Books, Bible, Beer, and Queer Joyce Hagen-McIntosh

There's only one way to equal the excitement of seeing Madonna live at the United Center on a Friday night ........that's seeing Spencer LaJoye on Saturday!

Both musicians are gifted beyond imagination, know how to mix theology, sexuality, and gender into a single concert, or even a single song, and both were born and raised in Michigan.

I was lucky enough to share this weekend with two good friends and my son, and they've joined me in this episode to share a glimpse with you.

Author Kenneth McIntosh recently published the book, Oak and Lotus: Celtic Christian Spirituality in the Light of Eastern Wisdom. In this episode Joyce talks with Kenneth about his inspiration for writing it, his hopes for readers, and an upcoming webinar opportunity to engage with others on this intersectional journey of faith traditions.

Author Bruce Epperly had this to say about the book, "When you read this book, you take a voyage of discovery and venture toward far horizons. This is one of the most inspirational books you will read on interspirituality and the universal wisdom of the Celtic sages.”

Wild Goose Festival is a place where surprises happen, organic experiences leap out for you, and joy abounds. I wanted to meet the Beer and Hymn Sing crew, so I approached one of them after a session. Lucky me, they said "yes!" We found an empty tent in the midst of busy sessions and food vendors, I set up my laptop and a mic, and voilà!


In this episode meet four members of the 2023 Beer & Hymn Sing crew, hear clips from an evening session, and learn how you can start Beer & Hymn sing sessions through your church.

Wild Goose Festival guests and co-creators bring us one-time special moments. And for me, interviewing Spencer LaJoye was one of those. Spencer is a folk/pop singer songwriter, violinist, and vocal loop artist in who believes everyone is made of the good stuff. A 2021 Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition winner, LaJoye (luh-JOY) makes music to tell the truth and return to their body as a queer person in recovery from American Christian evangelicalism.

Learn more about me at joycestandsup.com and learn more about Spencer at spencerlajoye.com

Our host talks about Wild Goose Festival 2023 and shares a code for $50 off an adult weekend ticket. The theme this year is "Ignite" and Joyce plans to reignite the Books, Bible, Beer & Queer podcast. Have a listen and consider taking a trip to Union Grove, North Carolina July 13-16, 2023.

Comedian Kristen Becker is changing lives of LGBTQ+ youth one Summer of Sass at a time.