Shows
Art Life Faith Podcast70. The Tsunami Violin – Book LaunchToday, I'm excited to share with you a project that our team has been working on for quite some time now. Our new children's book, "The Tsunami Violin," comes out on November 24, 2025. ...
2025-11-2200 min
Tales of Suspense"The Picture of Dorian Gray" Oscar Wilde's Dark MasterpieceIn exchange for eternal youth, a man makes a deal with the devil and gives up his soul. As he is consumed by evil, his portrait changes to mirror the abomination he has become. STARRING: Nick Pryor Norman Rose Roger DeKovenAdapted by George LowtherFirst Run - August 7, 1974
2025-11-121h 36Art Life Faith Podcast69. Beauty from Brokenness and Death with Vince BlackEvery month, we invite an artist to come and share their art with us after a meal and then lead a discussion. “What does their art have to do with our lives? What does that have to do with the Christian faith?” Art, life, faith. When this artist can speak English, I ask them to record one of these podcasts so that we can share the story with you as well. ...
2025-10-1621 minArt Life Faith Podcast68. The Purpose of BeautyHello and welcome to the Art Life Faith podcast. I'm your host, Roger Lowther.
Every year, we have interns come work alongside us in what God is doing here in Japan through the arts. This summer, one of our interns was a phenomenal dancer named Anna Gardner Herren, with a huge heart for missions around the world. This was her third summer with us here in Japan, and she also made trips to Taiwan and Korea.
Last August, I interviewed her in this podcast—"#61 Summer Internships” if you’d like to have a listen—so I thought it would only be fair...
2025-08-3142 minArt Life Faith Podcast67. Christian Metal with Imari TonesWelcome to the Art Life Faith podcast, and I'm your host, Roger Lowther.
Well, before we get this episode’s interview, I want to share a couple of updates with you. A couple of weeks ago, we launched the Japanese edition of Third Culture Kids, which is designed to help Japanese families living overseas with the challenges that come from raising kids in a foreign context. We know it's going to be a big help to a lot of people, and so we're excited to see that it made it to the top 10 for Christian books in Japan and the to...
2025-07-1600 min
Unlock Audiobooks In Minutes — Thoughtful And Focused.Experience Hidden Beauty with Roger LowtherPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/231103 to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Hidden Beauty
Author: Roger Lowther
Narrator: Roger W. Lowther
Format: mp3
Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
Release date: 06-18-25
Ratings: Not rated yet
Genres: Missions & Missionary Work
Publisher's Summary:
Beauty in Japanese art and culture often hides in the empty spaces between sounds, brush strokes, flowers, and branches. An even deeper beauty resides beneath, the hidden beauty of the God of the Bible. Through 20 short meditations, discover the presence of God and the truth of the gospel in Japanese...
2025-06-181h 55Absorb This Binge-Worthy Full Audiobook — Perfect Right Now.Hidden Beauty by Roger LowtherPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/231103to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Hidden Beauty
Author: Roger Lowther
Narrator: Roger W. Lowther
Format: mp3
Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
Release date: 06-18-25
Ratings: Not rated yet
Genres: Missions & Missionary Work
Publisher's Summary:
Beauty in Japanese art and culture often hides in the empty spaces between sounds, brush strokes, flowers, and branches. An even deeper beauty resides beneath, the hidden beauty of the God of the Bible. Through 20 short meditations, discover the presence of God and the truth of the gospel in Japanese life and culture.
2025-06-181h 55Art Life Faith Podcast66. Moon Creature with Verity HayhowA lot has been happening since our last podcast, so let me catch you up a bit. First, our church, Grace City Church Tokyo, celebrated its 15th anniversary this past Sunday on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025. We started weekly worship exactly 15 years ago, and it's been quite a journey since, which became real to all of us watching the presentation we made of pictures over the years and seeing my own children as little kids. Two of them are now in college. A lot of time has passed since this church started. And to just think about all the things that...
2025-06-1027 min
CBS Radio Mystery Theater (Restoration)0129 - The Picture of Dorian Gray (8/7/1974)0129 - The Picture of Dorian Gray (8/7/1974)Written by George Lowther. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Oscar Wilde.Cast: Nick Pryor; Norman Rose; Marian Seldes, Roger DeKoven.A handsome, narcissistic young man makes a devilish bargain in exchange for eternal youth; but as evil consumes him, his portrait changes to mirror the abomination he has become.
2025-04-0944 minArt Life Faith Podcast65. Dead Sea Squirrels with Mike NawrockiThis episode, I have the privilege of talking with Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of VeggieTales and the beloved voice of Larry the Cucumber.
2025-04-0632 minArt Life Faith Podcast64. Lausanne Conversations 3This is the third in a series of conversations I've shared with you from Lausanne Congress 4, which took place September 22–28, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. Because it was the 50th anniversary of the Lausanne Movement, it was the largest gathering yet, with over 5,000 people in person and another 2,000 online, plus over 200 nations were represented. I had so many amazing conversations. I'm so glad that through these three episodes, you can get just a little peek into what God is doing around the world. ...
