Mixed Blessing

In today’s episode, we sit down with Latasha Ferguson and hear some of her amazing story. As a Black and Korean woman, Tasha has a lot of insight about navigating two worlds, overcoming obstacles, and finding a synthesis of both joy and sorrow. Enjoy our conversation as well uplift the stories of Mixed folks like Latasha.

Shownotes:

Latasha Ferguson is a speaker, writer, podcaster (Overcome to Become Podcast), and ministry leader. Her heart beats for empowering women to do the hard work of heart work so they can get unstuck, overcome, own their story, and live authentically.

She is also a passionate educator who has spent the past 16 years serving in the roles of teacher, assistant principal, principal, and now director of instruction. 

Wife to her best-friend and mom to four beautiful girls. Latasha loves to read, spend time at the beach, and will travel far and wide for great food that hugs her belly. 

latashaferguson.com  

@latashamferguson on Instagram

Overcome to Become Podcast

www.facebook.com/groups/womenarestrongertogether/

Today’s sponsor: the InterVarsity Library

Description:

In today’s episode, I got to sit down at the multiethnic table with Brennan Takayama. Tune in to hear his story as a monoracial multiethnic man with roots in both San Francisco and Hawai’i. Brennan has much insight into loving the “other,” loving oneself (and thus honoring God’s good creation), and loving the land, along with many other great topics. 

Shownotes:

Brennan Takayama is a mixed Asian man of Japanese and Chinese (Cantonese) ancestry. He was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii where he enjoyed playing with his brothers and cousins on the family farm. His family moved from Hiroshima, Japan in the late-1800s to work on the sugar cane plantations of the Hamakua coast. His Chinese family moved from Canton to Hawaii and then California in 1870, and his mom was born and raised in San Francisco Chinatown. A documentary "Vanishing Chinatown" about his great-grandparents' photo studio has been on the film festival circuit. Two of his favorite TV shows right now are Kim's Convenience and Black-ish.

btakayama on Facebook

Brennan’s email

Give to partner with Brennan

Today’s sponsor: the InterVarsity Library

In today’s episode, I got to sit down at the multiethnic table with Tiffany Henness. Join us for vulnerability and deep thoughts, but also laughs and theological hijinks. Tiffany’s story is a blessing to me, and will bless you—whether you’re multi- or monoethnic. Come listen and learn from Tiffany and her amazing story as a multiethnic, transracial (but domestic) adoptee. 

Shownotes:

Website: Callinginthewildnerness.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/callinginthewilderness

Instagram: Instagram.com/coachhenness

Twitter: Twitter.com/coachhenness

Tiffany Henness is a biracial, transracial adoptee and founder of the Adoptee Influencer Network.  She is also a transracial adoption educator for Be the Bridge, a non-profit that focuses on racial reconciliation. Tiffany lives in Oregon with her husband and two kids, where she serves on the local Leadership Council for Safe Families for Children and organizes a BIPOC community group. She writes about the intersection of adoption, ethnic identity and faith.

Description:

In today’s episode, I got to sit down at the multiethnic table with my friend Ben Lowe. Ben is multiethnic, multicultural, and multinational and has much insight and kindness to offer us as we ask the perpetual Mixed question: “Who are my people?” Join us for this encouraging conversation as we talk the environment, belief in a good creator, and learning to define ourselves as God sees us. 

Shownotes:

Ben S Lowe on Facebook

@BenSLowe on Instagram

BenLowe.net

Christians for Social Action

Rev. Ben Lowe is a doctoral candidate and National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of Florida, where his research focuses on the human dimensions of global environmental change. Originally from Singapore, Ben has authored multiple books and currently co-chairs Christians for Social Action. 

For this Mixed Blessing episode, I sit down with Christina Quintanilla, a seminarian, small business owner, poet, and friend. It’s a beautiful conversation about the importance of finding God in both weeping and dancing, of great capacity for lament as well as joy. No matter what our ethnic story is, each of us can follow in the footsteps and legacy of Jesus in how we tell and listen to stories, how we walk the land, and how we sit with others. 

Shownotes:

@chrissieq on Instagram

Christina is a soap-making seminarian based in Bakersfield, California, USA. She has a heart for racial justice and a love for preaching and writing. After graduating from UCLA, Christina served as a Reconciliation Specialist for InterVarsity Christian fellowship, raising up students of color to thrive as kingdom leaders. Her soap and skincare business, Bloomwell Essentials, gives a portion of every sale towards hunger relief. Christina is currently pursuing her Masters of Divinity, with the hopes of opening doors for women of color clergy and disciplining the western church in the ministry of justice and liberation.

For this episode of Mixed Blessing, we get to hear from Heather Thompson Day, a professor, wife, mother, and the author of It’s Not Your Turn, which just released this week! It’s a wonderful conversation about waiting on the Lord, doing good work, extending grace to others, and allowing our Mixed identity to be part of our spiritual formation in all of these areas, as we seek after our King Jesus.   

Shownotes:

@HeatherTDay on Twitter

@HeatherThompsonDay on Instagram

Book recommendations:

It’s Not Your Turn from InterVarsity Press

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Daring to Trust by David Richo 

Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an interdenominational speaker and contributor for Religion News Service, Newsweek and the Barna Group. She is also an Associate Professor of Communication at Colorado Christian University. She is passionate about supporting women, and runs an online community called I’m That Wife which has nearly 200k followers. 

Heather’s writing has been featured on the Today Show, and the National Communication Association. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio Live and has been featured in Forbes. 

She believes her calling is to stand in the gaps of our churches for young people and is the author of 7 books; including It’s Not Your Turn, and Confessions of a Christian Wife. Heather resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Pastor Seth Day, and their three children, London, Hudson, and Sawyer Day.

Description:

For this episode of Mixed Blessing: Breaking Bread at the Multiethnic Table, we are joined by my dear friend and co-conspirator, Jen Hollingsworth. It’s a significant and holy time of discussing Mixed identity, and what that can teach us about the importance of nuance, fluidity, and community. It’s also a time filled with much laughter and affirmation.

Shownotes:

Jen on Instagram: @jen_ancog

Jen Hollingsworth is the director of the Program Management Office and Change Lead for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She is a biracial woman who has helped lead change to create space for folks with a Mixed experience. Jen loves to walk with people and organizations through the changes following Jesus brings.

Description:

For this episode of Mixed Blessing: Breaking Bread at the Multiethnic Table, we get to chat with Lo McDermott. We talk about the importance of family, the beauty of nature, and the unique ways that the deep theology Native believers can bless mixed folks, and the entire church. Join me to enjoy the privilege of hearing some of Lo’s powerful story.

Shownotes:

Lo on Instagram: @loplantsjungles

Lo’s ministry at Modesto Junior College

Lo’s ministry at San Joaquin Delta College

Join Lo’s support team

Lo, a mixed White and Native believer, is on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the central valley of California. Engaging intersectional identity with Jesus has provided moments for joy and challenge in her faith. In spare time, she enjoys D&D games with old friends, and caring for her overly large plant collection.

In today’s episode of Mixed Blessing: Breaking Bread at the Multiethnic Table, we’re sitting down with Michelle Reyes. Michelle encourages, challenges, and speaks a word of encouragement from Psalm 139:73-74. Join us for this episode to hear more of her story, which helps us all to tell our own stories. Let’s break bread and learn together.

Shownotes:

Michelle on Twitter

Michelle on Instagram

Michelle on Facebook

Michelle’s website

Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Connections Across Cultures

Michelle Reyes (PhD) is the Vice President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative and the Editorial Director at Pax. She is also the Scholar-in-Residence at Hope Community Church, a minority-led multicultural church in East Austin, Texas, where her husband, Aaron, serves as lead pastor. Michelle's work on faith and culture has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Missio Alliance, Faithfully Magazine and more. Her book on cross-cultural relationships is called Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Connections Across Cultures (Zondervan 2021). 

In today’s episode of the Mixed Blessing podcast, we sit down with my dear friend Kylene Hong, who is not only a dear friend and a mentor, she’s one of the first folks to see me in the complexity of my multiethnicity and to invite me into the journey. It is a precious, uplifting, and fun conversation. Kylene has much wisdom to share from a multiethnic, multicultural, and even multinational perspective, and does so with grace and humor. One of her passions is helping Mixed folks walk through our identity formation process, and you will see that shine through our entire conversation.

Shownotes:

Connect with Kylene via Facebook Messenger or her InterVarsity email

Kylene Hong has been on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for almost twenty years, currently serving as the Director of Breakthrough Events based in Madison, WI. As a Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist, she has a passion for connecting the strategy and catalytic nature of events with her love for hospitality and leadership development. Kylene loves meeting other Mixed folk and sharing one another’s stories and journeys at the intersection of race and faith. If she’s not playing board games with friends or spending time with her family, you might just find her eating Dole Whip and strolling along down Main Street in her happy place (aka any Disney Park).