Consider It Joy

Anger is such an emotional response, it's hard to talk about it objectively.  We like to feel justified in our anger, because there are terrible things in the world.  People say "even Jesus flipped tables" or "but it's a righteous anger." What the Bible actually says might surprise you.  It will also free you. We talk with our friend (who happens to also be a pastor and a psychologist) Jon Engen about what role, if any, anger should play in our lives.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and check out our other fascinating topics and conversations.

Consider it Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM out of Bakersfield California.  More ways to listen and connect can be found here.

Country music superstar Jay DeMarcus has been on all sides - on stage and in studio; performing and managing; mainstream and Christian; gospel music, rock music, and country music. So how do you find balance between the business side, and the ministry side? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: How did Jay end up on the best B-movie franchise of all time? 

There is lots of laughing and lots of learning, with some surprising revelations from one of the biggest country bands of all time.

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM out of Bakersfield, CA.  We talk about everyday issues with a faith perspective.  Please consider subscribing, and checking out our other episodes!  You can also find ways to connect here!

Quick reference for this episode:

00:01:54: Introduction of Jay DeMarcus, founder of Red Street Records

00:03:22: How music affects people's lives

00:04:17: Jay DeMarcus's transition to running a record label, Red Street Records

00:06:12: Influences and experiences contributing to Jay's approach to business

00:10:14: Importance of mentorship in life and in the music industry

00:11:08: Value and freedom in admitting "I don't know".

00:11:43: Introduction of Red Street

00:18:19: Transition from Christian rock to mainstream (Rascal Flats)

00:22:23: The role of charity in his life

00:23:31: Faith in Daily Work

00:25:04: Balancing Business and Ministry

00:34:13: Similarities and Differences between Christian Music and Country Music

00:40:07: Judgement and Acceptance in Singing about Faith

00:41:19: Jay's Experience in Sharknado Four

All the songs sound the same. They're too repetitive. There's no originality. They play the same 10 songs.

We hear it all the time, and have seen all the memes, but is it true?  Our answers might surprise you!

We tackle the myths and stereotypes of Christian music and Christian radio.  To do this, we brought our friend Mike Couchman.  Mike has worked in multiple formats of radio, and is a trail blazer in the Christian radio industry.  (He also lets it slip which artist gave him the cold shoulder).

Whether you are a fan of Christian music/radio, or turn up your nose at it, this episode will bring a lot of clarity to what's true, what isn't, and the very real reasons why.

If you enjoy the original content on Consider It Joy, please consider subscribing, and leaving a 5 star rating on Spotify & Apple.  We are an official podcast of 88.3 Life FM out of Bakersfield, CA.  You can find out more here.

Some highlights for quick reference!

00:06:27: Misconceptions about knowing famous artists

00:07:25: Personal experiences with artists

00:08:56: Professional disappointments with artists

00:09:43: Feeling judged by an artist

00:11:33: Analysis of Radio Song Repetition

00:16:00: Conversation about Christian Music Content and Depth

00:18:13: Debate on Christian Radio Audience Interests

00:23:23: The Revenue Reality of Broadcasting and Christian Artists

00:23:55: The Myth of High Earnings in Broadcasting

00:30:46: Purpose of Repetition in Music

00:41:33: On contemporary Christian music vs other forms

00:44:02: What not to say or ask a Christian radio DJ

Do they walk through jungles with machetes? Do they just hand out tracts? Are they pushing western culture into the third world countries?  What does a missionary actually do? This episode we talk to our close friend Cecil Ramos who has been on the mission field for a decade. He helps us understand the difference between some of the past perceptions of what a Global Worker does, ways it has been done right as well as wrong, how it works, and what an average day in the life looks like.

Cecil gives thoughtful answers, insights, and takes on some hard questions.  

Some quick reference episode topics:

00:03:02: Defining 'missionary'

00:07:45: Decision to serve as a missionary with a family

00:10:54: Introduction to the 3D Gospel concept

00:11:53: Presenting Gospel in different ways

00:12:28: Understanding shame honour cultures

00:13:29: Understanding fear power cultures

00:14:09: Culture adjustments as a missionary

00:16:22: Experience and criticism of short term mission trips

00:19:09: Expectations vs reality for a global worker

00:30:29: Impacting Marriages and Parenting

00:31:17: Building Relationships Overseas

00:34:49: Importance of Love in Communication

00:35:38: The Evolving Role of Global Workers

00:37:05: Shift in Approach to Missions

00:38:00: The concept of 'Washing Feet'

00:38:30: Balancing Core Beliefs and Culture Adaptation

00:40:11: Impact and Interpretation of the Great Commission

Consider it Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM.  If you enjoyed it, please consider liking & subscribing.  You can find all the ways to listen and interact here.

What defines a Christian song?  What if a Christian artist does a love song for their spouse, or a secular artist does a song about their faith?  Why do we say someone is a 'Christian artist' but not say, for example, 'Christian Optometrist' if they are a believer? 

Chris Cleveland is the perfect person to have a conversation with about this! Stars Go Dim didn't start as a "Christian" band although he always was, but now they do operate under that label.   

This was a fascinating discussion you don't want to miss!

If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing, and leaving that 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcast!

Quick reference guide showing some of the things we cover:

00:01:23: Definition of Christian vs Secular music

00:03:21: Discussion on defining terms in music

00:04:01: Discussion around labels and preconceived notions

00:04:28: Chris talks about his songwriting process

00:06:07: Discussion about Christian artists and their music

00:07:12: Analysis of recent trends in Christian music and the "worship song"

00:10:32: Worship music and songwriting

00:13:09: Perceptions and standards in Christian music

00:16:55: Living up to the expectations as a Christian artist

00:21:18: The profound influence of secular artists on Christian music.

00:26:20: Debate on 'Secular' Songs and Artists with Christian Messages

00:26:54: The Spirituality in Songwriting

00:30:15: Analysis of Christian Songs in Mainstream Media

00:31:49: The Importance of Music Selection for Children

00:35:58: Parenting and Music Exposure

00:36:40: The Evolution of Christian Music

00:41:12: Dealing with Public Perceptions and Judgements

00:41:36: Discussion on music tastes and extending grace

00:42:55: Defining thoughts and disagreements within the Christian church

00:45:44: Importance of community in gospel

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA.  You can find out more, connect, and all the ways to listen by clicking here!

Are we living in the end times?

If you talk about the 'end times' in the church, you will likely get one of these responses. "Oh yeah, I read all the Left Behind books"  "have you seen what's happening in (fill in the blank with a middle eastern country)"  or "Revelation is weird and confusing"

There are a lot of hot takes about the book of Revelation and living in the end times, but not a lot of thoughtful discussion.  For some it causes worry, for others, confusion.  We sit down with pastor Jon Engen to straighten some things out, and how to have a healthy, sensible approach to considering what the Bible ways about 'the last days.'

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA. Our goal is to have helpful and casual conversations about every day faith. 

Find all the ways to connect with us here!

If you enjoy these types of approachable conversations about faith, please consider subscribing, we are a non-profit 501(c)3 and rely on listeners to help spread the word, and share 5 star ratings to help us reach more people.

Key points in the episode:

00:06:26: The Divisiveness and Confusion in End Times Interpretations

00:10:16: Discussion on end times and its influence

00:10:24: The Book of Revelation's role and purpose

00:11:16: Analysing the interpretation of end times in religious texts

00:12:32: Issue with the interpretation of end times

00:13:21: Comparison between politics and the Bible

00:13:56: Difficulties in comprehending the end times

00:14:33: Specific prophecies in relation with the end times

00:14:55: Discussion on signs of end times

00:15:28: Reference to historical events as signs of end times

00:16:37: Variety of opinions on the truth of the end times

00:20:13: Impact of Reading the Left Behind Series on Personal Faith

00:25:13: Encouragement to Christians About End Times

00:27:02: Interpretation of Bible's Closed-Handed and Open-Handed Concepts.

00:36:34: Relationship with Revelation and Israel

00:37:26: Taking a Faith-Driven Approach

00:38:24: Avoiding Timeline Predictions

00:39:17: Understanding the Letters to the Churches

00:40:54: Fear-Driven Conversations

00:44:07: The Need for Realignment with the Presence of God

What's it like getting thrown off of a car and caught by Vin Diesel?  Brenda Garcia knows. Brenda is a professional stunt performer & actor who has been in some of the biggest movies!  Ant Man & The Wasp, Fast X, Transformers, and many more!  She talks about her life in the stunt world, the scariest stunts she's had to do, and how she has been able to keep her faith strong in Hollywood.

You can connect with Brenda on Facebook     and see her incredible list of accomplishments here.

You can also follow on IG at @BrendaLGarcia or Twitter @BrendaLGarciaX

Consider it Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA.  If you enjoy the podcast, subscribing and rating really does go a long way in helping us get the word out.  You can find all the ways to connect with us, our station, and our daily show at consideritjoypodcast.com 

We love movies. We also love Jesus.  Sometimes the church community has a hard time navigating those things, or developing a standard for them.  On this episode we are joined by one of the top movie reviewers on Youtube, Sean Chandler.  Sean is a former pastor who switched to full time work as a Youtuber after a powerful testimony unfolded in his life. What is the right perspective to have on Hollywood, Youtube, and Jesus?  Is Hollywood evil? What's the deal with faith-based movies? Was Sean REALLY in a ska band? Join us for a fun and lively conversation of a shared love of film and faith.

If you love movies, make sure to like & subscribe Sean Chandler at Sean Chandler Talks, and Sean Chandler Plus.

You can also find out more about his speaking engagements and live presentations here.

Speaking of liking and subscribing, if you enjoy this podcast, we are a non-profit organization and it would help us tremendously if you would be willing to rate & subscribe to this show.  You can find out more about us and the radio station we are based out of at Consideritjoypodcast.com 

Whether you love Christian music, don't like it, or just share memes about it, the winding road of how it became what it is today is fascinating.  The name Chris Hauser probably isn't familiar to you, but is known to everyone within the industry.  Not only has he seen the growth of CCM first hand, he has been a massive part of shaping it.  He is also one of the kindest humans on earth. Join us as we walk through the decades starting with the Jesus Movement, and track the major artists and events (good and bad) that shaped the entire Christian Music Industry.

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA.  We take an honest and candid look at music, faith, and where they intersect.  We would greatly appreciate anyone willing to subscribe, and to share a 5 star rating (that helps us grow the show). You can find more ways to listen and connect by clicking here.

Honestly, we've all asked this before.  We welcome our friend, pastor & psychologist Jon Engen for a candid conversation on the problem of pain. For anyone who has gone through the really hard stuff, maybe even questioned God and struggled with this idea, this episode is for you. 

Consider It Joy is a podcast with open and honest conversations about faith and music. Please consider subscribing wherever you get podcasts!  If you're willing, sharing a 5 star rating also really helps us get the word out.

For more information on the show, or hosts, or to check out 88.3 Life FM where this podcast comes from, you can connect to all of the above here!