ONE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS - S:01 E:18

RECORDED IN THE STRONGHOLD STUDIO IN PALM BAY, FLORIDA

THEME SONG "STAY IN MY LANE" - WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY BURKS

AUDIO EDITED BY U-DIRECT VIDEO WORKS IN AUBREY, TEXAS

PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY JAMES EDWARD BURKS FOR ONE VOICE MINISTRIES

 © 2026 James Edward Burks. All rights reserved.

https://www.onevoiceministriesinc.org/

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hey folks, last time we were starting a wonderful interview and conversation with recording artist Burks, and we decided to stretch that into a second part. Just like he mentioned, there are seasons. He has a part one of season and part two and part three. So we're gonna do part two of this season of this conversation with him today on One Voice in the Wilderness. Welcome everyone. I'm James Burks. I'm your host of One Voice in the Wilderness. And uh today our special guest uh is uh Caleb Burks, who goes by the music name Burks. Uh we started a conversation with him last week. It was getting so good. I wanted to extend it a little bit more because there's a few more questions I want to ask him about uh his ministry through his music and things like that. So we're we're grateful that you decided to stay on with us uh for a second uh episode here. Of course. Happy to be here. Thank you for that. Um so uh again, as we mentioned, um, for those of you that missed the first one, please go back and check it. Uh Caleb is uh our youngest of four children and uh just an amazing young man. It's been a blessing to watch him just grow in Christ and grow up in the Lord, finding his purpose, finding his lane. Again, he's our our our theme song uh artist for the podcast. And so it's been just exciting to see all that God is doing um in his life, all the things that God is uh releasing through him and his way of reaching reaching people. So we want to continue the conversation a little bit, and uh um I I guess what I want to ask now is uh because I believe this is a gift that God has given you. What you do is, I think, very unique to you, the way God is using you and things like that. Um so what is your prayer of what you want God to to do with it? What do you where do you want God to lead you, guide you, take you, direct you? What what what do you what do you see as how God's plan is unfolding, or or what are you asking him for as far as that plan to unfold?

SPEAKER_03 2:58

Really, really, I just want God to do whatever it is he wants to do with it. Um because one thing I feel strongly about and I believe is that God has given me an assignment to to use this um this gift and this talent in this season of my life. Um but one thing I'm not super clear on is the extent of what he wants to do with that.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

How far he wants to take it, how long he wants me to do it for. Um you know, I so I I try to approach it with a mindset of, you know, if if it's God's will that that it it spreads across the globe and I'm you know touring other countries, then glory to God, I'll I'll gladly go on that mission. But if his only purpose for this is that there's one person that needs to hear the gospel, one and this is what's gonna draw them, yeah, then glory to God. I'm happy to take that on. So I love that. So yeah, I just I just pray that I just pray that God uh just takes it as far and wide as as he sees fit, yeah, and that it connects with people, and it it uh encourages people.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

I love that. And what I love about your heart is I know you have surrendered this back to him. He gave it to you, and you're giving it back to him. So you you want him to do with it whatever he wants to do with it, which is pretty cool. I think one of the things he's doing is uh in part because of the style and the genre, it's it's has a special design to reach young people. Okay. So when you think about that and you think about your music and the things you're kind of communicating, what is it that breaks your heart the most about what you're seeing happening to our youth and what they're going through and experiencing? What what what really stirs you in terms of you know seeing what's going on with our young people?

