david m. bailey

photos via http://www.davidmbailey.com/

I was first introduced to david bailey at the New Wilmington Missionary Conference, in New Wilmington, PA, in (I believe) 1999. He was the featured musician at the conference, where he played one long concert for the entire assembly and where, each evening, he would sit down with his guitar in one of the dormitory lobbies and sing and play for any who cared to gather around.

I was instantly taken by his music. david sings (and writes) folk music that is based on his life as a Christian and as a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1996 and told that he had six months to live. He decided that he would like to do something important with whatever amount of time he had left on this Earth and thus began his singing/songwriting career. Many of his songs focus on the importance of living each day to the fullest.

(In case any of you were wondering about possible mis-types or brooke just being brooke by not capitalizing people's names: david goes by david. Not David. He is a kindred spirit, indeed.)

david's presence in my life did not end with the Missionary Conference. I next saw him perform in a church basement somewhere outside of Chicago in (I think) 2001. His music still moved me and so did his message of loving life. david performed at my very own Hastings College in September of 2004. I was living in Lincoln at the time, but my dad and I made a trip to Hastings to hear him. My dad also went with me in April of 2008 to hear david sing at Eastridge Presbyterian Church, here in Lincoln.

On June 19th, my dad and I danced to david m. bailey's "Love the Time" for the father/daughter dance at Brian's and my wedding.

This past Sunday night, I was glancing through my 101 goals list, looking for something to focus my energies toward. I saw david's name. One of my goals was to attend another one of his concerts. I went to his website to look at tour dates, hoping that he would be somewhere close to Lincoln in the next few months. His tour page was blank. After 14 years of battling cancer, david passed away last Saturday. He was 44 years old.

Please join me in praying for his family. Please join me in praising God for the many years of his survival that allowed him to share his story and to share God's goodness. God has called home a good and faithful servant. I feel incredibly blessed to have had so many opportunities to have heard this man sing his heart out. Both his music and the message of his music will continue to live with me.