Finding God at the Crux: Michael Farren on Stillness, Surrender, and the Kingdom We Build

In this episode of Project Red, we sit with Michael Farren—Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and storyteller—whose life and craft orbit around a singular truth: if he had one “dying breath” left in him, he’d use it to write a song. Not for charts. Not for applause. But because creating is the place where his soul exhales, where obedience rises, and where God meets him in the quiet.

Across decades of writing, Michael has known seasons when the climb felt brutal—where the crux of his journey nearly broke him. He speaks honestly about those moments, the ones that rattled his confidence and stripped things down to bone. And yet, it was in those valleys that God’s kindness gave him the courage to keep ascending. Not through spectacle, but through stillness. Not through noise, but through clarity.

In this conversation, Michael unpacks the power of authenticity—why it wins every time, and why pretending never builds anything that lasts. He reflects on Peter, on the ways we all attempt to build kingdoms of our own making until God, in mercy, sets us straight. He reveals how that hard truth reshaped his prayer life and reminded him that God is writing a story for each of us—one far better than the scripts we try to control.

We talk about Bourbon Gospel, his newest endeavor, and why he knows it’s the assignment for this season. It’s not a brand extension or a pivot. It’s overflow. It’s what happens when a man follows the thread of that “dying breath” moment all the way into the next room God invites him into.

Here’s what we explore together:
🔥 What it means to create from listening
🔥 How the crux moments of life become the places God rebuilds us
🔥 Why authenticity outlasts talent, and why pretense collapses under its own weight
🔥 The tender rebuke of Peter’s story—and the freedom that follows
🔥 How stillness becomes a sanctuary where God speaks

If you’ve ever found yourself at a breaking point, if you’ve ever questioned your purpose, or if you’re longing for clarity in the climb—this conversation will sit beside you and steady your hands. It will remind you that God is kind. That He is near. And that the story He’s writing in you is still unfolding.

Lean in. Take a breath. And keep climbing.

Follow Michael Farren
Bourbon Gospel: https://resy.com/cities/columbia-tn/v...
Bourbon Gospel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebourbong...
Michael Farren Instagram:   / michaelfarren  

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 "Michael Farin: An Epic Journey"

05:48 "Dying Breath Purpose"

09:27 "Listening to Serve Artists"

09:58 "Writing 250 Songs a Year"

13:21 "Graceful Presence of Believers"

16:24 Musical Journey Began Early

20:18 "Unexpected Band Competition Chaos"

23:38 Gift of Creative Collaboration

28:21 Faith, Doubt, and Rediscovery

29:16 "Peter's Courage and Jesus' Message"

34:43 "Overcoming Double-Mindedness"

36:35 "Living God's Written Story"

39:36 "God's Shaping Process"

43:54 "Advice for Aspiring Creatives"

47:17 Novice Writers and Inspir