Levvy Podcast

Levvy Podcast

5.0 (6)
Society & Culture

Curious Conversations About Christ-Centered Integration

3d ago

What Happens When A Story Becomes Flesh?

The Levvy Podcast welcomes "Not So Stranger" Ron McClellan — actor, acting professor, and spiritual director — to ask what happens when a story becomes flesh. Ron roots the whole conversation in the incarnation itself: Christ's kenosis, his self-emptying to take on human flesh, becomes the pattern for what actors do when they embody a character — proximity, empathy, identification. The conversation moves through healthy boundaries in acting (including Jesus's own boundary-setting with Peter), the psychological mechanism of "transference" actors use to inhabit unfamiliar experience, and builds toward Ron's striking framework of the actor as both priest (burden-bearer, communalizing sorrow) and prophet (confronting cultural narratives, "afflicting the comfortable"). The episode closes with Ron sharing, for one of the first times publicly, a week he spent living homeless to prepare for a role — ending in a moment of real spiritual breakthrough over spoiled food in his car. 00:00 Introduction to Ron McClellan 03:20 The Essence of Storytelling 09:44 Embodiment in Acting and Life 14:41 Boundaries in Acting 17:44 The Incarnation and Boundaries 21:31 Transference in Acting 24:20 The Transformative Power of Roles 30:05 Maturity in the Acting Process 32:47 Identity Beyond Performance 33:57 Motivation and Authenticity in Acting 36:17 The Role of Boundaries in Creative Work 40:06 Theological Perspectives on Storytelling 44:58 The Actor's Priesthood and Community Healing 50:52 The Nature of Creativity: Born or Made? 54:16 Experiential Empathy in Acting 01:03:10 Connect With Ron - Spiritual Direction Mentions: Kenosis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KenosisHypostatic Union: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypostatic_unionFrancis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible: https://link.amazon/B01sKyFmqNext Step: Where is God inviting you to get proximity to a human story unlike your own? Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON Connect with Ron: https://www.innovareworkshops.com/ About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: EYJQRL2AXJT8WTRC, 4WWWSP0BRQEGLIVU
Sep 30

What is the Church Without Artists?

The Levvy team welcomes a new “Not So Stranger,” friend and multidisciplinary artist Ruth Chia — violinist, painter, dancer, and Doctor of Ministry student — to ask what the church loses when it loses its artists. Ruth offers a working definition ("one who communicates meaning elusively with nuance") that reframes the whole conversation, distinguishing artist from artisan and creative from artist. The group traces a fracture between the church's need for structure and the artist's need to question, lands on Bezalel and Oholiab as the Bible's first Spirit-filled people, and confronts how the American church has historically commodified artists — celebrated when useful, discarded after moral failure or hard questions. Ruth closes with a vulnerable personal story of dancing alone in front of her congregation. Leroy ends: church without artists "is no church at all.” 02:51 Introduction to the Levy Podcast and Ruth Chia 03:07 The Role of Artists in the Church 06:17 Defining Artists and Their Impact 10:17 Historical Context of Art in Worship 12:06 Distinctions Between Artist and Artisan 15:58 Ruth's Definition of an Artist 21:13 Exploring the Nuances of Artistry 25:48 The Nature of Creativity and Art in the Church 27:18 The Healing Power of Laughter 28:14 Art and Perception: The Eye of the Beholder 30:18 The Spirit of Inspiration in Art 33:47 The Relationship Between Church and Artists 36:39 The Importance of Artists in the Church 39:53 The Role of Emotion in Art and Faith 44:19 The Vulnerability of Artists in the Church 49:47 The Commodification of Art in the Church 54:42 Restoration Through Artistic Expression Mentions: Exodus 31: 1-11, Bezalel and Oholiab receiving the Holy Spirit as Artists/ArtisansThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6412452/ Next Step: Honor and walk with the artists in your life — acknowledge the weight of what their voice is carrying. Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Sep 23

Why Do Stories Have Staying Power?

