From the highs of getting to work with inspiring Christian music artists of the day to the lows of burnout and career challenges, Nashville producer, arranger, and musician Ben Shive has carved out a special space in the music industry by always striving to bring the best out of the people he works with. In this episode, he shares how he has been able to spiritually invest in his fellow musicians, acknowledging the beautiful narrative God has woven through music and friendship.

Quotes

“In my twenties and thirties, God's love was evident to me in that I was trying to make a living in music. God was so gracious in the way that He sort of lured me into it and then provided for me every step of the way, not usually abundantly, but just the perfect provision for the daily need. It was just clear to me that I couldn't deny that God was watching over me and my family and really making up for all of my shortcomings and failures.” - Ben Shive

“So much of producing is just learning how to connect with another person, listen to them, and sometimes push back, and sometimes give in. There's a lot of compromise and a lot of collaboration, so I've gotten the opportunity to get to know a lot of people on a really deep level.” - Ben Shive

“Even if the music doesn't last, the effect that the music has on people, I believe, will last beyond my lifetime.” - Ben Shive

Guest’s Links
Ben Shive’s website

Ben Shive’s Instagram

Ben Shive’s Facebook

Ben Shive’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Rich Mullins

A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band

The Beatles

Spike Jones

Looney Tunes

Bach

Mozart

Belmont University

Andrew Peterson

I Dream of You Volume II

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally’s website

Sally’s Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Nell O'Leary, the institute communities manager at Word On Fire, left her job as a lawyer to focus on raising her children and found herself feeling disconnected from community. As she intentionally tried to build new connections through blogging, she realized that many women like herself were longing for deeper ties and belonging, and now she offers her insight into how we can build more authentic relationships both on and offline.

Quotes

“I had this interim period of just being kind of hidden and home and longing still for words in my life—for that engagement with the world that only language can do.” - Nell O’Leary

“For community to be deeply entrenched in our hearts, it has to be other women who are leading us and helping us grow in our relationship with God.” - Nell O’Leary

“If we're growing in relationship with each other—meaning we're able to be authentic—we're not worried about them judging us, we're not worried about not measuring up. Instead, we are really, truly ourselves. We're able to share our sorrows and our joys.” - Nell O’Leary

“Hopefully, those we’re surrounding [ourselves] with and allowing only certain people to influence us, is helping us actually be more intimate with Jesus.” - Nell O’Leary

“At the end of the day, we really do want that community—whatever it is, whatever form it is—to be authentic and to be leading us back to God. It's never too late to turn back and draw close to Him again.” - Nell O’Leary

Guest’s Links
Nell O’Leary’s website

Nell O’Leary’s Instagram

Word on Fire’s website

Word on Fire’s Facebook

Word on Fire’s Instagram

Word on Fire’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Word On Fire

Perry Mason books

Law & Order

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
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Sally’s website

Sally’s Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Dove award-winning rapper KB shares about his teenage life growing up without a father in southside St. Petersburg, and how he tried to emulate people in powerful positions in an attempt to curb the despair and darkness he felt. Through that confusing time, KB found solace in his music, and began to feel an overwhelming sense that God had not left him behind.

Quotes

“Who were people that were feared? Who were the people who had money? I began to look up to those folks. The more I tried to emulate these individuals, the deeper I found myself in a pit of despair and darkness. All of that was in disarray, which made me a very confused kid, and there’s no doubt in my mind that those are the things that made me ripe for a Savior.” - KB

“I trusted Jesus, and that gave me a path forward in discipleship.” - KB

“People were coming to Jesus, and it had something on it that wasn't me. I kind of just started to put two and two together and said, ‘Lord, it looks like this is what you want me to do.’” - KB

“Imagine being at the beach with a metal detector and you're looking for something, then all of a sudden the metal detector starts going crazy. I think that's kind of what the gospel was for me. I started to see the season of digging, and I'm trying to unearth what it was that my soul had detected in the gospel. The deeper I got, I just started pulling out gems, hidden treasure, purpose, and value.” - KB