SPEAKER_03 4:44

Yeah, there's there's a lot of things. I think one of the main things would just be kind of the state of the mental health of young people. Yeah. A lot of a lot of people at increasingly younger ages are dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, um, just this sense of hopelessness, purposelessness. Yeah. Um just not knowing their place in this world, and just very being very discouraged over that. And I've I've been in those places at times, you know, and so um I want to speak to the people who are are in the positions and in the mindsets that maybe I found myself at one point in time just wondering what what is my purpose, what's the purpose of life. Um you know, I think it's it's just a confusing time to be growing up right now, and and social media is just not healthy for our brains, and you know, from a from a social standpoint and from just a neurological standpoint, it's just the increasing rates of addiction in young people, whether it's pornography or you know, just social media scrolling. And so I I think I just want to um I just want to encourage the young people that are in those places to let them know that God has a purpose for them and it's an important purpose. Yeah, that God is calling them. God wants them and God can use them. It doesn't matter who they are or or how good of a person they think they are, um that's irrelevant to whether God can do something in their life and their life. So everybody has a place in God's kingdom if they're if they're willing to answer that call.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Yeah, that's that's wonderful. Well so to help them, what what drew you out of those dark times for you, that dark season that you were struggling going through? What what was it that uh made the difference for you?

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Yeah, I think I think it was just the love of God that a lot of times was expressed through godly people in my life, you know, that were whether it was family, whether it was pastors, friends, um and and then just uh the pages of scripture that revealed to me that God has a plan, and and like I mentioned on the last episode, that all things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose. So no matter what you're going through right now, no matter what the season of life looks like for you right now, um good, bad, indifferent, God is gonna use that. God is gonna use that for his glory and and for your good. And if you're one of those people who who loves God and is called, um and so that was encouraging to just know that whatever I was going through at the time, depression, heartbreak, just apathy, um that that God hadn't left, that God still had a purpose, God still had a plan, and and if I focused my attention on God, if I if I would seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, um then uh that God could use uh me in in whatever season I was in.

SPEAKER_02 8:00

Yeah, that's awesome. Listen, folks, um those of you that are are are listeners, uh be it on uh uh the audio or or the video, uh please, uh I'm I'm I'm begging and requesting if you share these the link to this in the previous episode because I really believe, you know, again, as we each do the part God's given us to do, Caleb has an opportunity to appeal to young people that are his age, that are in his age group and things like that. He understands their experiences, he understands what they're going through, he understands the pressures of the season that we're in and in this this part of life from growing up and stuff like that. So please share this so that they can hear. Because, you know, sometimes they don't want to hear from old heads, you know. They I I I get that. I can I can't I've I'm I've you know I'm dying to self enough and laying down pride that I'm okay with that. Um, but I really want them to hear the voice of someone that again loves God and has a heart for God, um, but maybe they can relate to and connect to uh in a different way, and so um so that's pretty exciting to to think about. So please share this. That's what I'm asking you to do. So um, so let me also ask you, because you were talking about how things are in society right now and the thing that breaks your heart and stuff like that. Um what what message, what's what's the message you want the kids to get from your music? What's what's the thing you really want them to zero in on and hone into as they're listening to your music?

SPEAKER_03 9:29

Yeah. Well, so my brand is called New Season, and so I've I've released these songs New Season, part one, two, three, and it is inspired by Ecclesiastes three, in the sense that there's a for everything, there's a season and a time for for every matter under heaven. So there's a time for this, there's a time for that, everything has its its time and place. And um and what I really want to encourage people with, and and it's it's the driving force of of everything I do. I want when I'm performing, when I'm when I'm putting out these songs, I want them to walk away with this message that no matter what uh season they're in, that they should embrace the season they're in and and they should embrace God and they should lean into God in that season. Because I think a lot of times we we want to live in the past, we're we're we're we're thinking back on how things used to be, or I wish I could go back to this, or we're looking forward to a hypothetical future where it's like, oh, once I get this, once I get there, then I'll be okay. And and we we neglect living in the present and embracing the fact that we live in today. And today is today is all we're promised. That's right, you're right, absolutely. And so so no matter what that season looks like, whether it's walking through the valley of the shadow of death or laying in the green pastures, we should be focused on the shepherd. And that's good. And if we do that, then God can do incredible things in this season of your life. No matter what it looks like, God can't work. I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

We we talked a little bit about um you have some upcoming music and things like that. Uh if you don't mind giving us a little sneak, what what uh what direction are you going? What's what's the at the heart of some of the messages of some of the songs that you uh have coming up in the in the near future here?

