Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life

Episode 21.
Emi spoke with heart about his complex background – growing up Roman Catholic by Dominican immigrants, converting to Islam at Boston University, speaking Spanish as a first language, and his racial and cultural identity as both Hispanic and Black.  All of this makes Emi the unique human he is.  Having explored various religions and lived in different places, he is able to understand what it is like to be in another place. Moreover, he is guided by the Qur’anic verse: “I made you different so that you may get to know one another”. Each person’s complexity, uniqueness, the religion, culture and experiences is what we present to the world. 

 
Highlights:
·       His religious and cultural identity is complex and not an easy question to answer. 

·       Being raised in Roman Catholicism remains in him, it’s values and iconography.
·       Speaking Spanish, English and some Arabic allows him to see the commonalities and differences across religions and cultures.

·       Observing is not about praying five times a day for him.  It is being kind, generous, grateful, 

·       How different communities can know each other is an important question for him. 

Quotes:
“We're all meant to be something, but we're all finding out what that something is, and it doesn't just stop at your faith.”

“I think that something I still bring with me [from Roman Catholicism] is a lot of strength, a lot of courage, compassion, kindness and empathy.”

“I've been a Catholic and I've been a Muslim and I haven't been either of those things as well.”

“My current practice is that when I wake up, I I'm just thankful that I wake up.”

“Beyond just talking with God or praying, I think your daily life is your practice. I think what you do. Every moment that you live is how you embody what it is that you believe in.”

Social Media links for Emi:   
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/oelmis-fermin/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/11352725-21-emi-fermin-i-m-meant-to-be-a-muslim/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments questions? Email Meli at:  
         [email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 20.
Luis, Professor at Boston University,  spoke of several big topics, including  Liberation Theology, religion as a complex entity, LGBTQ identity, and the importance of focusing on problems rather than identity.  Luis  unpacks complex theological ideas and connects them to everyday life.  In addition to Christian theology and elements of the New Testament, we drew lines to Jewish concepts.  

 Highlights:
·       Luis is comfortable with the various elements of his identity – Catholic, gay, Spanish immigrant in America, scholar – and how they fit together. 

·       Being part of a religious tradition does not require us to agree with every aspect of it.  We don’t demand that in other relationships, so why make that exception?

·       Liberation Theology, and other contextual theologies, start from the place of analyzing the immediate reality.

·       The Hebrew Bible and New Testament talk about the real implications of God a lot, not about the nature of God in the abstract. 

·       Religion is a way of living, not a doctrine.  It is a complex entity you can be in relationship with.

Quotes:
“To be faithful is not to believe in something. When you are faithful to someone, you don't believe what they believe. When you're faithful to someone, you have an ethical orientation to that person. You have a commitment, a practical commitment to that person.”

“The current mainstream association [in America] of Christianity with the nuclear family is nowhere to be found in the New Testament and is nowhere to be found in the first two-three centuries of Christianity.”

“When I was primarily an activist, my activism and was very informed by my intellectual work, and now that I'm in academia, much of the stuff that I teach and I write, issues from my activism.”

“The way we talk about the past is deeply informed by our ideas about the present.”

“Liberation theology never talked about personal identities. Never did, and it still doesn't. It talks about the problem of colonization. It talks about our problem of oppression and it talks about ways communities organized against that.”

Social Media links for Luis:   
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/luis.menendez.antuna
Academia – https://luismenendezantuna.academia.edu
Boston University – https://www.bu.edu/sth/profile/luis-menendez-antuna/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/11251655-20-luis-menendez-antuna-focus-on-the-problems/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments Questions? Email Meli at:  
         [email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 19.
Kelly has overcome a difficult childhood and built a successful career as a marketing strategist, coach, mentor to entrepreneurs, speaker and published author.  Accepting Christ in her 20s and developing a relationship with God has fueled her Christ-centered work with other Christians.   

Highlights:
·       She lives a Christian lifestyle as an Evangelical.
·       Religion is the rules and structure.
·       God’s message is an impression on her heart
·       Studying the Bible attunes her ear to God’s ‘voice’ and message.
·       Studying the Bible and prayer teaches her to recognize God’s voice.

Quotes:
“Christianity is based on love, is based on God's love for us. And that's what I meant that I don't have a religion, but I have a lifestyle as a Christian.”

“I'm called to help those people just like me. ... My job is to help them to able to articulate the value they can provide and to market that so they can serve a whole lot more people and create that ripple effect that we are looking for.”

“Faith is that force to pull forward, say: ‘I will believe a positive outcome come out’. That doesn't mean you will not go through tribulations. But you've put your brainpower, intentionality, focus on the desired result come out.”

“There is not a decision that no matter small or big in my life that I don't ask God’s idea or proof.”

“God will always give us confirmation.”

“You need to have the Holy Spirit live inside of you, so when the voice come, you then will be able to tell whether that voice is from others or is from [your] own Father.”

 Social Media links for Kelly:
Kelly Baader – https://kellybaader.com
Power of One – https://www.powerofoneframework.com
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiIEQgLJcy02yAHbipRQkXw
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellybaader/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kellybaader/

 Kelly’s book – A Little Girl Called Grace was Amazon Bestseller in 2012.

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/11173335-19-kelly-baader-hearing-god-s-voice/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:  
         [email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 18.
Born in Uganda and raised in Kenya, Sos has lived in the U.S. for ten years, learning about the system and how he can build a new life.  Despite the challenges, he remains positive and focused on the opportunities and bringing joy through stories.  He is a published author, and his children's book was inspired by his interactions with African Americans.  As a Black African, he brings a unique perspective to the Black experience and opportunities in America.  Sos has retained his Anglican Christian faith, although he has not yet found a comfortable Anglican community in Boston. His work in two conservative Jewish synagogues feeds his soul and has opened his heart to better ways of building community.    

Highlights:
·       His father had three wives with different religions – Catholic, Muslim and Anglican.  Living together was happy and peaceful.  
·       Anglican churches in Boston have a similar service to those in Kenya but worshipping in a mostly white congregation is more restrained. 
·       Working in the Jewish community soothes his soul.  Seeing how the synagogues keep the community together and supporting the service inspires him.
·       African Americans can succeed in America and have opportunities worth pursuing. 
·       It is better for African Americans to focus on the children’s future, rather than the pain of slavery’s history. 

 
Quotes:
“A Black Kenyan in America is not the easiest because African American will identify you as an African. And a white person will not tell if you're an American or you are African unless you speak.”

“I actually just healed my soul being in those places because you get that spirit of love working there [in the synagogue].”

“I'm going through a certain transition from the different system to another system, and I haven't found my system in this place, so Moses is taking me up.”

References:
Mau Mau – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mau-mau

Social Media links for Sos: 
Children’s Book – Zikununu (Available soon.)
Radio program – Citizen Radio in Kenya,  Capital Radio in Uganda
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sostheng_k/?hl=en
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sostheng-kituyi-4a144731/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/11083822-18-sostheng-kituyi-worshipping-comes-from-the-heart/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:  
         [email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 17.
Sue clarified her identity as an evangelical Christian during her PhD program (UK), understanding that faith was more important than leadership.  When you live ‘in spirit’, you are an influencer and a leader.  While living a life in Christ and according to the Seven Fruits of the Holy Spirit are key, she is sensitive to the context.  Speech and behavior need to fit the situation, especially in a diverse work setting.  Evangelicalism values discernment, being aware of who might be open to deepening their relationship with God and responding to that inquiry with love and care.     

Highlights:
·       For Christians, faith is both a gift from God and something one can develop. 
·       Loving others despite differences is part of the journey of transformation.  We are all broken. 
·       Evangelicals see a tension between wanting others to be blessed, to have a relationship with God, and people's resistance to that idea. 
 ·       When you live a God-centric life, you are constantly re-fueled by the love and inspiration from God. 

Quotes:
“You can actively seek God, and God asks us to seek for Him.”

“We're all on a journey of transformation. We're all in a process of sanctification. We're all sinners, and we're all saints.”

“There’s a hole in each person that’s God-shaped.” 

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”   

References (in order mentioned):
Ignatian tradition – https://www.marquette.edu/mission-ministry/explore/what-is-ignatian-spirituality.php

Consolation and Desolation – https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/consolation-and-desolation-2/ 

Holistic Development Model (Map of Meaning) – https://www.themapofmeaning.org

Social Media links for Sue: 

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/suehoward/

Holistic Leadership – www.holisticleadership.co.uk

Christian Development Model S161 – https://grovebooks.co.uk/series/spirituality/

The Vineyard Church – https://www.vineyardchurches.org.uk/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript on Buzzsprout


Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?   Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet. 


Comments?  Questions? Email  Méli at – [email protected]

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 16. 
Rayne and Callie Simons, Pentecostal Christians living in California.  The Pentecostal way of life focuses on the emotional connection with God and the Holy Spirit.  Through coaching football and nursing, they are ‘sowers of seed’, living by example.  Family, friends and foes alike are treated with care and respect.  Rayne and Callie see the core of the person, letting theological differences fall by the wayside.  This Pentecostal way of life suits them, as it keeps the focus on the emotional connection with God and the Holy Spirit.  

