The Source Houston

The book of John starts with connecting Christ to Genesis, so that from the very beginning he can show the enormous magnitude of who Jesus is.

We have been designed to be lost in the grandness of God. But even though we are impossibly tiny by comparison, “smallness does not mean insignificant.”

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A follow-up question about the New Jim Crow podcast series asks if the conversation about black imprisonment is perhaps too one-sided. The group… does not agree!

Ask us a question! Fmhouston.com/ama.

Chapter Five brings us to a fitting bookend for our series, as the whole book has called us to a life of action. The verses remind Donyale of a Twitter hashtag: #nomorethoughtsandprayers - a call to people to bring about concrete action, not vague feelings.

James was also bringing a similar mindset against those who said “go in peace,” yet did nothing to stop the problems of the day. But James also calls on those same people to pray - in fact, call the community together to pray, underscoring it is our collective responsibility to care and alleviate suffering.

When we pray, we are responding to God’s urging. We are responding to God’s invitation to get a glimpse of God’s understanding of others and the world.

We can understand the hashtag, but let us not give up our prayers.

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As we wrap up our discussion on Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” with Trinity United Methodist Church, Kenneth Jackson returns to the conversation to address the problems of trying to address a system built to consistently, repetitively keep people down. It leads to a discussion about what the church – and what we, as individuals – are required to do by our love of Jesus and willingness to follow his direction.

The discussion will continue in the coming weeks, depending on what you ask us about! Reach out to us with a question: fmhouston.com/ama.

When it's time to plan a new sermon series, Ken always pitches the Book of James for a sermon series.

Ken remembers a time when his father taught him how to lose control when driving in the rain - and learn how to regain control from the experience.

Often, we try to gain control in our lives through selfish desires, or envy. But the truth is, we are often not in control of most of the things in our lives.

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In the middle chapters of “The New Jim Crow,” Michelle Alexander breaks down racism baked into the justice system, and the group talks about being raised with different expectations, and passing those lessons along to their children. Plus, the exhaustion that comes with constantly being teachers, but the responsibilities we have to educate the people that we talk to.

Got a question or a response? Reach us at fmhouston.com/ama!

On our first podcast discussing “The New Jim Crow,” Andy and Donyale are joined by Trinity United Methodist’s Deirdre Barrett. The group discusses what stands out in the early chapters of Michelle Alexander’s book, including her statement that “colorblindness is not the answer, it’s the problem.”

The discussion fans out into the call each member felt like the book put on them, including learning to find beauty in diversity without being threatened by it, and trying to find an equal amount of justice and forgiveness.

The discussion will continue for two more weeks! Got a question? Visit us at fmhouston.com/ama.

Ken hammers home the point of being a people of action, even if that action is messy and difficult. “We can only claim to be a people of mercy if we practice mercy. To claim otherwise is damaging.”

Plus, why Ken's daughter decided she must be God.

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A pretty straightforward question leads to a surprisingly fun and revealing conversation as the group each talks about their favorite sections of the Bible.

Got a question? Ask us at fmhouston.com/ama!

Are you seeking the goodness of God or the ways of the world?

We don’t shout, ignore, and distract.

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