring you stories of resilience, understanding, and empowerment. If you're a previver, survivor, or supporter, there is something here for you. So let's dive in. I am thrilled to introduce my very special guest, my friend David Curtis.
David's journey is a testament to the power of faith and the human spirit in the face of life's greatest trials. So welcome David.
DAVID: Thank you. So glad to be here, Sara, with you and excited to chat.
SARA: Awesome. So David has had a dynamic journey from rocking out to stages across the globe as a musician to leading worship in a church community in Nashville. That's how David and I have become friends. He is a former member of the Christian Rock Band's Sidewalk Slam and Run Kid Run. And David spent a decade touring the world and producing six albums under Tooth and Nail Records. After a profound experience of leading worship at summer camp, he felt a distinct call to shift his focus from touring to ministry. And this pivotal moment led him to pursue a new path as a worship leader. He's now the worship pastor and worship arts director at Rolling Hills Community Church in Nolensville, leading our community and worship in taking steps deeper in their faith journey.
David's personal life though has been deeply touched by health challenges, including battles with cancer. He first faced a rare malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in 2017, followed by his wife's diagnosis of breast cancer in 2020, and most recently, a diagnosis of DFSP, a form of skin cancer in 2023. And throughout these trials, David has remained steadfast in his faith, using his experiences to bolster his ministry and encourage others facing similar challenges.
So despite these significant personal challenges, I can even attest to this that you continue to inspire those around you with your unshakable faith and embodying a spirit of hope and strength in both your music and your message. And as somebody who gets to see you on stage week after week, I can tell you firsthand, I see it. And I'm inspired, which is why I'm so excited to have you on the show so you can share your story and really help inspire others. So, so thank you again for being here.
DAVID: Absolutely. grateful to be here. Very kind, that was very kind.
SARA: I know it's a lot but you have had such an incredible life experience so far just with your music, your ministry and your family, your sweet family. So I'm so thankful to have known you guys and met you, you know, since we moved here.
So as we said, your story is inspiring, but not just because of what you endured, but how you managed to uplift others along your journey. So let's start how you encountered your first cancer diagnosis and then you know how your faith influenced your response.
DAVID: Yeah, so it definitely, like many people, came out of nowhere. And I remember I had a cyst and I went to get it removed and they're like, “well, we need to make sure this is nothing else”. And after the doctor called me a week later, I remember exactly where I was, I was at Mama's Java Coffee shop in Nolensville, Tennessee and they called me and I went outside and I mean, it's crazy whenever you have those pivotal moments in your life, how it just marks you and you remember it. I don't think I'll ever forget the doctor telling me and he's like, “it's non aggressive…”, you know, he's trying to use these words trying to calm me down. I wasn’t……. Yes. All right. Okay. You know, just receiving the words and then, and then I remember driving home, kind of just in shock from that to go straight to my wife, Lindsay and then told her, and you know, we had our moment of tears and shock and all the things.
Cause just no matter what kind of cancer it was, it was new and scary and unknown. And so, yeah, we sat there in a moment and just prayed and let all the emotions kind of go over us.
And then, and then from there it started with telling people. So we started calling my parents, calling her parents, calling, you know, calling all the different people. And even in that afternoon, every phone call ended with, what can I pray for you? I said, yes. And so I'm getting choked up even now, taking me back to that moment, which is crazy. I haven't thought about it forever, but, just the beauty of the community that I had around me and I believe it was God really put those community around me and how much I needed them at that moment. Cause you're oblivious to how much you need community until you really need it. So you really have to pour into people and build that community and go to the work to have those people around you. So whenever it's your time to withdraw, cause we all have our seasons where we're going to need to withdraw, you have to have already made deposits into these people, not just family, but like my pastor, pastor Jason, other friends. I mean, it just, it's the beauty of community, but more than just community. It's the beauty of, I would say the body of Christ being, being the church, being the church, being what it's meant to be. So I'm getting way, way further probably down the line of all the different questions. So, so yes, fear was the first response because I think that's natural and it's not, it's not human to say there's not fear. And it's okay. There's fear in the Bible. There's fear all throughout Christians. But I think to stay in that place is where God calls us to step to fill that and then take the next step.