“God will oftentimes respond to my doubt of His activity, my doubt in His commitment to me. He will respond to that doubt with overwhelming evidence of His presence.” - KB

“He responds to my doubt with evidence of His presence, He responds to my drawing back by drawing near. It is in those moments that I am just reminded of and convinced afresh of how much He loves me and has not forgotten about me.” - KB

Guest’s Links
KB’s website

KB’s Facebook

KB’s Instagram

KB’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
United States Air Force

Docta Wuzdead’s Bloody Streets Album

His Glory Alone

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally’s website

Sally’s Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Jordan Rice began his career practicing law, but through a series of divine circumstances, he felt called to ministry—and now pastors the Renaissance Church in Harlem, New York. Along the way, he fell in love and married Danielle, who joined him to build a new life together in New York. Full of hope for the future, an unexpected illness would shatter their dreams and leave Jordan asking the question, “Why does a God full of love allow tragedies in our lives, especially when we’re trying to serve Him?”

Quotes

“When Danielle first died… I was just borrowing the faith of friends—people who would hold me down and keep me encouraged when I didn't have the muscle to encourage myself. I think one of the things I really had to wrestle with is the finiteness of humanity and my ability to understand the complexity of a sovereign God.” - Jordan Rice

“In some ways, faith for me had to be reoriented around this true God who really allowed more mystery into my faith, instead of everything working out exactly like I thought it was gonna work out.” - Jordan Rice

“I thought I was doing my part, but it didn’t feel like God was doing His. In many ways, it really was a remaking of my faith—after the old one had shattered. This one is, I think, much more in line with a God whose ways are not fully knowable.” - Jordan Rice

“Our faith is an eternal faith that Jesus has promised us—that He is making all things new. One day the sadness that I feel, the unresolved tension, the unexplained questions—one day they will be chased away like the morning sun.” - Jordan Rice

Guest’s Links
Jordan Rice’s Instagram

Jordan Rice’s Facebook

Jordan Rice’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Renaissance Church

Tim Keller

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

As a record breaking hurdler and sprinter who won an Olympic Gold medal in her sport, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been trained to win. But when the losses do come, Sydney tries to use those moments to transform her heart and perspective, strengthening her resolve and trust that God will be there when it’s time to cross the finish line.

Quotes

“I ran my first race and I was so terrified to do it. But once I actually started and the gun went off, I just felt so free.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

“I think every athlete trains to reach a certain goal, or point, or whatever it is that they've set their minds on—whether it be winning a medal at the Junior Olympics, the college National Championship, a gold medal at the Olympics, or the world record. I think when that's always your dream and aspiration for so long, that when it comes to fruition, it truly is just like a jaw-dropping moment.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

“Being able to cross the line, and just know that the Lord was still with me, that He had a plan for my life, and as an athlete, you didn't win, but [you’re] still intact… As hard of a time as that was, I'm grateful for it because I don't think I would have realized my need for God without it.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

“I think being able to show that even in losses, I'm satisfied in the Lord and His plan for me is the best thing I could do because it shows people that I'm not relying on winning to be okay. And I think that honesty is actually the best way to share the gospel, because it shows that even someone who has world records and gold medals still needs the Lord.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

“I can show up to the track every day and understand that this is a gift He's given me—that win, lose, or draw, it's an opportunity to glorify Him. My value is already secure in Christ, so there's no fear of not being enough and everything I need is found in Him.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Guest’s Links
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s website

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Instagram

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Facebook

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Olympics

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Former New York City ballet dancer, Silas Farley, first learned about dance in the context of worship at his church—a perspective that would stick with him through grueling training at the School of American Ballet and through his professional career. Silas shares the nerve-wracking story of taking a leap of faith towards dance over other paths, how he got to see a unique and beautiful dream come to life on stage and help others realize their dreams too, and how he got to embody his love for the Lord through movement.

