Growing up as mountain folk in East Tennessee, two-time GRAMMY nominee and 13 time Dove award winner Cindy Morgan, learned to write and play music with its roots in gospel. Today, Cindy’s writing is arriving at fans in a new way, in the form of her first novel, The Year of Jubilee. She joins host Sandra McCracken in this week’s episode to talk all about it.

In this episode of The Slow Work, Sandra and Cindy talk about returning to our roots, untangling difficult family stories, and finding a way forward through writing. Cindy opens up about her childhood traveling the hollers of Appalachia, her experience working with Dolly Parton, and her desire to confront the injustice of racism while reconciling her own hard family memories.

Special Guest:

Nashville singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee, a thirteen-time Dove winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy. Morgan has 21 number one radio hits to her credit, and has penned songs for notable artists including David Archuletta, Vince Gill, India.Arie, TJ Shepherd, Rascal Flatts, Ricky Skaggs, Amy Grant, Glen Campbell, Mandisa, Natalie Grant, Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, Brandon Heath, Britt Nicole, Sandra McCracken, Josh Garrels, Sierra Hull, Kris Allen, and EchoSmith among many others. In 2017, Morgan’s song “Bird in a Cage” was performed by Robert Redford and Sasha Lazard in the movie Blind starring Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore. Cindy has authored three books, Barefoot on Barbed Wire (Harvest House Publishers, 2001), Dance Me Daddy (HarperCollins, 2009), and her memoir, How Could I Ask for More (Worthy Inspired, 2015) in addition to being a co-creator of the charitable Hymns for Hunger Tour, which has raised awareness and resources for hunger relief organizations across the globe.

Resources Referenced:

Inside Out

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producer: Azurae Phelps

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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This week we wanted to share a new song that Sandra recorded with her friends at The Porter's Gate.

Slow Me Down songwriters: Leslie Joran, Sandra McCracken, Matthew Kaemingk, Wendell Kimbrough, Kate Bluett.

Special thanks to Isaac Wardell.

Be sure to subscribe and we'll be back with more episodes of The Slow Work in a few weeks!

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Who serves the servers? As it turns out, very few do. In the midst of serving others, those working in the hospitality industry -- waitresses, maids, line cooks and hotel front desk attendants -- often struggle to make ends meet. When crises come, few have the safety nets they need to weather the storms.

This week, host Sandra McCracken visits with Jen Seger, City Director of table.com/">Big Table Nashville, to talk about the slow work of collaborative care, and the capacity building that can lift vulnerable populations out of struggle and into strength. Big Table, a nonprofit with branches in Nashville, Spokane, San Diego and Colorado Springs (spring 2023), assists those in the hospitality industry with empathy, advocacy, and practical care. Enjoy this conversation as Sandra and Jen talk about the value of journaling, the dignity of the referral model, and the hope that exists around shared meals.

Special Guest:

table.com/team-member/jen-seger/">Jen Seger is the City Director of Big Table Nashville, a nonprofit that cares for restaurant and hospitality workers in crisis through timely interventions, intentional relationships and transformational care. After years of leading as the care director at a large Nashville church, Jen is thrilled to serve the city in this new way. She loves dark chocolate and has a small piece after every meal (yes, even after breakfast) to keep her sweet tooth in check.

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producer: Azurae Phelps

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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In a culture of loneliness, charisma and freewheeling rootlessness seduce with empty promises. We are all looking for meaning, but few stop long enough to consider where it might be found in rich supply.

In this week’s episode, host Sandra McCracken sits down with author and podcaster Mike Cosper to talk about the slow work of confessional living. Discussion winds from the viral podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill to Cosper’s transformative experience of visiting sacred hills in the Holy Land. As Cosper shares stories of Mars Hill congregants and visitors to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, you’ll be reminded that telling the truth about ourselves often ends up looking differently than we expect -- and can still be beautiful, too.

Special Guest:

Mike Cosper is a Louisville, Kentucky-based writer and podcaster primarily focused on exploring issues of worship, culture, and spiritual formation. He serves as the Senior Director of Podcasts at Christianity Today. Cosper is the author of four books including Faith Among the Faithless and Rhythms of Grace. He regularly leads cohorts for church leaders focused on spiritual formation in a disenchanted age.

Resources Referenced:

Hannah Arendt (Critical Lives) - Hannah Arendt biography by Samantha Rose Hill

Alone Together by Sherry Turkle

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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The pandemic changed how all creatives produced and marketed their work, but as restrictions have lifted many are holding onto the lessons learned from that season of limitations. Whether it’s saying “no” to technological advances in favor of stripped down recordings or shrugging off the frenetic nature of show business for a slower pace, musicians, artists, and others are discovering the surprising filling that comes in empty spaces.

In this week’s episode, host Sandra McCracken talks with Americana musician David Ramirez about the habits he’s formed in slow, creative work. Ramirez traces the line from his high school discovery of music to his latest EP, Rules & Regulations. Along the way, listeners get a peek into his musical process, the moments that fuel his work, and the ways he’s letting music soak in before it pours out on stage.

