Music for the Soul Podcast Becky Nordquist & Steve Siler

On this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast, hosts Steve Siler and Becky Nordquist talk about their absolute favorites during the Christmas season. They share their favorite Christmas cookies, Christmas movies, and their favorite Christmas memories. Steve and Becky also talk about how the Christmas season is a time that allows them to reflect on all of the grace and love God has shown them throughout the year.
 
Steve shares the story of the creation of The Music for the Little Soul Christmas Album, a Christmas album of 15 classics and 10 creative new songs designed specifically for children. Our listeners can check that out using the link below!
Resources:
Listen to all of theMusic for the Little Soul songs at the link here: www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/music-for-the-little-soul-christmas/

 
On this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast we welcome back audio engineer extrodinare Kent Hooper. Kent Hooper has been making Music for the Soul sound great for over 20 years. 
 
Today, Kent shares more of a behind the curtain look at audio engineering and what it has been like working for so many big names in the industry throughout his career. He also talks about some of his favorite projects that he has worked on, why audio engineering is such a rewarding profession, and offers advice for those who are looking to dip their feet into the world of audio engineering.
 
Who are Kent Hooper?
A pianist since age 4 and self proclaimed nerd, Grammy nominated engineer/producer Kent Hooper has the rare ability to be equal parts creative and technical. This unique combination allows Kent to find the voice and sound of each artist he works with, while doing so in a timely manner and on budget. His studio, the house of BIG, is a cutting edge facility in Franklin, TN that provides equal parts comfort and sonic excellence. 

Resources:
Listen to all of the songs Kent Hooper has worked on for Music for the Soul at the link here: www.musicforthesoul.org/product_musicians/kent-hooper

Creating music is rarely something that happens over night. It is a journey through a lifetime of connections, memories and experiences. So what does that journey look like for those who walk it?
 
We are so excited to have Grammy nominated, award winning recording engineer Kent Hooper on today's episode fo the Music for the Soul Podcast. Kent breaks down his decades of experience working in the music industry, what drew him to becoming a recording engineer, and the things he's learned from working with some of the biggest names in music. 
 
Kent also describes how his faith with the Lord led him to Nashville and why his philosophy for music focuses on doing exceptional work rather than chasing big names. If you are interested in looking behind the curtain in music production, we highly recommend this episode!
 
Who are Kent Hooper?
A pianist since age 4 and self proclaimed nerd, Grammy nominated engineer/producer Kent Hooper has the rare ability to be equal parts creative and technical. This unique combination allows Kent to find the voice and sound of each artist he works with, while doing so in a timely manner and on budget. His studio, the house of BIG, is a cutting edge facility in Franklin, TN that provides equal parts comfort and sonic excellence. 

Resources:
Listen to all of the songs Kent Hooper has worked on for Music for the Soul at the link here: www.musicforthesoul.org/product_musicians/kent-hooper

Reaching midlife can be a challenge for all of us. We become introspective and wonder "have I done all I've wanted to do with my life?" How can we transition into our midlife with confidence and find the courage to take charge of what God has in store for us?
 
We are so excited to welcome Best Selling Author Dawn Damon back to the Music for the Soul Podcast. Dawn shares excerpts from her new book, The Making of a BraveHearted Woman: Courage, Confidence, and Vision in Midlife, and how we can step into the brilliance that God has laid out for our life. She explains that often times we are faced with self-doubt, guilt and confliction when we reach midlife. So to combat those emotions, Dawn walks us through her acronym of B.R.A.V.E and tells us that we don't have to slow down living out our life simply because we've reached our "middle age."
 
