The Pivot

Eric Peters is a singer/songwriter I’ve known and admired for half my life. These days, however, you’re more likely to find him covered in grass clippings or acrylic paints than on a stage singing his songs. There are heartbreaking and beautiful reasons why, and Eric is unflinching in sharing his story with us. Getting to share this conversation is a deep honor and am so inspired by my friend. We...

Trillia Newbell walked away from law school as an African-American woman because she felt God calling her to ministry. That must have seemed crazy at the time, but it has borne so much good fruit. Today, Trillia is an accomplished author, speaker and blogger, who I first learned about when I was handed a copy of her INCREDIBLE book "God's Very Good Idea". I tracked her down because I had...

Jody Davis is the guitar player for the Newsboys. He's also one of America's premier pipe-makers. It was super interesting to talk about the history of the band, but also how Jody discovered a love of pipe-making and how that took care of his family through an incredibly hard season. Who would imagine the paths of our lives will take sometimes? Sponsor a child through Compassion International toda...

Amanda Lindsey Cook has been a breakout artist for Bethel Music the past few years. She's also had to face one of the hardest seasons in her life at the same time, which ultimately led to living alone in a house on a hill, where she wrote her newest album. This was a fantastic chat covering a myriad of subjects, from Canada to piano lessons to the Kingdom of God and why black is the brightest colo...

Friends! The Pivot is coming back next week for SEASON 4! We're going to have some amazing guests: More CCM legends, some dear old friends, dear new friends, authors, musicians, and other folks willing to share their stories as they figure out what's next.  We're super excited to announce that we're partnering with Compassion International to bring you this season. We have some incredible stories...

Dr. John Delony told his wife he would never work in higher education again. Then he took a job as the new Dean of Students at Belmont University. This episode is fantastic. One of my favorites. John is super smart, super funny, and super honest. He and his family are new to Nashville and we are definitely catching him mid-Pivot. Though, it may seem, he kind of lives there. We cover a lot of topic...

Leslie Jordan was one half of the duo All Sons & Daughters. She's written some of my favorite songs that the Church now sings all around the world. At the top of her artist career, their band took a hiatus that ended up permanent. Why? And what happens after? Well, some hard things, and a lot of wonderful things, too. That's what. As always with Leslie, this conversation was fun, insightful an...

John Tumminello was a Manhattan banker who worked two blocks from the World Trade Center the morning of 9/11. What followed was a journey that led to Nashville, a job in radio, free concerts under the shadow of the Parthenon, and a family. John is a great guy with an amazing story. You're going to enjoy this one. You can find John and learn more about The Conservancy at: https://conservancyonline....

Buddy Greene is the best, and probably only, professional harmonica player I know. He wrote the Christmas favorite "Mary, Did You Know?" And more than that, he's a funny, wise, and encouraging friend.  We got to talk about the great names of harmonica players, pot-smoking Christian hippies, and touring with Bill Gaither. Quite a range of subjects! The meat of this conversation really han...

REPLAY: Ellie Holcomb is a singer/songwriter/author/mom and an all-around delightful person. You'll laugh, you'll cry. At least I did while we recorded this one. Ellie has some beautiful wisdom and encouragement in this chat and a first or second listen is good for the soul. You can find Ellie and her music at: https://www.ellieholcomb.com/ Her new Children's book and album at: https://www.ellieho...

REPLAY: Dave Barnes is a brilliant songwriter, comedian and all around gentleman. This was my very first episode and it's fun to revisit where we started. I still come back to a lot of the ideas we talked about in this one. You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll enjoy listening again, or for the first time! You can find Dave and his music at: https://www.davebarnes.com/ My favorite thing today: https://...

REPLAY: Sally Lloyd-Jones is one of the most delightful and inspiring people I know. Her writing is beautiful, funny, insightful and life-changing. Or, rather, she writes in a way that makes the life-changing Gospel inviting and simple to understand. This was one of my favorite early episodes and it's even better on the second listen. You can find Sally and her books at: https://www.sallylloyd-jon...

REPLAY: Bebo Norman was a successful singer/songwriter, and then, he wasn't...  This is what it looks like to make a decision towards health over what everyone else might assume is best. So happy for Bebo and his family and where he is now.   My favorite thing today: http://soybistro.com/ Andrew's links: http://www.andrewosenga.com/ https://www.everybodypivots.com/

REPLAY: Annie F. Downs is an author, a speaker and a friend. This is a replay of our episode from Summer 2017, when she was writing the beautiful book "Remember God", which is available now.  You can find Annie at: http://www.anniefdowns.com/ Lovoso pens here: https://www.lovoso.com/ Andrew's links: http://www.andrewosenga.com/ https://www.everybodypivots.com/

Ginny Owens is a singer/songwriter, author, occasional professor and now, a full-time seminary student. She has an amazing gift for writing and communicating the unique way she sees the world. This was a fun chat about how she got started in music, what led to her teaching at a college here in Nashville, and what it's like now navigating New York City as a blind seminarian. I'm such a fan of Ginny...

Jeff Huxford was a family doctor in small-town Indiana until a car crash dealt him brain trauma and the end of his medical career. He wrote a book about the experience, which is out this week, called "Finding Normal". We got to chat about what drew him to medicine, what happened the day of the crash, and what it's like to lose your memory and have to start over. We also get a special ann...

Casey J did not intend to be a full-time Gospel artist. She was quite happy in the teaching roles she had worked hard to create. It would seem that God had other plans. It was so fun talking to Casey about those plans. She is a deep well and a joy to chat with. We talk about being the only black family in an all-white school, "code-switching", and practicing the art of walking away from...

Dr. Russell Moore, is the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He’s also brilliant, funny, wise and kind. This was a wonderful conversation about politics, racism, and why you’re in a family crisis ALL THE TIME.   We cover a lot of ground in this one, and spend a lot of time talking about family and the constant state of change that surrounds...

This chat with Allen Levi was such a gift to me. Allen was a lawyer until his early 40's when he quit to become a singer/songwriter. Since then he's written THOUSANDS of songs, travelled all over, been a small town Judge, and takes care of his family's farm in Georgia. A few years ago he wrote a book, "The Last Sweet Mile", about the year he spent caring for his brother as he passed away...

Missy Wallace founded and leads the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work (NIFW). She became inspired to study faith and work in 2013 after working in Corporate America and then the nonprofit sector for over 10 years each and realizing that work can be a part of God’s unfolding story if we allow him to guide it rather than our false idols. This one makes you wish you could underline a passage of...

Eric Brown was pretty lost before he found photography, while on the road pushing cases for a couple bands. Now his images grace the cover of magazines, album covers, and this particular podcast. But Eric's story, and that of his family, forever changed six years ago when they learned their unborn daughter, Pearl, had some serious health issues and would likely not survive. What followed was a ser...

JJ Heller is a singer/songwriter, mom, and former high school basketball star who is now building a new phase of her career as a full-time lullaby-ist. Ok, that's not a real thing and a bit of an overstatement, but it's a fascinating story how she got to where she is today. Listen as JJ shares with us her struggles with anxiety and panic, how she has learned to manage them, and how they have been...

Larry Kloess, founder of Cause A Scene, one of 2015's "50 Coolest Companies" according to Business Insider, built an amazing network of secret concerts for indie artists throughout Nashville's underground. It was all going so well, at least on the surface... and then one day Larry woke up in the hospital, overwhelmed with stress and exhaustion. Two years later, he's one of Nashville's fa...

Scott Sauls is an author, a thinker, and the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church here in Nashville. We had a great chat about being clearly cut out for pro sports, working with Tim Keller in New York City, and different types of diversity. We also got to talk about what career and calling looks like when it's not tied to income. As always, Scott is both challenging and encouraging at the same tim...

Chris Sligh, artist, worship leader, deep thinker and former American Idol guy, has quite the story to tell. I did not expect where this conversation started nor where it ended up and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Chris has undergone maybe the most important and inspiring pivot of all: kindness over "right-ness". And he lets us in on his honest self-assessment and conscious steps towards hea...