Pray With our Feet

Join us for part 2 of our discussion with Walt Shelton, writer, columnist for Austin American-Statesmen), speaker, social justice advocate and environmental attorney. His new book The Daily Practice of Life: Practical Reflections Towards Meaningful Living centers Christ and mindfulness, while lifting up the urgency of living out our Christian faith by making a difference in the world. Walt reminds us: "Jesus is synonymous with social justice."

We delved into quite a bit, including:

- Jesus' powerful example of being in genuine relationship with people, and how embodying this way of being can transform us all.

- The call throughout scripture to tear down walls we erect (because of difference), and embrace a radical love of our neighbors and community (Lev. 19:18 and Mark 12:31).

- What the prophet Amos teaches us about resisting oppression and God's concept of justice. Check out Walt's essay within his book, Chapter 32: "Social Justice is Always in Season"

- Reclaiming Christ's message of embracing service for others: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." Luke 4:18

Don't miss his ongoing event series - "Cultural Transformation: An Open Discussion of Respect, Inclusiveness, Racial Harmony, and the Pursuit of Justice" on Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday evenings, March 25 - April 29 Central Time.

Stay Connected with Pray with Our Feet podcast and Community:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Snag our NEW tee: Love is the Revolution, a collab with our sponsor, Earth is an Island Designs. Choose Pray with our Feet as an org. to donate to at check out, and we receive a portion of the proceeds. Use the CODE - Invest20 and save 20% off your purchase.

Stay in community with us where the conversation continues on IG and Twitter.

Snag our The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

What if we embraced our faith more deeply - moving towards a closer relationship with Christ? How could this shift our view of the world for the better? We're chatting with writer, columnist for Austin American-Statesmen), speaker, social justice advocate and environmental attorney, Walt Shelton about his new book: The Daily Practice of Life: Practical Reflections Towards Meaningful Living.

We delved into quite a bit, including:

- The importance of a mindful morning routine to ground our spirits in God's word.

- What is means to embrace your faith in ways which cultivate transformation of the heart, and roots daily actions in a love of Christ, community, and building bridges across differences.

- The lessons we can all learn from Walt's Dad, who took time to genuinely see people he encountered daily, living out God's call to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Stay Connected with Walt's Work:

Don't miss his upcoming event - you can register through March 20: "Cultural Transformation: An Open Discussion of Respect, Inclusiveness, Racial Harmony, and the Pursuit of Justice" will meet on Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings from March 25 through April 29 Central Time.

Stay Connected with Pray with Our Feet podcast and Community:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Snag our NEW tee: Love is the Revolution, a collab with our sponsor, Earth is an Island Designs. Choose Pray with our Feet as an org. to donate to at check out, and we receive a portion of the proceeds. Use the CODE - Invest20 and save 20% off your purchase.

Stay in community with us where the conversation continues on IG and Twitter.

Snag our The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Creativity is a powerful tool for change. We caught up with Kris, founder of Earth is an Island Designs (our Season 2 sponsor!) about the beautiful ways art can spark change, rooting our activism in sacred community, loving kindness and the practice of mindfulness. And what it really means to put your money where your mouth is!

Check out our new tee shirt collaboration with Earth is an Island Designs: "Love is the Revolution." Use the code Invest20 to save 20% off! When you purchase your tee, choose Pray with our Feet as an org. to donate durning check out. Earth is an Island Designs will donate a portion of the proceeds to us!

More about Kris & Earth is an Island Designs: Kris works as a clinical psychologist with military veterans and in private practice. Through Earth is an Island Designs, a social enterprise, at the guidance of his customers, he invests in progressive organizations (donated 10K+ to date!) that promote peace, social justice, human and animal rights and mindful wellness on a liveable planet.

Kris aspires to be anti-racist, feminist, pro-social, and peace-loving, and is guided by the energy of biophilic lovingkindness for our beautiful, abundantly-giving Island Planet Earth, the elements and forces that offer life, and for all beings.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

The work of Yung Pueblo, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, and Lama Rod Owens.

Support our Work & Stay Connected - Pray with our Feet Community:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Stay in community with us where the conversation continues on IG and Twitter.

Snag our The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Anti-racism work is daily; it's a choice to embrace discomfort, the uncertainty of how folks around you will react, and a commitment to unapologetic truth telling. This week's guest, writer (founder of the blog, Some Thoughts From Your Black Friend), anti-racism activist / educator, podcaster (Upside Down podcast), Patricia A. Taylor is on the journey.

