Jonathan David & Melissa Helser Podcast

“Our emotions are the language that our hearts speak. I believe that they are a gift from God that help us understand what is going on inside of us.” In this episode, Jonathan teaches on The Head to Heart Journey. This teaching is from the first lesson of Engaging Sound—an online workshop by the Helsers and Cageless Birds on connecting with God through instrumental music. Jonathan will lead you in...

“God has been writing our story, and it is a miracle that we’re in the room right now. One day when we get to heaven we’re going to read this story, and be absolutely astonished at how He's been writing it all along.” In this episode, Jonathan shares stories from his life and Scripture that illustrate this truth, that Jesus is the most wonderful Author of our stories in the big, and all of the inb...

DAY ONE of “The Land I’m Livin’ In” is now available everywhere you stream and download music! In celebration of the first installment of this release, we are continuing our series of album-focused episodes with Jonathan & Melissa Helser. The two of them sat down with Chris Miller of Cageless Birds to unpack the stories connected to the first tracks from the DAY ONE release.  This e...

“We often have more faith that fear and shame want to define us, than we have faith that God wants to speak to us. God wants to speak to us more than we want to hear Him! He is longing to define us with his voice.” In this episode Jonathan concludes his message from last month, landing in this journaling prompt: “Father, what do You think about my worship?" Episode Links:  Generosit...

“The voice that you listen to is the voice that will define you. The battle is whose voice we will listen to.” This episode is part one of a message Jonathan recently shared on being defined by the Father’s voice. Not just for worship leaders and musicians, this is for anyone who wants to learn to hear God’s voice and draw closer to His heart. https://bethelmusic.com/worshipschool/ To learn more a...

In this episode Melissa shares from over two decades of leadership experience and gives keys for loving and leading your team well, and navigating through conflict. Styles Of Relating Handout (click here) This message was recorded at Bethel Music Worship School, an annual gathering for worship leaders, musicians, and creatives hosted in Redding, CA. Go to https://bethelmusic.com/worshipschool/ to...

During one of the final worship nights of our school, The 18 Inch Journey, we encountered the joy of the Lord and the heart of the Father in a profound way. In this episode we are sharing that moment with you! Our prayer is that you are lifted by the joy and affection of God as you listen. To watch this extended worship moment, go to our YouTube channel , or search "Cageless Birds Joy of the Lord"

This episode is the second half of an interview with Jonathan & Melissa Helser, celebrating 14 years of leading their school, the 18 Inch Journey! Originally recorded in 2019, our Art Director, Justina Stevens sat down with the Helsers to answer some commonly asked questions about our school, its history and our heart for discipleship.  In Part 2 you’ll hear about the pillars & values of our...

To celebrate 14 years of leading the 18 Inch Journey, we are re-releasing one of our favorite podcasts from 2019 when we sat down with Jonathan & Melissa to answer some commonly asked questions about our school, it’s history and our heart for discipleship. In Part 1, Justina Stevens hosts an interview to help dive into some of the biggest topics, including how the school began, our reason for it’s...

Jonathan & Melissa have been pouring into discipleship and ministry for over two decades. Together, along with the Cageless Birds, they have led their school, The 18 Inch Journey for 14 years! In this episode, they share their passion for life on life discipleship and share 8 audio testimonies taken from alumni over the last 14 years. Videos of each of these testimonies can also be found at 18inch...

“Burnout happens when our doing exceeds our being.” In this episode Jonathan shares on cultivating a life of overflow in friendship with God, and the importance of becoming a leader who is rooted in rest. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more about Jonathan & Meli...

"Instantly I felt the voice of the Lord speak in my heart. He said 'Jonathan, worry magnifies the problems, but worship magnifies My promises.'" In this episode we are sharing a recent spontaneous worship moment from our school, The 18 Inch Journey. Our prayer is that this moment would become a space for you to fix your eyes on God, where His promises become more real than the problems that surrou...

“As our community has entered into this beautiful season of Advent, we have been experiencing some remarkable times of worship. In the middle of the pressure, the presence of Jesus has been lifting us up to see the way that He sees.” - Jonathan Helser This is a followup worship moment to our last episode (“Yield”). You can watch a full length video of this moment on our Cageless Birds Youtube Chan...

“On December 1 we had our weekly time of worship and prayer as a community. We were overcome with the beauty of the Advent Season and experienced a deep time of prayer and worship reflecting back on this last year, engaging the longing for the Christ. We hope you enjoy this RAW live spontaneous moment, wherever you find yourself in this season.” - Melissa Helser You can also listen to this extende...

“Great leaders in the Kingdom are great followers of the Presence of God.” In this episode Jonathan opens up his history of leading worship and shares keys to being a follower of the greatest leader, Jesus, as we lead others. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more...

In this podcast Jonathan shares about our new online workshop, The Honesty Tool. This episode includes the full audio from the Jonathan’s Honesty Tool teaching on Journaling the Voice of the Lord. Here, Jonathan unpacks the life-changing practice of journaling God’s voice and the common barriers we encounter in the process. Episode Prompt: www.cagelessbirds.com/prompt Go to www.engagingcultivate.c...

In this episode, Melissa sits down in an hour long candid conversation with one of her dear friends, and a leader in our ministry, Phyllis Unkefer, to talk about humility, vulnerability, trust, and letting the Lord speak to the deepest places in us on the issue of racism. You can watch the full video on our Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTLvPKmg0hg   www.jonathanhelser.com www...

In this episode, recorded live at WorshipU in Redding, CA, Jonathan sits down at a piano and shares one song from each of the albums he has recorded over the last 14 years, detailing the story and process behind writing them. To learn more about Jonathan and Melissa, and their ministry, go to  http://jonathanhelser.com  and  http://cagelessbirds.com .  For more information abou...

In this episode, we are releasing the extended audio from our night of spontaneous worship and prayer during the start of the Covid Crisis. In the previous episode you can hear Jonathan and Melissa talk about this time of worship, and what they are hearing from the Lord in this season. Link to the full length Youtube video of this worship time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-SR7Xc0yhM   ww...

In this episode, Jonathan and Melissa talk about the spontaneous time of worship we released during the start of the Covid Crisis, and share what we are hearing from the Lord during this time. Link to the full length Youtube video of this worship time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-SR7Xc0yhM   Link to the new Visual Journalling series that Melissa references:  https://www.youtube.com...

In this episode Melissa tells the story behind the song, "Mountain High," and leads an extended time of worship at one of our recent Carolina Worship Nights. You can watch the full video of this live worship moment and many others on our Cageless Birds YouTube Channel! *DUE TO COVID19 we have had to cancel many of our upcoming dates and tours. For the most up to date information, go to www.jo...

In this episode, Jonathan gives an inspiring message about living a life of honest connection and authentic worship with the Father. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more about Jonathan and Melissa, and their ministry, go to  http://jonathanhelser.com  a...

In this episode Jonathan and Melissa share their values and wisdom on how to live healthy in family and ministry. www.jonathanhelser.com This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to  https://worshipu.com/on-campus/

In this exclusive podcast episode, Jonathan and Melissa sit down to walk through the stories and songs found on part 2 of We Rise We Bow, the brand new Cageless Birds album releasing next week! Hear a special sneak peak of all five tracks in this podcast, and learn more about the artists and stories behind them! Go to all the places you get music to get “We Bow” on October 11. www.cagelessbirds.co...

"You can always hear the voice of the one who holds your heart." In this episode, Jonathan tells stories and shares on learning to listen to and be defined by the voice of the Father. This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to  https://worshipu.com/on-campus/ www.jonathanhelser.com