Faithfully Creative

The Gifts of Belonging, Solitude, and Rest

The extending piece of being a person of welcome… offers a more substantial sense of belonging than if we were to only consume. - Sarah WestfallMy humanity needs space for nothingness. It needs to become settled once again… so that sometime in the future again, I can exhale and give again. - Sarah WestfallIn this episode, Matt has a conversation with Sarah Westfall. Sarah is a full-time writer, speaker, and podcast host whose work delves into the complexities of communal life. She is the author of The Way of Belonging: Reimagining Who You Are and How We Relate and writes regularly on her Substack, Human Together. Her podcast has the same name and the amazing tagline: a podcast for people who agree it is not good to be alone (but secretly wonder whether it might be easier).We have a great conversation about why humans long to belong, how helping others belong is a creative act, and also a great discussion about all things writing!Books & LinksSarah’s WebsiteOur Unforming: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation by Cindy S. LeeThe Way of Belonging This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com

Courage, Wonder, and Naming the Animals

“To live a creative life, we do have to make a choice to live in courage, to be willing to be vulnerable and to put ourselves out there.”In this episode Matt has a conversation with Stephen Roach. Stephen is host of the Makers and Mystics podcast and founder of The Breath and The Clay creative arts organization. Stephen travels as a keynote speaker and event curator conducting workshops and events centred on the exploration of creativity and the spiritual life. He has penned five volumes of poetry, an illustrated children’s book, and 2 other books including Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity.Stephen is a multi-instrumentalist with a background in ethnomusicology and film composition. His musical group, Songs of Water composes for film and television including the award-winning Australian animated short, Teacups. Stephen has contributed to the works of recording artists Ricky Skaggs, Josh Garrels, Jonathan and Melissa Helser, John Mark McMillan and others.Matt and Stephen talk about:* Courage and Vulnerability in the Creative Life* Co-creative partnership between God and humanity, where God leaves room for human contribution and delight.* The importance of sabbath, rest, and the place of contemplation and wonder.* Embracing the process rather than obsessing over outcomesSelected Links/Books* Makers & Mystic Podcast* Breath & the Clay* On Writing by Stephen King* The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel* Naming the Animals: An Invitation to Creativity by Stephen Roach This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com

Story and the Music of Resilience and Hope

"If we believe we're made in the image of God, a creator God, then that image in us is creative. It's a way of engaging with that divine spark."In this episode, Matt has a conversation with Shari Green. Shari writes fiction and poetry for children and young adults. Her latest book, SONG OF FREEDOM, SONG OF DREAMS, is a 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award finalist. Her other novels in verse include GAME FACE, MISSING MIKE, Schneider Family Book Award winner MACY McMILLAN AND THE RAINBOW GODDESS, and ROOT BEER CANDY AND OTHER MIRACLES. Shari’s books have been included on international “best of” lists and selected for numerous provincial and state readers’-choice programs. Much of the conversation centres on Shari’s latest, Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams which has strong themes connected to music and faith and centres around a young pianist in East Germany trying to make sense of love, duty, and the pursuit of dreams during the unsettled months of protest that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Shari and Matt talk about:* Music/art as a way of processing difficult emotions, connecting with God, and also a vehicle and catalyst in supporting social change.* Art and faith as a means of finding normalcy, hope, and purpose in challenging times.* How both faith and creativity are about an openness to awe, wonder, and mystery.Links / Books* Shari Green’s Website* Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com

Jazz, Preaching, and Creativity as Church

"The church doesn’t need to be full of professional artists to be creative. Creativity is about engaging our neighbourhoods with imagination and love."In this episode, Matt has a conversation with Dr. Mark Glanville. He currently works as the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew’s Hall at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and is the author of 5 books. He has pastored in creative, justice-seeking churches for 14 years in both Canada and Australia and has played jazz piano professionally for 30 years. Through a variety of lenses, Mark shows how the Bible is forming churches that extend the tenderness of Jesus in their particular neighbourhood.Matt and Mark talk about:* The parallel between artists and Christ followers, seeing both as seekers of truth. * The role of beauty, creativity, experimentation, and discernment in the Church.* Preaching as an artistic craft.Links / Books* Mark Glanville’s website* Centre for Missional Leadership* Preaching in a New Key: Crafting Expository Sermons in Post-Christian Communities* Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com

Writing, Resistance, and Whole Self Creativity

“Creativity is a response to being loved. Whether through poetry, music, or even gardening, it’s how we express our connection to the sacred.”—Kaitlin CurticeIn this episode, Matt has a conversation with Kaitlin Curtice. Kaitlin is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As a citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives.Her books include, Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God and  Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day. She also has a series titled An Indigenous Celebration of Nature — four children’s books on the seasons, the latest, Spring’s Miracles, released on March 4, 2025.Besides her books, Kaitlin has written online for Sojourners, Religion News Service, On Being, SELF Magazine, Oprah Daily, and has been featured on CBS and in USA Today. She writes essays and poetry for The Liminality Journal found on Substack.Matt and Kaitlin talk about:* Creativity as an Act of Healing & Resistance* Embodiment as integral to both Spirituality and Creativity* The need for both decolonization (breaking away from colonial structures and mindsets) and Indigenization (infusing Indigenous wisdom and practices back into daily life).* The role of representation in art and how artists, particularly writers, might sensitively approach representing diverse cultures.Links/Books* Kaitlin’s Author Website, where you can find details about most of her writing, including Living Resistance and Native.* The Liminality Journal on Substack* Definitely, check out Kaitlin’s latest book, Spring’s Miracles! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com