On today’s episode Heather visits with theologian and author K.A. Ellis—the initials stand for “Karen Angela”—to kick off our three-part series for February, “Listening to Black Creators.” Mrs. Ellis, who was 42 when she married her husband Carl, talks about the experiences of single women in the church, as well as the true meaning of the word widow (it’s not just about the death of a spouse). She also offers practical wisdom for how to trust God’s faithfulness and Christ’s sufficiency when the way forward is anything but clear.

K.A.’s latest book is called Fannie Lou Hamer: The Courageous Woman Who Marched for Dignity. The beautifully illustrated tome is ostensibly written to introduce children to the famed Civil Rights heroine, but older readers will also be captivated by this colorful retelling of Hamer’s story. In just 24 pages, K.A. captures an indelible portrait of Hamer—the faithful Christian and defender of human dignity.

And don’t forget to check out the talk by K.A. that blew Heather away. Her message on “Loving the Widow” was given at The Gospel Coalition’s 2018 Women’s Pre-Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. In the message, K.A. references the book Spiritual Widowhood by Andy Mendonsa.

Elsewhere in the show, Heather also checks in with our favorite social media wiz Brady Shearer to get more tools for our Social Toolkit. Brady is the CEO of Pro Church Tools. His company helps churches navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.

Guest Bio

K.A. Ellis (Karen Angela Ellis) specializes in topics centering around World Christianity and Ethics, and she’s passionate about preparing the next generations to live faithfully under anti-Christian hostility. Mrs. Ellis teaches and disciples young people at her local church on Bible and Global Christianity, and is the Director of the Edmiston Center at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also the Robert Cannada Fellow in World Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Host Bio

Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday. Get Heather’s weekly inspirational email delivered to your inbox every Friday night at 7 p.m. EST. Sign up now at: www.heatherthompsonday.com/links.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Producer: Loren Joseph

Mix Engineer: Alex Carter

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

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