Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #291: Greg LaFollette and Songs of Common Prayer

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #291: Greg LaFollette and Songs of Common Prayer
Greg Lafollette has been involved in over 100 records in his career. Between the studio and touring, he has worked with Andrew Peterson, Audrey Assad, Waterdeep, Sara Groves, Matthew Perryman Jones, Erin McCarley, Katie Herzig, Andrew Belle and many others. He has had multiple placements in international advertising campaigns with his band Trouvere, and has written and co-written many songs that have appeared on others’ records.
His latest project, Songs of Common Prayer, an album whose lyrics are taken from (or inspired by) the Book of Common Prayer.
Greg LaFollette's Web Site: https://greglafollette.com/music
Greg LaFollette on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0QqdRkCRdePCFggzWYvCuT

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #290: Tripp Fuller and the Road To Edmond

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #290: Tripp Fuller and the Road To Edmond
This week we welcome guest Tripp Fuller to Voices In My Head.
Tripp the founder and host of the #1 theology podcast, Homebrewed Christianity. As an author, speaker, podcaster, and professional theologian he is committed to bringing the best resources from the academy to the church so we can brew a more robust faith today. Tripp is also the star and co-writer of the new film, The Road To Edmond. (http://theroadtoedmond.com/)
 
The following is a Synopsis of The Road To Edmond from IMDB.com
Cleo loves his life as a youth pastor in suburban Denver, but his genuine support for a teenage girl has put his job in jeopardy. When the church's Elder Board becomes aware of the situation, he's asked to take two weeks off to consider his actions and the impact on his role in ministry. Distraught by the arrival of this news via email, Cleo grabs a backpack and bike to hit the road and figure out what's really true. His journey takes a turn toward Edmond, Oklahoma, when he hitches a ride from a mysterious traveler named Larry and his dead father. Larry's intense skepticism along with a string of peculiar signs causes Cleo to question more than his relationship with the teen...he questions the very existence of Love.

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #289: The Gospel According To Superman with Rev. John T. Galloway

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #289: The Gospel According To Superman with Rev. John T. Galloway
 
My guest on this episode of Voices In My Head is Reverend John T. Galloway.
45 years ago this year, Reverend Galloway published a book called The Gospel According to Superman, a book which brings the true message of Christ back into focus by contrasting the humanity and vulnerability of Jesus with the invulnerable embodiment of our own fantasies and man-made gods, embodied in the book by the character of Superman. The Gospel According to Superman is more theology that Comic Book and having recently read it myself and I can attest, like all good theology, that it holds up very well.

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #288: Jessica Crawford - Honestly

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #288: Jessica Crawford - Honestly
 
Jessica was born into a family of deep faith and of rich musical history. Every Sunday morning, this great granddaughter of a fiery Pentecostal minister would watch from the pews as her mother would direct the church choir. In addition to church music, she also grew up inspired by her Granddaddy's play-by-ear instrumental talents and his Southern Gospel vocals that echoed the sound of her mother's childhood.  On her father's side, her paternal grandmother and great-grandmother were classically trained pianists and vocalists.  Despite her family's encouragement, Jessica struggled to see that the musical legacy from both sides of her family was establishing a future for her in music.  
After a painful relationship left her seeking true purpose, Jessica finally surrendered to what can only be described as a persistent "call" to music. After a year well spent in seminary she stepped out in faith and left the comfort of her small hometown, Bridgewater, VA, in 2011 and hit the road to Nashville.  Her years in Music City were formative for both in ministry and in songwriting.  A new dependence on God, 
involvement with an inner city missions base, and growing favor with songwriters and accomplished producers would all help Jessica find her voice as an artist and worship leader.
In 2017, Jessica would leave Nashville with a 5 song independently released EP under her belt, multiple regional tours and invaluable industry and ministry experiences to become the Worship Arts Director for Fountain of Life Church in Burlington, NJ where she currently lives and serves.
On September 14 Jessica will release "Honestly", a four song EP she describes as “a collection of vulnerable songs that do not shy away from the reality of my hardest life experiences while celebrating the hope I found in Jesus through it all.”   The “Honestly” EP was written with the group the Brothers McClurg during a writing retreat in early 2017.  It was produced by Chris Hoisington and recorded at Old Bear Studios in Batavia, NY.
https://jessicacrawfordmusic.org/
 
RickLeeJames.com 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #287: Guest Francois Clemmons (Officer Clemmons) from Mister Rogers Neighborhood

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #287: Guest Francois Clemmons (Officer Clemmons) from Mister Rogers Neighborhood 
  
On this episode of Voices In My Head we welcome Dr. Francois Clemmons.
 
