unBetween

You perhaps have heard the phrase "level up" thrown around as some kind of pseudo-inspirational sound bite intended to give you an excuse to pursue goals that, at the end of the day, are more about you and what you want than what good you can do for other people.

But there are times in our lives when we're called to leave our comfortable ruts, shift up a gear, and take on a new level of responsibility and calling. Our own desires, comfort, and success don't necessarily factor - but a classic Nintendo game just might!

In a world where there are so many things we are told we need or should do, what are we really pursuing? 

In this episode we talk through the pursuit of comfort and convenience over the pursuit of God and the misconception that as followers of Christ, life should be smooth and free of trouble.

"Celebrate yourself!" is a refrain that can seemingly be heard shouted from every cultural street corner these days, regardless of whether you're on standing the left or the right side of the tracks.

In this episode, we talk about the deep-seated pull to selfishness both inside the church and outside, and how Christ calls us to live a different way.

Sometimes art is something we experience on a cultural level. There are media monoliths out there creating content that shapes our society, and not always for the better. What should a believer's response be when art enters our circles of influence - especially when it's coming from a source that's supposedly "safe"?

We wade through the ins and outs of what's put Disney and Hillsong in the news lately, and ponder whether we're as tuned in as we should be to what's happening in our own homes.

Nao Glover is a musician, writer, communicator, and the editor of HM Magazine, which explores all the avenues of heavy music, and that made by people of faith in particular.

We talk about her experiences in music, explore her master's thesis about the value of implicit communication in art, and an excellent blog she wrote about unhealthy expectations found in modern worship culture.

If you'd like to reach out to her, or interact with more of her work and perspective, click one of the links below.

http://www.hmmagazine.com

https://www.sundaymorningmisfit.com/

Sun-Bleached: The Over-Exposed Worship Generation

What is art for? And what good is it when it becomes too diluted to accomplish its purpose? We talk honest art, sacred rhythms, self-reflection, and leaving space for selah.

Andy Zipf is a singer/songwriter with a poet's mind and prophet's heart that has been writing "rock n' roll hymns" for many years now. He has a new album coming out March 11 called How To Make A Paper Airplane, which was three years in the making. This beautiful collection of songs, recorded "in stolen moments with borrowed microphones" emerged from his family's move from D.C. to Florida, his experiences as a first-time father, the passing of his own father, and trying to make sense of walking the line between solo artist and church musical director.

It was truly an honor to get to speak with Andy about his art and his faith, and we highly encourage you to listen to "Did You Know I Was A Ghost", the new single from his upcoming album.

You can find him here:

Website

https://www.thecowardschoir.com/

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5gj2Ul170gSipbsNQbea37

After an unintentional hiatus, we're back talking about the things in our lives that are sustainable, nonnegotiable, or prunable. What should we actually spend our time doing as followers of Jesus, and how do we make sense of difficulty and a lack of fulfillment?

We may not remember it, but there was a time when each of us was unable to speak - we had thoughts and emotions and even experiences, but no way to give voice to them or articulate them to someone else.

In this episode, we discuss some of our individual experiences of key moments when art and faith met and came alive, and how that combination can give Christians the language of the human experience.

Joshua S. Porter is a musician, songwriter, and author, who is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist for nigh-impossible to classify art punk juggernaut Showbread. He's also dabbled in a lot of other endeavors musical and otherwise like The Bell Jar, Annihilationism, The Word Virus, Church of Agony, You Hate Movies, and more.

As the primary driving force behind so many creative endeavors, Josh had a lot to say about art - his own and that created by other folks, both inside and outside the Church. We talk weird Bible passages, Christians as holy art critics, and what hope there is for us as we struggle with diminishing attentions spans and biblical illiteracy.

You can take a gander at what Josh has been up to at joshuasporter.com.