SARA: If I were to reframe what you said, that initial fear, the worry of what comes next, you prayed, you reached out, you talked to your family and friends. And do you feel like each time you heard yourself say it out loud, does it become more real for you or does it become, you know, that way you're getting closer to the topic, you're getting closer to the heart of the issue because every time you talk through it - I don't know, kind of take me through that - because I, I felt personally, when I had my thyroid scare, it was like every time I talked to somebody about it, I felt like had a little bit more understanding, clarity and control of the situation. Because I wanted to better understand what led me to discover a tumor, right? And I didn't know what it meant for me. And you have to wait, you have to go through these tests, you have to wait for the doctor to call and then, you know, biopsies and scans and all these things. There's a lot of unknowns when you're going into that experience. For me, getting through that fear was just digesting as much as I could, asking a lot of questions and talking to people who've been through that experience. And I know a lot of times people will have a cancer diagnosis and within a day or two, you're immediately going in for surgery and you have no time to really register what you've just been through. So from your initial reaction to prayer and family and talking through it and what happened next? What was it that led you to relieve some of that, lift some of that fear off, right? Take me through with that experience for you.
DAVID: Yes. And the first, I do definitely agree. The more that I talked about it and shared with other people, to me that took off the weight because they were taking some of the weight. They were taking some of it.
SARA: Yes.
DAVID: They were taking some of that burden and they wanted to and they wanted to. And so it really was just like sharing with people. It became, I mean, and there was definitely times with it that I felt the way to. I remember a specific time that I think is going to speak to it. This question is that it was a pivotal God moment where scripture, I'm a pastor so I'm going to go there real quick.
SARA: Yeah, absolutely.
DAVID: But scripture tells us to sing a new song and praise. And what that means is a unrehearsed song.
So there's moments where in praise or for me being a worship pastor, being musical and with my faith, that I will sing my prayers, that I will just get a piano and just whatever's on my heart.
And so I love those moments of worship, when it's just like it's raw, it's whatever comes out as whatever I need. And so I remember specifically the first diagnosis and I was already working at the church and my little boy was in the bathtub and it was right around Christmas season, which if you know anything about church and Christmas season, it's crazy. So I was coming back from work and it was just like, so I'm still going to work because I still have to work. And so I'm working, it's a crazy season at church and I have my little boy in the bath and it's awesome, but also a lot. And it's just like, and I'm filling the wake for the first time because I think I rode the high, not high because that's the wrong word, but like just the rush of information going out and this is what we got to do and this is where we are, this is what's next, just that process. And then felt it for the first time of just kind of like, "Oh my gosh, I have cancer. Oh, and this is just, it's so heavy right now."
And so to go back to what I was going to say, it's like to sing a new song. And so I was in that moment, it was a middle of the week, sitting there and I just started singing, "Jesus, I need you." Well, I can't remember the exact words, but I just started singing, "You are my strength, you are my comfort, you are my refuge." All the things that I believed in my heart, but I needed to say it out loud. I needed to say it. I needed for my ears to hear it, to remind my soul of the God that I serve and the God that I love. And so in scripture it says, in Philippians 4, which is a very popular passage and says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving and supplication," which means God saying, "What do you need?" My prayer was a song in that moment. My prayer was a moment and it really was a supernatural moment. The peace that passes all understanding, which is what it says in the scriptures, "The peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and fall over you." And that's what I felt in that moment. I felt the peace and presence of God and just, it didn't mean that the cancer was gone. It didn't mean that Christmas season wasn't crazy. It didn't mean that the things, but I realized God is with me and He is the Prince of Peace. And so it was a pivotal moment. And so that was, I kept going back to that. Anytime I would have let the unknown would come to overwhelm, I was like, "Well, I could sit in this or I could turn that to prayer and petition and thanksgiving for what I have and who I have it with." And so, yeah, that's a little bit of some of those cool God moments throughout that.
It is unfortunate sometimes that we have to go through some really hard things to realize how much we need God and how much we're desperate for Him and should be desperate all the time. But, you know, in those seasons, you're very aware.
So yeah, that's kind of a little bit of the reaction after the rush of information, the pace.
