Ep 102: Andrew Montonera on his John and Betty Stam Biography By Life or By Death

 

Andrew Montonera joins PostConsumer reports to discuss his new book By Life or By Death: The Life and Legacy of John and Betty Stam. The Stams were missionaries to China and were tragically martyred in 1934, an event which shook people around the world, partly because their infant daughter survived. Andrew has written a new history of their lives and the events surrounding their death, including numerous pictures, personal writings, poems, and accounts not included in previous biographies of the Stams. You can learn more about him at his website: https://www.andrewmontonera.com/

If you would like to purchase a signed copy of his book you can order one here.

His publisher's page through Moody can be found here, and you can order through Amazon here.

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 100: Fernando Ortega returns for our 100th episode to discuss his new album!

It's celebration time! For the 100th episode of the podcast Fernando Ortega returns to discus his new album For All the Saints. We also have a thorough discussion about his book Fernando's Birds bird watching in general, what it means to be rooted to a place and home, and how he has learned to grieve loss and embrace the joys of life over the years. It's a wonderful discussion to have for this milestone episode.

Fernando also appeared on episode 52 of the podcast to discuss his previous album The Crucifixion of Jesus, which to this day remains the most listened to episode of the podcast.

PostConsumer Reports as a podcast will be winding down over the coming series of episodes. For anyone who has listened to these discussions surrounding art and faith over the years, thank you so much for taking the time. I hope the conversations have been enlightening and joy-filled and I also hope it has provided a platform for artists to spread the word about their work and life. I'm not exactly sure how many have listened or who continues to listens, so I'll just throw this bottle out into the ocean a few more times and see what happens. Finally, thanks Fernando for answering my questions all those years ago, giving me the encouragement to start this podcast, and being such an amazing guest.

Ep 99: Christmas Traditions with April McClure Stewart

 

Reverend April McClure Stewart join PostConsumer Reports for the 99th episode, which also happens to be our annual Christmas episode! It's the last show of the year and the last show before we put together something special for the 100th episode. April is a Disciples of Christ pastor and has served in various leadership positions over the years. But what really makes her qualified for this particular topic is all of the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany traditions she celebrates with her family each year. This interview features a number of ideas people should consider implementing into their own annual traditions. You can find out more about her church here.

You can find my book Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas here or most anywhere you purchase books. Thanks again to Magic Word for the lovely Amazon review. 

Ep 98: Wally Brath on Connexion a Jazz Psalter

 

Musician, composer, and professor Wally Brath joins the podcast to discuss his new album Connexion a Jazz Psalter. The album consists of nine compositions that set the words of the Psalms to music and along with Brath features the lead vocals of Nikki Lerner and the bass of John Patitucci. You can stream the album everywhere or purchase it on Bandcamp or at his website www.wallybrathmusic.com.

Ep 97: Christmas With Emily Hunter McGowin

 

It's time for another Christmas episode! Dr. Emily Hunter McGowin is here to discuss her new book Christmas: The Season of Life and Light. The conversation ranges from the joys and challenges surrounding the holiday, to reclaiming old traditions even while developing new ones, to a lightning round of Emily's Christmas favorites. Emily is associate professor of theology at Wheaton College and canon theologian for the Anglican Diocese Church For the Sake of Others (C4SO).

Christmas: The Season of Life and Light can be purchased here. An alternate version of this interview, with additional material, was released on the Tent Talks podcast.  She was one of the guests in Chris's previous series for the Tent Talks Podcast "Women in Church Leadership," which can be listened to here. You can find out more about her, including her other publications at her website.

If you are interested in reading Chris's book on the 12 days of Christmas you can find it here or here. Chris's Christmas music can be found here. Last year's Christmas episode on sad Christmas songs (from Tent Talks) can be found here.

Ep 96: Author Katherine Briggs on her novel The Eternity Gate

 

Katherine Briggs joins the podcast to discuss her new novel The Eternity Gate

a fantasy novel about a handmaiden named Seyo who has a key that will unlock the fate of her kingdom. Along with discussing the novel, this conversation goes into Katherine's writing process and her thoughts on the pressure that writers face in today's publishing industry.

You can visit her website https://katherinebriggs.com/ to signup for her newsletter and read some of her short stories. Katherine is a friend and also the former teacher of two of my children, so I'm incredibly excited to be part of helping her to release her first book.

