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Episode 100 feels like a good time to pause and take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Susan is joined by original co-hosts Lyerly Christensen and Lindsey Lewis for a rich and meaningful conversation about how life has changed over the past four years. Along the way, they dive into topics that hit close to home: navigating compassion fatigue in a nonstop news cycle, finding your voice when it feels risky to speak, and learning to own your faith instead of living to please others. It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone trying to live faithfully in a complex world.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Grammy-nominated jazz musician and Hattiesburg native Steve Wiest joins Susan for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, creativity, mentorship, and making the most of the one life we’ve been given.

Steve reflects on his formative years in the church, the mentors who “saved his life” during a difficult season, and how those roots shaped both his faith and his wildly creative career. This episode is honest, eclectic, and full of hope — a reminder of the power of people who pour into us and the importance of living fully, right now.

Wesite: https://steve-wiest.com/

ABOUT STEVE: Steve Wiest is a Grammy-nominated trombonist, composer, author, and cartoonist with multiple albums to his name as both a leader and sideman.

As a young soloist and composer for Maynard Ferguson, he later toured with Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Orchestra, performing alongside numerous renowned artists.

Steve is also a distinguished figure in jazz education, best known for his tenure as director of the One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas. Under his leadership, the ensemble earned two Grammy nominations—one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and another for Best Instrumental Composition for his original work, Ice-Nine. He also received a Grammy nomination for his arrangement of Bésame Mucho, featured on Maynard Ferguson’s final album, The One and Only.

After UNT, Wiest served as Co-Chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Before that, he was Director of Jazz and Trombone at UW-Whitewater and began his teaching career as Assistant Director of Jazz at the University of Texas at Arlington.

A sought-after guest artist, clinician, composer, and conductor, Wiest has led numerous all-state ensembles and continues to perform and teach worldwide. Wiest is an artist for Edwards Instruments playing his custom “Excalibur” version of the Edwards T302 and the Griego-Steve Wiest Mouthpiece exclusively.

Steve makes his home in Chicago, Illinois with his wonderful wife Deborah and their golden retriever Phoebe, where Wiest can often be heard remarking “Ain’t life grand?!”

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Conversations around addiction and recovery are too often avoided, even in the church. In this episode, Matt Johnson, National Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for the Fletcher Group, discusses why recovery and substance use disorder are something churches and Christians should care deeply about. Whether you’re walking your own recovery journey, loving someone who is, or wondering how your church can become a safer place for healing, this episode is what you need.

MATT JOHNSON works to help faith-based organizations grow their impact within the recovery ecosystems in their communities. Previously, he worked as a pastor, empowering his congregation to engage in recovery work in their West Virginia community. Matt founded the Abundant Life Recovery Housing Network, a non-profit recovery residence organization in West Virginia. As an experienced founder and operator of recovery housing, Matt is a sought-after public speaker.

Contact Matt Johnson: mjohnson@fletchergroup.org

A Spiritual Kindergarten: Christian Perspectives on the Twelve Steps

Breathing Underwater

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.