1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:04,560
Speaker 1: When I got to college, I started to study religion

2
00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,280
Speaker 1: on a quest to find more knowledge about God, and

3
00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:15,400
Speaker 1: I left knowing less than when I went in. Dead ass.

4
00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,479
Speaker 1: And I can empathize with you because we took that

5
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:23,040
Speaker 1: religion class together being being purposeful about seeking the knowledge,

6
00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,520
Speaker 1: and then with the abundance of knowledge, realized that we

7
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:34,840
Speaker 1: were totally confused. Hey, I'm Cadine and we're the Ellises.

8
00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:37,839
Speaker 1: You may know us from posting funny videos with our

9
00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,800
Speaker 1: boys and reading each other publicly as a form of therapy. Wait,

10
00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,559
Speaker 1: I'll make you need therapy most days. Wow. And one

11
00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,839
Speaker 1: more important thing to mention, we're married. We are. We

12
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,960
Speaker 1: created this podcast to open dialogue about some of life's

13
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,520
Speaker 1: most taboo topics, things most folks don't want to talk

14
00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:58,720
Speaker 1: about through the lens of a millennial married couple. That

15
00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,040
Speaker 1: ads to the term that we say every day. So

16
00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:06,000
Speaker 1: when we say dead ass, we're actually saying facts, the truth,

17
00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,679
Speaker 1: the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Were about

18
00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,240
Speaker 1: to take billows up to a whole new level. Dead

19
00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:22,160
Speaker 1: ass starts right now. So when I was eighteen years old,

20
00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,760
Speaker 1: I decided to go to college, as most people do

21
00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 1: when they want to just get away from their family.

22
00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,880
Speaker 1: But I grew up in a Baptist household. I grew

23
00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,920
Speaker 1: up with family who are deacons, ministers, ministers of music.

24
00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:37,080
Speaker 1: So I just knew that God existed. And I met

25
00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,680
Speaker 1: this beautiful woman by the name of Caneia might know

26
00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:44,360
Speaker 1: her maybe somewhere around him, but um, I found out

27
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,840
Speaker 1: that she was a Seven Day Adventist, and I was

28
00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,320
Speaker 1: just like, Hmmmm, if I'm going to have kids, are

29
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,480
Speaker 1: they going to grow up Seven Day Adventists or they

30
00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,880
Speaker 1: going to grow up uh Baptist? Uh, well, Christian Baptist.

31
00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,320
Speaker 1: So then I started to wonder, right, because we go

32
00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,520
Speaker 1: to church on different days, right, So you go to

33
00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,080
Speaker 1: church on Saturdays. I go to church on Sundays, So

34
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:09,840
Speaker 1: it's gonna be a whole weekend in church, a whole

35
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,359
Speaker 1: weekend in church. But I do remember thinking, right, if

36
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,880
Speaker 1: her beliefs don't match my beliefs based on what my

37
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,720
Speaker 1: beliefs are, does that mean that her and all of

38
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,680
Speaker 1: her people going to Hell? Because ultimately that's what you think,

39
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,880
Speaker 1: right growing up in a in a Baptist, especially a

40
00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:31,400
Speaker 1: Southern Baptist church, you feel like everyone who doesn't agree

41
00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,320
Speaker 1: with what you agree going to Hell. So the fact

42
00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,840
Speaker 1: that you didn't go to church on Sunday. I was wondering,

43
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,240
Speaker 1: does that mean Candee going to Hell? And you know what,

44
00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:47,840
Speaker 1: I thought, the same exact thing they promise you. I

45
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,360
Speaker 1: was like, so, how is this going to work? Based

46
00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,840
Speaker 1: on everything that I've thought I've been taught, even though

47
00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,280
Speaker 1: I wasn't following it per se, I was like, how

48
00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:58,919
Speaker 1: is this going to work? How do you raise two

49
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,600
Speaker 1: children or our children, or how do two people have

50
00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,359
Speaker 1: children and then begin to raise these children when they

51
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,160
Speaker 1: may not be on the same page or in the

52
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,720
Speaker 1: same book. And the rest is history. We figured it out,

53
00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,919
Speaker 1: we're trying to figure it out. So in honor of

54
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,840
Speaker 1: karaoke today, and we want to sing one of my

55
00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,920
Speaker 1: favorite songs. Pull out the gospel playlists you read, Okay,

56
00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:30,120
Speaker 1: now we follow down, but we get up. We folled down,

57
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:38,000
Speaker 1: but we get up. We folled down, but we get

58
00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:46,960
Speaker 1: up for a same' is just singa who felled Down?

59
00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:56,240
Speaker 1: That's like your favorite? And God, God the values to

60
00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,160
Speaker 1: thing this to the kids at night when they were

61
00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,240
Speaker 1: like they were crying and I was like, singing a

62
00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,880
Speaker 1: song and he's like, we've older. I'm like, that's one

63
00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,240
Speaker 1: of my favorite songs that don clerking I believe so yeah,

64
00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,160
Speaker 1: is it right? I think so? Don't if I'm wrong,

65
00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,280
Speaker 1: please please miss If that was an active choir member

66
00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,240
Speaker 1: back in the day, with shout out to Debbie, we

67
00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,600
Speaker 1: love her rage forever he rangs, she would be mad

68
00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,919
Speaker 1: that note. That note was terrible, Debbie, I'm sorry. My

69
00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,200
Speaker 1: favorite was Jesus Love is bubbling Over. That was a

70
00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:33,000
Speaker 1: Sabba school joint for me. That's a Sunday school to day. Yeah,

71
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,279
Speaker 1: and then you would just like be like I was

72
00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,400
Speaker 1: able to clap in Seven Day Adventure Church because y'all know,

73
00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,160
Speaker 1: y'all got mad rules. It was a very conservative clap.

74
00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,400
Speaker 1: There was a very conservative You couldn't ship me with it.

75
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,520
Speaker 1: You couldn't bop, you couldn't drive, you couldn't double class.

76
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,520
Speaker 1: You couldn't double class. No, you know, because Baptist. We

77
00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,719
Speaker 1: bet it may be different now, but back in the

78
00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,240
Speaker 1: day when I used to go, it was very like,

79
00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,479
Speaker 1: very rigid. So in a time when information is readily

80
00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:02,920
Speaker 1: available to us, as we know now with social media,

81
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,599
Speaker 1: so many things are instant access, does faith take a

82
00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,240
Speaker 1: backseat to knowledge? Which is kind of ironic because if

83
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,400
Speaker 1: the knowledge is there and people are seeking or maybe

84
00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,040
Speaker 1: not seeking the knowledge when it comes to faith. Where

85
00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,120
Speaker 1: does Where are people lying? Now? With that? So today

86
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:23,839
Speaker 1: we have with us a dynamic spiritual leader, Pastor Reginald

87
00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,839
Speaker 1: Wayne Sharp Junior. He is the pastor of Fellowship Ministry

88
00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,240
Speaker 1: Baptist Church in Chicago, where he has been lauded for

89
00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,280
Speaker 1: his commitment to service to the church community and commitment

90
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:41,240
Speaker 1: to bridging the gap um between spirituality and social activism,

91
00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,560
Speaker 1: which is particularly key in the times that we're in.

92
00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,200
Speaker 1: So even if you're not in Chicago, you may have

93
00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,000
Speaker 1: been introduced to Pastor Sharp uh this year when part

94
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,760
Speaker 1: of his sermon actually went viral, And we'll play a

95
00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,720
Speaker 1: little bit of that for you guys. Now in this season,

96
00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,359
Speaker 1: the church is still open, We're still worshiping, We're still

97
00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,200
Speaker 1: doing ministry every week, and I thank God for but

98
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,880
Speaker 1: we will not return to this building unto the Lord himself.

99
00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,280
Speaker 1: Wakes me about of my sleep, slaps me three times,

100
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,880
Speaker 1: pours water from Heaven on my face, and warms my

101
00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,719
Speaker 1: feet with the fire of the Holy Ghost. And I

102
00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,320
Speaker 1: have no choice but to jump out of my bed

103
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,560
Speaker 1: and saying, yes, God, welcome moment. Pastor Reginald. But you

104
00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,240
Speaker 1: said we can call you Reggie. I feel like, are

105
00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:30,680
Speaker 1: we there yet? Right? And we made ourselves comfortable, you

106
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:32,200
Speaker 1: know what I mean. Typically we would love to have

107
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,040
Speaker 1: you in studio, but considering the time we're in, zoom

108
00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,720
Speaker 1: is the way. So we're happy that you're taking time

109
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,880
Speaker 1: out of your busy schedule to chat with us, for sure,

110
00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:43,960
Speaker 1: you know, Um, and I wanted to talk a little

111
00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,240
Speaker 1: bit about your shift from you know, being in the

112
00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,040
Speaker 1: sanctuary to now being on YouTube every Sunday and how

113
00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,880
Speaker 1: the dynamics have shifted for you a little bit, um,

114
00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,840
Speaker 1: and about your viral moment. Tell us how that's changed

115
00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,560
Speaker 1: your online presence so far. Well, first let me say

116
00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,040
Speaker 1: thank you. I think y'all are dope. You all represent

117
00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,599
Speaker 1: my shirt. I feel like you're playing that out? Did

118
00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,760
Speaker 1: you play that out? I didn't. My wife bought the shirt.

119
00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:17,560
Speaker 1: I put it on, and your wife you sound like like, hey, hey,

120
00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,120
Speaker 1: we gotta thank God for good, good women in our lives.

121
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,280
Speaker 1: But but but no, it's it's been a journey this year,

122
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,560
Speaker 1: passed her in through a pandemic. And actually that viral

123
00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,840
Speaker 1: clip was me giving an announcement. People give church announcements

124
00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,160
Speaker 1: every Sunday, and so I was given an announcement letting

125
00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,520
Speaker 1: the people know we would not come back into the

126
00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,360
Speaker 1: building until the White House opened, until the tours that

127
00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,360
Speaker 1: the Governor's mentioned opened, and it just took off, and

128
00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,200
Speaker 1: it was kind of humorous in the way I said,

129
00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,720
Speaker 1: until their stuff open, none of our stuff will be open.

130
00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,320
Speaker 1: And so it was humorous but yet so truthful. And

131
00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,960
Speaker 1: we're still we're still moving on with ministry, but the

132
00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000
Speaker 1: building is closed because we we wanted to put the

133
00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,280
Speaker 1: people's health above the church's finances and and our own desires.

134
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:06,920
Speaker 1: So it was a call that I had to make

135
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,080
Speaker 1: as a shepherd, because we're called to guard and protect

136
00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:14,840
Speaker 1: God's sheep people. So that was my choice. But moving

137
00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,720
Speaker 1: from physical being in the person in person worship to

138
00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,840
Speaker 1: the virtual experience, it has been an adjustment. But my

139
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,560
Speaker 1: favorite word for all leaders this year is you. We've

140
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:31,800
Speaker 1: all had to learn how to pivot. You don't hey

141
00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:34,040
Speaker 1: if you don't know how to pivot, if you don't

142
00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,160
Speaker 1: know how to adjust, if you don't understand what the

143
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,280
Speaker 1: word innovation means, you're gonna be lost in the sauce.

144
00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,240
Speaker 1: So regardless of what organization you lead or run, we've

145
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,800
Speaker 1: all had to shift and be open to change, and

146
00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,880
Speaker 1: really in many ways it's been beautiful. That's what's so,

147
00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,120
Speaker 1: you know, in the in the realm of pivoting, allow

148
00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,320
Speaker 1: me to pivot for a minute, real quick. We talk

149
00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:02,800
Speaker 1: about sheep and you're leading god sheep. But in when

150
00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,880
Speaker 1: you call someone to sheep, they're normally that's normally a

151
00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,959
Speaker 1: negative connotation that normally since the people who are pretty

152
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,599
Speaker 1: much sleep and just follow anything blindly. So, as a

153
00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:17,240
Speaker 1: leader of faith, how do you balance between the changes

154
00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:21,839
Speaker 1: that society has made with regard to how we lead

155
00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:26,160
Speaker 1: people and still continue to be um truthful to the

156
00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:29,760
Speaker 1: word you know, and and truthfully speaking, I understand some

157
00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:32,680
Speaker 1: connotations with the word sheep. How people can say no

158
00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:36,120
Speaker 1: that means you're just blindly following no. But I think

159
00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,280
Speaker 1: the the onus and the responsibility is more so on

160
00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:44,520
Speaker 1: the shepherd. Uh, we're we're called under shepherd's In my context,

161
00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,160
Speaker 1: I'm not the main shepherd, but I am called to shepherd,

162
00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,360
Speaker 1: which means I fight wolves. We feed sheep, and we

163
00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,840
Speaker 1: fight wolves. So that's on the prophetic side of ministry,

164
00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,120
Speaker 1: not prophecy in the sense of I'm going to tell

165
00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,880
Speaker 1: you what your future is. You know, I speak what

166
00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,800
Speaker 1: I try to speak to people, what God Will wants said.

167
00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,599
Speaker 1: So that means I stand in some tense places. We

168
00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,920
Speaker 1: have wolves of white supremacy, wolves of voter suppression, wolves

169
00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,680
Speaker 1: of of gender inequality. And so when I view myself

170
00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:18,800
Speaker 1: as a shepherd, is not that I'm saying the sheep

171
00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,959
Speaker 1: aren't smart, because I got more smart. I have more

172
00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,079
Speaker 1: people with more degrees than I have sitting in the pew.

173
00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:28,319
Speaker 1: So I know means that my meaning by that people's

174
00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,680
Speaker 1: intelligence or demeaning people, I'm saying my responsibility is still

175
00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,160
Speaker 1: fighting wolves and making sure that I do the job

176
00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:39,360
Speaker 1: I have to protect the people that God has called

177
00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,319
Speaker 1: me to lead. So it is a new day, um

178
00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,559
Speaker 1: and and the folks are smart. People are intelligent. So

179
00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,840
Speaker 1: even if I had kept even if I had kept

180
00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:55,559
Speaker 1: my church open after the people weren't coming, you, you're

181
00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,160
Speaker 1: not up on the latest. Two hundred thousand people have

182
00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,920
Speaker 1: lost their lives this year. Trump's lost his mind if

183
00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,959
Speaker 1: you stayed open, like listening past his tone deaf, he

184
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,800
Speaker 1: don't see what's going on in the world right now.

185
00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:12,120
Speaker 1: And so if anybody is sleep, I think some preachers

186
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,319
Speaker 1: and pastors have been sleep. And uh, and and and

187
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,400
Speaker 1: so we have to wake up to the changing of

188
00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,480
Speaker 1: the times, stand up on what's current, what's flowing, and

189
00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,080
Speaker 1: you can have faith and still be aware of the facts.

190
00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,120
Speaker 1: That I found my balance in that tension, like I

191
00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,040
Speaker 1: just because I'm a man of faith doesn't mean I

192
00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:36,120
Speaker 1: ignore all the facts. Right, Absolutely, we we deal with

193
00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,760
Speaker 1: that faith verse facts. But we call it a religion

194
00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,160
Speaker 1: versus spirituality because we both grew up in different denominations,

195
00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,640
Speaker 1: because she was seven day Events and I grew up Baptist.

196
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:46,880
Speaker 1: So it was like, how do we decide which one

197
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:48,679
Speaker 1: we're going to choose for our children? And did we

198
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:50,599
Speaker 1: have to particularly did we have to you know what

199
00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:52,760
Speaker 1: I mean? So I guess in your expert opinion, would

200
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,920
Speaker 1: you say that there's a difference between just faith and religion? Um?

201
00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,880
Speaker 1: If so, what's the difference? If not, how do they relate?

202
00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:04,680
Speaker 1: So faith is an experience that we all have every day.

203
00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:08,520
Speaker 1: We we've used this word faith to help people understand religion.

204
00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,400
Speaker 1: But when you sat down in that chair and you

205
00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:14,880
Speaker 1: didn't check to see if the screws were tightened, Uh,

206
00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:16,840
Speaker 1: if that chair will hold you up, you have faith

207
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,880
Speaker 1: in their chair. You just sat down in it. When

208
00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:21,959
Speaker 1: you get on the airplane. When you get on the

209
00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:26,640
Speaker 1: airplane and you didn't check the pilot's credentials, that was faith.

210
00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,400
Speaker 1: So we all exhibit faith in every walk of life.

211
00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,439
Speaker 1: And I think the faith is just an experience of

212
00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:36,800
Speaker 1: our religion, of our spirituality. Religion is more of the

213
00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,720
Speaker 1: set of rules that are set in place that are

214
00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:45,319
Speaker 1: supposed to help us experience the Holy other. Spirituality is

215
00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,720
Speaker 1: more so without all the rules, without all the rituals,

216
00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,599
Speaker 1: without of the creeds and the codes. It's just my

217
00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:56,439
Speaker 1: experience with something greater than myself or with myself. Different

218
00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:01,160
Speaker 1: people experience spirituality in different ways. And so now because

219
00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,960
Speaker 1: the times are changing and you're dealing with this word

220
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,840
Speaker 1: called pluralism, you know, you know, religious pluralism. We are

221
00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:13,240
Speaker 1: all growing. Buddhists can live right next door to you,

222
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,920
Speaker 1: You can work with the Muslim somebody in Islam, and

223
00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,360
Speaker 1: so we're all having to understand how you can hold

224
00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:25,000
Speaker 1: onto what you believe without damning, without demeaning, or without

225
00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,959
Speaker 1: diminishing what somebody else believes. So, real quick, can I

226
00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:32,199
Speaker 1: just interject real quickly, one of the major issues that

227
00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,600
Speaker 1: I had growing up as a as a child of God,

228
00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:37,760
Speaker 1: because up in a Baptist Church was the belief that

229
00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,600
Speaker 1: if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior,

230
00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,120
Speaker 1: then everyone else you're going to hell. So for me,

231
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,880
Speaker 1: that was hard for me to wrap my mind around

232
00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:47,640
Speaker 1: because I felt like there's so many other people in

233
00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,160
Speaker 1: the world who probably have never been introduced to Jesus

234
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,439
Speaker 1: Christ because they may believe in another religion. Say you're

235
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,559
Speaker 1: say you're Buddhist. You know, um, I know. Um. The

236
00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,679
Speaker 1: Jews believe that Jesus Christ was maybe a prophet, but

237
00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,000
Speaker 1: he isn't the son of God. So then my thought

238
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,280
Speaker 1: process growing up was does that mean that Jews are

239
00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:08,240
Speaker 1: going to Hell? And I remember trying to ask questions

240
00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,440
Speaker 1: growing up, and my the adults and my children look

241
00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:13,840
Speaker 1: at me like, why would you even ask that question?

242
00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:15,880
Speaker 1: And no one would give me an answer. So it

243
00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,880
Speaker 1: made me feel lost. What do you say to people

244
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,280
Speaker 1: now who who have those same questions you are looking

245
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,520
Speaker 1: for the right way to have a walk with God. First,

246
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,600
Speaker 1: I want to say, I want to apologize for all

247
00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,880
Speaker 1: the people who were so fearful of a question that

248
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,240
Speaker 1: would upset their equilibrium that they silenced you. But the

249
00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:41,320
Speaker 1: truth is if we walk by faith and not by sight.

250
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,360
Speaker 1: Then the very essence of faith suggests I have to

251
00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:50,480
Speaker 1: ask questions because I don't have certainty. So yeah, yeah,

252
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,960
Speaker 1: faith in his answers means there's no certainty, right, and

253
00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,400
Speaker 1: so that that there are elements where as we walk

254
00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:58,360
Speaker 1: with God, as we journey where God. God is not

255
00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,760
Speaker 1: often intimidate. God has never intimidated by our questions, but

256
00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:06,200
Speaker 1: the people who speak for God sometimes are intimidated by questions,

257
00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:08,760
Speaker 1: and so we try to silence people. But what I

258
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,840
Speaker 1: want to say is it is nobody's place to determine

259
00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:17,480
Speaker 1: an eternity for anybody. My walk with God is my walk.

260
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,560
Speaker 1: I believe that Jesus Christ I acknowledge him, is my

261
00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,880
Speaker 1: Lord and Savior. And because I know who Jesus is

262
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,800
Speaker 1: for me, I invite people to journey with Jesus if

263
00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,400
Speaker 1: that's what you choose to do. But I don't spend

264
00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,840
Speaker 1: my time, you know, bashing other faiths and other faith traditions,

265
00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,160
Speaker 1: because for those people, that's real for them, that's that's

266
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,880
Speaker 1: that's real for them. And while they may experience the

267
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,600
Speaker 1: Holy that way, I experienced the Holy my way. I think, Um,

268
00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:52,760
Speaker 1: instead of us getting caught up in the name, why

269
00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,520
Speaker 1: don't we all just find a way to learn to

270
00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,720
Speaker 1: love each other affirm each other, and they are basic

271
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,280
Speaker 1: principles that are true and transcending in all faith traditions.

272
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,600
Speaker 1: You can't limit joy just to Christianity. You can't limit

273
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,400
Speaker 1: justice just to Christianity. You can't limit peace and understand

274
00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,880
Speaker 1: and being affirming and positivity just to one religion. So

275
00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:18,560
Speaker 1: if we get down to the essence of all of

276
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,520
Speaker 1: these religions, which I taught religion in more House, I

277
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,160
Speaker 1: studied religion and more House, and to build all this stuff,

278
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,320
Speaker 1: if you get down to the essence of it all,

279
00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,600
Speaker 1: they're all trying to say the same thing. That's what

280
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,800
Speaker 1: we saw, that's what we came to. I'm telling you

281
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,080
Speaker 1: passed away. We were in college and we were studying religion,

282
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,720
Speaker 1: and we studied Islam. We studied you Days, and we

283
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,400
Speaker 1: studied Christianity simultaneous. It was one of those things that

284
00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,880
Speaker 1: when we started dating, we knew that we it was

285
00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:45,880
Speaker 1: going to be the core of our relationship and our

286
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,400
Speaker 1: marriage one day. So we wanted to get on the

287
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:49,720
Speaker 1: same page about it. And we realized and talking to

288
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,840
Speaker 1: each other that we had so many um similar beliefs.

289
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:54,880
Speaker 1: But it was just a different way of teaching that

290
00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,280
Speaker 1: it kind of came across to us. I remember, and

291
00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,560
Speaker 1: I spoke about this on a former podcast that we

292
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,800
Speaker 1: did when I first met a Vault and I brought

293
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,359
Speaker 1: him home. Um, my family whose Seven Day Indventists says

294
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,440
Speaker 1: in raising the West Indies on both sides, my parents

295
00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,240
Speaker 1: particularly weren't as strict in the following of the teachings

296
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,480
Speaker 1: and the rules that went with Seven Day Inventist because

297
00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,919
Speaker 1: there are a lot of those. Um. However, I did

298
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,040
Speaker 1: have an aunt who is a devout you know, Seven

299
00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,400
Speaker 1: Day Adventists and very you know, um serious about her walk.

300
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,439
Speaker 1: She said to me like, oh, he's a nice guy,

301
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:24,760
Speaker 1: but he goes to church on the wrong day. And

302
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,280
Speaker 1: I was like, there's a wrong day to go to church.

303
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,680
Speaker 1: And that really just like was off putting for me

304
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,320
Speaker 1: because I'm like, okay, so he's a nice guy from

305
00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,200
Speaker 1: an amazing family and all that, but the fact that

306
00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,800
Speaker 1: he goes to church on a Saturday, not of Sunday,

307
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,320
Speaker 1: I mean on a Sunday, not of Saturday, was reason

308
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,240
Speaker 1: for her to be like, I don't know, you know,

309
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,200
Speaker 1: and to me, that was very disheartening. So that what

310
00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,760
Speaker 1: that's what led us to do these religion courses to

311
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,399
Speaker 1: really try to seek for ourselves what was happening? You

312
00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:52,840
Speaker 1: know what? What what is it that we wanted to believe?

313
00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,840
Speaker 1: Believe in? Religion is too often put labels, limits and

314
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:04,040
Speaker 1: lids on people. Yes, labels, limits and lids so so

315
00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,200
Speaker 1: and the whole time the only al we're supposed to

316
00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:11,920
Speaker 1: be exhibiting is love. Like I just read before I

317
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,800
Speaker 1: jumped on here with you all this scripture and John thirteen,

318
00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,760
Speaker 1: one of my favorite scriptures. Jesus is like, they will

319
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:22,040
Speaker 1: know your my disciples by how you love right there

320
00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,920
Speaker 1: at the end of John chapter thirteen, Like forget all

321
00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,639
Speaker 1: the other stuff. He's like, they're gonna know that you

322
00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:32,520
Speaker 1: rock with me because of how you love each other.

323
00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,760
Speaker 1: Like love one another. That's this is the new commandment.

324
00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,280
Speaker 1: So I know you can quote the Ten Commandments. I

325
00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:40,639
Speaker 1: know you can quote all the law and all that stuff.

326
00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:42,920
Speaker 1: He's like, I got one. I got a new commandment

327
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,400
Speaker 1: for you love one another. Do you know how much

328
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,200
Speaker 1: stuff we can solve in the world if we could

329
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,240
Speaker 1: get down to the what my grandma will call the

330
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,720
Speaker 1: treaty gritty. That's true, that is true. This is what

331
00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,359
Speaker 1: we struggle with a lot, because we want our boys

332
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,960
Speaker 1: to to grow up with love in their heart. You know,

333
00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:02,800
Speaker 1: one thing that people say all the time is that

334
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:04,520
Speaker 1: they can notice our oldest son who's nine, that he

335
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,240
Speaker 1: has a lot of empathy towards other people. That you

336
00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,359
Speaker 1: can tell that how other people feel matters to him.

337
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,520
Speaker 1: And what I feared growing up was putting him into

338
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,680
Speaker 1: a church environment where that that loss and empathy is gone,

339
00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:21,560
Speaker 1: because now it becomes a judging thing where you look

340
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,080
Speaker 1: at people to see who's sinning, and you start counting sins.

341
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,840
Speaker 1: Because I remember a point where, you know, when you

342
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,040
Speaker 1: at nine and ten years old, you start to understand

343
00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,800
Speaker 1: what the ten commandments are, and you start to understand

344
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:32,919
Speaker 1: what's right and what's wrong. You start to look at

345
00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,360
Speaker 1: people differently, and every time you see somebody, you see

346
00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,119
Speaker 1: a sinner, you know, And I feared putting them in

347
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,600
Speaker 1: that element to where now they grow up just looking

348
00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,159
Speaker 1: at people at at faults. How many faults did you

349
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,840
Speaker 1: commit today? So you know, my question to you is

350
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,840
Speaker 1: where does faith lie in the nuclear family, especially the

351
00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,560
Speaker 1: nuclear black family, when it comes to how do you

352
00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,080
Speaker 1: raise your children and how do you pick a significant other?

353
00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:57,440
Speaker 1: Where does faith lie on that list? And to double

354
00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,720
Speaker 1: down on that, how have you seen faith in religion?

355
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,119
Speaker 1: I guess change from generation to generation, meaning from our

356
00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,840
Speaker 1: parents or grandparents generation to us and the now us

357
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,440
Speaker 1: raising children today. You know that is a deep question.

358
00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:16,520
Speaker 1: We need two hours version, but yeah, I'm gonna give

359
00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:19,600
Speaker 1: you from give you some foot notes and the cliff note. So,

360
00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:26,720
Speaker 1: my my grandparents faithful people, um, you know, very faithful

361
00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,240
Speaker 1: grouping church. My mother, my father again another generation of

362
00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:34,119
Speaker 1: Christianity and I kind of inherited the faith initially and

363
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,520
Speaker 1: then I made a decision in college to stay with

364
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:40,600
Speaker 1: the faith. Um, we're my generation, some of these millennials

365
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,440
Speaker 1: and younger people, we're not as rigid in our beliefs,

366
00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:49,359
Speaker 1: like we will listen to Cardi B And turn on

367
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:55,120
Speaker 1: gospel in a matter of two minutes past oh oh

368
00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:59,920
Speaker 1: my god. Because for us, we've really embraced some Africa

369
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:04,040
Speaker 1: can traditions and that is there is no separation between

370
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:09,480
Speaker 1: secular and sacred. That that that it's been a diffusion

371
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,960
Speaker 1: over time between sacred and secular because the truth is

372
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:20,760
Speaker 1: it's all sacred. African traditions, particularly in our community, give

373
00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,200
Speaker 1: us space to say they're sacred and everything, Like you

374
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:25,639
Speaker 1: can hear a rapper get up and get an award

375
00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,000
Speaker 1: and he just cussed and called girls bees and ages,

376
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,560
Speaker 1: and he wins an award for his song, and he'll

377
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,680
Speaker 1: get up and say, hey, y'all, I just want to

378
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,000
Speaker 1: thank God for giving me this gift. And we're like, well,

379
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:42,760
Speaker 1: but but it's very profound because he does not separate

380
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,560
Speaker 1: God giving him a gift to what is song and

381
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:49,920
Speaker 1: maybe perpetuating in his music, Like even if it is

382
00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,919
Speaker 1: kind of edgy, even if I did cuss, even if

383
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,200
Speaker 1: I did throw some stuff in, it might be you know,

384
00:21:55,480 --> 00:22:00,800
Speaker 1: looked at as secular or or risk ay or even profane.

385
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,560
Speaker 1: I know God gave me the gift to wrap. I

386
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,720
Speaker 1: know God gave me this gift from music. So there's

387
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,040
Speaker 1: no separation. So you can see younger people saying I'm

388
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,600
Speaker 1: gonna go out here to work, enjoy myself at the

389
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,160
Speaker 1: club and I and I'll go to church the next day,

390
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:19,560
Speaker 1: and like God is and all of this, and absolutely,

391
00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,119
Speaker 1: I really think my generation and our age group, we're like, no,

392
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,199
Speaker 1: don't don't try to separate what's secular and sacred for us,

393
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,439
Speaker 1: it's all sacred and God is in it. All our

394
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,560
Speaker 1: older generation they were more. This is how you dress,

395
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,720
Speaker 1: this is how you talk. You have to marry this person.

396
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,639
Speaker 1: You can't love you know, same gender loving relationships. Oh no,

397
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,720
Speaker 1: the Bibles against it, and we're like, but y'all do

398
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,480
Speaker 1: know God, it's too big to be little. We do

399
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,040
Speaker 1: know that God is love and you can't control people

400
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:56,560
Speaker 1: and that so science has impacted us. Uh, updates and

401
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,400
Speaker 1: research has impacted us. People are growing, people are evolving,

402
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:04,280
Speaker 1: and some people are against it. But the newer generation,

403
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:08,399
Speaker 1: I think, are saying, Hey, God is so big, so loving.

404
00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:12,480
Speaker 1: Let's stop judging people by who they love, how they dress,

405
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,040
Speaker 1: how they talk, what they believe, and let's be bigger

406
00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,600
Speaker 1: than that. Jesus is too big to be little either.

407
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:20,199
Speaker 1: So I don't know if they answered your question. Let

408
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 1: me go and one more thing, specifically about your children.

409
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,560
Speaker 1: I understand how I've talked to so many couples my age, like,

410
00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,000
Speaker 1: what do we do? You know? I want them to

411
00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,840
Speaker 1: come into their own I want them to believe on

412
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,359
Speaker 1: their own whatever they choose to believe. At the same time,

413
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,320
Speaker 1: if you lay a foundation UH in Christianity, the best

414
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,600
Speaker 1: of Christianity is what we give our children. You know

415
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:52,760
Speaker 1: what I'm saying? It's just the basics grace, love, mercy, giveness.

416
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:58,000
Speaker 1: So Christianity at his best is what we can instill

417
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,320
Speaker 1: in our children. And even if you know you are choose,

418
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,720
Speaker 1: you all a free now, so you can choose another

419
00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,840
Speaker 1: faith tradition. I'm not here to judge. I will raise

420
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,000
Speaker 1: my children in a Christian setting because the best of

421
00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 1: Christianity is what helped me build my foundation and I

422
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:16,920
Speaker 1: believe that up with child now, when they get to

423
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,760
Speaker 1: certain moments on their journey, I can say, hey, let's

424
00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,440
Speaker 1: talk about this. Let's wrestle with this, because it's gonna come.