SARA: Yeah. I think, like you said, when people go through these challenging times, whether it's your own illness or somebody that you love, but I think you're right in that those moments when you feel that peace come over you, then it becomes real. Not so much the cancer diagnosis, but that He's there. He's with you. Why else could you be going from this crazy place of fear, anxiety, and worry and illness to, "How did that happen?"
DAVID: It’s those moments where my faith is just through the roof because of this God that I sing about and preach about is more real than He's ever been in my life in this moment in this hallway, watching my kid take a bath and me with cancer at Christmas. And I'm like, "This is just having a little church service right there." And it was just a real cool pivotal God moment that I will never forget for sure.
SARA: That’s awesome. That was a gift and I'm glad you had that experience.
DAVID: Thank you.
SARA: Now transitioning more tough questions for you, but you supported your wife through her battle with cancer in 2020. I mean, it was already the worst year. And I remember it was difficult because we all couldn't see each other during church services. And then when we could, it was either virtual or we were all masked up and limiting the number of services and the time to be with people. And that had been challenging because everybody had to do everything from a distance when all you want to do is just hold somebody close. So take me through you balancing, okay, you've overcome. So let's kind of close the gap here on your first diagnosis, by the way. You overcame your first diagnosis. If you can kind of tell us, close out your first diagnosis in terms of like, you overcame it, you had treatments, you had... Take us through with that experience, what happened there?
DAVID: Sure, absolutely. So thankfully, I had two surgeries, one surgery to remove the cyst and then found out that it was cancerous and then had the surgery to remove the cancer and had clean margins and did not have to do chemo or radiation. And so the overall process and timeline was two months just because of waiting and waiting and waiting. But it felt long enough, but thankfully, I did not have to walk through any other things besides surgery. So for that, I was extremely grateful. So yes, so that kind of put an end to that until my wife’s diagnosis.
SARA: Yeah, let's walk through that, like how you manage that emotional and practical because you have children too.
DAVID: Absolutely. So me and my wife are different, which men and women are different and everyone's different. But I, without a doubt, within the way I face challenges is neither right or wrong. Let me say that first. Neither right or wrong, but I definitely am the one to receive the news and then go saying, we're going to climb up this hill. We're going to write a worship song about it. And it's going to be where it's going to be power. Let's get the team going. Let's go. And just that kind of is my go-to and hers is she fills it a lot more and a lot longer. And I had to learn a lesson to not put what I think she should do on her. And that is hard whenever you think like, well, this is what I would do. This is what you did. And she said, "well, my walk with the Lord has never been, is totally different now that I've walked through this”, but it just in her response is different. And that's okay.
There's not a right or wrong way to, and I was learning that and will continue to learn that probably for the rest of my life in the way that we respond to different things. But I think it was a big lesson and one, it was harder. It was harder for me because it wasn't me, you know, it was my wife and that's just hard when you're like, “oh, this is horrible".
But with COVID, I mean, the church showing up with every diagnosis, which I'm tired of being the cancer people. I'll tell you that. So we've got to stop doing that. But the church showing up COVID or not COVID, just like that goes back to what I was saying before that with community. Community was there as soon as our arms were starting to fall, as soon as we were starting to get hit, community shows up. And I remember Pastor Jason showing up the night after we would hear at least two out of the three, maybe all three of the times of just like, and just didn't have like this magic answer, but had the power of presence and the power of prayer. And that is just such a ministry that is so important. So important to be like, “I'm coming over”. Like, oh, yeah, it's good. “I'm coming over, coming over” and just showing up and just that. And then people just bringing stuff, cleaning our houses, just anything to do, any way to help us. They were there before we even had to ask or before we even had to like, think about it.
That's the beauty of the church, being the church. And that's why it's so important to be with a body of believers and to know, like I said before, I'm just so huge in that because I've lived it. I've lived, I've deposited a lot. I've given a lot to the church and to other communities and shown up. And so when it was our time to withdraw, I was like, okay, we're ready to withdraw now. And so, and that's okay. Because there are seasons for both. And I think it's just important too, and that's why I'm such a person that tries to rally around that.
