Episode 109 – Dominique Gilliard

Get ready for round 2 with Dominique Gilliard! You might remember, Dominique was on the podcast just a couple of months ago talking about his first book, Rethinking Incarceration. That award-winning title came out in 2018 and now he brings us his newest project, Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege. This book is all … Continue reading Episode 109 – Dominique Gilliard

Episode 108 – Vince Bantu

Dr. Vince Bantu is an associate professor at Fuller Seminary (whoop!) and the director at Meachum School of Haymanot. Vince's areas of missiological interest and academic research focus on Christianity as a global religion. Not in the sense, as some scholars proclaim, that Christianity is becoming a global religion, but rooted in the fact that … Continue reading Episode 108 – Vince Bantu

Episode 106 – Mandy Smith

Mandy Smith is a pastor, speaker, and author and her latest book, Unfettered, nearly wrecked me (in the best possible way!). In the book and our conversation, Mandy unpacks the baggage of Western culture and how it is impacting our faith. Mandy's journey in this season began with a sabbatical, observing a flock of geese, … Continue reading Episode 106 – Mandy Smith

Episode 105 – Casey Church

Casey Church is the pastor of Good Medicine Way in Albuquerque, NM. He has been in ministry for three decades as a Native American encouraging a contextualized way of worship. In his personal history, he has had painful experiences of being reprimanded and shunned for expressing his love for God in ways familiar to his … Continue reading Episode 105 – Casey Church

Episode 104 – Mark Scandrette

Mark Scandrette is an author, pastor, theologian, and gifted teacher. During this conversation, we talk about his newest book, The Ninefold Path of Jesus: Hidden Wisdom of the Beatitudes. When we read the "blessed are the...." in the Beatitudes it can sometimes feel overwhelming. We ask ourselves how we can do or be all of … Continue reading Episode 104 – Mark Scandrette

Episode 103 – Dr. Kelly Flanagan

Dr. Kelly Flanagan, author, psychologist, speaker, and consultant, joined me for this episode of the podcast. The subject of our conversation is companionship in the context of philia, the kind of love that walks alongside others through the good and the gritty parts of life. His new book, True Companions, highlights this journey in ways … Continue reading Episode 103 – Dr. Kelly Flanagan

Episode 100 – Sho Baraka

Sho Baraka is the guest for episode 100 of the podcast! If, by chance, you don't know Sho I can't wait for you to meet him in this conversation! Sho is a recording artist, writer, activist, and educator. In his new book, He Saw That It Was Good, he challenges each of us to do … Continue reading Episode 100 – Sho Baraka

Episode 099 – Kat Armas

Kat Armas, author of Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength, is on the podcast this week! Kat is a Fuller grad, on her way to Vanderbilt Divinity School, and is a wrestler in the faith. In her book, Kat introduces us to her grandmother and other women … Continue reading Episode 099 – Kat Armas

Episode 098 – Taylor Schumann

Taylor Schumann is a survivor of gun violence and author of the book When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough: A Shooting Survivor's Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence. Like many of us in the United States, Taylor grew up seeing gun ownership as an un-problematic part of American culture. In the church, some celebrate … Continue reading Episode 098 – Taylor Schumann

Episode 097 – Duke Kwon

As Christians, what responsibility do we have if we know a crime has been committed? Specifically, what about a theft? Authors and pastors Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson address those questions in their new book, Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair. Pastor Kwon joined me for this episode of the podcast to talk … Continue reading Episode 097 – Duke Kwon

Episode 096 – Michelle Reyes

Dr. Michelle Ami Reyes is an author, church-planter, and the co-founder and Vice President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative. Her new book, Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Connections Across Cultures is a rich, beautiful resource for Christians navigating multi-cultural spaces and relationships (which is all of us!). Follow along and … Continue reading Episode 096 – Michelle Reyes

Episode 095 – Kitti Murray

Kitti Murray is the founder and CEO of Refuge Coffee Co. in Clarkston, GA, which has been dubbed the most diverse square mile in America. With more than 50% of the population in this suburb of Atlanta being foreign born, Kitti and her husband found themselves intentionally among people who were very different from themselves … Continue reading Episode 095 – Kitti Murray

