Taylor S. Schumann says she’s always been a writer, but on a spring day in 2013 she became an activist, too. It was an otherwise ordinary afternoon at New River Community College in Christiansburg, Virginia, when a gunman’s bullet tore through her left hand, and she became a victim of yet another mass shooting in America. In the split-second moment of the shooting, and the long work of healing and trauma recovery that followed, her beliefs about gun reform, “thoughts and prayers,” and the role of the church in our nation’s relentless trend of gun violence were irreversibly altered. 

In this episode, Heather and Taylor discuss life in the aftermath of gun violence. Through her story, Taylor invites us to meet the suffering around us with our whole-hearted attention. May we all resist the impulse to look away from an uncomfortable subject and instead listen intently to Taylor’s bold message. Find her at taylorschumann.com and on Twitter @taylorsschumann.

Also, in our #GrowingViral segment, meet Clifford Stumme, also known as “the Pop Song Professor.” Clifford loves poetry and has decided to engage with culture by analyzing songs that top the charts and looking for their deeper meaning. Find Clifford on Twitter @CliffordStumme. He’s also the host of the podcast Obsessed.

Reach out to Heather at heatherthompsonday.com, on Twitter @HeatherTDay, and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day                                         

Producer: Loren Joseph

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices