REWIND: Author Avril Somerville, Jesus Stood with the Marginalized
Release Date: 05/20/2022
Rooting in Soul Care Practices for Hard Times
Pray With our Feet
We are living through unprecedented times; as each of us continues processing the election, and moving through waves of grief, disappointment, overwhelm, etc., it is vital to remain rooted in God, and come into beloved community with one another. Mom and I share a few of our thoughts post-election (check out two recent Instagram posts, and ), drop into discussing what soul care is, why it matters, and share two soul care practices you can lean into for support - breath prayer and meditating on verses of scripture. Breath prayer helps us to focus on a short phrase (God, Give me...
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Putting our Faith into Action with Lindsey Krinks of Open Table Nashville
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When we put our faith into action and center justice, fighting for the rights of everyone, particularly those most marginalized, we embody Christ. Mom and I caught up with Lindsey Krinks, Advocacy Director and co-founder of , a non-profit and interfaith community based in Tennessee whose work includes four core pillars: “, , a , and with our friends on the streets.” Throughout this episode we discuss Lindsey’s spiritual journey and embrace of liberation theology, and how it led her to the work she does now through Open Table Nashville (OTN) which focuses on...
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Building Intersectional Church & Community with Jonelle Brown of Young Prophets Collective
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Church hurt is widespread, and there are still many congregations which remain closed to Christians living on the margins because of sexuality / gender identity, disability, race / ethnicity, class, education level, etc. Young Prophets Collective, a growing online church and community, founded by JJ Warren, is working to shift this through building an affirming and intersectional space which welcomes all, and excludes none. I caught up with Jonelle Brown, an active member of Young Prophets Collective. Throughout this episode we discuss - ...
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Kindness is Action with Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton
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Kindness must move beyond pleasantries and root us in action and justice. Mom and I chat with Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of and former educator; she and her husband, Kevin, are to bring 1 million inclusive books to kids with every purchase of a Kind Cotton tee, tote bag or other product. Kind Cotton uplifts the work of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ children’s authors, along with books focused on social emotional learning. “What we are putting out into the world are our values, " Kaitlin says. Throughout this episode, we discuss what sparked the creation of Kind Cotton,...
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Talking Jesus & Justice with Porsche Veu aka The Poetic Activist
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Based in Oakland, CA, Porsche Veu aka is a gifted author, speaker, educator and poet, who tackles the challenging racial and social justice issues of our day head on, without apology. We discuss her faith journey, the urgency of truth telling and becoming comfortable with discomfort, the roots of White supremacy within the American church, and how she uses her work to move people beyond performative change while centering the urgency of inner work. Porsche uses her art to fight social injustice, empower women, youth, the Black community, and advocate for mental and emotional...
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In Honor of Baldwin's 100th Birthday (REWIND) - James Baldwin's Radical Challenge: You Mean it or You Don't with writers Jamie McGhee and Adam Hollowell
Pray With our Feet
In honor of Baldwin’s 100th birthday, we are sharing this episode again - a conversation with Adam Hollowell and Jamie McGhee, founders of , discussing their powerful book: . One of the most prolific writers and thinkers of the 20th century, Baldwin’s words continue to awaken us. Drawing from his extensive body of work - fiction, poetry speeches and interviews, McGhee and Hollowell call us to embody our activism. There are prompts at the end of each chapter to help us take action - whether concerning police brutality, racial justice or LGBTQ+ rights. Our discussion...
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"We Must Act." Talking with Crystal Silva-McCormick, Christians for a Free Palestine
Pray With our Feet
As Christians, we must say, "not in our name," as we continue witnessing the genocide of our Palestinian siblings. Mom and I sat down with Crystal Silva-McCormick, a member of (CFFP), to discuss , the urgency of unlearning Christian Zionism, and educating ourselves about apartheid in Palestine. Crystal also uplifts CFFP's upcoming , in D.C. (July 28-30, 2024) with a diverse coalition of faith partners (Jewish Voice for Peace, Mennonite Action, Hindus for Human Rights, RabbisForCeasefire, etc.) to counter Christians United for Israel’s (CUFI) annual summit. "CUFI is the largest...
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Season 5, Episode 1: Rooting in God's Radical Love
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We've missed you all! We're back with our 5th season! Given the state of our world, Mom and I are centering the urgnecy of rooting in God's radical love; our guiding verse of scripture this season is 1 Cornithians 13:13 - "And now these three things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Throughout this episode, we discuss embodying God's call to love radically, building beloved community, connecting more deeply with God in prayer (and some ways to do this), while also centering prayer for the many who are suffering in Palestine (hostages both Israeli and...
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Spiritual Healing & Divine Intuition with Katrina Dilag, founder of Radical Visionary Collective
Pray With our Feet
What if we broke away from fearing intuition, and began embracing it as another way God speaks to us? I recently sat down with Katrina “Trina” Dilag, founder of Radical Visionary Collective, 2x certified spiritual life coach, and social justice advocate. We chat about healing as resistance to harmful systems, normalizing out-of-the box spirituality in churches, ditching toxic theology to develop an intimate relationship with God, and her latest offering, Intuition Activation, an 8 week course (launched June 19); it is a culmination of 20 years of experience in spirituality and...
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Talking Jesus + Climate Justice with Holly Petersen of Christian Climate Action
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The climate is in crisis, but that doesn’t mean change is impossible. I caught up with the inspiring co-founder of (CCA) about planet activism rooted in our faith. Christian Climate Action is a community of Christians supporting each other to take meaningful action for the planet. Inspired by Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and following the example of social justice movements of the past, CCA carries out acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed. We discuss how Holly sees Jesus and justice...
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We're taking it back this week to a powerful conversation from Season 1 with writer, activist and faith warrior Avril Somerville. Born in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Somerville writes at the intersection of identity, community and love. She is the author of A Journey of Life on Purpose, a book of personal essays and poetry, and a forthcoming novel. She is also an English teacher, wife and mother of three who lives in Pennsylvania. Avril is excited about her independent micro-press, SomerEmpress Publishing, Inc., and looks forward to publishing transformative literature of other gifted women writers of color.
In this episode, we dive into:
- The power of our words, and how understanding this helps us walk in liberation.
- Seeing ourselves as deeply connected to those around us, especially the most marginalized, understanding Jesus stood for justice (Matthew 25:40 and Amos 5:24).
- Why mindfulness, really being present and grounded in God and our faith, is vital.
- Realizing activism takes many shapes and forms; if you are not able to be on the front lines, you can still show up and serve. Avril says: "Use your gifts, where you are, to tap into your purpose."
- God has designed us for intimacy, the act of sitting down and beholding one another. We must not allow technology to strip this away from our consciousness.
- Avril's own creative journey and sources of inspiration.
Stay in Touch with Avril Somerville:
IG: @somerempress
Twitter: @somerempress
Show edited by my talented husband Keston De Coteau (videographer, photographer and editor) www.keston.online