It's like, don't just be, don't just be a consumer, like get involved, do the whole thing. This is your family. This is because you're going to walk through something hard and it might be on the corner. You don't know. And you're going to need people.
So important to them when they need you. So yeah, that's kind of, I'm kind of all over the place with that answer.
SARA: No, that's good.
DAVID: There’s several things, but my wife walked through a lot more from the medical side. She had surgery, radiation, and chemo all during COVID. So it was quite a challenge for sure, for sure, because of just all the different obstacles. And it was a lot. It was a lot for sure. But I'm grateful for the church. I'm grateful for God's faithfulness and being there.
SARA: So you manage the practical aspects of caring for, being the caretaker and a father and still a worship pastor. You still have a job that you are having to do. That community that you mentioned, your friends, the church. So I guess, give us some thoughts on how you navigated that process. You've already talked through, you had to learn as a husband and wife how you would navigate your response to these things. But take us through, as a father and somebody who was working, and this is all in the middle of a pandemic, the caregiving aspects. I guess maybe you were to give people tips on managing life, sans a pandemic again. How did you balance those responsibilities?
DAVID: Oh, I don't know if I did it well. I don't know if I'd advise or not. I think by the grace of God, that's how I survived it, because it was hard. It was quite challenging in that day. But thankfully, family came from a practical standpoint. Family came in, we were doing radiation. Lindsay's friends were very hands on and saying, "We'll help you, we'll help her."
And so it really goes back to community because we leaned on them. We leaned on them, we needed them with two kids. We moved in 2020, sure, why not add that? And COVID. And it was a lot, but there were sweet moments too. There were sweet moments too. I remember a specific picture I took of one of Lindsay had just come back from her first chemo, I think, first or second chemo, and she's laying in bed and Isla, my little girl, has got a little nurse outfit on, and she's got glasses on, a stethoscope. And she's leaning over and Max is over there touching her face. And it's just a sweet moment that my kids were learning faith in a very tangible way, like on the spot. And we were able to point back and say, "God healed daddy, we're going to trust God's going to heal mom too. We're going to pray for that. We're going to believe that." And so we got some very sweet moments and very hard moments, to be truthful and that's okay.
SARA: Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. That's really sweet. Yeah. So I guess now is a good time to, going back to your bio, you had another health scare with a new diagnosis that was not related to your first diagnosis. And it was a type of skin cancer. Now, first, how did this diagnosis differ from your previous experience and whether you could talk through from a technical aspect or practical aspect? Tell me about that. And then what kept you anchored through that experience?
DAVID: I think this round two did hit different. From physical, it was more just, it was the same type of thing. It was in the same spot. It was everything was like, this has got to be the same thing. And so I went and looked and they, after checking it out, said it was something different. And I'm like, what? How? And so I think it was, from an emotional standpoint, it hit me different too, because I think I was just kind of frustrated. Frustrated that it was like, a little bit of just like, all right, we have done the cancer thing. We have, we've checked the boxes. We've done it. I'm tired of saying this. I don't want to say, I don't want to make another Facebook post of bad news. And so it was frustration, a little bit of frustration, just like I trust, I believe, I don't understand. But I think that comes to, I think in those moments, I really, anytime we, when we went through, I went through the first time with Lindsay, went through it when I went through the second time, I think it's so much more than me. And I need to always remember that. And I try to remember that in those moments of like, whatever I'm going through, if it can encourage someone else, if I can be any beacon of light, or I can send people to search, that there is an answer.
There's an answer to life's problems. And doesn't mean the problems go away. But even whenever I'm confused, I think whenever I'm frustrated, I can still choose to praise and I can still choose to bring my trust and my faith.
And so it honestly hit me different the second time, but I wanted to be faithful in it. And so I was public a little bit about, you know, just walking through it again and grateful for the community that started up a third time. But I think I was, it was just a different headspace by that point, you know, and grateful for it was just a surgery, was quick healing. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. And still, I think because it's so recent, I think it just emotionally and mentally walking through the process of not being held hostage by that thought of it coming back, you know, and that's where I will continue to walk.
