The otherWISE Podcast RETURNS!

It seems like forever ago that the last episode hit the world, so I’m happy to say that otherWISE podcast will return starting this coming week.

Last year, I started a podcast because frankly I thought it would be fun. I found myself in beautiful conversations, asking myself the question “Why can’t everyone be in on this?”

The thought then occurred to me: they can. 

The podcast is born out of a desire to bring interesting conversations to as many people as possible. The unifying idea is in the title – wisdom. 

I believe that wisdom is the lost language of the spiritual life.

Wisdom is what allows us to live beyond simply checking boxes of laws and legislations. It is the path between what is wrong and right, choosing instead what is righteous. As Dallas Willard once said, wisdom is the “knowledge of how to live well.”

The guests on the show simply have something to offer to a conversation on wisdom. Many are creators of some kind – writers and musicians for example.

Last season, some of the best conversations were with folks like James Bryan Smith, a good friend and the author of The Apprentice Series. Being able to talk about the “deeper stream” of worship and formation with Aaron Niequist was a gift. My conversation with Sarah Bessey about picking up the pieces of a faith that had been shattered and putting things back together was as well.

In Season 2, there are a few changes. Many of the episodes are long-form interviews. I love the format, because I believe they best represent actual conversations we have in the course of life. However, this season I’m adding transitional moments and commentary on the interview for the sake of reflection. There’s an important reason why:

Our conversations are impoverished with more talking and less listening, less reflecting.

The goal of this up coming season is to dive deep into the subject of wisdom, but beyond that I want to press the boundaries of where we find wisdom for the Christian spiritual life. To that end, the first guest of Season 2 is poet and community leader Padraig O’Tuama. Padraig’s poetry has been incredibly meaningful to me during my Sabbath readings. I was also able to hear Padraig’s painful story of faith during the Festival of Faith & Writing last year. When it comes to someone who has insight into the way of the heart, of listening, and of hunger it is a poet from Belfast, Ireland.

I’m inviting you to listen to this season for the sake of seeking wisdom. The second season will consist of episodes every two weeks, as I found the rhythm of an episode per week to be too heavy to bear. My hope is that the release rhythm for this season will increase the quality of the content as well as maintain the sanity of the producer. (That’s me).

The first episode posts on Tuesday, February 5th. You can subscribe or listen to Season 1 via iTunes, or you can always stream episodes on my website.

This is a conversation I’m happy to share. I’d love to share it with you. Peace friends.