The Listening Porch

Fitting In vs. Belonging | The Listening Porch w/Ray Hughes | Episode 12

In this episode of The Listening Porch, Ray Hughes reflects on the difference between fitting in and belonging, and why so many gifted, creative, Spirit-filled people feel misaligned in the places they’re trying to serve.

Drawing from the life of David, Ray explores how the Holy Spirit expresses Himself through poetry, music, story, and creativity, not just within sacred spaces, but through everyday assignments. We talk about fire as light, fire as warmth, fire as focus, and fire as something meant to be carried into dark places.

From campfires and candles to misfits and renaissance moments, this conversation invites us to stop trying to fit and instead find the place where we truly belong, where what God put in us is welcomed, protected, and allowed to shine.

Misfits, Makers, and the Presence of God | The Listening Porch w/Ray Hughes | Episode 11

In this episode of The Listening Porch, Ray and Eric sit down to talk about something so many creatives quietly carry: the feeling of not fitting in.

Drawing from the life of King David, they explore why so many musicians, poets, worship leaders, storytellers, and dreamers walk through seasons of misalignment, and how God uses those very seasons to shape purpose, discipline, and fire.

David didn’t just surround himself with poets and prophets. He gathered the distressed, the discontent, the misunderstood, the ones in debt, and the ones who didn’t fit anywhere else. And somehow, in that strange mix of people, God formed a culture that carried His presence into a new day.

Ray and Eric talk about mis-assignment, the purpose of uncomfortable seasons, the tension between creativity and discipline, and what it means to bring your unique fire into a community without losing your soul.

If you’ve ever felt like a misfit, this conversation is an invitation to see that you’re not misplaced, you might just be in the middle of being prepared.

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Join Selah Creatives: Get access to all of Ray’s online courses, teachings, monthly live Zoom gatherings, and a community of over 100 like-spirited creatives → selahonline.teachable.com/p/selah-creatives

Support Ray on Patreon: Receive his personal poetry, prose, and creative writings not shared anywhere else → patreon.com/rayhughes

Visit Ray's Website: RayHughes.org

Incubating the Unseen | The Listening Porch w/Ray Hughes | Episode 10

There are plenty of good ideas floating around. But God ideas… those are the ones that ask us to slow down. To listen. To partner.

Thoughts are like diamonds in the dark. They do not shine until someone turns on the light. Sometimes that light is attention. Sometimes it is patience. Sometimes it is the Holy Spirit saying, “Stay with this.”

In this Selah Creatives moment, we explore how ideas grow, how dreams speak, and how creativity becomes a conversation instead of a performance.

If you want to walk with a company of people learning to create that way, you can find us at rayhughes.org.

Pull up a chair. There may be a God idea waiting for you.

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Join Selah Creatives: Get access to all of Ray’s online courses, teachings, monthly live Zoom gatherings, and a community of over 100 like-spirited creatives → selahonline.teachable.com/p/selah-creatives

Support Ray on Patreon: Receive his personal poetry, prose, and creative writings not shared anywhere else → patreon.com/rayhughes

Visit Ray's Website: RayHughes.org

Walking Through the Forest Looking for the Sea | The Listening Porch w/Ray Hughes | Episode 9

In this episode of The Listening Porch, we explore a beautiful metaphor:
Writing feels like walking through a forest, looking for the sea.

Ray and Eric talk about:
- How writing, creativity, and spiritual life mirror a long forest journey
- Why wonder is essential, especially in the “ordinary” seasons
- Why there’s no such thing as writer’s block
- The difference between getting lost and being lost
- The art of digging for treasure right where you are
- How the forest eventually opens to revelation, like stepping into a clearing and finally seeing the sea

Ray shares stories from his childhood, lessons from his well-digger father, and how a life of amazement can make a life amazing.
Eric reflects on growing up in Bakersfield, learning to find gold in unlikely places, and staying faithful on the path—step after step.

This episode is for:
• Writers
• Musicians
• Creatives
• Seekers
• Anyone who feels “lost,” stuck, or in a gray season
• Anyone longing to rediscover wonder

Wonder & Mystery | The Listening Porch w/ Ray Hughes | Ep. 8

In this episode of The Listening Porch, we’re literally on a porch outside, surrounded by dogs barking, cars passing, and creation doing what it does. And in that setting, Ray shares one of the themes that has shaped his entire life: wonder.

We talk about the “mystery of Christ,” not as something we’re meant to comprehend, but something we’re invited to apprehend — to step into, experience, and walk with. Ray uses the image of walking through a forest to teach us how wonder reveals God in ways intellect never could.

We discuss:

• Why the mysteries of God aren’t puzzles to solve

• How wonder is the passageway into knowing Him

• How pride and cynicism choke out our ability to see

• Why grey areas are not failures, but invitations

• How writing, walking, and watching creation awaken our spirits

• And how to stay tender, curious, and childlike in a world that pushes us toward answers

If you’ve felt your wonder shrinking or if cynicism has taken root, this episode might be for you.