Where Ya From? Podcast

By Our Daily Bread MinistriesReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Where Ya From? Podcast episodes

September 19, 202352. "Between Two Worlds" with Vivian Mabuni
Vivian Mabuni knows what it’s like to be living in two different worlds. Growing up in a predominantly white community as a Chinese-American, a lot of her early life was lived with the purpose of trying to conform as much as possible, but knowing it would never be enough. Yet when she finally found the missing piece in Christ, everything changed. God used Viv’s story to shape her heart to share His precious truth with college students and prepare her voice to be a light for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Guest Bio:
Vivian Mabuni is a national speaker, author, Bible teacher, and podcast host. With over 30 years on staff with Cru, Viv loves teaching about the Bible and its practical application to ministry and life. Author of “Open Hands, Willing Heart”, she also serves on the Board of Trustees for Denver Seminary and is the founder & host of “Someday Is Here”, a podcast for AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) leaders.
Viv loves drinking coffee with her husband of 31 years, Darrin. They serve together as speakers for FamilyLife’s “Weekend To Remember” marriage conferences. They are proud parents to three young adult kids. And recently welcomed a daughter-in-law to the family!

Notes & Quotes:
I remember getting into the car after one of the [play] rehearsals and my dad just saying, “It’s just too bad you’ll never play Juliet because you’re Chinese.” That just underscored for me, growing up in Boulder, that there were things that were going to not be possible for me because of how I looked.
These little prayers were lifted up to the Lord in Hong Kong of all places. Wouldn’t you know… God came through in Hong Kong.
I dream in English, my values have been shaped by growing up in the United States. My identity is still not true of this country of origin, even though Hong Kong wasn’t my country of origin, but being with other Chinese people did not make me feel like I fit in either. There’s that tension again of like, “Well, where do I fit in?” When I read material about third culture kids, that resonates as an Asian-American. That resonates, like…I don’t feel like I fit in neither here nor there.
What I picture the body of Christ in a healthy way is that we are all linking arms facing out. So we have each other’s backs, but we're not so bent out of shape about the music. Yes, music is important, and I don't want to downplay that, but there was something bigger going on, that we would make a little bit of a difference in our university but have our whole vision shifted to live for more than just our own happiness.
Links Mentioned:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Visit Viv’s website to discover timely wisdom shared on Someday is Here and other resources.
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Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
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Verse Mentioned:
Deuteronomy 31
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1 hr 8 min
September 12, 202351. "Would Jesus Eat Frybread?" with Renee Begay
Renee Begay is no stranger to feeling unsure of where she belonged. Growing up in Pueblo of Zuni, Renee was blessed by being surrounded by the cultures and traditions of her people; the Sandhill Crane Clan flows within her. Yet, when she gave her life to Christ, the joy of knowing her Creator also came with the pain of figuring out what her new reality meant for both herself and her family. Join us as we discover how our cultural traditions and where we come from can help give us more confidence as we embrace our new lives in Christ.

Guest Bio:
Renee Kylestewa Begay is from the Pueblo of Zuni in Southwest New Mexico. She is a mother to three daughters and married to high school sweetheart Donnie Begay. During her undergrad, she founded the Nations movement—a national ministry that seeks to build relationships with the Native American community.
Renee currently works as the national director for Nations, is a conference speaker, and manages a resource website called The Talking Circle with her husband.

