Ep 104: Rachel Wilhelm Singing the Story of Hosea

Rachel Wilhelm returns to PostConsumer reports for another "radio special" episode with an in-depth discussion of her new album Hosea. As an Old Testament prophet, Hosea offers us a frame story as a way to portray our betrayal of God through our sin, if only as a means of demonstrating God's love, judgement, faithfulness, and ultimate call for redemption. Building on her previous work of lament songs, a contemporary requiem, and a companion album about the prophet Jeremiah, Hosea shows us the words and story of an ancient prophet are still speaking to us powerfully today about what God is calling for his people. 

The album is available wherever you stream music, but can also be purchased in vinyl format (along with her other works) here. You can find out more about Rachel's music and ministry at her website and about United Adoration where she does worship and songwriting workshops.

You can listen or read Rachel's previous appearances on PostConsumer Reports (including writing a guest article) here:

Rachel on her album Requiem (radio special #1)

Rachel on her album Jeremiah (radio special #2)

A reflection on Moda Spira's album Divorce

Reflections on Rachel's Songs of Lament

Ep 101: Peter Assad of Poems of Grace on Singing About the Already But Not Yet

 

Peter and Grace Assad make up Poems of Grace, a duo singing songs rooted in Scripture and willing to wrestle through the wilderness journeys of life. Just in time for Advent, this episode features Peter discussing their two releases from the past year Rivers to Eden and Not Here Yet. You can find out more of their story and purchase their albums and artwork at https://www.poemsofgrace.com/.

Ep 93: Caroline Cobb on her album Psalms: The Poetry of Prayer

Caroline Cobb joins episode 93 of PostConsumer Reports to discuss her new album Psalms: The Poetry of Prayer. Our conversation is a deep dive into the music and background behind the songs, her other Scripture-based albums, and her life as a working musician. You can stream her music wherever it is available or discover more of her work at: www.carolinecobb.com or https://carolinecobb.bandcamp.com/. 

You can listen to the episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts:

Thanks to Rachel Wilhelm for helping to get this interview set up.

You can read my article on sad Christmas songs here: https://christandpopculture.com/on-the-importance-of-sad-christmas-songs/

You can listen to my Tent Talks series about Women in Church Leadership here.

I also do a pop-culture podcast with my friend Joe Cook called Nostalgic Future, which you can find here.

Related Podcast Episodes:

Ep 90: Brian Doerksen on his song "215"

Ep 85: Singer-songwriter Rick Lee James

Ep 88: Rachel Wilhelm on Composing a Modern Requiem

Ep 87: Harmony Smith—Vineyard Worship Leader, Songwriter, and Pastor

Ep 68: E. Byron Anderson on his book Common Worship

Ep 62: Stephen Backhouse on the Life of Kierkegaard

Ep 50: Stu G on the Beatitudes Project

Ep 26: Zac Hicks author of The Worship Pastor

Ep 47: Dr. Lest Ruth on the History of Contemporary Worship

Ep 81: Rain For Roots 

Ep 67: Singer-songwriter John Van Deusen

Ep 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Ep 69: Ex-Mormon Ministry Founder Lynn Wilder

Dr. Lynn Wilder is a retired education professor who began the ministry Ex-Mormon Christians United For Jesus with her husband Michael Wilder, which you can read more about at: http://www.unveilingmormonism.com/. Dr. Wilder has written or co-authored a number of books about walking away from the Mormon faith and coming to know the Good News of Jesus as found in the Bible:
Unveiling Grace
Leaving Mormonism
7 Reasons We Left Mormonism

Our conversation goes into her personal story as well as the history and beliefs of the Mormon religion.

 Subscribe to the podcast on itunes 
Check out the podcast page to subscribe on Stitcher, Google Play, Tunein, and PocketCasts.

Ep 68: E. Byron Anderson on his book Common Worship
Ep 62: Stephen Backhouse on the Life of Kierkegaard
Ep 45: Religion and Philosophy Professor Brooks McDaniel

Episode 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Episode 50: Stu G on the Beatitudes Project

Episode 49: Doug Chu on White Churches, Multicultural Worship, and the Asian-American Experience
Episode 47: Dr. Lester Ruth on the history of Contemporary Worship
Episode 26: Zac Hicks author of The Worship Pastor
Episode 07: Pastor Luke Edwards on "why churches should stop giving stuff away"

Episode 08: Dr. Jeremiah Gibbs on Postmodern Apologetics

Episode 11: Thom Blair on the Hebrew English Interlinear O.T. and Logos Bible Software

Episode 17: Pastor Douglas Wilson 

Episode 33: Author Michelle Van Loon on the Church Calendar

Ep 61: Dan Leman—The art of lament

Dan Leman is the lead pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church in Metamora, Illinois. For episode 61 he is coming back on the podcast to discuss the book of Lamentations and the idea that out of pain God leads us to create works of art. Dan is currently doing a sermon series on Lamentations for his congregation, so the background and poetic structure of Lamentations is fresh in his mind. Our conversation goes all over the place surrounding the subject of suffering, crying out to God, and what place lamenting has in the Church.