Dr. François Scarborough Clemmons is an Afro-American singer, actor, playwright and university lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his appearances as Officer Clemmons on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993.
In 1968, Clemmons won the Metropolitan Opera auditions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He went on to Cleveland, Ohio, where he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera Studio. He sang there professionally for seven seasons, performing over 70 roles with companies including The New York City Opera, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and Washington Civic Opera.
Clemmons sang with numerous orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1973, he won a Grammy Award for a recording of Porgy and Bess; he performed the role of "Sportin' Life" in that musical over 100 times.
For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building diagonally across from Mr. Rogers' house. As "Officer Clemmons", he became one of the first African Americans to have a recurring role on a kids' TV series. 
Clemmons actively writes across genres for a variety of age groups. Currently, he is writing his autobiography entitled DivaMan: My Life in Song, a children's story entitled ButterCup and the Majic Cane, and a volume of poetry entitled A Place Of My Own. Some of his published works include a volume of spirituals named Songs for Today and a stage musical called My Name Is Hayes based on the life of Roland Hayes. He also commissioned a choral work composed of spirituals entitled Changed My Name, arranged by Linda Twine.
From 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. He “played the role of professor, choirmaster, resident vocal soloist, advisor, confidant, and community cheerleader”. He is also well known in the Middlebury community for his superb rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", which he sings at the Middlebury College men's basketball games.
Clemmons lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is the Emeritus Artist in Residence of Middlebury College. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.
 
 
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #286: "The Character of Virtue" with guest Stanley Hauerwas

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #286: "The Character of Virtue" with guest Stanley Hauerwas 
  
On this episode of Voices In My Head we welcome Dr. Stanley Hauerwas.
 Time magazine once called today’s guest America’s best theologian. As a longtime professor at Duke Divinty School, Stanley Hauerwas has authored many books, won numerous awards, and even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
His work cuts across disciplinary lines as he is in conversation with systematic theology, philosophical theology and ethics, political theory, as well as the philosophy of social science and medical ethics.
Today, among other things, we will be discussing his book, "The Character of Virtue: Letters To A Godson"
 
For more from Stanley Hauerwas, visit these links:
Website: https://divinity.duke.edu/faculty/stanley-hauerwas
The Character of Virtue: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802875793/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hauerwas/e/B000APV13K/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1536244545&sr=8-1
 
 
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #285: "Shame Off You" with guest Denise Pass

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #285: "Shame Off You" with guest Denise Pass 
  
On this episode of Voices In My Head we welcome Denise Pass.
Denise Pass is an author, an award-winning CCM recording artist, a songwriter, an accomplished blogger, speaker, worship leader, and host of the Black and White Podcast. She is the author of 31 days to Hope Reinvented and today we are discussing her latest book, Shame Off You: From Hiding To Healing which released on August 21st through Abingdon Press.
 
For more from Denise Pass, visit these links:
Website https://denisepass.com
Black and White Podcast: https://blackandwhitepodcast.org/
Shame Off You Web Site: https://shameoffyou.life/
 
 
 
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #284: David Dault - Producer and Host of Things Not Seen

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #284: David Dault - Producer and Host of Things Not Seen
 
Dr. David Dault
Host and Executive Producer of 
THINGS NOT SEEN: CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CULTURE AND FAITH
 
 David got his start in journalism when he was sixteen years old, writing articles for his hometown newspaper.  He's been asking folks questions ever since. 
David has a PhD in religion from Vanderbilt, and a masters degree from Columbia Theological Seminary.  When he began Things Not Seen, he was teaching in the religion department of a liberal arts college in Memphis. He moved to Chicago with his family in 2013, and spent five years as the executive director of a nonprofit company producing faith-focused media for television, radio, and the web.
He is currently a Visiting Scholar for theology and media at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.He produces the show from studios in the Hyde Park neighborhood, on Chicago's south side, where he lives with his family.
Things Not Seen Web Site: http://www.thingsnotseenradio.com/
 
 
 
 
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #283: Michael G. Long author of Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #283: Michael G. Long author of Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers
 
Michael G. Long is an associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author or editor of several books on civil rights, religion, and politics in mid-century America, including First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson and Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America's Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta and resides in Highland Park, Pennsylvania.
Today we are discussing Michael's Book,  Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers, published by Westminster John Knox Press. 
 
Buy Peaceful Neighbor on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Neighbor-Discovering-Countercultural-Mister-ebook/dp/B00UU1FLG2/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1534954931&sr=1-2
 
 
 
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #282 : Meet John Tibbs

Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #282   : Meet John Tibbs
Our featured guest this week on Voices In My Head is musician John Tibbs.
In 2016, John released his debut full-length, Dead Man Walking, to great critical acclaim. Reviewers said about the album, “with shades of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Creedence Clearwater Revival, the heartland rock Tibbs traffics in is just right for the weightier, darker side of the redemption story.” 
 Following the success of his 2016 debut record which garnered a Top-20 AC (Christian) single and a Dove Award nomination in the Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year category, John partnered with ToneTree and Bethel/Heritage Media to release his follow up, Heartland, crowd-funded through his online community via PledgeMusic to continued great critical acclaim. 
"Unabashed Midwesterner John Tibbs has released more authentic, epic and quality tunes in his short run as a professional songwriter than many artists will produce in a lifetime. Heartland brims with the kind of honest rock and roll that the late, great Tom Petty trafficked in, with the 'heart-on-his-sleeve' craftsmanship that creates an immediate bond with the listener on the first pass." — Jesus Freak Hideout
"With the Heartland EP, John Tibbs combines thought-provoking lyrics with his rock roots style. The captivating sonic landscape will keep listeners entertained song after song, indicating good things to come from Tibbs in the future.” — New Release Today
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com