The Next Step Podcast
Season 3: Light in the Darkness
Episode 5: Noel
Date: 12 December 2020
Guests: Artist Deanna Rossow
& Author Heidi Goehmann
Also available on: iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
In this episode of the Next Step Podcast, artist Deanna Rossow and author Heidi Goehmann join Justin Rossow to talk about the text, and the art, and the “Wrapping Up Feat” faith experiment in Chapter 5: Noel from the resource Light in the Darkness: A Hymn Journal for Advent & Christmas.
After a brief introduction and an opening prayer, Deanna will read the Luke passages on page 47 of the hymn journal. After thinking through these stories of Good News and fear, Justin will read the devotion on page 48.
The featured song for this chapter is “Noel,” performed by Brooke and Brendan. Once we have listen to the first two verses and heard the phrase, “Peace fall on you,” in the lyrics, Justin and Deanna discuss the “Peace fall on you” illustration on page 45.
As the podcast turns to the Wrapping Up Fear Prayer Experiment that begins on page 50, Justin welcomes our second guest. Heide Goehmann from heidigoehmann.com is an author, deaconess, and licensed clinical social worker. Her forthcoming book is called Finding Hope: From Brokenness to Restoration.
Heidi and Justin talk about the kinds of emotions you might feel around the holidays, the complicated mix of comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. They talk about the Payer Experiment and the concept of acknowledging your emotions and entrusting them to Jesus.
Once we have heard from Heidi about processing our emotions, we get to hear more from the illustrator about what she was thinking when she put this prayer experiment down on paper.
You may recognize page 51 as a modified version of a Secret Code Prayer, with a slightly different focus and function.
Justin mentions an article on visual prayer by Katie Helmreich as part of the inspiration for this faith experiment. Katie tells the story of her young daughter imaginatively “trapping” the monsters or bugs she sketches by circling them on her piece of pager. Visual prayer can help you do something like that with the prayer requests that seem difficult to corral.
This podcast is designed especially to go with the Light in the Darkness Facebook learning community sponsored by Next Step Press. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AdventHymnJournal.
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The intro and outro music for Season 3: Light in the Darkness was arranged and performed by Brendan Knorp. The music included in the podcast was written and performed by Brooke and Brendan. All rights reserved.
The A Light in the Darkness CD from Brooke and Brendan is now available on your favorite streaming services as well as on YouTube.
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Thank you Deanna, a beautiful message. Thanks to you Pastor for sharing your message. Beautiful song Brooke.