Bonus Episode: Living Mindfully in Beloved Community with author Walt Shelton
Release Date: 03/06/2023
Special Episode - Black Maternal Health and Spoken Black Girl Magazine (Motherhood Edition) with Yaa Abbsensetts Dobson, Michele Evans, and Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas
Pray With our Feet
In this special episode of Pray with our Feet podcast, Mom and I chat with Yaa Abbensetts-Dobson, Michele Evans and Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas, about the latest issue of (which focuses on the Black motherhood experience) while also uplifting Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) founded by . We dive into the urgent need for community care, creating safe spaces for Black mothers and their children, resisting the suffocation of our wombs by oppressive systems, and the vital need for rest, mindfulness and radical self care in the tradition of Audre Lorde and June Jordan; each of these...
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Healthcare Is a Human Right with Kelly Smith, Non-Violent Medicaid Army
Pray With our Feet
In this moment when all of our rights are under attack within the U.S., we are all fighting multiple battles simultaneously. But there is one area which unites us - health care; each of us needs it, and far too many people do not have access. I caught up with Kelly, an organizer with the which is “a growing, politically independent force of the poor and dispossessed, united across identities, regions, races and issues, modeled after MLK's 'nonviolent army of the poor' from the first Poor People's Campaign of 1968.” NVMA “is not a coalition or a campaign but a network of...
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How Friends of the Congo is Creating Change & Raising Awareness Globally
Pray With our Feet
An artisanal miner carrries a sack of ore at Shabara artisnal mine near Kolwezi, DRC, on October 2022. Junior Kannah/ AFP via Getty Images The pain of our Congolese siblings powers our cell phones and electronic devices. “Approximately six million people have been killed since 1996, and more than six million people remain internally displaced in eastern DRC, " journalist Shola Lawal, writes in . Mom and I caught up with , co-founder and Executive Director of , a non-profit based in the Washington D.C., and founded in 2004; FOTC supports Congelese-led organizations working on the...
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Trauma Informed Activism & Radical Self Care with Kimberly Brazwell
Pray With our Feet
As activists and folks of faith, particularly in these challenging times, we must simultaneously commit to inner revolution and collective liberation. Prioritizing healing from these oppressive systems is also “the work.” bell hooks reminded us often: "Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." Last year I sat down with a two-time TEDx speaker, author, CEO and founder of KiMISTRY for our Move It Forward Monday IG Live series to discuss trauma-informed activism. And it feels like a powerful moment to revisit this conversation. We...
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Season 5, Ep. 10, part 2 - Dr. King’s Vision & Resisting the Rise of Global Fascism with Yaa Abbensetts-Dobson of Spoken Black Girl and Avril Somerville
Pray With our Feet
As we honored Dr. King yesterday, we sit with the weight of this moment - stepping into another Trump presidency. Many of us remain committed to working towards a country rooted in collective liberation. In part two of our conversation, Mom and I chat with writer and author (), editor, entrepreneur and founder of , and host of , and writer, poet, and author of . Throughout both conversations (), we unpack building beloved community, why the church must divest from the false ideology of white supremacy, continually organizing for collective liberation, decolonizing,...
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Dr. King's Vision & Resisting the Rise of Global Fascism - Part 1, Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft of Middle Church and Raising Imagination
Pray With our Feet
As we honored Dr. King yesterday, we sit with the weight of this moment - stepping into another Trump presidency. Many of us remain committed to working towards a country rooted in collective liberation. Mom and I decided to root our discussion around Dr. King legacy, and his last book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? In this two part conversation, we chat with three phenomenal women, , writer, organizer, speaker, and Consulting Minister for Justice & Community Organizing at the founder of , writer poet, and author of and writer and author (), editor,...
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REWIND: Reclaiming the Faith with Dr. Obery Hendricks, Jr. author of Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith
Pray With our Feet
On the anniversary of Jan. 6th we are revisiting our conversation with . and the discussion of his book - (Beacon Press, 2021). Across the country, far too many church leaders are pledging allegiance to the false ideology of white supremacy, American nationalism, toxic greed and exclusion of folks living on the margins. In Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals are Destroying our Nation and our Faith, he writes - “Trump’s evangelicals carried a pernicious message directly counter to the faith they profess: that it is acceptable to commit...
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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
Pray With our Feet
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
Pray With our Feet
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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Continuing our #SoulCare series, Mom and I caught up with a dear friend of the pod, Walt Shelton, about his latest book, Authentic Living in All Seasons: Focused, Fearless and Balanced, which calls us towards 3 elements of qualitative living:
Focusing on the present moment (not stuck in the past or preoccupation the future). Not allowing fear to immobilize us. Beginning to ask, what can we do with fear? How can it fuel our actions for good? And "periodically identifying, refining, and balancing our life priorities to progressively live them as fully as possible with necessary questions for continual self reflection: How do I want to show up in the world, and embody Christ's heart? Am I centering kindness, justice, and actively reaching across differences? Am I making space for repenting when it is necessary?
Key Takeaways:
-Mindfulness and living a life which lifts up justice, equality and being in beloved community are interconnected. God calls us to see one another fully. We should hear a lot more about mindfulness in our churches, "Go out and pay attention to the people around you, and be kind and compassionate with them," Walt says.
- In his book, Walt lifts up the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (found in Luke 16:19-31), and connects it to mindfulness which helps us live awake. The rich man had multiple opportunities to help, and didn't because of being consumed with his own life. This way of centering self above community is normalized in our society, and around the world; it cuts us off from connecting with one another in the ways God intends.
- We must move away from the disease of multi-tasking; scriptures speak of the importance of a healthy eye, and Walt sees this as connected to singular focus which helps us engage in community with deeper intention, "one person, one need at a time."
- Living a mindful life is a process; we can start where we are right now. Even if it is just a few moments a day. Set aside time to be with God, away from distractions. If Jesus needed time away to replenish himself, we certainly do!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
-Walt's book, Authentic Living in All Seasons: Focused, Fearless and Balanced (stay connected with his work on his website).
-The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh (nominated by Dr. King for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, King called him an “apostle of peace and nonviolence.”
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Special thank you to my husand Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer.