10,000 Fathers Podcast

This episode is a special holiday edition created with your soul in mind. We hope it can become a resource to come back to anytime you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just need a few moments to recalibrate during any busy time of year.  10KFAM's Spiritual Director, Paul Reeves, will guide you through a reflection and a spiritual centering practice. We pray the Spirit of the living God will meet you right where you are, that you will be aware of the nearness of Jesus, and that your heart will be open to receive the loving gaze of the Father toward you.  

In this episode, Lauren catches up with Jeff Mathena, vocal coach to many of the leading voices in worship today like Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Bethel, Elevation, and others. Jeff shares his own story with his voice that led him into coaching, and ultimately to the recognition of the deep connection between our voice and our identity. The conversation ventures into some things artists at the top of their game struggle with, as well as advice for singers who may be dealing with stage fright or the need to prove themselves.  Jeff shares about his app-based training community, The Unhindered Voice. He believes that if your voice hasn't yet done what you believe it can do, it's because you haven't found the right training yet. Everyone was created to sing! Check out Jeff's website, www.jeffmathena.com to learn more.

Our team did a little research on the most common internet searches on the topic of Worship. The results were things like: “What is worship? Who is worship for? What does worship actually do?” If someone walked up to you on a Sunday morning with those questions, would you be able to answer them well?  10KFAM's Content Director, Pastor Jonathan Swindal from New Life Midtown, sat down with our Executive Director to answer these questions and more. If you're in the weekly grind of leading worship or ministry work in general, this conversation is a great opportunity to step back and reflect on the bigger picture of why we do what we do. 

Evan Wickham joins Aaron Keyes on this month's podcast! Evan is the Lead Pastor of Park Hill Church in San Diego. This episode covers a lot of ground - Evan's journey of transitioning to a senior pastor/ church planter role after decades as a worship leader, Sabbath being the thing that changed everything for the Wickham family, and how where you sit determines what you see. The conversation closes with a vulnerable, honest question of whether Jesus experienced fear, guilt, and shame the same way we do. Lots of big questions with gentle, kind, thoughtful responses.

Aaron and Jess Leslie sit down with Jess' very own boss, Zac Hicks, lead pastor of Church of the Cross in Birmingham, AL. Zac's book “The Worship Pastor” (Zondervan, 2016) laid out a compelling and comprehensive vision that aligns so well with what we teach at Worship School and in this conversation we get to explore his journey from being a worship pastor to a lead pastor. Zac and Jess are a dynamic partnership leading a new church plant in Birmingham, Alabama.  We also talked about “How do you know when it's time to leave your church?,” “How lead pastors might overstep their bounds in regards to working with their worship pastor,” and how to reach those who are slipping through the cracks of cultural Christianity. 

Aaron Keyes and Dee Wilson sit down with Elias Dummer, a Canadian musician and the principal songwriter and founding member of the City Harmonic band. This thought-provoking conversation will stir every worship leader to wrestle with the (often unspoken) desire to produce those goosebump moments on a Sunday morning. There's a much stronger connection between behavioral science and song/set structure than we might realize. What's really beneath it, and how does it affect what we're communicating about God and the spiritual formation of our congregations? At the end of the day, what does it mean to actually lead HUMANS in worship?

In this episode, Aaron Keyes and Lauren Settembrini (10KFAM's Executive Director) chat with New Testament scholar and author, Lynn Cohick. We discuss a variety of topics arising from her decades-long journey as a woman in academic and ministry spaces, the road blocks along the way, and the importance of community. Dr. Cohick is the Academic Dean, Provost, and Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, with whom we're partnered for a Master of Arts in Worship degree. She's spearheading a new Master's degree in Women's Studies at Northern, and has become a leading voice in the affirmation of women in leadership in the church.

Aaron Keyes and Jon Egan chat with Leslie Jordan on everything from The Fold, the non-profit she co-founded to nurture creatives of all types, to life and ministry after All Sons & Daughters. This conversation dives deep into what it means to create in a way that's transformative, how the best art is born from tension, and the skill (and value!) of always looking for what's good. Leslie also shares her thoughts on navigating social media and her advice to songwriters.

In today's climate of divisive, either/or narratives, Preston Sprinkle's Theology in the Raw podcast is quickly becoming one of the safest, most thoughtful places to engage with a variety of not-so-simple topics with a posture of curiosity and connection. Aaron has been a guest on Theology in the Raw multiple times, but in this episode we get to flip the script and interview Preston! The conversation covers everything from how his podcast journey began and how he's living differently because of it, what breaks his heart, seeking belonging over entertainment, and a way forward that gives hope.

If you've been around the 10,000 Fathers & Mothers community for any length of time, you are probably acquainted with our dear friend and coach, Aaron Williams. Aaron is the co-founder of Dwell, a parachurch ministry serving both the individual Christ-follower and the church, and a resident artist at The Worship Initiative in Dallas, TX. In this episode, Aaron (Keyes) and Jess Leslie sit down for a conversation with Aaron (Williams) about discerning the will of God, songwriting, making disciples, and his first full-length record titled “The Hope of Christ,” available everywhere music is streamed/sold.

With decades of experience leading worship and writing and releasing music with Vertical Worship, Andi Rozier currently serves as the director of 24/7 Prayer and Worship Pastor at New Life Church's East congregation in Colorado Springs, CO. In this episode, Aaron sits down for a conversation with Andi about wisdom on navigating ministry/difficult transitions, and what it means to water the pasture in front of you and why home is the real prize. 10,000 Fathers & Mothers (10KFAM) exists to raise and release spiritual mothers and fathers who creatively shape the future of the church. We nurture worship leaders who lead songs into worship pastors who lead people. It's good to have teachers – to get information – but who is building and transforming you? Who is investing in you and walking with you? At 10KFAM, we have the pleasure of leading two distinct communities of worship leaders through Worship School and Mere Worship. We are also uniquely positioned to offer Strategic Support to churches and ministries in their worship contexts.

After playing (and teaching) guitar for years, worship pastor Jason Houtsma built an online platform to help train musicians. Worship Artistry has since grown to have thousands of musicians, and they now offer lessons on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, bass, keys, and vocals—with lessons covering 500 songs and counting. At 10,000 Fathers, we’re all about training leaders in character and competency. I know of no better resource for the musical side of competency than Worship Artistry. Hear some of my own testimony on how it’s helped me, hear some of Jason’s heart on why any of this matters, and go over to their site and get started for free!

Australian pastor & author Steve Cuss joins Aaron at home to talk about how leaders can get unstuck from chronic patterns, and move from being managed by leadership anxiety to proactively managing it. Steve's book has been instrumental in helping countless leaders, and this episode will give you a sneak peak at some of the tools Steve is joined by two of his staff members (Jimmy Carnes & Mariah Van Tress), both of whom are involved in the worship leadership at his church, Discovery, outside Denver, CO.  Managing Leadership Anxiety (Yours & Theirs) is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Leadership-Anxiety-Yours-Theirs/dp/1400210887 To apply for worship school, visit Worship.School.  For more information about Mere Worship, go to MereWorship.com.

Mack Brock was a worship pastor at Elevation Church for a decade. He songs have been sung around the world, with millions of streams online. He has continued writing, producing, and touring, and his new album comes out soon. Here, Micah and Aaron sit with Mack to talk about a few of his takeaways from his career, as well as lessons from this current season.  Intro music is Mack's newest single, "Bless the One."  For more information about 10,000 Fathers Worship School, visit us at worship.school. For more information about Mere Worship, check out mereworship.com. 

Bruxy Cavey is a Canadian pastor, leader, and author. He is the teaching pastor at The Meeting House, one of Canada's largest churches. He is the author of (soon to be re-released) "The End of Religion" and "Union". And he (along with Greg Boyd) is leading a new movement called The Jesus Collective.  Links: Bruxy's new book, releasing Nov. 17, 2020: https://www.amazon.com/End-Religion-Bruxy-Cavey/dp/1513805509 https://jesuscollective.com/ https://www.themeetinghouse.com/    

In this, part 2, Aaron & Micah chat with Pat Barrett about songwriting, worship in the age of Covid-19, trust, and vulnerability.  Music is Pat's new single, "Heavenly."

Aaron & Micah chat with the legendary Pat Barrett, author of "Good Good Father", "Build My Life", "Canvas & Clay", "The Way", and more.  Music is Pat's recent single, "Canvas and Clay."

Aaron chats with Andy Squyres about songwriting, worship leading, not denying reality, and how to grow as an artist.  Music is Andy's brand new single, "You Bring the Morning."