Episode 094 – Raymond Chang

Raymond Chang is the co-founder and president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC). Following the shootings in Atlanta, GA in the spring of 2021 and in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the AACC issued statements regarding racism targeted towards Asian Americans. Each of the statements received thousands of signatures of support … Continue reading Episode 094 – Raymond Chang

Episode 093 – Osheta Moore

Osheta Moore is a pastor and peacemaker bent on demolishing the hold white supremacy has had on God's children. Her brand new book Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism With Grit and Grace is the book I would hand to so many of my White friends contemplating how they can move forward in their journeys of … Continue reading Episode 093 – Osheta Moore

Episode 092 – Matthew Kaemingk

For this episode, I had the chance to interview my professor, Dr. Matthew Kaemingk. Matt teaches classes on faith and public life, including the areas of politics and the workplace. A few years ago, Matt wrote an article on Christian political hospitality viewed through the lens of Holy Week. At the heart of the issue … Continue reading Episode 092 – Matthew Kaemingk

Episode 091 – Andrew Krinks

Andrew Krinks has a particular academic interest in topics surrounding the intersection of race, religion, and criminalization. Since completing his PhD at Vanderbilt, he is teaching and working on a project concerning how Covid-19 has effected individuals imprisoned in New Jersey. The essay we drew from for today's conversation is one Andrew wrote for a … Continue reading Episode 091 – Andrew Krinks

Episode 090 – Terence Lester

Terence Lester is the founder of Love Beyond Walls, a non-profit based in Atlanta serving people experiencing homelessness. At the beginning of the coronavirus spread early in 2020, the work Terence and his organization had been doing pivoted to meet the changing needs of the people they served. Since handwashing was high on the list … Continue reading Episode 090 – Terence Lester

Episode 088 – Douglas Bursch

When I think of social media, peacemaking isn't the first thing that comes to my mind. But as Christians, we need to remember our witness matters, even and maybe especially, online. Dr. Douglas Bursch has written a thoughtful new book on social media and how it's forming us. Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us … Continue reading Episode 088 – Douglas Bursch

Episode 087 – Phil Armstrong

Phil Armstrong is the Program Director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. As a native Oklahoman I was shocked when, in my mid-30's, I first heard about the events in the Greenwood District of Tulsa for the first time. In this last year in our country race relations have been brought to the … Continue reading Episode 087 – Phil Armstrong

Episode 086 – Jeffrey Bilbro

Jeff Bilbro is an English professor and author of the book Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News releasing in May 2021. We all want to be better consumers of the news, but as Jeff puts it, "belonging well precedes thinking well." Reading and responding to the news are communal acts, … Continue reading Episode 086 – Jeffrey Bilbro

Episode 084 – Lindsey Krinks

Lindsey Krinks is the Co-Founder and Director of Education and Advocacy at Open Table Nashville. Her new book, Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing On the Streets, recounts her journey from college student to interfaith street chaplain. In her journey, Lindsey has not shied away from asking the tough questions about faith, homelessness, … Continue reading Episode 084 – Lindsey Krinks

Episode 082 – Shannon Polk

The Rev. Dr. Shannon Polk is an attorney, teacher, pastor, speaker, and the Executive Director of The Witness Foundation. In this conversation we tackle the topic of philanthropic redlining. Similar to the real estate phenomenon that bars people of color from purchasing homes in certain neighborhoods, charitable giving has also been effected by the practice … Continue reading Episode 082 – Shannon Polk

Episode 081 – A.D. Thomason

A.D. "Lumkile" Thomason has a vast resume. He is a husband, father, holds a doctorate, studied fashion, spoken word artist, filmmaker, former pastor and basketball player. His new book is out called Permission to Be Black: My Journey with Jay-Z and Jesus and it is deep. Throughout his life, A.D. never really processed the trauma … Continue reading Episode 081 – A.D. Thomason

