ILLUMINATE

Artists have a way of seeing the unseen. Especially what is unseen to majority of society. Audrey Assad & Brady Toops are two people who definitely see what most others don't. And they're no longer afraid of sharing what it is they see. 

Both have created & recreated careers in the liminal landscape that hosts the intersection of musical entertainment & leading worship. They share some raw & hilarious thoughts on who they used to be & where they find themselves today. And they share a little bit of their art along the way. 

___________________________

@audreyassad | audreyassad.com

@bradytoops | bradytoops.com

Opening Theme Music by Future of Forestry

To watch the conceptual short films featuring composer Tony Anderson, go to http://youtube.com/TonyAndersonMusic or http://vimeo.com/TonyAndersonMusic

Look out for Tony's new album, CHASM. Available 10.10.18

COMING SOON: new stock visuals licensing site, http://shop.illuminate.us

A NIGHT OF HOPE tour: Nov 29 - Dec 2 (featuring Ann Voskamp & Christy Nockels): http://christynockels.com

Featured Music in this episode: 

- "Chasm" by Tony Anderson

- "Oyarsa" by Tony Anderson

- "Immersion" by Tony Anderson

- "Deliverer" by Audrey Assad

- "Walk in Love" by Brady Toops

- "Unfolding" by Audrey Assad

- "Drawn to You" by Audrey Assad

- "Let You Go" by Brady Toops

- "The River Jordan" by Brady Toops

Artist & author Makoto Fujimura illuminates the relationship between faith & art like no other person I've met. His artwork (based on an ancient Japanese painting style called Nihonga) has been featured in contemporary art galleries around the world, in places like Chelsea New York, Haifa Israel, & Hong Kong. 

While "Mako" has one step in the art world, he has his other foot in the Church, speaking life into Her artists, adding color a black-&-white world of religion that has been stripped of beauty & visual theology. He especially has a sensitive heart for artists in the Church, who often feel used, misunderstood, & ultimately exiled. His passion for curating a "theology of making" has landed him a role at Fuller Seminary as the Director of Culture Care Initiative at the Brehm Center. 

Mako is back on the ILLUMINATE podcast to talk about the concept & practice of "Culture Care", something I believe both the Church & the culture at large so desperately needs in these divisive times. 

______________________________________________

Mako on Twitter & IG: @iamfujimura

Nihonga Refractions on Instagram: @nihongarefractions

See Mako's work @ makotofujimura.com/works

SilenceAndBeauty.com

IAMculturecare.com 

Two places to see Mako's work in person: All Saints Church in Princeton, NJ + Waterfall Mansion in NY

Opening Theme Music: "Homeward" by Future of Forestry

Additional Music: "Breathing Strings" by David Swick (breathingstrings.bandcamp.com) + "River Crossing" by The Radial Conservatory (theradialconservatory.com) 

When it comes to leading worship, liturgist & writer Aaron Niequist likes to swim in the deep end. Coming from a small stream of evangelicalism, Aaron has wrestled & fought with questions like, "Is this all there is? Is there more to worship than a setlist & a sermon?" 

His questions about worship styles & Sunday morning practices only scratch the surface, for Aaron is always swimming deeper, seeking after the substance beneath all the worship styles. 

During this journey through doubt & deconstruction, Aaron discovered the rich treasure of ancient Christian practices & the beauty of liturgical worship. And he's spent years experimenting with the concept of importing these ancient practices into modern worship settings. Through many successes & failures, Aaron has gleaned much wisdom, which he shares in his new book, "The Eternal Current: how a practice-based faith can save us from drowning". 

And I'm so grateful to Aaron for coming onto the podcast to share some of the stories of swimming in the Eternal Current. 

To support this podcast & keep it going, please consider donating at least $1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/illuminateus

_____________________________________

Follow Aaron on all the socials: @aaronieq 

"The Eternal Current" is available as a book & audiobook wherever you buy books. 

https://www.aaronniequist.com/

Pastors, Priests & Guides retreat: https://www.pastorspriestsandguides.com/

A New Liturgy: https://www.anewliturgy.com/

Theme Music by Future of Forestry ("Homeward" on the album "Awakened to the Sound"

Additional Music: Aaron Niequist/A New Liturgy + The Radial Conservatory 

http://illuminate.us

With Daniel Henderson, the craic is always 90. That's Irish for "pretty great." Over the last few years, Daniel has become one of my closest friends. Legend has it he won the Irish Brewer's Cup & competed on the worldwide stage in Melbourne for World's Best Cup of coffee. He does make a pretty mean cup. A year later, that would lead Daniel set out with his friends to open up a cafe in Northern Ireland called "Lost & Found".

On this episode, Daniel shares the ups & downs of chasing big dreams, losing his identity to his creative passions, & the journey of finding himself again in the world of professional ministry. 

_______________________________

Daniel Henderson is @surfmister on Instagram.

Lost & Found is located in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. 

Theme Music: "Homeward" by Future of Forestry

"No Greater Unknown" by Jonah Ramey (search on Spotify or iTunes)

"The Eternal Current" by Aaron Niequist (available on Amazon)

Please consider supporting this podcast by giving at least $1 a month via Patreon: http://patreon.com/illuminateus 

Traveling the world is one of the main things that has inspired my creativity & shaped my worldview. In this episode, I sit down with longtime friend & fellow globetrotter Jonathan Smyth (aka "Biscuet") to talk about living overseas, traveling to unlikely places, & how that's affected the way we see the world around us. 