Andrew Arndt was the pastor of Bloom, a church plant in Denver (which he led with Michael Gungor) before coming to New Life as an associate pastor and the lead pastor at our most recent church campus, New Life East. His new book, "All Flame: Entering into the Life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" releases Sept. 15 and is available for pre-order on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/All-Flame-Entering-Father-Spirit/dp/1641581514. Imagine your heart catching flame like a burning bush in a desert. Imagine that flame coursing through your veins and infusing every cell in your body with eternal energy. Imagine the God who lit up the eyes of Mother Teresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rich Mullins lighting up your life. Andrew Arndt reintroduces us to God in three Persons―Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You’ll discover how this God of the Bible is already in touch with your life, and that touch has the capacity to do great things for, in, and through you. Christianity will never be boring again. Most books that engage the life of the Trinity are written at an academic level, focusing on fine points of theological distinction. Andrew writes in a way that is both mystical and missional: The Father, Son, and Spirit are at work in you in unseen ways, and yet their work in you will emanate from you to transform the world for the better. This is an energizing take on a key concept of the faith.  

Aaron Keyes talks with Daniel Grothe about how to find wisdom in today's age. Daniel was mentored by one of our generation's true sages, Eugene Peterson, and in this conversation we dive into some of his learning: What happens when life falls apart and you realize you've been living on a fault line? How has politeness kept us from growth? How can we shore up the "load-bearing walls" in our lives instead of simply addressing the cosmetics? How can we have healthy boundaries in our lives as leaders, both with our calendars, and our social lives? How can we impart what we've been given? As seasoned leaders, what should we do re: younger leaders around us? And finally, what should we look for as young leaders in sages who've gone before us?  The links Daniel mentions in this episode are as follows: Brueggemann Preaching moment 12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nPlPMDDQ0   For one who is exhausted https://onbeing.org/blog/john-odonohue-for-one-who-is-exhausted-a-blessing/   We highly recommend Daniel's new book "Chasing Wisdom" as it dovetails so strongly with our DNA at 10,000 Fathers. Here's the link!   Chasing Wisdom https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Wisdom-Lifelong-Pursuit-Living/dp/1400212480

Aaron chats with Micah Massey & Jon Egan about 10,000 Fathers joining up with New Life Church.

Worship, Pandemic, Transition, oh my! 10,000 Fathers is all new this year. We’ve relocated to Colorado Springs to join forces with New Life Church. In this first episode of this new season, Aaron & Megan sit down to process some of what the transition has been like. Music is a new demo from "Psalm 136" by the brilliant Matt McMichael (Whitenight); used with permission. -- "How do we surrender when the tide is changing, instead of striving to go our own way?” Megan shares a quote that she learned in college and has seemed true throughout life thus far: “Circumstances don’t make or break you, they reveal you.” She talks some about knowing in our heads that God is peace and our security, yet in transition and when things are unsettled, how do we apply this to our heart? What are our actual, everyday emotions and responses to life’s circumstances? When everything seems unsettled, how do we find peace?

Aaron sits down with Andrew Wilson, king of neologism and teaching pastor at King’s Church in London (oh and also the author of a dozen or so books) to talk about worship, songwriting, and how to be more eucharismatic!

Brilliant singer/songwriter Dane Joneshill speaks with Aaron about how we should think about artistry in ministry. In terms of our creativity: why should we move from from generalities to specificity? From perfect resolution to faithfully living in the tension? There’s even a deep cut reference from Randy Newman you’re going to need to track down.Bumper music is “Long Way Around” from his great album, “Everything that Rises Must Converge.”

How can we become our full selves without becoming full of ourselves? How do we grow in confidence without slipping into arrogance? How should we see humility in light of our remarkable identity? Author Dan Kent talks us through his new book.

Aaron sits down with Todd Fields from Worship Circle to talk about worship, inspiration, & astronomy.

Brett is the worship pastor at North Point Community Church outside Atlanta, GA. 10 years ago Brett graduated from our brand new worship school, and in this episode he shares some of what he learned in that time, and he’s learned since that time. He’s got several very helpful words for leaders, worship pastors, and songwriters in this conversation. “Leadership isn’t a ladder…“, “You take care of your depth…“, and Brett’s prayer every Sunday morning will stick with you.Music featured in this episode: “Refuge” and “Sons and Daughters”, both led by Brett Stanfill.

Cameron Walker sits down with Lauren Settembrini, to discuss her journey with the Enneagram, a personality assessment the Worship School uses for spiritual growth. Lauren is part of the local 10,000 Fathers team in Atlanta and serves as one of the Worship Pastors at Grace Snellville. Be sure to catch the bonus clip on the end for a funny story! For more information about 10,000 Fathers, visit: https://worship.school

Aaron goes into the studio with Matt to talk about his brand new hymns record, out today, called “His Mercy is More.” In this episode we get to hear 3 of the tracks off the record, 2 of which were co-writes with Aaron (“Lord Have Mercy” and “Magnificent Marvelous”).  Great content in here about confession, songwriting, knowing your audience, and patience in our craft.Background music by our brilliant alum, David Lunsford.

Our good friend Glenn Packiam has released his 5th book, called “Blessed Broken Given: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus”; Glenn (along with Paul Baloche) co-wrote one of our favorite worship songs called “Your Name” back in the day, and today we got to talk about some of the great content in the new book.

Today marks the release day for our newest single, “Won My War,” featuring Taylor Breen. Taylor (and Aaron Keyes) wrote this new song and in this episode we get to talk all about the songwriting process, the lyrical and musical composition, and get into a discussion with several great insights regarding songwriting with Pete James, our dear friend from 10,000 Fathers Europe School, and Aaron’s co-writer on “King Forevermore (God the Uncreated One)” and “Thank you for Fathering Me.”

Aaron sits down with Jonathan Martin, author of "Prototype" and "How to Survive a Shipwreck" to talk worship, spiritual fatherhood, & the trickiness of leading in this cultural moment. --

Dee and Jenn Wilson sit down with Aaron to discuss the current state of music in the Church and some ways in which we can broaden our perspective.

In this episode, Aaron sits down with worship pastors Taylor Breen & Kirby Kaple in Atlanta, Ga.   Taylor and Kirby both graduated from 10,000 Fathers and--the week of this recording--Kirby is celebrating a song she co-wrote ("Build my Life") that's just hit #1 on the Billboard charts.    Taylor helps lead 10,000 Fathers as a core team member, teacher and coach. Kirby is the worship pastor at Grace Midtown, and helps lead the international phenomenon known as Housefires, whose new album drops in July.

Aaron chats with Matt Miles of the Jesus Collective and shares a conversation between Greg Boyd and Bruxy Cavey from the inaugural Jesus Collective meeting in Washington DC.

A conversation with Gravity Leadership. 

In this space we let go of anything from the day that needs to be left behind. These failures or offenses are burned up with the setting sun. We also use this time to receive more deeply anything from the day that God has spoken to us through our various interactions. This is a time to pray what is known as the prayer of Examen, which is a prayer of surrender, to be searched and known by God. It often involves becoming aware of the presence of God, reviewing or remembering your day with gratitude, recognizing your need for God and receiving his love and power, and finally, looking forward to the coming day with hope. We are reminded of the words of Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” One example of the prayer of Examen is written by Richard Foster in his book Prayer. “Precious Savior, why do I fear your scrutiny? Yours is an examen of love. Still I am afraid… afraid of what may surface. Even so, I invite you to search me to the depths so that I may know myself – and you – in fuller measure. Amen.”

Addi Panter and David Walker sit down to discuss the techniques around maintaining proper vocal health and strength along with the spiritual perspective of finding your voice. 

A few of the writers, David Walker, Daniel Hill and Aaron Keyes, sit down to discuss the crafting of the newest single released entitled "No Story You Can't Redeem." 

Cameron, Aaron and David discuss how to live present in each season and what tends to happen when we resist or resign from that reality.

Featuring Dave Rhodes and Aaron Keyes.

Aaron Keyes sits down to interview his senior pastor, Jon Stallsmith, to talk about the vital relationship between the lead pastor & the worship pastor.

Last week, some of our lead team sat down to have a conversation about how we approach discipleship and the model of learning we hope to create within the School. To learn more about what we do, visit: https://worship.school

Last week, Aaron sat down with Alan Hirsch to have a conversation around Ephesians 4 and the importance of the Fivefold Ministry. To learn more about Alan's important work, visit: https://5qcentral.com 

A brief overview of what it looks like to attend 10,000 Fathers, including details of our curriculum, expectations and some other frequently asked questions.

Cameron Walker and John Emery sit down with Verna Law, one of our coaches, to discuss the Enneagram, a personality assessment the Worship School uses for spiritual growth. For more information about 10,000 Fathers, visit: https://worship.school

Cameron Walker and John Emery sit down with Taylor Breen to discuss the Enneagram, a personality assessment the Worship School uses for spiritual growth. For more information about 10,000 Fathers, visit: https://worship.school

Cameron Walker and John Emery sit down with Micah Massey to discuss the Enneagram, a personality assessment the Worship School uses for spiritual growth. For more information about 10,000 Fathers, visit: https://worship.school

Cameron Walker and John Emery discuss the Enneagram, a personality assessment the Worship School uses for spiritual growth. For more information about 10,000 Fathers, visit: https://worship.school

The second half of a conversation between Aaron Keyes and Dr. Brent Strawn about the importance of Scripture in worship leading (and songwriting).