Season 2 Verdict, Ireland, & A Magic Box
Plus, a new episode of HGS fresh outta the oven.
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest.
The Optimist and the Only One
I’m happy to say there’s a brand new episode of Holy Ghost Stories ready for you to download. This one’s called “The Optimist and the Only One,” and it’s one I’m really proud of.
Well, “proud of” may not be quite right—I mean to say that I’m really pleased with how it turned out and grateful I got to create it.
For a while, I’ve wanted to tell one of these stories directly from God’s perspective. (Is it weird—after all this time in the Old Testament with Him, calling Him by name again and again as I write and tell His stories—that I feel strange calling Him “God” instead of by His name, Yahweh?) Anyway, I’ve wanted to do an episode with Him as protagonist, telling the story from His perspective. I’ve done that with this one.
And though every one of these stories helps me grow in trust, in love, and in empathy as I get to know God better, I’ve especially loved the chance to sit with Him in this one.
It’s the story of the Flood.
It’s got to be the most heartbreaking moment related in the Old Testament—divine despair, destruction on an unimaginable scale, so much death.
In my experience, when we tell this story (or read it), we’re coming from the perspective of Noah. But this time, we’ll stand next to Yahweh and ask the questions, “What did You want?” “Why did you do this?” and “How did it feel?”
It’s the final episode of this season of Holy Ghost Stories, and you’ll see I’ve given you a little extra length to spend just a few more minutes in this story. I truly hope you’re blessed by it, and that you and Him have some good conversations after you listen.
If you benefit from it, share it with somebody or a few somebodies—I’d be so grateful if you’d put this into the hands of folks I don’t have access to.
Now, on to the question of a second season:
Will There Be A Season 2 of Holy Ghost Stories?
When I created this show, I really didn’t know if people would be into it. It was exactly the kind of thing I thought was missing in the landscape of truth telling, but would other people agree? The clear answer has been yes. And I’m so grateful.
You guys have listened, you’ve shared, you’ve reviewed, you’ve followed, you’ve sent encouraging words, and most importantly, you’ve become patrons. In short, you’ve made it clear that you want Holy Ghost Stories in the world.
And so I couldn’t be more pleased to tell you: Season 2 is officially on its way.
10 more episodes (plus 3 bonus shorts for patrons), complete with all of the moody, neck-deep-in-the-story goodness you’ve come to expect from HGS.
The new season will begin sometime late this summer (stay tuned here for more info on that), and between now and then I’ll be busy researching, storyboarding, writing, searching for music, and dropping some great items in the soon-to-be-live Holy Ghost Stories merch shop.
If you want to suggest a story I should include in Season 2, reply to this email and make your pitch—I’d love to hear what you’re jonesing for.
Oh—speaking of HGS merch, have you secured the very first available item? There’s only one way to do it.👇
Last Chance to Get Your “Patron Saint of Storytelling” T-Shirt or Sticker
The Holy Ghost Stories Patreon page has been live for exactly one month, and we have 90 patrons. 90! No less than 20 states are represented, and we’ve even got international patrons among our ranks—Japan, Croatia, Vietnam, England—this is a cross-continental crew we’re putting together. Amazing.
When I launched Patreon four weeks ago, my goal was to get to 40 patrons in 5 weeks. But within 3 days, 46 of you had jumped in.
So I changed my goal. :)
This time, I leaned way in and made it a ridiculous, “only God can do this” kind of goal: 100 patrons by the end of the 5 weeks. And with one week to go, we’re only 10 patrons away. Just 10!
Amazing, again.
What do you say? Think we can make it to 100 together? This is how Holy Ghost Stories becomes financially viable for me to continue making for you long-term. This is how we add something fresh to the landscape of Christian truthtelling. This is how we dive headlong into the pool of life-changing stories handed down to us by our Father.
So come on in! The water’s fine. …….…..No, that’s wrong. Honestly, the water’s like nothing else. I love this Book. Let’s enjoy it like this together some more, shall we?
Become a patron today and I’ll send you a tshirt or a sticker as my sincere thanks. You can become a patron anytime, but the t-shirt/sticker bonus goes away in just a few days.
I’m thrilled to say: if you guys continue to come alongside me on Patreon like this we’re on track not just for Season 2, but years of HGS goodness.
Oh—and patrons: Don’t miss your content when it drops on Patreon tomorrow morning. Full script of Episode 10, Insider Notes, Discussion Guide—you know the drill. Enjoy!
Escapades - Wales & Bath
Last weekend, we rented a car and whoa.
It.
Was.
Magic.
I’m telling you—cars, man. What an invention. After living for about 4 months without one, the wonder of of getting into a magic box that whisks you away at 60 mph to a destination of your choosing…well, it hits different.
We drove up to dragon country (Wales) and climbed Pen y Fan, the highest peak in Brecon Beacons National Park. Not at all steep. But really spectacular.
We also drove over (because we could—did I tell you about the magic box?) to Bath, and walked around the city for a few hours. That town is not hurting for ambiance.
Oh—almost forgot: we also drove out to a spot called Old Harry Rocks an hour east of us and put the drone up to grab some shots. Unreal. What a joy it is to be able to see this part of the world.
Where We’re Headed Next
For those of you who are new here, my family and I are living as global nomads right now, slowly traveling our way around the world. We’ll be in England until mid-June when we head back to the States for some time with family and friends and a super fun workshop Jennifer and I are doing that we’d love to see you at (I’ll tell you about that next time).
Then in August we’re headed to……………………..Northern Ireland! Very excited about living there in the Fall and drinking in the beauty (and accents) of that lovely island. We’ll also spend a few weeks in Croatia, where Jennifer will be doing some teaching and we’ll have the chance to connect with local friends and explore a bit along the coast. (Jennifer and I realized recently that after growing up next to the beach in Florida, anywhere with seagulls feels like home.)
4 Cool Things
The Crown - Jennifer and I are (re)watching this with our kids right now, and I love that they’re loving it. (We won’t be able to watch all of the episodes with them because of content, but a few episodes into Season 1, so far so good. Peter Morgan’s writing, Phillip Martin’s editing. It’s just fantastic.
Will the Real Josh Please…Defeat All the Other Joshes - Hundreds of people named Josh recently flocked to a Nebraska field to do battle with pool noodles and decide, once and for all, the rightful owner of the name they’ve been sharing for too long.
A Gentleman In Moscow - I’m loving this book. After wanting to read this for a while, I finally grabbed the audiobook and I’m telling you: I could listen to Amor Towles (and Nicolas Guy Smith, the audiobook narrator) describe paint drying and I’d be delighted. Towles’ use of language is somehow simultaneously luxurious and efficient. I think Alain de Botton would call that elegance.
Life In Color with David Attenborough - A great companion to the latest Holy Ghost Stories episode if you fancy a pairing. It’s not available on Netflix here in the UK, but I’ve got a feeling we’ll figure out how to watch it this week. Life, after all, finds a way.
That’s the latest! Enjoy Episode 10 and don’t forget to become a patron if you want to—and be sure to do it this week, so that I can send you something to commemmorate your laudable patron sainthood. 😇
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