#40 | Beauty, Sorrow and Fredrick Douglass with Ruth Naomi Floyd

When midnight comes, I will not runInto the arms of my regrets,Nor will I fear the pain of woundsThat have not scathed me yet.I will stand upon the borderOf this year and the next,And say farewell with open handsAnd a whispered thankfulness.When midnight comes, I will not tieA burden round my neck,Nor weigh down my soul with resolutionsTo validate my breath.Instead, I’ll bless this new beginningAnd who I am becoming,For we are works of art unfinished—A living canvas full of colors⁠⁠⁠Help support and sustain the podcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠The episode music is by "⁠⁠⁠Heir⁠⁠⁠" ⁠⁠⁠Stream the latest album⁠⁠⁠

⁠Help support and sustain the podcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠The intro music is from my latest single "⁠Magnolia Tree⁠" ⁠⁠⁠The episode music is by "⁠Heir⁠" ⁠Stream the latest album⁠

After a long hiatus - we're back! This new episode frames the journey of Lent and explores true and long-lasting spiritual freedom. If you want to watch this episode and engage in the conversation around it, you can sign up to my Patreon via joshualukesmith.com. You also get a ton of other perks. Grateful. It's good to be back!

You can buy my book and find out about what I'm up to right here: joshualukesmith.com

I had the absolute JOY of sitting down with Scott Erickson who's an incredible artist, speaker and creative curate. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation such as navigating an evolving faith, developing a visual language and learning to say yes to our own stories. You've probably seen Scott's incredible art on IG but if not: https://www.instagram.com/scottthepainter Join The Pilgrimage Co www.thepilgrimage.co Intro music by TWICEYOUNG

The latest conversation to drop is with Zoe Clarke-Coats, who amongst many things is a grief specialist. Aquatinted closely with suffering, she is a guide for us upon the tricky terrain of loss and gives incredibly helpful (and hopeful) language for that which is so hard to speak of. Follow Zoe: @Zoeadelle | @sayinggoodbye_charity Join The Pilgrimage Co www.thepilgrimage.co Intro music by TWICEYOUNG

How do you hold your own when everything around you feels like it's falling down? I chopped it up with my brother Mike McGlynn for the latest instalment in our conversations series. Mike is a husband, a father, pastor and a creative juggernaut. He's got a voice and message that I think our generation need and I'm so happy to share this conversation with you! @michaelmcglynn Join The Pilgrimage Co www.thepilgrimage.co Intro music by TWICEYOUNG

Yes my friends! Okay, you're in for a treat with this one. I sat down with my friend Ruth Naomi Floyd who is an exceptional songwriter, Jazz composer and singer and the first African American woman to serve as Founding Director of a university jazz program in the United States. We cover a lot of ground in this chat from the power of beauty to the importance of sorrow and the work of Fredrick Douglass. I hope you enjoy and once again, thanks for the support! Connect with Ruth: https://www.instagram.com/rnfloyd @ruthnaomifloyd https://frederickdouglassjazzworks.com Join The Pilgrimage Co www.thepilgrimage.co Intro music by TWICEYOUNG

I had the honour of (virtually) sitting down with John Mark Mcmillan. Not only a songwriter and lyrical mastermind, but John Mark also seems to speak prophetically into our times, each time his new record drops, with poetic depth and honest care for his listeners. We cover a lot of terrain in this conversation and I can't wait to hear what you think! https://www.johnmarkmcmillan.com Join The Pilgrimage Co - www.thepilgrimage.co Intro music by TWICEYOUNG

We're talking about resistance, indifference and the fight to become our most authentic self. TRIGGER WARNING: The passage of scripture we explore (2 Samuel: 11) involved reference to sexual abuse. Join The Pilgrimage Co - www.thepilgrimage.co Series artwork by Elaine Huston AKA The Hand - www.thehandstudio.com Intro music by TWICEYOUNG Additional Reading: Lion's Honey: The Myth of Samson - David Grossman End Blessing written by Jan Richardson https://www.janrichardson.com/bookcircle For me, this is most of all the story of a man whose life was a never-ending struggle to accommodate himself to the powerful destiny imposed upon him, a destiny he was never able to realise nor, apparently, fully to understand. It is the story of a child who was born a stranger to his father and mother; the story of a magnificent strongman who ceaselessly yearned to win his parents’ love — and, therefore, love in general — which in the end he never received. - David Grossman