Holy Ghost Stories

Being a Home Health nurse has its advantages such as driving time.  I have the opportunity to listen to all kinds of music to my heart’s content.  At times someone may catch me belting out lyrics to a song that really should have been sung by someone who can hold a tune!

A few weeks ago, I decided to switch it up and listen to a podcast when I stumbled upon the app on my phone.  In a parking lot, (just wanted you all to know I did this while parked) I browsed the various podcasts and stopped at one call Holy Ghost Stories.

Hmm, I mused, this sounds interesting.  So, I pressed play, put the car in gear and started driving to my next destination.  As I added mileage to my car, I became enwrapped with the story.  Clutching the steering wheel, I pulled myself up from my slumped position waiting to hear what the character was going to do next.

Just as the storyteller brought the story to a climax, a telephone ring came through the car speakers scaring me out of my skin.  I think I may have peed a little too.  It was my co-worker.  I gave her a good workover for disturbing me right in the middle of this awesome podcast I was listening to.

Well needless to say, I listened to all three stories and enjoyed every one of them!

So, I thought I would do something different in my blog and introduce you to the host of this awesome podcast called Holy Ghost Stories.

Meet Justin Gerhardt.

I had emailed him and asked if I could feature him on my blog and he graciously said yes!

I was curious, who is Justin Gerhardt?  Justin Gerhardt is the creator, writer, producer, and host of the Holy Ghost Stories podcast.   His work is centered on using Christ-centered media and the creative arts to captivate hearts and minds. With an education in Biblical studies and philosophy, Justin served as a preacher for 20 years. He remains passionate about bringing people into fresh encounters with God and Scripture.

After spending 10 years in Austin, TX, Justin and his family recently began traveling the world together and currently live in a small town on the south coast of England.

Justin’s coach, best friend, mentor, business partner, coffee buddy, and wife is author J.L. Gerhardt.  He took fencing, bagpipe, horseback riding, and clarinet lessons as a kid.  These days, he’s into architecture, hiking, cooking, guitar, running, C. S. Lewis, and sketching.  Justin thinks he might want to start composing lo-fi hip hop, but time will tell.  He drinks lots of coffee, always black and loves setting out on a Saturday for an epic hike with his daughters (Eve, 11 and London, 13) and wife.

I asked Justin why he and his family moved to England?  My family and I embarked last month on a years-long season of nomadic living.  It’s an experiment in adventure and cost0-cutting and creative work and pilgrimage and open-handedness and the radical pursuit of calling.  So far, we love it.  Right now, we’re in England; next stops will likely include Lima, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, northern Norway, and somewhere in Africa.

What inspired you to start the Holy Ghost Stories podcast?  I created Holy Ghost Stories to help people experience the Bible in a way that honors its weirdness and wonder, its mystery and power.  I believe the narrative portions of Scripture—especially those of the Old Testament—possess a dark luminescence, showing us who God is and who we are and what kind of chemistry we can expect when we come into contact with Him.

In the Middle Ages, artists employed by the Catholic Church would paint pictures to familiarize non-readers with the stories of Scripture.  That’s what I want to accomplish with Holy Ghost Stories.  I want to share the stories of the Bible in a way that 1) engages Biblically illiterate people and 2) adds new dimensions to the understanding of those already familiar with the narrative portions of Scripture.

I hope people love Holy Ghost Stories. But much more than that, I hope they discover (or rediscover) how much they love the Bible and the God we encounter in its pages.

 

What are your plans for the future?  Tell more stories, live more places. 🙂

Can you give us a sneak peek into your next series?  Hmm; well, I don’t usually share what’s coming next.  But I will say that one story I’ve got slated soon for this season involves lots of…calcium. 🙂

Justin puts out a new podcast every other week, so check out this awesome storyteller.  If you enjoy his podcast, let him know.  I have included a review of the Holy Ghost Stories in my book review section that includes his website.  CHECK IT OUT!!

 

Gwen