When There Are No Words – Details, episodes & analysis

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When There Are No Words

Michael J Tinker

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/8d. Total Eps: 9

Conversations with artists exploring grief and hope in their work.

Following the release of Michael J Tinker's own album exploring loss and hope ('When There Are No Words' 2023) he decided to embark on this new podcast interviewing other artists who have looked at similar themes. Chatting to Christian authors, songwriters and visual artists Michael discusses what draws them to this difficult topic, how they navigate stewarding both their own story and other people's, and how they seek to honestly portray the Christian journey through this life to eternity. And despite (or maybe because of) the difficult subject, these are truly uplifting conversations.

In the first series Michael interviews author Doug McKelvey ('Every Moment Holy'), author and songwriter Andrew Peterson (The Wingfeather Saga, 'Is He Worthy?', The Burning Edge of Dawn), painter Ally Gordon (Morphe Arts, 'Why Art Matters'), author Hannah Hess (Dark Star), songwriter Sara Groves (Floodplains), writer and artist Sophie Killingley ('Draw Near') and author and painter Jamin Still (who's candle image you can see on the album cover).

There will be lots of book giveaways as well as special 10ofthose.com discount codes for listeners.

This podcast is sponsored by 10ofthose. Their vision is to help everyone in the church to read books that excite them about Jesus and to give away books that point others to Him.

Help us make more episodes! Support us monthly at https://plus.acast.com/s/nowords.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
26/12/2025
#97
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
25/12/2025
#78
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
24/12/2025
#57
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
23/12/2025
#34
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
30/06/2025
#82
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
29/06/2025
#56
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
28/06/2025
#38
🇬🇧 Great Britain - visualArts
28/02/2025
#67
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
07/02/2025
#73
🇨🇦 Canada - visualArts
06/02/2025
#40

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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https://plus.acast.com/s/nowords
21 shares
https://shows.acast.com/tinker-time
7 shares

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RSS feed quality

Excellent

Score global : 94%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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Michael J Tinker

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, August 8, 2023 • Duration 01:01:09

Download the transcript here.

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'Speak Softly' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

Because of the gospel we should grieve when there is loss because the gospel tells us that death is not right... because he came to defeat it we should mourn its effects now... but we do not mourn as those without hope.

In the final episode of this series I'm interviewed by Rachel Redeemed! We talk about the importance of imagination when it comes to thinking about grief, hope and eternity. We chat about the story behind the album, how it was written, the difficulties and the joys.

This article in Premier magazine is referred to during the conversation. All the songs talked about can be listened to here.

If you'd like to hear a second season of the podcast please become a supporter at acast+.

Remember! Competitions and discounts are available for anyone in the UK, Europe and the USA!

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

Other discounts you can get as listeners to the podcast:

'Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy' (30%) :: nowordsSG23

'Adorning the Dark' (30%) :: nowordsAP23

'Why Art Matters' (30%) :: nowordsAG23

'Draw Near' (30%) :: nowordsSK23

The Callenlas Chronicles (50% discount!) :: nowordsHH23

About Your Host

Michael J Tinker is a singer-songwriter based in Somerset, England.

He normally is found making music for children but has recently released an album exploring grief and hope, which led him to want to talk to other artists who are doing the same.

Help us make more episodes! Support us monthly at https://plus.acast.com/s/nowords.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

Hannah Hess

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 • Duration 45:50

Download the transcript here.

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'I'll Hear You Speak My Name' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

Knowing good will come enables us to read the story, to go on the journey. The hope enables us to travel through this pain.

We've chatted with a Scotsman, an Englishwoman... and now for someone from Wales! Hannah Hess is an author from Cardiff and we talk about her series of books for kids and teens. Her main characters start from a place of brokenness and we discuss how knowing the end of the story helps us journey through it.

During the episode Hannah reads from her short story 'The Water Maiden of Lealos' which is out in October.

Remember! Competitions and discounts are available for anyone in the UK, Europe and the USA!

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

at 10ofthose! Use the code nowordsHH23

Sophie Killingley

Season 1 · Episode 6

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 • Duration 01:01:09

Download the transcript here.

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'Goodnight to the Old Year' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

We don't need to worry that going into the darkness means going into an abyss that will never end. We can keep on digging. We don't need to fear that place of darkness and grief because that is not the end.

For the second of my chats with British artists I talk with cartoonist and painter Sophie Killingley. We discuss the grief and loss of church trauma and the importance of naming it so. We look at how art helps express that loss, and how it helped Sophie in her own walk with that kind of grief.

The artwork we talk about can all be found on a dedicated page on Sophie's website.

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

Get 30% off Sophie's book 'Draw Near' EXCLUSIVELY as a podcast listener on the using the code nowordsSK23.

Ally Gordon

Season 1 · Episode 5

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 • Duration 01:02:53

Download the transcript here.