2025-03-0341 minArt Life Faith Podcast63. Lausanne Conversations 2I'd like to continue in this episode what we began in the last, reflecting on the Lausanne Fourth Congress that happened at the end of September 2024, which I had the honor of attending. These events don't happen very often. The previous one was in 2010, 14 years ago. This one was by far the biggest, with 5,000 people from over 200 nations, and I'm still trying to process all the material that was there and all the relationships and new people that I met. So in this episode, we will have a longer conversation at the end with Doug Birdsall, who was chairman of...
2024-12-2628 min
The Shiver ShowThe Picture of Dorian Gray - Old Time Radio HorrorThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1974 episode of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, based on the 1891 novel by Oscar Wilde. George Lowther adapted and condensed the story, which spans eighteen years, into a tight, fifty-minute episode You will hear strong performances from voice actors Nick Pryor as Dorian Gray, Norman Rose as Basil, and Roger DeKoven as the decadent Sir Henry. Oscar Fingal O’Fflahertie Wills Wilde (yes, there are two 'f's' in O'Fflahertie) wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray as a magazine series in 1890, and then had the s...
2024-12-1559 minArt Life Faith Podcast62. Lausanne Conversations 1In September, I had the honor of attending the 4th Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism in Seoul or Incheon, South Korea. The Lausanne movement celebrated its 50th anniversary with 5,000 people from over 200 nations. ...
2024-11-1925 min
First Congregational of HamiltonWhen the Roll is Called The mission of God, sometimes called the “mission dei,” is our Lord’s plan to reach every tongue, tribe, and nation. His mission is our mission too! Join us this Sunday as we see His heart and plan in Psalm 87, and then next week as we hear from FCCH missionary Roger Lowther.
2024-10-1324 min
OSHITScaffold Collapse: Research CottrellWelcome to episode 3 of OSHIT where Kat and Ella tell the story of the 51 victims of the 1978 Willow Island Cooling Tower collapse in West Virginia. This story is dedicated to those victims and to preventing loss of life due to scaffolding collapses in the future.
Joseph V. Bafile, James Blouir, Robert Blouir, Steve Blouir, Kenneth Boring, Richard Bowser, Thomas Cross, Roger Cunningham, Larry Deem, Roy F. Deem, Ray Deulley, Darrell Glover, Loren Keith Glover, Alvin W. Goff, Gary Gossett, James Harrison, Claude Hendrickson, Dan Hensler, Ken Hill, Gary Hinkle, Roger Hunt, Tom G. Kaptis...
2024-09-3038 minArt Life Faith Podcast61. Summer InternshipsAre you a college student? If you are, have you ever considered doing an internship somewhere in the world with a missions team? In this episode, we're going to talk a little bit with two interns who spent some time with us this summer. Internships are a great way to see what God is doing around the world. ...
2024-08-1655 minArt Life Faith Podcast60. A Taste of Grace through SushiMy family and I live on an island that's part of the reclaimed land of Tokyo Bay. It's at the mouth of the Sumida River, which flows down from the heart of Tokyo. And this is a very interesting place, one reason why we chose to live here. ...
2024-06-2211 minArt Life Faith Podcast59. A Taste of Grace through MochiWhen you walk out of an airport and enter a country that's foreign to you for the first time, one of the things you might notice is the different smell in the air. And, you know, often these differences come from the food. Food is so closely tied to the identity of a nation which plants you in that place. And cultures are practically defined by their food. Think of spaghetti: Italy. Fish and chips? England. Tacos? Mexico. Curry? India. The list goes on. Obviously, these are only just a few examples. ...
2024-06-0300 minArt Life Faith Podcast58. A Taste of Grace through OhanamiWell, it's here! The day has finally come. The launch of my next book “A Taste of Grace” is right around the corner, coming this Monday, May 27, on Memorial Day Weekend. I'm so excited to finally be able to share this book with all of you. ...
2024-05-2500 minArt Life Faith Podcast57. Beauty through God’s Eyes with Satomi SuzukiJust the other day we hosted a Zoom call for our friend Satomi Suzuki to help raise money for her upcoming artist residency. She’s a visual artist and a writer here in Tokyo, but she’s about to head to Ocean Springs, Mississippi. And so in advance of her departure, I asked if she wouldn’t be willing to have a conversation with us.
2024-05-0100 min
Queen of the Sciences2024 Bonus 6: Crossover with Art Life FaithSarah sits down to chat with Roger Lowther of the Art Life Faith podcast!
Also, in the unlikely event you missed it, the Transfiguration book Kickstarter mentioned in this episode has already ended (after exceeding all expectations!). But you can preorder the ebook on Amazon, where it will be published on August 6, 2024.
2024-03-0533 minArt Life Faith Podcast56. Composing for Film and Games with Tsumugu MisugiHere is a brief report from our relief trip to Ishikawa Prefecture last weekend, responding to the needs from that enormous 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the region on January 1, 2024. My church, Grace City Church Tokyo, sent a youth team of 3 adults and 7 junior high, high school, and college students. ...
2024-03-0200 minArt Life Faith Podcast55. Fukushima ChristmasThis episode, I want to share some stories from Christmas concerts in Fukushima. Yes, that Fukushima, the second-only-to-Chernobyl-nuclear-meltdown-disaster-of-epic-proportions Fukushima. We were invited to that area to give some Christmas concerts.
2024-02-1900 minArt Life Faith Podcast54. On Writing with Sarah Hinlicky WilsonMany of you have been writing me about this earthquake that hit Japan just a couple of weeks ago on January 1st. What a way to begin the new year! As you know, it was a pretty big one. I was in Nagano, not far from the epicenter. The ground was jolting so hard that it was impossible to walk. ...
2024-01-2400 min
Mid-South Viewpoint // Bott Radio NetworkPower of Music after Japan Tsunami and Earthquake // January 18, 2024Roger Lowther, founder, and director of Community Arts Tokyo, assisting church planting through the arts. Roger and his family have served in Japan with Mission to the World since 2005. He shares amazing stories of rebuilding lives and hope for Japanese families devastated by the tsunami and earthquake of 2011, the strongest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history. This month, March 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Roger shares about relief efforts and how music played an instrumental part in connecting to hopeless hearts. Roger was formerly organist at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN.
2024-01-1826 minArt Life Faith Podcast53. GCAMM Conversations 3Welcome back to the Art, Life, Faith Podcast, and I’m your host Roger Lowther. This really has been fun for me, sharing conversations in the past two episodes recorded at the GCAMM Conference, the Global Consultation on Arts and Music in Missions, as it helps me remember what I learned and also the people I befriended there. In this third and last episode, let’s do this just one more time, and continue to travel from table to table during lunch time and see who else we can meet. ...
2024-01-1338 minArt Life Faith Podcast52. GCAMM Conversations 2I’m excited to continue our discussion from the last episode, giving a little peek into some of the conversations and relationships that were happening at the GCAMM Conference this past September in Ft. Worth, Texas, the Global Consultation on Arts and Music in Missions. Let’s pick up where I left off last time and continue to mosey on through the cafeteria with mic in hand while everyone is eating their lunch and just see who else we can meet.
2023-12-1325 minArt Life Faith Podcast51. GCAMM Conversations 1This episode, I am honored to introduce you to some of the people I met at the GCAMM Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, the Global Consultation on Arts and Music in Missions. It took place September 11-14, 2023 at Southwestern Baptist University.
2023-11-2523 minArt Life Faith Podcast50. Let Us Draw Near – A Conversation with Ron ManThis is our 50th podcast episode. Woo hoo! Happy birthday, Art Life Faith Podcast! I can't believe we've done this 50 times now. I'm so grateful for all of you who've come along with us on this journey and who've supported this podcast in so many ways, by continuing to listen, by giving it five-star ratings, and leaving your reviews. We've had 5,000 downloads so far since we first started three years ago in the height of the pandemic, and we continue to grow each and every episode. Thank you for spreading the word!
2023-09-0700 minArt Life Faith Podcast50. Let Us Draw Near — A Conversation with Ron ManWelcome to the Art Life Faith Podcast. I’m your host, Roger Lowther. This is our 50th podcast episode. Woo hoo! Happy birthday, Art Life Faith Podcast!
I can’t believe we’ve done this 50 times now. I’m so grateful for all of you who’ve come along with us on this journey and who’ve supported this podcast in so many ways, by continuing to listen, by giving it five-star ratings, and leaving your reviews. We’ve had 5,000 downloads so far since we first started three years ago in the height of the pandemic, and we continue to...
2023-09-0400 minArt Life Faith Podcast49. A Café Performance"This is the place I go for church. And this is the place that I go to hang out with my friends. And this is the space that I might go for some artistic event or some cultural event. But I really believe that we're made to be holistic humans. We're wearing all these different hats, and we're going to all these different spaces. And at the same time, we're like, “Why can't it all be brought together? Why can't it all be holistic the way that it was made to be?” ...
2023-08-2425 minArt Life Faith Podcast48. Sake“Kanpai!” We called in a loud voice together as we clinked our little ceramic cups. This was my very first experience of sake and I really didn't know what to make of it. ...
2023-06-1910 minArt Life Faith Podcast47. Nukazuke — A Taste of GraceNukadoko is a mixture of rice bran, salt, and water, where cucumbers, carrots, radishes, and other vegetables could be put in to make a specific kind of pickle called nukazuke. It has to be stirred daily to prevent the growth of mold and allow fermentation to continue to happen. And here is the interesting part. It has to be stirred by hand. The yeast in the fermentation comes solely through the hands of mom in the kitchen and can be passed down from generation to generation. ...
2023-05-3006 minArt Life Faith Podcast46. Kaiseki DiningDeep in the shadows of the mountains and autumn leaves, red paper lantern faintly illuminated the entrance to a traditional Japanese restaurant. The roar of a river filled our ears as it plummeted down the cliff next to the road. The air was moist and cold, as was typical for that time of the year. ...
2023-05-1411 minArt Life Faith Podcast45. Cow Pie WaterAll 40 plastic gallon jugs were completely empty. I lifted each just to be sure. Sweat evaporated from my face so quickly that all I felt were deep layers of salt crusted on my skin. Hot wind blew in my face as if from a hairdryer. Knee-high bushes and cacti did little to provide shade. Abi and I were hiking across the Mojave Desert, a 37-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail, famous for its high temperatures and lack of water. ...
2023-04-2910 minArt Life Faith Podcast44. Conversations through Art with Mayuko ShonoLet me try to paint the picture for you. You're walking through a really busy shopping district. There's nothing Christian anywhere around. Then you suddenly come upon Mayu's pop-up shop in the middle of the most popular area of the busiest city on the planet. And there Mayu sat, in a display window, painting and talking with everyone who came by. ...
2023-04-0835 minMid-South Viewpoint // Bott Radio NetworkBuilding Trust Through the Arts in Japan // March 16, 2023Roger Lowther, founder, and director of Community Arts Tokyo, assisting church planting through the arts. Roger and his family have served in Japan with Mission to the World since 2005. He shares amazing stories of rebuilding lives and hope for Japanese families devastated by the tsunami and earthquake of 2011, the strongest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history. This month, March 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Roger shares about relief efforts and how music played an instrumental part in connecting to hopeless hearts. Roger was formerly organist at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN and was...
2023-03-1627 minArt Life Faith Podcast43. Anniversary of the 2011 Earthquake with Rachel Reese KollmeyerMarch 11, 2023 is the 12th anniversary of that devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that struck the nation of Japan, and a day that changed everything for me. During that time, I saw firsthand the power of the arts to bring hope and encouragement during really dark times. The people I worked with in the relief movement had lost everything—family members, friends, homes, jobs, entire towns. And during that time, people responded to the arts in ways I never dreamed possible. We knew people really needed food, water, and supplies. But it turns out they really needed beauty as well. ...
2023-03-1023 min
Sparking Creativity: The EthnoArts PodcastS2E4 - Culture is like a TREE?Today, we hear from a colleague, Roger Lowther, doing arts ministry in Japan. The recording is taken from his podcast, Art, Life and Faith
Links:
Art, Life and Faith Podcast
Roger’s website where you can find about about him, his books and ministry
For feedback and questions, please email us at ethnoartspod@gmail.com or find us on Facebook and Instagram @ethnoartspod.
2023-02-2716 minArt Life Faith Podcast42. Art Internships in TokyoWelcome to the Art Life Faith Podcast. This is the show where we talk about art, what it has to do with your life and what it has to do with the Christian faith. And I'm your host, Roger Lowther.
Well, I got back late last night from a three-week trip to the US and I really pushed probably a little too hard, so I'm pretty tired, but glad to be back and looking forward to continuing the stories about how God is working here in Japan. I first made a trip to Boston where I gave an organ concert...
2023-02-2526 min
First Evangelical Church - MemphisFirst Evan “Biblical Basis For The Arts” – February 19, 2023Roger Lowther | Psalm 86:8–10
Global Missions Conference
Want more information about First Evangelical Church? firstevan.org/connect
Website: firstevan.org
Instagram: @firstevan735
Facebook: @FirstEvan
2023-02-2029 min
First Evangelical Church - MemphisFirst Evan “The Nations Shall Worship” – February 19, 2023Roger Lowther | Psalm 86:8–10
Global Missions Conference
Want more information about First Evangelical Church? firstevan.org/connect
Website: firstevan.org
Instagram: @firstevan735
Facebook: @FirstEvan
2023-02-2029 minArt Life Faith Podcast41. On Being A Japanese Christian with Ayaka UchidaI was saved in college in 2000 in the USA, where the pastor told me to ‘put off your old life of sin, everything Japanese, and put on the new life in Christ.’ I tried very hard to do that for 18 years in the States through marriage, childbirth, my husband's affair, separation, single mothering, running a social enterprise, and my art. And now I'm trying to find Christ in Japanese culture. ...
2023-01-2838 minArt Life Faith Podcast40. Great Festival of HeavenEverything we delight in now in the festival of Christmas is but a taste of that ultimate beauty and joy we find in the Great Festival of Heaven.
2022-12-2611 minArt Life Faith Podcast39. A Thread x A Thread — Art of Chiyoko MyoseIn a profound and mysterious way, God saved the world by coming into the world. He came as a little "thread" to 結ぶ (musubu), "to tie" onto our tangled and fraying lives and communities. Jesus was cut off on the cross that we might be tied to God. He became the isolated and broken strand so that we could be gathered into community with him. In a world quickly unraveling in sin, he binds us together with his love into a big and beautiful tapestry in the peace and harmony of the kingdom of God.
2022-12-1016 minArt Life Faith Podcast38. Bach and the Navajo — A Conversation with Samuel MetzgerIn my first month in Japan, I was helping to lead worship on a pipe organ, when an older missionary came up and started to berate me. “You can’t play that kind of music here. It’s completely against everything we’re trying to do for the Japanese church.” I was a bit shocked, but I could see his point. As Christians, we want to see the nations of the world worship God in their heart languages…their spoken language, but also their musical language and their cultural language. The music of Messiaen, Vierne, Widor, and all the other Western comp...
2022-11-2721 minArt Life Faith Podcast37. Imaginative Expression Specialists — A Conversation with Byron SpradlinIn the photograph, "How Beautiful are the Feet," we see a circle showing only the feet of the dancers. On one foot, they wear a point shoe. On the other, the foot is completely bare. One foot is dressed for being on stage, beautifully presentable. The other, not so much. It shows evidence of the blood, sweat, and tears—the bruises, pain, and injury. Feet are the means by which the Minato City Ballet Company brings the good news of the gospel to people. ...
2022-11-1346 minArt Life Faith Podcast36. Living in Full View of the God of GraceI’m excited to announce that our first official book with Community Arts Media is coming out on November 1, 2022, “Living in Full View of the God of Grace.” It will be in English and Japanese, in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook, on Amazon and wherever else you pick up your books. I encourage you to check it out. It has really encouraged me working on this project during such a difficult time, and I know it’ll encourage you as well!
2022-10-2926 min
Did That Really Happen?ThunderheartThis week we're going back to the 1970s with Thunderheart! Join us as we learn about FBI jurisdiction on Native American reservations, the American Indian Movement, the Pine Ridge reservation, and more! Sources: "What We Investigate: Indian Country Crime," FBI.gov: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/indian-country-crime https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/Public-Law%2083-280 Stewart Wakeling et al, "Policing on American Indian Reservations," US Department of Justice. July 2001 Maura Douglas, "Sufficiently Criminal Ties: Expanding VAWA Criminal Jurisdiction for Indian Tribes," University of Pennsylvania Law Review 166, 3 (2018) Rebecca A Hart and M. Alexander Lowther, "Honoring...
2022-02-071h 16
The Deep Purple PodcastEpisode #146 - Elf - Carolina County BallThe Deep Purple Podcast
Show Notes
Episode #146
January 31, 2022
Elf - Carolina County Ball
Subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Anchor.fm, Breaker,
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2022-01-311h 55
First Evangelical Church - MemphisThe Promise of the White Stone – November 7, 2021Roger Lowther, Missionary, Mission to the World, Tokyo, Japan | Revelation 2:12–17
2021-11-0840 min
Second LookJesus, the Arts, and the Gospel’s Advance in Japan (Ep. 21)In this episode, World Missions pastor Dan Burns sits down with longtime missionary Roger Lowther to discuss how God is using creativity, culture, and the arts to reveal Himself to the Japanese people.
From non-believing musicians coming to know the Lord through serving as worship leaders, to makeup artists gaining a deeper understanding of how their craft fits into the greater story God is telling, this conversation is a rich display of the multi-faceted nature of Jesus and the whole-life implications of following Him in faith.
Roger’s Books:
The Broken Leaf
Aroma of Beauty ...
2021-11-0723 min
Mystery Theater Complete Radio CollectionS1E129 Radio Mystery Theater Episode 129Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Original Air Date: August 7, 1974
Plot: A handsome, narcissistic young man makes a devilish bargain in exchange for eternal youth; but as evil consumes him, his portrait changes to mirror the abomination he has become.
Starring: Nick Pryor, Norman Rose, Roger De Koven, Marian Seldes
Adapted from the novel by Oscar Wilde
Writer: George Lowther
Genre: Radio Drama
Host: E. G. Marshall
Creator: Himan Brown
Director: Himan Brown
Producer: Himan Brown
---
Send...
2021-10-1145 minArt Life Faith Podcast35. I’m So Hungry!“I’m sooo hungry!” I said, “I want to eat something!” “No,” my wife said. “We have to keep going. If we eat now, there won’t be enough for later.” We were in one of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet, a remote part of the High Sierras in California, and all I could think about was food. This was hunger like I’d never known it before.
2021-06-1108 minArt Life Faith Podcast34. Hope Will Not End In DespairToday I’d like to introduce you to Daisuke Yokoyama, an amazing Christian singer songwriter here in Japan. I had the privilege of meeting him in the relief movement shortly after that terrible earthquake of 2011. I remember one concert we played together in a high school gymnasium, not far from the broken nuclear power plants in Fukushima. When he finished singing, he walked around the room to talk with people. They were stuck in their designated areas surrounded with cardboard walls. He met with them, gave them one of his CDs, and, if appropriate, prayed for them as well. Daisuke is...
2021-06-0438 minArt Life Faith Podcast33. Global Mission ChapelSo here they were in this position of weakness. They had an unfinished building. Their numbers were small. They were still rebuilding trust in their congregation, and they were still getting to know their neighbors. And then the earthquake struck in March 2011, and their world literally fell apart. ...
2021-05-2807 minArt Life Faith Podcast32. Kintsugi AcademyI’d like to share Kunio Nakamura-san’s message about Kintsugi Academy and the role kintsugi can play in our lives. This traditional Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold is packed with meaning. Here Nakamura-san is answering the question, “Why bother fixing broken pottery? Why not just buy something new?”
2021-05-2107 minArt Life Faith Podcast31. Tsunami ViolinThis week I’ve been working on putting subtitles to the various talks from our “Aroma of Beauty” conference we held here in Tokyo in March. There were so amazing stories shared. Although it was all in Japanese, with subtitles soon you’ll be able to watch and hear them as well. But I want to take this time to share one of them with you now in this podcast. ...
2021-05-1411 minArt Life Faith Podcast30. SetomonoEveryone in Japan knows the word setomono, because you find it on quite a few boxes you get in the mail. It means “fragile,” but it also literally means “product of Seto.” Seto is an art village known in Japan for its ceramics with over a 1,500 year history, longer if you count the indigenous people who lived there before that time. And today that pottery tradition is alive and well. Last week, I went to Seto ...
2021-05-0406 minArt Life Faith Podcast29. Cow Pie WaterAll forty were completely empty. I lifted each plastic gallon jug just to be sure. Hikers in the previous town promised a huge cache of water here. Whatever drops had been left quickly evaporated as the sun mercilessly beat down. The hot dry wind blew in my face, bushes and cacti too short to provide any useful kind of shade at all. My wife and I were on the Pacific Crest Trail ...
2021-04-2708 minArt Life Faith Podcast28. Ryokan TaiguI’d like to introduce you to a little poem by Ryokan Taigu, who lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and is one of the most popular figures in Japanese history, known for his poetry, calligraphy, and a very unique way of looking at the world. “Taigu” is a name he gave himself, and anyone who can read Japanese will immediately recognize the meaning. It means “big fool” or “great fool,” so Ryokan called himself “The Great Fool.” In this short poem about food, Ryokan asks a very basic, and seemingly very foolish, question. And that is “Why do people eat?" ...
2021-04-2006 minArt Life Faith Podcast27. The HotelIn the city of Minami Sanriku, on the northeastern coast of Japan, the Kanyo Hotel sits on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. This is a really nice hotel, which usually costs well over $300 a night to stay there. The food is amazing, and there is a really cool cave-like hot spring built into the side of the cliff, so you relax outside in hot spring waters while feeling cool sea wind blow in your face, and watch the sunset over the ocean. However, I didn't get to experience any of these things. ...
2021-04-1308 minArt Life Faith Podcast26. The Water ChildTremendous pain and suffering can give birth to life and beauty. For reasons I am just beginning to understand, pain and suffering in this world are catalysts for creation, especially for creating beautiful things. In the mud, in the devastation, in the dark, we crave something with beauty and hope and light. And we will do anything we can to hold on to it. This is the unmistakable power of art. This is the tool in the Creator’s hands, which he has lovingly put into our hands. May we always have the strength and wisdom and love to use it...
2021-04-0608 minArt Life Faith Podcast25. Finding Hope in Hard ThingsDuring the month of March on this podcast, we’ve been telling story after story from March 11 and the terrible earthquake that struck Japan 10 years ago. The trauma that people experienced will impact them their whole lives. So many were lost, and there is nothing we can do to bring them back. Some things in this world can never be fixed. So, what do we do with that? Do we just despair? If we don’t make a conscious effort to do otherwise, this trauma will not only ruin our lives but the lives of everyone around us as well, and...
2021-03-3032 minArt Life Faith Podcast24. The CathedralJapan is no stranger to devastated cities. As I traveled giving concerts through city after city ravaged by the 2011 tsunami in Japan, my thoughts eventually turned to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No other city in the history of the world quite compares with their destruction. ...
2021-03-2312 minArt Life Faith Podcast23. Our 3/11 StoryFor the past couple of months, I’ve been sharing stories of my experiences after the 2011 earthquake in Japan. For this episode, I want to go back to the very beginning. I want to start with Day 1, the day the day the earthquake hit and how we got involved in the relief movement. I hope you’ll find it useful as we all think about how God may use us, all of us, especially as artists, in the tragedies and traumas of the lives of everyone around us. ...
2021-03-1631 minArt Life Faith Podcast22. Scars: The Path Toward HealingThis week, I had the honor of talking with Peter Bakelaar, founder of Gallery NANI (Nagoya Arts Network International), about his exhibit at the Aichi Arts & Cultural Center in downtown Nagoya, "Scars: The Path Toward Healing" running from March 2-14. ...
2021-03-0828 minArt Life Faith Podcast21. Be Still and KnowWhat’s that noise? Where am I? Heavy creaking in the ceiling above my head jolted my sleep-numbed mind into consciousness, as my eyes flew open to darkness. Nigero! Okiizo! “Everybody out! This is a big one!” someone behind me yelled. That was all it took. I blindly fumbled for my flashlight, always kept near my head for emergencies like this, and then grabbed my jacket. The floor moved chaotically, making it hard to keep my balance. But somehow I reached the door frame, grabbed it, and pushed my way outside. ...
2021-03-0207 minArt Life Faith Podcast20. Fragments of HopeAfter the 2011 earthquake in Japan, Christians started art organizations to provide jobs and build community, and, just as important, to bring beauty back into a shattered world. They made jewelry, decorations, bags, and clothes. In the city of Ishinomaki, a small group of women made jewelry out of broken shards of dishes and teacups found in the rubble. They called themselves Nozomi Project, or literally, Project of Hope. The people at Nozomi pick up the pieces of their lives by making beautiful art, one necklace, earring, and bracelet at a time. ...
2021-02-2308 minArt Life Faith Podcast19. The BikeOn March 11, 2011, the world changed. Like the old photographs I occasionally found scattered amongst the debris, all the color was gone. Gray mud from the ocean floor coated everything, and gray dust constantly blew through the air turning our white masks black. Even the sun remained hidden behind the dull clouds, refusing to penetrate our colorless purgatory. ...
2021-02-1604 minArt Life Faith Podcast18. Go Away!“Go away! Leave us alone!" the voice thundered. "Too . . . many . . . volunteers!” We had just entered the high school gymnasium of a temporary shelter in the city of Iwaki. I turned to see a young man sitting on a cardboard box. He appeared to be slightly handicapped, with one leg shorter than the other. But it was his face, full of rage, that I noticed most. Time after time, strangers barged into this man’s “room.” In that brightly lit flourescence, he had no privacy, and he was obviously sick of it. Startled by the greeting, but not sure what to do, I foll...
2021-02-0906 minArt Life Faith Podcast17. Whispering to the WindAs I walked through a garden on a hill overlooking the town of Otsuchi, Japan, birds flew overhead and the wind blew in gently from the sea. Leaves rustled on the trees, and the sweet aroma of flowers wafted through the air. I looked down to see goldfish swimming in a pond, and at the top of the hill I found a white glass-paneled phone booth. ...
2021-02-0206 minArt Life Faith Podcast16. Tree of HopeI looked up at the enormity of it. The tree was almost 100 feet tall. It grew here in the city of Rikuzentakata as part of a forest of 70,000 pine trees for hundreds of years. The trees protected the people from storms and strong coastal winds and were once chosen as one of the 100 most beautiful landscapes in Japan. But now they were all gone, all except for this one surviving tree. ...
2021-01-2605 minArt Life Faith Podcast15. The CookoutThe food just after the tsunami was terrible. Every meal was treated like an emergency situation. Refugees and relief workers alike, we all lived off of emergency rations, canned and instant foods. This kind of food may keep the body going for a day, but it sure lacks the vitamins, nutrients, and life-giving beauty that we so desperately needed. ...
2021-01-1905 minArt Life Faith Podcast14. Called By A New NameThe stars are full of stories: animals and gods, love and war, heroes and villains. From ages past, men and women have looked up at the stars of the sky and whispered their hopes and fears. ...
2021-01-1208 minArt Life Faith Podcast13. A Party One EveningThe parking lot of the old Buddhist temple was packed full of trucks and vans. It sat on a hilltop, on the outskirts of the city of Higashi Matsushima, the only structure still standing that was big enough to hold a large group of people. One of the relief workers we met that day invited us to come here for a party. ...
2021-01-0610 minArt Life Faith Podcast12. FirefliesThe tires of the van sank in the mud newly washed up from the ocean floor, made worse by growing puddles of rainwater. Lightning lit up the wall of debris that lined the streets and closed in on us like some dark tunnel. ...
2020-12-3005 minArt Life Faith Podcast11. Cortège et LitanieThe "Cortège et Litanie" by French organist Marcel Dupré is perhaps one of the most famous organ pieces of the twentieth century. I’ve been thinking a lot about this piece during the spread of COVID-19. I would even go so far as to say that it has become a bit of a theme song for me. I will be playing it for our Christmas Day service here in Tokyo. ...
2020-12-1911 min
Power-Up With Your Day With A Uplifting Full Audiobook.The Broken Leaf by Roger W. LowtherPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/178240to listen full audiobooks.
Title: The Broken Leaf
Author: Roger W. Lowther
Narrator: Roger W. Lowther
Format: mp3
Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
Release date: 12-14-20
Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars, 3 ratings
Genres: Literature & Art
Publisher's Summary:
The Broken Leaf invites you to explore the beauty and gospel images found in Japanese art and culture. Through 10 short meditations, discover for yourself just how God might be revealing his story in the everyday objects of your life, whenever and wherever you may be.
2020-12-141h 15Art Life Faith Podcast10. Power of Beauty in the DevastationWhen everyone else was moving their water-logged pianos to the street, they decided NOT to throw out their piano. It still had life in it. It was still breathing, in a sense. It could be fixed! There was hope! And they desperately needed that hope. During that time, there was a tendency to think it was pointless, that nothing would ever get better, that their town…and their lives…were beyond repair. ...
2020-12-0715 minArt Life Faith Podcast09. Pippy the Piano and the Very Big WaveDuring a season of Christmas concerts a number of years ago, I was traveling near the city of Kamaishi, Japan where the 2011 tsunami hit. Of 16,000 people killed by the tsunami, over 1,000 were killed in this town, and it’s not a very big place. Everyone there knows someone who died.
2020-11-2616 minArt Life Faith Podcast08. Art and MissionAt a webinar this week, I was asked, “What is the biggest challenge for Japanese becoming Christians?” The biggest challenge is that most Japanese have never met a Christian. Why would you become a Christian if you’ve never met one? The beauty of the arts creates those opportunities, bringing people together, where non-Christians can experience Christian community for the first time. ...
2020-11-1513 minArt Life Faith Podcast07. Sea GlassWhen the tsunami siren sounded, Hiroko tied her dog, Kai, to a tree and headed for the shelter. “I’ll be right back,” she said. Kai waved his tail in reply. Hiroko didn’t think there was any danger. Why would she? Her town was protected by 13-foot sea walls. And sirens often went off after earthquakes. Forty-five minutes later, she watched in horror as the tsunami surged over those walls and tore through her town. ...
2020-10-2807 min
Art Life Faith Podcast06. Taking A PoundingThere is so much brokenness in this world! Just by me speaking to you right now, it’s very likely that some of you are suffering, or someone you know is suffering. Especially now, during COVID-19. Life is hard, and we would be fools to think otherwise. It’s a terrible part of this world, and you know, frankly, it makes me a little bit angry. We want to protect the ones we love from suffering, but we can’t. So, where’s there hope in that? How can we keep on going? How do we overcome this? ...
2020-10-1309 min
Art Life Faith Podcast05. The Golden CracksOne of the joys of living overseas is being able to see the world differently, sometimes in ways I would never expect. One day when I was in Kyoto, in the Kyoto National Museum, I stumbled upon some clay bowls. Everything about the exhibit screamed, “These things are important!” They were individually encased behind panes of glass. They sat beautifully displayed on felt-covered small boxes. They each had their own special lighting, but the odd thing to me was that they were broken. ...
2020-09-2809 minArt Life Faith Podcast04. Simmering in the GospelOne of the joys of living overseas is being able to experience different parts of the world. There are times when I think, “Wow, that’s exotic.” Sometimes it’s a smell in the air. Sometimes it’s a sound that I hear. Sometimes it’s the feel of the atmosphere. When we first moved to Tokyo, I had such an experience. ...
2020-09-0907 min
Art Life Faith Podcast03. The HospitalA concert in a hospital near the broken nuclear power plants of Fukushima shortly after the 2011 earthquake in Japan brought us together. In that terrible time, music brought healing and helped us to mourn and cry for what was lost.
2020-08-2610 minArt Life Faith Podcast02. The ScarfMy friend, Shannon Johnston, started The Scarf back in 2011 as a direct response to the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster here in Japan. It was a way for people to knit their hopes, thoughts, and prayers together for the people of Japan. Scarves are something you wear around your neck like a hug. The Scarf was a way people could give hugs without actually being physically present in Japan. ...
2020-08-1209 minArt Life Faith Podcast01. Love Your NeighborMayu is a visual artist in Tokyo. With the spread of COVID-19, like everyone else, she was stuck at home, with no way to share her art and no way to make a living. What bothered her most, though, was that people were hurting all around her. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what she could do. One day, her mother said, “Mayu, I think you should make masks.” ...
Website: https://loveneighbor.thebase.in/aboutInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyn_givingteamDonations: https://paypal.me/mayulyn?locale.x=ja_JP
2020-07-2608 min
carol@carolgrimes.comDon't Want You On My Mind Bill WithersGreat Guitar solo who played on many iconic recordings. Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Al Kooper and Loudon Wainwright III.
Warm Blood recorded in Nashville
That's What It Takes
Backing Vocals – Archie Leggit*, Graham Bell, 'Rabbit' John Bundrick*
High Hill Country Rain
Drums [African], Percussion – Gaspar Lowell*
A3
Taxes On The Farmer
Steel Guitar [Dobro] – 'Snazzy' Sam Mitchell*
A4
All For One
Drums – Karl Himmel
Organ – Tommy Eyre
A5
Ray, Ray, Ray
A6
Lost My Faith (In Everything But You)
B1
Warm Blood
Backing Vocals – Jess Roden
Organ – 'Rabbit' John Bundrick*
B2
You're The Only One
B3
Somebody Sleeping In My Bed
Guitar –...
2020-04-0602 min
Life With DementiaLiving in the Here and NowIt is stigma that kills hope in a dementia diagnosis. Roger Marple has been living with Alzheimer's disease for 5 years. Yet he refuses to shy away from this diagnosis and instead, is claiming its existence as an important part of his life. His goal is to challenge society's view that Alzheimer's disease is an ugly diagnosis. Learning more and finding a greater sense of understanding is how we reach into our soul and break apart any negative stereotypes or fears that keep us from speaking openly about a dementia diagnosis. Life with Dementia podcast is a proud...
2020-03-2544 min