Art & Faith Conversations

Allison Davis is a writer and photographer who chose to embark on an adventure of photographing the west coast of the United States in 30 days. It was the height of the pandemic, her calendar of doing wedding photography was wiped clean and she was ready to take a risk. Fueled by passion and faith, she set out to capture all that she could with her camera in a 30 day trip along the west coast. Not...

Ryan Diaz is a writer, a poet and a theologian from Queens, NY. He  talks about the deep well of cynicism he had found himself in even though he had been active in the church most of his life. It was his return to reading and writing poetry that revivied him and awakened him to the awe and wonder of God all around him. Ryan is an award winning writer, poet, and theologian from Queens, NY. He holds...

Hosts, Joy Ike and Libby John, wrap up 2021 with reflections on the year and how things have gone. They then each share a few of their favorite things they've been enjoying recently which range from a favorite album or podcast to a favorite food or spiritual practice. Links to favorite things shared in the episode: Sara Groves New Album Being Known Podcast by Curt Thompson Alaya Naturals Collagen...

An audio contemplative meditation on Advent with scripture reading, reflection and poetry. "Into the Darkness" reflects on the dark or desert places we find ourselves in, waiting for God to answer our prayers. Through this Advent meditation, we are reminded that we are witnesses to the light and the darkness has not overcome it.  Poetry by Madeline L'Engle "Into the Darkest Hour" Music provided by...

Matt Tommey is an author, mentor and woven sculpture artist based in N. Carolina. He teaches and leads visual artists through his mentorship program,  The Thriving Christian Artist,  where they gain skills in their craft and business but also in co-creating with the Holy Spirit. in his new book, "Prophetic Art", he talks about what prophetic art is, some misconceptions about it and simple ways to...

Josh Tiessen is a visual artist based in Ontario Canada. He has coined his style as narrative hyperrealism and often juxtaposes animals in abandoned remnants of human civilization to highlight irony and parody, the hallmarks of postmodern art. As a teenager, ranked among the world's foremost realist artists, Tiessen was juried in as the youngest member of International Guild of Realism, Artists fo...

Carolyn Arends is a singer/songwriter, speaker, author and teacher. She also serves as Director of Education at Renovarè Institute, founded by Richard Foster who authored the transformative book, Celebration of Discipline.  Carolyn joins the podcast to talk about two new recent albums she just released, stories behind the songs and how her art has been spiritually formative over the years as her r...

Justin McRoberts is an author, speaker, artist and creative coach. His newest book, It Is What You Make Of It , is about creating something great with what you've been given rather than accepting circumstances as they are. Justin has authored several books including his prayer book collaborations with illustrator, Scott Erickson which was featured in Season 5 episode 1 if you'd like to hear that i...

Ekstasis is a digital and print publication where art meets academia and kingdom meets culture. Conor Sweetman, founder and senior editor, describes the vision behind Ekstasis as publishing work that slants toward the triumphant and glorious aspects of life in Christ, framed through life, the arts and literature. Ekstasis was recently acquired by media organization, Christianity Today, which Conor...

Scott Sauls is a pastor and writer who talks about making Christianity beautiful again by responding to the world with the gentleness of Christ rather than perpetual anger and divisiveness we see in culture. Scott has served as a pastor to many artists while leading Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN as well as during his years he served at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. W...

Andrew Lazo joins the podcast to talk about community, creativity and what he's learned from C.S. Lewis and the historic, literary group the Inklings. We also discuss why the Narnia books are some of Lewis's most mature works and how the deep friendship between Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien influenced them both greatly in their faith, writing and creativity. Andrew Lazo is an internationally-known spea...

Sho Baraka is a recording artist, performer, activist, and writer. He joins host, Joy Ike, to talk about his new book on the power our creativity has on repairing a broken world. The combination of his academic history and music career brings a unique perspective to the exploration of faith, creativity and justice.  Sho has served as adjunct professor at Wake Forest School of Divinity and was an o...