Notes & Quotes:
And so just being respectful by praying the way they prayed and listening to their prayers. . . . My ears and eyes were open to just this new experience. But then also knowing like, “Oh, I have a different way of living when I go back home. And these people don’t know that.” And somehow I wish that they did.
If I do decide to follow Jesus, it’s a very different introduction into what could be. And I know that even being in Christian environments, the gospel was always presented as it’s an individual decision that you need to make. But to me it wasn’t. It was like, this is a very collective decision. It might be an individual decision for me to make, but I know that it’s going to affect the rest of my community.
So then what does that do to my identity? Am I not really Zuni? And so a lot of it was just like, if I do decide to follow Jesus, am I going to be kicked out of Zuni? Am I going to be denied my Zuni identity? And it was a really big fear that I had.
There were times where I was just so overtaken by this zealous faith, but I didn’t really know how to do it in a way that was loving and respectful. . . . that really paved the way for a lot more trust-building with my family in the later years, because our silence together has really opened up a lot more engagement of the senses of not just the speaking, but more watching the hearing, the posture of how we interact as a family.
We [Indigenous people] need that space, because, over hundreds of years, we’ve been told how to believe. We’ve been told what to believe. We’ve been told what to wear. We’ve been told how to wear it. We’ve been told how to speak. Those things were stripped of us, and there needs to be a place or a chance or a season or just an awareness for Indigenous peoples to be able to self-theologize. We need a space to be able to make mistakes theologically. We need a space to be able to pose questions that are hard. If we can’t do that, then where can we do it?
Links Mentioned:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Visit Renee’s The Talking Circle website to learn more about her and Donnie’s work with Nations and indigenous communities around the country.
Learn more about
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1 hr 7 min
September 05, 202350. "What Had Happened Was" with Chaz Smith
Early on, Chaz Smith knew he wanted to make people laugh. Even in high school, when he was expected to play basketball at a high level, he always knew that wasn’t what the Lord had placed on his heart for his life.
Around that same time, Chaz began stepping out into the Vine scene and has since found both success and purpose. That journey has led him to many life-changing opportunities, but it certainly hasn’t been easy along the way.
Join us as we’re reminded that God will continue to lead and show up so we can carry out His greater purpose, even when we question where He is leading us. And yes, sometimes all we need is just a good laugh.

Guest Bio:
Chaz Smith has been making people laugh and sharing stories for years! Starting back in 2013, Chaz committed himself to creating uplifting videos and quality entertainment to bring joy to people around the world, amassing up to 3.2+ million followers across various social media platforms, and has no plans to stop.
For the past two years, he has been working on a special project called What Had Happened Was. This is a colorfully animated, comedically narrated web series that retells beloved biblical stories in ways that entertain, inspire, and make people of all ages and backgrounds laugh as they make sense of the world and who they are in God’s eyes.
Chaz is also a contributor to The Whole Man Project, a book and video series provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can learn more about The Whole Man Project—and preorder the book—here!

Notes & Quotes:
And after that, I was like, “Okay. It’s not enough to just read the Bible. You need to study it. You need to know Scripture, for the sake of knowing Jesus, of course, but also so that you’re not deceived and led astray by false doctrine.” And that was a really good experience ultimately, because it protected me from a lot of stuff later on.
Fears started coming up, and these questions started coming up in my mind, because I realized I had never studied Scripture before. So I started asking myself, “Hold on. Why do I really believe what I believe?”
I had experiences and encounters with the Lord before, very significant ones, but there were still questions in the back of my mind that I just brushed off and never asked… because I was scared to. Because if I asked these questions and I get an answer that doesn't line up with what I believed, the entire foundation that I've built my life on comes crumbling down, and I come crashing down with it. But I couldn't avoid them anymore.
I think a lot of times when people come at us, I think in our flesh we want to respond with seeing justice or retribution in some way. But there are times to just let it happen and recognize, “You know what, Lord, I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve walked rightly with you. You handle the situation how you want to see it done.”
We need to have a relationship with and be reconciled back to the Father. We need Jesus, but sometimes we just need to laugh.
I just believe there’s a great power that laughter has, especially in storytelling. It disarms people, it lets people’s guards down. You can communicate a deep message to somebody through comedy and laughter, in ways that a serious approach may never do.
Links Mentioned:
Watch the teaser for Chaz’s What Had Happened Was series coming soon!
Chaz's website.
You can find Chaz’s content on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and Tik Tok.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Proverbs 17:22
Matthew 7:1–6
1 Samuel 17:32–51 (Story of David & Goliath)
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1 hr 1 min
August 29, 2023 Season 5 of Where Ya From? Coming Soon!
The Where Ya From? podcast is gearing up for a fifth season which will begin on September 5th. Get ready for more insightful and thought provoking conversations centered around faith and culture with host Rasool Berry. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Links:
Visit our website to sign up for emails.
Leave us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
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2 min
June 06, 202349. "Juneteenth Special" with Ya’Ke Smith
How do you help people explore uncomfortable truths? In this episode of the Where Ya From? podcast, Ya'Ke Smith, the award-winning director of Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom, explains how his life led him to understand that people need to see stories that reflect real life in order to be free from their bondage. Check out this episode of the Where Ya From? podcast by VOICES.