"Biscuet" has had his hands in the worlds of video production, event producing, English teaching, & marketing. He's applied all of these gifts at his current job with ELIC, an English-teaching organization that sends teachers all over Asia & the Middle East.

_________________________________

Jonathan Smyth: @Biscuet on all the socials

http://elic.org 

The practice of tea ceremonies is an ancient liturgy that dates back many centuries. More than a simple drink, tea has been used to welcome dignitaries, stop wars, & cloak Christians celebrating Communion in secret. 

In June 2018, I joined illuminator Makoto Fujimura & a group of artists for a unique trip to Israel-Palestine. Our main objective was to perform Rikyū tea ceremonies in key "holy sites" throughout the Holy Land, bringing a spirit of peace & Shalom to this very conflicted land.

Joining Mako is Japanese Tea Master-Apprentice Keiko Yanaka & her husband, Osamu. 

Photos from our tea ceremonies in Israel: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk5--_9BX5d/?taken-by=sproctor

_________________________

Makoto Fujimura: Twitter & IG @iamfujimura, http://makotofujimura.com 

Keiko Yanaka: Twitter @joyinthehouse7

Osamu Yanaka: Twitter @WILLIAM_JOY

Nihonga Refractions on Instagram: @nihongarefractions 

Listen to more of Mako & Keiko discussing Tea & Communion here: https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/tea-and-communion-mako-fujimura-and-keiko-yanaka/

The Philos Project: https://philosproject.org 

Opening Theme Music: "Homeward" by Future of Forestry

Additional Music: "Desert Crossing" by The Radial Conservatory 

For more on art & liturgy, visit http://illuminate.us 

Live presentation on "visual liturgy."

Presented by your host, Stephen Proctor. 

Recorded on March 26, 2018 @ Nebraska Christian College (https://www.nechristian.edu)

Opening Theme Music by Future of Forestry.

To see & listen to more talks like this, visit: http://illuminate.us 

Let's say you happen upon a burning bush, & a voice calls out from the flames, "Make Me a cup of coffee." What type of coffee would you prepare? Why? And what does this have to do with ANYTHING?!

These are the kinds of conversations that I have with Scott Davis, the most interesting person in the world I have ever met. 

For the past few years, Scott has run a (pseudo) members-only coffee shop in Nashville, TN. It feels more like a speakeasy than anything else. And if I really dig down into my imagination, then I would describe Scott's space like the rabbit hole in the timeless classic "Alice in Wonderland." And Scott would no doubt be the White Rabbit. Or the Mad Hatter. I can never decide. 

So before I set out on my long road trip to Portland, I sat down with Scott in his space "Noteable Blends" one last time. I hope you enjoy.

___________________________________

SHOW NOTES

Scott isn't on Twitter.

Or Instagram.

And he hates Facebook. 

It took him years to finally cave in & buy an iPhone, but he still carries an old school flip-phone which he calls the "Bat Phone." 

Noteable Blends is in a liminal space of transition, but if you want to "follow" Scott & taste his coffee, then you'll need to go to Nashville & visit "Davis Cookware" in Hillsboro Village. And if you're lucky, you'll spot the White Rabbit. Just be careful, if he hands you a cup & says "drink this!", be prepared to lose track of all space & time... at least for a few hours. 

Welcome back to the ILLUMINATE podcast!

This episode kicks off Season 2 with my story of moving to the City of Roses... Portland, Oregon!

______________________________________

SHOW NOTES

"Breathing Strings" Live in Europe: https://www.gofundme.com/csduta-breathing-strings-in-europe

Please donate to help David Swick & I make this unique concert tour & recording possible! =)

The ALOHA 360 podcast & blog: http://thealoha360.com

http://illuminate.us 

Instrumental music moves me more than any other art form. It's always been my dream to work with composers & orchestras to create immersive environments that fuel the imagination. 

David Swick is a composer & songwriter in Nashville who’s working on a really interesting instrumental project. One of them is so unique and beautiful that I thought I’d bring him onto the ILLUMINATE podcast and let him share with you all his latest collaborative project called "BREATHING STRINGS." 

Get ready to hear some beautiful music & to be inspired by David’s story & creative process. 

_____________________________________________

SHOW NOTES

David Swick on Twitter: @davidwswick

David on Instagram: @davidswick

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/dswick

Download "Breathing Strings": https://breathingstrings.bandcamp.com/releases

The Radial Conservatory: http://theradialconservatory.com

Vol I on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/volume-i/1292962281

Vol I on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7mynP0xlgxzCzoe2jRfoNM

Spotify Playlists for neoclassical music:

- "Calibrate" https://open.spotify.com/user/worshipvj/playlist/1v4ScVaGoEuBTs9xLjFp6V

- "Black Sand Beats": https://open.spotify.com/user/worshipvj/playlist/2tnd7x7cNZt2SR0x8ZVJG6

Music Credits:

- "Breathing Strings" by D.Swick

- "It's Gonna Rain" by Steve Reich

- "Clapping Music" by Steve Reich

- "Music for 18 Musicians: Pulses" by Steve Reich

- "Sileo" by Rihian Sheehan

- "Poster Child" by D.Swick