Who are Dawn Damon?
Dawn Damon is an Influencer, Global Communicator, Podcaster, High Performance Coach, and Best-Selling Author whose 5 award- winning books, include “When a Woman You Love Was Abused” published by Kregel Publications, “When the Woman Abused Was Me”, “The Freedom Challenge:60 Days to Untie the Cords that Bind You” Redemption Press, and most recently the #1 Best-Selling Book “The Freedom Challenge for Men: 60 Days to Untie the Cords that Bind You.”
Dawn is the founder and CEO of Brave New Dawn and the BraveHearted Woman, an enterprise and a non-profit designed to cultivate the vision of women dreamers, and equip them to live their best life.

Resources:
Our listeners can purchase Dawn's new book, The Making of a BraveHearted Woman: Courage, Confidence, and Vision in Midlife, by visiting the Amazon link here: www.amazon.com/Making-BraveHearted-Woman-Courage-Confidence/dp/1962705013/
You can also check out all of her resources, her podcast, and more by visiting her website: www.dawndamon.com
 

As parents, we all want the best for our children as they grow up. So how can we learn to pray for our children not just in the current moment, but also for their future?
 
We are so blessed to welcome Award winning songwriter and author Tony Wood back to the Music for the Soul Podcast. Tony shares details from his latest book Lord, Help Me Pray for My Kids: 365 Heartfelt Prayers for Parents and how he began learning to pray for his children and grandchildren.
 
Tony talks about how the desire to write this book began when he started journaling prayers for his daughters, and how he realized the importance of thoughtful prayer for his children as they grew up. He also designed these prayers to be starting points of conversation with God for every day of the year and explains that prayer is a powerful tool that God uses to commune with us.
 
Who are Tony Wood?
 
Tony Wood is a Dove Award nominee for “Songwriter of the Year” and is a five time Dove Award winner. He is the writer of 30 #1 songs at Christian radio. He began writing songs in high school for friends to sing at various churches in the community. He continued writing for the local church while a student at Averett College. After graduation, Tony and his wife Terri moved to Nashville in order to pursue songwriting professionally. In 1991, he signed his first publishing deal with Michael Puryear at Lorenz Creative Services/BMG Music Publishing. He has since written for Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing and Essential Music Publishing. To date, over 800 of Tony’s songs have been recorded and released in the Contemporary Christian Music Market. 

Resources:
Our listeners can purchase Tony's new book, Lord, Help Me Pray for My Kids: 365 Heartfelt Prayers for Parents, wherever books are sold online including the Amazon link here: www.amazon.com/Lord-Help-Pray-Kids-Heartfelt/dp/1646070992
You can also learn more about Tony's work, listen to samples of all his work including his work on the Music for the Soul library, and contact Tony on his website: www.tonywoodonline.com

One of the most vivid and inspiring ways God reveals himself to us is through creativity. So how can we channel that creativity into our own lives? How can artistic media like painting, pottery, and songwriting create a deep spiritual connection with God?
 
We are so excited to have Jeff and Linda Crossan on this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast to share their experiences creating a variety of art and why it has been impactful to their spiritual life. Jeff and Linda also talk about how art can be a great reflection on life, because even when things don't fall perfectly into place, there is always a way to take what you have and turn it into something beautiful. 
 
Who are Jeff and Linda Crossan?
Jeff Crossan is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter. His hit songs include the number one country tune,“You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation,” which received a BMI Million Air Award.A graduate of the University of Richmond with a degree in journalism, he is a former newspaper reporter/photographer, music journalist and syndicated radio writer. For several years his cartoons appeared in the Presbyterian Voice.
His wife Linda Crossan is a commercial artist, who has worked for a wide range of companies including The Walt Disney Company, Hanna Barbera and Levi Strauss & Company. More recently, her focus has been on painting, sculpture, and ceramics with some time spent creating Liturgical Art for worship. 

Resources:
Our listeners can find Jeff's contributions to Music for the Soul on our website at www.musicforthesoul.org/product_musicians/jeff-crossan and you can also find his other music and his childrens book on his Amazon page at www.amazon.com/stores/Jeff-Crossan/author/B00NY6CEQ0
To learn more about Linda's art and where to see her works, visit her website: www.crowsthreestudio.com