The way of love in a world of hurt | with Andi Ashworth and Charlie Peacock

Welcome to this conversation with two people who really inspire me, Andi Ashworth and Charlie Peacock. They provide ample hope from further down the road - having accumulated decades of wisdom in the public square as Nashville music producing influencers. Dare I say - few people have influenced our generation through music more powerfully than they have.

Listen here (episode 311): https://www.podcastics.com/episode/300262/link/ 

I read their book, meaningfully titled “Why everything that doesn’t matter, matters so much” and then awaited this conversation with giddiness, anticipation, excitement, a little bit of shyness. Maybe I was – and still am? – a little starstruck? I will let you decide.

Have you ever asked, what can I do to mend the world, to mend my family or my own life? And if I could, is it worth it? Should I bother? Does my own small part in the world really matter? And so today, multi-Grammy-winner Charlie Peacock and his wife, delightful author Andy Ashworth, come to share their encouragement. Their book is a collection of 16 essays or letters. They are here to share their wisdom, calling us to discover and to join God's mission to love and care for a very hurting world. They are sharing with honesty, vulnerability, humility and wisdom from their own life experiences. They are beloved and trusted mentors. They invite us into a thought-provoking exploration of the many facets of the Christian culture care and culture-making in all areas - from the kitchen, hospitality, generosity, gardening all the way to Carnegie Hall and Grammy Awards.

 They talk to us about the theology of imagination and creativity, a vocation that provides a framework for all of life. I've found them providing a model for expressing love in marriage, in friendship, in citizenship, and every kind of work, even in the midst of our culture of cynicism, fear, exhaustion, oppression. I have found that each one of these 16 letters is a gentle, wise, humble, vulnerable, and thought-provoking nudge in the direction of God's powerfully ordinary purpose for each one of us. It doesn't matter what the future holds because we're invited to participate fully in the beautiful redemptive work of Christ. Can you begin to see why I can't wait to share this conversation with you? I hope you join us.

MEET ANDI ASHWORTH AND CHARLIE PEACOCK

Andi Ashworth is the author of Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring. She is Co-Founder of The Art House in Nashville where she served for over two decades through hospitality and mentoring, hosting a wide range of guests and organizations including Bono, Blood: Water Mission, International Justice Mission, The Gathering, and the ONE Campaign. Andi holds an MA in Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. As Editor-In-Chief of the Art House America Blog she stewarded hundreds of essays from a variety of authors such as Tish Harrison Warren, Steven Garber, Sandra McCracken, Russ Ramsey, and Luci Shaw. Andi is most recently published in Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children and A Book for Hearts & Minds: What You Should Read and Why. She has been married to Charlie Peacock for nearly fifty years and they have two grown, married children and four grandchildren.

Charlie Peacock is a Grammy Award–winning, Billboard Chart–topping music producer, composer, and recording artist. He is a co-founder of the Art House, Wedgwood Circle, and founder/director Emeritus of the Commercial Music Program at Lipscomb University. Charlie has produced music for film and television, including A Walk to Remember, Chris Cornell's "Misery Chain" from the soundtrack of 12 Years a Slave, and "Hush," the title theme to the AMC drama Turn: Washington’s Spies. Named by Billboard’s Encyclopedia of Record Producers as one of the 500 most important producers in music history, Charlie is also a three-time recipient of the Gospel Music Award for Producer of the Year. His books include New Way to Be Human, At the Crossroads, and a contribution to It Was Good: Making Music to the Glory of God. Charlie is the Sr. Music Editor for Christianity Today and host of the Christianity Today Podcast, Music and Meaning. He has been married to Andi Ashworth for nearly fifty years and they have two grown, married children and four grandchildren.