Mike Cosper, Lent, and Writing with Dan Phelps

When my faith began to unravel, Mike Cosper was one of the people I reached out to. We’d known each other from afar for long enough that I knew he’d have both context and perspective that few people would have. And he did. What I didn’t know at the time was that as I shared my story with him, it was in that moment he begun to think “this story needs to be told” and started thinking about making a podcast about Mars Hill. Specifically the human impacts and effects on the lives of the people who were there. Crazy!

We chat about how I ditched church to write Return My Heart to my Chest, what he saw in the song that made him want to use it in the podcast, and Bruce Springsteen’s writing process.

You can listen to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill anywhere you get your podcasts.

Lent Begins This Week

Last year was the first year I ever participated in Lent. It’s not much of a thing in the Evangelical world, but it is very much a thing in the Anglican world where I’ve landed. So, what was previously a curiosity became a practice for the first time. And it got real super quick. We went to the Ash Wednesday service with some friends, received the imposition of ashes, and then after the service we all went out to eat pho with ashen crosses on our foreheads. Welcome to embodied Anglicanism, Days! The next 46 days we spent with varying focuses. I made my focus caring for my body, and did that with a combination of fitness and abstaining from alcohol. We also learned that Sundays are not part of Lent, they’re just in Lent (look it up). So, I’m wondering…

Are you doing anything for Lent this year?

I’m not sure what I’m going to do this year yet. To be honest, I’m feeling pretty burned out at the moment. There are a lot of reasons for this, and it’s not the first (or even the second) time I’ve been burned out. One interesting thing about having experienced burn out many times is that I’m able to notice it now without freaking out. I’m actually grateful for this. Instead of a dramatic extreme reaction, I can notice the symptoms and start to identify what’s going on. As it happens, I notice my burn out as we head into the season of Lent. So, here’s my current plan: I’m going to release the last episode of the podcast next week, delete social media apps from my phone, take a break from music stuff, and seek some some regular quiet for a bit. My therapist suggested a posture of receiving, and I like that image. I’m hoping in the quiet that I’ll be able to hear God. We’ll see.

I Spent The Long Weekend Writing With My Pal Dan Phelps

If you’ve listened to Benediction for the Broken, you’ve heard Dan’s mastery. He’s a phenomenal guitarist, has played with Tori Amos, and many others. His own music is soooo interesting. I regularly return to his album Modular because it’s a beautiful and original piece of instrumental music.

Dan & I have been trying to figure out how to work together for years. I had been feeling like my next project should sound very different from Halflight, you know, to keep things interesting. Without divulging too much, I’ll just say this: Dan & I made what I think is stoner music without drugs. Some of you may think that’s the least fun way to get psychedelic sounds, and others of you might be concerned for our souls, but I can confirm to both of you that we had a ton of fun and no substances were involved. Just ideas, creativity, wonderful company, conversation, and family time. I’m super inspired by Dan and can’t wait to see where this goes.

That’s it for now. Talk soon…