Highlights:
·       Pentecostalism is based on evangelical Christianity, and following what God tells them to do through the Holy Spirit is the central idea.
·       Their faith expression is emotional, not rule-based.   
·       Rayne sees visions and "speaks them out" to the person.  He’s channeling a message from God. 
·       Rayne mentors young men, showing by example how to be a man and live a good life. 
·       God led Callie into nursing, and she’s grateful to do work that comes from the heart.   
·       Treating everyone with respect, care and love is a central premise of their interfaith patchwork family.

Quotes:
“We live our lives trying to listen to what God would like us to do and be responsive to that.”  Rayne

“[Rayne] just is obedient to God's voice and he speaks it out and because it's so exactly what God wanted that person to hear, then it's just always accepted. So it's really a beautiful thing.”  Callie

“There are lots of people with lots of different beliefs out there, and caring for people, it's not my responsibility to correct or change a belief of someone. It's more important that I just respect and honor the person that they are.”   Callie

“It's who God created us to be. We're on the end of sowing those seeds and planting those seeds of kindness, and generosity and love and, and laughter and so forth.”   Rayne

“All of our children have a pretty deep-held belief in God, even if it looks different in every relationship.”   Callie

“Part of the prophetic bent that I have in my life, is seeing what God sees in a person, not what the world sees in them.”   Rayne


Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/10942505-16-rayne-callie-simons-the-spirit-led-life/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments? Questions?  Email Meli at: 
         [email protected]

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 15.
In this first Bonus episode, Nora speaks extensively about being a Muslim Chaplain on college campuses and elsewhere.  Chaplains must wear many hats – supporter, advocate, program developer, and interfaith colleague.  While chaplains work in many settings – colleges, hospitals, prisons, and even companies, Nora felt called to the college environment. As a passionate and knowledgeable Muslim,  she approached that work with sensitivity, responding to the various needs of Muslim students.  In addition to the normal challenges they face as young adults, Muslim students sometimes struggle with inter-religious relationships,  learning more about Islamic practice and adjusting to life in the US. 

Highlights
·       Chaplains support and advocate, ensuring people’s religious and spiritual needs are met. 
·       There are 4,000 college and only 150 have a Muslim chaplains in the US – a growing and unmet need for Islamic spiritual guidance. 
·       College campuses are not bubbles.  Students and staff are affected by current events.
·       Muslim students sometimes have unique needs around mental health, dating, cultural expression and being an immigrant.

Quotes:
“A chaplain is someone who is an advocate, a promoter, a support for spiritual and religious needs.”

“People should strive to be ethical, but especially in the field of chaplaincy, when people often share their vulnerable stories with you, they put a lot of trust in you as a, as a spiritual, religious figure.”

“Unfortunately, a statistic just came out recently that Muslims are, I believe, one of the highest faith communities to commit suicide, and that includes young Muslim students.”

“It's not often that you see a Muslim woman chaplain. Thankfully, more and more Muslim women are becoming chaplains.”


Social Media links for Nora:
Chaplaincy Innovation Lab –
 https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/2020/10/educator-profile-nora-zaki
My Muslim Chaplain website – www.mymuslimchaplain.com 
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-zaki/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     

Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:   
[email protected]

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 14.
Exploration and learning mark Anberin’s journey.  Raised in Bangalore India by her mother, a Sufi Muslim who also found inspiration in Buddhism, Anberin was inquisitive and could explore, seeking her spiritual and creative home.  The expressive place was filmmaking from an early age, though her spiritual home took longer to find.  Eventually, she found it in Eastern Orthodoxy, while filming in Serbia.  Anchored by Christ and enveloped by the sounds, scents, the repeated chants pull her deeper each time.  Having begun documentary film studies with a passion for activism, her discovery of the ancient Eastern Orthodox tradition and Christ, shifted her focus to love, which remains the driver to this day. 

Highlights:
·       She explored faith traditions, seeking something holistic.
·       Love changes us gradually.
·       The Bible is not enough, the Holy Spirit needs to be involved.
·       Violence stems from unexamined trauma. 
·       Hatred is an expression of twisted pain. 

Quotes:
“The way I see it is that each faith was teaching me something and it was leading me on. I felt like they were all signs along the way. In retrospect, I realize what I was really and truly seeking was that element of love.”

“How Christ was moving through the world and how he was healing and all of that is powerful. All of it comes from a place of love, and only love can change us.”

