Author Archives: Roger W. Lowther

This is our 50th podcast episode. Woo hoo! Happy birthday, Art Life Faith Podcast! I can’t believe we’ve done this 50 times now. I’m so grateful for all of you who’ve come along with us on this journey and who’ve supported this podcast in so many ways, by continuing to listen, by giving it five-star ratings, and leaving your reviews. We’ve had 5,000 downloads so far since we first started three years ago in the height of the pandemic, and we continue to grow each and every episode. Thank you for spreading the word!

“This is the place I go for church. And this is the place that I go to hang out with my friends. And this is the space that I might go for some artistic event or some cultural event. But I really believe that we’re made to be holistic humans. We’re wearing all these different hats, and we’re going to all these different spaces. And at the same time, we’re like, “Why can’t it all be brought together? Why can’t it all be holistic the way that it was made to be?” …

“Kanpai!” We called in a loud voice together as we clinked our little ceramic cups. This was my very first experience of sake and I really didn’t know what to make of it. …

Nukadoko is a mixture of rice bran, salt, and water, where cucumbers, carrots, radishes, and other vegetables could be put in to make a specific kind of pickle called nukazuke. It has to be stirred daily to prevent the growth of mold and allow fermentation to continue to happen. And here is the interesting part. It has to be stirred by hand. The yeast in the fermentation comes solely through the hands of mom in the kitchen and can be passed down from generation to generation. …

Deep in the shadows of the mountains and autumn leaves, red paper lantern faintly illuminated the entrance to a traditional Japanese restaurant. The roar of a river filled our ears as it plummeted down the cliff next to the road. The air was moist and cold, as was typical for that time of the year. …

All 40 plastic gallon jugs were completely empty. I lifted each just to be sure. Sweat evaporated from my face so quickly that all I felt were deep layers of salt crusted on my skin. Hot wind blew in my face as if from a hairdryer. Knee-high bushes and cacti did little to provide shade. Abi and I were hiking across the Mojave Desert, a 37-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail, famous for its high temperatures and lack of water. …

Let me try to paint the picture for you. You’re walking through a really busy shopping district. There’s nothing Christian anywhere around. Then you suddenly come upon Mayu’s pop-up shop in the middle of the most popular area of the busiest city on the planet. And there Mayu sat, in a display window, painting and talking with everyone who came by. …

March 11, 2023 is the 12th anniversary of that devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that struck the nation of Japan, and a day that changed everything for me. During that time, I saw firsthand the power of the arts to bring hope and encouragement during really dark times. The people I worked with in the relief movement had lost everything—family members, friends, homes, jobs, entire towns. And during that time, people responded to the arts in ways I never dreamed possible. We knew people really needed food, water, and supplies. But it turns out they really needed beauty as well. …

Welcome to the Art Life Faith Podcast. This is the show where we talk about art, what it has to do with your life and what it has to do with the Christian faith. And I’m your host, Roger Lowther. Well, I got back late last night from a three-week trip to the US and …

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