Special Guest:

Prolific singer and songwriter David Ramirez has earned a large and growing following for his soulful, introspective songs and passionate performances.

Resources Referenced:

Running on Empty by Sandra McCracken and David Ramirez

Backslider by David Ramirez

Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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Trauma may be a buzzword today, but it’s no simple concept to untangle. For many who experience abuse or trauma at the hands of church leaders, their pain becomes the breeding ground for doubt, deconstruction, and despair. Thankfully, God’s Spirit persists in bringing new life from the ashes of our suffering.

Sandra McCracken talks with trauma-informed counselor Colleen Ramser about the intersection between theology and therapy on this episode of The Slow Work. Ramser participates in perhaps the slowest work of all, helping clients unravel painful stories and delicately reweave new, healthier narratives. This conversation captures her wise and gentle insights about the long process of healing, the importance of community, and the small deposits of grace that enable us to rebuild a hopeful future. 

Special Guest:

Colleen Ramser is a licensed therapist and spiritual formation coach who has been journeying with women for nearly 15 years. She specializes in trauma, spiritual abuse, domestic abuse and women’s issues. She regularly trains pastors and other therapists on trauma-informed care and ministry as well as domestic abuse and spiritual abuse.

Resources Referenced:

Mary, Untier of Knots by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Additional Recording: Evan Redwine

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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Singer-songwriter Sara Groves knows a thing or two about storytelling. However, in the experience of these recent years, Sara realized she still had much to learn about the narratives that shape us.

In this episode of The Slow Work, host Sandra McCracken welcomes Sara for a thoughtful, honest conversation about the stories we tell and how we tell them. The two explore how to tend the slow fires of creativity and how to bear witness to the hard stories within and around us. From songwriting sessions to the redemptive voice of activism, McCracken and Groves discuss how to produce generative work in a world that often obscures the truth and marginalizes the vulnerable.

Special Guest:

Sara Groves is a 20+ year veteran singer/songwriter and recording artist with a passion for justice. Since 2005 she has been an artist advocate with International Justice Mission, a global organization that works to protect the poor from violence. At home in MN, Sara and her husband Troy run a unique community art center, Art House North, out of a 110 year old church where Sara has recorded her last two of 15 albums - Abide With Me, a collection of hymns, and Joy of Every Longing Heart (Christmas). 

Resources Referenced:

The Fold

Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan

“My Dream” by Sara Groves

Get Low

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Additional Recording: Evan Redwine

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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In this first episode of The Slow Work, host Sandra McCracken sits down with husband and wife team, Makoto and Haejin Shim Fujimura, to discuss commitment, kintsugi, and creative justice. Learn how a unique marital commitment has focused the Fujimuras’ professional ambitions and how building in the midst of brokenness has the power to redeem generational pain. If you’ve been striving or struggling and need a better way, this conversation promises a deep dose of release and hope. Listen in as Mako encourages that sometimes “it’s okay to just behold.”

Special Guests:

Makoto Fujimura is one of the most unique and significant artists of our time, a painter whose work explores a combination of contemporary American abstract expressionism and traditional Japanese art of Nihonga. Born in the U.S. and educated both in Japan and in the U.S., he has had over one hundred and forty exhibits in New York , Japan, Santa Fe and around the world. He formed the International Arts Movement and in 2003 was appointed by the President to the National Council on the Arts.

Haejin Shim Fujimura serves as Embers International’s CEO where she leads the strategy and engagement that fuels Embers’ growth and vision. Haejin is also the founder and managing partner of Shim & Associates, P.C. and an experienced lawyer. She founded her law firm with the vision of cultural renewal for the legal industry and has its offices in New York and New Jersey. In addition, Haejin is the President of Academy Kintsugi, and with her husband Makoto Fujimura, leads the movement of “Beauty + Justice.” She also serves as the Team Leader of NYC Advocacy & Mobilization Team of International Justice Mission, the largest anti-slavery organization in the world. She has served on the board of a number of nonprofit organizations.

Resources Referenced:

Art + Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura

Culture Care Creative

cleanse.html">“Longing for an Internet Cleanse” by David Brooks

Goldenwood

Embers International

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Additional Recording: Evan Redwine

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

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We are all creatives at heart, no matter what career or calling we find ourselves in. Inspiration can happen in a second, but the work of creativity only happens when we are patient enough to stay with it. It takes grit to see it through. 

Enjoy this short preview of The Slow Work with songwriter and host Sandra McCracken launching January 5, 2023. Subscribe today!

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Mike Cosper

Host: Sandra McCracken

Producers: Luke Brawner and Azurae Phelps

Additional Recording: Evan Redwine

Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps

Music: Tyler Chester

Graphic Design: Chris Bennett

Social Media: Kate Lucky

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Slow Work is a podcast connecting the creative process and spirituality. Join songwriter and host Sandra McCracken along with a talented array of guests as they explore the pursuit of beauty, grace and justice. Launching January 5, 2023. Subscribe today!

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