Stephen Roach

Jul 11

9 min read ⭑

“When the community of faith embraces the arts (with all of its uncomfortable wildness and weirdness), a renaissance is born, culture transforms, and people find the courage to become who God imagines them to be. My obsession is rebuilding these broken bridges and showing the inherent value of creativity and art as a reflection of God’s original intent.”

Podcaster, founder, author, musician, composer—Stephen Roach is a man of many talents. Despite his wide range of interests and endeavors, there’s one overarching theme that unifies them all: the marriage of art and faith. That’s what The Breath & The Clay—a creative arts organization he founded with his wife, Sarah—is all about. Their goal is to help artists encounter God through the creative process; build bridges between art, faith, and culture; and hear from diverse perspectives as they develop skill and build community.

In today’s interview, Stephen gives us a better look at the theology behind his creative mission, the daily habits that strengthen his relationship with Jesus, and the many resources that have helped him along the way.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There's much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

Living in the South, I grew up on cornbread, fried chicken, and sweet tea, but once I left the small tobacco town where I grew up, I left the food behind as well. Traveling as a public speaker and touring musician gave me a much broader appreciation for international cuisine. Fortunately, Greensboro, where I live currently, (still situated in the South) is a hub of international restaurant owners, so I've been able to find a few hidden corners that appeal to my love for the spice.

There isn't a Thai, Indian, Mediterranean, Ethiopian, or Vietnamese restaurant in this town that I haven't visited. Several of the shop owners know me by name. I don't have to ask them to bring the extra chilies. They know.

"Thai hot?"

Yes, please.

Eyebrows raised, "Are you sure? Five Star?" Yes. Trust me. And don't forget the extra chilies.

My co-writer, Luke Skaggs, shares this same love for the spice. We both grew up with bluegrass backgrounds and yet found a love for Middle Eastern music and food. Somehow, it makes sense. Bluegrass is, technically, a world music I suppose.

One of my favorite culinary experiences, though, takes us to Denver, Colorado, with my wife, Sarah, a table full of friends, and a family-style Israeli restaurant called Safka. No kidding, I took one bite of the hummus and my eyes grew wide with awe. I told my friends, "This is the first time I've ever had a legit spiritual experience from food." I wasn't lying. Food is definitely an art form, and I think, too, there is biblical precedence for spiritual encounters through food. You agree? If not, I'll take you to Safka.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I'm not so sure there is any such thing as a nonspiritual activity. But I get the question.
For me, mountain biking would be my answer. It has become a mobile sanctuary for me over the past few years. I try to get out to the woods at least three times a week. My daughter tells me she can tell whenever I have been there because my words and conversation topics slant ever so slightly toward the poetic. She says, "Oh, you've been in the woods again haven't you?" She's usually right.

John Muir said, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." I have long been a champion of the notion that there is no sacred and secular. The words play and pray are only one letter apart. For me, there is little difference. I love finding wonder in the mundane, in the unexpected places, and mountain biking has been such a place. I find that when I am delighted, I feel God's delight. The reverse is also true.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

This one is tough because, quite honestly, in this season of my life, you could blindfold me, spin me around, and point me in any direction, and I would land on a place of weaknesses I've had to face. But what comes to mind right now is the tendency to take myself too seriously, or rather, to confuse calling with ambition.

I mentioned in my last answer that mountain biking has been a “non-spiritual” form of enjoyment in my life. Adding to that, mountain biking is also the first activity I've allowed myself to enjoy without the pressure of being the first or the best at doing it.

I take my art seriously. I take my vocation seriously. I work hard and I play hard. But over the past year, I've been in a process of peeling ambition off of calling and allowing God to teach me the freedom of vulnerability. Or perhaps to coincide with your superhero analogy, finding worth in the man behind the mask.

There is a difference between calling and ambition. The first is rooted in humility and rest while the latter is a product of striving and insecurity.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

For many years now, my life pursuit has been guided by one simple persuasion. Creativity is not ornamental. It is not reserved for a select elite or for the professional artist alone. Creativity is a hallmark of what it means to be human. It is the image of the divine within us and the first interaction we see between God and mankind, according to the creation narratives. I wrote a book about this titled Naming the Animals: An Invitation to Creativity, published by Square Halo Books. We also released an accompanying podcast by the same name, which explores each chapter in detail.

Recently, though, my thoughts have wandered to a deeper question. On the Makers & Mystics podcast (my primary outlet), we’ve been exploring mental, emotional, and spiritual health as it relates to the creative artist. This has me thinking about the heart of the artist and what artists need to live a healthy interior life. In the coming days, I will be releasing episodes specifically to address concerns such as self-denial vs. self-expression, ecstasy and responsibility, and reconciling family and the creative vocation.

In music, I've been composing for an animated short film on suicide prevention. Somehow, this all fits together.

I said a lot here, I know! But my point is this—the relationship between art and faith has not always been an easy one. Faith communities have sometimes shunned the artistic vocation or reduced it to pragmatic servitude of the church. This misapplication exiles the artist and creates a vacuum of humanism and surrogate religion.

When the community of faith embraces the arts (with all of its uncomfortable wildness and weirdness), renaissance is born, culture transforms, people find courage to become who God imagines them to be. My obsession is rebuilding these broken bridges and showing the inherent value of creativity and art as a reflection of God's original intent.

Sorry, I waxed way theological on this answer, but you asked for my obsession. There it is.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

We just talked about how to find inspiration in our book club last week. So this question is timely. It’s interesting that you make the connection between inspiration and the Holy Spirit.
That is something close to my heart.

I think of inspiration as the person of the Holy Spirit. I tend to think that inspiration is everywhere, all around us, in everything. If we are not inspired, it is not due to a lack of resources. It may be because we are stressed or tired or lethargic. But inspiration is always waiting for us to find it. For me, inspiration is not always a lightning bolt of creative energy so much as it is a discipline to cultivate.

I have a rule that I don't keep anything that doesn't carry a story. All the objects in my study, all the instruments I play, the books on my shelf—they all have a life and a story of their own. Anytime I’m feeling bored, depressed, or lonely, I remind myself of the stories abiding within everything. I invite the Holy Spirit to reveal himself and I wait, poised and expectant.

If this doesn't invigorate me, I just go to sleep and try again the next day.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

At risk of sounding pseudo-spiritual—and perhaps I should just pop that bubble immediately—sometimes failure is the best spiritual practice I can muster.

As my dear friend and fellow art community leader Corey Frey said to me, sometimes our best offering to God is the desire to offer something.

Our failed attempts are just as much received by God with joy.

But I love silence. I love contemplative prayer. I love the repetition of repeating a short phrase from Scripture that calls my anxious heart back to the truth of God's love for me. I love to offer worship and pretend that God has forgotten how incredible he is and so I must remind him.
I love the small hours when the house is asleep and I can give myself to seeking the Presence. I love journaling and listening for the gentle voice of God, who speaks me back to life.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

Three resources that come to mind would be:

1) Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation. I read this book at least once a year.

2) Hans Rookmaaker's Art Needs No Justification. This short little read is vital for anyone seeking to understand the relationship between art and faith.

3) John Cleese's talk on creativity. This is a short talk he gave which you can find on YouTube. In this talk, he discusses the difference between “open mode” and “closed mode.” This is essential.

How can I stop at three? I didn't mention Henry Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son.

This book got me through a terribly dark period in my life and shows how a work of art can lead us to encounter the presence of God.

For a contemporary author, my wife and I both love John Mark Comer's Live No Lies.

She tells me that if her beliefs and mine had a baby, it would be this book. Ha!

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season—and tell us what it's done for you.

Well, I already mentioned Henry Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son. This book served as a guide for me as I walked through a bit of a prodigal return of my own. Another resource some of my friends might find surprising for me to mention is Maverick City Music’s Old Church Basement album specifically the song “Wait on You.”

This song helped me release tears I didn't know I needed to cry and brought a deep cleansing to my heart. This song renewed my faith in God's desire to bring good out of every situation we face.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I have several books stirring in my heart that are asking to be written. I also have a collection of piano-based devotional songs I'm considering recording.

We took a year off from hosting live events, but my heart is stirring for hosting creative community again. We'll see. In the meantime, Sarah and I are focused on building Brightbell Creative, which is a business we started to help artists market their work in an authentic way.

I think above all, though, that my heart is stirred toward home life right now. I've always been such a visionary thinker, living three steps ahead of the present, but this past year has taught me the beauty of home. I've enjoyed a length of time away from public work, and so I think building small and local feels good to me as well.

In our Western culture, we tend to idealize the ancient Greek style of creativity—inspiration, then planning, then creation. The idea that we need a muse to begin our creative work. That inspiration must strike first.

But Spirit-driven creativity doesn’t have to work this way. And it usually doesn’t.

Stephen drove this point home when he said, “For me, inspiration is not always a lightning bolt of creative energy so much as it is a discipline to cultivate.”

Sometimes the Spirit moves in us most when we simply show up, roll up our sleeves, and prepare to work. That’s when he works through us—often in greater ways than we could’ve imagined.

Stephen Roach is the host of the Makers & Mystics podcast, founder of The Breath & The Clay creative arts organization, and author of four volumes of poetry, an illustrated children's book, a short guide titled 5 Creativity Killers and How to Avoid Them, and his recent Square Halo Publication, Naming the Animals: An Invitation to Creativity. Alongside writing and podcasting, Stephen composes music for film and television under the name Songs of Water. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Evangelyn Bell and Isaac Brighton.

Justin Camp