425
00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,680
Speaker 1: It's gonna come organically. So when it comes organically and

426
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,760
Speaker 1: attention hits to two rows diverge into the woods, as

427
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:32,919
Speaker 1: Robert Frost said, you can stand there and help them

428
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,520
Speaker 1: negotiate that. Am I making any sense? No? You are. No,

429
00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,440
Speaker 1: You're absolutely making a lot of sense. And I'll tell

430
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,000
Speaker 1: you what what made the most sense for me. We're

431
00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,879
Speaker 1: taking notes and whatnot. I'm gonna have to listen to

432
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,359
Speaker 1: this episode again myself. Does these these four words that

433
00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,600
Speaker 1: you said, grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness on this podcast,

434
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 1: If there's one thing people heard heard me say a

435
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,200
Speaker 1: lot is grace. I always talk about giving your parents, grace,

436
00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:01,600
Speaker 1: giving each other, but love, mercy and forgiveness, and also

437
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,520
Speaker 1: um not separating between sacred and secular. What what I

438
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:08,159
Speaker 1: think that allows people to do is to not feel

439
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,360
Speaker 1: isolated and judged while trying to go through their walk

440
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:17,679
Speaker 1: the current of what you know allowed because growing up

441
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,280
Speaker 1: in Flatbush, Brooklyn, our church was in the middle of

442
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:22,879
Speaker 1: the hood, so there were a lot of people, people

443
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,840
Speaker 1: who only knew a secular lifestyle, who felt uncomfortable coming

444
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,840
Speaker 1: into church because they feared that they wouldn't be accepted,

445
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,400
Speaker 1: and me being kind of like a bridge between those

446
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,200
Speaker 1: folks and the church folks because my father was a deacon,

447
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,800
Speaker 1: my my aunt, my uncle were all pastors and ministers.

448
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,159
Speaker 1: I could see both sides. So that's what made me

449
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 1: kind of realize that there has to be something different

450
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,000
Speaker 1: than the rigid traditions that existed, you know, back in

451
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 1: the day. But that but that leads me to a question.

452
00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,879
Speaker 1: You look at faith right now in politics right and

453
00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,600
Speaker 1: you see where we are in politics, and you can see,

454
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 1: you know, all the Trump supporters are using Christianity is

455
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:02,680
Speaker 1: their way to say the reason, you know, where the

456
00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:07,200
Speaker 1: solid Christian conservative people and they're leaning on faith in

457
00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,600
Speaker 1: religion is the reason why they'll continue to vote this way.

458
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 1: But then also if you look at you know, our

459
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,080
Speaker 1: side Black Lives Matter, is that faith is what makes

460
00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,400
Speaker 1: us believe that you have to treat all people equally.

461
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,679
Speaker 1: How is it that two people can be so polar

462
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:26,080
Speaker 1: opposite and use Christianity as the reason why they believe

463
00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,200
Speaker 1: and what they believe, Like, can you talk about because

464
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,200
Speaker 1: I had Jackson asked me this question, my son, nine

465
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,000
Speaker 1: years old, because he saw we were watching them. We

466
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,359
Speaker 1: were watching CNN and they were a Trump rally and

467
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:39,040
Speaker 1: a dude had a cross on his shirt and he

468
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,840
Speaker 1: talked about God. And then Jackson, now, just like most people,

469
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,119
Speaker 1: when he sees and make America Great Again hat, he

470
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,480
Speaker 1: automatically assumes that that person is racist. You know. It's like,

471
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,119
Speaker 1: it's so it's so bad that we do this to

472
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,159
Speaker 1: our own, that we do this to people. You know,

473
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,120
Speaker 1: you just everyone is monolithic. You got on the red hat,

474
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,560
Speaker 1: you're racist, you got on a BLM hat. Then you're

475
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,440
Speaker 1: a socialist, you're a Marxists. Is bad, It's terrible. But

476
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:04,160
Speaker 1: I was trying to explain to him that you can

477
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,040
Speaker 1: be you can be a Christian but have different political views.

478
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,720
Speaker 1: What are your thoughts and how would you explain to

479
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:14,000
Speaker 1: children about being a Christian or being anything and still

480
00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:17,399
Speaker 1: having different political views and the people who may agree

481
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:21,080
Speaker 1: that God is the one. But the best way I

482
00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:23,359
Speaker 1: can explain is simply I would explain to a child.

483
00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,640
Speaker 1: And I did this to my students at moor House.

484
00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:27,840
Speaker 1: I held up a bottle of water and I had

485
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,600
Speaker 1: him stand in different parts of the room and I said, now,

486
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,760
Speaker 1: what do you see where from where you're standing, and

487
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:35,879
Speaker 1: what do you see from where you're standing? And some

488
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,920
Speaker 1: saw the the Shauny label, some saw the ingredients on

489
00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,679
Speaker 1: the back, some on this side saw that the bottle

490
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:47,640
Speaker 1: was recycled. I said, now, depending on where you're standing

491
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:54,880
Speaker 1: impacts what you see. But what we all need, regardless

492
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,359
Speaker 1: of what you see, is the water on the inside. Yeah.

493
00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 1: And so what happens is if I'm white, my context

494
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:07,479
Speaker 1: is gonna influence what I see. If I'm black from

495
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,159
Speaker 1: the South Side of Chicago, that impacts how I If

496
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,879
Speaker 1: I'm a woman, if I'm a black woman, that impacts

497
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:17,240
Speaker 1: It's called your social location. So if I'm doing even

498
00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:21,159
Speaker 1: in religion, even even when you read the Bible. You

499
00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,760
Speaker 1: bring your story, you bring your experiences to the text,

500
00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,880
Speaker 1: and so me, as a black preacher, I don't preach

501
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:31,359
Speaker 1: the Bible like a white preacher would. Who has been,

502
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:37,680
Speaker 1: who's experienced privilege, and who's experienced Uh easy, go with life.

503
00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,720
Speaker 1: I'm from Lathonia, Georgia. I'm from the South. Uh So

504
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,680
Speaker 1: I I see God as a liberator. I see God

505
00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:49,600
Speaker 1: from my context is one that gets on the side

506
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,080
Speaker 1: of the oppressed and struggles with us. And somebody else

507
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,800
Speaker 1: may see God is hey, God wants me to fight

508
00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: for white people to stay in power. God wants me

509
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 1: to fight for anti abortion laws, and God wants me

510
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,000
Speaker 1: so depending on where you're standing at the same time,

511
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,920
Speaker 1: what's going to heal this country is when, regardless of

512
00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,320
Speaker 1: where you're standing looking at the label on the bottle

513
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,480
Speaker 1: of water, when we're all able to humble ourselves and

514
00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,800
Speaker 1: listen to each other and and hear each other out,

515
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,560
Speaker 1: and say, tell me what you see from where you're standing,

516
00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:23,440
Speaker 1: and then I'll tell you what I see from what

517
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,959
Speaker 1: I'm standing. Because until we're able to hear each other,

518
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,280
Speaker 1: listen to each other, there will be no healing in

519
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 1: this country. You know what that that right, there is

520
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,320
Speaker 1: the the explanation. Because we were talking about the different

521
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,320
Speaker 1: forms of religion when it came to Islam, Judaism, Christianity,

522
00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,200
Speaker 1: and we all kept saying, it sounds like they all

523
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,520
Speaker 1: praying to the same God. But depending on where they

524
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,720
Speaker 1: were in the globe during the times, the stories were

525
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,840
Speaker 1: a little bit different and even open to interpretation. You

526
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 1: interpret it based off of your own life perspective. Where

527
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,800
Speaker 1: you were standing, that's what you saw. So if you're

528
00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 1: a Christian, when you looked at Jesus, you saw the

529
00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,720
Speaker 1: Son of God. If you were Jewish, where you saw

530
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:01,880
Speaker 1: you to a prophet. If you were a Muslim, when

531
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:03,880
Speaker 1: you were watching Jesus, you saw a prophet. If you

532
00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,320
Speaker 1: saw allow you to a prophet. So it doesn't mean

533
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,360
Speaker 1: that they're all wrong or one is wrong. It's just

534
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: where I was standing when I saw that made me

535
00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,920
Speaker 1: see God. But it made me see God through this

536
00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:20,360
Speaker 1: perspective that that makes a lot of Sometimes your own lens,

537
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,000
Speaker 1: you gotta just wipe that fog off sometimes and be like, oh,

538
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,720
Speaker 1: I see that a little blurry, but I see and

539
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,480
Speaker 1: and and let me tell you what's so beautiful is

540
00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:34,600
Speaker 1: when you know what changed my opinions about even people

541
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:38,160
Speaker 1: in the LGBTQ community, because they're standing where they're staying.

542
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,800
Speaker 1: I stand where I stand when I'm able to finally

543
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:46,200
Speaker 1: see them as human beings and not an object and

544
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:51,480
Speaker 1: not a subject and not a topic a spectacle. And

545
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,320
Speaker 1: when and when people able to see us in other

546
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:56,600
Speaker 1: races it's not just a subject. But when I'm able

547
00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,400
Speaker 1: to finally one day walk over to them and saying, now,

548
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,600
Speaker 1: tell me what you see from your place, and they

549
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,720
Speaker 1: explain it. And then they walk over to me and

550
00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:07,280
Speaker 1: I said, now, this is what I see from where

551
00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:12,120
Speaker 1: I'm sitting. Do you understand the kinds of record, the

552
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:17,840
Speaker 1: kind of reconciliation, the kind of of understanding, the kind

553
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,280
Speaker 1: of grace, Come on, grace that we would end up,

554
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,680
Speaker 1: the grace that we would give everybody, because at the

555
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,920
Speaker 1: end of the day, regardless of your race, your religion,

556
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:34,120
Speaker 1: your gender, your sexual orientation, we all need some water

557
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 1: to quench our thirsty souls. I don't care who you are.

558
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,080
Speaker 1: Everybody needs water. And that's why the example of the

559
00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:46,600
Speaker 1: water bottle was so powerful, because like you need what's

560
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,760
Speaker 1: on the inside, we need the main thing that keeps

561
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:51,760
Speaker 1: all of us alive and that's water. And you can

562
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,560
Speaker 1: call that God, call that spirit, call that divine, call

563
00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 1: it what you wanna call it, but you need it. Well.

564
00:31:57,360 --> 00:31:59,680
Speaker 1: I think it's amazing about what you've been saying a

565
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,520
Speaker 1: couple different things. UM, is that you meet people pretty

566
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,440
Speaker 1: much where they are. And I come from a background where,

567
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,480
Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of evangelizing that happens, and

568
00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:11,920
Speaker 1: that we had crusades where they're like trying to convert

569
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,880
Speaker 1: the masses and you know, trying to see allowing people,

570
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,760
Speaker 1: getting people to see what you see and buy into it. Um.

571
00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,800
Speaker 1: And for me, I remember feeling as a child being

572
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:24,440
Speaker 1: in a Sabbath school or you know, going to these

573
00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,800
Speaker 1: crusades that were happening during the week and the summertime,

574
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:28,800
Speaker 1: and they're just trying to like, you know, convert as

575
00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:31,240
Speaker 1: many people as possible. And there was like a pressure

576
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 1: that I had sitting in the chair, like Okay, do

577
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,000
Speaker 1: I get up and go up now or or do

578
00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,080
Speaker 1: I not remember one time trying to go up and

579
00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,640
Speaker 1: my mom was like sit down and I was like, well, wait, okay,

580
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:42,480
Speaker 1: do you want me to be here and be a

581
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:44,200
Speaker 1: seven day adventus? Do you want me to sit down

582
00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 1: and just be here because I'm here. I also remember

583
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:50,760
Speaker 1: feeling the almost shame sometimes sitting in the pews and

584
00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,000
Speaker 1: feeling like the pastor was like talking at me. I

585
00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: remember very vividly one Sunday, Saturday, I went into church

586
00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,920
Speaker 1: and I um had on a little like you know,

587
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 1: business suit that I was wearing, you know, no air rings. No,

588
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,680
Speaker 1: I actually had airrings in when typically seven day Adventus

589
00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,800
Speaker 1: you're not supposed to wear airrings, so I had errings

590
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,320
Speaker 1: in my air. I had on a business suit that

591
00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:10,680
Speaker 1: was fitting well. I had on some heels. I felt good.

592
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:11,960
Speaker 1: I was like, I'm a show up for the Lord

593
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 1: today because I was feeling good, and I remember sitting

594
00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:18,680
Speaker 1: towards the middle of the church, the sanctuary, and the

595
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,160
Speaker 1: pastor started talking about like Jezebel and like also I

596
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,640
Speaker 1: just remember feeling really small because it's almost as if

597
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,440
Speaker 1: he was preaching at me in that moment um, and

598
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,920
Speaker 1: it talked about like material things and like out of

599
00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,080
Speaker 1: our parents, and I just it's almost as if I

600
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,400
Speaker 1: felt like the walls of the sanctuary was closing in

601
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,760
Speaker 1: on me and he was preaching at me. And I

602
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,720
Speaker 1: felt such a shame after that because I felt like, well,

603
00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,520
Speaker 1: now They're not gonna want me to be converted into

604
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 1: whatever it is. Or I had to convert myself into

605
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:49,560
Speaker 1: whatever it is they needed me to be to be

606
00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:52,000
Speaker 1: able to sit in a church sermon for the day. Um,

607
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,800
Speaker 1: So would you say that you? I say all that

608
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,040
Speaker 1: to say, would you say that you are more about

609
00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,320
Speaker 1: meeting people where there are and joining them they or

610
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,960
Speaker 1: is it about trying to evangelize and convert and spread

611
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,080
Speaker 1: the word? How how does that look for you now

612
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,320
Speaker 1: as a millennial And how is it different now for you?

613
00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:13,239
Speaker 1: How do you how do you preach differently? Yeah? I

614
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 1: think that question is so profound. Um. You know one

615
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,120
Speaker 1: of my mentors said, preaching doesn't convert people. And I

616
00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:22,680
Speaker 1: was like, we all, look, what do you main Preaching

617
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,960
Speaker 1: doesn't convert. We were called to preach to convert. He said, no,

618
00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,040
Speaker 1: preaching doesn't convert. He said, what converts people is when

619
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,320
Speaker 1: they see your life and they see you deal with

620
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:38,279
Speaker 1: certain situations and they see God in you through your

621
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:42,920
Speaker 1: own struggle, through your own humanity. Hm. It blew my

622
00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:48,239
Speaker 1: mind because because even Jesus said, even when Jesus has

623
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,759
Speaker 1: described you know, for those that know the Bible, John

624
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,840
Speaker 1: chapter one, he said and the word became flesh. Like

625
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,719
Speaker 1: what converts people in this day and time is when

626
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,520
Speaker 1: they're able to see the preacher and see you as

627
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,680
Speaker 1: human and see you dealing with the same stuff that

628
00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:07,800
Speaker 1: they deal with, and you you push through it and

629
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,239
Speaker 1: you get through it and you're able to find God

630
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,640
Speaker 1: in it. Like that's how I that's how I am

631
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:15,080
Speaker 1: so right now, you know, I told the church a

632
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:18,400
Speaker 1: few weeks ago during this pandemic, I've been depressed. I

633
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,880
Speaker 1: started going to therapy, and so on one end, I'm like, oh,

634
00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,480
Speaker 1: my lord, I have told this church I felt with

635
00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,840
Speaker 1: depression that I've told him I've had therapy. And you

636
00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,440
Speaker 1: won't believe the number of people to hit me up,

637
00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:34,800
Speaker 1: Black Pastor you just freed me. Thank you, because because

638
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,719
Speaker 1: I've been depressed. I did a lesson on grief and

639
00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:40,240
Speaker 1: and one of our friends, my wife and I as friends,

640
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,480
Speaker 1: who was in our wedding, she took her life four

641
00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,600
Speaker 1: weeks ago, and I did a lesson on grief and

642
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,759
Speaker 1: I just was vulnerable. I'm like, y'all, this has been

643
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,920
Speaker 1: something to deal with, and so many people, like in

644
00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 1: the middle of a pandemic who ain't grieving, and grief

645
00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:59,239
Speaker 1: is not just about the grief is about loss. So

646
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,080
Speaker 1: when you lose is your normalcy, When you lose your routine,

647
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,840
Speaker 1: your rituals, the stuff that's sacred to you, your traditions.

648
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:06,800
Speaker 1: You can't go to church for some people, can't go

649
00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:09,920
Speaker 1: to mass, whatever. Wherever you go, everybody is grieving. So

650
00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:13,240
Speaker 1: what I've discovered and what I love about this question

651
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:17,440
Speaker 1: is what has converted people for me is not me bamming,

652
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,600
Speaker 1: banging people upside the head saying you better believe Jesus.

653
00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,319
Speaker 1: It's me saying, hey, let me tell you what God

654
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,560
Speaker 1: has done for me. Let me tell you what Jesus

655
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:31,239
Speaker 1: means to me in my suffering and my tears, in

656
00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,080
Speaker 1: my low moments, in my high moments. And if you

657
00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,160
Speaker 1: relate to that, I want you to come join me

658
00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:42,160
Speaker 1: on this journey of humanity. And yes, and that has

659
00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:45,879
Speaker 1: converted more people for me than me saying you're going

660
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,600
Speaker 1: to hell if you don't believe it. I believe that.

661
00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 1: But here's another thing, because what you just spoke on

662
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,200
Speaker 1: is the reality. People tend to follow other people who

663
00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:01,759
Speaker 1: show their humanness. They don't stand from a place of

664
00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:05,480
Speaker 1: conviction and say you're bad. Your soul is deemed someone

665
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:09,040
Speaker 1: you should. We've experienced that even with the content that

666
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,440
Speaker 1: we create and the stories we put out and that

667
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:14,359
Speaker 1: we tell through our our platform. You know, we're just like, Hey,

668
00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:16,680
Speaker 1: we're just like any other like married millennial couple of

669
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:18,680
Speaker 1: trying to raise these kids and figure your life out,

670
00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:20,600
Speaker 1: and here's what we're going through, and a lot of

671
00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,120
Speaker 1: people can relate. The more real you become, the more

672
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,520
Speaker 1: people tend to follow you because they understand that if

673
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,319
Speaker 1: this person is going through it and I go through

674
00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:29,279
Speaker 1: it too, I could learn how they deal with what

675
00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:32,520
Speaker 1: they're going through. But this leads me to a huge question,

676
00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,759
Speaker 1: which is the business of faith, Because the business of

677
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,840
Speaker 1: faith is what terms a lot of people off. And

678
00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,880
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie. It has turned me off. You know.

679
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,520
Speaker 1: I grew up in a church, Selar Missionary Baptist Church

680
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:49,520
Speaker 1: in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where the pastor, Pastor Boyd, he grew

681
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:53,640
Speaker 1: a twenty million dollar church from nothing from nothing all

682
00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:55,800
Speaker 1: but by his business acumen he was able to do

683
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:59,400
Speaker 1: things and use the resources from the congregation to build it.

684
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,359
Speaker 1: But in the church he was able to provide resources

685
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,120
Speaker 1: to the community, which is why you understand why the

686
00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:09,239
Speaker 1: church has to be a business. Because you're also providing resources.

687
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:13,120
Speaker 1: But then if you look, now there's megachurches, churches worth

688
00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:15,840
Speaker 1: hundreds of millions of dollars, but then there's people in

689
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:19,320
Speaker 1: the congregation who don't have much. And it makes you wonder,

690
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:22,320
Speaker 1: how is it that a pastor can live in abundance,

691
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,160
Speaker 1: have a private jet, have a twenty million dollar home,

692
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,959
Speaker 1: and have all of these things, but then have people

693
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,720
Speaker 1: in his flock who have nothing and you have nowhere

694
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,719
Speaker 1: for them to go. For example, remember the hurricane hit.

695
00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:37,160
Speaker 1: The hurricane hit in Houston, and who's the I forgot

696
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,000
Speaker 1: the name of the preacher, but as a white preacher,

697
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:44,000
Speaker 1: but he refused to open up the doors of his church. Okay,

698
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,160
Speaker 1: good thing, I can remember. But it was on. It

699
00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:50,239
Speaker 1: was on, It was on media takeout and it was

700
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:52,000
Speaker 1: on it was on TV. And it was just like,

701
00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,319
Speaker 1: you have your church the size of a stadium. There's

702
00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:58,160
Speaker 1: a hurricane, people in your flock have nowhere to go,

703
00:38:58,360 --> 00:38:59,960
Speaker 1: and you refuse to open the doors of the church.

704
00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:02,399
Speaker 1: Isn't that what the church is for? So that made

705
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:04,360
Speaker 1: me think, well, there goes the business of faith. The

706
00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:06,360
Speaker 1: business of faith has become a money grab to a

707
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,239
Speaker 1: lot of people. How do you tell people how to

708
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,120
Speaker 1: deal like, how do you teach your people how to

709
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,960
Speaker 1: deal with the business of what faith has become? Well,

710
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,200
Speaker 1: I simply put, I just tell them the church. Um,

711
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,359
Speaker 1: there is business that the church handles, but the church

712
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,759
Speaker 1: is not a business. It's all it's all about and

713
00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:26,400
Speaker 1: and and and it differs for different people, you know.

714
00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:28,520
Speaker 1: For me, I don't leave my church as a business.

715
00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:31,719
Speaker 1: It's a ministry. But I know, but I know, just

716
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 1: because we have business to handle does not mean we

717
00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,880
Speaker 1: are a business business. Yeah, And that's how I've done it.

718
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,840
Speaker 1: And then I think, too, we cannot allow the greed

719
00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:48,920
Speaker 1: and the excessive lifestyles of a few to make us

720
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,520
Speaker 1: think that everybody is doing that, because I promise you

721
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:58,560
Speaker 1: the majority of pastors, uh, they are not millionaires. They

722
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,279
Speaker 1: do not have enough money or even the desire to

723
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,200
Speaker 1: buy a private jet. But I think the ones that

724
00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,080
Speaker 1: get the attention, the ones they get depressed, those are

725
00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,600
Speaker 1: the ones I know. So many pastors right now through

726
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:13,880
Speaker 1: this pandemic, are are every week with their fingers crossed

727
00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:17,439
Speaker 1: praying they can keep their doors open because they don't

728
00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:20,080
Speaker 1: have They don't they want to do ministry on a

729
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:24,880
Speaker 1: major level, but they're but they're struggling because if you

730
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:27,200
Speaker 1: want the ministry to go forth, you do need money.

731
00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:29,640
Speaker 1: And so what I wanna do is just give a

732
00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:36,440
Speaker 1: shout out to the UH, the, the the, not the

733
00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:41,400
Speaker 1: mega ministries, but the ministries that are doing mega ministry.

734
00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:46,360
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. It's it's a difference, like

735
00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:48,120
Speaker 1: I don't have to be a mega church to do

736
00:40:48,239 --> 00:40:51,640
Speaker 1: mega ministry, and and so there are something that are

737
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:54,640
Speaker 1: trying to do that, and then the pastors, we cannot

738
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:58,319
Speaker 1: be caught up in it in our own flesh are

739
00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 1: greed leaders is we have to remember that God put

740
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:06,279
Speaker 1: us in place to care for people, not for the

741
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:10,320
Speaker 1: people to pack our pockets. We're here to be a blessing.

742
00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:12,320
Speaker 1: And so I'm very you know, shout out to the

743
00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:14,480
Speaker 1: one of the greatest churches on this side of Heaven,

744
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,520
Speaker 1: Fellowship Chicago. I'm so proud that in the middle of

745
00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:21,680
Speaker 1: a pandemic, we donated twenty thousand dollars to the food

746
00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:26,920
Speaker 1: depository here in Chicago. We gave raid fifty dollars plus

747
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:31,279
Speaker 1: to twenty high school graduates. We gave we gave every

748
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:35,000
Speaker 1: high school graduate who applied on time two thousand dollars

749
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:38,640
Speaker 1: towards their their journey in college and in the military.

750
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:43,080
Speaker 1: So every Wednesday we gave food away for free. Partner

751
00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:46,080
Speaker 1: with the Food Depository, opened up our food pantry and

752
00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:50,239
Speaker 1: gave over three thousand families food between the months of

753
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:54,840
Speaker 1: March and July. You see that to me is that

754
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:57,120
Speaker 1: to me is where the church is a business but

755
00:41:57,239 --> 00:41:59,840
Speaker 1: has to be a business in a way, because in

756
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,799
Speaker 1: order to be a nonprofit organization, you have to run

757
00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:04,600
Speaker 1: it as a business. The church I grew up in

758
00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:08,719
Speaker 1: Sealle Missionary Baptist Church, this man did so much for

759
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,680
Speaker 1: the community. Past the pastor Boyd Man, He's he's one

760
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,680
Speaker 1: of my favorite people in the world. He christened our

761
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,880
Speaker 1: first child and he blessed him and in his in

762
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:21,000
Speaker 1: his home. But he was so smart because he was

763
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,359
Speaker 1: able to use his influence and not only just give

764
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,520
Speaker 1: money back, but also to be influenced in political realms

765
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:29,600
Speaker 1: to say, you know what, if you want to have

766
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,600
Speaker 1: access to my flock or you wanta have access here,

767
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:34,560
Speaker 1: this is what we're gonna need from you. And I

768
00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 1: think in times like this there are a lot more

769
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:40,400
Speaker 1: churches that could be doing a lot more when it

770
00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:42,879
Speaker 1: comes to the political realm. Because I do ask this question,

771
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:45,200
Speaker 1: where are all the huge like we have in the

772
00:42:45,239 --> 00:42:46,320
Speaker 1: back in the day. We should have a lot of

773
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:50,319
Speaker 1: political leaders who were pastors right nowadays as a lot

774
00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:52,880
Speaker 1: of social activism. But I don't see the same political

775
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:56,879
Speaker 1: power from our our faith leaders. And I wonder where

776
00:42:56,960 --> 00:42:59,560
Speaker 1: it's gone, especially these faith leaders who have these huge,

777
00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:02,799
Speaker 1: mega churches. How do we not hear from these these

778
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:05,080
Speaker 1: men and women who have these huge followings who make

779
00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,320
Speaker 1: a ton of money to say, you know what, we

780
00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,160
Speaker 1: need legislation to be changed, and I'm going to be

781
00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:12,600
Speaker 1: in the forefront of that even if it's not you know,

782
00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:15,160
Speaker 1: I have to go on TV and say it. But

783
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:17,759
Speaker 1: why is it not getting done? Because I knew that's

784
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:19,560
Speaker 1: what was part of the church I grew up in.

785
00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:23,680
Speaker 1: I know that Pastor Boyd had people in political office

786
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:25,279
Speaker 1: where he could say, Hey, something is going wrong with

787
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:28,839
Speaker 1: this precinct. We need to have this conversation. What has

788
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:33,280
Speaker 1: happened to having the relationship with political leaders? And absolutely,

789
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:36,239
Speaker 1: I mean Dr Martin Luther King was a pastor. You know,

790
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:40,239
Speaker 1: he was before anything else, you know, before Reverend Dr

791
00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,360
Speaker 1: Martin Luther King Jr. He's a reverend. He used his

792
00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:45,680
Speaker 1: ability to speak to people in lead a flock to

793
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,600
Speaker 1: to get us access. You know what I'm saying. If

794
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:50,879
Speaker 1: you think about Malcolm X. Malcolm X is a part

795
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:53,359
Speaker 1: of the Nation of Islam, which was a religious group,

796
00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:57,120
Speaker 1: and I'm just wondering where is that in That's why

797
00:43:57,160 --> 00:44:00,360
Speaker 1: I asked the question. His faith kind of dissipated. You know,

798
00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:04,239
Speaker 1: you know, you know. It's a powerful book exactly on

799
00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:06,840
Speaker 1: what you're talking about. It's called Where Have All the

800
00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:10,440
Speaker 1: Profits Gone? By a great scholar by the name of

801
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:14,040
Speaker 1: Dr Marvin McMichael. And he wrote this book as if

802
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:15,879
Speaker 1: to say, you know, where of all the profits gone?

803
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,160
Speaker 1: Where are all the people who are supposed to be

804
00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:22,240
Speaker 1: on the front lines fighting for God's people and speaking

805
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:25,200
Speaker 1: truth to power? So he writes, he writes this book

806
00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:28,560
Speaker 1: maybe ten plus years ago, and I think it'd be

807
00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:34,200
Speaker 1: great for to answer your library, where have all the

808
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,080
Speaker 1: profits gone? And to be honest with you, a lot

809
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,919
Speaker 1: of our profits, a lot of our leaders who could

810
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:42,759
Speaker 1: be on the front lines. I hate to say it,

811
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:47,000
Speaker 1: but we've been bought. We've been bought, and and and

812
00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:51,720
Speaker 1: and when cash, when cash means more to you than Christ,

813
00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:56,680
Speaker 1: When when your priorities And I've heard a powerful leader

814
00:44:56,719 --> 00:44:58,759
Speaker 1: say this once. He says, I want to be able

815
00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:02,040
Speaker 1: to function in all jungles, so I don't say things

816
00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:04,680
Speaker 1: that are divisive. I don't want to make I don't

817
00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:06,799
Speaker 1: want to make this group upset. And I don't want

818
00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:09,439
Speaker 1: to make this group upsets. No, no, no, you don't.

819
00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:12,800
Speaker 1: So so the sin watch this. Now, I'm about to

820
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 1: get real deep, but I'm gonna make a light. One

821
00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:19,160
Speaker 1: of the greatest sins of our culture is the sin

822
00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:25,120
Speaker 1: of neutrality. Yes, you just you know, you just yeah,

823
00:45:25,160 --> 00:45:28,239
Speaker 1: you're just neutral. You're right in the fence. No, that

824
00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:31,239
Speaker 1: comes a day where you have to get off the

825
00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:34,920
Speaker 1: fence and take a stance. And if everybody didn't agree

826
00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:40,960
Speaker 1: who I was about to say something I was about

827
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:45,840
Speaker 1: to say. I was about to say, hey, these but

828
00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:52,040
Speaker 1: what they feel? Yeah, I mean because because that wasn't Jesus, Like,

829
00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:55,120
Speaker 1: I'm a Christian, so just excuse me for speaking out

830
00:45:55,160 --> 00:46:00,439
Speaker 1: of my faith tradition. Jesus took stances like he ticked off.

831
00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:06,040
Speaker 1: He Rome was after him, the Jews were after him,

832
00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,640
Speaker 1: like everybody was trying to shut this man down because

833
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:12,240
Speaker 1: he didn't care about your position, your power, your platform,

834
00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:16,160
Speaker 1: your privilege, whatever, if it was wrong, if it was unethical,

835
00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:18,240
Speaker 1: if it was a moral, if it wasn't helping people,

836
00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:23,640
Speaker 1: Jesus wanted it. And I'm in that faith tradition. That's Jesus.

837
00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:28,279
Speaker 1: Jesus was a gangster like he was. He wasn't with

838
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:31,800
Speaker 1: the foolishness and uh and that's where I am. And

839
00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:33,440
Speaker 1: so I take people off all the time. But I

840
00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:40,719
Speaker 1: love it. Come back here. We've barely scratched it. We

841
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:43,000
Speaker 1: have bach. I mean, I was even looking through some

842
00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:44,600
Speaker 1: questions we have here for you that we don't even

843
00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:47,000
Speaker 1: have time for in this episode. But I love to

844
00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:51,120
Speaker 1: have you back. I'm here, you know. And that's your wife.

845
00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:53,800
Speaker 1: Buy you another dope T shirt? Um, made a different

846
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:55,880
Speaker 1: thing now that you get our vibe, you know what

847
00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:57,680
Speaker 1: I mean? And it could be it'll be a vibe,

848
00:46:57,680 --> 00:46:59,680
Speaker 1: but it'll be a whole vibe. But we're normally doing

849
00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:03,200
Speaker 1: this letters um during our episodes where people right in

850
00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:05,160
Speaker 1: and they have questions. Do you mind sticking around with

851
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:06,600
Speaker 1: us for another five ten minutes so we can just

852
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:09,920
Speaker 1: address these questions real quick. Let's do it all right? Awesome,

853
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:12,279
Speaker 1: So we're gonna take a quick break and move into

854
00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:15,279
Speaker 1: listener letters, but we'll be back and we will have

855
00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:18,520
Speaker 1: Reggie with us. Past to Reggie, you know, he'll be

856
00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:20,080
Speaker 1: back with us to answer some of your questions. So

857
00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:37,799
Speaker 1: let's get into these ads and stick around. All right,

858
00:47:37,960 --> 00:47:40,560
Speaker 1: So we're back. We paid some bills because this is

859
00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:42,920
Speaker 1: a business. Um, this is a podcast, so we had

860
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:45,839
Speaker 1: to pay some and we're back to the favorite part

861
00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:47,880
Speaker 1: of the show. We still have passed the redge with us.