And I think the further and further I walk away from the incident, it'll be easier, but just, you know, from 2017 to 2023, that's pretty quick. And so it's like, all right, is this something I'm going to be dealing with every six years? Or is it something that is never going to show up again in my life? And so I can't stay there. I can't stay there mentally. I don't think I am, but I do think that just in a vulnerable, to be vulnerable here, it's like, it's something that I think will always try to come back and take over space in my mind that I'm not going to let it. I'm not going to let it take up room, real estate in my mind, and not let it live there. And so just, and I think that comes with things I was saying earlier, is to prayer, thanksgiving, supplication. And then whenever I do those things, I believe the peace that passes all understanding will guard my heart and will fall on me.
And so I just, because living a faithfilled life is beautiful, but by no means is it always easy. And I know Pastor Jason says this too all the time, but just it is not promised. And just because you believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life that there is, everything is easy. We know that from scripture. We know that from our own lives, but I believe it's night and day, the way that we receive a diagnosis, the way we receive good news, bad news. I cannot imagine going through this without faith.
I cannot imagine going through this without my church family. I mean, it's hard enough to go through it with those things, let alone without, oh my gosh. And so I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for Jesus being my anchor, honestly.
SARA: In a recent devotional, and I'm not sure he followed Rick Warren, but I get like his daily hope, right? Sent to me periodically. And I love the little snippets and verses, sort of a verse of the day. And he said that delay is not a denial. So when an answer to a prayer is delayed, it doesn't mean it's not going to be answered. And it just means that God's fighting for you, right? So in those moments, whether it was in wait for your diagnoses, both instances or during your wife's diagnosis and waiting, right? You're waiting for an answer to a prayer. And even as you said, you don't know what's coming. There's no promise of a perfect life. It is, we are going to have trials and difficult periods. And you've talked a little bit about this, about what you do to find strength in your faith. For you, it's community. It is also using your experience to help others build their faith and strengthen their faith because, "Hey, I can do this." Right? So what words of encouragement, then, would you share with others that, you know, maybe they're struggling with their health, maybe they're struggling with their faith because of their health, right? So take us through some thoughts that you might have on words of encouragement for others.
DAVID: Absolutely. I would say to kind of speak into what my, the lesson that I learned from walking with my wife's diagnosis is to, "It's okay to feel what you feel." I've heard Pastor Jason say this as well. Obviously, a wise man. We've referenced him several times, but it's okay to feel what you feel. And God gave us emotions for a reason. I don't think He wants us to sit in some of them very long, but He wants us to, you fill it, it's okay to be there and then to go, "Okay, what's next?" And I think that what's next for me, you've got to process it with someone. You've got to speak to someone. And so if you believe or you half-believe or you want to believe, I believe that then speaking into, speaking with someone in your faith community, in your church, and to your pastor, to other people that have walked through it, because that is huge. I think in anything that we go through is to process out loud, to say, because it takes the weight off, like I mentioned earlier, it really does.
Because you want to feel, you start to feel every bit of it and then whenever you release it into the air, I think it takes away a lot of that sting.
It's the same thing with many things that you just hold in your mind that you think is the biggest thing and then you say it out loud, you're supposed to go, "I felt so much better." Thank you. It's like, I didn't do anything. I just listened. It's like, that's what you need to do, was to listen. And I don't think, like I referenced earlier as well, the power of presence. Even if the person across from you doesn't have the answer, they are a voice, they are a hug, they are a prayer, they are the meal with lasagna, whatever it is that they can bring, but don't go through it alone. Don't do isolation. That is not the key in any aspect. And I would say, if you are struggling with your faith because of this, I can't speak to how God is going to show up in your journey, but I can share to what, kind of like I said, what happened with mine was very much out of desperation. Because whenever I do turn to Thanksgiving and prayer and supplication, like it says in Philippians, Thanksgiving is, for me, and you can't see me visually, but whenever you are looking at your problem, it seems like a massive, massive mountain in front of you.
