Jenell Shields Jenell Shields

Episode 351- Loving Your Black Neighbor as Yourself with Chanté Griffin

How do we step into conversations with one another that may feel difficult or uncomfortable around the topic of race? What does it look like to love well our black neighbors?

Author, journalist, and artist Chante Griffin wanted to help those who were not black know how to better step into the space of healing the divide caused by racism and racial pain. She understood that this conversation requires us all to be humble and take on the perspective of Christ as we move towards one another in love. In her new book, Loving Your Black Neighbor as Yourself: A Guide to Closing the Space Between Us, she gives practical steps and guidance for those who want to be a part of closing the historical divide that has plagued individuals, churches, and our country.

In this insightful conversation, Aubrey sits down with Chante to discuss the tension that can exist between our best intentions and the effect it can have on others, why humility is essential when we work towards healing the racial divide, and why we must begin with love as we have these important conversations.

Whatever your race, this episode will help you examine your heart as you engage in the hard and holy work of bringing unity and healing in your neighborhood, your community, and your church.

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Megan Griffith Megan Griffith

Episode 285 - Reflections on Family, Ethnicity, and the Sacred Work of Belonging with Tasha Jun

How do you navigate living between two completely different worlds? How do you honor the culture of a parent while being a part of another culture that doesn't always do the same?

For author Tasha Jun, learning to love and embrace the culture of her Korean mother while finding a place to belong in American culture left her feeling caught between two worlds at times. Being biracial, Tasha struggled with a sense of belonging, but even more so, with her own identity in feeling too much and not enough at times. Learning to love who God made her, including the different parts of her culture, helped her to fully experience the love of God in the messy middle of understanding and embracing who she was. As she became a mother, she saw the sacred gift in her own heritage and give that gift to her children.

In this raw and honest conversation, Davey and Tasha discuss what it is like to feel "othered," how writing can be a tool for healing, and seeing God meet you in your identity while learning to grieve the ways we feel like we don't belong.

If you've ever felt like an outsider in any sense, this episode will encourage you that you belong in the beautiful kingdom tapestry that God is weaving together and your unique makeup is exactly what God intended.

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Megan Griffith Megan Griffith

Episode 272 -The Power of Discipleship with Preston Perry

What does it look like to grow in your faith when you came from an environment that contradicted so many of the things of God? How do you become a follower of Jesus after experiencing a childhood riddled with so much trauma and pain?

For Preston Perry, growing up in the inner city and facing so many challenges from being fatherless and the collective pain of a community in crisis, Preston struggled to truly know God. As a young person, he found himself entrenched in street life, dealing drugs and watching so many around him succumb to the ills of gangs and crime. It was through being discipled by a friend who grew up in a similar environment and yet was so different from the life they both knew, that God became real to him. The power of that relationship was pivotal in changing Preston's life and leading him to Christ. Since then, Preston and his wife, Jackie, have devoted their lives to ministry. Preston is a speaker and apologist who has been able to take his experiences and speak to people who grew up in a similar context as he did as well as widen the Evangelical Christian perspective on topics like justice.

In this episode, Davey sits down with Preston to discuss how our environment can shape our worldview, the way to reach those in communities that are different than our own, the power of discipleship in leading others to Jesus and how to fight for holiness in marriage after stories of trauma.

Even if your life experiences are different, Preston's story is such a profound reminder of God's power in all of our pain and mess and how redemption can come after our trauma.

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Amy Sylvestre Amy Sylvestre

Episode 216 - How to Heal Our Racial Divide with Derwin Gray

In a world so broken, it is no wonder that division can be seen everywhere, even within the walls of the Church. The past few years especially have shone a light on how pervasive the sin of racism still exists to this day within our communities and within the body of Christ.

Through his own personal experiences and his study of God's word, former NFL player turned pastor, Derwin Gray, has a vision for how healing can come where there is so much pain when it comes to the topic of race.

The early Church proves that God's desire for His people is diversity and healing our divides is possible through the power of Christ's resurrection.

Davey talks with Pastor Derwin Gray about what it looks like to heal our racial divide, encouragement for those who have experienced racial trauma, how to deal with the sin of racism in our hearts and a hope for a future in which we all see the beauty in God's design.

Let this conversation embolden you to become an agent of change in your church, your community, and your home.

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makerscc makerscc

Episode 33 - Miles McPherson

Miles McPherson is no stranger to racial tension. From four years playing in the NFL to founding and pastoring The Rock Church in San Diego, Miles has seen people of all different races living and working together. He’s seen the beauty that can come from diversity, and he’s also seen how even the best of intentions are not enough to keep the biases we all have from hurting each other. Miles sits down with Davey to talk about his latest book, “The Third Option” and the steps we can take in our own lives to move towards reconciliation.

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