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'There's An Empty Chair' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

The Brits are here! If you just had a hankering for more British voices, then the next 4 episodes are for you :) In this one I talk with Ally Gordon. He not only paints beautifully, writes books about it, runs Morphe Arts and is deep and insightful, he also does a pretty good French accent. We talk about the art he created when he and his wife lost one of their unborn children. As well as discussing the importance of dealing with the difficult things of life, we also chat about the pitfalls of writing about things that are so deep and personal. A must-listen for any artist wanting to go deeper.

Some of the art we talk about:

Paper Planes

Landscapes

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

Jamin Still

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 • Duration 54:32

Download the transcript here.

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'Come Sit With Me' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

In the final episode chatting to American artists (before we chat to some brits) I got on a call with Jamin Still, the painter who's artwork you can see on the front of this podcast and also my album of the same name. What makes Jamin a little more unique is not only his approach to painting (on to black canvas!) but also how he starts with a painting and then writes a story from that. We talk about why having children at the centre of his stories enables him to ask questions that perhaps adults have forgotten they can ask... And you get to hear Jamin read from one of his stories at the end of the episode.

If you want to buy his artwork in the UK, get in touch with him here and you can buy the digital version and get it printed this side of the Atlantic! It'll save a lot of postage...

Some of the art we talk about:

The River Road

Into the Hornwood

Douglas McKelvey

Season 1 · Episode 3

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 • Duration 01:03:29

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker. The closing song is 'The Tree' from the same album.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

This is the third episode of four that features artists from across the Atlantic. Doug McKelvey is the author of 'Every Moment Holy' (among many books) and is also one of the writers on the Wingfeather animated show. During this conversation we take a dive into how Doug wrote 'Every Moment Holy Volume II' which is about grief and hope, and the great care and attention he took to write these prayers dealing with very difficult situations. For me, EMH Vol II is one of the most significant books I know, and has been a great blessing to our family, particularly through Dad's illness and death.

Find more of what Doug does on his website.

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

Get 30% off Mark Vroegrop's book 'Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy' use the code nowordsSG23 at the 10ofthose checkout.

You can also get 30% off Andrew Peterson's wonderful book '' by using the code nowordsAP23 at the .

Sara Groves

Season 1 · Episode 2

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 • Duration 57:15

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

"I started by asking 'what is the faithful thing to say?' but now I feel the faithful thing is to bear witness to the whole thing..."

In the second episode of the series Michael chats with singer-songwriter Sara Groves. We talk depression and shame, honesty and beauty. We discuss the role of the artist as they help others process what they are going through. And soup somehow gets in there too...

A fascinating and uplifting discussion, rounded off with Sara's song 'Enough' from her 2015 album 'Floodplains'.

Other albums mentioned:

What Makes It Through (2021)

Fireflies and Songs (2009)

Transcript

Click here to download the transcript.

Also find out more about Art House North here.

To get 30% off Mark Vroegrop's book '' use the code nowordsSG23 at the .

Andrew Peterson

Season 1 · Episode 1

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 • Duration 59:32

This series is sponsored by 10ofthose. Resources that point people to Jesus change lives.

The title music is 'When There Are No Words' by Michael J Tinker.

Artwork by Jamin Still.

"You can never be arrogant that you’ve written a good song. You can only be grateful."

"In order not to make a straw-man out of the darkness, you make the darkness strong, so that when the goodness defeats it it shows that the goodness is stronger - that’s what the kids need to know."

In this first episode Michael chats with singer-songwriter&author Andrew Peterson. He talks about his approach to songwriting, why he is drawn to sing about the struggles of life and the importance of making such art. They chat about Andrew's series of books, the Wingfeather Saga, and how grief and hope work their way into those pages and why. Andrew even attempts to recite a poem. You'll get a fascinating insight into the workings of a writer and the importance of dealing with the darkness as well as the light.

To get 30% off Andrew's book 'Adorning the Dark' use the code nowordsAP23 at the 10ofthose checkout.

Competition!

All the competitions have now finished, but please keep sharing the podcast so others can hear it... and if there is a second series there will be many more competitions to enter!!

Introducing the new podcast!

Season 1 · Episode 1

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 • Duration 01:51

A quick message to tell you what's coming up in series 1 of 'When There Are No Words' - some really fascinating conversations with artists of various types who deal with the hard questions of life, the struggles as well as the joys, all the while clinging to the gospel. Subscribe today!

The series is sponsored by my friends at 10ofthose. Their vision is to help everyone in the church to read books that excite them about Jesus and to give away books that point others to Him.

Check out the album of the same name at michaeljtinker.com

Artwork by Jamin Still.

Help us make more episodes! Support us monthly at https://plus.acast.com/s/nowords.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When There Are No Words – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Spotify

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Publication history

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