Ep. 95: Austin Freeman on his book Tolkien Dogmatics

 Author and professor Austin Freeman joins episode 95 to discuss his book Tolkien Dogmatics, a theological reading of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Dr. Freeman is a professor at Houston Christian University where he teaches on theology, literature, and apologetics and has also contributed to other books on theological approaches to science fiction and fantasy. He will be a speaker at Urbana Theological Seminary's 2023 Tolkien Conference where Chris Marchand (the guy who runs PostConsumer Reports) will also be a speaker. You can register for it here. With the main speaker being Craig A. Boyd on Friday September 22, Dr. Freeman and Chris will be delivering their talks in the online sessions on Friday, September 23.

Melody Green was featured on a previous episode of the podcast, also talking about Tolkien. Also, Professor Mike Foster, who was influential in so many people's lives as a teacher of Tolkien and who died this past year, was on an earlier episode discussing his life and love of Tolkien's works.

Ep 94: Rachel Wilhelm on Singing The Words of Jeremiah

 

Rachel Wilhelm joins the podcast once again to discuss her new album Jeremiah, a collection of song adapted from the words of the prophet Jeremiah. Like with previous episodes this interview is also a kind of deep dive "radio special" for the album featuring excerpts of the song and the background behind them. Rachel previously appeared on the podcast discussing her album Requiem and she has even written an article for PostConsumer Reports the blog. Please check out her work on Bandcamp and all the streaming platforms, book her for songwriting retreat through United Adoration, or check out the music she's contributed for other projects through Cardiphonia and Resound Worship.

You can find her work on Bandcamp (where CD's can be purchased).

You can book a creative or songwriting retreat through United Adoration.

You can hear some other recordings and collaborations with Resound Worship and Cardiphonia.

Chris will speaking about teaching Tolkien to young people at the Tolkien Conference, which you can attend in person and online.

Rachel has previously appeared on the PostConsumer podcast here, she wrote a blog article here, and Chris reviewed her lament album here.

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. 92: Rick Lee James on "As I Walk These Halls" and being a hospital chaplain

Songwriter Rick Lee James is on the podcast again to disucss his new single "As I Walk These Halls," a meditation on his experience of training to be a hospital chaplain. You can find out where to stream or download the song here. You can learn more about Rick and his music at his website and purchase his albums at his online store.

You can listen to Rick's Between the Songs Podcast interview here, and his previous PostConsumer interview 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. 91: Joel Heng Hartse on how Dancing About Architecture is a reasonable thing to do

 

Joel Heng Hartse is the author of the new book Dancing About Architecture is a Reasonable Thing To Do: Writing about Music, Meaning, and the Ineffable." He joins Chris on the podcast to discuss how writing about music is similar to dancing about architecture and they ponder their favorite bands and songs all while figuring out how to continue having a critical eye toward art while still allowing others to enjoy the music they love.

You can find Joel's book here and anywhere you purchase books and you can find out more about his writing and work at his website: https://www.joelhenghartse.com/

You can find Chris's old article on Plankeye's The Spark 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

BONUS Episode: The REAL War on Christmas

It's the REAL war on Christmas! It's THE real war on Christmas! It's the real WAR on Christmas! It's the real war on CHRISTMAS! You get what I'm saying? This is a talk I gave for the the Tent Talks podcast Patreon subscribers, but I'm offering it you here for free as a way of enticing you to go and listen to Tent Talks. There's a lot of great conversations on that podcast. For instance, coming up in 2022 our first episode is with a former U.S. presidential candidate. I wonder who it will be? To be sure, their name certainly doesn't rhyme with Schmillary Macklinton!  If you're interested in part one of this talk about resting and debauchery at Christmastime, please see the Tent Talks podcast.

Also, I've released a new Christmas song for the end of 2021. It's my electronic version of "What Child Is This?" Go have yourself an Xmas dance party! You can find my older Christmas album here. Also, here is last year's Christmas episode! (You're welcome!)

