Forecast is co-hosted by Josh Seligman (based in the UK), Will Shine (based in the US) and Jarel Paguio (also based in the US).

The co-hosts and their guests come from different traditions, mostly among the Christian faith. Thus, this podcast seeks common ground and critical, constructive engagement among different perspectives.

The opinions shared on Forecast do not necessarily represent the views of the co-hosts or Foreshadow.
​
We publish a new episode every other week.

​You can see our episodes below. You can also find us on the following podcast websites: Acast, Spotify, Apple, Google, Player FM and Deezer. 

​Join us on the conversational journey!

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Click or tap a tab below to open the contents for that season.

Season 3: Songs of Ascents: Pilgrimage and Worship

Gritty Grace:
Alan Altany and Pilgrimage
Episode 49 (June 2023)

Religion professor Alan Altany describes how, as a young man, he wrestled with doubt, panic and anxiety - but how that ultimately led to a deep faith. He reads his poem 'From Here to Eternity', discussing the relationship between the sacred and the secular in his life and writing. Finally, he notes how writers such as Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Merton and Fyodor Dostoyevsky have strengthened and nourished him.

Walking in Love:
James Bishop and Pilgrimage
Episode 48 (May 2023)

Musician James Bishop describes his journey five years ago of walking over half of the Pacific Crest Trail in California. Most of this time was spent in solitude, during which he emptied his thoughts and concluded that meaning in life only comes from the quality of one's relationships with others, the world, oneself and God; the greatest of all that remains is love. This five-month 1,400-mile hike inspired a collection of songs that he is releasing, and on this episode, he performs one song, 'Wrecking My Body', about the danger of being stuck in his mind and how that has impacted his participation in society and church. 

Engaging the Heart:
Linda McCullough Moore and Pilgrimage
Episode 47 (May 2023)

Author and mentor Linda McCullough Moore reads and discusses her poem 'Asylum', reflecting on the choices and circumstances that have brought us to the present moment. She describes her experience on pilgrimage to Northumbria, UK, and the importance of connecting with the landscape and fellow pilgrims. For Linda, the spiritual journey is not only about mentally assenting to doctrines but primarily about engaging one's heart with God, other people, the world and oneself. Linda's faith, she says, depends on being connected with her local church through small groups and with God through prayer.

An Appalachian Journey:
Matt Bickett and Pilgrimage
Episode 46 (April 2023)

Church musician Matt Bickett explores the roots of his family and wider Appalachian culture through visiting the gravesites of his ancestors in eastern Kentucky. He connects this journey with his theological study of St Gregory of Nyssa, who taught that perfection is possible only through God's grace and requires an ascent into God and at the same time a descent into mystery. Matt describes the contributions Appalachian culture can make for oppressed communities in other locations.

We Walk Together:
Quarter-Season Review
Episode 45 (April 2023)

Will, Jarel and Josh review the first three conversations of the season. In response to the conversation with Ryan Keating, they discuss intentionality and attentiveness in worship and our daily lives. In response to the conversation with Jessica Walters, they discuss being fully human and alive in Christ as the goal of our faith as well as the church's engagement with the arts. In response to the conversation with Roger Belbin, they discuss the strengths and weaknesses of communal participation and how joining communal activities can draw us out of ourselves towards those around us.

Journeying in Community:
Roger Belbin and Pilgrimage
Episode 44 (March 2023)

Roger Belbin describes a pilgrimage he and his late wife used to go on in honour of St Alban, the first martyr of Britain, joining their local church and culminating in a worship service. He also describes walking portions of the Camino de Santiago in France. Roger reads a poem recently published on Foreshadow about virtual worship during the pandemic and describes the influence that a devotional book and music have on his faith.

Reintegration and Rediscovery:
Jessica Walters and Pilgrimage
Episode 43 (March 2023)

Poet and writing professor Jessica Walters describes her journey from a tradition that overemphasised external achievements, such as rote Bible memorisation, to a contemplative reintegration of scripture and personal involvement, faith and creativity, word and silence. One of her formative experiences was working in solitude as a medic in the forests of British Columbia. Illustrating her journey, she reads two of her poems, 'The Sunday Blues' and 'A Liturgy of the Wilderness'.

Drawing from Deep Wells:
Ryan Keating and Pilgrimage
Episode 42 (February 2023)

Pastor, poet and winemaker Ryan Keating reads and describes two original poems about wine and communion soon to be published on Foreshadow. Then he describes how he has, in retrospect, understood his exilic journey to Cyprus as a pilgrimage, one in which he has discovered deep wells of healing. Finally, he shares how ancient Christian prayers and cooking with his family have provided nourishment.

In Search of Wholeness:
Introducing Season 3
Episode 41 (February 2023)

To introduce the new season, co-hosts Jarel, Will and Josh each answer the two questions that they plan to ask their guests this year: 1) Can you describe a physical or spiritual journey (or both) that you have been on? and 2) What are the text(s) that strengthen and nourish your faith and life? These questions follow the theme for this year, 'Songs of Ascents: Pilgrimage and Worship', exploring the journeys we take in search of wholeness in God and the resources that fuel us. 
​

Season 2: Called Forth: Vocation and Faith (Eps 22-40)

Called to Be Faithful:
​The Season Recap
Episode 40 (November 2022)

This final episode of Season 2 begins with Will responding to the previous episode on congregational singing, and then Will and Josh review the conversations from the second half of the season, offering their takeaways on vocation. They discuss how calling is both dynamic and grounded, and they review the three dimensions of calling that they developed in previous episodes, including their relation to the parable of the talents. In summary, we are called to be faithful to God in the midst of the joys, challenges and choices of daily life, as illustrated by the Virgin Mary's acceptance of her call to become the mother of Jesus. 

A Weirdness Worth Embracing:
Congregational Singing and Vocation
Episode 39 (October 2022)

People are singing less in church, and that's a problem, writes Episcopalian priest Benjamin Crosby in his recent article in Plough. Jarel and Josh discuss Crosby's article in light of their experience making music and singing for worship among churches, whether with worship bands or choirs. They explore the tension between being relevant to the dominant culture and providing a life-giving alternative that challenges or discomforts. Then they describe what the hymns 'Be Thou My Vision' and 'What Wond'rous Love Is This?' and the song 'Instrument for Noble Purpose' suggest about vocation. 

Called to Call on God:
Rich Mullins and Vocation)
Episode 38 (October 2022)

In honour of the 25th anniversary of the death of singer–songwriter Rich Mullins, Josh speaks with Will Berry, an Episcopalian priest, about Mullins' life and music. They discuss five of Mullins' songs, each of which sheds light on vocation, with topics such as the priesthood of poetry, music at the heart of creation, joining the divine celebration that is already taking place, chanting the psalms, the pursuit of God and holiness, the net of God's grace and the spiritual life as a pilgrimage. 

Walking on Water:
Madeleine L'Engle and Vocation (Part 1)
Episode 37 (September 2022)

This episode begins a new series of Forecasts exploring the book Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle. Josh speaks with composer Scott Stevens about 'Chapter 1: Cosmos from Chaos', which asks 'What is Christian art?' Among other things, they discuss how true art grapples with mystery and questions of life and death, the importance of making space to listen, the artist as the servant of the work, art as an incarnational activity, how art helps us remember our true glorious identity and the terrible things we will be asked to endure and where modern art fits in with all this.

More than the Music:
Vocation and Composition
Episode 36 (September 2022)

AJ Sealy speaks with Will about how he became a composer and the joys and challenges that have come with his job, from maintaining a work–life balance with his family to industry barriers as a person of colour to maintaining humility in an environment of acclaim and status-seeking. For AJ, vocation is about both composing music and how he composes himself as a person, cultivating goodness in his relationships with co-workers, loved ones and other people in his life.​

Compelled into a Way:
A Calling Deeper than a Career
Episode 35 (August 2022)

Valencio Jackson has been a student of engineering, an aquatics director and a music teacher -- but what unites these different jobs has been his approach to putting God and other people above himself. Will speaks with Valencio about the throughlines in his work, his prioritising God and other people above himself, and the people and experiences that have shaped him. They also discuss the challenges and joys Valencio has experienced in journeying with people and keeping himself open to God's voice. 

Advice to Writers: Thomas Merton and the Vocation of Writing (Part 5 of 5)
Episode 34 (August 2022)

Josh shares highlights of 'Chapter 5: Advice to Writers' from Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing edited by Robert Inchausti. Here, Merton describes the necessity of personal integration for contemplation (and, it is suggested, writing); the presence of play and delight in writing; how writers can best reach or help others; the importance of contentment; and some tips on publishing. This episode also includes a poem read and written by Foreshadow contributor Matthew J. Andrews.

