What Happened In Nashville

Plus: new threads, mystery tunnels, and what's next

Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:

A Holy Ghost Stories Christmas

Nine months ago or so, my wife and I began talking about what it might be like to host a Holy Ghost Stories -style Christmas gathering. We imagined something simple—an intimate space and a few handfuls of the HGS faithful. But then one thing led to another and I wound up with a great team of musicians and we found an incredible space and then—by God’s grace and thanks to your beautiful enthusiasm—we sold out a 300-seat gothic chapel.

I will never forget the electric evening we spent together last week.

I haven’t gotten the images back from our photographer yet, but here are a few my wife grabbed on her phone while she was darting around solving problems and whispering prayers and being the consummate host:

It was a deep joy to team up with my daughter, Eve, as I told the story of the first Eve, Yahweh’s love for her, and the first murmurings of Advent. Yahweh has put a voice in that girl that belies her 14-year-old age.

My firstborn served as a delightful Merchant of Merch and, as always, Chief Encourager and Prayer Partner.

Given that we’re from 5 different cities, in-person rehearsal time was scant. But this team of musicians did an extraordinary job—I’m so very grateful for their talent and diligence.

Oh—and Jennifer snapped a pic of the very first guest to arrive for our night with Eve: her name, wouldn’t you know it, was Eden. :)

I was just blown away by the power and joy that accompanied His presence in that chapel. Thank you to every one of you who enabled it by coming. Truly.

Also…

Before the show in Nashville, I had the pleasure of spending Friday through Sunday speaking at a men’s retreat in Huntsville, AL. I’ve spoken at this particular retreat for the past several years, and it’s a real privilege to reconnect with those folks each Fall. One of my favorite things about the retreat is that there are always a dozen or so guys in attendance from His Way, a Christ-centered addiction recovery ministry in Huntsville. They’re doing incredible work, and I just love being with those guys—it’s true what Jesus said: the one who’s been forgiven of much loves much. They’re newly alive in Christ, and their zeal is contagious.

That Sunday night, the Nashville team and I did a show in Huntsville for Summit Crossing Community Church. This was my second year at the Christmas soirée they host for their missional community leaders, and the folks at Summit continue to be just wonderful to work with. I’m grateful for the work they’re doing in their city, and it’s a delight to be able to bless their volunteers by leading them in an evening of story and song.

As I told the story of Rahab, I teamed up with cellist MaryGrace Waggoner. Nashville was the fourth show we’ve done together, and I’m just so grateful God connected us. MaryGrace is a gifted artist whose gifts are amplified by her Christlike spirit, and she’s doing great work through an organization she founded a few years ago called the Nashville Chamber Music Society. If you need a little more classical music in your life, check out what they’ve got coming up in Nashville and Huntsville.

Flash Sale on HGS Merch

Give the gift of HGS swag, y’all.

We’re about 12 hours into a 48-hour sale on Holy Ghost Stories merch. In particular, we’ve got two sweatshirts for you that I just love. One’s Exodus-themed, with a photo I took on the summit of Mount Sinai and a list of the Season 4 episodes on the back—the front is a quote from Moses in Exodus 8: “No one like Yahweh”.

The other sweatshirt is our best effort to sum up the spirit of Holy Ghost Stories. Just one word, embroidered in white on a black backdrop: PERHAPS. I hope it reminds you to ‘perhaps’ your way through Biblical narrative, meditating inside each with a curious camera that’s trained mostly on Him. I hope it reminds you, too, to ‘perhaps’ your way through Life With Yahweh—wielding a holy imagination like Jonathan eyeing that Philistine garrison.

Sweatshirts are $55 and there’s a navy HGS logo tee available for $25. Inventory is limited, so grab yours now. Anything you order while the sale is on gets shipped in time for Christmas—you’ve got until Tuesday night!

You Have Less Than 20 Days

2023 is swiftly coming to a close, and if you’d like to focus your year-end giving on getting the divinely-inhabited stories of Scripture into the hearts of people around the world, I’ve got just the place.

So many of you donated on Giving Tuesday and/or jumped in on Patreon, and I’m deeply grateful for that. If you missed my post about what, Lord willing, is next, you can read it here, but suffice it to say: I have high hopes for Hazefire Studios and Holy Ghost Stories in 2024—expanding the team, creating new episodes, bringing live experiences to more of you, and some very exciting stuff I can’t talk about yet—but none of it can happen without your donations. Holy Ghost Stories is being downloaded tens of thousands of times a month for free; the only way that works is for listeners like you to come alongside us and give.

Thank you in advance!

Next Up…

So far in this season of Holy Ghost Stories, we’ve done 2 of the top 3 stories chosen by patrons in my pre-season poll. Number 3 is Cain and Abel, and 4 & 5 are Hosea/Gomer and Daniel in the lion’s den. (You guys have great taste.) I’m thinking Hosea/Gomer deserves a two-part treatment, so for the episode that drops a week from today it’s either Daniel or Cain & Abel.

I won’t tell you which one’s coming, but know this: I can’t wait to share it with you.

As a reminder, the holiday release schedule is as follows:

• Episode 6 - December 18

• Episode 7 - January 8

3 Cool Things

Mega Ground Sloth? - “In 2009, a farmer was driving through his corn field in the south of Brazil when he suddenly felt his tractor sink and lurch to one side. Researchers came to investigate and were surprised to find a tunnel nearly 6 feet high by almost 6 feet wide. Deep claw marks embedded into the walls indicated its past occupant was not human.” This is bonkers, you guys. Here’s a more in-depth article from Discover magazine.

Phantom Jelly - This is a real thing swimming in the ocean right now.

The Untamed - Love this excerpt from “The Untamed,” a poem by R.S. Thomas:

              the silence
Holds with its gloved hand
The wild hawk of the mind.

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That’s the latest!

Thank you again for the way you share Holy Ghost Stories, the way you give to Hazefire Studios, the way you come out for live shows, and most of all for the way you lift up my work in prayer.

Oh—and I’m on the hunt for a good Christmas playlist on Spotify—got any rec’s?

Gratefully,
Justin