Christine Hiester is a spiritual director, artist and musician. She describes spiritual direction as more of a companionship and a journey of deep listening alongside another person in the presence of God. She talks about how she came to spiritual direction through the avenue of art making when she experienced a deep depression and felt like the ability to pray was torn from her. We also talk abou...

Songwriter, Andrea Sandefur, joins me to talk about a role she felt called to as an encourager and caretaker of the creative souls of her church. She tells the story of when and how she felt called to that role and how she carries that out with an artists event she helps curate at her home church in Wasilla, Alaska. Andrea is a songwriter and also a contributing host to Theophany Media's podcast c...

Contributing host, Joy Ike, talks about the freedom we find in the giving away of our creative gifts and the risk that it takes to realize we don't need to hoard the things we've been given. She says, "you can't add to what you have when your default is to bury it in the ground and protect it from the world."  Joy is a music artist from Philadelphia. NPR's All Things Considered describes her work...

Guest host, Joy Ike, joins the podcast with an episode about sound and how it affects the clarity of our vision. She states, "The noisier things get, the harder it is to see." She shares her thoughts and questions about the power of sound, including music, and how the things we hear can either distract us or re-orient our focus.  Joy is a music artist from Philadelphia. NPR's All Things Considered...

Visual artist, Merna Liddawi, started out as an educator in math and science but turned to painting in her adult life. Now a full time artist, she describes her work as creating a contemplative space of stillness and beauty through sacred geometry, symbolism, and the use of pure elements and materials. Born in the Middle East in Jordan, she draws on her Orthodox roots to connect her work and her f...

Hannah Anderson is the author of several books with Turning of Days: Lessons of Nature, Seasons and Spirit being her fourth release. It's a collection of devotional essays and illustrations described as a respite for our restless, disoriented, and fatigued world. Hannah's poetic way with words paired with her husband, Nathan's detailed illustrations, readers are invited into the natural world to s...

Maria Fee is a painter who works with paper, canvas and paint to create work that explores fragmentation, cultural mixing referred to as mestizo, alienation and hospitality. She is the director of the national artist residency program at Brehm Cascadia which is part of the Brehm Center of Fuller Seminary. We talk about the residency and the need artists have for the church but also the  need churc...

Caroline Cobb is a singer/songwriter who's music has been compared to the likes of Rich Mullins, Andrew Peterson and Sandra McCracken. Her newest album release, A Seed, A Sunrise , is full of songs that shape the upcoming season of Advent. Through imagination, artistry and poetic language, Caroline tells biblical narratives through her storytelling style of writing. Although these songs were recor...

Author, Diana Oestreich, is a Iraq War veteran who served as a combat medic in the Army National Guard. She's an activist, sexual assault nurse and the key relationships officer at Preemtive Love, a global relief organization working to end war. Her new book, Waging Peace , is her story of going from soldier to peacemaker when she heard God's call for her to love her enemies in the most unlikely p...

Kathleen Hudson is an oil painter based in Lexington, KY who creates landscapes in her studio and en plein air. Her style is influenced by close observation of fleeting and beautiful moments  in nature which she hopes to capture in her paintings and leave the viewer with a sense of longing. To pre-order Revelations of the Artist book https://www.artserveint.org/rota Visit Kathleen's website https:...

Karisa Keasey is a studio artist who aspires to bring about change through her work. She is most known for her recent book,  "When You Can't Go Home",  the story of 10 refugees and their families along with 30 portraits. For every book sold, 50% of the profits goes to World Relief to help the efforts with refugees.  To pre-order Revelations of the Artist book https://www.artserveint.org/rota To vi...

Matthew Bird is is an award winning watercolor artist, illustrator, designer and teacher. Matthew has five children's books published and his paintings have been used as greeting cards for The Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, the National Audubon Society, and the National Wildlife Federation. He paints still life and seeks to find beauty in the ordinary through his work. To pre-order...

Jennie Kimbrough is a visual artist who works in acrylics and encaustic with mixed medium elements. Through her work she dives into questions about communication with God, living in a broken world and the contrast of our temporal nature of our bodies to the eternal nature of the soul. Through layering of transparent materials she suggests space, the passage of time and the fragility and ephemeral...