Growing Hope Microcosmically:
Church Planting and Vocation
Episode 33 (August 2022)

'There is no space for iceberg lettuce in the kingdom of God', says church planter Ryan Fasani. In addition to explaining why that is the case, he speaks with Will about how his experiences in ministry and his own soul searching have changed his understanding of his calling. One element of his self-understanding involves reconciling the demands of his work with paying attention to the people in his daily life, including developing his relationship with and witnessing the wonder of his children growing up. Although his work on the front lines of ministry is often misunderstood, he finds nourishment in finding like-minded people in his tradition who support him.

Tend the Flock:
The Pastoral Calling
Episode 32 (July 2022)

Pastor and writer Tim Harvey speaks with Josh about his calling of being a pastor. After describing how he first became a pastor and what it means to be one in his tradition, he describes supporting the vocations of members of his congregation, including helping people to find their vocations later in life. Then Tim explains how writing is also a calling for him, illustrated by the essay he recently published on Foreshadow, 'And by What We Have Left Undone', which he reads at the end of the episode. Finally, Tim describes the challenges of ministry and where he finds spiritual nourishment.

We Are God's Poems:
A Mid-Season Review
Episode 31 (July 2022)

Will and Josh continue to map an understanding of calling by reviewing the podcast season thus far. After answering a listener's question about finding one's calling later in life (including a response from Jeff Compton-Nelson), they develop their model of vocation, examine the relationship between vocation and career, discuss what it means to 'put God first', unpack the parable of the talents and explore the priesthood of all believers and the relationship between ordained and non-ordained Christians. 

The Vocational Journey:
Further Explorations of the Call
Episode 30 (June 2022)

Vocational guide Jeff Compton-Nelson speaks with Josh about his role in supporting seminary students to discern who they are and how they will live into the life God is giving them. He also shares his personal vocational journey, which has brought surprises and gifts. Developing a concept map of calling, they explore the universal callings of all people, the relationship between vocation and career, ordained ministry and chaplaincy, the vocation of art and writing and the importance of community and renewing the mind in discerning God's will.

We Have Everything We Need:
Vocation and Sustainable Farming
Episode 29 (June 2022)

Farm manager Sarah DePhillips speaks with Will about sharing the good news of Jesus through sustainable farming. Through Sarah's work supporting young people in Virginia and farmers in Zimbabwe, she embodies her message that God has given us everything we need to flourish, and our task is to steward our resources well, whether they are material, such as soil and water, or immaterial, such as our relationships with people, our gifts and our good passions.

Keeping in Tune: Vocation and Piano Tuning (Or 'From Jarel to Jesus')
Episode 28 (May 2022)

Piano technician Jarel Paguio speaks with Will and Josh about tuning pianos and being a new dad. For Jarel, piano tuning is about more than just the piano, as central as that is; it's about the quality of his relationships and interactions with his clients. In the words of his mentor, 'It's all relational.' Just as Jarel and his wife seek to create a harmonious home for their newborn, to a smaller degree Jarel seeks to establish an atmosphere of trust and harmony with his clients.

Because God First Loved Us:
Thomas Merton and the Vocation of Writing (Part 4)
Episode 27 (May 2022)

In Chapter 4 of Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing edited by Robert Inchausti, Thomas Merton reflects on the work of contemporary writers. For him, a mark of good writing is having something worth saying, which comes from writing for God. One aspect of this approach is being inwardly transformed so that we write out of our experience of the life God gives us. At the heart, the Christian who writes must first know that they are loved by God. This episode includes a poem written and read by Foreshadow contributor Matthew J. Andrews. 

Cosmos Out of Chaos:
Vocation and Teaching Music
Episode 26 (April 2022)

Jon Seligman speaks with Josh about how teaching primary/elementary music, at its best, brings 'cosmos out of chaos', to quote author Madeleine L'Engle. Jon finds purpose and hope in helping students to find their voices and become self-confident through music. Jon's Christian faith and work are inseparable. He also explains how other areas of his life, such as volunteer worship leading and taking photographs as a hobby, can similarly bring cosmos out of chaos. 