Levvy Podcast launches its "Not So Stranger" guest episode with filmmaker and storyteller Wesley Foster, a longtime friend of Leroy's. The conversation traces Wes's journey from feeling alienated by "clean Hollywood arc" testimony culture, through a season of self-authored meaning-making rooted in Jungian psychology and artistic identity, to a pivotal encounter on a film set that led him into the Catholic Church. From there, the group unpacks why stories endure — landing on craft, truth, and above all sacrifice as the through-line — and what's lost when content is cheap, fast, and costless. The episode closes by tying Wes's personal story back to the season's opening theme: that the Christ story, and the stories we're meant to live, aren't things we invent, but things we're faithful to. 00:21 Introduction to Curious Conversations 00:58 Introduction to Storytelling and Friendship 05:52 Wesley's Journey into Storytelling 14:08 The Nature of Stories and Their Staying Power 16:35 Cultural Influences on Storytelling 19:24 Encountering Tradition and Givenness in Story 23:58 The Shift from Self-Authorship to Faithfulness 30:31 Elements of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in Stories 32:50 The Power of Truth in Storytelling 35:58 The Impact of Modern Technology on Storytelling 42:24 Stories That Resonate: Personal Favorites 48:58 Escapism vs. Engagement in Storytelling 53:11 The Sacrifice Behind Meaningful Stories Mentions: Jungian Archetypes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypesJoseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces: https://link.amazon/B0iQwliysThorton Wider, Our Town: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_TownJohn Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072417/ Next Step: Live the great story that God's telling through your life. Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Sep 16

Do I Belong?

The panel opens E2 with childhood stories of exclusion and rejection, then widens the lens to ask whether belonging requires being felt to be true. A personal aside about feeling a sense of belonging to the city of Chicago becomes a live case study: can belonging be one-sided? From there the conversation turns theological — using "I never knew you" and the story of Jacob and Esau to ask what actual criteria, if any, determine belonging with God — landing on the idea that belonging with the Father can't be earned, is never in question from His side, and yet requires the vulnerability of being fully known and fully seen. 00:19 Exploring the Question of Belonging 02:27 Childhood Experiences of Belonging 05:20 The Impact of Adults on Belonging 12:37 Belonging in Family Dynamics 16:03 The Role of External Validation in Belonging 20:25 Cities as Places of Belonging 25:52 The Complexity of Belonging in Community 28:18 Exploring Belonging in the Body of Christ 31:19 The Complexity of Belonging and Faith 33:19 The Utility of Belonging Beyond Feelings 36:46 The Biblical Narrative of Belonging 40:42 Understanding the Measure of Belonging 44:51 The Paradox of Belonging and Acceptance Mentions: Netflix: Lord of the FliesDisney: The Lion KingMatthew 7:21-23 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Next Step: Belonging is not something we can earn. But, have you accepted the invitation? Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Lindsay and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Sep 9

What is the Christ Story?

Season 2 opens with the panel's foundational question: what's the Christ story? Starting from Colossians' claim that "in him all things hold together," the conversation moves through authorial intent versus reader interpretation, the built-in diversity of how people experience Christ, the tension between Old and New Testament pictures of God, and how personal grievances with the Father get folded into a much larger story. It closes by asking directly how the Christ story functions as an agent of integration — and admits that agreement on the story isn't guaranteed, even among believers. 00:00 Introduction to the Christ Story 04:34 The Importance of Storytelling in Faith 06:01 Exploring the Master Storyteller 08:40 The Incarnation: A Nexus Event 11:35 Personal Reflections on the Christ Story 14:07 The Christ Story as a Collective Narrative 17:13 Diversity in Understanding the Christ Story 19:55 The Role of Parables in Communication 22:48 Authorial Intent and Interpretation 26:28 The Integration of Perspectives 29:08 Restoring Intimacy with the Father 32:51 The Complexity of the Christ Story 36:15 Understanding the Old and New Testament 41:31 The Role of the Christ Story in Integration 51:20 Life in the Name of Jesus 55:15 New chapter Mentions: C.S. Lewis Trilemma Next Step: What is the Christ story in your life? Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Sep 2 · Bonus

Are We Still Drinking Milk?

A special crossover episode ahead of Season 2: Leroy sits down with Lindsay to talk through her newly released book, Seven Strands That Block or Build Identity — a "field guide," not a self-help book, built around three movements (being, beholding, becoming) and seven diagnostic strands measuring honesty, dependence, and resilience. The conversation moves from gaps in modern discipleship culture into a vulnerable walkthrough of the "discernment" strand, including Lindsay's own testimony of despair and healing through infertility, and closes on the book's reframing of "apocalypse" as unveiling rather than doom. 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Discipleship 02:51 The Discipleship Landscape 15:29 This is NOT a Self-Help Book 18:36 Spiderman: Brand New Day & Integration 21:10 A Discipleship Diagnostic Tool 26:03 Discernment, Despair, & Hope 33:34 The Threefold Human 34:42 Key Highlights of Seven Strands 35:16 Unmake Your Mind 37:41 Examples From Griefshare & The DaVinci Code 40:22 Hiding to Avoid Punishment 44:50 God's Not Afraid of Who We Really Are 46:37 Applied Apocalypse 51:36 Get The Book Mentions: The Critical Journey by Hagberg & GuelichSpider-Man: Brand New DayThe DaVinci Code by Dan BrownGriefshare Next Step: Get The Seven Strands that Block or Build Identity Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Aug 5

Wait, Haven't We Been Here Before?

