Episodes
In this episode Melissa shares from over two decades of leadership experience and gives keys for loving and leading your team well, and navigating through conflict. Styles of Relating Handout: https://www.becomegoodsoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/PredominantStylesofRelating-01.1-2.pdf This message was recorded at Bethel Music Worship School https://bethelmusic.com/worshipschool/ jonathanhelser.com cagelessbirds.com. 
Published 08/24/21
During one of the final worship nights of our school, The 18 Inch Journey, we encountered the joy of the Lord and the heart of the Father in a profound way. In this episode we are sharing that moment with you! Our prayer is that you are lifted by the joy and affection of God as you listen. To watch this extended worship moment, go to our YouTube channel, or search "Cageless Birds Joy of the Lord"
Published 05/29/21
This episode is the second half of an interview with Jonathan & Melissa Helser, celebrating 14 years of leading their school, the 18 Inch Journey! Originally recorded in 2019, our Art Director, Justina Stevens sat down with the Helsers to answer some commonly asked questions about our school, its history and our heart for discipleship.  In Part 2 you’ll hear about the pillars & values of our school, and how you can support what God is doing here. Go to www.18inchjourney.com to learn...
Published 03/17/21
To celebrate 14 years of leading the 18 Inch Journey, we are re-releasing one of our favorite podcasts from 2019 when we sat down with Jonathan & Melissa to answer some commonly asked questions about our school, it’s history and our heart for discipleship. In Part 1, Justina Stevens hosts an interview to help dive into some of the biggest topics, including how the school began, our reason for it’s length, and why we focus on the age range of 20-30. Go to www.18inchjourney.com to learn...
Published 03/10/21
Jonathan & Melissa, along with the Cageless Birds, have led their school, The 18 Inch Journey for 14 years! In this episode Jonathan & Melissa share their passion for life-on-life discipleship and introduce 8 audio testimonies from alumni of their school. Videos of each of these testimonies can also be found at 18inchjourney.com  Apps are OPEN. Go to 18inchjourney.com to learn more and apply! #18inchjourney To give to our campus campaign, go to...
Published 03/05/21
“Burnout happens when our doing exceeds our being.” In this episode Jonathan shares on cultivating a life of overflow in friendship with God, and the importance of becoming a leader who is rooted in rest. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more about Jonathan & Melissa and their ministry, go to jonathanhelser.com or cagelessbirds.com. 
Published 02/18/21
"Instantly I felt the voice of the Lord speak in my heart. He said 'Jonathan, worry magnifies the problems, but worship magnifies My promises.'" In this episode we are sharing a recent spontaneous worship moment from our school, The 18 Inch Journey. Our prayer is that this moment would become a space for you to fix your eyes on God, where His promises become more real than the problems that surround you. www.jonathanhelser.com www.18inchjourney.com 
Published 01/22/21
“As our community has entered into this beautiful season of Advent, we have been experiencing some remarkable times of worship. In the middle of the pressure, the presence of Jesus has been lifting us up to see the way that He sees.” - Jonathan Helser This is a followup worship moment to our last episode (“Yield”). You can watch a full length video of this moment on our Cageless Birds Youtube Channel, as well as listen on the Tribl Music app!
Published 12/22/20
“On December 1 we had our weekly time of worship and prayer as a community. We were overcome with the beauty of the Advent Season and experienced a deep time of prayer and worship reflecting back on this last year, engaging the longing for the Christ. We hope you enjoy this RAW live spontaneous moment, wherever you find yourself in this season.” - Melissa Helser You can also listen to this extended worship moment on TRIBL, an app created for sharing live moments of worship....
Published 12/11/20
“Great leaders in the Kingdom are great followers of the Presence of God.” In this episode Jonathan opens up his history of leading worship, and shares keys to being a follower of the greatest leader, Jesus, as we lead others. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more about Jonathan & Melissa and their ministry, go to jonathanhelser.com or cagelessbirds.com.
Published 11/19/20
In this podcast Jonathan shares about our new online workshop, The Honesty Tool. This episode includes the full audio from the Jonathan’s Honesty Tool teaching on Journaling the Voice of the Lord. Here, Jonathan unpacks the life-changing practice of journaling God’s voice and the common barriers we encounter in the process. Episode Prompt: www.cagelessbirds.com/prompt Go to www.engagingcultivate.com to learn more about the Honesty Tool and use the promo code “podcast” to get 10% off.
