The Global Fringe

Let’s talk about set backs and detours. Sometimes even when you intentionally design your life, life happens and you have to first deconstruct and tear down what you've built up until now. What must you do when you’ve had a disruption in your life – like getting fired, being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, or walking away from an unhealthy job? Brooklyn has had to do this at multiple points throughout her life. She’s learned how to course correct so she can live freely. And you can too. In this episode, she talks about the non-negotiables in designing a life that’s fully you. She vulnerably shares about depression, isolation, suffering, and stuckness, not as an end but as a pivot point to move forward. When disruption happens, what got you here won’t get you there and Brooklyn offers specific ideas and holy hope for all of us.

Follow Here:

• https://brooklynlindsey.com

Nancy is a world-class leader because she excels in two critical areas: self-awareness and developing teams. If you’re going to DESIGN a life of meaning and fullness, you need to know yourself and you need a team. No one is self-made and no one can do it alone. Nancy believes leaders need to be the most self-aware people in the room. When they’re not, damage is done. In this episode we talk about what self-leadership is, practices every leader needs to cultivate, and how to have a growing and grounded awareness in our life. We also discuss the essence of team, how to build a great one, and what the greatest team-breaker is. Nancy will leave you wanting more, which is exactly what’s necessary when you design a life of self-aware leadership.

RESOURCES:

• Find your spiritual pathways HERE.

When is it time to quit your safe, full time job to design a life you love? Elle Campbell did exactly that when she was only 29 years old. For years she and her husband, Kenny, cultivated a side hustle called “Stuff You Can Use”, a youth ministry resource company. But 2 years ago she knew it was time to pivot. They both quit their jobs on the same day and pivoted to build their company full-time. While their company isn’t an overnight success, it is now a multi-million dollar company that at the heart values elevating the voices of women and people of color on every level. Elle uses her creative energy to help others share their gifts with the world and live their dreams. Elle is relentlessly happy and easy going, but it’s her own marginalized experiences she strategically harnesses to create equality and show generosity for leaders globally.

Follow “Stuff You Can Use” on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Fifty years ago Dr. King said America’s most segregated Christian hour in the week is Sunday morning. It’s 2019 and we have not come far enough. DK is a pastor who’s lead worship at two influential churches in the U.S and has experienced being a leader on the fringe in a dominant white space. His immigrant family’s story alongside his international leadership journey has given him a unique global perspective. With a provocative voice with a commitment to building bridges from the dominant white space to the marginalized, DK pulls back the proverbial curtain around why there’s a lack of diversity in churches, what to do about it, and the ONE THING he’d tell leaders you need to do if you want to build more inclusive teams. A solid mixture of leadership challenge, practical personal ideas, and sharing our own friendship story, this episode will push any thoughtful leader or church to better reflect the image and nature of God in their context.

Check out the diverse team DK leads at Mariners Worship on iTunes/Spotify, particularly the album "A Death Like His", re-imagined songs for the lent journey.

Follow Here:

• Twitter: @dkdanielkim

Jenn Guerra has defined her present reality by living into the history of those who’ve gone before her. A Guatemalan immigrant to the U.S., a daughter of church planters, a bilingual pastor + intercultural leader today, she’s discovered the “beauty of particularity” in her story as she’s connected herself to the bigger story of where she comes from. We discuss the two questions you must answer completely if you’re going to live your life in all its fullness. She both code-switches + speaks prophetically for white people about how our privilege + place impact our ability to answer those questions. With passion + conviction, Jenn leads us into a deeper understanding of what faithfulness looks when you define who you are and where you’re from. 

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• Facebook: Jennifer Guerra Aldana 

Albert is respected lead pastor of one of the fastest-growing multiethnic churches in the United States, but this is not an interview of the shiny “successful” version of Albert. I don’t care so much that he’s spoken on ginormous stages, had the ear of “influential” leaders, or contributes to important Boards. This conversation is about what’s the benefit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul. Leaders need to first define the reality of their own soul, life, and wellness.  As we define reality for ourselves first, it must extend to those they lead. Albert’s one internal journey lead him to leave what’s safe for a vision that compelled him toward more. 

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• Podcast: Albert Tate Podcast 

Season 2 begins now! In this mini-episode, you’ll get a teaser for the focus on this season. You’ll hear more stories from leaders on the fringe of culture showing us how to define reality, design a life we love, and do the work required to get us from here to there. Start dreaming! We’ve got amazing work to do together this season. 

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• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilldiaz 

Season 1 is officially a wrap! WHAT?!? In this brief episode, we’ll take a look at some highlights from this inaugural season and look ahead to Season 2. As we work over the next couple months to make Season 2 even better, you can become a patron of the show at Patreon.com/theglobalfringe. For as little as $5/month, you can elevate the voices from the fringe and join the movement.

Spoiler alert: I cry for the first time on this podcast while listening to Daniel’s story. He vulnerably opens up about being a church kid, who loved God, and believed something was wrong with who he was. He speaks to what he’d wish for the church and how he’s living out his faith now.  

About Daniel: In a previous life, Daniel Merk-Benitez was a church kid and eventually became the creative director for a large evangelical church in San Diego. After coming to his senses, he left vocational church work and decided to try something else. Professionally, he’s currently an interior designer. Unprofessionally, he dwells in and finds his place among Hillcrest, the predominately LGBTQ neighborhood near the city center of San Diego. Unashamedly queer, Daniel is embedded in the LGBTQ community and has found relational depth beyond anything he ever experienced within the church walls. 

Follow Daniel on Instagram: @dmerkbenitez 

Shelley Donaldson is a female…pastor…married to a woman. A trifecta of descriptors sure to blow some people’s mind, she definitely doesn’t conform to any boxes. Shelley adds so much dimension to this episode as she shares her own powerful faith and “coming out” story, which has lead her to be a committed voice for LGBTQ+ teenagers. In true preacher form, she admonishes parents on what their kids most need when they come out.  

Also, in this episode, Shelley sheds a beautiful light on what being gay has taught her about the character and nature of God. If you listen with an open heart and mind, both are sure to expand and experience more of God in your own life.  

Shelley hails from the South and was affectionately called “the mouth of the south” by her family. She earned her Master’s of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Shelley worked in camp and conference ministry for over a decade all over the country. She’s is one of the co-founders and co-creators of Creation Lab. Currently living in Stamford, CT, with her wife, she’s serving as the Associate Pastor for Ministry with Youth and Missional Engagement at First Presbyterian Church of Stamford. 

She’s a contributor to a variety of podcasts and books, but especially passionately about bridge building between the church and LGBTQ+ people. 

About Shelley: Shelley Donaldson hails from the South and is a graduate of the University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, GA. In 2012 she received her Master’s of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, located in Chicago’s Hyde Park Neighborhood. Shelley has a background in camp and conference ministry spanning from 2001-2013 working for camps in Georgia, Montana, Texas, and Michigan. Shelley is one of the co-founders and co-creators of Creation Lab. Shelley is currently living in Stamford, CT, with her wife and serving as the Associate Pastor for Ministry with Youth and Missional Engagement at First Presbyterian Church of Stamford (or as it’s fondly known in the community, the Fish Church). 

Connect with Shelley at [email protected] and follow her on Instagram @scdonaldson and on Twitter @sdt247. She sometimes blogs at www.thetravellingtheologian.com (as in the European “traveling”).