Oh hey, did you know I wrote a book about Christmas! It's all about the Christmas Culture Wars! And by the end of it, I've certainly won them. All of them. I am the victor. Here are all the places displaying the spoils of my victory:

Amazon
Christian Book Distributors
Wipf and Stock
Barnes and Noble
Google Play
Faithlife
Cokesbury
Lagron Miller (Roman Catholic book, gift, and vestment store in Peoria, Illinois)
Thrift Books

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

You can stream the new song directly here:

Ep 90: Brian Doerksen on His Song "215"

Brian Doerksen is a songwriter, worship music leader, and teacher who recently wrote "215" a call for lament and repentance from within the Canadian church for the atrocities committed against Indigenous children at numerous church and state run boarding schools. He joins PostConsumer Reports to discuss his process in writing the song, what it means to write from a place of sorrow and loss, and to reminisce with Chris about his past worship songs (those he still sing and those he's moved on from. You can discover Brian's music at his website as well as find out how to watch his "Christmas at Our House" concert film.

Subscribe to the podcast on itunes or

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

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 89: Author Martin Matthews on his Dream Chasers Trilogy

Martin Matthews is the author of four published novels, including The Dream Chasers trilogy and the Pencraft Award-winning The Graveyard Girl and the Boneyard Boy. The final book of his trilogy, Moria Versus the Universe, was just released in November 2021. Martin is a friend of mine (Chris) and we have had numerous discussions over the years about writing, the creative process, God, grief, not feeling like we belong anywhere, being consummate curmudgeons, politics, and schmolitics. Our conversation for this episode continues in that line, though here he goes into detail about the world building of his trilogy of novels, how it is a meditation on the possible future of humanity, and why exactly Stephen King is an utter failure (you heard it here first!). Martin came along in my life at a particularly pivotal moment. I was transitioning out of a job and had no idea where I was going. As our friendship formed he offered me a lot of encouragement and the simple excitement of talking with someone about writing, creativity, and all the ideas that fill our heads. For that I will always be grateful.

You can discover more about Martin at his website: https://martinmatthewswrites.com/ or purchase his books through his Amazon author page. 

Subscribe to the podcast on itunes or

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

Ep 29: Melody Green—Tolkien Scholar
Ep 15: Mike Foster Tolkien Scholar and Author
Ep 79: Dr. Michael Ward on C.S. Lewis, Paganism, and Christmas
Ep 69: Ex Mormon Ministry Found Lynn Wilder
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

Ep 88: Rachel Wilhelm on Composing a Modern Requiem

Rachel Wilhelm is a songwriter and church music leader who has recently released her new album and work Requiem, which draws from ancient and modern texts and musical styles to offer us a meditation on death, grief, and our hope in the resurrection. Our conversation, along with these set of songs, offers us a chance to slow down and contemplate what it means that our days our numbered and how we are to best live in the time we have left. You can find Rachel's music at: https://www.rachelwilhelm.com/ or https://rachelwilhelm1.bandcamp.com/.

She also leads songwriting retreats and offers other resources for songwriters and artists within the church through United Adoration (https://www.unitedadoration.com/) and leads music at Apostles Anglican Church in Knoxville, Tennessee (https://www.apostlesonline.org/). Her writing was featured on PostConsumer Reports a few years ago in the article "Revisiting the Liturgy of 'Divorce': a reflection on Moda Spira's new album," and her album Songs of Lament was also featured in a previous article.

Subscribe to the podcast on itunes or

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

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 86: Singer-songwriter Adam Whipple on his Basement Apartment EP

Adam Whipple is a singer-songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee who has just released his new EP Basement Apartment, which is available on all streaming platforms (Soundcloud, Apple, Spotify). You can discover more about Adam and his work at his website (https://www.adamwhipple.com/), which includes visual and video art, and read his prose and poetry and Foundling House, a writing community (https://www.foundlinghouse.com/). Our conversation covers the songs on the new EP, being a bi-vocational artist, and the tensions of creating art in this strange season we are all living in.

Related Podcast Episodes:

Ep 85: Rick Lee James

Ep 84: Jonathan Hodges of Bomethius

Ep 57: Dave Trout of UTR

Bonus: Stu G on the Beautitudes Project 
Ep 73: Phil Joel of Newsboys and Zealand
Ep 53: The Mosleys—Husband and Wife Duo
Ep 67: Singer-songwriter John Van Deusen
Ep 70: Glenn Kaiser

Ep 83: Blair Masters

Ep 77: Jimmy Abegg

Ep 74: Charlie Peacock

Ep 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Ep 55: Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson

Ep 59: Jeremy Casella's New Album and Kickstarter Campaign

Ep 56: Andrew Osenga

Ep 85: Singer-songwriter Rick Lee James

Episode 85 features and interview with Rick Lee James, a singer-songwriter, guitarist, recording artist, and music pastor. He joined PostConsumer Reports to discuss his songwriting and recording process, the struggle to lead church music during the time of COVID (when we are not singing together), being able to authentically address people's pain through worship music, and his Mister Rogers podcast "Welcome to the Neighborhood." Rick has a podcast of his own, "Voices in My Head," which has had numerous guests over the years, including an interview with Chris discussing his 12 days of Christmas book. A couple of months ago Rick was a guest on one of Chris's other podcasts "Between the Songs" discussing "Thunder," an early Rich Mullins song he recorded for his album of the same name. Rick is releasing some new music over the coming months, so be on the lookout for it.

You can purchase or stream his music and discover more about him at:
https://www.rickleejames.com/
https://rickleejames.bandcamp.com/

You can listen to the episode here (over wherever you ingest podcasts):

Subscribe to the podcast on itunes 

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

Ep 84: Jonathan Hodges of Bomethius on his new album Seasons of Limbo
Bonus: Stu G on the Beautitudes Project 
Ep 73: Phil Joel of Newsboys and Zealand
Ep 53: The Mosleys—Husband and Wife Duo
Ep 67: Singer-songwriter John Van Deusen
Ep 70: Glenn Kaiser

Ep 83: Blair Masters

Ep 77: Jimmy Abegg

Ep 74: Charlie Peacock

Ep 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Ep 55: Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson

Ep 59: Jeremy Casella's New Album and Kickstarter Campaign

Ep 56: Andrew Osenga

Ep 84: Jonathan Hodges of Bomethius on his new album Seasons of Limbo

Thanks to his mother, Jonathan Hodges learned to not take himself too seriously from an early age, even to the extent of coming up with the esoteric alter ego name Bomethius when it came time for him to begin composing and performing his music. Jonathan plays violin, guitar, piano, and is even known to whistle a fine tune. His new album is called Seasons of Limbo and features songs about pursuing love and friendship in the time of COVID, tornadoes in major metropolitan areas, and the ever allusive pursuit of finding true community.

Our far-reaching conversation dives into how he came to record an album with his uncle, muses on David Bentley Hart and Kierkegaard, ponders how to navigate the crisis moments of one's life, and dares to ask whether the Poet will ever be allowed by God to fulfill the role God created them for.

You can find the music of Bomethius at his website: http://www.bomethius.com/

On Bandcamp: https://bomethius.bandcamp.com/

Or wherever you stream music.

You can listen to the episode here (over wherever you ingest podcasts):

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

Related Podcast Episodes:
Bonus: Stu G on the Beautitudes Project 
Ep 73: Phil Joel of Newsboys and Zealand
Ep 53: The Mosleys—Husband and Wife Duo
Ep 67: Singer-songwriter John Van Deusen
Ep 70: Glenn Kaiser

Ep 83: Blair Masters

Ep 77: Jimmy Abegg

Ep 74: Charlie Peacock

Ep 52: Fernando Ortega's The Crucifixion of Jesus

Ep 55: Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson

Ep 59: Jeremy Casella's New Album and Kickstarter Campaign

Ep 56: Andrew Osenga

Ep 83: Blair Masters—Keyboardist, Composer, and Dogs of Peace Member

Episode 83 features an interview with Nashville musician, keyboardist, and composer Blair Masters. Blair has played on numerous albums over the years, from Newsboys, Amy Grant, Charlie Peacock, Rich Mullins, Margaret Becker, Steven Curtis Chapman and yeah, even Barry Manilow, Andy Williams, and Megadeth. He's also the touring and recording keyboardist for Garth Brooks and has composed and recorded music for a number television shows. Our talk focuses on the span of his career and gives an in-depth look into the music of his band Dogs of Peace, who he is in with Gordon Kennedy, Jimmy Lee Sloas, and John Hammond. They latest album Heel is available for streaming everywhere or purchase here. He's also in Tim Akers & The Smoking Section and a Tom Petty cover band called The Petty Junkies. You can find a fuller list of his recording credentials here.

There have been a number of PostConsumer episodes and articles featuring that relate to Blair's work:

Ep 77: Jimmy Abegg

Ep 75: Jeff Frankenstein

Ep 74: Charlie Peacock

Ep 73: Phil Joel

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