Posts Tagged: "Equality"

duarte conversation

NWLife Weekly Conversation—Adrian and Amanda Duarte

- - Life With God, Uncategorized, Video

Here is our fourteenth NWLife video podcast featuring our weekly conversation.

Today’s theme: What it’s like for a biracial couple raising three black sons in America

Pastor Angela and I sit down with our friends Adrian and Amanda Duarte to hear their story. This amazing couple is raising three sons and a foster baby.

The video begins and ends with some words from one of our students, Kyle Wabusya (who has the most wonderful sense of humor). Pastor Kyle and our worship team also lead us in worship today.

I hope you’ll take 27 minutes and join us for some church today!

Zechariah 8

Boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.

Do the problems of rebuilding seem too much? Is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say.”

We’ve come through a hard time; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard…

But things are changing.

Sowing and harvesting will resume, vines will grow grapes, gardens will flourish, dew and rain will make everything green.

My people will get everything they need—and more.

You’ve gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, but I’m coming to save you.

From now on, you’re the good-news people. Don’t be afraid.

Keep a firm grip on what I’m doing.

And now here’s what I want you to do: Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak.

Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts.

Don’t cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others.

Don’t do or say what isn’t just.

I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest.

race equality justice post

NWLife Weekly Conversation—More Like Listening (on Race, Justice, & Equality)

- - Life With God, Uncategorized, Video

Here is our thirteenth NWLife video podcast featuring our weekly conversation.

Today’s theme: Listening and Learning about Race, Justice, and Equality

Pastor Andy begins with a cold open – no music, no bumper, no entertainment… just speaking the truth simply and plainly.

The invitation is to listen and learn, to pay attention, to open our hearts and minds, to grow and be transformed… to change.

All of today’s music is from the worship collective Common Hymnal. These songs are beautiful and heartbreaking.

At the end of the video, we share resources – including our new Race, Equality, and Justice page with 40 suggestions of books, movies, and social media voices to learn from.  http://nwlife.church/justice/

I have personally read and listened to and watched and followed all of these resources (with one exception – The ABC’s of Diversity book). Maybe it’s a little unusual to have recommended films rated for a mature audience on a church website, but I can tell you every one of them have challenged me, educated me, caused empathy and compassion to rise in me, and have helped me to grow. I hope you’ll take a similar journey of growth.

Do you know what I want?

I want justice—oceans of it.

I want fairness—rivers of it.

That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

—Amos 5.24

 

stand with the black community post

I stand in solidarity with the black community. I will march with you.

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Thankful Notes (#291)

I’m not quoting anyone today.

And I’m not sharing stories about the kitchen or my dad or projects around the house.

This won’t be a long post and I will just get right to it.

As clearly and plainly as I can say:

I stand in solidarity with the black community. I will march with you.

I stand against racism both individual and systemic (which was built-in from the beginning).

I stand against social injustice.

Black Lives Matter. No addendums needed. No asterisks. No buts. No alsos.

Black Lives Matter.

I’m saying this because I believe it, because I’ve said it before, and because it needs to be said again. And again. And again. I’m saying this because it is so deeply tied to my faith. Because our Shepherd will leave the 99 to go rescue the 1 who is at great risk.

I’m saying this because a friend who I love and care very much about, who is black, confronted me in love today… asking me why I am being quiet and subtle, reminding me that people are watching and listening, calling me to use my voice and platform.

The conversation hurt because they know me too well and they were right.

I was being too quiet.

And I knew my reasons were just excuses, “I’ve marched and preached and blogged and said this stuff for years – maybe someone else’s voice needs to be heard, maybe I can amplify theirs,” and “I’ve been pretty clear on Twitter and Instagram but I hate Facebook and all the crazytown that goes with it – I don’t want to end up amplifying those voices in the comments.”

I cried during our conversation. I apologized. Most importantly, I listened… actually listened without letting defensiveness crash in.

So, that leads me to being thankful. I’m thankful for real friends who don’t let you walk around with your zipper down or cilantro on your tooth or your quiet carefulness get in the way of what needs to be said.

I got pastored today. And I’m so very glad they didn’t hold back.

To my friends of color, I’m sorry for not saying enough. I’m listening and learning… I know I can do that. I am with you and for you and I will continue to be.

Amen.

 

sunday shout outs 2015

The Good Stuff

- - Guest Posts, Life With God, Uncategorized

This is the good stuff – what I read online this week… and read again. So I’m sharing:

 

nish post

1. We Are Made In The Image Of God And We Are Women by Nish Weiseth. Here’s my favorite line(s): “We are given the same commandments and the same marching orders, to love God, love others and fulfill the great commission. We are working to advance the same Kingdom that worships the same Jesus.”

And you cannot understand or comprehend the fullness of the image of God without us.

 

carlos rodriguez post

2. Who’s The Racist? by Carlos Rodriguez. Here’s my favorite line(s): ”

For me it looks like cooking a Puerto Rican meal for my African-American neighbor while we talk about British culture. For us, it’s the combination of hundreds of little acts of love. We could spend days talking about what the white police, or the black community or the latino leaders… Read More

privilege post

It Sucks To Be A Racist (Sexist, Classist) In The Kingdom Of God

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

One of my favorite lines from Sunday’s sermon (while reading from Revelation 6.9) was this: “It sucks to be a racist in the Kingdom of God.”

I saw an endless sea of people – every variety and type, every race, every background, every class, a beautiful representation of God’s creative diversity—standing before the Lamb of God. —Revelation 6.9

Earlier in the week, as I was going through our church Bible reading plan, I noticed something special… Read More

first preacher of risen Jesus mary magdalene

Men Need To Hear What Women Have To Say (Why Patriarchy Is Still A Problem)

- - Life With God, Popular, Uncategorized

Patriarchy has been around forever – and it is still here today.

According to Webster:

Patriarchy is… social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line; control by men of a disproportionately large share of power.

Or basically, “The dudes make all the important decisions, and the women quietly submit to them.”

Of course, much has changed in Western society – but around the world and within the church, many (dudes) are still clinging to patriarchy. In the news this week a story of 100+ school girls being kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Nigeria is a jarring reminder of what’s at the heart of patriarchy… Read More