Quotes

“My first encounter with dance was dance as worship, not dance as performance, and that really resonated with me.” - Silas Farley

“Getting to dance in the New York City Ballet was like someone who wanted to be an astronaut and actually got to go to the moon. The days were long, hard, and deeply rewarding, beginning with morning classes, rehearsing all day, and then performing most nights of most weeks of the year. That pace of work was relentless, but it was also deeply gratifying.” - Silas Farley

“It was kind of an embodied form of prayer to get to come into the theater and to work in this beautifully embodied art form and to do it for the glory of my King Jesus—kind of offering to the Lord through performing and working. I feel incredibly close to God when I dance.” - Silas Farley

“I always think about how Jesus is God made man, that He is the incarnation of God. He has a body, and in His resurrection, He shows us the glorious potential and future for the body.” - Silas Farley

“In my final year in the company, there were more dancers of color than had ever been in the history of the company. That felt really, really special and really significant—a beautiful shift in the evolution of the art form. I thought it a great privilege and joy to be at the New York City Ballet at a point in the institution's story when part of that original vision was starting to be realized.” - Silas Farley

“I hope I get to spend the rest of my life dancing, laughing, singing, and thanking God for His great, great grace and love.” - Silas Farley

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Southern Methodist University

New York City Ballet

George Balanchine

Patricia McBride

School of American Ballet

Professional Children's School

Harvard University

Lincoln Kirstein

Colburn School

Cassia Farley

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

When Steve Jamison was growing up, he got the adventure of a lifetime out at sea with his dad, a commercial fisherman. The lessons he learned as a member of a halibut fishing crew in Alaska would stick with him throughout his life, and it’s that perseverance, dedication, and determination that led Steve to become a pastor.

Quotes

“My dad would always take me into his state room where you would see the charts, and he would always remind me that we're going to sea because this is how God provides for our family. It's a very dangerous profession, and he would say, ‘Let's just reach up here and put our hands on this chart where we're going to go and ask God to watch over us. Let's ask God to provide for our family and let's ask God to bring us home safe.’” - Steve Jamison

“Being able to have that opportunity to grow up out on the ocean in the situations of life, [my dad] just gave me a living example of what the Word was all about, and I will never forget it.” - Steve Jamison

“[God] had just called me to be faithful. He had just called me to trust Him and to redirect my path and follow what He had for me. And the truth is, God had so much more than I could have imagined.” - Steve Jamison

“When it's difficult, when it's painful, when you want to quit, you just say, ‘Lord, I just need you to help me through this.’ With God's help, you can press through and you can see amazing miracles and amazing blessings in your life.” - Steve Jamison

“God put His hand upon my life, and yet, I was a lot like Jonah for a period of time. I just wanted to go the opposite direction. I can tell you myself, like Jonah, our plans are nothing compared to how great the plans are that God has for us.” - Steve Jamison

Guest’s Links
Steve Jamison’s website

Steve Jamison’s Instagram

Steve Jamison’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Eastridge Church

The Most Valuable Catch by Steve Jamison

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally’s website

Sally’s Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Colton Dixon, a Christian singer-songwriter, reflects on his time with American Idol and the grueling tour schedule that followed. Facing the challenges of balancing a career, family, and a relationship with God, he shares how he had to prioritize what mattered most and how his faith grew in the process.

Quotes

“It was in that moment that I knew that we had a decision to make. It's faith or fear—boiled down as simple as that. Do we believe that God is who He says He is and who He's proved Himself to be during the course of my relationship with Him, or do I give in to fear?” - Colton Dixon

“I have this hope, I have this light to cling on to—no matter how dark the world gets, no matter how crazy it gets, I believe that God is that light that we can always count on.” - Colton Dixon

“It's something that you have to be cognizant of and constantly just shift your focus, reprioritize, and keep your eyes on Jesus.” - Colton Dixon

“When you look to Jesus and you lay everything at His feet, everything kind of just falls into place.” - Colton Dixon

“If you truly want to be better and you want to grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord, then I think maybe you might have to sacrifice some things—not because God wants to take away things from you, He just wants to get the best thing to you.” - Colton Dixon

Guest’s Links
Colton Dixon’s Facebook

Colton Dixon’s Instagram

Colton Dixon’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
“I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe

American Idol

“Hakuna Matata”

“I Just Can't Wait To Be King”

Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
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Sally’s website

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*