In the final episode of the summer season 5 edition of Faith in a Fresh Vibe, we welcome pastor Melissa. This insightful episode offers a number of interesting and pragmatic ways to re-think Christian formation. Ranging from leadership formation for predominantly white congregations seeking racialized justice, to to tangible ways to access and unlock scripture in new and exciting ways. Find Melissa online at her website: https://www.melissaflorerbixler.com/. Also her social media links on Twitter and Instagram. Here’s a bio:

Melissa is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church, and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She spent times studying in Israel/Palestine, Kenya, and England. Much of her formation took place in the L’Arche community of Portland, OR. Now she prefers the Eno River and her garden in Raleigh, NC. She is the chair of L’Arche North Carolina and a steering committee member in broad-based organizing in her county. Melissa’s writing has appeared in Christian Century, Sojourners, Geez, Anabaptist Witness, The Bias, Faith&Leadership, and Anabaptist Vision. From time to time she publishes academic writing. She and her spouse parent three children.

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It’s often challenging to picture a world after deconstruction and following old formation from institutional Christianity. In this episode, Starlette paints a picture of what is to come. An idea, a vision, the possibilities, of rooting our faith in the Kingdom coming. “There’s another way things are supposed to be!” Starlette also reframes identity outside of racialized distinctions. Here’s more about Starlette Thomas:

Starlette Thomas is an author, activist, visual artist and race abolitionist. She is the founder and director of The Raceless Gospel, LLC, a non-profit para-church teaching ministry dedicated to leading didactic dialogues on race and its progeny, which empower Christian believers, leaders and thinkers to passionately, pastorally and prophetically speak about the sociopolitical construct of race and the myriad injustices that intersect in their churches, communities and country.

A womanist in ministry, Starlette is graduate of both Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and Buffalo State College. She has served as an associate and interim pastor as well as a denominational leader. She regularly preaches and teaches in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region and her sermons have been featured by Sojourners. 

She has written for Herald, a publication of Baptist News Global, Baptists Together, a publication of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Formations, a publication of Smyth & Helwys Publishing Company.  She is a contributing correspondent with Good Faith Media and writes on the intersections of race, faith and politics. Starlette is a contributing author for the book Faith Forward: A Dialogue on Children, Youth & a New Kind of Christianity.

An unrepentant academician and bibliophile, she is presently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., studying ecclesiology, the intersections of gender, politics and race and their interplay for a transformative spirituality.

Find her online at her website: https://racelessgospel.com/; Twitter; Instagram; and her links.

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Part 2 of this 2 part series. We dig into Chandra Crane’s book, Mixed Blessing. Embracing the Fullness of Your Multi-Ethnic Identity. To the multi-ethnic listeners out there, you’re up, you’re not a mistake!, your time is now.

About Chandra:

“So what are you?” Chandra Crane knows what it’s like to get that question. She has a Thai birth father, an European American mother, and an African American father who adopted her when she was five. With this mixed multiethnic and multicultural background, she has keenly felt the otherness of never quite fitting in. Where do people of mixed ethnicity belong?

Those of us who have multiethnic backgrounds may have pain surrounding our mixed heritage. But we also have the privilege and potential to serve the Lord through our unique experiences, if we root ourselves in him. Crane explores what Scripture and history can teach us about ethnicity and how we can bring all of ourselves to our sense of identity and calling.

You can discover the fullness of who you are. Find out how your mixed identity can be a blessing to yourself and to the world around you.

Find Chandra on Twitter, where you will find her links to more about her work. Her debut book is called, Mixed Blessing. Embracing the Fullness of Your Multi-Ethnic Identity. Available wherever books are sold.

Faith in a Fresh Vibe connect points: Rohadi.com | Twitter | Instagram

So what are you? Ya, that’s a question I’ve grown up fielding. Chandra Crane has a thing or two to say about that. Two fantastic episodes you don’t want to miss. Devoted to multi-ethnic people, we dig into identity and the superpowers we have. Most often overlooked, multi-ethnic/multi-racialized people are finally coming to the forefront. As we learn to live and own our bodies and beliefs, great things can happen. Everyone can enjoy this episode, but we keep that focus on folks like us. Check out the show notes for details about this episode.

Chandra Crane has a Thai birth father, a European American mother, and an African American father who adopted her when she was five. With this mixed multiethnic and multicultural background, she has keenly felt the otherness of never quite fitting in. Where do people of mixed ethnicity belong?