Guest Bio:
Ya’Ke Smith, known for his unflinching and veracious style of storytelling, is a rising voice in independent cinema. His films have received world-wide acclaim, screening, and winning awards at over 100 film festivals. Ya'Ke’s short, Katrina's Son screened at over 40 film festivals and won 14 awards. In 2022, he directed Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom which was widely critically acclaimed. His debut feature, Wolf, which NPR called “an impressive piece by a young director,” premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and has gone on to screen and win awards at festivals across North America.
Ya’Ke has been featured on NPR, CNN, HLN, Ebony Online, Indiewire, Filmmaker Magazine, Variety Magazine, Vogue Magazine, and Shadow&Act. He graduated with his BA from the University of The Incarnate Word, where he later became the youngest recipient of the Alumni of Distinction for Professional Achievement award. He received his MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s film program, where he is currently an Associate Professor of film.

Notes & Quotes:
I began to realize, “Oh, this is God shaping me, allowing me to experience these kinds of tragedies,” but not experience them in such a way that they would damage the human being that I, ultimately, was meant to become. But they would inform that human being. That they would in many ways allow him to see the world and to see people in a very, very different way than most do.
I was just making films from the point of view of wanting to save people. And I don’t mean save in the sense of church, but save people out of certain circumstances and free them out of whatever bondage they found themselves in.
I always knew that, “Nah, people want to hear about how to be delivered from their current circumstances.” They want to know, “How can you help me get a job?” “How can we deal with the drugs that are taking over our communities?” That’s how you enter those kinds of conversations. And then from there, then we can start talking about God.
Our family reunions were centered around Juneteenth for a season because my uncle believed in family getting together, but he also believed in family legacy. We understood our family lineage because of him. And doing this on Juneteenth, and also celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, becomes a part of that family narrative, it becomes a part of that family story.
When we drove up to the plantation, I honestly started to feel slightly uneasy. I started to walk in front of the big house, and I could just feel the weight of what these individuals had endured to keep this place pristine. The fact that that house is still there, yet the houses that they lived in, basically the wind and rain have just washed it away.
Without love, they would’ve just been bitter and then gone around killing everybody they could find. And that was not what they wanted. They just wanted to live and be free. And you can only get to that place out of a place of love.
Links Mentioned:
Check out Ya’Ke’s film Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom, produced with Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Romans 8
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1 hr 10 min
May 09, 2023 Where Ya From? Special Announcement
The Where Ya From? podcast is gearing up for a fifth season which will begin at the end of this summer. Plus stay tuned for a special bonus episode in early June in honor of Juneteenth. Get ready for more insightful and thought provoking conversations centered around faith and culture with host Rasool Berry. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Links:
Visit our website to sign up for emails.
Leave us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
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3 min
May 02, 202348. "Lifting Every Voice" with Joyce Dinkins
How does history affect how we use our voices today? In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, recently retired VOICES Executive Editor Joyce Dinkins discusses her family’s history of surviving slavery and oppression and how her faith and roots inspire her to uplift other marginalized stories of faith.

