A New Episode, Sea Shanties, and a Coastline to Die For
Hello! Here’s the latest:
THE EPISODE THAT ALMOST BROKE ME
If you didn’t already hear, there’s a brand new episode of Holy Ghost Stories waiting for you! This one’s a grim tale that takes place during Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. It gets quite a bit of airtime in Scripture (passages in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, and Lamentations), and yet it’s not very well-known. Really powerful, though—a poignant warning to those of us who are tempted to trade the hard, good thing for what’s convenient. (I think that’s all of us.)
Why did it almost break me? Thanks for asking. When I finished writing this episode, I gave it to my wife to read. She’s an extraordinary editor, and she had some…questions. I hate her editing questions for two reasons: 1. They always mean a lot more work, and 2. They always point to weaknesses in the writing or story that are hard to argue with.
I really hated her questions this time—she wondered if perhaps I should cut an entire character in order to more fully develop another. (If you’re wondering, Ebed-Melech got the axe for the sake of us getting a better look at Jeremiah.) It was the right call, but it broke my heart not to include that awesome Ethiopian in the story.
Better manuscript in hand, I recorded the episode and edited in the musical score. I finished up on Saturday (in plenty of time for Monday’s air date) and had Jen listen to it. When it was finished she said, “It’s good.” But you know how you can say something’s good but your tone of voice indicates that what’s front-of-mind for you isn’t really how it’s good, but the ways it’s not good? That’s the vibe I was picking up. Sure enough, she had a couple more…questions.
Grand.
Long story short (too late?), I rewrote a(nother) big ol’ swath of it. And re-recorded the narration. And re-edited the music. And after finally getting the finished product uploaded, I went to bed on Sunday at 3am.
But it’s better than it would have been! Here’s to good, hard questions. And to the people who drive us crazy by asking them. :)
Here’s Episode 4 if you haven’t heard it yet:
THANKS THANKS THANKS
Well, it’s been two weeks since Holy Ghost Stories launched, and I’m just thrilled with the way it’s been received. So many of you have listened, so many of you have shared this podcast with friends, and so many of you have reached out to me with super kind and generous feedback.
Thank you.
It’s been a joy to see people genuinely moved by these stories and excited about this project. (If you’ve listened and dug it, let me know!) To those of you who’ve prayed for it and for me, I can’t thank you enough. God certainly has responded.
Please keep sharing!
As I get to work on Episode 5, I’m also in the process of planning out the rest of this first season. Season 1 will have ten episodes in all, each one releasing every other Monday. At the end of Season 1, I’ll be stepping back to review how things have gone, whether it’s worth continuing Holy Ghost Stories, and what that might look like.
GRATUITOUS BEAUTY
We’ve been on a couple of epic hikes since our 10-day quarantine here in England was lifted. On both days, we were blessed with some incredible sunshine. This part of the world is truly beautiful; take a look.
WHO YOU TEACH SHAPES HOW YOU TEACH
And now for something completely different.
Recently Nathan Guy, president of Mars Hill Bible School and an old college friend of Jennifer’s and mine, interviewed us for a podcast he produces to help churches build quality adult education programs. He asked us some good questions about effective Bible Classes and added some insightful thoughts of his own—if it’d be helpful to you, you can listen here.
NEW AROUND HERE
Before I share this week’s Cool Stuff and sign off, I want to extend a warm welcome to those of you who are new. Many of you signed up for The Latest after Holy Ghost Stories launched, and I’m very glad to have you. Remember as you read any one of these emails that you can always reply! I’d love for you to say hi, ask any questions, or share something cool.
COOL STUFF
Here are some things I’m digging lately:
Fisherman’s Friends - In the mood for a cozy movie set in a beautiful place that tells a great (true!) story? Well here you go.
Sea Shanty Fever - Speaking of fishermen, you’re familiar with the sea shanty, yes? Good. Now let’s level up: are you familiar with the one sea shanty, sung by a Scottish postman, that recently went crazy on Tiktok and Twitter? You need to be. Make sure you watch the videos in order, and prepare for joy.
Thirty-Six Thousand Feet Under the Sea - If you’re game for a longer read, this piece in The New Yorker was wayyyy more gripping than I thought it’d be. The TL;DR version: rich guy assembles an Oceans 11 team to build a crazy sub to go deeper into the ocean than anybody’s ever gone. It’s fascinating.
You Can’t Have It All - Came across this poem by Barbara Ras recently and loved it.
That’s it! If I can pray for you somehow, let me know—I’d be honored to do that this week.
Gratefully,
Justin
If you’re reading because someone shared this with you, welcome! I send this newsletter once every two weeks. Jump in and subscribe if you’d to hear about what I’m up to and what’s happening with Holy Ghost Stories.