You can listen to Dan's sermons here:
http://faithefree.net/sermons or on itunes

Also check out the previous article on music of lament:
Lamenting Through Lent With Rachel Wilhelm and Bifrost Arts

You can support Nathan Peterson's current Kickstarter campaign here:
Dance Again: Grief is Healing


 You can stream the episode above, subscribe to the podcast on itunes or Check out the podcast page to subscribe on Stitcher, Google Play, Tunein, and PocketCasts.

For more on lamenting and art that questions/confronts God, please check out these articles and podcast episodes:
Ep 60: A Discussion on Nathan Peterson's Song "Is It a Sin?"
What Do You Do With Art You Disagree With or the Offends You?
Why It's OK When Satire Makes You Mad

Lamenting Through Lent With Rachel Wilhelm and Bifrost Arts

It's all too much. Really all too much...

Honestly, who knew life was going to be this hard?

Our days can either be viewed as: 
long successions of joy and fruitfulness dotted with periodic times of suffering and trial
or
periodic times of joy and fruitfulness spent fretting over the more frequent times of suffering and trial.

I have lived a very good and full life up to this point, but oh if it doesn't seem like it is often the latter of these two options. So much time is spent planning and hoping for things to happen and much of the rest of the time is spent realizing exactly how difficult it is to make anything happen. It would seems our days are full of hindrances set to divert us from our plans...

Here's a very small case in point: 

I am a church music leader and for several months I have wanted to immerse myself in two particular albums in preparation for the season of Lent:
Rachel Wilhelm's Songs of Lament (free download on Noisetrade) (streaming or purchase on Bancamp) 
and
Bifrost Arts Lamentations (streaming or purchase on Bandcamp

A Pessimistic Lenten Reflection (part 2): Giving The Gift

The Temptation In The Wilderness by Briton Riviere

In the Church calendar the season of Lent extends 40 day from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, the day of Christ's resurrection. Lent is a season of drawing back and simplifying, of penitence and repentance, of learning to walk the way of Jesus, the road that leads to the cross, of learning to give up what we cannot keep in order to gain what we cannot lose.

People often "give something up for Lent", but really Lent is about getting rid of the things that detract and distract us from God. So the call goes much deeper than merely not doing some petty thing we know does not do us any lasting good. Instead, the call is to consider what in our life causes us not to see and hear God. So we "giving something up" not to punish ourselves—though in the short term we may be doing that—but to take on a posture where can begin to draw near to God.

As a way of helping others get to that place, I now offer part 2 of a Pessimistic Lenten Reflection:

Giving the Gift...

A Pessimistic Lenten Reflection (part 1): Living in Denial

In the Church calendar the season of Lent extends 40 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, the day of Christ's resurrection. Lent is a season of drawing back and simplifying, of penitence and repentance, of learning to walk the way of Jesus, the road that leads to the cross, of learning to give up what we cannot keep in order to gain what we cannot lose.

People often "give something up for Lent", but really Lent is about getting rid of the things that detract and distract us from God. So the call goes much deeper than merely not doing some petty thing we know does not do us any lasting good anyway. Instead, the call is to consider what in our life causes us not to see and hear God. So we "give something up" not to punish ourselves—though in the short term it seems we may be doing that—but to take on a posture where can begin to draw near to God.

As a way of helping others get to that place, I now offer part 1 of a Pessimistic Lenten Reflection:

Living in Denial...
_________________

"Sleeping is Giving In": A Very Special Arcade Fire Advent Reflection (Part 2)

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

+++Ephesians 5:13-14 (ESV)

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 

+++Romans 13:11-12 (ESV)

The Scripture readings during the season of Advent typically focus on two people who integral in readying the earth for the coming of Christ: Mary, his mother and John the Baptist, his cousin. Much can and has been said on both these people, but for now were are going to focus in a bit on the place John the Baptist has as a forerunner to the coming of the world's Savior.

"We Used to Wait": A Very Special Arcade Fire Advent Reflection (Part 1)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God...For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:18-19,22-25 (ESV)

  I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD

  in the land of the living!

 Wait for the LORD;

  be strong, and let your heart take courage;

  wait for the LORD!

+++Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV)

Advent is a season of waiting. And waiting for anything can be tough.

Where is God When a Tornado Hits?

Photo Courtesy of Heather Lockwood (https://www.facebook.com/heathAlocks)

I hesitate to even put up this post, I really do, but...

Most everyone knows by now a tornado ripped through central Illinois (specifically the towns of Washington and Pekin) on Sunday November 17, killing two people, injuring many others, and destroying some 1000 homes, leaving many many indefinitely homeless.

As people begin to pick up the pieces of their lives, inevitably questions will begin to emerge in an attempt to find meaning in what has happened, and eventually they will begin to point their questions heavenward:  "Why did this happen God?"  or even "God why did you allow this to happen?" and then "Why did this happen to some people and not others? Did the people who this happened to deserve to have their houses destroyed?"