Guest Bio:
Joyce Dinkins recently retired from serving with VOICES (ExperienceVoices.org) at Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM). In 2017, she began serving the ministry’s effort to develop resources for diverse African American audiences, as well as to champion content by Black writers for general audiences. Joyce acquired authors, edited, and wrote content for the ministry. This content includes special editions of the Our Daily Bread devotional, for Our Daily Bread Publishing books, and she collaborated in content development for audible and film productions at ODBM’s US headquarters.
Before joining ODBM in 2015, Joyce dedicated nine years managing editorial for New Hope Publishers books and media; four years as a NavPress magazine editor; and thirteen years as a David C. Cook curriculum and book editor. Her freelance writing has included projects for a number of other Christian publishers.
She earned her BA magna cum laude from Northern Michigan University and a masters in curriculum development and instruction from Colorado Christian University. In 2014 and 2015, Joyce received awards for fiction and nonfiction editing from the American Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).
Joyce is associate director of the Academy of Christian Editors, is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association Board subcommittee on diversity and inclusion, and has served the Publishing in Color conference since its inception. By collaborating with peers in a range of publishing conferences, she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm and experiences.

Notes & Quotes:
“Just a little of God’s Word goes a long way.”
“My voice will tell the stories of my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my story, my siblings, and all with the goal of pointing to the Father . . . our God who made us in His image and wants us to shine for Him.”
“God gets the credit for. . . you see what I’ve come out of . . . . God’s word in His power and His faithfulness does prevail.”
Links Mentioned:
Learn more about Our Daily Bread Ministries’ VOICES.
Read Our Struggle, Our Hope, Our Victory and Our Help.
Hear from Joyce and more African American women of faith in Our Daily Bread Publishing’s Blessed Is She book.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Hebrews 4:12
Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10
Revelation 12:11
Psalm 150:6
Ephesians 2:10
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1 hr
April 25, 202347. "Pursuing the Flourishing of Others" with Sandra Van Opstal
What does the Bible actually say about justice? Second-generation Latina author, pastor, and activist Sandra Van Opstal has spent her life chasing justice locally and globally. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Dr. González joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how Scripture fuels her mission to make change and mobilize the next generation of leaders.

Guest Bio:
Sandra Maria Van Opstal is a second-generation Latina and the executive director of Chasing Justice. She is an author, pastor, and activist reimagining the intersection of faith and justice. Her work centers on chasing justice under the mentorship of the global church, for the mobilizing of the next generation of leaders.
Sandra has given leadership in global movements, such as Lausanne, The Justice Conference, and Urbana Missions Conference. She has also had a strong domestic presence as an executive pastor at Grace and Peace Church and as an activist on the west side of Chicago.
Sandra serves as a board member for the Christian Community Development Association. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is currently pursuing doctoral work in urban leadership and transformation. She is a contributor to the New York Times bestselling book A Rhythm of Prayer, and she’s also the author of The Next Worship, 40 Days on Being an Eight, and more.

Notes & Quotes:
“I want to have that type of faith that is described in the Scriptures like oaks of righteousness with their roots so deeply rooted and so grounded that people around you, they know . . . that your praise to God isn’t an escapism from what is real in life. It’s deeply rooted in your experience of what has happened in life.”
“When people ask me, ‘How did you get to live a lifestyle of justice?” I say, ‘Because it’s in the Bible.’”
On the combination of worship and justice: “[If] you go to church, and your life is not marked by kindness, compassion, and justice, then I’m going to ask a question about who it is you’re worshiping.”
Links Mentioned:
Visit Sandra’s website.
Browse Sandra’s books.
Learn about InterVarsity’s campus ministry.
Watch Our Daily Bread Media’s “In Pursuit of Jesus” docuseries, hosted by Rasool Berry.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Isaiah 61:3
Matthew 5:6
The Gospel of Luke
Luke 4:18
The story of Esther
The story of Moses
Hebrews 11
James 1:19
Micah 6:8
Amos 5:1–17
Isaiah 58, 60, 61
Luke 24:32
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1 hr 2 min
April 18, 202346. "Doing Theology in Context" with Dr. Justo González
If the Bible is humanity’s source of absolute truths, why do so many readers interpret it differently? Cuban-American theologian, Dr. Justo González has gained acclaim for examining this question in works like The Story of Christianity and This History of Christian Thought. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Dr. González joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how our context—and even Jesus’ context—shapes how we read, interpret, and engage with God’s Word.

