Carry The Fire Podcast

Today on the podcast we are joined by Makoto Fujimura. Makoto is an internationally renowned painter, arts advocate, writer, and speaker. In our conversation, we discuss the concept of Slow Art, Makoto shares about the confluence of Japanese and Western culture in his own art and also about the importance of artists in times of crisis. Makoto also shares about the ways that his Christian faith prompts him to lead in efforts to engage in what he calls Culture Care instead of the Culture Wars that Christians are often known for fighting.

We also talk about the Japanese art of Kintsugi. If you are unfamiliar with Kintsugi, it will probably help to have a little context before listening to the discussion. Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese process of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer that is dusted or mixed with powdered gold. This process accents the brokenness of the vessel but also reveals the beauty of that brokenness as well, making the repaired piece more valuable than before it was fractured.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on the pod we are joined by REZA ASLAN. Reza is an internationally renowned writer, commentator, professor, television producer, and scholar of religions. In our conversation, we discuss the ubiquity of religious thinking across time and culture and about how all religion IS a language of sorts.

Reza shares about why he has found the framework of Islam most helpful in his own spiritual practice, he gives us a bit of a peek into an upcoming TV project he is involved with that aims to de-exotify Muslims and those from majority Muslim regions, and he also speaks a bit about his mixed-faith marriage. Let’s dive in.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Hey everyone. Today on the pod we have Dan Koch. You’ll remember Dan if you’ve listened to the intro episode of Carry the Fire. Dan is a former host of the Depolarize! podcast and the current host of the amazing podcast You Have Permission where he seeks to give people permission to seek answers to good questions that may have been out of bounds in their formative faith communities.

Our conversation was wide-ranging and meandering in the best way. We talk about certain similarities in any mass social movement whether left or right, and we discuss the learned nature of language and it’s function as a social signifier in groups. I also ask Dan to critique my thinking a bit as far as my worries about giving platforms to those who I disagree with in key ways and why I may be doing more harm than good in my approach.

Depolarize! Podcast

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today we are joined on the pod by my long time friend, Jesse Bryan. Jesse is very smart, well and widely read, a deeply thoughtful person, and not surprisingly one of my very favorite people to talk to. Jesse is the founder and executive creative director of Belief Agency, an award-winning advertising company based in Seattle.

As you’ll hear, instead of lying to consumers, they do this really weird thing where they focus on helping their clients tell the truth. You’ll get an interesting look into some of the history of advertising and it’s relation to truth and falsehood, and what’s changed in the digital age. I basically just say “uh-huh” and “yeah” a bunch while Jesse drops wisdom, so sit back and enjoy as I did.

Like what you hear? Get exclusive episodes and limited perks by supporting the show on Patreon. www.patreon.com/carrythefirepod

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on Carry the Fire Podcast we have Cindy Wang Brandt. Cindy is an author, a podcaster, and a public speaker. She’s written a book, Parenting Forward: How to Raise a Children with Justice, Mercy, and Kindness, and has a podcast by the same name. A former conservative Christian missionary, Cindy underwent a phase shift and now speaks and writes about how that has impacted her life and how it impacts the often overwhelming and bewildering tasks of raising children.

In our conversation, Cindy recounts the story of her own phase-shift and gives her advice for others going through similar situations. And she shares tips for parenting in a way that does justice for your children and also helps them to learn how to do justice in the world around them.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on Carry the Fire Podcast we are joined by the esteemed professor John Cobb Jr. Dr. Cobb is an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist. Cobb is often regarded as the preeminent scholar in the field of process philosophy and process theology. He is also the author of over 30 books and he just celebrated his 95th birthday. He was the first theologian elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his interdisciplinary work in ecology, economics, and biology.

While Dr. Cobb is well versed in process philosophy much of his work has been as a process theologian. Process philosophy and theology provide us a means for retaining values such as the good, the true, and the beautiful as well as explaining God’s agency in the world all without denying what we learn through science. And, often aligning more with what we learn through science vs what we learn through strict materialism. This is a bit of a heady conversation but, John is wise and a delightful human. I believe you will all enjoy this.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on Carry the Fire Podcast we have Jared Yates Sexton. Jared is a writer and political analyst. He’s the author of multiple books and also the associate professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University.

In our conversation we get into why writing is good for you, we explore the myth of American exceptionalism, we discuss toxic masculinity and its links to problems at the national level, and more.

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The Muck Rake Blog

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on the podcast we have the lovely and enigmatic Aaron Weiss, singer and lyricist for the fantastic band, mewithoutYou. Who happens to be out of the road currently with my band Thrice as we tour through the end of February in celebration of the 15 year anniversary of our album, Vheissu.

I had a blast sitting down and having this conversation with Aaron who, as you’ll see, is never afraid to dive into the deep questions. A bit of a theme emerged in the course of our conversation as we discuss at length, and from many angles, the dangers and downfalls of labeling, dividing and chopping up the world around us. I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on Carry the Fire we have Chris Heuertz. Chris is an author, speaker, Enneagram Coach, non-profit consultant,  and anti-human trafficking activist.

We talk about why contemplative work is critical if you’re trying to do good work in the world. We discuss why Chris finds the Enneagram to be such a helpful tool for self-reflection and growth, and Chris shares ways that he strives to seek beauty in every moment.

Like what you hear? Get exclusive episodes and limited perks by supporting the show on Patreon.

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Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism.

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com

Today on the podcast our guest is Summer Ash.  Summer has worked as a rocket scientist and an astrophysicist and is currently harnessing her powers for science communication to share her love of the universe as an educational specialist. She’s also a freelance science writer and communicator and has had her work featured in a wide variety of scientific publications.

Summer and I discuss supermassive black holes, the possibility of alien life, her love for space-themed clothing, and much more. Summer also shares about her major heart surgery and the continuing impact it has had on her daily life.

Like what you hear? Get exclusive episodes and limited perks by supporting the show on Patreon. - www.patreon.com/carrythefirepod

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STARtorialist - Where Science Meets Fashion

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Produced by Andy Lara at www.andylikeswords.com