Poets At War

Poets At War Episode 9

#PAW9

General's Report Episode 4

#GR4

I talk about The Pagemaster, Reading Rainbow, and other children's media from the 90's that challenged us to use our imagination.

For more, check out https://joshuadavidling.com

Original Air Date: 10/27/2021

Welcome to Poets at War, a podcast documenting the brood of writers, where art, theology, philosophy, and fun beckon your ears. Today on the program, General Joshua David Ling holds a backyard war council with brothers Daniel and Aaron Reed, recorded in October 2021 amid sirens, screaming kids, and a redneck Wi-Fi. What starts as a casual homeschool hangout quickly spirals through a family story world named after a carrot, a deaf storyteller discovering the deaf community is 98% unreached by the gospel, the voyages of Apricot Island and a villain named Eden, two brothers unifying their worlds into one conjoined universe, and a surprisingly serious debate about transcendent truth, the Body of Christ, and why The Pagemaster was right. Art, theology, philosophy, and fun — plus a world named after a carrot.

Chapters:

00:00 — Intro: Entering the War Zone

01:51 — Backyard Chaos & Introducing the Reeds

12:17 — ASL, Deafness & The 98% Unreached

14:35 — Cartography, Music & The Family Fantasy World

20:51 — Keratua, Apricot Island & The Conjoined Universe

28:04 — E-Feds, Wrestling & Narrative Roleplay

30:24 — Poetry as a Puzzle Game

35:58 — Transcendent Truth & The Body of Christ

40:58 — The Pagemaster & Prevailing Over Evil

46:49 — Where to Find the Reeds + The General's Send-off

Join The Brood: https://joshuadavidling.com/brood

Support Poets At War: https://patreon.com/poetsatwar

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Kpg7qj8C1ohhWRZf2gqWw

https://www.tiktok.com/@danielreed44?

I explain why names are so important within the framework that God has made the World.

For more, check out https://joshuadavidling.com

I look at my top 13 films and discuss the thematic through-line in all of them.

For more, check out https://joshuadavidling.com

Poets At War Episode 5

#PAW5

Creators And Crusaders Episode 4

#CC4

Author. Toymaker. Big Sister/Fairy Godmother energy. Not Woke. Supporting traditional narratives. Neurodivergent. Soli Deo Gloria

https://www.facebook.com/LaRoseToys

https://twitter.com/tkwilsonauthor1

Originally Aired: 10/6/2021Welcome to Poets at War, a podcast documenting the brood of writers, where art, theology, philosophy, and fun beckon your ears. Today on the program, it is a manly episode! Joshua David Ling is joined by Ian Thomas Wilson — comic artist, writer, and creator of the webcomic Legend of the Swordbearer — for a wide-ranging conversation on Western archetypes, radical responsibility, and martial arts. The pair kicks things off with a deep dive into NFTs and how digital artists can collect royalties on every resale, then walks through Ian's novels A Song of Emrys and The Sword of Emrys, his retelling of the historical King Emrys — uncle of King Arthur and first High King — and his battles against the Saxons. Ian unpacks his artistic lineage (Jack Kirby, Hergé, and Moebius), his work as assistant editor of Logosophia Magazine, and why heroes like Conan the Barbarian and Kull the Conqueror still matter — men of action and adventure, savage in battle but always there when someone's in danger. The conversation turns truly manly: getting fired from architecture, seven years of karate and the road to black belt, Dave Ramsey, Jocko Willink, and the radical responsibility of taking charge of your own life. Then a shift to faith — Ian's Reformed Catholic identity and a fascinating breakdown of preaching elders vs. ruling elders, and how congregationalism decides who gets the pulpit. Plus: why tropes exist for a reason, the over-saturation of the Hero's Journey, and where to commission Ian's art. Chapters: 00:00 — Intro & It's a Manly Episode 00:34 — NFTs, Digital Art, & Royalties Explained 03:18 — Introducing Ian Wilson: Comic Artist & Writer 05:32 — King Emrys, Uncle of Arthur, & the Saxon Wars 06:57 — Indiana Jones & Action-Adventure Influences 07:25 — Logosofia: Assistant Editor & Social Media Duty 08:40 — Why Write? Purpose & the Worthwhile Adventure 09:06 — Tropes, Traditions, & the Overdone Hero's Journey 11:22 — Conan, Kull, & Heroes of Action 14:23 — Kull the Conqueror & the Barbarian Emperor 25:59 — Fired from Architecture: Dad's Karate Suggestion 26:42 — Seven Years of Karate & the Black Belt Hierarchy 34:00 — Radical Responsibility: Dave Ramsey & Jocko Willink 35:23 — The Archetype of a Man 37:19 — Art Talk: Jack Kirby, Hergé, Moebius & 3D Shapes 39:50 — Faith & Theology: The Reformed Catholic Searcher 50:56 — Preaching Elders, Ruling Elders & Congregationalism 55:02 — Where to Find Ian & Commission His Art 56:41 — Outro & Closing PoemYou too can be a part of The Brood of Writers and Poets at War! Just visit https://JoshuaDavidLing.com/Discord to join. If you're a true poetry patriot, you can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/poetsatwar and get the recordings of all of our encouraging and strategic meetings, along with much more. Once again, all links can be found at joshuadavidling.com. Over and out.