Published 08/02/20
In this episode Melissa sits down in an hour long candid conversation with one of her dear friends and a leader in our ministry, Phyllis Unkefer, to talk about humility, vulnerability, trust, and letting the Lord speak to the deepest places in us on the issue of racism. You can watch the full video on our Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTLvPKmg0hg  www.jonathanhelser.com www.cagelessbirds.com 
Published 06/15/20
In this episode, recorded live at WorshipU in Redding, CA, Jonathan sits down at a piano and shares one song from each of the albums he has recorded over the last 14 years, detailing the story and process behind writing them. To learn more about Jonathan and Melissa, and their ministry, go to http://jonathanhelser.com and http://cagelessbirds.com.  For more information about WorshipU, go to http://WorshipU.com 
Published 05/21/20
In this episode, we are releasing the extended audio from our night of spontaneous worship and prayer during the start of the Covid Crisis. In the previous episode you can hear Jonathan and Melissa talk about this time of worship, and what they are hearing from the Lord in this season. Link to the full length Youtube video of this worship time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-SR7Xc0yhM  www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 04/06/20
In this episode, Jonathan and Melissa talk about the spontaneous time of worship we released during the start of the Covid Crisis, and share what they are hearing from the Lord during this time. "Before our home state of NC issued a Stay at Home order, we felt the urgency to gather together - to worship, sing and pray over our nation and the nations of the world..." Episode Links: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-SR7Xc0yhM  Visual...
Published 04/06/20
In this episode Melissa tells the story behind the song, "Mountain High," and leads an extended time of worship at one of our recent Carolina Worship Nights. You can watch the full video of this live worship moment and many others on our Cageless Birds YouTube Channel! We are hosting our next Carolina Worship Night in Charleston, SC on March 28, and will be hitting the road for eight nights of worship across the UK from April 1-9! Go to www.jonathanhelser.com for more info and tickets.
Published 02/28/20
In this episode, Jonathan gives an inspiring message about living a life of honest connection and authentic worship with the Father. This message was recorded at WorshipU, an online school and annual gathering hosted by Bethel Music in Redding, CA. Go to http://WorshipU.com to find out more. To learn more about Jonathan and Melissa, and their ministry, go to http://jonathanhelser.com and http://cagelessbirds.com. 
Published 01/31/20
In this episode Jonathan and Melissa share their values and wisdom on how to live healthy in family and ministry. www.jonathanhelser.com This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to https://worshipu.com/on-campus/
Published 12/06/19
In this exclusive podcast episode, Jonathan and Melissa sit down to walk through the stories and songs found on part 2 of We Rise We Bow, the brand new Cageless Birds album releasing next week! Hear a special sneak peak of all five tracks in this podcast, and learn more about the artists and stories behind them! Go to all the places you get music to get “We Bow” on October 11. www.cagelessbirds.com www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 10/04/19
"You can always hear the voice of the one who holds your heart." In this episode, Jonathan tells stories and shares on learning to listen to and be defined by the voice of the Father. This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to https://worshipu.com/on-campus/ www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 08/30/19
In this message Melissa opens the book of her life and candidly reflects on the past decade of growing with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Melissa shares a compassionate invitation to embrace both our own humanity and the humanity of Jesus, with a promise that we will meet Him there every time. This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to https://worshipu.com/on-campus/ www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 07/19/19
In this episode Jonathan and Melissa share their hearts about the new Cageless Birds album releasing this week! Hear a sneak peak of the entire album in this podcast, as well as some of the stories behind the songs. Go to all the places you get music to get “We Rise” on June 21st. www.cagelessbirds.com www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 06/17/19
In this episode, Jonathan shares stories and keys from his journey that have significantly shaped who he is as a worship leader. This message was recorded at a gathering called WorshipU, hosted by Bethel Music in Redding CA. For more information, go to https://worshipu.com/on-campus/ www.jonathanhelser.com
Published 06/14/19
“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18) In this episode, Melissa shares her thoughts on sustainability, the mindset of seeing beyond ourselves, and planting an orchard of the nature of God for the generations to come.
Published 05/15/19
In this episode, Cageless Birds Art Director, Justina Stevens, continues her conversation from last month with Jonathan and Melissa Helser, focusing on commonly asked questions about their school, the 18 Inch Journey. To learn more about the 18 Inch Journey, and how to partner with us, go to https://www.18inchjourney.com/donate You can also support the 18 Inch Journey by shopping at https://shop.cagelessbirds.com 
Published 04/18/19