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Yeah, so so this season that we've just entered in is called a time to search. And um by the way, every every season is uh uh taken from that chapter of Ecclesiastics. So you can find it in in some translation of that chapter, you can find these titles. Right. Um and so what it's about is uh when we uh search for God and we search the scriptures, yeah, um, we can we can learn more about who God is. Uh but along the way we also learn about ourselves. Yeah. And so I see a lot of times I see scripture as like uh as like looking on the face of deep waters where it's like there's so much depth, there's so much underneath to explore, but yeah, but the first thing you see is yourself reflected. And so um, you know, there's there's scriptures that allude to to the the law being like a mirror or something, some similar analogy because uh God reveals things in your heart as you seek after him and as you seek the scriptures, you're convicted of of sins, and you're convicted of uh of struggles and of of uh lies that you've been believing that have been motivating how you navigate life. And so uh this season is it's it's seeking after God and it's uh pausing to uh reflect on what God has revealed uh to me about myself and encouraging others to uh to seek after God in that same way. That's good.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

That's good. Romans 12 says that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, and so what what you're talking about, that deep dive into God's word and and all that stuff, the transformation starts to happen as God is changing our thinking and helping us to see Him differently, see ourselves differently, uh to get honest with God about those things. And so uh that that is powerful for people to really think about. So we're excited about that that new work that's gonna come out uh and and express that and things like that. Um, do you have anything coming up uh for anyone that's in the Bavard County Melbourne area, any places where they can come and see you live on tap right now? Maybe not, but I thought I'd at least ask so that could be out there so people could consider that.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

I think the only thing on the schedule right now is the 5K public information. Yes, it is. Okay, so we've talked about 5K. Yeah, later this year uh in October of 2026, there will be uh One Voice 5K that I'll be performing at. Um so that's the next thing locked into the schedule. So that will be in Melbourne.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Yes. Um at uh Max Rhodes Park on October 24th. And so yeah, so you can already sign up for that. And yes, we we're looking forward to that as we do the 5K, then he's gonna um uh close out our time and kind of wrap us out, uh wrap us out wrap it up for us, I meant to say. Um wrap us out uh uh with uh sharing some of his music. Do you think you have anything new by that time? Yeah, you release a few new things?

SPEAKER_03 14:24

Yeah, I think you'll you'll hear some new music by then.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

Okay, cool, cool. So what is your um um release timeline? How how often do you like to put stuff out? Is it really yeah, because I know you work, yeah, you're also an engineer. Yeah, yeah. And so, you know, there there's that piece of your life, and you're again new husband, so there's you know, time there. But what as you're working on your music, what what is kind of your goal or projection of when how often you'd like to be releasing stuff?

SPEAKER_03 14:57

You know, I think I might just keep that a secret. That's fair. That's fair. I'm okay with that. But the thing the thing that you can't expect is that you know it comes in seasons, and so I'm I I might release uh a chunk of music that is of a certain sort of theme, certain sort of uh sonic uh you know uh style, and um, you know, the visuals will have a certain sort of aesthetic, and you know, after that season is over, I might um just take some time to sort of prepare for the next. Okay. But new music will be coming very soon. Coming coming soon. Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

We'll accept that. We won't we won't push past that. So I I being a creative, I understand that creative process. And it is, it really is hard to you know lock it into a I'm going to do this here, because you know, part of it flows out of that inspiration that God gives you uh as I'm painting and drawing, as you're uh creating your music, you know. So we we really have to just put up our sail and let the wind of the Holy Spirit just kind of blow the direction. And sometimes it blows fast and there's a lot coming out, and other times there's that that bit of delay there, uh, and things like that. And so um, so we're we're excited for whatever God's going to do next. So so we're we're happy with that. So all right. We have had such a great time um uh with our guest, uh Caleb Burks, uh, goes by the recording name Burks that we've been excited to have you here as a guest and stuff like that. So let's just as we're wrapping up, just tell us a little bit more about you. Uh again, I mentioned you're an engineer and you're you're doing all these other things. You've also had an opportunity to preach and share the word in that way, other than just through your music. What what has that been like for you and what what do you think about that as part of your future going forward in terms of ministry?