Welcome to Poets at War, a podcast documenting the brood of writers, where art, theology, philosophy, and fun beckon your ears. In this episode, General Joshua David Ling sits down with Coach Jaymes O'Pheron — web developer turned coach, Protestant-turned-Orthodox catechumen, and self-described Christian transhumanist — for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, community, and the right relationship between humanity and technology.Jaymes opens with his 1,500-mile move from Washington State to Fargo, North Dakota, and the three big transitions he's navigating: the move itself, launching his coaching company, and his conversion from Protestantism into Eastern Orthodoxy. The conversation then takes aim at the coaching industry's glut of scammers and schemers — the woo-woo New Age types and prosperity gospel "name it and claim it" preachers whose Christianity is "closer to magic than sacrament" — before Jaymes breaks down what coaching actually is: not teaching, mentoring, or consulting, but the multiplicative art of asking questions you can't ask of yourself, grounded in the truth that thoughts are not complete until they embody themselves in action. From there, the pair constructs a four-level model of human connection — connection, relationship, community, culture — where stories become epics, epics become myths, and everything worth doing can only be done through community. Joshua unveils the origin of his sci-fi story about Blaze and Pandora (Firefly meets Leviticus 17:11's "the life of the flesh is in the blood"), and Jaymes makes the case for true Christian transhumanism: Christians hold the monopoly on right ethics, so we should lead technological innovation — reversing the curse, not replacing humanity, contra the humanists of That Hideous Strength. Finally, Jaymes tells his story: the father who intentionally crafted a family culture, five years in prison treated as a monastery, over a thousand books read, and the Coptic Book of Hours that carried him toward the historic church — now a catechumen at an Eritrean Orthodox parish in Fargo. Plus: relics as technology, the three components of culture, and Joshua's closing exhortation to be your family's bard.Chapters: 00:00 — Intro & War Zone 00:38 — Jaymes' Move & Three Big Transitions 05:35 — The Coaching Industry: Scammers & Schemers 10:09 — What Coaching Actually Is: The Art of Asking Questions 17:45 — Community & Culture: Connection, Epic & Myth 30:30 — Blaze & Pandora: Joshua's Blood-Fueled Sci-Fi Story 39:40 — Christian Transhumanism: Baptizing Technology to Christ 45:30 — Jaymes' Story: Prison, 1,000 Books & the Road to Orthodoxy 1:02:00 — Be Your Family's Bard & Jaymes' Links 1:06:18 — Outro & Closing PoemYou too can be a part of The Brood of Writers and Poets at War! Just visit https://JoshuaDavidLing.com/Discord to join. If you're a true poetry patriot, you can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/poetsatwar and get the recordings of all of our encouraging and strategic meetings, along with much more. Once again, all links can be found at joshuadavidling.com. Over and out.

Welcome to Poets at War, a podcast documenting the brood of writers, where art, theology, philosophy, and fun beckon your ears. In this episode, General Joshua David Ling sits down with Sarah Levesque to explore the origin and mission of LogoSophia Magazine — a quarterly publication born from prayer and designed to build bridges between Christian denominations in an age of division. They discuss the moment God gave Sarah the word "blaze," the importance of inter-denominational dialogue, and why Christians who disagree can still fight side by side in the culture war. The conversation ranges from homeschooling circles and the abolitionist movement to the theology of beauty, the problem with incrementalism, and why every artist is a seed-planter for the Kingdom. Plus: Joshua mentions the "smash-mouth incrementalist" theory and Sarah fields the million-essay theology teacher workload.Chapters: 00:00:00 — Intro & The War Sounds of Fatherhood 00:01:55 — What Is LogoSophia Magazine? 00:04:26 — The God-Given Idea: "Blaze" 00:07:37 — Catholic & Reformed: Disagreeing Without Division 00:11:07 — Building Different Towers, Same Kingdom 00:13:47 — Sarah the Recruiter & The Seed-Planting Artist 00:17:55 — The Endarkenment & The Supernatural War 00:20:34 — Abolitionists vs. Incrementalists 00:30:49 — The Culture of Death & Teaching Teens 00:36:00 — Outro & The Call to BattleYou too can be a part of The Brood of Writers and Poets at War! Just visit https://JoshuaDavidLing.com/Discord to join. If you're a true poetry patriot, you can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/poetsatwar and get the recordings of all of our encouraging and strategic meetings, along with much more. Once again, all links can be found at joshuadavidling.com. Over and out.

Welcome to Poets at War, a podcast documenting the brood of writers, where art, theology, philosophy, and fun beckon your ears. In this inaugural episode, General Joshua David Ling steps to the mic for a solo introduction — laying out his intentions for the war to come and establishing the aesthetic of the General's Quarters.Joshua opens with a frank confession about the "General" title (pretentious? maybe — but the aesthetic demands commitment) before diving into the mission statement: a podcast for Christian artists navigating the culture war, drawing from the wells of Tolkien, Lewis, Calvin, and Chesterton. He unpacks his Reformed Presbyterian upbringing and why he's stuck with it — because the Reformed faith is more full of story and beauty and adventure than anything else on offer. He then gets personal about his unconventional dyslexia (text must become sound before it makes sense), which led him to abandon prose for the rhythmic terrain of epic poetry. From there, he introduces his storytelling platform of choice — Marco Polo — and explains why video walkie-talkie culture is the closest thing we've got to sitting around a campfire. Finally, he unveils his 12-story-serial-world plan and invites listeners into the Story Circles at joshuadavidling.com.It's a manifesto, a memoir, and a moon shot all in one. The war begins here.You too can be a part of the brood of writers and Poets at War. Just visit https://JoshuaDavidLing.com/Discord to join. If you're a true poetry patriot, you can support us on Substack and Patreon and get the recordings of all of our encouraging and strategic meetings, along with much more. Once again, all links can be found at joshuadavidling.com.

Over and out.