862
00:47:48,719 --> 00:47:50,520
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna get into the listener letters. We have

863
00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:53,399
Speaker 1: one here. How do I tell my family and friends

864
00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:56,879
Speaker 1: I no longer believe in adventis um or most things

865
00:47:56,960 --> 00:48:00,160
Speaker 1: beyond the core Christian values. I was born and in

866
00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,520
Speaker 1: the Seven Day Advantage Church, and my family has been

867
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:05,280
Speaker 1: in the church from multiple generations here in the West Indies.

868
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:08,200
Speaker 1: Both my spouse and I come from extremely involved families

869
00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:10,560
Speaker 1: who are strong in their faith and church ministries, and

870
00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:13,040
Speaker 1: many of them will be heartbroken. Our fear is how

871
00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:17,960
Speaker 1: coming out as agnostic might damage our relationships with our families.

872
00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:19,960
Speaker 1: For people who don't know what agnostic means, that means

873
00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:21,880
Speaker 1: that they don't know whether there is a God or

874
00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:24,359
Speaker 1: not a God. They're not taking a stance on whether

875
00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:27,480
Speaker 1: God exists or not. They're just like I'm not sure. Um,

876
00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:29,839
Speaker 1: we're otherwise really close to them, but I know we're

877
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,640
Speaker 1: hiding part of who we really are by hiding our

878
00:48:32,719 --> 00:48:34,560
Speaker 1: lack of faith. We have no problem going to church

879
00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:36,719
Speaker 1: or sharing in religious practices, and we do want to

880
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:39,080
Speaker 1: expose our children to it. But I know we're hiding

881
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:41,080
Speaker 1: who we really are by hiding our lack of faith.

882
00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:44,839
Speaker 1: Should we rip the band aid or slowly expose our truth?

883
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:48,640
Speaker 1: Pastor reg what you think? I think that's a great question. Um.

884
00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:54,600
Speaker 1: Whenever we go through personal evolutions, whether it being our faith,

885
00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:58,200
Speaker 1: in our lives and our relationships, it is always a

886
00:48:58,239 --> 00:49:02,240
Speaker 1: painful process. But I want to tell this person, standing

887
00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:07,080
Speaker 1: your truth, and whenever you choose to be authentic, whenever

888
00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:09,560
Speaker 1: you choose to be authentic, you attract the people you

889
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:12,960
Speaker 1: need in your life. Whenever you choose to be false

890
00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:18,400
Speaker 1: or faith or pretending, you attract the people who want

891
00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:21,120
Speaker 1: you for who they think you are. But you don't

892
00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:23,480
Speaker 1: need the people in your life who want you because

893
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:25,879
Speaker 1: of what they think you are. You need the people

894
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:28,560
Speaker 1: in your life for who you really are. And only

895
00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:31,959
Speaker 1: when we choose to be authentic, only when we choose

896
00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:34,080
Speaker 1: to stand in our truth and accept that hey, this

897
00:49:34,239 --> 00:49:36,680
Speaker 1: is an evolution. I don't know if I'll end up here,

898
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:41,840
Speaker 1: but this is where I am right now. Hopefully our family,

899
00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:44,799
Speaker 1: our friends, and those who love us don't stop their

900
00:49:44,880 --> 00:49:48,160
Speaker 1: love or cease their love because we are in a

901
00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:50,320
Speaker 1: place of evolution. I have a friend that left the

902
00:49:50,360 --> 00:49:54,439
Speaker 1: Baptist church and now she is I want to say,

903
00:49:54,480 --> 00:49:57,560
Speaker 1: seven day of Venice. She so, she grew up Baptist

904
00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:00,239
Speaker 1: and now she's seven day of Venice. And you were

905
00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,719
Speaker 1: scared to tell me because we grew up together. And

906
00:50:02,840 --> 00:50:04,719
Speaker 1: I said, don't you know I still love you regard

907
00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:06,719
Speaker 1: I said, if you come to me tomorrow and tell

908
00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:10,880
Speaker 1: me you're atheist, I still love you. And tears almost

909
00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:14,160
Speaker 1: almost well up in her eyes. I know you're my friend,

910
00:50:14,239 --> 00:50:17,239
Speaker 1: you're my sister, and what you choose to believe will

911
00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:19,640
Speaker 1: not impact my love for you. So hopefully you're met

912
00:50:19,719 --> 00:50:22,920
Speaker 1: with somebody who will love you through your evolution. That

913
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:27,319
Speaker 1: that that little life tip there can work with any

914
00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:32,520
Speaker 1: aspect of your life, whether it's not just religion, sexual orientation,

915
00:50:33,120 --> 00:50:37,120
Speaker 1: political values. Allowing people to accept you for who you

916
00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:40,080
Speaker 1: really are rather than trying to be their version of

917
00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:42,640
Speaker 1: who they want you to be, will give you peace.

918
00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:45,279
Speaker 1: Or who think you all will give you peace. That's dope.

919
00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:47,200
Speaker 1: And also not taking it personally. You know, I have

920
00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:51,239
Speaker 1: a really I had a really great friend who, in

921
00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:54,600
Speaker 1: her walk with finding out her relationship with the Lord UM,

922
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:58,520
Speaker 1: totally excommunicated herself for me. UM, and I for a

923
00:50:58,640 --> 00:51:03,160
Speaker 1: long time struggled with why or what I've done to

924
00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:08,759
Speaker 1: deserve to be outcasts and I I was really backtracking.

925
00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:10,560
Speaker 1: I was doing a lot of the reaching out. She

926
00:51:10,719 --> 00:51:12,839
Speaker 1: was just like a whole listen to let it right here, UM.

927
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:14,799
Speaker 1: But it was like, you know, I was like, UM,

928
00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:17,360
Speaker 1: really trying to figure out what I did to to

929
00:51:17,680 --> 00:51:20,359
Speaker 1: cause a detriment to this relationship. And I even reached

930
00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:22,719
Speaker 1: out to some of her family and they're like, don't

931
00:51:22,760 --> 00:51:26,200
Speaker 1: take it personally, kidding, because she's pretty much removed herself

932
00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:28,760
Speaker 1: from us as well, and she won't attend certain family

933
00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:32,160
Speaker 1: functions and she won't do certain things because her her

934
00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:34,759
Speaker 1: vision right now is one, you know, one way and

935
00:51:34,920 --> 00:51:37,560
Speaker 1: one dimensional, and she sees nothing else. So I kind

936
00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:39,239
Speaker 1: of had to step back and respect the fact that

937
00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:41,359
Speaker 1: I would no longer be a part of her life,

938
00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:43,799
Speaker 1: even though I know I had nothing but genuine love

939
00:51:43,880 --> 00:51:46,360
Speaker 1: for her. UM. I thought she was an amazing person.

940
00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:48,719
Speaker 1: I felt like we could have grown together and you

941
00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:50,640
Speaker 1: know all that, but I had to respect the fact

942
00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:54,239
Speaker 1: that she no longer wanted to to participate in our relationship,

943
00:51:54,680 --> 00:51:56,080
Speaker 1: and that was hard for me to deal with in

944
00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:58,640
Speaker 1: the beginning. But I just you know, I didn't judge

945
00:51:58,640 --> 00:52:00,400
Speaker 1: her for it, and it was hurt full in the

946
00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:02,600
Speaker 1: beginning for me. But I've learned that maybe I'm not

947
00:52:02,719 --> 00:52:04,680
Speaker 1: supposed to be a part of her life or a

948
00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:06,600
Speaker 1: part of her walk for whatever reason, and I had

949
00:52:06,680 --> 00:52:08,520
Speaker 1: to just kind of kind of eat that. You know.

950
00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:14,040
Speaker 1: Another great book is The Four Agreements. That's my favorite book.

951
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:17,759
Speaker 1: Oh man, that's that's my book, and my wife loved it.

952
00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:20,240
Speaker 1: We can tell everybody about it. But my favorite agreement

953
00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:24,760
Speaker 1: is don't take it personally. People are on their journey

954
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:29,680
Speaker 1: and you cannot You can't take people's evolutions and transitions personally.

955
00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:31,920
Speaker 1: There you go, man, we got a lot of a

956
00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:34,000
Speaker 1: lot of synergies me and you passed away. Let me

957
00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:38,560
Speaker 1: tell you. And I'm not gonna lie. I have I

958
00:52:38,960 --> 00:52:42,719
Speaker 1: lost faith for lost faith in faith leaders? I did.

959
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:44,600
Speaker 1: I I felt I went through a transition. And it's

960
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:46,759
Speaker 1: funny when you talked about going through a transition and

961
00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,920
Speaker 1: understanding that people are going through transitions, so maybe at

962
00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:51,960
Speaker 1: this point in her life she may be agnostic, but

963
00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,080
Speaker 1: understanding that she may not stay agnostic. I went through

964
00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:57,360
Speaker 1: a transition in my life where I did not trust

965
00:52:57,480 --> 00:53:00,400
Speaker 1: any faith leaders. I was like the crooks that come in,

966
00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:03,000
Speaker 1: they're they're all selfish, and but it wasn't even just them,

967
00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:05,600
Speaker 1: it was just people in general. I felt that all

968
00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:09,120
Speaker 1: people were crooks, income and not don't trust anybody. And

969
00:53:10,320 --> 00:53:13,320
Speaker 1: I was reading the Four Agreements and I came across

970
00:53:13,440 --> 00:53:17,759
Speaker 1: not taking things personal and understanding enlightenment, and I ended

971
00:53:17,840 --> 00:53:19,320
Speaker 1: up I wrote, actually wrote this down, but this is

972
00:53:19,360 --> 00:53:21,800
Speaker 1: what I came up learning to accept that religion requires

973
00:53:22,239 --> 00:53:24,920
Speaker 1: and understanding that you are you are looking to become

974
00:53:25,040 --> 00:53:27,080
Speaker 1: enlightened when you're when you're looking for really you're looking

975
00:53:27,160 --> 00:53:30,640
Speaker 1: become enlightened, right, But enlightenment doesn't mean you're understanding that

976
00:53:30,719 --> 00:53:33,640
Speaker 1: you know more than others. It's understanding that other people

977
00:53:34,160 --> 00:53:37,520
Speaker 1: know more than you. So sometimes you have to change

978
00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:40,360
Speaker 1: your position. You may know more than this person, but

979
00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:42,840
Speaker 1: when you're really enlightened, you realize that I may know

