Consider It Joy

The voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fred Flintstone, and about 100 other characters, James Arnold Taylor, always wanted to use his gifts to share his faith.  Sometimes we draw lines between what qualifies just as 'work' and what qualifies just as 'ministry.'  JAT talks about his career and how those things blend, while dishing out the most fun character voices and impersonations you'll ever hear!  

You can listen to James Arnold Taylor'...

In order to love people well, we have to communicate well.  And to communicate well, we have to consider the people we are talking to.  Communication almost feels like a lost art these days.  It feels like nobody is listening, but rather just preparing to respond.  People want to be right more than they want to understand someone else.

We talk about ways to be better communicators, and take a deep dive into how we communicate, and ...

You ever watch a show like American Idol or The Voice and wonder "how much of this is real?"  Did the artists really choose the songs?  Did producers map out who is going to win?  What is it that the show ISN'T showing us?  We recently met Thunderstorm Artis (3rd place on The Voice in 2020, and top 5 on American Idol 2025) and asked him all these questions!  Get a real, behind the scenes explanation of how these shows work, from on...

There was a time when Christian music festivals happened every year around the country.  Big, 3 day events that were packed with everything from the big names in Christian music to the more niche genres like Christian punk, ska, and metal.  Today, they barely exist.  What happened?

We sat down and talked with one of the guys who was there from the early days, through the rise and fall of Christian music festivals, the creator of Sp...

On October 6-10 of 2025, we did live broadcasts from artists homes each day.  THIS episode has the final broadcast of that week with For King & Country.  Not only does this episode have all the live hits we did, but we share a ton of hilarious behind the scenes stories of what was going on off the mic.  Be sure to check out our 2 other bonus episodes featuring broadcasts with Dan Bremnes, Rachael Lampa, Chris Cleveland, and Rya...

On October 6-10 of 2025, we did live broadcasts from artist homes every day all around Nashville!  This episode has all the live hits from the homes of Chris Cleveland (Stars Go Dim) and Ryan Stevenson.  It also includes behind the scenes commentary to give you surprising insights about what was going on behind the scenes of each of these broadcasts!

These bonus episodes are a little different than our normal podcast, but please ch...

On October 6-10, 2025, we took our radio show live from artist homes in and around Nashville, TN.  We did live broadcasts each day that week, and so many people asked to hear them, we are releasing those shows here as bonus podcast episodes!  If you are new, these are not our normal episodes, and we have lots of others, but it was fun to get to share these moments with you from inside artist homes.  These will be released in 2 or 3...

Any time there is a tragedy, especially on a national or global scale, you see the term 'thoughts and prayers.'  Is this a meaningful response, or has it become just empty words?  We are joined by our friend, pastor & psychologist Jon Engen for what we think is an incredibly relevant and timely discussion on the power of words, and how they are used.

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA.  Find al...

MATTHEWS grew up in South Africa, and experienced the effects of Apartheid. His childhood was filled with places he wasn't allowed to go because of his skin color, and he had difficult family dynamics as well.  And yet, through it all, he found purpose in the darkness.  He now helps other people find their purpose in hard times, and creates  authentic, soulful music that reminds people that light can always be found even in the dar...

You have questions, we have answers.  The Ask Me Anything is back!  This was a fun batch of questions, all submitted by listeners.  We answer questions on everything from gnomes and trolls to animals hosting radio shows and even Aaron's mom wanting to know what Matt REALLY thinks of Aaron.  This is a short, fun episode that will put a smile on your face!

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM from Bakersfield, CA.  You can...

Faith can be hard sometimes just by itself, but can feel near impossible when dealing with hurt and trauma.  Jason Gray has been making hopeful and encouraging music for over 20 years, but has faced some real hurt and trauma. This is a raw and honest conversation is also relatable, and it carries a lot of hope through it.  Jason Gray is a great musician, but also just a great human being.

Be sure to check out Jason's music (includi...

Sometimes, the line between being divisive and being truthful is hard to find.  Sometimes division is used as an excuse to not be truthful, but on the other side, truth can be misused to needlessly divide.  Confused yet?  We talk to our long time friend and musician Nate Parrish, who has spent some time on this, especially having gone through some real church hurt.  Nate is a rock musician, a worship leader, an artist, and an excel...

The Christian music industry was completely shaken be the recent accusations towards Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait, which he confessed to.

This has left a lot of people angry, confused, even resentful.  We wanted to have a level headed discussion about when an artist (or pastor or leader) falls, so we invited two important voices on this; Chris Hauser, who is a well established music promoter in the industry, and Jon Engen, who...

It seems to be a constant for us all.  There is stress at work, stress at home, stress when you turn on the news.  We know it's bad for us, but how can we avoid that feeling?  What can we do to minimize stress in every day life?  We brought back our friend and psychologist Jon Engen to talk about practical ideas to manage and avoid that every day stress that seems to be around every corner.  This is an episode we ALL can relate to!

Every industry has its fads, phases, and even disruptions.  We talked with the owner of CCM magazine, Logan Sekulow, about some of the trends and times that really stuck out in CCM history.  For those who have been around Christian music a long time, this will be a trip down memory lane, and for those who are newer, it's a fun look at what made the industry what it is today!  And this episode is FULL of fun CCM facts you likely did...

As humans, we are wired for stories.  We resonate emotionally and even spiritually through stories. Why do we resonate so deeply with them, and how can we ourselves be better story tellers in every day life?  Matt talks with movie producer Josh Walsh (I Can Only Imagine 1&2, Jesus Revolution, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) about why stories matter, and why every one of us is a story teller.

Consider It Joy is a production of ...

On one hand, we know the Bible says to not only love our neighbor (and the poor, and the outcast, and marginalized) but also to love our enemy.  On the other hand, at SOME point, you can only give so much.  Where and how do we find the balance between loving those around us, and creating healthy boundaries?  We welcome back our friend, pastor, and psychologist Jon Engen to help walk through this in an episode that should take some ...

We have decades of experience interviewing others and getting their stories: artists, pastors, local leaders, actors... but what if we pointed the mics at each other?

This episode, we attempt to ask each other questions we haven't been asked before, and use those years of experience to ask each other some tough and unexpected questions.  

Consider It Joy is a production of 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield, CA.  Find all the ways to list...