Church Music Makers Podcast

No. It's hard to say sometimes, isn't it? Do we find ourselves saying it more to our family than our ministry? If so, then this episode is for you. Are you feeling exhausted, feel like you're burning the candle at both ends and not making progress? If so, then this episode is for you. Do you feel like you've got it together, you're in a healthy rhythm and balance of personal/family life and ministry? Then you don't need this episode. But saying no to some things means that we can say yes to others. And that's extremely important!

We all have stress. It's part of life, it's part of ministry. How do you respond to it? That's the question Craig unpacks in this episode. 

Dr. Nathan Myrick is a professor at Mercer University. But he's also a theological ethicist and ethnomusicologist. In this episode, Craig has an opportunity to talk to him about his most recent book "Music for Others: Care, Justice and Relational Ethics in Christian Music". It's a great conversation with lots of unpack!

How many (insert denomination here) does it take to change a light bulb, goes the very well-worn joke, with the punch line of CHANGE? WE DON'T CHANGE! That's true to some degree, yet, life, ministry and everything else around us seems to change quite regularly. So how do we deal with it? In this episode, Craig explains a little about some of his experiences with change, and some hope and help to deal with change. 

In this episode, Craig has a conversation with Blake Flattley. Blake writes to bring hope in the darkness, to tell the story of the human struggle, and narrates a story where death doesn’t have the last word.

Blake grew up in the small mountain of Placerville, California, most well known for gold discovery or as the town with the stoplight in the middle of the highway. He was first turned onto music by a blind saxophonist who had lost the will to play, but one day took up his horn to play at the urging of others. It was that moment, hearing him play, that set Blake on a path in pursuit of the craft of creating music, performing, and songwriting.

He grew up singing at church and listening to music from the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. He played in a variety of bands, playing saxophone, guitar, bass, or whatever other instruments he could get his hands on.

In 2008 he founded the Orange Effect (We All Yell, Gravel & Gold), a harmony-driven, Americana-folk quartet. After their breakup, he began playing under the moniker Graffiti Cathedral, and later Blake Flattley.

Blake has toured nationally as both a solo artist and with his bands, sharing the stage with many notable artists including Young the Giant, Sharon Van Etten, and Reign of Kindo.

Blake has contributed to "The Armchair Project” and "Winter Is On My Head" (The Lone Bellow, Future of Forestry, Paul Baloche, Young Oceans, and Reign of Kindo) as both a producer and as a musician. In 2015, he released There Will Be Rest, a collection of hymns and music from his local church. The title track was a finalist for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

We've all been forced into being flexible over the past 17 months. We're all probably ready to be done with it. In this episode, Craig talks about why being flexible is helpful, along with some of the experiences that he has learned throughout his years of church music in how to be adaptable and flexible. Just like we challenge ourselves to learn new techniques, styles and repertoire in music making, so we do need to challenge ourselves to be adaptable and flexible to grow ourselves. 

Mental health and focus is a challenge that many of us face. In this episode, Craig talks about how Simone Biles and mental health became the national conversation last week, and how for us as church musicians, we face many similar challenges. He also gives some encouragements to help you care for your mental health and to prioritize it. Because if we're not caring for ourselves and at our peak, how can we care for and minister to anyone else? 

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Our physical health is essential. Fueling and moving our body gives us the energy to do things well. Many of us in America are either overweight or obese. How do we fix that? Small, incremental changes, one choice at a time. On this episode, Craig talks about how we need to prioritize our physical health, some small changes that we can make, along with finding our motivation. 

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and we're all thinking of things to be thankful for. It can be pretty difficult in 2020, but there are still things for us to be thankful for. So what are you thankful for? Email churchmusicmakers@gmail.com with what you're thankful for! Also, Craig shares a bit of a shift and refocus for the blog and the podcast. 

We all need rest. Ministry is hard and doesn't always give us the time to rest. But we have to. In this episode, Craig talks about how we need to make ourselves a priority, how saying no isn't a bad thing, and how we shouldn't feel guilty to step back and rest.

Jamie Kocur has had an amazing journey in her life of music. From singing in choirs to getting a music degree from Florida State, to being the musical director for the African Children's Choir, to worship leading, all of it was soundtracked by Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Along the way, Jamie has some realizations about what is being sung in these songs and struggles with many different things along the way. 

In this episode of The Church Music Makers Podcast, Craig talks to Jamie about her book, her life and where she's at now. It's a fun and insightful conversation, especially for those who may be wrestling with doubt or struggle with things relating to faith.