Those of us who have multiethnic backgrounds may have pain surrounding our mixed heritage. But we also have the privilege and potential to serve the Lord through our unique experiences, if we root ourselves in him. Crane explores what Scripture and history can teach us about ethnicity and how we can bring all of ourselves to our sense of identity and calling.

You can discover the fullness of who you are. Find out how your mixed identity can be a blessing to yourself and to the world around you.

Find Chandra on Twitter, where you will find her links to more about her work. Her debut book is called, Mixed Blessing. Embracing the Fullness of Your Multi-Ethnic Identity. Available wherever books are sold.

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In this edition, deconstruction at its finest. A story about coming out of fundamentalism, and into a journey of deconstruction. We mark pathways out of white supremacy and white evangelicalism. My guest, @the_decolonized_Christian from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_decolonized_christian/. This account exposes the church’s colonial past from an anti-colonial perspective; amplifying postcolonial voices. He is a guest on St??:lo?–Coast Salish territory. You can find more link details here: https://linktr.ee/TheDecolonizedChristian

SPEAKER, ACTIVIST, AUTHOR, AND THOUGHT LEADER IN THE REALM OF SYSTEMIC POVERTY. Find him online @imTerenceLester (Twitter) and https://linktr.ee/imterencelester.

He’s known for nationwide campaigns that bring awareness to issues surrounding homelessness, poverty, and economic inequality. His awareness campaigns have been featured on MLK50, CNN, Good Morning America, TVONE, Creative Mornings, USA Today, NBC, AJC, Black Enterprise, Rolling Out, Upworthy, and have been viewed by millions of people worldwide.

In 2013, Terence founded the non-profit Love Beyond Walls and has helped hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty rebuild their lives. In 2019, Terence launched the first museum in the U.S. representing homelessness out of a shipping container called Dignity Museum.

Terence has written six books, and his new book, When We Stand: The Power Of Seeking Justice Together, was released May 18, 2021. We also talk about his other book with IVP, “I See You. How love opens our eyes to invisible people.” He holds four degrees and is working towards his Ph.D. at Union Institute & University in Public Policy & Social Change.

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How about a quick intro into the latest season of the Faith in a Fresh Vibe podcast? Guests include Terence Lester, Starlette Thomas, the_decolonized_christian, Melissa Florer-Bixler, and Chandra Crane. I open this season, however, with an inside look at my forthcoming book, When We Belong. Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins. You get an exclusive preview inside as I share direction and the heart of why I am writing a story on deconstruction and decolonizing Christianity. It’s part my story, and part a pathway forward unto liberation. Don’t miss out on this short episode!

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Rohadi interviews author and spiritual formation director Lisa Colon DeLay in this hour long episode. The two venture through a conversation on spirituality and where the church fits in a modern world in formation. They spend time unpacking some features in the first book from Lisa Delay, “The Wild Lands Within”. The landscape around culture, religion, and spirituality is shifting, and how we can engage in our own formation changes with it. Learn new insight on ways to grow personally and spiritually. 

A new way of doing community.

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On Centering Marginalized People: Might from the Margins with Rev Dr. Dennis Edwards. Dr. Edwards is Professor of NT at Northpark Theological Seminary. He’s also an ordained minister with the Evangelical Covenant Church. In this episode, Rohadi interviews Dr. Edwards and his early days church planting and leading multi-ethnic churches. We ask, can white evangelicalism become more inclusive and multi-ethnic? We then transition to talk about his book, Might from the Margins. Dr. Edwards shares his insight on diaspora people from his work in the NT. Listen as we unpack his teaching around justice, church planting, and building new spaces of faith for tomorrow.

Connect and find more info about Dr. Edwards online. Visit his bio at Northpark: https://www.northpark.edu/faculty-staff-directory/dennis-edwards/ and follow him on social media including: Twitter and Instagram. His latest book, “Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice “ is now available.

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Recorded days after the 2020 American inauguration, Rohadi welcomes author and spiritual formation director, Charlotte Donlon. In this part two, Charlotte unpacks her book and her story. “The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other” offers vignettes on facing loneliness and vulnerability in the bid for freedom and belonging. I value her story as she shares her own journey with fragmentation, depression, and the search for safe space to be. Welcome, settle in for a time of storytelling.

Connect and find more about Charlotte online Visit her website: https://charlottedonlon.com/ and follow her on social media including: Twitter and Instagram. Her latest book, “The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other” is now available.

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