Haven't we been here before? Yes — and that's exactly how you know God is in it. Season 1 of Levvy Podcast closes with a question that turns out to be a theological frame: wait, haven't we been here before? The answer is kairos. The appointed moment. Divine timing meeting opportunity and inviting action. In this finale each host names how they're living inside one right now — Ralph returning to a Christian school in a humbled role, delivering an on-camera apology to his ex-wife that stops the episode cold. Lindsay sitting in a depth she knows not to swim up from too fast. Adam recognizing the spiral pattern of his own growth — each time around the mountain arriving more formed than before. And Leroy connecting it all back to episode one — the wicked problem, the disintegrated church, the kairos invitation that this season has been. Haven't we been here before? Yes. But never like this. 00:00 Intro highlights, welcome & episode question 05:33 Defining kairos — the now word, the appointed moment 08:46 Divine timing meets opportunity and invites action 10:40 The Hebrew cyclical view of time — patterns that come back around 13:11 A kairos moment in a season of humility and return 19:30 An on-camera apology — kairos as a moment of restitution 21:51 What that story exemplifies about how kairos works 24:38 Radical honesty and the depth you can't swim up from too soon 26:56 The values collision underneath a kairos experience 31:36 Sitting with what was shared before stepping into your own 34:02 The mega kairos — catalyzing growth across every circle 39:21 Kairos moments are corporate — pay attention to who's alongside you 43:15 Kairos reveals integration accomplished and work yet to be done 50:31 New wine, crushed grapes, sonship now — kairos and transformation 57:05 Full circle to episode one — the wicked problem and kairos as the answer Mentions: Kairos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos Next Step: In a Kairos moment, stay connected even when isolation is tempting. Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music
Jul 29

Is Desire Doxology?

After weeks of exploring what desire is, the Levvy hosts bring it home with four questions. When does desire go wrong? How do I deal with disappointment with God? Have I given myself permission to want? And what does it look like to give my desire to the Lord? The answers are as different as the four people in the room. The season that began with a wicked problem ends with a doxology — desire, rightly held, speaks glory. 00:00 Intro highlights, welcome & episode question 00:42 What is doxology — and why desire is doxology 02:20 Round robin format — four questions, ten minutes each 03:40 Question 1: When does desire go wrong? 05:23 How do we know if our desires are in alignment? 07:09 Gluttony, lust, greed — motivation is the key distinction 09:01 Does it harm myself, others, or the environment? 10:23 Desire goes wrong when coming from lack rather than abundance 12:06 Paul — content in abasement and abundance 12:41 Question 2: How do I deal with disappointment with God? 13:32 Deal with it with him — God is not afraid of your ugly 15:17 What if it's a dark night moment? 16:26 The dark night of the soul and what lives on the other side 19:33 Bitterness as the poison of disappointment 21:00 Be the rabbit — hold space and let God do the heavy lifting 22:49 Question 3: Have I given myself permission to want? 24:24 God would rather steer a moving ship than wait for perfect alignment 28:14 Leroy names his acting desire — and the open door 31:00 Even in the trenches knowing what you want still matters 33:13 Question 4: What does it look like to give my desire to the Lord? 37:24 Check desire against values as a plumb line 39:09 For me giving desire to the Lord is about embracing it not letting go 41:22 The closed fist and the open hand — two postures toward desire 43:23 Takeaway and close Mentions: The Seven Deadly SinsThe Dark Night of the SoulThe Rabbit Listened Next Step: Think about questions you still have about desire. Connect: Patreon: https://patreon.com/LevvyPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levvypodcast/ Website: https://www.levvypodcast.com/ Email: levvypodcast@gmail.com Listen on: SPOTIFY | APPLE | AMAZON About: Join Leroy Case, and co-hosts Ralph, Lindsay, and Adam for curious conversations about Christ-centered integration individually, relationally, and culturally. Credits: Andrew Springman - Music

Trailer

E01 Trailer | What is the Church's Wicked Problem?

We are so close to launch! Here's a sneak peek at Episode 01: What is the Church's Wicked Problem? coming, 4/29/26!

5

out of 5

6 Ratings

Curious Conversations About Christ-Centered Integration

Creator

Levvy Podcast
Years Active

2026
Episodes

22
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Levvy Podcast

Christianity

Christianity

Updated Weekly