The Pivot

Latest Episodes:

093 - Rob Touchstone (Founder of The Well Coffeehouse) Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Rob Touchstone is co-founder of The Well Coffeeshop, a chain of non-profit coffeeshops who donate their profits to providing clean water wells to communities in poverty all over the world. (It’s also just a really good coffeeshop.) Besides that, Rob is an entrepreneur, a business professor, and a pastor here in Nashville, TN.

This is a great story, how Rob moved from being a theologically trained youth pastor to the creator and Director of Lipscomb University’s Center for Business As Mission, where he teaches and mentors students to think missionally about business and entrepreneurship.

A mutual friend connected Rob and I a few months ago and I’d like to think we became fast friends. I love the work that he’s doing and I’m so thankful for what he’s created here in Nashville.

You can connect with Rob and find a lot of his teaching at RobTouchstone.com

Or learn more about The Well Coffeehouse

And aren’t you inspired to put some good into the world after listening to this? Go to FH.org/pivot and join the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB now. Join Food For The Hungry in giving a family some chickens and teaching them how to use them to bring flourishing and prospering to their communities.

Also, here’s a little Andy O music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

092 - David Zach Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

David Zach is an abolitionist in a rock and roll band. He has traveled all over the world, going undercover to help rescue girls from slavery and sex trafficking. It’s a wild story.

But 9-to-5, David is the frontman for the band, Remedy Drive. The band started as four brothers and we got to talk about how they had to quit being in a band together to be good brothers. It is also a pretty wild story. Maybe not quite as wild as going undercover in a Thailand nightclub.

It was really fascinating to learn about the work David and the organization he’s a part of, Exodus Road, are doing in some of the most dangerous places on Earth.

Get involved with David and The Exodus Road at remedydrive.com/action

Watch this great short documentary on their work HERE.

And definitely go listen to Remedy Drive’s new album, IMAGO AMOR.

And please, friends, join us at the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!! Go to fh.org/pivot to sign up today!

Also, here’s a little Andy O music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

091 - Michael Wear Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

I’m not sure exactly when I started following Michael Wear’s work. I think I just gradually noticed that a lot of people I respected continued to quote him and reference him, so I had to go see who this guy was.

Well, it turns out, this guy is pretty dang amazing. The headline is that he led the faith outreach for Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, served in the White House, leading evangelical outreach and helping to manage The White House’s engagement on religious and values issues. That’s pretty awesome.

But what drives all of this great work is that Michael draws from a deep well of his own personal faith, his growing-any-day-now family, and a strong and intentional community.

I won’t lie. I was really looking forward to this interview, and then it was SO MUCH MORE AWESOME than I expected. It was just a joy to talk with Michael and I feel like I genuinely learned a great deal. I will be listening to this episode a couple more times, I promise you that.

You can find Michael all over the internet:

on his website michealwear.com

Twitter @michaelrwear

Or you can subscribe for more in depth weekly articles and commentary at reclaiminghope.substack.com

Most importantly, join us at the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!! Go to fh.org/pivot to sign up today!

And here’s my music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

090 - Justin McRoberts Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

This conversation I had with Justin McRoberts was one of my favorites in a long while. I took a few great practical things away from this, as well as just deeply enjoying the time.

Justin’s work has taken on many shapes over the years: pastor, author, singer/songwriter, YoungLife guy, career coach, podcaster… but at the heart of it, he’s really done one thing this whole time. You’ll have to listen to find out what it is.

Also, his books on prayer: “Prayer” and “May It Be So”, are very much two of my favorites.

I feel like I know Justin way more than the amount of time we’ve spent together should allow. He just goes deep fast and so when we do get to spend time together, it always feels like it counts.

I think a lot of people feel that way about Justin, and after you spend this next hour with us, I hope you feel it, too.

You can find his books, his coaching and courses, and his music at justinmcroberts.com

And check out his podcast “At Sea”

Most importantly, join us at the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!! Go to fh.org/pivot to sign up today!

And here’s my music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

089 - Stu G Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

Stu G. The legend. Like many of us, I first learned about Stu through his epic guitar presence in the band, Delirious, who basically introduced the world to modern worship music.

Over the years I have heard people talk about Stu in hushed whispers and deep reverence. People don’t just like his guitar playing; This is a guy who carries deep respect. About a year and a half ago I started to find myself in the same rooms and got to know him just a little and I understood immediately that this guy was a deep well.

He’s spent the past few years curating a film / book / music and e-course project around the Beatitudes: Jesus’s “Blessed are the poor, Blessed are the weak…” teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.

Plus, we got to chat about him playing guitar with Michael W Smith and me with Steven Curtis Chapman. Perhaps it’s about time that Stu G and I start a band called Secret Adventure.

NOBODY KNEW HIS SECRET GREAT ADVENTURE!!

To learn about The Beatitudes Project CLICK HERE

Follow Stu on Instagram

Guitar nerds! Get his tones for your Helix or Kemper!

Most importantly, join us at the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!! Go to fh.org/pivot to sign up today!

And here’s my music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

088 - Cindy Morgan Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

Songwriter, author, recording artist, mother… These are just a few of the hats Cindy Morgan wears. As a songwriter she’s been a part of many more songs than you would imagine, from artists like Vince Gill, India.Arie, Rascal Flatts, Ricky Skaggs, Amy Grant, Mandisa to Brandon Heath, Sandra McCracken, Josh Garrels, Sierra Hull, and EchoSmith. As you’ll learn, Cindy just writes ALL the time.

I’ve gotten to work with her musically a few times in various places over the years and it’s been wonderful. But more than that, she has been a clear and consistent voice of kindness and encouragement to me and that has really meant a lot.

It was such a treat to sit down and hear more about her journey, and talk about long-lost Nashville restaurant, The West End Cooker, and why High School Musical is so strangely great.

Listen to Cindy’s new single with her band St. Lola in the Fields - and follow them on instagram.

For more about Cindy and her writing, check out her website, or follow her on instagram.

Most importantly, join us at the CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!! Go to fh.org/pivot to sign up today!

And here’s my music, if you’re interested…

Thank you all!

Now go do something awesome.

087 - Dr. Paul C.H. Lim Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

FRIENDS!! It has been a long time!! I did not intend to take this long between episodes, but between the election and a little Christmas covid (all recovered now, thankfully) it’s felt like a good time to take a little break. But we’re back now with a GREAT one!!

Professor Paul C. H. Lim (PhD, Cambridge) is associate professor of the history of Christianity (Divinity School) and affiliate professor of history (College of Arts & Science) at Vanderbilt University, and is an award-winning historian of Reformation - and post-Reformation Europe. One of his books, Mystery Unveiled: The Crisis of the Trinity in Early Modern England, won the 2013 Roland H. Bainton Prize as the best book in history/theology by the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference.

I’ve been a part of a nine-month fellows program with the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work and Dr. Lim has been teaching us through some of the great works of historical Chrstianity (Luther, Calvin, Augustine) as well as current authors like Tim Keller, N.T. Wright and Latasha Morrison. It is, to put it politely, kicking my butt and is one of the highlights of my week right now.

Paul studied at Yale, Princeton and Cambridge before teaching at Gordon Conwell and now Vanderbilt. I’ve been a rising sophomore since 1998.

Getting to know Dr. Lim and learn from his wisdom in a small group setting this past number of months has been incredible and I can’t wait for you to get to know him over this next hour as the Pivot returns from hiatus!!

Hear more from Paul in this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ9TfkdgeFc&ab_channel=DigAndDelve

You can find Paul’s books at:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=paul+c.h.+lim&dc&ref=a9_asc_1

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!!!

Click here to check out my music.

Thank you for listening! Now go do something awesome!

086 - Santosh John - Live from Hutchmoot 2020 Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Santosh John is from India and now lives in Atlanta, where he recently founded the3CG.com - a ministry for people of a Third Culture, who don’t live in their birth or heritage country but also don’t quite fit into the culture in which they live in now.

This was the first ever LIVE episode of The Pivot. Santosh John and I got to have this conversation as a part of the Rabbit Room’s virtual 2020 Hutchmoot Homebound conference.

We got to talk about exile, family, science, 90’s radio jams, Rich Mullins and Caedmon’s Call, all in front of a small, kind and socially distant audience of the Rabbit Room community.

This was a powerful and moving interview that first aired during the conference a few weeks ago and I’m so thrilled to share it with you today.

You can find Santosh and his wife Shiny, at The3cg.com

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!!!

Click here to check out my music.

Thank you for listening! Now go do something awesome!

085 - Barnabas Piper Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

It’s safe to say that not many kids grew up more deeply in the bubble of evangelicalism than Barnabas Piper. It’s led to some amazing books: about being a pastor’s kid, about doubt, and about having the ability to ask hard questions of God.

Now Barnabas is an author, a father, and a new pastor after two decades in the book publishing business. He wrote a new book called “Hoping For Happiness” as he was making that career change.

I love that he calls himself a “recovering cynic”, as that’s a phrase I’ve attached to myself, and it was great to get to talk to him about it. Barnabas is one smart dude and I’m so thankful he’s taken his experience and wisdom and shared it with us.

You can find Barnabas at his website BarnabasPiper.com

You can order his new book “Hoping For Happiness” here.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!!!

Click here to check out my music.

Thank you for listening! Now go do something awesome!

084 - Tim Timmons Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

Every single person who knows Tim Timmons seems to have this same response when his name comes up: “Dude! Timmons! I LOVE that guy!” It just seems like he has poured his heart and life into every third person I’ve met in the past few years.

He’s a musician, a pastor by default, a writer and a family man. The crazy thing? Twenty years ago he was told he had five years to live. Talk about a pivot, right? For Tim this has led to a conscious decision to rejoice that, as he says, “I woke up today!”

Tim’s new single “You Never Let Go” just released a couple weeks ago, and it is so good it has genuinely brought tears to my eyes.

I have wholeheartedly joined the club of people who say “Timmons! I love that guy!” Listen in and I think you’ll feel the same.

Click here to listen to “You Never Let Go”

Here’s 10,000 Minutes and here’s Tim’s instagram.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CHICKEN OF THE MONTH CLUB!!!!

Click here to check out my music.

Thank you for listening! Now go do something awesome!