We have long admired her work, and this conversation is full of thoughtful insights, we delved into:

- Her journey - aligning her writing with social justice and listening to the call from God to move into anti-racism work.

- Why proximity to BIPOC communities doesn't absolve churches and individuals from doing the work of anti-racism.

- How she embraces care for her mind, body and spirit, rooted in scripture from Jeremiah to the Psalms, and 2 Corinthians 3: 3-5.

- The necessity of lament and repentance for the church as it relates to racial and social justice.

- Why spiritual bypassing is dangerous, and why being vulnerable around safe people (particularly for those in BIPOC communities) about what we're feeling is a form of self care.

- What Patricia hopes those in her community take away from her work: questions that guide them toward action, and keep them rooted in compassion.

More about Patricia Taylor // Follow Her Work:

Patricia Taylor is a wife, mom and California native turned Georgia peach. She believes in Jesus, truth-telling, loving all our neighbors, and having critical conversations around racial justice with grace and honesty. Her work is rooted in anti-racism education, and she serves as the BIPOC Educator for Be The Bridge.

Patricia is also a cohost for Upside Down Podcast, which is an ecumenical faith space that has unscripted conversations around justice, spirituality, and culture. You may find her on Instagram @patricia_a_taylor and on Facebook at Some Thoughts From Your Black Friend by Patricia A. Taylor.

Announcements:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits: HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

As activists, we carry so much - emotionally, physically and spiritually. Take a moment to breathe, grab your notebook and get these tips from my Ebony Westbrook, meditation coach, vegan chef, and multi-passionate creative.

During this episode we delved into the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, caring for the body by listening to it deeply (with healthy eating practices, body scans using meditation), self awareness and more.

Born and raised in Los Angeles California, as a young girl, Ebony grew a passion for singing/songwriting, jewelry designing and health wellness. She uses her gifts to bless others as well as blessing herself.

Connect with her work here. Listen to the podcast here. And follow her on Instagram: @shine_with_ebony.

Announcements:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Feb. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits: HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

Tune in for Part 2 of our stimulating discussion with Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III, Senior Minister of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, and founder of the Black Church Food Security Network.

We unpacked quite a bit during this episode, including:

- Understanding God stands on the side of the oppressed (through the lens Black liberation theology) and thinkers like Rev. Dr. James Cone (The Cross and The Lynching Tree) and Howard Thurman, author of Jesus and the Disinherited (among other books).

- The essential work of believers in building bridges across generations and empowering ourselves. Check out his work with the Black Church Food Security Network, a partnership between black churches and black farmers around the country.

- Being unapologetic about the beauty of blackness, and seeing this way of moving through the world as linked deeply to a loving and affirming God.

- Why we must build beloved community (in the tradition of the Maroons, formerly enslaved people who set up their own communities), and understanding the unique finger print of God on not only individuals, but church bodies (each has a different calling).

Announcements:

Thank you to all who have donated to the podcast! If you're able to send a donation to further our work (on Venmo). We are working on a Patreon page.

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Feb. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits: HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

Jesus came to extend radical love and compassion to "the least of these," (Matthew 25:40) - people pushed to the margins of society. We chat with Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III, Senior Minister at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, social entrepreneur and activist, about how he centers social justice in his ministry, the significance of the black church - its origins, roots, pioneering thinkers and theologians - and why we must come to understand Jesus as a community organizer, who came to "preach the good news to the poor." (Luke 4:18)

This is part 1 of our discussion, stay tuned for part 2, released next week, the first Friday of Black History Month.

More on Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III:

He is the Founding Director of Orita's Cross Freedom School. Based on the Freedom Schools of the 1960's, Dr. Brown works to reconnect Black youth to their African heritage while providing them hands-on learning opportunities to spark their creative genius and build vocational skills.​

Additionally, in 2015 he launched the Black Church Food Security Network a multi-state alliance of congregations working together to inspire health, wealth and power in the Black Community. The BCFSN accomplishes this by partnering with historically African American churches to establish gardens on church-owned land and cultivates partnerships with African American farmers to create a grassroots, community-led food system.

Resources Mentioned During this Episode:

- Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community

- Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, author of The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors, among other books.