And so that's all you see in your vision. Whenever you start off your prayer, like the Lord's Prayer, and you zoom out, our Father who art in heaven, and that's why he starts the prayer that way, because he wants you to zoom out from whatever your problem is to zoom out and go, "Oh my gosh, I'm praying to the creator. I'm praying to God Almighty. He is above all things." You zoom out and say, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Holy is your name. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And you just realize, like you start thanking God for the creation. You thank God for who he is. You thank God for the breath in your lungs, for different things in that. Thanksgiving just zooms you out and takes you out of, "This is the worst thing ever. This is the worst thing ever." And you start to zoom it out and you realize your perspective changes. Everything changes. And I believe that God uses that for a reason. He says, "Pray this way for a reason. Start off there." So yeah, those are just a little bit of random nuggets of wisdom.
SARA: Yeah, no, that's good. I think the gratitude, starting with the gratitude. I remember my dad saying that too, because he would pray before every meal when we were kids. And he would always say, or if he was trying to teach us how to pray, always start with a grateful heart. And as I had gone through my first diagnosis of having these hereditary cancer mutations and having my thyroid scare, I tried to remember that, right? Because my dad's not here to keep reminding me of that. So yes, starting with a grateful heart. And I think that does create a paradigm shift. A neighbor's father-in-law is going through it. And the first time I saw him since his diagnosis, he's just lost a bunch of weight and he just doesn't look like himself, this jovial grandpa.
And I went up and saw him and gave him a hug. And, "John, how are you doing?" And he's like, "Everyday's a gift." And it was just like, yes, it truly is.
And I think that people dealing with their diagnoses, whatever they may be, their outcomes are often better when they have a spiritual connection or if they have a grateful heart. Those who have that outlook, and maybe it doesn't come naturally for everybody, right? But you can work towards that. And I think prayer and gratitude, the more you do it, it's like a muscle that you're building in your brain. And so I think that goes a long way. So I guess if I were to say anything on your words of encouragement, is that the gratitude piece for those that are supporting you in this journey, that goes a long way. Studied referenced here: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4357134/)
DAVID: Absolutely. And I would say the same thing. Without a doubt, my wife and I, we’re both changed for the better because of what we walked through. And so it's tough to say it sometimes in the moment, but whenever you get on the other side, like, we are different people. We are different people in a good way. Our walks with the Lord is different. Our gratitude of, "How are you?”, “We're healthy." That's the first thing I say, "We're healthy." And it's not always the case. And so when you walk through that, you go, "I'm grateful for today." So that's good. It's a good word.
SARA: Tell me your thoughts on this too, if you're not really sure on this one, but the medical science and faith intersection. Medical science and faith often intersect, especially when facing serious illness. So how do you balance acceptance of medical intervention with your spiritual beliefs?
DAVID: Oh, absolutely. I'm grateful. Like you mentioned, you're grateful for your specialists. I mean, I prayed over my surgeon's hands before we went back to the surgery. He was like, "Would you care if I pray?" He's like, "Oh yeah. Okay. Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure." But I don't believe that he was a believer, but I'm not sure. And so I said, "I'm just going to pray over your hands." And so I just said, "Lord, you've given this man the skill. I pray for you to give him the wisdom and the things he needs to do. And I just thank you for medical science and for everything that I believe is coming from you.
So I'm grateful for chemo, for radiation, for the tools that you have given man to heal. I believe you could do it supernaturally. You could also do it medically. And I will receive it either way." And so I come with open hands and say, "Lord, you're going to heal me either way and I'm going to give you the glory." So that's how I... It's not a struggle for me to like the science community to grow and to give, but I believe is getting their given wisdom from God. I think it all comes from God, the wisdom, the tools. And so I say, "Thank you, Jesus, for the things that you have given the medical community to help heal our bodies. You could do it this way. You could do it this way. Either the way, I'm going to give you the glory." So without a doubt, we say, "God has healed me. God has healed me. Through this or through that, God's given glory." So it doesn't feel like a huge struggle to me. And I know certain communities and maybe that might be a tougher challenge, but not for me personally, no.
SARA: Yeah. Well, thank you for that. I agree. I agree wholeheartedly. So all right, let's transition to your role as a community leader. You have this platform through Rolling Hills. You have your music industry connections. You have other ways that you're supporting the community, our congregation. So how do you use your platform to support others who may be facing similar health challenges?