Episode 25: Right Beside You
April 2022

Ryan Weiss speaks with Will about how he prioritises his responsibilities and callings, whether as a professor, a parent, a husband, a musician, a worship leader or a researcher. Each of his roles gives him the opportunity to connect with and nurture others. Looking back on his life, he observes how openings have forced him to ask who he really is and what he really wants to do, forming a path that has become his identity. He also describes how his faith in God and his work in science complement each other. This episode features music by Ryan's former band Tularosa.

Episode 24: Vocation as a Gift
March 2022

Author and speaker Alina Sayre speaks with Josh about the intersection between her Christian faith and her writing. Although at one point, she wondered if creative writing distracted her from pursuing God, she now believes that God has given it to her as a gift to use and develop in various forms. Alina also describes her experience as a theopoetics student and then reads and discusses her new poem 'Sleepwalker', which is forthcoming on Foreshadow. 

Episode 23: Muscle Memory
March 2022

Musician and vocational mentor Julius Obregon, Jr., speaks with Will about parallels between musicianship and the spiritual journey. For Julius, vocation involves all of our lives and is driven by love. Just because one is called doesn't mean automatic arrival at one's destination; excellence requires discipline and learning from others. Our longings shape us, Julius says, and we are called to conform our longings to their divine source. This episode includes a clip of Julius' music.

Episode 22: Called by Name
February 2022

Josh and Will introduce the theme of Forecast Season 2, 'Called Forth: Vocation and Faith'. They describe how their experiences have shaped their understanding of vocation, and they discuss the key terms of 'vocation', 'calling', 'discernment' and 'ministry'. Then they give a brief forecast (outline) of the year to come (sunny with a chance of rain?). 

Season 1: Glimpses of the Kingdom of God (Eps 1​–21)

Episode 21: Thomas Merton (Part 3): The Contemplative Poet
December 2021

In the third chapter of Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing​, 'On Poetry', Merton describes the need for Christian poets to have both writing skills and a contemplative orientation. Such contemplation is illustrated by what pastor Eugene Peterson calls the 'middle voice', synthesising personal initiative and receptivity to the divine. Merton also describes the nature of poetry and its dependence on and renewal of meaningful symbols.

Episode 20: Thomas Merton and the Vocation of Writing (Part 2)
November 2021

Continuing from last time, Josh discusses the second chapter of Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing​. For Merton, the Christian writer must maintain integrity in prophetically witnessing to the truth and to the life of the age to come. In so doing, the writer also restores language, freeing people from false depictions of reality. At its heart, Merton writes, communication is a path to communion. 

Episode 19: Thomas Merton and the Vocation of Writing (Part 1)
November 2021

Thomas Merton was a writer and a Trappist monk. In today's Forecast, Josh goes through the first chapter of Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing​, ​edited by Robert Inchausti, identifying and commenting on Merton's writing about vocation and the ministry of writing. Ultimately, Merton says we are all called to become new creations in Christ and participate in Christ's work of making all things new, and writing is one of the ways we can do that. Merton also points out limits of language and tensions between seeking union with God and writing about that experience. 

Episode 18: Vocation and the Ministry of Writing
November 2021

This Forecast explores the vocation of writing and the Christian vocation more generally through a short personal essay and clips from guests discussing their vocations in various capacities. Whether writers or not, whether single or married, whether ordained or lay,  through whatever situation we find ourselves in, God calls all of us to be transformed in the likeness of Christ. Will we follow? Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 17: Songs of Zion
October 2021

This Forecast is a mixtape of music by the podcast's co-hosts, some of which has been featured in clips in previous episodes, and some of which is new.  

Episode 16: Looking Backwards and Forwards
October 2021

Co-hosts Josh and Will look back over this past (and first) season of Forecast. After briefly reviewing each of the episodes thus far, they share their highlights and challenges as well as emerging themes for future episodes, especially concerning Christian worship.

Episode 15: We Become Who (or What) We Worship
September 2021

Through conversations, non-fiction, poetry and music, this Forecast explores various dimensions of Christian worship. The main part of the episode is an interview with Will Shine about his studying worship, theology and the arts at Fuller Theological Seminary, California. Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 14: Spoilers Ahead
September 2021

Josh explores eschatology in the films Tenet and Interstellar and how the films point to the Christian hope of God's future breaking into the present. This is followed by an opinion article about climate change, an instrumental piece by Scott Stevens and two poems by Rosemary Power and Gerard Manley Hopkins that cherish the natural world.