- Rev. Harvey Johnson, Union Baptist Church

Thank you to our Season 2 sponsor: Earth is an Island Designs makes conscious apparel and household goods affirming our commitment to a better world, sharing $20 per item purchased for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic to help repair humanity + our beautiful, all-giving island Earth. Use the code Invest20 for 20% off your purchase. Earth is an Island Designs has donated $10,560 to progressive causes to date!

Announcements:

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Feb. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits: HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

Merry Christmas, Pray with our Feet Community!

We caught up with Rev. Fran Pratt, pastor, writer, musician, and mystic about her deeply moving prayers which call us to the daily work of anti-racism, honoring the earth and uplifting the Beloved community.

We delved into her faith journey - leaving a fundamentalist evangelical background into progressive Christianity, prayer as both spiritual practice and art form, her powerful prayer: Litany for Racism in the U.S., the need for Christians to understand Jesus through the eyes of those pushed to the margins (liberation theology).

Fran is author of Call and Response: Litanies for Congregational and regularly creates and shares modern liturgy here and on Patreon. She serves as Pastor of Worship and Liturgy at Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas, where she lives with her spouse and two young daughters.

Resources Mentioned During this Episode: James Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Lisa Sharon Harper's work

Thank you to our Sponsor:

TY to our Season 2 Sponsor, Earth is an Island Designs (power the revolution with your purchase. They have donated over $9,800 to progressive causes!) Shop small and conscious today.

Stay in Touch:

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Jan. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits:

HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

What does it mean to reclaim Christianity, committing to the daily work of anti-racism, and revolutionary love of Jesus? We sat down with Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Ph.D., Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church, a 1,300-member multi-ethnic, welcoming, and inclusive congregation in New York City (and full disclosure, my home church, loves!) for a conversation which delved into:

- The need for each of us to make anti-racism a daily practice

- Rooting our minds and spirits in revolutionary love

- The challenging joy of leading a diverse church that is radically inclusive and leaves no one out regardless of race, sexuality / gender identity or ability.

- The essential duty of church membership to push leaders towards anti-racist practices which goes beyond the pew and into our daily lives - the way we love, work, shop and come in community.

She is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and earned her Ph.D. in Religion and Society/Psychology and Religion at Drew University. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Lewis hosted "Just Faith," an on-demand television program on MSNBC.com and is a frequent media commentator.

Her books include The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leaders in Multi-racial, Multi-cultural Congregations, Ten Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation, and the children's book, You Are So Wonderful! She is currently at work on a book about how to heal souls and our world.

Stay Connected to Rev. Jacqui and Middle Church:

Middle Church is rebuilding after a tragic fire. You can support this ongoing work by donating here.

Visit Rev. Jacqui's website, and follow her heart-centered work.

Join the Movement at Middle Church!

Announcements:

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Jan. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits:

HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Pray with our Feet podcast! It's been a while since Season 1 wrapped, and we are excited to be in conversation with you all again. And, if you're on Instagram or Twitter, we regularly share there, too!

This season our theme is racism in the church: How do we dismantle it, along and also begin to move towards reconciliation?

Throughout the season, we'll explore -

- Racism in the Church (form a historical perspective), looking at the early church.

- Racism & the early church (biblical roots): how this connects what we are seeing in the American church today?

- In what way does the church need to rediscover the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to deal with racism?

- What are the shifts - administrative, cultural and individual - that need to take place in the collective body of Christ to uproot racism and the ideology of white supremacy?

- What are the strategies we can begin to lean into as individuals, and church bodies to uproot racism within our own hearts and minds?

We're excited to bring you conversations with ministers, activists, and organizers doing the deep and necessary work of anti-racism.

Here are a few of our upcoming guests mentioned in this episode:

Rev. Jacqui, Pastor of Middle Church. You can donate here to help rebuilding after the fire.

Rev. Fran Pratt

Rev. Brown

TY to our Season 2 Sponsor, Earth is an Island Designs (power the revolution with your purchase. They have donated $9,800 to progressive causes!) Shop small and conscious today.

Announcements:

Our podcast store is opening soon. In the meantime, get your The Revolution Needs our Joy, Too mug now!

Stay in community with us on IG and Twitter.

Stay tuned for our NEW Instagram Live pop-up series, "Continually Awakening," starting in Jan. 2021, where we make space to keep the conversation going around social justice and faith in between PWF podcast episodes.

Credits:

HUGE thank you to my husband, Kes, our podcast editor! He is also a talented creative entrepreneur, videographer and photographer! You can work with him and explore his work here.