Hyphenated Life

We are delighted and humbled that Titan of Celtic Christianity, John Philip Newell, joined us from Edinburgh, Scotland to talk about his upcoming book, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul. John Philip is one of the leading Celtic teachers and authors of spirituality in the world. He calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of the earth and every human being. Hyphenated Life bonds with JP around the similar paths we take towards breaking down the wall between the sacred and the secular by recognizing the sacredness in everything and everyone.

Justice advocate, worship leader, and photographer based out of Chicago, Darren Calhoun, sits down with David and Andrew and shares the story of his personal journey as we discuss the state of open and affirming acceptance in the Church today. Darren is a dynamic and powerful soul with eye-opening expertise in some of the most important elements of the state of Christianity in America today. Join us!

Self described recovering lawyer and politico turned food writer, Adrian Miller joins Hyphenated Life for a truly intriguing episode about race, food and faith, soul food (Adrian is the anointed "Soul Food Scholar), barbecue, and his time with former president Bill Clinton. You don't want to miss this conversation, where Adrian really does drop knowledge like hot biscuits!

In this episode Andrew and David do something a little different by sitting down to discuss a topic that might not be the first thing to come to mind for a podcast that explores the connection between the sacred and the secular. SPORTS! and politics... Whether you like sports, or don't, or like "politics" in your sports, or don't, it can't be denied that the tapestry of our social fabric has every aspect of our lives connected, from Race, to Sports, to Politics, to Loving Kindness, and it's difficult to keep them all in their separate buckets. So please join us on this journey as we try to keep a wide angle lens on the world in which we live.

Humility, passion, kindness, and brilliance all shine through in this episode of Hyphenated Life. A perfect guest for a podcast that covers topics at the intersection of the sacred and the secular, our conversations cover the spiritual, political, and social state of our country from the perspective of this titan of the theological world. We also discuss how Serene's upbringing and generational history shaped her worldview and life path.

"We welcome guest co-host George Mason who interviews Anne Scalfaro and Andrew Daugherty about their newly released book of a collection of sermons about the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews contains one of the most sophisticated discussions of the meaning of Jesus for the life of faith today. Andrew and Anne engage deeply about a complex book that makes Hebrews relatable. They guide us through a relevant way to hear the voice through whom God spoke in the first century, and who also speaks to us in the twenty-first century."

Jamie Beachy's interreligious background as a former Christian minister with a deep interest in Buddhism and earth-based indigenous practices emerged through engaging the wisdom of care seekers, colleagues, students, and non-human relatives. As the current director of Naropa University's Center for Contemplative Chaplaincy Jamie teaches other care givers and healers how to care for themselves in this potentially exhausting path of work. Among other topics, Andrew and David talk about how Jamie got to where she is in her life and career, as well as her work in more expansive understandings of Chaplaincy, care giving, and personal healing around trauma related wellness issues. Jamie is on the front lines of the up and coming science based healing movement centered around the use of psychedelics.

Friend of the show, Kristin Gornstein, joins Andrew and David for fun, moving, and candid conversations around her professional journey of the the past decade. Having recently moved back to Colorado, Kristin has become the newest member of the Pine Street Band, the official band of Pine Street Church. This is a great chance to get to know her through our conversations on this episode of Hyphenated Life. Be sure to listen all the way to the end to hear a song from a recent musical release of Kristin's. Follow Kristin's music career through her website and check out her recent EP on Spotify.

In a time when national healing is such a deep need, today we talk with public theologian, author, and pastor, Dr. Steve Shoemaker, about reality-based religion, the collective psychosis of our country, the tangled beauty of America and original sin, a poetry of protest and praise, and how we move forward toward justice and healing for all people. Rev. Dr. Steve Shoemaker is an author, theologian, and pastor. He is currently pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Statesville, NC. He served previously as pastor of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, Broadway Baptist in Fort Worth, TX, and Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.

Bobbi Jo: Under the Influence is one of the most inspirational stories you will ever hear. For 25 years, Bobbi Jo Reed has rescued thousands of addicts. But before she could help others, Bobbi Jo needed to help herself. This true life story takes an honest look into the world of alcoholism and addiction and provides keys to long term recovery in Kansas City’s most dangerous neighborhood. After a middle class upbringing, Bobbi Jo turned to drinking and drugs at a young age. Soon, her life spiraled out of control. Addiction led to abuse, prostitution, and homelessness. When she hit rock bottom, Bobbi Jo had a spiritual awakening. With newfound strength, Bobbi Jo was lifted out of a personal hell. That strength gave her the courage to return to the streets to help others. Using the testimony of her dark past as a “blueprint of hope”, Bobbi Jo Reed reflects on her transformation. How she was saved. Why she was chosen. And why more than 10,000 souls now call her, “Mom.”

Stephen Nix is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and vocal coach. He is Director of Music for Hillsboro Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. He shares his deeply personal, spiritual journey to discover his best and truest self through grief, music, education, and the gift of living a creative life. He reveals advice about how living authentically brings fulfillment that money and prestige and nothing else can buy.

We close out our first season of Hyphenated Life life with a look to the future; the future of a world post-pandemic, the future of this podcast's second season, and with questions of the future abounding but hope even more. A favorite 2020 meme we consider: If you're going down a river at 2 mph and your canoe looses a wheel, how much pancake mix would you need to re-shingle your roof? This is 2020 in a fun math problem! In this last episode of our inaugural season, we close out the year with some fun conversation between Andrew and David. We recognize the difficult times 2020 has given us and the world yet with a hopeful eye toward what has the potential to be a better-than-ever future because of the lessons learned in struggle and calamity this past year. Thanks to everyone who helped make Hyphenated Life a reality this year. We're looking forward to the second season kicking off in early February. We hope you'll join us for this next chapter in our journey as we continue to explore the space between the sacred and secular. Cheers to everyone who has been a part of our journey and cheers to this being only the beginning!

Merry Christmas Eve to all the listeners and lovers of Hyphenated Life podcast! Since Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year, the day of the week we release our Hyphenated Life podcasts, we decided to tickle your sacred vs. secular sensors with a delve into one of the formative quotes for the basis of Hyphenated Life. That quote of course is from Madeleine L'Engle, and her book "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" “There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.” This idea has been both inspirational and foundational to our outlook on the world. We're excited to hopefully share this special day with you as we celebrate the humanity and the divine in all of us! Merry Christmas!

In this episode we are joined by General Counsel and Associate Executive Director Holly Hollman of BJC, in Washington D.C. BJC is formerly known as the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. BJC is a national ministry partner of Pine Street Church. This episode explores cultural and legal aspects of the Constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. We also address the meanings of religious liberty that impact our nation and houses of worship during COVID-19 as well as how our heritage of religious liberty can inform people of faith during this holiday season. Learn more about BJC and important work they're doing in the "heart of the dragon," Washington DC, by downloading their podcast, BJC Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, to all our listeners!

Actually recorded last December (2019), and stashed away for safe keeping, this special (pre-pandemic) Advent-themed podcast has Hyphenated Life joined by Elizabeth Myer Boulton, the President of the SALT Project. The Salt Project is self-described as "...a nimble, fun, boutique production powerhouse ready to create bite-sized social media content, commercials, visual mission statements, book trailers, and impression pieces for you and your organization. We love creating sharable, memorable film content that tells your story in a crisp, compelling way, helping get the word out about who you are and how you’re changing the world." Liz, Andrew, and David delve into their personal experiences in telling stories and how they find themselves living in the "hyphen" of God's sacred-secular world. This special "Adventy" podcast ironically (or not) includes spending a bunch of time discussing Good Friday as well as their favorite words.

Hyphenated Life gets to sit down with Ryan Daniel Dobson, the writer and director of the film Hosea, produced by Avril Speaks and Suzanne Watson, who also join us for this episode. Together we explore the expressive crossover of the sacred and the secular worlds of a cast of characters in modern day Oklahoma City and the Old Testament biblical story of the minor prophet, Hosea. The film itself is a modern-day retelling of this ancient story through the eyes of its forgotten female character, Gomer, Hosea's wife, represented by the character Cate in this inspiring film. Find out more about the film HERE

This very special bonus episode begins with a Thanksgiving Blessing from Andrew before he and David dig into topics of gratitude, food, and the communal elements of Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from the bottom of all of our hearts, minds, and souls here at Hyphenated-Life.

With David in the host driver's seat this week he catches up with friend and colleague, Waverly Matthews. Kindred spirits, they discuss matters of spirituality and the arts, the revelatory nature of the creative arts, and many other inspiring topics at the heart of the hyphen in Hyphenated Life.

Rev. Dr. George Mason is the senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, founder of Faith Commons (a multi-faith organization that promotes the common good), and host of the Good God podcast. This week, he joins Hyphenated Life to discuss the secret to longevity and authenticity in leadership, poetry and pastoral theology, the wisdom of interfaith partnerships for the common good, and the changing shape of church in America today.

In this episode we talk about the origins of Christian mysticism, the significance of Yoga in how it can pertain to Christian practices, as well as our guest's forthcoming book about these topics.