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Yeah, yeah, I think, you know, like I said, it's like uh a lot of what God wants to do in my life ministry-wise, I'm I'm sort of finding out as I go. Yeah. Uh and so but but what I feel like God has revealed so far um is that He's gifted me to use words. Yes. That's that's the simplest way I can boil it down. I like that. So whether those words come in the form of uh you know, a rap verse or uh teaching the word on a platform, you know, in a preaching capacity, uh I definitely feel like that's that's part of my calling is to use communication uh to take the truths of scripture and and try to break it down in a way that um is accessible, is understandable, is relatable, is uh you know, creative, is memorable. And so so yeah, I've I've been blessed to have a lot of opportunities to to teach the word. I used to be a uh a youth leader for a time and uh and then I've you know preached in in various capacities at a young adult group and uh at your church by Christ. And um and so I'm blessed to to do that whenever you know I get the opportunity and God calls me to do that and uh and yeah, I'm not sure I'm not sure how uh how much I'll do that in the future, but I know it's something I'll continue to do and um and uh and I want to do that on uh uh in an online context as well. Oh nice and release some nice uh some things, maybe similar to this where I can go in more depth about some of the things that God showed me in scripture.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

I love that. I love that. And so I I mentioned that folks because if you are hearing this and you do have a youth group, or you have a a group and you're looking for a a younger speaker than myself, obviously, um, to be able to come and can make a connection with those youth, then you know, um he would be someone that uh that you could do that with, and so you can reach out through our uh podcast and we can get word to him and let him know that you have an interest in doing that because we'd love to see his work go further in terms of him continuing to spread the gospel in whatever way God allows you to do that, whether it's uh uh through the the the singing or whether it's the speaking. Uh I love that. It's one of the reasons I mentioned before that I uh do the books because that's one more way I call it preaching on paper that God has given me to be able to you know further spread that message to people uh about the kingdom. Um so uh in these last couple minutes before we get to our Malawi moment, again, just uh more on a fun personal note, um uh you you you played basketball, um, and I was your actual high school basketball coach and things like that. Uh what what what uh other fun type things do you get into when you have an opportunity? I know your wife and and you have had a chance to travel and you guys love that. Yeah, uh, but but just just tell us what what's fun for Caleb.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

Uh I love uh I love movies. I've always been a big fan of of movies. Um so you know I don't go to the theaters as much as I used to, but uh but that's something that that I enjoy a lot. And uh started to try to try to read more as well. So I I'd say generally I just like stories. I'm fascinated with. Yeah. Um yeah, just just stories and um trying to think what else. Outside of outside of the work and the music, um, yeah, I just enjoy uh just various forms of entertainment, traveling when possible, um, and um taking up boxing. So that's pretty fun. How cool! So just uh yeah, trying to try to keep myself stimulated and uh keep my keep my my brain sharp.

SPEAKER_02 20:37

Yeah, well, and and stories make sense because you're a storyteller.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