DAVID: I think without a doubt, when I am leading the church, when I have walked through something, and that's why I think it's important to walk through it publicly for me because I'm a very public person. Some people, it's not natural and that would feel weird, but for me, that's why you can go to my Facebook and read my diary post pretty much of every journey, I ever visited I've done. And this is the way I felt and this is the way I felt.
And so for me, I believe that people listen whenever you are going through something and you can say, "God is good." Whenever things are going well and you say, "God is good," it's okay. Show me whenever it's hard. Show me when it's hard. That's when I'll listen. The world listens, other believers listen. You have a platform right then and that's the way I took it as, it's like, "Okay, all my unbeliever friends were reaching out to me like, 'I haven't prayed in forever, but you know what? I'm going to pray for you.'" And praise be to God for that. I mean, like if I can be used in any way, I'll go through this. If I can bring my friends to remember the God that loves them and that cares for them.
So it without a doubt was a platform, everything I've went through. And so to use it as also the platform on the stage from a worship pastor and leading there, I think it gives me, it's a silly way to say cred, but it's like, you’ve been through something. Okay. So whenever you're singing like, "I will praise you in this," like, "Oh, you mean that." You're not just singing that or whenever you're like, given a little preaching moment where you're testifying and saying like, "Listen, we need to be praying in every season." It's like, "Okay, you've lived that." And that means it's more than just a stage thing. It's so much more than a stage thing. And so like whenever, and that is a, the beauty and the responsibility and the privilege and the heart and all of it being a pastor is getting to walk with people, getting to walk with people through the ups and downs. And when you've walked through a little bit of what maybe they've gone through, then you can show up with that power presence in a maybe a little bit different way because you've went through yourself.
And so that's the way I try to use and put any part of my wife has gotten to call and talk to lots of different women that are like on the verge of going to surgery for breast cancer or I've just learned. And so she's, it's incredible. I'm so proud of her when she those opportunities like that. And she's like, "Oh, I'd love to talk to you if you want to talk or if there's anything," because we had people, women in the church were reaching out left and right with like for her. And so she's just like, it's my job to share my experience, share any encouragement. And so yeah, otherwise I don't want to just go through it, just to go through it. I want to go through it and like use it for good. So yeah, that's kind of ways that we have tried to use our platform.
SARA: That’s good. You know, I sit right up front. I'm the front-row-church-goin-gal.
DAVID: Love it. We do need more of those.
SARA: Yeah, I should be helping to encourage that process. But you know, for me, part of it is because - I love the message equally. But for me, music is, maybe because music has been a part of my whole life, but it's just where I really feel. I feel that energy coming from the worship team. I feel like coming from you and the other worship leaders up there. There are those moments I think we all feel that might be the right message from your pastor. It might be the right songs. And maybe you could tell us in more on this in the words of encouragement aspects of having an open heart. And it doesn't have to be coming from a pastor. It doesn't have to be a worship song. But how do we receive that? How can we receive this when we're facing something challenging like a diagnosis or health scare, upcoming surgery, whatever it may be?
DAVID: I think you receive when we go through these experiences of any sort of cancer, you can become calloused and hard and shut down. And so and like I said, several times, it's like you can feel that for a second for a moment. But to me, I feel like you need to walk into I need community. I need faith. I need these things.
And so I think for me to receive, you have to come with open hands, open heart and go like, okay, I think you realize your desperation, your need for the Lord, your desperation, need for community, for whatever it is, to be able to receive anything, you can't be closed off, you can't have a closed off heart, closed off. And so you have to come in.
And I think music, just to speak to that, music in general, faith or not, softens, it softens. Because music has the power to to, you can feel emotions. And that's where it's like, there's the Lord, and then there's emotions for music. And like, I don't think there's anything wrong with feeling emotions and worship, because God gives every bit of emotion. But I think music is a perfect tool to soften your heart and to be like, “okay”, and then the Lord can do whatever He wants to do because your heart and that's why we put worship before the word. Because you want to soften your heart and go like, “all right, God, what do you have for me today?” And then the word of God is speak over you, and you're able to receive and hear what you need to hear. And so I think I don't know the practical way of doing that, besides some mental change and shift, and not to be able to be calloused and shut down. And that's, sometimes it's hard, that sometimes it's hard. But I think for you to receive any sort of encouragement, any sort of glean from a faith perspective, anything in that world, I think you have to be soft in your heart, ready to receive ready to realize you need something, you need something. Yeah, you cannot do it alone.