Episode 080 – Lamar Hardwick

Lamar Hardwick, aka The Autism Pastor, is the lead pastor of a congregation in the Atlanta, GA area. At the age of 36, after years of struggling with symptoms, Lamar was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. His new book, Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion, is a call to the church … Continue reading Episode 080 – Lamar Hardwick

Episode 079 – Dan Kimball

Dan Kimball is one of the founders of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. He is also the author of his newest book, How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-Women, Anti-Science, Pro-Violence, Pro-Slavery & Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture. Even the subtitle covers a lot, but the birth of the … Continue reading Episode 079 – Dan Kimball

Episode 077 – Lisa Sharon Harper

Lisa Sharon Harper is an author, speaker, activist, and founder of Freedom Road. She has written a beautiful book called The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right which was the basis of our conversation in this episode. We talk about the importance of relationship and narrative and having a "thick" understanding … Continue reading Episode 077 – Lisa Sharon Harper

Episode 076 – Jemar Tisby

Jemar Tisby, the New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise, is back on the podcast with an incredible conversation about his new book, How To Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice. We recorded this episode on January 12, 2021, less than one week after the insurrection at the … Continue reading Episode 076 – Jemar Tisby

Episode 075 – Rasool Berry

This episode was recorded in late December 2020, before the attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Here's my confession, I was just trying to keep up with my guest Rasool Berry on this episode (this is going to be a double-listen for me)! At the time of this recording, Rasool had just come … Continue reading Episode 075 – Rasool Berry

Episode 074 – Rondell Treviño

*This episode was recorded January 8, 2021.* Rondell Treviño is the founder and director of an incredible organization called The Immigration Coalition. Rondell and his team provide clean drinking water to communities along the Mexico-U.S. border as well as educational resources for churches and pastors about immigration in America. Listen to the end of the … Continue reading Episode 074 – Rondell Treviño

Episode 073 – Chandra Crane

Chandra Crane is the author of a book that was very personal read for me, Mixed Blessing: Embracing the Fullness of Your Multiethnic Identity, published by InterVarsity Press with an incredible foreword by Jemar Tisby. Chandra, who is on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, is ethnically mixed. She is white American and Thai and was … Continue reading Episode 073 – Chandra Crane

Episode 069 – Mae Elise Cannon

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace. Her most recent book Beyond Hashtag Activism: Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age is a must-read for anyone who wants to pursue justice, but is having a hard time figuring out where to start. In our conversation we touched on … Continue reading Episode 069 – Mae Elise Cannon

Episode 068 – Scott Sauls

Scott Sauls is the senior pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. His latest book, A Gentle Answer: Our "Secret Weapon" in an Age of Us Against Them, released this summer and it is an answer to prayer! We all realize 2020 has turned out to be more than we bargained for, but the … Continue reading Episode 068 – Scott Sauls

Episode 066 – MelindaJoy Mingo

MelindaJoy Mingo has written an incredible book called The Colors of Culture: The Beauty of Diverse Friendships and she joined me to talk about it! I don't know how many times I have had the conversation about the role diversity and relationships within the larger problem of systemic injustices. Sometimes it feels hopeless, like what … Continue reading Episode 066 – MelindaJoy Mingo

Episode 065 – Drew G.I. Hart

Dr. Drew G.I. Hart is a theology professor at Messiah University and author of the new book Who Will Be a Witness? Igniting Activism for God's Justice, Love, and Deliverance, which was the basis for much of our discussion in this episode. Ultimately, if we are taking our discipleship of Jesus seriously, we have to … Continue reading Episode 065 – Drew G.I. Hart

Episode 064 – Mary Jo Sharp

Mary Jo Sharp grew up in the Pacific Northwest as an atheist, moved to the Bible Belt for college, and became a Christian. But her faith journey was not as predictable as that makes it sound. When she experienced hypocrisy in the Church she felt her budding faith getting trampled. She began studying apologetics to … Continue reading Episode 064 – Mary Jo Sharp

Episode 063 – Kaitlyn Schiess

As of this airing, we are approximately one week away from the end of the 2020 election cycle. We have complicated questions, strong opinions, curated convictions, and close relationships to navigate and at times it feels impossible. Enter Kaitlyn Schiess! Her new book The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor … Continue reading Episode 063 – Kaitlyn Schiess

