REWIND: Centering Anti-Racism in the Church with Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Ph.D.

Stay Connected With Pray with our Feet - 

Snag your Pray with our Feet notebook (Prayer without Action is Performance) and find more merch. in our online shop.

Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our NEW online store. 

Head over to Instagram, Twitter and TikTok where the conversation continues between episodes. 

Special thank you to my husand Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer. 

The climate is in crisis, but that doesn’t mean change is impossible. I caught up with Holly Petersen, the inspiring co-founder of Christian Climate Action (CCA) about planet activism rooted in our faith. Christian Climate Action is a community of Christians supporting each other to take meaningful action for the planet. Inspired by Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and following the example of social justice movements of the past, CCA carries out acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed.

We discuss how Holly sees Jesus and justice as inextricably linked (shared so powerfully in this YouTube video), the many ways CCA is standing up for the planet from prayerful protests to pushing church leadership, business, and government to divest from fossil fuels.

Ways to Get Involved - 

Holly shares practical steps we can all take in our church spaces to affect change, including calling on Pastors and church leaders to divest from fossil fuel investments, and stand alongside us, in the streets, at direct actions for the climate.  Although this movement began in the UK, there are CCA groups around the world, and anyone can start their own by reaching out to CCA direcly.

You may also participate by attending their regular online events such as daily prayer and Saturday reflections (teaching sessions which examine various aspects of the climate emergency and biblical perspectives on how we might respond). There are also numerous ways to involve your church, learn more here.  https://christianclimateaction.org/get-involved/involve-your-church/

Stay Connected with CCA -  

• CCA on Instagram
  
  
• Follow CCA on YouTube and see past events / talks: https://youtube.com/@christianclimateaction3822

• CCA on Twitter: @CClimateAction and @HollyAPetersen (co-founder of Christian Climate Action) 

I caught up Jennifer Magnano aka The Barefoot Preacher - writer, doula, maternal-child health advocate, and mother living with chronic illness. She honors the wild, holy work of local and global motherhood through resonant writing and speaking, companionship, resources & education. With personal experience of the chaos and complexity to exist throughout the caregiving years (in both our bodies and lives), Jennifer speaks with urgency; her goal to elicit a tender lived-response in humanity that echoes for and in our generations to come.

We chatted about - 

• Breaking God out of the boxes, which can look like experiencing the Divine in the wonder of everyday moments, being in sacred relationship with God as Mother, Father, or however the Holy One shows up for us. 
• Jennifer's journey of healing from religious trauma. 
• What it's like to live on the edge of disability and raise two kiddos with their own health challenges. 
• Her writing, which challenges us to awaken continually in multiple ways; we delved into two essays from Reclamation (her newsletter on Substack):
   It's Ok to Upset the Internet and Your Trauma is Welcome Here. 
• Creating space in our minds, hearts and spirits for a theology rooted in collective liberation. Jennifer lifted up the work of Rev. Wilda C. Gafney, Hebrew biblical scholar and professor, Episcopal priest  who teaches Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and, Womanist and Feminist Biblical Studies.

Stay Connected with Jennifer and Support Her Work: 

Instagram instagram.com/thebarefootpreacher

Reclamation Newsletter jennifermagnano.substack.com

Website jennifermagnano.com

Book Bliss & Blue available on Amazon &  Etsy

My Story on Love What Matters 

The ASK: Prayer + Action ministry is a space for all of us to come together, communally, at the intersections of our Christian faith and activism; here we commit to praying together (virtually on Zoom) around a specific issue each month - climate justice, anti-racism, mental health, police brutality, violence and harm against people living on the margins ( immigrants, communities of color, our LGBTQ+ siblings, etc.), and taking a concrete action in the work towards the change we wish to see realized in our world. 

This ministry is a continuation of Dad's work; he started the ASK prayer ministry when my brother and I were kids. It was rooted, Mom says in Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." You can read more about the ministry on our website. 

During this first prayer meeting on Sunday, April 30, our focus is on climate justice. We're linking to some of the resources we are sharing in that meeting below (for folks who may not be able to attend): 

We're living through intense times; each of us wading through persistent grief, whether due to mass shootings, threats to American democracy, escalating attacks on marginalized communities, or our day-to-day struggles. It's clear constant movement without recharging spiritually, takes its toll.

In this episode, I share a short grounding meditation, designed to help center calm in the midst of chaos using an ever-present anchor God gave each of us, the breath. You'll also hear a prayer (specifically for us, the acctivists) following the meditation, inspired by Jesus' challenge in Matthew 25:40 - "Whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done it for me." 

Join us on April 30, 6pm via Zoom for our first monthly ASK Ministry: Prayer + Action meeting. Read more about the story behind this ministry (in loving memory of my Dad, Rudy) on our website, and sign up here. 

Resources - 

Scriptures for dealing with anxiety / stress (you can use for meditation, jounraling and prayer): 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2 

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Mindfulness Tools 

I have trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and now also have certification as a TSD Mindfulness Coach.  Check out a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction workbook, there are great exercises at the end of each chapter which help you make the mind, body and soul connection. 

