A live panel discussion between Mike Cosper, David Taylor, Karen Swallow Prior, and Brett McCracken on being a redemptive and faithful presence in communities. They also talk about the time David met Bono. Cultivated is a production of Harbor Media and the Narrativo Group This live episode was edited by Mike Cosper Recorded by TJ Hester Mixed by Mark Owens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dustin Kensrue founded and fronts the post-hardcore band Thrice. He's also an accomplished solo act. We talk about being a Christian on tour with bands like NOFX, about his time at Mars Hill, about making music, and about finding your calling and sticking to it even when pressures would call you other places. Cultivated is a production of Harbor Media and the Narrativo Group This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by TJ Hester It was mixed by Mark Owens The music on this episode is by Dustin Kensrue Our theme song is by Roman Candle Learn more at: https://www.cultivatedpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Raymond is a jazz trumpet player. He’s worked with some of the world’s most respected names including Billy Hart, Orrin Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Linda Oh, and more. His albums have received glowing reviews in The New York Times and Downbeat Magazine – where he was also voted as a rising star in their critics poll. http://www.johnraymondmusic.net/ John's next album "Joy Ride" is due out in February 2018 on Sunnyside Records. For updates on the new album as well as tour dates, visit www.johnraymondmusic.net Minor Silverstein - https://youtu.be/QIV1t70Gek8 Amazing Grace - https://youtu.be/ojr8__Vy9LI Hymn - https://youtu.be/wJqDnOe_Wyk Cultivated is a production of Harbor Media and the Narrativo Group. This episode was produced and edited by me. It was engineered and mixed by Mark Owens. Our music today was by John Raymond, and by John Raymond and Real Feels. Our theme song is by Roman Candle If you like our show, leave us a review in iTunes and help us spread the word online. Every little bit helps. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sho Baraka is a rapper and an activist. Over the last decade, he’s released several records and mixtapes, launched the “And” campaign – an effort to bring together people who care about social justice, urban poverty, the unborn, and family values – spoken out about Donald Trump, and had albums banned from at least two Christian bookstore chains. On today’s show, we hear his story, how he’s navigated the controversies, and how he came back to music when he almost left it for good. Check out Sho’s music at: https://humblebeast.com/artists/sho-baraka/ Check out the And Campaign at: http://theandcampaign.com/ Check out the Terminus Collective at: http://terminuscollective.org/ Follow Sho on twitter at: https://twitter.com/AmIshoBaraka Cultivated is a production of Harbor Media and the Narrativo Group This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by TJ Hester It was mixed by Mark Owens The music on this episode is by Sho Baraka Our theme song is by Roman Candle Learn more at: https://www.cultivatedpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Melanie Penn’s career has led her from Classical music to Broadway to her current work as a singer songwriter. We talk about what it’s like to make a pivot in your career, about making art as an adult, and about how 9/11 and Tim Keller led her back to Jesus. Follow Melanie on Instagram for updates about her new record and meditations on the Christmas story at https://www.instagram.com/melaniepenn/?hl=en This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by TJ Hester It was mixed by Mark Owens Our music today is by Melanie Penn. Our Theme Song is by Roman Candle. Special thanks to John and Jenna Starke for letting me turn their kitchen into a recording studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alberto Gonzales has served as a justice on Texas’ Supreme Court, as Chief White House Counsel, and as the Attorney General of the United States. On today’s show we talk about working in the White House, about 9/11 and the war on terror, and about faith. public service and religious liberty. This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by TJ Hester and Mike Cosper It was mixed by Mark Owens Our theme song is by Roman Candle Our soundtrack is by Dan Phelps Special Thanks to Rob Waite and Kevin Jamison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rod Dreher is a columnist for The American Conservative and the author of several books, most recently The Benedict Option. On this episode of Cultivated, we talk about the precarious place Christians hold in contemporary American society, about the Benedict Option – a strategy for navigating that society, and about the crucial importance of beauty and goodness for the Church’s witness. It’s a conversation that ranges from A Confederacy of Dunces to Dante to Terrence Malick. You can read Rod’s column here: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/ This episode was produced and edited by Mike Cosper with additional editing by TJ Hester. It was mixed by Mark Owens Our music is by Dan Phelps and Mark Owens Our theme song by Roman Candle Learn more about Cultivated at http://www.cultivatedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s episode, singer, songwriter, and speaker Audrey Assad talks about her life as a singer-songwriter, her long journey of overcoming fundamentalism, the winding path of her musical career, and how she held on to faith in the darkest season of her life. Audrey has a Pledgemusic Campaign right now. You can take part at audreyassad.com Cultivated is a production of Harbor Media and the Narrativo Group. This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by Mike Cosper and TJ Hester It was mixed by Mark Owens Our music today was by Audrey Assad Our theme song is by Roman Candle Special Thanks to Dan Darling and Jason Thacker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s episode, we continue our conversation with musician and filmmaker Steve Taylor, talking about making movies with Michael W. Smith, developing the Blue Like Jazz movie, returning to music after a 20-year “sabbatical”, and even a little bit about Donald Trump. Learn more about Blue Like Jazz here. You can find Steve’s Kickstarter video and his new music here. This episode produced by Mike Cosper Editing by Mike Cosper and TJ Hester Mixed by Mark Owens Music by Steve Taylor, Steve Taylor and the Danielson Foil, and Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil Theme Song by Roman Candle Graphic Design by Chris Bennett learn more at cultivatedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Taylor is a musician, a record producer, and a filmmaker. Over the years he's courted controversy with songs like "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good" and "I Manipulate" – songs that criticize Christian culture from within. He's also produced great records for The Newsboys, Sixpence None The Richer, Chevelle, and more. He's the writer director of Second Chance and Blue Like Jazz, and recently returned to making music after a twenty year hiatus. On our show, we talk about his journey as an artist, about the controversies he weathered, about the kickstarter that funded Blue LIke Jazz, and much, much more. This episode was produced by Mike Cosper It was edited by TJ Hester and Mike Cosper It was mixed by Mark Owens Our music today is by Steve Taylor Our Theme Song is by Roman Candle Special Thanks to Dan Darling and Jason Thacker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices