The RELEVANT Podcast

This week we talk to Banning Liebscher, founder and director of Jesus Culture and lead pastor of the soon-to-launch church, Jesus Culture Sacramento. Banning has some great thoughts on worship and the church that will both inspire and challenge your life. Plus, we get a bunch of you on the line for the 2014 edition of "Indie Rock Band or Firework," find out what olympic-sized-thighs have to do with the Bob Goff lodge, uncover the secrets of how to create a lasting band name, go boxing in a home kitchen meat locker, and learn about "the pineapple."

This week we talk to singer, songwriter, folktronica mastermind and bearded wonder, Crowder. Yes, Crowder has dropped the first name (David) and the band (David Crowder*Band) and is going at it solo with his new album, Neon Steeple. Plus, with Cameron out of town, Chad plays his favorite old Christian rock hits, we get an unexpected guest to call in (you are not going to believe this one) and we uncover an important chapter in Shauna's story.

This week we feature a live performance from the entertaining, energetic, and Jesus-loving "youth band" from Hillsong Church in Australia, Hillsong Young & Free. We hooked up with them before a gig in Tampa and are thrilled to have them perform a song on this week's show. We also talk to Dr. George Wood, Superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God. It's a fascinating conversation and one you don't want to miss. And of course, we fill you in on the latest Order of the Bow developments, laugh as Jesse re-tells an all-time favorite story, brainstorm a new way to give massages and much more.

This week we talk to one of our favorite spoken word & hip-hop artists, Propaganda. Prop weaves seamlessly between rap and poetry, challenges thoughts with his social commentary, and serves up some of the best head-nodding hip-hop around. We also invite a listener to play a game with us, invent an exclusive new underground organization, find out what Jungle Bird has been up to and much more.

This week we talk to one of our favorite people, the inspiring pastor of Hillsong NYC, Carl Lentz. Yes he's made Justin Bieber cry from the pulpit and baptized NBA MVP Kevin Durant, but there is so much more to Carl than being a "celebrity pastor." We think you'll love our interview with him this week. Make sure you check out the full version of the interview below, and read our feature on Carl in the latest issue of RELEVANT. Also, we bring in one of our favorite photographers to introduce a new segment called "Andy Talk," go back in time to the Oregon Trail (nope, not the historical one), raise awareness for cat leukemia, dig into more of the Enneagram and much more.

This week, one of our favorite new artists, singer/songwriter Brady Toops comes through the RELEVANT Studio to perform two songs from his self-titled album. And good news for you, we filmed them too. Not familiar with Brady? You will be now. And if you need more proof of how great this new artist is, you can stream his full album on The Drop. We also discus the enneagram, learn why Hoodman is once again needed in Cameron's neighborhood and try to decide which foods we could forever do away with.

This week we talk to comedian, TV show host, and fellow podcaster, Pete Holmes. He's the host of the Pete Holmes Show on TBS, the You Made It Weird podcast, and he also appears in the new issue of RELEVANT. And speaking of our new issue, we bring in the editors to look inside "The Hollywood Issue," featuring Wes Anderson on the cover. And we burn through some more table topic cards, discuss the week in NBA news, learn about the World Speed Project and so much more...

This week we talk to the fantastic southern rock band, NEEDTOBREATHE, who has just released the new album, "Rivers In the Wasteland," and was just featured in RELEVANT Magazine. Plus, we undo the wrappers and give you the long-awaited Easter edition of Candy Talk, and the crew plays another round of table topic cards (some of our answers might surprise you...).

This week our good friend (and incredible artist) John Mark McMillan performs 2 songs from his new album, "Borderland," live from the RELEVANT Studio. You don't want to miss these performances, and as a bonus, you can scroll down to watch them too. We also get a global perspective on Easter in our interview with Pastor Oscar Muriu of the Nairobi Chapel in Kenya. This episode is one for the ages, so settle in because it's not every week we have an (almost) two hour episode!

This week we feature two of our favorite people - talking to each other! Don Miller sits down with Bob Goff and talks to him about living a whimsical, adventurous life...even if you're not Bob Goff. (A portion of this interview also appeared in our magazine.) Also, we Skype in our Internet correspondent, Jon Acuff, bring you the week's news and entertainment, recap your desert island feedback and much more ...

This week we talk to one of our favorite indie bands, Warpaint. The all-female group recently released their highly anticipated sophomore album, which is sure to break out this year. Oh, one thing you might notice about this episode: Our producer, Chad, is away on vacation, meaning this is the first podcast in four-and-a-half years missing his capable but gentle guidance (and editing). So yes, this week's show is long. And meandering. And Cameron plays a lot of hip-hop. You've been warned.

This week we feature an intimate, raw and beautiful in-studio performance from one of our favorite bands, Us and Our Daughters. The husband/wife duo of Phil and Lia LaRue have a new EP out, and they played us 2 songs from it. Bonus: we filmed the performances and you can see them all right here. Double bonus: the full EP is streaming right now on The Drop. We also talk to Rachel Cruze about money (she's Dave Ramsey's daughter, so she knows a few things), uncover one of the most terrifying creatures we've ever seen, and play some of our favorite "intro music" songs.

This week we talk to Thrice frontman, Modern Post vocalist, solo artist and worship leader, Dustin Kensrue. Dustin's new solo album, "The Water and the Blood" is out now, and if you haven't heard it yet, check it out here. Plus, we get a listener to play Shauna in a game of "Indie Rock Band or College Mascot," Cameron recaps his horrible birthday and we sing your favorite earworms...

This week we talk to artist, author, entrepreneur and founder of MOSAIC, a faith community in Los Angeles, Erwin McManus. In his new book, "The Artisan Soul," Erwin writes about the calling to embrace our inherent creative genius and role in the creation of a beautiful future. Also this week, we introduce a new internet corespondent, Eddie sings "Cats" and Cameron gets called out for his epic photoshopping skills...

It's here...the moment we've all been waiting for...the night we don our top hats and tiaras and celebrate the world's most prestigious competition-based or non-celebrity reality TV stars...The 2014 Oskarz! It's our 4th annual show (this year it's powered by Taco Bell), and we've pulled out all the stops. Along with the Oskarz, this week we give you a behind-the-scenes look at the new issue of RELEVANT (which features a complete redesign and an incredibly important cover story). This is a mega-sized episode, so settle in and go to a place we only dare take you once a year - The Oskarz!