Golden Allen Levi - NYT Best Seller | Wonder | Hard Pivots | Holding the Door
What do you get when a Southern lawyer trades the courtroom for a recording studio, writes 200+ songs a year for two decades, then sits down in a coffee shop and writes a best-selling novel? You get Allen Levi — and one of the best conversations we've ever had.
We met Allen at a conference and knew he had to be on the show. Within minutes, you'll know why.
We cover his wild life arc (law → Edinburgh → music → judge → novelist), what it really means to be an introvert who loves people, the phrase "adorational attentiveness," writing hundreds of songs a year as a discipline in wonder, hard pivots and the bravery behind them, caring for aging family members, and the annual long weekend with five close friends — including a certain 90s Christian musician you definitely remember.
LINKS
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Allen Levi's Website
REFERENCED
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Every Moment Holy by Doug McKelvey
Diehard Sins by Rush Witt
Eugene Peterson · Bebo Norman · Wendell Berry
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Cold open — the great vomit bucket debate
3:05 — Introducing Allen Levi and Theo of Golden
5:05 — What life feels like right now: 700 acres, a 97-year-old dad, stories he can't stop writing
6:20 — The full life arc: Alabama → UGA → law → Edinburgh → music → judge → novelist
15:00 — What "personable" really means — Allen reframes it as loving
19:30 — "Adorational attentiveness" and what it does to how you see people
25:50 — Writing 200–300 songs a year (Joe's reaction is everything)
32:00 — Hard pivots: how Allen makes big jumps without second-guessing them
36:00 — Leaving law for music — the exhilaration and the guilt
43:05 — Caring for aging family: what Allen is still learning
45:25 — Bebo Norman is in the group
51:25 — Thomas Carlyle: wonder is the basis of worship
52:30 — Joe and Rush — the walkaway
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The Most Interesting Person in the World — hosted by Rush Witt & Joe Keller.
