What if the life you’re longing for isn’t somewhere out there waiting for you, but hidden inside the life you already have? Poet, songwriter, author, and community builder Joshua Luke Smith joins me for a conversation about suffering, limitation, freedom, creativity, and learning to find God in the life that’s actually in front of us. Joshua shares what more than a decade of working with incarcerated men has taught him about belonging, prayer, and the strange freedom that can emerge inside limitation. We talk about writing Psalms in prison, his own journey through grief and addiction, and the idea behind his new book, This Is the Main Event: that we spend so much of our lives waiting for something else to finally begin, when God may already be present in the ordinary, painful, beautiful life we have now. We also explore why grief may be the doorway back into a fully lived life, why numbing our pain inevitably numbs our joy, and how meaningful lives require risk, responsibility, friendship, and burdens worth carrying. IN THIS CONVERSATION What writing Psalms with incarcerated men reveals about suffering, confession, and belongingWhy the life you long for may be hidden in the life you already haveFinding liberation through limitation instead of endlessly trying to escape itWhy grief is often the doorway back into your actual lifeHow anesthetizing sorrow can also anesthetize joy, passion, and wonderThe difference between freedom as unlimited choice and freedom found through a worthy burdenWhy some of the most meaningful things in life, friendship, art, children, feasting, can also seem “unnecessary”How suffering can produce endurance, character, and ultimately hope ABOUT JOSHUA LUKE SMITH Joshua Luke Smith is a poet, songwriter, author, and community builder whose work explores faith, creativity, belonging, and what it means to live a fully human life. He is the founder of Orphan No More and The Psalmists, a charity working with incarcerated men through creative expression and spiritual formation. Through poetry workshops rooted in the Psalms, Joshua helps men find language for lament, repentance, hope, and life beyond suffering. His latest book, This Is the Main Event, explores the invitation to stop escaping our lives and discover the sacred hidden within them. RESOURCES This Is the Main Event — Joshua Luke Smith Joshua’s book about learning to inhabit the life you already have. Buy This Is the Main Event The Psalmists — Joshua Luke Smith Joshua’s work with incarcerated men using poetry, the Psalms, creative expression, and spiritual formation. Orphan No More — Joshua Luke Smith The wider creative community and organization founded by Joshua. CONNECT Text Me - Join the SMS list for occasional thoughts, recommendations, and new work. https://my.community.com/johnmarkmcmillan Or text +1 (704) 286-1171 Patreon - Bonus conversations, extended episodes, and more from Flirting with Enchantment. https://www.patreon.com/c/johnmarkmcmillan