TSD mindfulness helps reduce stress, move through grief and crisis, while healing from trauma; there are concrete teachings in resilience, acceptance, being present and self-compassion (which I see as deeply connected to community care). You can read more about it here.

And look out for upcoming offerings through Pray with our Feet that center mindfulness for folks like us, spiritual activists. 

Stay Connected With Us! 

Snag your Pray with our Feet notebook (Prayer without Action is Performance) and find more merch. in our online shop.

Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our NEW online store. 

Head over to Instagram, Twitter and TikTok where the conversation continues between episodes. 

Special thank you to my husand Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer. 

Before Women’s Herstory Month comes to a close, we’re sharing our conversation about Spoken Black Girl magazine Issue 4: The Freedom Issue 2023. Mom and I chatted with Rowana Abbensetts Dobson, founder and author (Departure Story), along with contributing writers Lillie Watson, Reign, and Adrienne Prather.

We delve into the multiple ways Black women claim our liberation (collective and individual), the daily challenges we’re navigating, why we must remain uncompromising in defining our freedom for ourselves and more! Check out the issue here. And connect with the poetry of Reign, “Free,” Adrienne Prather, “What Freedom Means to Me?,” and Lillie Watson’s essay, “Black is Free.”

Learn more about Reign, Adrienne and Lillie below: 

Reign is a Philadelphia native who now resides in New Mexico. It is her place of fresh new inspiration. She has been writing poetry and essays since the age of 8 years old. She is a published poet, published essayist, mixed media artist and short filmmaker. She writes to honor the ancestors' voices. Stay connected - Instagram: @i_am_reignthecreator, YouTube: Magic Little Movies (short films for healing and meditation), and purchase Reign’s poetry book, The Beauty of Dead Roses

Adrienne Prather is a writer, author and educator. She is a published author, and has written 3 books, Reflections of Love an Inspirational Poetry Book, Encouragement Cafe Self-Help, and Grace Finds Peace Children's Book.  Adrienne enjoys writing and inspiring others. Ways to Stay connected - Instagram: @tmialuv and on Facebook: @AuthorAdriennePrather.

Lillie Watson is a writer based in Tucson, Arizona. She is a passionate reader and book lover, who believes in book accessibility and putting Black, Indigenous, POC, and LGBTQ+ representation and voices to the forefront of literary spaces. She has stories and poems published in SandScript Art and Literature Magazine’s 2016 and 2017 issues, and a personal essay published in Spoken Black Girl Magazine Issue 4: The Freedom Issue 2023. She works as a manager at a local bookstore, and volunteers at a local literacy non-profit, as she determines where she’d like to take her love of all things writing and reading related.
Ways to Stay Connected - Instagram: @lilliemarie221b and Twitter: @lilliemarie221b .

Stay Connected With Us! 

Snag your Pray with our Feet notebook (Prayer without Action is Performance) and find more merch. in our online shop.

Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our NEW online store. 

Head over to Instagram, Twitter and TikTok where the conversation continues between episodes. 

Special thank you to my husand Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer. 

We don't have to tell you the world is on fire, as folks of faith committed to making a difference, many of us find it hard to stop, and care for ourselves. It often feels like a luxury, but in the radical tradition of writer, speaker and thinker Audre Lorde, Amy Jackson, founder of The Perch Place (a soul care org. based in downtown Aurora) is calling us to water ourselves, and make space for rest so we can rise another day, working for a world where justice, mercy, and Christ's love reigns. The Perch Place has in-person and online offerings: yoga, art classes, guided meditations, workshops, retreats and more! 

"Learning about soul care helped me begin stepping into the healthy, flourishing life of purpose God created me for. It helped me become a healthier person spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and even physically, and it helped me see and work on my blind spots so that I could be in healthier relationships as well," she says. Amy is soul care adovcate, entreprenuer, speaker, yoga teacher and meditation facilitator. You can read more about her story here. 

Here are some key takeaways from this epiosde:  

• Soul care moves beyond the superficial and focuses on living the healthy, thriving, and sustaining life God intends  for each of us.
• Some core practices we can lean into are short meditations (5 min or less) like the ones Amy has on her podcast, Just Press Pause, breath prayer, yoga, and welcome prayer.
• Establishing a daily self check-in ritual can help ground you, beging asking: How am I feeling? What do I need? How might I gave that to myself? 
• There are certain types of meditation (like a body scan) which are helpful for activists and change makers. Amy has two meditation offerings on her podcast which center expansive love and de-stressing:  Loving Kindness and Release Anxiety. 
• When we practice self kindness, we are better able to show up in community with compassion, love and grace.
• Check out Amy's book, 31 Days of Self Kindness which includes all kinds of practical and accessible support for prioirtizing your wellbeing daily. And one of Amy's favorite books, Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Human by David G. Benner. 

Continuing our #SoulCare series, Mom and I caught up with a dear friend of the pod, Walt Shelton, about his latest book, Authentic Living in All Seasons: Focused, Fearless and Balanced, which calls us towards 3 elements of qualitative living:

Focusing on the present moment (not stuck in the past or preoccupation the future). Not allowing fear to immobilize us. Beginning to ask, what can we do with fear? How can it fuel our actions for good? And "periodically identifying, refining, and balancing our life priorities to progressively live them as fully as possible with necessary questions for continual self reflection: How do I want to show up in the world, and embody Christ's heart? Am I centering kindness, justice, and actively reaching across differences? Am I making space for repenting when it is necessary?

