The Slow Work with Sandra McCracken Christianity Today

Bassist John Patitucci retraces his life through faith and Fenders.
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Once upon a time there was a music industry without streaming music. Songwriting duo JJ and Dave Heller remember this day well. They once had sixty thousand of JJ’s CDs in their garage to prove it. 
This week on The Slow Work, host Sandra McCracken sits down with JJ and Dave to talk about how they have built their music careers outside of the traditional music industry. Prioritizing artistic independence, family time, and intentional ambition, the Hellers talk about what collaboration looks like in their marriage, how fame changes things, and why they’re satisfied to go against the grain in an industry where formula is often the road to success. This episode offers a refreshing perspective on artistic work and needed encouragement to chart your own unique creative course.
Special Guest:
JJ Heller and her husband, Dave, work creatively together co-writing and recording her songs. After 20 years making music full-time, Heller has 14 full-length albums, two Christmas EPs, and dozens of singles to her name.
In 2017 JJ began regularly releasing NEW MONTHLY SINGLES on the first Friday of each month. It’s a strategy that helped her grow from 800,000 to over 15 million streams per month.
In addition to releasing monthly singles, Heller is busy working on her orchestral I DREAM OF YOU albums, I DREAM OF YOU: CALM, JOY, SLEEP, LOVE, and the newest addition, I DREAM OF YOU: CHRISTMAS.
The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Mike Cosper
Host: Sandra McCracken
Producer: Azurae Phelps
Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps
Music: Tyler Chester
Graphic Design: Chris Bennett
Social Media: Kate Lucky
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Most of us move at a frantic pace with little time for intentional rest. As author and artist Justin McRoberts works to balance his work and creative life with his spiritual and family life, he understands this pull toward frenetic anxiety. Leaning into the truth of our belovedness in Christ, McRoberts invites readers and others to slow down and pay attention.
This week on The Slow Work, McRoberts joins host Sandra McCracken to talk about work, rest and responding to the call of our belovedness. McRoberts explains how he works in seasons, the internal map that helps guide his decision making, and the grace that must rule over all as the voice of rest. In their discussion, McRoberts explains how burnout and depression can become gifts, why sadness deserves its own time, and what disappointments offer us as we turn our hearts to God. 
Special Guest:
Justin McRoberts is an author, coach, speaker, and songwriter. He is the author of six books, including his latest, Sacred Strides (May 2023). For over 20 years, Justin has helped artists, ministers, and entrepreneurs find their way. From the stage, through his stories in books or during coaching sessions, he leans on his years of work and expertise as a minister and artist to help individuals and teams solve problems in their creative processes. When he’s not writing, speaking, or coaching, you can find him as the host of the At Sea Podcast. He lives in the East San Francisco Bay Area.
Resources Referenced:
Sacred Strides: The Journey to Belovedness in Work and Rest
Running to Stand Still
Chariots of Fire
The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Mike Cosper
Host: Sandra McCracken
Producer: Azurae Phelps
Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps
Music: Tyler Chester
Graphic Design: Chris Bennett
Social Media: Kate Lucky
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Author Bret Lott once held five majors in college; but he quit halfway through and learned the discipline of writing by pounding pavement as an RC Cola salesman. It is, perhaps, this salt of the earth quality that makes his writing so captivating and inspires others to the craft as well.
This week on The Slow Work, host Sandra McCracken talks with Lott about the way you become a writer -- from the ethic required for the daily grind to the value of being around people and paying attention. Lott shares the hardest thing about being a creative and the role of memory and detail in creating a compelling narrative. If you’ve dreamed of becoming a writer or simply want to see behind the curtain of a creative life, you’ll find inspiration and practical wisdom in this episode.
Special Guest:
Bret Lott is the bestselling author of twelve books, including the novels Ancient Highway, The Hunt Club, A Song I Knew by Heart, and Jewel (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of The Southern Review, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He lives with his wife, Melanie, in Hanahan, South Carolina, and teaches at the College of Charleston.
Resources Referenced:
Jewel
The Hunt Club
A Song I Knew By Heart
Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction
Meet Me at the Lighthouse: Poems
The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Mike Cosper
Host: Sandra McCracken
Producer: Azurae Phelps
Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps
Music: Tyler Chester
Graphic Design: Chris Bennett
Social Media: Kate Lucky
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Dave Barnes has been a Nashville fixture for more than 20 years now, and he’s still writing melodies that are new and creative. How does he keep doing it year after year? For Dave, it's pretty simple: respect the past and love the present.
In this week’s episode of The Slow Work, host Sandra McCracken sits down with singer-songwriter and producer, Dave Barnes to discuss what makes a tune stick in your head. Growing up in rural Mississippi, Dave played drums in the marching band and drew cartoons, exercising his creative gifts wherever he could. His work today may look different, but his earnest pursuit of creativity hasn’t changed at all. Listen in as Sandra and Dave talk about serving the music instead of trying to shape it, the value of our early creative work, and the thrill of developing new music -- even when folks only want to hear your old stuff.
Special Guest:
Dave Barnes is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and producer. Dave has written songs for Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Reba McIntyre, Tim McGraw, Lady A, and many more. He’s also released eight of his own albums, won a Dove Award in 2018 for his song “Washed by the Water,” and has made audiences laugh all along the way. Dave hosts the popular podcast Dadville with Jon McLaughlin. He recently released Remembering Vol. 3, a new EP.
Resources Referenced:
The King of Tears
Take Me Back to Nashville
The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Mike Cosper
Host: Sandra McCracken
Producer: Azurae Phelps
Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps
Music: Tyler Chester
Graphic Design: Chris Bennett
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing up as mountain folk in East Tennessee, two-time GRAMMY nominee and 13 time Dove award winner Cindy Morgan, learned to write and play music with its roots in gospel. Today, Cindy’s writing is arriving at fans in a new way, in the form of her first novel, The Year of Jubilee. She joins host Sandra McCracken in this week’s episode to talk all about it.
In this episode of The Slow Work, Sandra and Cindy talk about returning to our roots, untangling difficult family stories, and finding a way forward through writing. Cindy opens up about her childhood traveling the hollers of Appalachia, her experience working with Dolly Parton, and her desire to confront the injustice of racism while reconciling her own hard family memories.
Special Guest:
Nashville singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee, a thirteen-time Dove winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy. Morgan has 21 number one radio hits to her credit, and has penned songs for notable artists including David Archuletta, Vince Gill, India.Arie, TJ Shepherd, Rascal Flatts, Ricky Skaggs, Amy Grant, Glen Campbell, Mandisa, Natalie Grant, Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, Brandon Heath, Britt Nicole, Sandra McCracken, Josh Garrels, Sierra Hull, Kris Allen, and EchoSmith among many others. In 2017, Morgan’s song “Bird in a Cage” was performed by Robert Redford and Sasha Lazard in the movie Blind starring Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore. Cindy has authored three books, Barefoot on Barbed Wire (Harvest House Publishers, 2001), Dance Me Daddy (HarperCollins, 2009), and her memoir, How Could I Ask for More (Worthy Inspired, 2015) in addition to being a co-creator of the charitable Hymns for Hunger Tour, which has raised awareness and resources for hunger relief organizations across the globe.
Resources Referenced:
Inside Out
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

The Slow Work is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Mike Cosper
Host: Sandra McCracken
Producer: Azurae Phelps
Editor and Mix Engineer: Dan Phelps
Music: Tyler Chester
Graphic Design: Chris Bennett
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices