Last part of my conversation with worship leader Reggie Brooks Jr. — God at work behind the scenes in our life and love story. An amazing and powerful testimony of the goodness of God. Check out Of Dust @ www.facebook.com/ofdustmusic Support me on Patreon here! Patrons get early access to all new music, exclusive content, livestreams, and more. The…

Part two of my conversation with Reggie Brooks, Jr.; live worship recording with OF DUST; Reggie’s dreams and goals for his new job as the Director of Contemporary Music for The Salvation Army USA Central Territory; removing barriers in worship and building unity; battling the competitive spirit while offering our best; saying no to gossip; confide…

Part one of my conversation with worship leader and songwriter Reggie Brooks Jr.; Reggie shares his heritage of faith and his testimony of God working miracles in his and his family’s life; faith, passion and musical skill growing alongside one another; how God wove worship-leading into Reggie’s relationships; authenticity as the foundation of our …

Exploring the intersection between the ways we worship and our own journeys on the road toward transformation to be like Jesus, based on 1 John 3:1-3. Part 2 of 2 — three of six things to consider: worshipping in our preferred styles and in other styles; worshipping with our skill and from a pure heart; worshipping honestly (in the now) and hopeful…

Exploring the intersection between the ways we worship and our own journeys on the road toward transformation to be like Jesus, based on 1 John 3:1-3. Part 1 of 2 — three of six things to consider: worshipping in times of ease and times of hardship; worshipping in times of comfort and in times of refinement; worshipping in “the shallows” and in “th…

Sitting in the silence and considering all that God has done for us; meditating on His faithfulness in times of doubt, difficulty and discouragement; stirring up our faith by way of reminder. Music in this episode: • Consider, written by Shalini Danielson & Jeff Cain For more information about Shalini Danielson, go here. Support me on Patreon here!…

What happens when you’re headed one way in life and God begins to lead in a different way? Today on the podcast, we talk to worship leader and songwriter Shalini Danielson about her life journey, and about how God led her from pursuing a career in nursing, to now working as the Worship Specialist for The Salvation Army in Los Angeles. Music in this…

Coaching your people about what the spiritual discipline of worship actually is; wrestling with our own need for validation as worship leaders VS leading in environments where you are called to be a frontrunner and discipler; the Instagram-ification of worship gatherings; does recording our worship have the potential to corrupt our worship? Music i…

Talking with Nic Carver, Luke Hall, and Dane Voorhees of Rocky Church in Colorado; navigating changes through COVID; streamlining your church’s mission; a church that’s “for the one”; following Jesus to the broken and resting in His work; worketing = working + marketing; behind the scenes of recording, releasing and marketing a church worship album…

To take part in the anonymous survey mentioned in today’s episode, click here. A growing hunger in The Salvation Army for healthy worshipping communities; nurturing congregations vs entertaining them; the danger of idolizing certain styles of worship; have we lost our zealousness in worship; what’s next for Unbound - retro worship?? :) — Spirit-led…

To take part in the anonymous survey mentioned in today’s episode, click here. On today’s episode: Finding God in the dark at 30 years old; is getting better at music a way to get closer to God? — what to do when what you’ve poured your life into starts to become uncertain; the heart and story behind the formation of the band Unbound; how congregat…

Creative opportunities opened up by the pandemic; the Erin + Nick Worship Collaborative; the story behind the song King Jesus; seeking the freedom of the worshippers that we are leading; imagining an Army of worshippers who choose Him in the secret place; what we value in The Salvation Army; raising up skilled musicians vs raising up people who wor…

Developing a love for worship through osmosis; walking away from everything you know for the sake of a hard reset; allowing God to “undo” us for the sake of us finding our true identity in Him; answering the call to become a Salvation Army officer; finding time to keep our relationship with Jesus vibrant; allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into bo…

Looking back on this first season of being a podcaster and reminding myself why I started doing this podcast; some lessons I’ve learned along the way; sharing my hope for the future. Music in this episode: Reflections, by Phil LaegerBy Phil Laeger

Some of my favorite moments from the first season. Snippets from John Copeland, Bill & Sue Dunigan, Bill Rollins, Eric Himes, Randy Bonifield and others...By Phil Laeger

