In this Halloween edition, Listener spoke with Dr. Gerry Breshears of Western Seminary, discussing the light and the dark sides of Halloween, including the reality of satanic rituals today (4:00) who exactly is susceptible to demonic influences (13:50) what this all has to do with elohim and the biblical theory of a divine council (15:30) and resources for anyone experiencing demonic oppression (24:15)

Resources Referenced:

The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser

The Bible Project Podcast

https://thebibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/

Breshears.net

Michael Sylvester and I discuss Lenses Los Angeles, how The Lenses Institute was birthed out of the Urban project (8:00) Lenses Atlanta (17:40) how the experience can help us see, understand and act (28:50) and Michael’s own transformation as a result of his work with the institute (34:10).

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Resources mentioned:

Christian Community Development Association

https://ccda.org/about/

"With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development"

by John M. Perkins and Charles Colson

The Lenses Institute

http://lensesinstitute.com/race-and-gospel/

TJ discusses with Samantha the benefits of interpreting The Bible in diverse community (1:00) why a white person's ethnic identity matters (7:30) lessons on grief and hope from Harry Potter (21:50)

how God has used dreams to speak to her(36:16) and what grief and the healing of two daughters in Mark 5 has taught her about resurrection (38:55)

TJ Poon, Epic's People and Culture Director, hails from a small Texas town and got involved with a predominantly Asian-American Cru movement as a college student at Rice University. In this episode, we discuss the pitfalls of racial color blindness and what she's learned from Epic about being white (4:00) white privilege and oppression (11:30) power dynamics in white majority organizations (14:30) and The Circle Model, a new form of communal Ministry Partner Development pioneered by the Inner City ministry of Cru (25:30)

Listener goes overseas to catch up with Garrick Roegner, Spain's National Campus Co-director for Cru--known in Europe as Agape. We talk about what it's like to live somewhere where daily naps are appropriate, how Garrick and his family ended up in Granada, Spain (8:20) Agape's ministry on the Camino del Santiago (15:25) U2 (18:55) the ups and downs of ministry in difficult contexts (23:30) how Agape partners with the Catholic Church (32:10) and much more about life in España.

Rasool Berry and I discuss that Christianity is not a white man's religion, the biblical topics women and slavery (11:02) male privilege (12:30)Kanye West (16:45) and which Avenger he identifies with (39:22)

Rasool Berry of Cru City is featured in Part One of Two of "Eat the Meat, Spit Out the Bones". We discuss his elite status as a Yelp reviewer, how his Cru City team in NY is like the Avengers (10:13) the origin of his Arabic name (11:55) how the autobiography of Malcolm X changed his life (19:18) and ways the book Divided by Faith has impacted my awakening to racialization(25:33)

Tabitha Morales just crossed cultures--from New Jersey to Orlando--to join Cru's Oneness and Diversity team. We talked about Orlando Crespo's "Being Latino in Christ" and also "Mi Casa Uptown" by Rich Perez, why Hispanics and Latinos are uniquely positioned to reach the world (1:30) how Jesus crosses cultures (11:15) and Cru's current reality when it comes to Oneness and Diversity (22:50)

Tabitha Morales recently joined Cru's Oneness and Diversity Team, and in this episode she talks about growing up in a large extended Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, her miraculous healing from epilepsy at age ten (4:40) her September 11th, 2001 experience as a High School sophomore on Manhattan (8:50) and cultural experiences getting involved with Cru as a college student at Kean University in New Jersey (19:00)

Steve Sellers, VP of Cru and Director of US Ministry, regularly waterskis on a gator-filled lake in Florida (1:00). Listen as he takes us through a typical day (4:30) shares his thoughts on BCWI results (16:02) details how Cru prepares diverse succession planning for leaders at every level (26:07) and why teams with at least two women are more effective (29:38)