Episode 062 – Scott Erickson

Advent couldn't come soon enough for me this year; and I don't think I'm alone! Scott Erickson helps bring the season a little closer to home with our conversation on his book, Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now. Scott is an artist, which encompasses a whole host of creative … Continue reading Episode 062 – Scott Erickson

Episode 061 – David Swanson

David Swanson is the pastor of a multiracial congregation in Chicago and author of Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity. In a world where diversity is valued and even sought after, David recognizes it is not always the answer. Racial injustice cannot be addressed by an emphasis of diversity alone; true … Continue reading Episode 061 – David Swanson

Episode 060 – Unbelievable

How important are our words? How do they compare to our actions? The Apostle John and the late Brennan Manning have similar thoughts on the subject. When we say with our mouths we love God, but deny the assertion by denying to love our neighbors, we have failed. We make ourselves liars. Listen in as … Continue reading Episode 060 – Unbelievable

Episode 059 – Jemar Tisby

Jemar Tisby is the New York Times best-selling author of The Color of Compromse: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism. He is also the president and co-founder of The Witness - A Black Christian Collective. Jemar talked about the current civil rights movement, what Christians can do to educate themselves and gave … Continue reading Episode 059 – Jemar Tisby

Episode 058 – Justin Giboney

I am so thrilled to bring you this conversation with Justin Giboney. Justin is an attorney, political strategist and co-founder of the AND Campaign and talks to us about what it means to be faithfully and intellectually engaged in politics. We talk about why critical thinking in the political arena is so important and what … Continue reading Episode 058 – Justin Giboney

Episode 057 – Daniel Hill

Pastor Daniel Hill joined me to talk about his new book White Lies and it was powerful! White supremacy as an ideology has played an unfortunate role in the Church in America and we as believers have allowed it to continue on our watch for far too long. True, not everyone is intentionally promoting white … Continue reading Episode 057 – Daniel Hill

Episode 038 – Shannan Martin

I had a blast talking to Shannan Martin! Shannan is a speaker, writer, mom, and wife to Cory who works as a chaplain at the local jail. I finished her first book Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted literally only moments before our interview and I'm pretty sure I'm digesting parts of … Continue reading Episode 038 – Shannan Martin

Episode 033 – Mike Hickman

Mike Hickman is hilarious! He is a comedian, actor, and musician and we first saw him perform his variety act last year and cracked up the whole time! But all of Mike's life hasn't been fun and games. He and his family suffered the tragic loss of their son just over five years ago. In … Continue reading Episode 033 – Mike Hickman

Episode 032 – Kim Harms

Kim Harms is a wife, mom, believer, and freelance writer. Kim's diagnosis of breast cancer came just one month after turning forty. Shortly after her diagnosis, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy and five months of reconstruction. I'm so thankful for Kim's vulnerability and openness about her process. She's putting the finishing touches on her first … Continue reading Episode 032 – Kim Harms

Episode 030 – Sam Storms

"Thou shalt not do at all what others do poorly," was a commandment Dr. Sam Storms lived by for 20 years in ministry. Sam was pastoring in my hometown of Ardmore, OK when his life was turned upside down by the person and power of the Holy Spirit. Sam and his friend Jack Deere had … Continue reading Episode 030 – Sam Storms

Episode 025 – Brokenness

Ugh. We're all broken, but sometimes we don't realize it until we get turned upside down or, on the other hand, we see the cracks at the most inopportune time like when something new and exciting comes our way. My grandmother's coffee mug, slipped out of my hand and bounced off my hardwood kitchen floor … Continue reading Episode 025 – Brokenness

That Makes Total Sense!

Podcast launching September 9! Have you ever been going along in life, doing something the way you’ve always done it, and then seen someone comes beside you and does it completely differently? Maybe it’s those conversations we’ve all had – they range from deep faith issues, to parenting, to finances, to work and we’ve always … Continue reading That Makes Total Sense!