SARA: So in a physical sense, I've learned too - this is something you see in churches, you might do it in a yoga practice - but it is literally putting your hands out. It can be symbolic, right? But I think the the openness, some people really need a very tangible, visible way to show that they're open to receiving. I do practice yoga from a health perspective, part of your time in just in your restful pose at the very end called savasana, is you rest with your hands open. And that's just to receive gratitude for being in that space, right? Taking care of yourself, having the gift of breath, right, all of those things. And so I think if anybody needed a tip from me, it is, as you're thinking through, whether it's in prayer, or it's in just you're watching a beautiful sunrise, just open your hands and receive that, right? Something that may be so beautiful.
DAVID: So that's so good, Sara. Yeah.
SARA: Okay, so for those inspired by your story, or they want to hear your music, or follow your journey, where can they find you online?
DAVID: Sure. So, right now, I don't have an active website. But I mean, Facebook or Instagram and Facebook is David Josiah Curtis. And if you're wanting to find any of my music, I am on Spotify and Apple Music under David Curtis, or my previous bands, like Sara said, were Run Kid Run and Sidewalk Slam. So you can find almost 20 years of music on all the streaming sites.
SARA: I love it. I will include the links to all of those resources on the show notes and on the blog. Okay, so let's wrap this up. I would like to ask you to lead us in a short prayer.
DAVID: Absolutely.
SARA: You wouldn't mind to share a message of hope for our listeners who may be dealing with a diagnosis or facing fear over their health. If you would just take a minute and give us that gift.
DAVID: Absolutely. I'd be happy to do that.
Sara: Okay.
DAVID: Lord, thank you so much for this conversation. Thank you, God, for being omnipresent, God, for being here, for being all that we need. Lord, I do pray over the listeners here. I pray peace that passes all understanding that they would realize that comes from a God that loves them so very much. I pray the scripture over them. They would not be anxious about anything, but in everything that they would come with prayer. They would come with supplication of what they need. They would come with thanksgiving and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will fall on their hearts, on their minds. Lord Jesus, we do pray for healing over anyone that's walking through it, Lord God. Either way, they'd be supernatural from the medical community, God. We pray for community around the listener, God, that they would be able to lean on them and that they would be able to receive what they need. Lord Jesus, we love You. We thank You for this time. We give You the glory. We give You the honor. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
SARA: Thank you. All right, David, thank you so much for sharing your experience, these helpful insights, words of encouragement, and especially a prayer. Your faith is really uplifting. And this is one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the show because you are a very positive person. And when I talk about the energy that you bring to the stage, it is also just your presence. And maybe that's why they have you along with the greeters at church. But I really appreciate it because you've been there for me and my family, for our community, and we really appreciate you.
I know I took a lot from today's conversation, and I know our listeners will take a lot away from this conversation. And hopefully with renewed, restored, refreshed in some way in their faith, despite the challenges that they might be facing. So I'm thankful for that.
Thank you again for everyone listening. If you want to explore more about David, I'll leave the information in the show notes. If you want to learn more about hereditary health challenges, you all know that I am a patient advocate with FORCE at facingourrisk.org. Definitely encourage you to go there. You can visit the website for the podcast, at positivegenepodcast.com.
Thank you.
LINKS TO CONNECT WITH DAVID:
LINKS TO CONNECT TO SARA & PODCAST
Podcast website: www.positivegenepodcast.com
Sara’s website/blog: www.sarakavanaugh.com
FORCE’s website: www.facingourrisk.org
RESEARCH MENTIONED IN PODCAST:
NIH Research Review: Personal Prayer in Patients Dealing with Chronic Illness: A Review of the Research: Literature:Jors K, Büssing A, Hvidt NC, Baumann K. Personal prayer in patients dealing with chronic illness: a review of the research literature. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:927973. doi: 10.1155/2015/927973. Epub 2015 Feb 26. PMID: 25815041; PMCID: PMC4357134.
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