It’s the time of year where we rejoice, but it’s also a tough time for many people. Enjoy this little moment of musical rest - a little gift for you featuring a rendition of one of my favorite carols… O come, O come, Immanuel… Merry Christmas. Music in today’s episode: O Come, O Come, Immanuel (arr. by Phil Laeger)…

Interviewing country Christian artist Daniel Mulkey to talk about his brand new album Real; Daniel tells the real life stories behind the songs he’s written; the challenge for us, as Christians, to be authentic and transparent with each other, especially as we are dealing with the tough stuff in life. All music in today’s episode by Daniel Mulkey, …

Processing personal and corporate trauma through worship songwriting; God as our restorer and healer; the “in-between” is not the ending. Music in today’s episode: Restorer (Demo), by The Honey Initiative Rock of Ages, by The Honey Initiative Check out Zach and Hannah’s ministry and everything else they’re up to! https://linktr.ee/thehoneyinitiativ…

Jesus extends the invitation of friendship and belonging to each of us; learning unity in ministry as couples; the heart behind The Honey Initiative; building each other up with encouraging words; being relational as a way to combat “green room culture” Music in today’s episode: rapids ii, by Yes to Yes Over There (feat. Adely Charles, Jason Hoard,…

Meditating on how Jesus enters into our sadness when we lose those that we love, those who leave “before their time”. Music in today’s episode: No Woman No Cry, by Vincent FordBy Phil Laeger

Final part of my conversation with worship artist Aaron McClain; how he got connected with Worship Mob (aka Jesus Co.) + the story behind his song “Sure”. Music in today’s episode: Sure, by Aaron McClain Find more of Aaron’s music and ministry @ aaronmcclain.comBy Phil Laeger

Continuing my conversation with worship artist Aaron McClain, Aaron shares about the family, faith community and leaders that God brought around him to love and disciple him into the man that God was calling him to become. We also discuss the whirlwind of life events that led up to the release of his first album, In Victory, and how God began to re…

Worship artist and anointed vocalist Aaron McClain sits down with me to tell his story of how God called him and anointed him to be a minister of worship… and the broken road that followed before beginning to step into his calling. Music in today’s episode: Came to My Rescue, by Antonio Romero / Joel Davies / Martin W. Sampson / Tania Braun / Dylan…

Sitting down with Arcadia Worship out of Redemption Church in Phoenix, Arizona, to talk about the songs from their new album Infinite; asking if and how worship music should be impacted by and sound like the popular music in culture; creating good, excellent art that is a reflection of God’s creativity; how do we judge the “success” of our creative…

The intersection of beauty and function; writing songs from the standpoint of engagement; “arena” participation vs typical Sunday mornings; how embodying our calling encourages our congregations; the good, bad and ugly of the commercialization of worship music; the rise of diversity and collaboration. Randy Bonifield — www.randybonifield.com Music …

The MoKan Gospel Choir; asking if there is a place for different types of artists in our denomination; why Randy left The Salvation Army, but still considers himself a Salvationist; tracing the evolution of praise and worship music through contemporary music pioneers; how worship reorients us as the story of God is told and retold; curating worship…

Music and God: getting the order right; how Randy started leading worship; how a scary hospital visit started Randy on a search for assurance of salvation and the true meaning of grace; “the gospel for everyone else, but not for me”; Jesus’ all-sufficient work of salvation; when Randy met Wendy; church community, letting our kids seeing the importa…

Processing confusion and hurt about how The Singing Company ended; do we really believe that God is at work in the broken and unresolved places; giving to God VS giving to an organization; Eric’s new role as Divisional Director of Music & Creative Arts in Chicago; Amplify camp and a shift in our approach to discipleship through the arts; embracing …

Creating culture by embracing originality / How Eric’s experiences both in and beyond his home church prepared him for worship leadership; the genesis of The Singing Company; the influence of The War College and using fight songs in worship; the Beatles, The Weakerthans, Woody Guthrie; having a polished voice VS owning your own voice; navigating or…

The carpenter’s daughter / God’s timing and our dreams; laying down your will for the Lord’s; our journey of moving from Australia to New Jersey; how Sarah went from housekeeper and lifeguard to furniture artist and YouTuber; “giving it a go” - just starting something w/o having all the answers; finding community online and having an out-of-the-box…

Sarah’s journey of faith / finding your way through grief, betrayal and healing; burying our feelings vs processing them; how I convinced Sarah to lead worship with me that one time; why she is passionate about the Jewishness of our Christian faith; how getting counseling by an older Christian couple saved our marriage. Four Forty Five Designs — Sa…

The story of Outside Worship / How the group Outside Worship (Marty Mikles, Anna Street, Phil Laeger) came together, and how we made the decision to move into the next season of life; the process behind cowriting as a worship team; how we recorded a worship album in the middle of a global pandemic; grieving unrealized dreams and trusting the future…

Following Jesus as a lifestyle; the inspiration behind Send the Fire!; the genesis of Youth Praise; giving people time to “get into” worship; the importance of hymns and contextualization; love for God and being in His presence; music and worship as connection points for people to enter the kingdom of God; creative arts groups as disciple-making av…

John shares how his job working with children equipped him to hold a “no pretense” approach to worship leading. Unbound worship. Excitements and concerns about trends in worship. Promoting unity vs being divisive. Being teachable.By Phil Laeger

John Copeland shares his testimony of how an atheist called him out on his hypocrisy, how that led him on a path to start following Jesus, and how he got started leading worship.By Phil Laeger

A brief introduction and explanation behind the show name.By Phil Laeger

Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix teamed up to create a raw, intense origin story for the Joker character from DC Comics. The film has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars and has prompted many articles on the film's content and timing. Is it too real? Will this trigger people with mental health struggles? Does this provide a roadmap for some…

Political correctness and social awareness has been in the spotlight for many reasons. Most recently with the holiday song "Baby It's Cold Outside" and 90s TV shows such as Friends and Seinfeld, social media has been abuzz with complaints and arguments about the appropriateness of "classic" songs and hit TV shows. The conversations seems to brush u…

The term 'nationalism' has become a hot topic recently. The word has a roller coaster history, but is often used in more of a negative light. Although some people today, including President Donald Trump, are embracing the term and trying to justify it. But what is nationalism, and is it the opposite of globalism? In this episode, Pat & Britt tackle…

Technology has always moved us forward and improved out lives... or has it? We love our devices and the connection they afford us to the greater world and the people in it. But have we come to rely on our tech too much? Can tech replace human interaction? What are we doing to our brains as we feed our need for instant gratification in the internet …

We are all complicated people, and we don't like to be put in boxes. That leads to complicated conversations and complicated discussions around tough topics. So what is the best way to have these conversations? Is it to compartmentalize each facet and discuss them individually? Or are we better off having a conversation where everything connects to…

Protests and boycotts seem to be a regular part of our American lives. From social media to TV shows to sporting events — there's a never-ending amount of causes and issues to support or protest. Recently Colin Kaepernick was chosen by Nike to be the star of an advertising campaign, and with that campaign came protests and counter-protests. In this…

The recent US Open women's final match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka has been in the news and circling the internet for a few weeks. There have been many articles written on every facet of the match - and specifically the controversy that stemmed from the officiating of the match. It's a complicated topic that touches several hot-button s…

Truth and facts always seem to be changing. They seem to change with time, with the internet, with people. How do we navigate how truth is presented and interpreted? Can we all live different truths? In this episode, Pat & Britt tackle the tip of the iceberg on the topic of truth as they wade into the waters of absolute vs. relative truth and discu…

Introvert, extrovert, judger, observer, achiever, futurist, loyalist, idealist, helper; the lost goes on and on. There are many personality tests around - from Myers Briggs to Enneagram to Buzzfeed. Some do a better job than others at helping us figure out and explain our personalities. But what happens when we view our personality traits as negati…

Biases exist all around us. We have them. Our friends have them. News has them. Even social media channels have them. Biases color our world and the information we take in - whether we realize it or not. In this week's episode Pat & Britt talk about how news and other content is molded before it reaches us, and what that means for our conversations…

Having conversations about our beliefs and opinions online and offline today is difficult - especially when the conversation centers on a divisive cultural topic. In this introductory episode, Pat & Britt talk about why they started Renovation Theory, and what they want it to become. They walk through the 5 core values of Renovation Theory that wil…

The first episode where Grant and Phil discuss a basic overview of their lives. Download AUDIOBy Grant