That's what you do as you uh share and things like that. Um I wanted to mention to folks too that uh Caleb Caleb's name is Caleb Joshua, and um all of the names of our children had a a story behind them or a connection, but his uh in particular was really special. And uh if you know the story, Caleb and Joshua, when uh Moses sent the spies in to check out the new land, everybody else came back in fear. Everybody else came back. There's giants in the land, we can't do this, we can't take this, even though God had promised it to them. But it was only Caleb and Joshua that came back and said, Yeah, we can. You know, we we can take this land, we can do that. And so on my wife and my heart uh at the time Caleb was born, was we wanted that to be those names to be connected to him, and that God would connect that in some way to his spirit, that he would recognize that anything God has promised him, anything God has put before him, that through Christ, you know, he could do all things through Christ that would strengthen you, and that um you could be victorious in any of those situations. And so that name choice was very deliberate because we wanted you to be that one that comes back and says, Oh, yeah, we can take this mountain, we can do that. And so I've been watching you do that in your life and and take that those various mountains and various challenges, and even this challenge of what you're doing with your music. It's been pretty cool to to watch that unfold and things like that. And so uh we want all the best for you going forward and things like that. Um so let's let's get to our Malawi moment uh as we wrap up this segment. All right, for this Malawi moment, um we had we had talked with uh Caleb before about his trip to Malawi and how that impacted him. And so for this one, I just want to uh share in general uh some of the things that are going on in Malawi that are just exciting. Uh Caleb is a part of our uh One Voice Ministry board, and um and so we were we were having a uh recent meeting and we were just talking about all the exciting things that are going on over there. Uh Moses and Gladstone are very active in terms of uh seeking any opportunity to share the gospel. We mentioned, we may have mentioned before in one of the episodes that there was a um uh a group that trains uh people on safety in terms of riding their motorcycles, and so uh they took that, got with that group, turned it into an event where they were then able to share the gospel, and eight or nine souls came to the Lord. Uh, but even things like you know, one of the things that they recently reached out to us about is they wanted to have a night of worship for the young people, and so we're trying to help them put that together so that they can come together and and praise the Lord. And I'm always one that says worship isn't just music, but music can be a form of worship. And uh, but we want them to come together and just declare the worship of God and things like that. And so it's just exciting to see the things that they're doing, and we want to support those things in every way we can. And folks, your contributions, your gifts are such a blessing for us doing that. Um uh for example, a case of Bibles is is uh $400 for 24 Bibles, but then our guys go out and they minister as people come to the Lord, they set up Bible studies, and as people are committed to that, then they get the Word of God into their hands. We have pastors over in Malawai's that don't have Bibles, and so we try to get Bibles to the pastors and elders of the churches. So we're just you know, whatever God leads you to do helps us to accomplish more of what God wants us to do. And so it's just exciting to think about all those different things, the hospital visits, the school visits, all those kind of things, even the conferences that Caleb was a part of the first time around. We're looking forward to the next conference that we can go and do because they love to hear from us and be encouraged by us when we go there. And so uh I just just as this Malawi moment, just to ask you to be in prayer for all the things that are going on in Malawi. And and just to remind you, it it is a challenging life in Malawi, so they really could use your prayers. We recently had one of our young children pass away. Uh, he was struck with uh malaria, and uh it uh it was just too much for him, and he didn't survive that. And that was that's heartbreaking for us, you know, and uh heartbreaking for his mother. That's the second child of hers that has uh passed away through this through sickness. And uh so that that life there in Malawi is very challenging. And so your prayers are so greatly appreciated. Um your support helps us to even in those situations in medicine when we know about it. This one we didn't know about, it was just it was too late. Uh we didn't find out in time. But just again, every piece that you do helps us to do more of the kingdom work over there in Malawi. And so we appreciate that. And uh again, we appreciate uh Caleb, you being with us today. What a what a fun time. Uh I enjoyed this. Uh any last thing you want to say as a as a goodbye to our listeners?

SPEAKER_03 25:51

Um just whatever season God has you in, uh embrace that season and trust God in this season because God has a plan for you, and his plans are good, his plans are better than anything that we can come up with. Absolutely. And so trust God over your own understanding. That'd be my encouragement.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Oh, I love that. I love that. So you heard him. Stay in your lane. All right. Seek those things that God has for you and press into them and walk them out and trust God to lead you through them. Don't lean to your understanding, your own understanding, but acknowledge him in all your ways and allow God to direct your path. All right. Uh folks, you're his workmanship. There's good works for you. I pray you find them. I pray that you walk in them. And again, thank you, Caleb, and uh thank you all, and we'll see you next time.