Key Takeaways:

-Mindfulness and living a life which lifts up justice, equality and being in beloved community are interconnected. God calls us to see one another fully. We should hear a lot more about mindfulness in our churches, "Go out and pay attention to the people around you, and be kind and compassionate with them," Walt says. 

- In his book, Walt lifts up the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (found in  Luke 16:19-31), and connects it to mindfulness which helps us live awake. The rich man had multiple opportunities to help, and didn't because of being consumed with his own life. This way of centering self above community is normalized in our society, and around the world; it cuts us off from connecting with one another in the ways God intends.  

- We must move away from the disease of multi-tasking; scriptures speak of the importance of a healthy eye, and Walt sees this as connected to singular focus which helps us engage in community with deeper intention, "one person, one need at a time." 

- Living a mindful life is a process; we can start where we are right now. Even if it is just a few moments a day.  Set aside time to be with God, away from distractions. If Jesus needed time away to replenish himself, we certainly do!

Resources Mentioned in this Episode: 

-Walt's book, Authentic Living in All Seasons: Focused, Fearless and Balanced (stay connected with his work on his website). 

-The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31 

Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh (nominated by Dr. King for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, King called him an “apostle of peace and nonviolence.”

Stay Connected With Us! 

Visit the website and find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our NEW online store. 

Head over to Instagram, Twitter and TikTok where the conversation continues between episodes. 

Special thank you to my husand Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer. 

REWIND: In honor of Black history month, and this year's theme of resistance, we are revisiting past conversations with guests committed to the active and everyday work of resisting racism and the false ideology of white supremacy. 

Anti-racism work is daily; it's a choice to embrace discomfort, the uncertainty of how folks around you will react, and a commitment to unapologetic truth telling. This week's guest, writer (founder of the blog, Some Thoughts From Your Black Friend), anti-racism activist / educator, and co-host of the  Upside Down podcast,  Patricia A. Taylor is on the journey.

We have long admired her work, and this conversation is full of thoughtful insights, we delved into:

- Patricia's journey aligning her writing with social justice and listening to the call from God to move into anti-racism work. 

- Why proximity to BIPOC communities doesn't absolve churches and individuals from doing the work of anti-racism. 

- How she embraces care for her mind, body and spirit, rooted in scripture from Jeremiah to the Psalms, and 2 Corinthians 3: 3-5.

- The necessity of lament and repentance for the church as it relates to racial and social justice.  

- Why spiritual bypassing is dangerous, and why being vulnerable around safe people (particularly for those in BIPOC communities) about what we're feeling is a form of self care. 

- What Patricia hopes those in her community take away from her work: questions that guide them toward action, and keep them rooted in compassion. 

More about Patricia A. Taylor: Patricia Taylor is a wife, mom and California native. She believes in Jesus, truth-telling, loving all of our neighbors, and having critical conversations around racial justice with grace and honesty. Her work is rooted in anti-racism education, and she serves as the BIPOC Educator for Be The Bridge. You may find her on Instagram @patricia_a_taylor and on Facebook at Some Thoughts From Your Black Friend by Patricia A. Taylor.

Stay Connected with Us - Pray with our Feet website where you can check out our online shop, blog and devotionals. 

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter. 

Credits: HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor!  He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here. 

REWIND: In honor of Black history month, and this year's theme of resistance, we are revisiting past conversations with guests committed to the active and everyday work of resisting racism and the false ideology of white supremacy. 

We sat down with Rev. Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church, a 1,300-member multi-ethnic, welcoming, and inclusive congregation in New York City (and full disclosure, my home church, loves!) for a conversation which delved into:

- The need for each of us to make anti-racism a daily practice. 

- Rooting our minds and spirits in revolutionary love. 

- The challenging joy of leading a diverse church that is radically inclusive and leaves no one out regardless of race, sexuality / gender identity or ability. 

- Why one of the essential duties of church members is to push leaders towards anti-racist practices which go beyond the pews, and into our daily lives - the way we love, work, shop and come into community. 

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, and earned her Ph.D. in Religion and Society/Psychology and Religion at Drew University. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Lewis hosted “Just Faith,” an on-demand television program on MSNBC.com and is a frequent media commentator.

Her books include:

Fierce Love, The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leaders in Multi-racial, Multi-cultural Congregations, Ten Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation, and the children’s book, You Are So Wonderful!  

Stay Connected to Rev. Jacqui and Middle Church: 

Middle Church is rebuilding after a tragic fire. You can support this ongoing work by donating here. 

Visit Rev. Jacqui's website, and follow her heart-centered work. 

Join the Movement at Middle Church! 

Stay Connected with Us - Pray with our Feet website where you can check out our online shop, blog and devotionals. Follow us on Social: IG and Twitter. 

Our show is produced by my husand Keston De Coteau, award-winning videographer and photographer.