Welcome to Grace and Space, a weekly newsletter from the Deconstructing Mamas Podcast! GRACE for who you have been, are now and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be!
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“Following Jesus out of the entanglements of Christian supremacy and white supremacy are deep convictions. We believe God desires so much more from the Church than the frequently empty religiosity and hypocrisy we have become adjusted to.” --Dr. Drew Hart "Why does it take so long for things to change? Why does white privilege still exist? Why aren't more black voices heard and their stories told?" Lizz and Esther are grateful to be have had a conversation with the knowledgeable and passionate Dr. Drew Hart, a black activist, racial reconciliation expert, biblical studies professor and father. In this newsletter, we want to highlight black voices. Smart. Insightful. Wise. Passionate. Gracious. Black Voices. For you to read and/or listen to. Of course, our podcast guest this week (Dr. Drew Hart) is our first and we will be putting his good words and wisdom out into our podcast world (see below), but here are a few more that we want to put in front of you, our readers:
Dr. Christena Cleveland, author of God is a Black Woman
*In this book, Christena (theologian, social psychologist, and activist) recounts her personal journey to dismantle the cultural “whitemalegod” and uncover the Sacred Black Feminine, introducing a Black Female God who imbues us with hope, healing, and liberating presence.
Cole Arthur Riley, author of This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us and creator of Black Liturgies
*This is an unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in Arthur Riley's skin. In these deeply transporting pages, she reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father, and how they revealed to her an embodied, dignity-affirming spirituality, not only in what they believed but in the act of living itself. Writing memorably of her own childhood and coming to self, Arthur Riley boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith: How can spirituality not silence the body, but instead allow it to come alive? How do we honor, lament, and heal from the stories we inherit? How can we find peace in a world overtaken with dislocation, noise, and unrest? In this indelible work of contemplative storytelling, Arthur Riley invites us to descend into our own stories, examine our capacity to rest, wonder, joy, rage, and repair, and find that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it.
Catherine Meeks, PhD, Executive Director for the Center of Racial Healing and author of several books on racial healing and justice
*As part of Esther's spiritual direction program, she was able to hear Catherine speak and it ranked up there as one of the best "hours" of her year. Catherine is feisty and wise, and a world-changer. The core of her work has been with people who have been marginalized because of economic status, race, gender or physical ability as they pursue liberation, justice and access to resources that can help lead them to health, wellness and a more abundant life. This work grows out of her understanding of her call to the vocation of teacher as well as her realization that all of humanity is one family which God desires to unite. Of course, there are many many more and these only scratch the surface, but these three especially have been pivotal in our lives and we hope it's just the beginning of our continued desire to pursue justice, love mercy and walk humbly as those who are ever-learning and evolving and then pass this along to our children and children's children until all voices and stories have an equal place at the microphone of humanity. And now, of course, one more, our guest, Dr. Drew Hart.
This Week on the Podcast:
Dr. Drew Hart, black activist, racial reconciliation expert, biblical studies professor and father of three boys, is our guest this week. Drew is the author of Trouble I've Seen and Who Will Be A Witness. Following Jesus out of the entanglements of Christian supremacy and white supremacy are deep convictions of Drew. He believes God desires so much more from the Church than the frequently empty religiosity and hypocrisy we have become adjusted to. When we begin to envision God’s dream for us together, we can strive for the flourishing of all people by doing justice and the things that make for peace.
On this episode, we talk with Drew about his unique story being raised in a black evangelical church in a diverse suburb of Philadelphia and what happened to him upon going to a mostly white Christian college. What happened and why did that change the course of his life forever?
We also unpack what it means to have true solidarity with those who are marginalized and oppressed and how we, as the privileged, can begin the work in our own hearts and in the lives of our children.
This episode is chock-full of goodness and it is definitely one that you do not want to miss. Especially if racial reconciliation feels overwhelming and you don't know where to start.
You can find Drew in these spaces:
Instagram: @druhart
Facebook: Drew G.I. Hart
Website: drewgihart.com
Latest News:
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Resource Alert:
Lizz and Esther had the privilege to go on a podcast (CLICK HERE) for the first time together as guests. We chatted with Monica Albin, all the way from Sweden, about Deconstructing Hell, a book we both contributed to and a topic we feel super passionately about, especially "taking hell off the table" when it comes to all our relationships, especially parenting.
If you want to hear us as guests, this was really fun for us. Plus, now we get to call ourselves international stars and the podcast is called "G-Spot" in Swedish (something for you to think about)!!
Can't wait until Tuesday and need just a little snippet from our podcast episode that's coming up on Tuesday, October 31.
One last thing. We want to remind you that we are so glad you are here. We wouldn't be the same without you. You will always find GRACE for where you've been and who you are now, and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be.
Carry on, our new-found friends. Welcome to the twisty-windy, full -of-adventure faith path that's laid out before us all. Love,
Lizz & Esther
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