Guest Bio:
Born and raised in Cuba, Dr. Justo L. González was ordained as a minister within the Methodist church in 1957. In 1961, he became the youngest person to earn a doctorate in Theological History from Yale University. For thirty years, Dr. González taught at various theological institutions, beginning with eight years at the Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico (1961-1969).
He has given hundreds of lectures across the world and has also written over one hundred books. His two-volume set, History of Christianity, and his three volumes, History of Christian Thought, have been translated into eight languages.
Since retiring from teaching full-time and ministry, he has dedicated his time to research, writing, and promoting Hispanic theological education. Dr. González was involved in the founding of the Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH), the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI), and the Hispanic Summer Program (HSP). He values mentoring and encouraging Latinas and Latinos and other minority students.

Notes & Quotes:
“I think, perhaps the greatest theological discovery of the 20th century is that all theology [is] contextual. And there’s no such thing as general theology.”
“. . . . when I talk to mostly White Christians in this country, . . . [there] is sort of an overpowering sense of guilt. ‘How can we get rid of who we are or being who we are?’. . . . that's not the way to go. The way to go is, ‘how can we use who we are for what we all ought to be?’”
“The only way that we have, in order to live into the future wisely, is to know the past. The better we know the past, the more prepared we are for the unexpected eventualities of the future.”
Links Mentioned:
Browse Dr. González’s books.
Check out Dr. Catherine Gunsalus González’s books.
Explore the Association for Hispanic Theological Education.
Learn about Dr. González’s former professor, theologian Karl Barth.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Story of Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10)
Peter’s Betrayal (Luke 22:54–62)
Exodus & Moses
Jubilee Laws (Exodus 25)
Philippians 3:20
Acts 22
Joseph of Arimathea
John 14:2
Hebrews 11
Acts 28
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1 hr 2 min
April 11, 202345. "Being Faithful to the Call" with Reflect
What happens when God calls you to a life different from what you had dreamt up for yourself? With long-standing plans to play basketball professionally, rapper and activist who goes by Reflect initially felt uncomfortable when the Lord called him to community outreach instead of the court. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Reflect joins host Rasool Berry to discuss giving God control and Jesus’ heart for justice.

Guest Bio:
Donal Cogdell Jr., also known as “Reflect,” is a passionate educator, hip-hop artist, motivational speaker, and minister of justice/advocacy. He serves as the National Director of Development for the K.I.N.G. Movement founded by Chris Broussard and as the Director of Justice for Hope Astoria Church in Queens, NY. As a hip-hop artist, he’s also released three albums, the latest of which is called “New History.”
Donal aims to be a pioneering Christian leader and in the spirit of community reform and revitalization, he hopes to one day open an educational institution focused on empowering African Americans to fulfill their potential and to combat systemic injustices harming Black & Brown communities. In his free time, Donal enjoys debating sports, writing, and playing basketball.

Notes & Quotes:
“When you don’t anticipate the fruit coming from a destination the way you expected, it doesn’t mean that God is not moving . . . .”
On seeking justice, “I think sometimes as Christians we feel like, “Okay, it’s just good enough to do good works, and love people, love your neighbor.” But in the Bible, we see firsthand prophets that speak out against kings . . . .”
“Justice is not just an Old Testament thing. Justice is central to the New Testament as well because it’s who God is.”
Links Mentioned:
Explore Reflect’s music on Spotify and Apple Music.
Listen to Our Daily Bread Media’s Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom soundtrack on Spotify and Apple Music.
Check out Reflect’s work with K.I.N.G. Movement and Hope Astoria Church in Queens, New York.
Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email.
Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review.
Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries
Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram.
Follow VOICES on Instagram.
Verses Mentioned:
Story of Moses (Exodus)
Story of Joseph (Genesis 37–50)
Story of King David (1 and 2 Samuel)
John 9
Mark 6:14–29
Matthew 21:12–17
Luke 4:18
Michah 6:8
Luke 18:1–8
Exodus 3:7
Isaiah 30:18
Luke 4:18
Isaiah 61:1
John 1:1
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53 min

About Where Ya From? Podcast

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Where Ya From? Podcast creates an atmosphere where all people—regardless of our differences—can openly discuss ideas, issues, culture, experiences, faith, and more so we can learn from each other and…