The Roll Down

This episode is a thought-provoking discussion about the many and varied topics we’ve covered in Season 1 from the state of our country to the multifaceted suffering we endure and everything in between. Our guests share about the ways that they were met, challenged, and spurred on towards hope and healing in their pursuit of justice. 

We are being joined by a returning and beloved guest, Emma Tautolo, as well as by first time guests, Sandra Van Opstal and Tyler Burns. Sandra is the Executive Director and Founder of Chasing Justice and Tyler is the VP of Brand & Story for Chasing Justice as well as the President of The Witness BCC.

Resources:

Chasingjustice.com

Thewitnessbcc.com

Venmo @EmmaTautolo 

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Guests: Emma Tautolo, Sandra Van Opstal, Tyler Burns

Guest IG: @etautolo @sandravanopstal @burnsclan_

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

(Live Episode)

In the Valley Series

This episode is focusing on persevering and enduring in the valley. We recognize that suffering and affliction come with this life so we wrestle with this idea in light of that reality. How we work through the suffering is what helps us to come out on the other side and even find an anchor in the midst. Join us as we discuss what it looks like to engage, persist and withstand the difficulty.

This is part 4 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on persevering in the valley.

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

In the Valley Series

Our conversation on Joy & Rest will be heavily influenced by Cole Arthur Riley’s unique prayer expression, “Black Liturgies”, that speaks to blackness, black emotion, black thought, black belonging and liberation. She gives great thought and encouragement for how we can lean into joy and rest in the midst of all the trauma as well as how we can be pushed towards hope in our pursuit of justice.

Cole Arthur Riley is a writer, liturgist, speaker seeking a deeply contemplative life marked by embodiment and emotion. She is the founder and writer of Black Liturgies, a project seeking to integrate concepts of dignity, lament, rage, justice, rest, and liberation with the practice of written prayer.

She currently serves as the Content and Spiritual Formation Manager for a center for Christian studies at Cornell University called Chesterton House. In her work, she produces and curates content to guide others into deeper musings and embodiment of the faith. At present, Cole is concerned with topics of dignity, lament, belonging, justice, rest, and liberation. Some thinkers who have formed her include James Baldwin, Thomas Merton, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Julian of Norwich.

This is part 3 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on finding joy in the valley. 

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Guest: Cole Arthur Riley

Guest Website: https://blackliturgist.com/

Guest IG/Twitter/Facebook: @blackliturgist

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

In the Valley Series

Our conversation on Lament & Justice will be primarily based on Dr. Soong-Chan Rah’s book Prophetic Lament. Lament, as Dr. Rah writes, is when we have to acknowledge that the world is not as it should be and that leads to various forms of suffering. Lament is profoundly lacking in the church and this has contributed to the ways injustices continue to happen. 

Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is the Robert Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Seminary. He previously served as the Milton B. Engelbrestson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009); Many Colors (Moody, 2010); Prophetic Lament (IVP Books, 2015); co-author of Forgive Us (Zondervan, 2014); Return to Justice (Brazos, 2016); and Unsettling Truths (IVP Books, 2019).

Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic church living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. He has previously served on the boards of World Vision, Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association.

This is part 2 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on lamenting in the valley. 

Resources:

https://www.tailored.coach/soongchanrah

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Guest: Dr. Soong-Chan Rah

Guest Socials: @Profrah on Twitter & Facebook 

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

In the Valley Series

We are launching our second series of the season and it’s called “In the Valley”. We both are people of faith and believe in God and we aim to pursue and reflect God to others. Psalm 23 says that though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me. We know that every person will be in the dark valley at some point, whether it be brief, extensive or for our entire lives. It can take the form of chronic illness, death, unfulfilled dreams, oppression, abuse, and many others. Valleys really are a journey and we want to acknowledge that plus share what we feel are important topics that can be helpful for wherever you are in your valleys. Especially for those pursuing justice, there will be lots of valleys.

This is part 1 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on suffering in the valley. We are welcoming back our friend and resident theologian, Emma, to help us understand what suffering looks like in the bible, the hope we have in God through our suffering, and the reality that it's a messy journey. 

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Guest: Emma Tautolo

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

This episode serves as a great follow up to our last conversation about empathy, containment, and validation. The reality is that with so much happening in our world we are still hurting in many ways and are in need of healing. These two things, community and self-care, have come up a lot in conversations with friends who are in the pursuit of justice. We hope that this encourages you to lean into the community you’ve been given, to take care of yourself well, and to protect yourself from burnout.

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

In this episode we will dive into the power of Empathy, Containment, and Validation and some of the science behind it. While lighter than previous episodes, it is still an important conversation as it affects our daily lives and relationships therein. We hope that this gives you helpful language for your experiences and courage to process in the trenches. We also hope that this encourages you to model Jesus in your love for your neighbor and overall pursuit of justice. 

LINKED RESOURCES

Brené Brown “Empathy vs. Sympathy” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

CREDITS

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn Venkataya

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Admin Assistant: Alexandra Suarez

FOLLOW US ON IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

Liberating Women Series 

The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this series first and foremost will bring healing and freedom to all women who listen, especially Women of Color. Secondly, we hope this can be educational for our listeners to learn about and have tangible ways to be allies and break down the demonic forms of oppression on women.  

This is part 4 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on liberating women from spiritual abuse. 

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez 

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn 

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

***TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. 

Liberating Women Series 

The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this series first and foremost will bring healing and freedom to all women who listen, especially Women of Color. Secondly, we hope this can be educational for our listeners to learn about and have tangible ways to be allies and break down the demonic forms of oppression on women.  

This is part 3 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on liberating women from unhealthy masculinity & gender based violence

Kyle J. Howard is a public theologian and trauma informed Soul Care Provider. Though his soul care & counseling ministry is comprehensive, he is primarily known for his work in both spiritual abuse & trauma care as well as in racial trauma. Kyle has an associates in Biblical and Theological studies, a Bachelors in Biblical Counseling, and he is completing his Masters with a concentration in Historical Theology in just a few months.

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez 

Guest: Kyle J. Howard  

Guest Website: https://kylejhoward.com

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn 

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com

Episode 8: Liberating Women: From Oppressive History 

***TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. 

Liberating Women Series 

The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this series first and foremost will bring healing and freedom to all women who listen, especially Women of Color. Secondly, we hope this can be educational for our listeners to learn about and have tangible ways to be allies and break down the demonic forms of oppression on women.  

This is part 2 of 4 episodes and today’s topic is on liberating women from spiritual abuse. 

Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking consulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian whose writing, speaking, activism and training has sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. Lisa’s book, ​The Very Good Gospel​ was named 2016 “Book of the Year” and the Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day.

Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez 

Guest: Lisa Sharon Harper 

Guest Website: https://lisasharonharper.com

Producer: Caleb Dea

Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn 

Designer: Cameron Stingley

Follow us on IG: @therolldownpodcast

The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more, visit chasingjustice.com