Episode 13: Singing Tomorrow's Song
August 2021

Josh Seligman and Jon Seligman discuss singer/songwriter Jon Foreman's newest album, Departures. Going through the songs one by one, they focus on the album's theme of seeking Heaven on earth and the tension between despair and hope.

Episode 12: The Physician's Role Is to Care
August 2021

Anaesthetist and intensive care doctor Matt Jackson shares insights from his medical work and his Christian faith. Whereas he once thought a doctor's role was to heal people, his experience and reflections have taught him that instead, his role is to care for people in difficult situations. He describes moments of fulfilment supporting his patients and their families in COVID-19 times. Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 11: No Job Is Too Small
July 2021

Greg Jordan describes the diverse experiences that playing the guitar has given him, from gigging in clubs in Oxford and London, England, to touring internationally with a US military band, to playing in a worship band in Florida, where he now lives -- and even to connecting with people to whom he gives COVID-19 jabs. Host: Will Shine

Episode 10: The Strength of Gentleness
July 2021

Jesus said, 'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.' But in a culture that prizes strength and often overlooks meekness (or gentleness), what is the value of gentleness? This Forecast is an arrangement of writing, music and conversation, some of which have been published on Foreshadow and some elsewhere, connected by their witness to the strength of gentleness. Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 9: A Writer Is Always at Work (Part 2 of 2)
June 2021

Poet and writing teacher Carl Winderl shares one of his newest poems and the relationship between his faith and writing. Then Josh gives a brief update on the emerging identity of Foreshadow​. This is the second part of two episodes, the first of which you can find here. Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 8: Singing the Same Songs Together
June 2021

Seth Little, director of worship arts at All Angels' Episcopal Church in New York City, describes how worship music can unite people of diverse backgrounds. He witnesses to the presence of mystery in worship and both the challenges and joys of his ministry amid the US racial reckoning and a global pandemic. Host: Will Shine

Episode 7: A Writer Is Always at Work (Part 1 of 2)
May 2021

Poet and writing teacher Carl Winderl discusses his writing disciplines and the inspiration behind his work. After reading and exploring two poems from his recent book The Gospel According . . . to Mary, he describes his ministry work in Kiev, Ukraine. This is part one of two episodes, the second of which is scheduled to go live next month. Host: Josh Seligman

Episode 6: I Take Christ with Me
May 2021

Ken Deeks, an active therapist and the leader of a folk group, describes the importance of treating people not foremost as clients or numbers but as humans, people whose names and lives are remembered and cherished. For him, being a Christian involves having this attitude and taking Christ with him wherever he goes. Ken also performs the Scottish folk song 'Black is the Colour of My True Love's Hair'. Host: Josh Seligman.​

Episode 5: Repurposing Work for God
May 2021

Pastor and DJ Isaac Ikeda speaks about how both of his occupations can either point to the Kingdom of God or do the opposite, depending on his approach. For him, integrating the 'sacred' and 'secular' involves continually dedicating whatever work he is doing to God. Host: Will Shine.​

Episode 4: Listening Inwardly
April 2021

Composer Scott Stevens describes his practice of listening inwardly while composing music -- listening to his own hunches, to the wisdom of other people and for the still, small voice of God. He explains how this practice shaped the music he recently composed for the film Sometimes I Shake, about the life and death of jazz musician and teacher Dan Nelson. The conversation includes some of Scott's music. Host: Josh Seligman.​

Episode 3: Peacemaking through Song
April 2021

September Penn describes the founding of the Power of Song Inc., an organisation that educates young people about civil rights and justice through song, theatre and art. She also explains how music can be an instrument for healing and how she has encountered the peace and presence of God among communities despite the challenges of the pandemic. The conversation includes some of September's music. Host: Will Shine.​

Episode 2: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
March 2021

Not long ago, music teacher Jon Seligman used music to help his school grieve the loss of a beloved teacher. Josh spoke with Jon about this experience and asked if he found Jesus' words to be true: 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.' The conversation includes a recording of the school choir singing the song 'Saturn' by Sleeping at Last. Host: Josh Seligman.

Episode 1: Love Is Where We Belong 
​March 2021

This first episode introduces Will Shine, a co-host of Forecast. The conversation discusses Will's music and worship leading, and then goes deeper to explore what it means to belong to a place and to other people. It also includes clips of some of Will's music. Host: Josh Seligman.