“I needed a model and Christ was and is my model for how I live my life.”

“[Eastern Orthodox Christianity is] like a well that has no bottom.”

References:
Lillian Smith, Killers of the Dream – https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/150192.Killers_of_the_Dream

Miss Lil’s Camp – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814217/?ref_=nm_knf_t1

Social Media links for Anberin:   
“Love to the End” film – https://www.hchc.edu/holy-cross-student-produces-love-to-the-end-documentary-film/ 
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lovetotheenddocumentary/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lovetotheenddocumentary/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org


Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/10805830-14-anberin-pasha-only-love-can-change-us/edit


Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     


Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:
[email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 13.
Miriam is a life-long Jew, but has practiced in different ways.  Being mindful about food is one of many ways she lives the tradition.  For Miriam, being a Conservative Jew fits perfectly, as it retains the liturgy and ritual, while being egalitarian, whereby men and women sit together in the sanctuary and women can lead services. The many lay-offs her husband went through were stressful.  One day she realized that things had always worked out.  Since then, she’s been able to apply that view to other life situations.  

 Highlights:
·       Conservative Judaism conserves the practice while being egalitarian. 
·       Her non-Jewish husband has supported raising the children Jewish and eating ‘kosher-style’, a blend that fits their interfaith family.
·       The children, all young adults, are free to make their own decisions now.
·       Her husband’s many layoffs were very stressful for Miriam, due to financial concerns.
·       An epiphany after the fifth layoff changed her attitude.  She became confident they would weather any situation.
·       God is a day-to-day support for her.

 
Quotes:
“[Keeping kosher is] a great way to have a mindfulness about Judaism and your religious identity in an ordinary moment.”

“These layoffs I particularly found very, very scary, and they really tested my trust in God.” 

“Gratitude is a way that I celebrate God both in small ways and and large ways depending on the amount of gratitude.”

 Reference:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָֽינוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמָן הַזֶּה

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Haolam, shehechiyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higianu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are You Eternal Spirit who has given us life, sustained us and allowed us to arrive in this moment.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shehechiyanu-a-meditation-on-this-moment/

Social Media links for Miriam:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-cohen-franzen-811438202/

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/10726750-13-miriam-cohen-franzen-god-guides-my-life/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?   Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     


Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:
[email protected].

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project. 

Episode 12.
Azra embodies a commitment to living her Islamic faith – she models the lives of prophets as best she can, all the while being a strong entrepreneurial woman in the 21st century. Part of her approach is to follow the Qur’anic saying regarding the diversity of humans and learning from others, not despising them. 

Highlights:
·       Azra identifies as a Muslim and demurs on the question of sect affiliation, following her father’s advice to respect all sects and stress the commonalities.  
·       As a Muslim woman who veils, she is a visible representative of the faith. 
·       Cultural education is a valuable way to increase awareness and acceptance of other cultures. 
·       Everyone faces challenges.  The question is one of response.
·       Family, community and faith sustain her in times of difficulty.
·       She trusts God but also fights for justice.

Quotes:
“I was raised always to represent myself as a Muslim. I find it's important to respect all sects. There's many sects within the Muslim religion and we've always been proud to identify ourselves as Muslims.” 

“When it comes to women, we're easily identified because of our coverage, so we we're kind of like the flag bearers of Islam, if you're observing the Muslim headdress.”

“I think through education, people become more aware and accepting of different cultures.”

 “I can give credit to my dad, because from a very young age, he always always told us about a verse from the Qur’an, which is verse number 49:13: ‘O mankind we have created you from a single male and female, into nations and tribes so that you may learn from one another, and not that you may despise each other’.”

“The lessons that I've learned throughout my life, and learning about these stories of prophets, has taught me the importance of having that faith and trust in God.”


Social Media links for Azra:
Plaques by Azra website – https://www.azra.com
Away in a BOX – https://www.azra.com/away
Plaques by Azra – Instagram
Plaques by Azra – Facebook
Azra Khalfan-Kermali – LinkedIn

Social Media links for Méli:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisolomon/
Talking with God Project –  https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org

Transcript:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1851013/episodes/10642640-12-azra-khalfan-kermali-islamic-beliefs-entrepreneurial-passion/edit

Follow the podcast!
The Living Our Beliefs podcast offers a place to learn about other religions and faith practices. When you hear about how observant Christians, Jews and Muslims live their faith, new ideas and questions arise:  Is your way similar or different?  Is there an idea or practice that you want to explore?  Understanding how other people live opens your mind and heart to new people you meet.     


Comments? Questions? Email Meli at:
[email protected]

The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.