980
00:53:42,960 --> 00:53:45,160
Speaker 1: more than this person, but I don't know as much

981
00:53:45,760 --> 00:53:48,640
Speaker 1: as that person, so let me change my perspective and

982
00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:52,200
Speaker 1: seek that. That's when I really started to change my

983
00:53:52,360 --> 00:53:55,480
Speaker 1: idea about judging people. And you know what I'm saying,

984
00:53:55,560 --> 00:53:58,920
Speaker 1: So speaking to you today has has kind of solidified

985
00:53:59,840 --> 00:54:03,920
Speaker 1: my strength in knowing that I can trust people who

986
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:05,799
Speaker 1: are faith leaders because you don't hear I don't hear

987
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:09,719
Speaker 1: many faith leaders speak like this. You know, typically it's

988
00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:12,200
Speaker 1: and and it may be where I'm listening to faith leaders,

989
00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:16,600
Speaker 1: but typically it's very rigid. Oh they're agnostic, their atheists,

990
00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:18,759
Speaker 1: they're sinners. You need to separate yourself from that type

991
00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:21,920
Speaker 1: of people. It almost become a cult. Like you know,

992
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:25,200
Speaker 1: if they don't believe what you believe, cut that person

993
00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:27,359
Speaker 1: out like a cancer, because you want to remove all

994
00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:30,520
Speaker 1: of that toxicity. The minute someone doesn't agree with you,

995
00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:33,960
Speaker 1: they're toxic and listening to you speak, it's more like, no,

996
00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:37,480
Speaker 1: just because someone doesn't believe the same thing you believe,

997
00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:41,279
Speaker 1: you can give them grace to learn why why they

998
00:54:41,400 --> 00:54:43,440
Speaker 1: think that way, and let's see what we can figure

999
00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:47,960
Speaker 1: out together. So the Lord makes no mistakes and there's

1000
00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:51,040
Speaker 1: a reason why other guests maybe didn't pan out for today,

1001
00:54:51,560 --> 00:54:53,640
Speaker 1: and we were able to end up with Pastor Reggie,

1002
00:54:53,680 --> 00:54:56,360
Speaker 1: because I know, in me seeking some things recently in

1003
00:54:56,480 --> 00:54:58,640
Speaker 1: my own life, I think I might have found you,

1004
00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:01,160
Speaker 1: might have gained you a old new member, you know,

1005
00:55:01,920 --> 00:55:08,920
Speaker 1: seriously wary. I mean, I'll tune in because together we

1006
00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:11,840
Speaker 1: were thinking about where to go when we were figuring

1007
00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:13,120
Speaker 1: this out, and we were just like, who are we

1008
00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:15,160
Speaker 1: going to bring on the show. And it wasn't until

1009
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:16,879
Speaker 1: I was was reaching out to people this don't work,

1010
00:55:16,920 --> 00:55:18,640
Speaker 1: that don't work in and Charles was just like, you know,

1011
00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:22,920
Speaker 1: my passes dope, and it's like, well, loose up. And

1012
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:27,640
Speaker 1: then he's been dope. He sent me a page And now, look,

1013
00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:31,680
Speaker 1: things don't happen by accident, not by accident, so I

1014
00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:35,560
Speaker 1: think there's no coincidences. I mean, we had an amazing

1015
00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:37,400
Speaker 1: time with you. We normally like to end the episode,

1016
00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:39,920
Speaker 1: like we said, with a moment of truth. We normally

1017
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:41,839
Speaker 1: will give our perspective on what we take away from

1018
00:55:41,880 --> 00:55:44,360
Speaker 1: the episode. But I feel like, given the flow that

1019
00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:46,640
Speaker 1: we've had, we'd love to you for you to give

1020
00:55:46,719 --> 00:55:49,359
Speaker 1: us I guess some parting words. Give us a devotion, Yeah,

1021
00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:53,960
Speaker 1: you know, give us a devotion out you know than

1022
00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:56,480
Speaker 1: you know y'all of my new family members I can't

1023
00:55:56,520 --> 00:55:59,360
Speaker 1: wait to meet you in person. I can't wait to

1024
00:55:59,440 --> 00:56:04,160
Speaker 1: just sit down and have dinners winter time because we

1025
00:56:04,239 --> 00:56:10,879
Speaker 1: heard about that. So she does not like the code, Well,

1026
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:14,080
Speaker 1: I'll come, We'll come to y'all. We'll come to y'all.

1027
00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:17,440
Speaker 1: Word but uh but but let me just say this.

1028
00:56:17,600 --> 00:56:20,560
Speaker 1: A lot of people have lost faith, so much faith

1029
00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:22,640
Speaker 1: and faith and leaders that they don't even seek us

1030
00:56:22,680 --> 00:56:27,080
Speaker 1: out for the real hard questions, the real existential questions

1031
00:56:27,160 --> 00:56:30,320
Speaker 1: that everybody wrestles with. And I want to say on

1032
00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:35,200
Speaker 1: behalf of all faith leaders, UM, I want to apologize.

1033
00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:38,120
Speaker 1: I want to say that we you know, I repent

1034
00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:41,759
Speaker 1: and um, and I'm more cognizant that we have a

1035
00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:44,480
Speaker 1: lot of work to do. We have to make sure

1036
00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:48,000
Speaker 1: that we're caring for the whole person, caring for people's

1037
00:56:48,040 --> 00:56:51,959
Speaker 1: mental health, caring for people's physical health, caring for people

1038
00:56:52,120 --> 00:56:57,880
Speaker 1: enough to give them space to grow develop. Uh relearn unlearned.

1039
00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:02,920
Speaker 1: And I want to say that as we journey together, Um,

1040
00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:06,319
Speaker 1: the beautiful part about nature is that it teaches us

1041
00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:10,919
Speaker 1: a lesson. The sun rises, sun goes down, Clouds come,

1042
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:15,040
Speaker 1: clouds dissipate, um, weather comes, snow comes, rain comes. All

1043
00:57:15,080 --> 00:57:18,520
Speaker 1: of this weather comes. But everything is passing, and so

1044
00:57:18,720 --> 00:57:22,880
Speaker 1: even in this pandemic, except that nature is a teacher,

1045
00:57:23,680 --> 00:57:28,560
Speaker 1: and that we are learning how to change with the times.

1046
00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:32,800
Speaker 1: Except that seasons come and seasons go. But if you

1047
00:57:33,080 --> 00:57:36,760
Speaker 1: stay strong in the essence of all of these faith traditions,

1048
00:57:37,280 --> 00:57:40,400
Speaker 1: if you keep your joy, work on keeping your peace,

1049
00:57:40,800 --> 00:57:45,000
Speaker 1: work on being the change you want to see. Work

1050
00:57:45,120 --> 00:57:48,600
Speaker 1: on being loved, not just loving, be loved, be peace,

1051
00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:53,440
Speaker 1: be be understanding, purport yourself and present yourself as a

1052
00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:58,280
Speaker 1: person that exudes these principles. Man, it'll be so many

1053
00:57:58,360 --> 00:58:01,880
Speaker 1: people running to you, no matter what faith tradition you have,

1054
00:58:02,120 --> 00:58:04,560
Speaker 1: because every time they're in your presence, they will feel

1055
00:58:04,720 --> 00:58:08,560
Speaker 1: better about themselves because they've crossed your path. So instead

1056
00:58:08,560 --> 00:58:12,640
Speaker 1: of critiquing everybody else, work to become a person that's

1057
00:58:12,720 --> 00:58:18,440
Speaker 1: worth listening to. Work to become a person that's worth beings.

1058
00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:22,120
Speaker 1: Saw that you know, you know and I may really

1059
00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:24,240
Speaker 1: you know. We we can critique everybody else, we can

1060
00:58:24,320 --> 00:58:26,880
Speaker 1: we have a we have a judgment on everybody. But

1061
00:58:27,320 --> 00:58:30,640
Speaker 1: stop all that look within, work on yourself and let

1062
00:58:30,720 --> 00:58:39,160
Speaker 1: God get the glory. Speak to me eyes no no,

1063
00:58:39,640 --> 00:58:43,840
Speaker 1: no crying that they don't cry A little moved you

1064
00:58:43,920 --> 00:58:48,600
Speaker 1: know we appreciate you, bro. Please tell everything they can

1065
00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:51,600
Speaker 1: find Yes, please tell everybody that they can find you. Hey,

1066
00:58:51,920 --> 00:58:55,560
Speaker 1: follow us and Fellowship Chicago every Sunday attend am the

1067
00:58:55,680 --> 00:58:58,200
Speaker 1: Virtual Ship. We are known as the Virtual Ship is

1068
00:58:58,280 --> 00:59:02,720
Speaker 1: taken off on YouTube. Facebook, follow us on Instagram and

1069
00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:08,680
Speaker 1: Fellowship Chicago. Follow me on Instagram at r W. Sharp Junior. Um,

1070
00:59:09,080 --> 00:59:12,000
Speaker 1: I am on Facebook. I need to become public, so

1071
00:59:12,200 --> 00:59:14,400
Speaker 1: just give me a minute on that because I'm running

1072
00:59:14,400 --> 00:59:16,880
Speaker 1: out of I'm running out of space for new friends

1073
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:19,960
Speaker 1: with Drake's Yeah, Drake said no new friends, so I

1074
00:59:20,040 --> 00:59:23,840
Speaker 1: guess I'm following that right now. But but I'm on Instagram.

1075
00:59:23,920 --> 00:59:26,640
Speaker 1: Follow me on Instagram at r W. Sharp Junior and

1076
00:59:26,720 --> 00:59:29,480
Speaker 1: follow us a Fellowship Chicago and I can't wait the

1077
00:59:29,560 --> 00:59:33,840
Speaker 1: journey with you sounds amazing. Episode. I want your cash,

1078
00:59:33,880 --> 00:59:38,840
Speaker 1: happy Venmo, your quick paypals. I can say I got

1079
00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:41,680
Speaker 1: I got some some words today. So thank you again

1080
00:59:41,760 --> 00:59:46,040
Speaker 1: so much for joining us, Um pastor Reginald Sharp. Wait,

1081
00:59:46,080 --> 00:59:50,720
Speaker 1: I'm missing your middle name, Reginald Wayne R. Sharp Junior.

1082
00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,280
Speaker 1: All right now, thank you so much. Be blessed, love

1083
00:59:54,360 --> 00:59:56,560
Speaker 1: to your family and thank you for thank you for

1084
00:59:56,680 --> 01:00:01,360
Speaker 1: chilling with us Today. Dead As is a production of

1085
01:00:01,440 --> 01:00:04,720
Speaker 1: I Heart Media podcast network and is produced by Dinorapinia

1086
01:00:05,080 --> 01:00:08,320
Speaker 1: and Triple Follow the podcasts on social media at dead as,

1087
01:00:08,480 --> 01:00:10,080
Speaker 1: to podcasts and never miss a Thing