Song Revolution Podcast – Season 3

Host: John Chisum

Episode Title: ANDREW GREER: Mysticism, Minimalism, and Music

Episode Summary

In this episode of Song Revolution, host John Chisum welcomes back singer-songwriter, producer, and filmmaker Andrew Greer for another deep and thought-provoking conversation. From literature and scripture to mysticism, minimalism, and music, John and Andrew explore how faith, creativity, and a posture of humility shape our art and our lives.

Andrew shares about his move from Nashville to the small town of Plains, Georgia, and how a slower pace has opened up new margins for community and creativity. Together they wrestle with ideas of certainty, control, and judgment in faith, drawing wisdom from mystics, the Civil Rights Movement, and Andrew's latest record, Songs from the Dark.

If you've ever struggled with doubt, wrestled with control, or wondered how to connect your spiritual life more deeply to your art, this conversation is for you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why Andrew believes books and literature fuel creativity and songwriting
• How mystics like Thomas Merton and Meister Eckhart influence faith and art
• The danger of certainty in faith and how doubt actually strengthens belief
• Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement on humility, justice, and love
• Andrew's songwriting process behind Songs from the Dark
• The power of laying down judgment and control to live in freedom

Key Topics & Highlights

Books & Spiritual Reading

• Andrew and John discuss the influence of authors like Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, NT Wright, and Richard Foster.
• The value of memoirs and literature in opening perspectives beyond scripture alone.
• Scripture itself as mystery and mysticism, especially in the Gospels and books of wisdom.

Mysticism & Faith

• The infinite nature of God and our being—living forever as an endless journey of discovery.
• Faith as uncertainty and openness rather than rigid certainty.
• Letting go of control, judgment, and resistance to embrace communion with God and others.

Justice, Prejudice & Love

• Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement and Andrew Young's example of radical love.
• Loving our enemies as a revolutionary act of following Jesus.
• Challenging cultural and religious biases that distort the Gospel's radical call to love.

Creativity & Inspiration

• How reading literature and scripture fuels songwriting and artistic expression.
• Music as communion with God, often born out of darkness, mystery, and unknowing.
• Andrew's latest album Songs from the Dark, including tracks "Rescue Me" and "Hands," which emerged from conflict, grief, and the pandemic.

Suffering, Presence & Surrender

• John shares his heart attack experience and practicing "being with the pain" instead of resisting it.
• The grace of letting go of resistance and shame, allowing God's presence even in suffering.

Final Thought

This conversation reminds us that faith and creativity both thrive in openness, mystery, and surrender—not certainty or control. Whether through books, music, or life's hardest experiences, God continually invites us into deeper communion, where judgment gives way to love, and darkness can give birth to unexpected light.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Andrew Greer:

andrew-greer.com

NashvilleChristianSongwriters.com

Join the NCS 2025 Songwriting Challenge – Download the free 31-page guide https://courses.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/challenge2025

Sign up for Free First Monday Songwriting Training https://courses.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/training

Explore NCS Community and membership options https://www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/ncs-community

NCS Collective: Check out our artists!

https://www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/ncs-collective/