What if today’s church looked more like the early church described in the book of Acts - sharing resources, concerned not with power but being in genuine relationship with Jesus and one another? Jesus People, a church family of nearly 200 people, based in Chicago is living out this revolutionary call, and has done so since 1972. This episode is dedicated to my Dad, Rudy, a loving husband, father, and faith leader throughout his life. Dad was truly a man of deep faith with a servant’s heart. God called him home on Sun., November 27, 2022.

We're BACK with Season 4! We've missed you all. As you know, Mom and I choose a verse to guide us through each season, and this time it's wisdom from the book of Micah: "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?" (Micah 6:8, Amplified Bible) .

We're living through immensely challenging times, and it often feels isolating. In this epiosde, Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt reminds us our faith is a source of both strength and discovery, which can lead us to connect with our divine intuition, an inner knowing that flows from God. She is the author of the fothcoming book: A Brown Girl's Epiphany: Reclaim Your Intuition and Step into Your Power.

Folks with invisible disabilities are often marginalized in our churches. "We don't know where to put them," Angie Alt says. She joins us this week to discuss her journey of living with chronic illness (3 autoimmune diseases) while also navigating her faith journey, and showing up as an activist in these challenging times.

What happens to the person who is connected to God, and still struggling with their mental health? Mom and I caught up with Dr. Anglea L. Harris, founder of Harris 316 Consulting and Services who has made it her life's work to center faith, mental health and holisitc wellness (mind, body and spirit).

We're taking it back this week to a powerful conversation from Season 1 with writer, activist and faith warrior Avril Somerville. Born in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Avril writes at the intersection of identity, community and love. She is the author of A Journey of Life on Purpose, a book of personal essays and poetry, and a forthcoming novel.

What does it mean for us to see Jesus in the faces of folks experiencing homelessness?

We chatted with writer Kevin Nye, who works in advocacy and homeless services. He is the author of the forthcoming book: Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness. He also writes on the intersections of theology, justice and equity, and pop culture.

How do visual art, contemplative prayer, social justice & children's ministry all connect? We're thirlled to chat with Sheila Whittenberg, artist and children's minister  based Germany about the rich lessons God brings forth in places we least expect. 

In honor of Women's History month, we're highlighting ministries run by women. Our first conversation in this series is with Latarsha Haughton, a woman of deep faith, and the founder of Breaking the Silence Healing the Pain. Latarsha endured decades of trauma – including sexual and emotional abuse. With the help of God, prayer, and trauma-informed therapy after 30 years, she transformed pain into purpose, and now creates community for other survivors.

As Black History Month comes to a close, Mom and I sit down to discuss the ongoing attack on voting rights and voter suppression; we also unpack the history of who received access to the ballot and who didn't, particularly folks in BIPOC communities.

And we examine the denial of voting rights from a Biblical perspective, lifting up the prophet Isaiah's warning to the powerful rulers of his day: "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people... (Isaiah 10:1-3).

I caught up with Rev. Bri-Anne Swan, founder of Resistance Church, minister at Jubilee United Church, and singer / songwriter. She has a heart for all those who have been told they do not belong (check out Rev. Bri-Anne's full bio here).

Mom and I are back after our 2021 holiday break, and we're celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by unpacking one of King's most radical and controversial speeches Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, given one year before his assassination on April 4, 1968.

If ever there were a time to cultivate space for conversations that spark change, it is now! I chatted with Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, Executive Minister for Justice, Education & Movement at Middle Church about their latest offering - a year-long monthly discussion series, Freedom Rising Salons, featuring "thought leaders, organizers, poets, artists and modern prophets reflecting on crucial justice issues, addressing our nation’s most pressing moral concerns, and what we all can do to rise and meet them.

We sat down with Godfrey Molen whose passion for making a difference in the world and honoring the legacy of his late Mom, Florence, led to the founding of FLOGiving, a faith-based non-profit in our hometown of Baltimore. Florence, a woman of deep faith who valued giving back, often said "Up, up ever… down, down never," which means stay positive and leave your faith in God.

There is a growing crisis in the Christian faith today. Across the country, far too many church leaders are pledging allegiance to the false ideology of white supremacy, American nationalism, toxic greed and exclusion of folks living on the margins. We sat down with Dr. Obery Hendricks to discuss his most recent book - Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith (Beacon Press, 2021).

We've missed you all! Mom and I are back with Season 3 of the podcast, and our guiding scripture is Mathew 25:40 (Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done it to me). We're unpacking what it means to embrace our faith in the margins - from welcoming immigrants instead of erecting barriers to helping those experiencing homelessness and poverty, while committing to anti-racism in our church bodies and daily lives. We're excited to be in conversation with one another, and host chats with ministers, community activists, artists and writers. Expect to hear our episodes bi-weekly on Fridays (with a few bonus episodes, too)!