This week on 20 Minute Takes, we talk Avril Speaks. Avril is an accomplished film producer, showrunner, and director. She serves as Senior Program Director for Christians for Social Action's Storytellers Collective initiative. Avril shares about her journey with storytelling and how her vocation as a filmmaker is tied to her faith journey. She helps gives a glimpse of the challenges and opportunities of telling stories in Hollywood, and unpacks how compelling storytelling is authentic storytelling—and how authentic storytelling always involves a measure of creative risk. This episode is for all the TV/film nerds, and anyone who cares about learning to tell more compelling stories.

You can learn more about Avril and her work here;                                                Follow Avril on Instagram and Threads,

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

On this episode of 20 Minute Takes, we speak with Eugene Cho, the President and CEO of Bread for the World—"a nationwide Christian advocacy organization that educates on hunger and equips people to advocate for policies to end it in the U.S. and around the world." He shares about how his ministry as a church pastor is deeply connected to his advocacy and justice work today, and how a vision for human flourishing here and abroad requires that people of faith take the problem of hunger & poverty seriously. Listen in to learn how you can take practical, faith-empowered steps to advocate for policies that address hunger today.

You can follow him on Instagram @eugenecho; follow Bread for the World @bread4theworld

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto speaks with Lauren Kim, National Organizer and Spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action. In this conversation, Lauren shares about how climate action became a crucial part of her faith journey,  shares stories of how young people are caring for creation, and gives some practical first steps for people looking to integrate creation care into their personal lives and faith communities.

You can learn more about Lauren Kim and her work here.

Follow Young Evangelicals for Climate Action on Instagram @yecaction

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Malcolm du Plessis and Jalen Seawright of Common Hymnal, a songwriting collaborative that writes music of praise and protest, centering especially the voices of people who've been historically marginalized by Christianity. They discuss their music, the landscape of the Christian music industrial complex, and what it means to write believable music that is prophetic and affirming. This conversation is thick with theology and tunes, so you won't want to miss it.

You can learn more about Common Hymnal here; follow them on Instagram @commonhymnal.

Learn more about Jalen Seawright, and follow him on Instagram @seawright_.

Read some of Malcolm du Plessis' writing/reflections here.

Explore Common Hymnal's music here.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Michael Kim-Eubanks. Michael is a musician and co-pastor of Bethel Community Church in San Leandro, CA. They discuss the passage and signing into law of California's SB 4 (which allowed faith institutions among others to build multi-family homes on their properties, allowing for the development of 170,000 acres of land for development toward addressing housing insecurity in the state), their church's journey in pursuing this new opportunity to care for their homeless neighbors, and how confronting the realities of homelessness shape one's spirituality. 

You can learn more about Pastor Michael Kim-Eubanks and his music here.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Dr. Jenny Dyer, the founder of The 2030 Collaborative. They discuss the reality of foreign aid from the United States, how the recent funding cuts have directly impacted global health and the lives of HIV/AIDS patients around the world, and how it came to be that the American Christians in the early 2000s began to address the global HIV/AIDS emergency. This is a critical episode that you don't want to miss.

Jenny Dyer is the Founder of The 2030 Collaborative. She also directs the Faith-Based Coalition for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in partnership with Friends of the Global Fight.

Dyer has taught in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, as well as at Vanderbilt’s School of Divinity. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, John, and two boys, Rhys and Oliver.

You can learn more about her and her work here.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

This week, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with author, theologian, and pastor, Gary VanderPol. They discuss climate justice, and practical ways that faith communities can approach Christ-centered climate action prayerfully, personally, and politically. 

If you're interested in learning more about how to start up climate action small groups at your church, you can email Gary here: [email protected]

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

On this episode of 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Kevin Nye. Kevin is a writer and advocate working toward ending homelessness by engaging best practices. He's the author of the 2022 book, "Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness." In this conversation, Kevin challenges listeners to think about homeless systemically, dispels some common myths about the problem of homelessness, and shares stories of communities who have taken steps of faithfulness to care for their neighbors experiencing housing insecurity. 

You can learn more about Kevin Nye here.
Find him on Instagram or Threads.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

Welcome to 20 Minute Takes Season 7! 

What happens when we have learned to distrust our desires? And how does that get in the way of our pursuits to live in whole and just ways in our world today? Listen in as Nikki Toyama-Szeto interviews author, coach, and consultant Tracey Gee talk about her new book The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires.

You can learn more about Tracey and her work here.
Find her on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Produced by David de Leon
Editing & Mixing by Wiloza Media
Music by Andre Henry

In this final episode of season six, Nikki talks with Tony Deik. Tony is a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, Palestine. He is on faculty at Bethlehem Bible College, and currently resides in Bolivia with his family. Tony talks about the centrality of justice in the Christian scriptures, and how Christians might begin to understand justice as an act of worship and witness. They also discuss Christian Zionism, and how theologies have the potential to actualize either oppressive or just realities.

Catch us in early 2025 for our upcoming season.

You can learn more about Tony and his work here.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited & Produced by: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry