Where Ya From? Podcast

The Where Ya From? podcast is gearing up for a 7th season which will begin later this summer. Plus stay tuned for a special bonus episode in early June in honor of Juneteenth. Get ready for more insightful and thought provoking conversations centered around faith and culture with host Rasool Berry. Subscribe to never miss an episode! Links: Visit our website to sign up for emails. Leave us a review. Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has it ever felt like you could only choose faith or fact—not both? Well, acclaimed Yale neuroscientist Dr. Nii Addy invites you to see another option, one that connects our brains with our faith. Growing up in the United States with parents who immigrated from Ghana, Dr. Addy has always preferred the unexpected . . . even when living out his relationship with Jesus in a scientific community that—on the surface—seems polar opposite to faith. Hear Dr. Addy’s journey of learning about the connection between Scripture and science, and his open invitation for others to experience it too. Guest Bio: Dr. Nii Addy is the Albert E. Kent Associate Professor of Psychiatry and an Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Addy directs a federally funded research program investigating the neurobiological basis of substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety. His team also studies the ability of tobacco product flavor additives to alter nicotine use behavior and addiction. Dr. Addy is the inaugural Director of Scientist Diversity and Inclusion at the Yale School of Medicine, focusing on supporting the faculty development of basic scientists from underrepresented groups at the School of Medicine. He also contributes to graduate student and postdoctoral training and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and initiatives through his efforts on campus and in professional scientific societies. In addition to his campus work, Dr. Addy hosts the Addy Hour podcast, discussing topics at the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, faith, culture, and social justice. He has presented scientific lectures at universities throughout the United States and Europe, and he serves on the Board of Trustees for The Carver Project, aimed at empowering and connecting individuals across university, church, and society. Dr. Addy is also a contributor to The Whole Man Project, a book and video series provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can learn more about The Whole Man Project—and preorder the book—here! Notes & Quotes: “I've also noticed over the years that as I've been in different environments, there are lots of people who’ve had intellectual or scientific oppositions to faith. But getting back to the relationship, whenever I get to know those folks more, every single time, there's always something deeper.” “God has opened opportunities where I've been able to bring people back into relationship with God because they were able to watch me as a scientist operate in both places, and [they] have enough curiosity where before they were told that their faith and their science were in opposition, and [now] have realized that's actually not the case.” “We keep setting up these different dichotomies. Like, either it's science or it's God as if the two don't meet.” “God has given us different tools where we can use our faith and spiritual practices—prayer, meditation, being in community. All those things can help people navigate through addiction. All those things also impact the brain.” “If we do [think about ourselves and situations] from a perspective that God has given us through the Scripture, that's going to change how we actually approach those situations. If we do that long enough, it's actually going to change aspects of our brain as well.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about Dr.Nii Addy’s involvement in the upcoming The Whole Man project, provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Explore all the powerful topics and guests featured on Dr. Addy’s video and audio podcast, Addy Hour, here. Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Philippians 4:6-8 Mark 14:32-36 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Have you ever searched for your love and worth in all the wrong places? Pastor Jerome Gay will be the first one to tell you he has. But it was his father—the person who should have been helping him define these things—not being able to provide what he needed that led Jerome to search for anything to help him earn it. Through twists and turns, Jerome finally found the One who freely loves him—and all of us—with no strings or conditions. And that love has been the fuel for his mission to train up others to grow, teach, and preach the truth of the gospel that makes each one of us…whole. Guest Bio: Pastor Jerome Gay Jr. was raised in Southeast Washington, DC before moving to Raleigh, NC in 1997 to attend Saint Augustine’s College—graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. While there he founded a campus-wide ministry that emphasized the gospel and biblical orthodoxy in the urban context, resulting in the decision of many students to profess Christ as Savior. Upon graduating, Jerome served as an elder for several years. After fervent prayer, he was led to plant Vision Church in Raleigh, North Carolina in October of 2010. As the Lead Pastor of Teaching and Vision, Vision Church has grown by God’s grace and is impacting the inner city by missionally engaging people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through discipleship, leadership development, service, and holistic empowerment. Jerome has a vision to see gospel-centered churches and leaders raised within the urban context and sent out to plant other gospel-centered churches. Jerome is also the Founder and President of The Urban Perspective and the author of four books, Church Hurt: Holding the Church Accountable and Helping Hurt People Heal, Talking to Your Children About Race, The Whitewashing of Christianity: A Hidden Past, a Hurtful Present and a Hopeful Future and Renewal: Grace and Redemption in the Story. Jerome is also a lead contributor to The Whole Man Project, a book and video series provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can learn more about The Whole Man Project—and preorder the book—here! Jerome is the proud husband to his wife Crystal and father of two. Notes & Quotes: “Uncertainty is what makes you walk by faith and not by sight.” “I believe you most aptly understand God's will in hindsight. He knows the end from the beginning. We don't. We're living it.” “My contention for the church is we're saying that there's one way, which I concur, that there's one God, I concur, and that there's one book. Again, I concur. We're saying that that's just one for 8 billion people. If we're going to make that claim, and we are, we need to be able to defend it. We should not make that claim that there's one book for 8 billion people and not be able to answer questions.” “We must stop giving faith-based answers to fact-based questions.” “We want to come back to that gospel foundation so that we can have men that are mentally, emotionally, and relationally well and whole.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about Jerome’s involvement in the upcoming The Whole Man project, provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can order any of Jerome’s books, Church Hurt, Talking to Your Children About Race, The Whitewashing of Christianity, and Renewal using these links. Check out Jerome’s work with The Urban Perspective and listen to the podcast on your preferred streaming platform. Jerome’s Instagram Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Psalm 77 1 Corinthians 7:32 Jude 1:20 Ephesians 6:17 Hebrews 4:12 Genesis 2:18 Matthew 5:13-16 Mark 1:15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

None of us were created to live a life defined by failures and mistakes—a reality that Jermaine Wilson knows firsthand. During the years when teens should be having the time of their lives, Jermaine was sitting behind bars. Carrying the destructive cycle he felt there was no escape from, Jermaine quickly found himself put back into prison after only a short experience of freedom. But it was spending his most formative years behind bars that gave him the time and perspective needed to build a relationship with God. A relationship that would completely transform his life and take him to the most unexpected places—all the way to city hall. Guest Bio: Jermaine Wilson is the Mission Ambassador for Prison Fellowship and former two-time mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas. As a servant leader, his passion for helping others stems from his humble beginnings and troubled childhood. Jermaine spent seven years behind bars—four of them as a juvenile. While incarcerated as an adult, Jermaine participated in biblically based programs through Prison Fellowship and experienced the life-transforming power of God’s Word. With renewed purpose and vision, he no longer saw himself as a failure and a mistake. After his release from prison, Jermaine created a nonprofit organization, Unity in the Community, to establish trust between citizens and law enforcement. When his criminal record was expunged, he increased his political and civic involvement. In 2017, he was elected city commissioner for Leavenworth, Kansas, and Mayor in 2019. In 2020, he became the first formerly incarcerated person to serve on the Kansas Sentencing Committee. Jermaine is an ordained minister, husband, and father of five children. Notes & Quotes: “I’ve learned that I had to be broken down and stripped away from everything I had in order for God to get my attention. I tell people that I lost my freedom, but discovered my purpose.” “God didn’t create me to fail. God [has] a plan and a purpose for my life. But it took me going to prison, losing time to find a better time and to have quality time with him.” “We spend so much time preparing returning citizens for society, but not enough time preparing society for returning citizens.” “God will use and choose whoever he wants to use . . . and he’ll take the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, and the process prepares us for our purpose in life.” Links Mentioned: FINAL TRANSCRIPT LINK Learn more about Jermaine’s work with Prison Fellowship. If you’re interested in getting more information about Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program, check out the program’s homepage. Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Malachai 2:14 Story of Joseph: Genesis 37-50 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all dream of a life filled with success and glory. But just like Moriah Smallbone knows, real life in the spotlight isn’t always glamorous behind the scenes. Being on her own at 17 and traveling from place to place eventually took its toll. And in the middle of her pain and stress, Moriah realized she had to make a change. Those moments helped shape the bravery that has since led Moriah to chart her own course—one that is constantly inviting the Holy Spirit to help discern when love and grace are required—or what needs to change. Guest Bio: MŌRIAH is a Mexican-American recording artist, actress, and producer from Los Angeles, California. After signing with SONY/Provident in Nashville, Tennessee, her sophomore album BRAVE hit number 9 on Billboard’s CCM Charts and included a collaboration with GRAMMY award-winning rapper Andy Mineo. Her film credits include the starring role in Because of Gracia (2017) and legendary singer Loyce Whiteman in the upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic alongside Dennis Quaid (2024). She plays the role of Bathsheba in the television series The Chosen (2023). Earlier this year, MŌRIAH wrapped filming Journey to Bethlehem, a cinematic musical starring Antonio Banderas released through Sony Affirm this past November. As a music and film producer, MŌRIAH co-hosted K-LOVE/AccessMore’s most successful podcast called BECOMING:us alongside her GRAMMY AWARD-winning husband Joel Smallbone. She co-produced the film Unsung Hero which is set to release in Spring 2024. She has fully self-produced and written her latest EP Curtain Call as well as all accompanying live performance videos. MŌRIAH is currently writing songs for a country album in her home in Nashville, TN with GRAMMY AWARD-winning producer Paul Mabury. Notes & Quotes: “I think we’re such a purpose-obsessed culture, right? Like, we want to find our purpose, but sometimes I wonder if it’s way more simple than that. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just like, how can you help the world around you? How can you help the people around you?” “I think there’s a difference between suffering and misery. And we can’t avoid suffering. Life is going to be hard. Things are going to be disappointing. We are going to be mistreated. But how we choose to respond to suffering can grow our character.” “In my experience, I’ve been most miserable when I have forced myself to stay in a situation where I did not need to be”. “If I’m living in love, if I’m in that place where all that I’m doing is coming from a place of love, then, is there the grace to keep going in this relationship, in this project, in this work, in this path? Or is it time to cut the cord?” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Follow along with Moriah’s current and future projects through her website. Hear more of Moriah’s story in the Unshakable Moxie video series, created by Our Daily Bread Ministries. Listen to Moriah’s music with this Spotify playlist Follow Moriah on Instagram Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever been confronted with a situation where you felt like you had to be the one to say something? Maliek Blade found himself in that very place when he realized there was a mental and emotional health crisis hitting too close to home that he could no longer ignore. And it was that moment of realization that helped him prepare the way for his life’s path advocating for the “wholeness” of his brothers and destigmatizing the mental and emotional vocabulary that has been desperately needed for generations. Guest Bio: Maliek Blade, a compassionate author, and CEO of the Whole Brother Mission, is passionately dedicated to improving mental wellness for Black men and their families through a nationwide network of culturally competent mental health professionals. With a doctoral-level background in counseling, he brings expertise and empathy to the cause, driving initiatives that destigmatize mental health and enhance access to crucial support. Maliek is also a lead contributor to The Whole Man Project, a book and video series provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can learn more about The Whole Man Project—and preorder the book—here! Notes & Quotes: “We need to not allow our experiences with people that say they're representing God to frame how we see God. . .and that's not an indictment on God, but that's further evidence of the brokenness of people.” “Wholeness is having the posture to pivot where necessary. The awareness that I may need to change certain aspects of myself, and then also the fortitude and ability to pour into the lives of others.” “Your mental and emotional health matter, but we have this soul element [and] spirit, [and] salvation is a huge piece. “You can have Jesus and a therapist the same way that you have Jesus and a primary care physician.” Links Mentioned: FINAL TRANSCRIPT LINK Learn more about Maliek’s work with Whole Brother Mission. Check out Maliek’s book, Whole Brother, on Amazon. Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Isaiah 64:8 Hebrews 11:1 Colossians 1:28 Philippians 4:8 Proverbs 20:5 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Genesis 2:24 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you were to ask Lina AbuJamra what her “ministry thing” is, part of her answer would be a word none of us enjoy hearing: pain. From growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, to processing the loss of dreams, relationships, and career, pain seems to be the soundtrack of her life. But Lina will tell you that the truth that she continues to cling to every day is always louder than the pain. Because of God’s faithfulness, He’ll always create something beautiful out of the chaos. Guest Bio: Lina AbuJamra is a pediatric ER doctor who now practices telemedicine. In her “spare” time, she enjoys attending her nephews’ football games, traveling, and lingering over a fine meal. As a podcaster, conference speaker, and a popular Bible teacher, she founded Living with Power Ministries to provide medical care and humanitarian help to Syrian refugees and others in disaster areas. She also hosts a radio show and is the author of several books. Notes & Quotes: “When a person's life is radically changed by Jesus, you cannot stay the same.” “I thought I knew what it means to be a Christian. I thought I knew what God wanted for my life. And that was the beginning of what has been a life that is above and beyond what I could have asked or thought. But that in it, I thought was at seasons, the worst thing that could be happening for me.” “So I look back and I think, yeah, we were all abused in that system. But I think the biggest gift that comes out of leaving those places as hard and mucky and chaotic as it is, is that God then finally gets you to a place where He shows Himself to you afresh.” “We have confused what comfort is, what success is, what faithfulness is, all these concepts, and it has been harder for us to decipher the goodness of God in the American church than it is in an Assyrian refugee camp.” “If we want to see the goodness of God and experience survival, we're going to have to be willing to suffer a lot more than we are right now.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about Lina’s Ministry Living With Power Listen to Lina’s podcast, The Hope Podcast, on your preferred streaming platform. Hear more of Lina’s story in the Unshakable Moxie video series, created by Our Daily Bread Ministries. Invite your friends, family, or church group to go through Lina’s newest Bible study, Unshakable Moxie, provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries. Follow Lina on Instagram Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: 2 Samuel 11 Psalm 22 1 Timothy 6:3-5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes creating change means first seeing the other side of the issue. Pastor James White sits down to share his experiences of crossing the dividing lines and challenging the framework of the world he found himself in. Join us as we see James’ passion for authentically teaching Scripture and leading others to see how understanding race, culture, and diversity can help us to create systems where everyone can thrive. Guest Bio: James White has served as the Senior Pastor of Christ Our King Community Church since its inception. He is a gifted expository Bible teacher, speaker, historian, thought leader, writer, and culture creator. He is originally from Barco, North Carolina, and is a graduate of East Carolina University. After graduation, he joined the full-time staff of Cru, formally known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Through his work, life, and leadership, God has truly cultivated his calling as a grace-filled leader. As a marketplace leader, he serves as the Executive Vice President of the Center for Social Impact for the YMCA of the North in Minneapolis. In addition, he is also a Senior Fellow for The Sagamore Institute. He is a sought-after consultant, speaker, and facilitator for several organizations and companies on issues concerning cultural transformation through diversity, equity, and inclusion. James is also a contributor to The Whole Man Project, a book and video series provided by VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can learn more about The Whole Man Project—and preorder the book—here! James’ life continues to be shaped and graced through his 36 years of covenant partnership with his wife, Cynthia, and his three adult children. Notes & Quotes: “[The realities of my racial identity and faith] were always intertwined because the Bible in many ways is a tool that provides freedom and hope.” “God often does things with unnamed, unknown people, but then He creates something. He does something . . . and the only way you could explain it is God.” “A lot of my Bible teaching came out of not wanting to distort what God is really saying and really honoring both. . . liberation, but the expectation that the gospel and Scripture really have.” “Change happens when we create systems so that all can thrive.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about The Whole Man Project here. Learn more about James’ work with the Equity Innovation Center of Excellence. Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Matthew 5:38-39 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there purpose in our pain? Well-known speaker, author, and founder of the international women’s organization Broken Crayons Still Color Toni Collier shares her authentic journey of God rewriting her story using the very things she thought could never be made beautiful. Even after experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak, and trauma after trauma, Toni can still joyfully proclaim there is light in the darkness, and that her one true love—Jesus—is continuing to make all things new. Join us as we explore how God invites us all to do great things using our most broken pieces. Guest Bio: Toni Collier is the founder of an international women’s organization called Broken Crayons Still Color and helps women process through brokenness and get to healing and hope. Toni is a speaker, host of the Still Coloring podcast, and author of two books: Brave Enough to be Broken and her latest release, a children's book, Broken Crayons Still Color. Toni is teaching people all over the globe that you can be broken and still worthy, or feel unqualified and still be called to do great things. Notes & Quotes: “We're human. We just can't handle what we weren't made for and we weren't made for trauma. We weren't designed for darkness. We were made to just be frolicking around, just basking in the goodness and having an endless supply of glory.” “It's not our success that gets us to perfection. It is going to be our surrender.” “If we're just bypassing people's emotions by throwing a little Scripture on it, we aren't being like Jesus either.” “A part of being a victim is thinking that you don't have control. Whoever's controlling you and whatever's going on in your life, you don't have control. But the truth is God's given us dominion and he never took that away. And we are co-laborers with him in helping to make beauty from these fragile, broken, pieces of our lives.” “We are just now discovering that [being] mad is not bad and our feelings matter and we can sit in sorrow like the psalmist did and God is still present in that.“ Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about Toni’s latest project with Our Daily Bread Ministries, Unshakable Moxie Check out both of Toni’s books, Broken Crayons Still Color and Brave Enough to Be Broken, on Amazon Listen to Toni’s podcast, Still Coloring on your preferred streaming platform Follow Toni and her ministry, Broken Crayons Still Color, on Instagram Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow VOICES on Instagram Verses Mentioned: John 8:1-11 Luke 7:36-50 Psalm 34 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even as a young child, Dr. Russell Moore was always in a church pew. That strong seed of faith and biblical knowledge has provided him with the firm foundation needed to navigate complex ethical and leadership issues throughout his ministry. And amid the trials, questions, and ever-changing culture, one truth that Russell has leaned on is how God continues His good work even in the long term and heartache. Guest Bio: Russell Moore is Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today and is the author of the upcoming book Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America (Penguin Random House). The Wall Street Journal has called Moore “vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate.” He was named in 2017 to Politico Magazine’s list of top fifty influence-makers in Washington D.C. and has been profiled by such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME magazine, and the New Yorker. An ordained Baptist minister, Moore served previously as President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and, before that, as the chief academic officer and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also taught theology and ethics. Moore was a Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and currently serves on the board of Becket Law and as a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum in Washington, D.C. He also hosts the weekly podcast The Russell Moore Show and is co-host of Christianity Today’s weekly news and analysis podcast, The Bulletin. Russell was President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2013 to 2021. Before that role, Moore served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics. A native Mississippian, he and his wife Maria are the parents of five sons. They live in Nashville, where he teaches the Bible at their congregation, Immanuel Church. Notes & Quotes: “[Some will say] ‘Well, there's a golden age back there in the past and somebody's keeping us away from it and we've got to get back to it.’ And the stakes are so high that we can morally adjust in order to get there. And I think biblical eschatology, you know, is calling us away from all of that.” “I think I had a sense of the way that God works in the long term, which is often to bring a kind of crisis and then to rebuild and recreate out of that. And that's what you see are communities that are broken up, but then new communities that are reformed and are coming together.” “You know, nobody would choose to go through that, but nobody would choose to go through any crisis in his or her life. But almost everybody, if you say, where are the times that God has really been active in ways that have changed your life, it's usually in a time of crisis that they would have never chosen.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Learn more about Russell’s current role as editor-in-chief with Christianity Today. Listen to Russell’s podcast, The Russell Moore Show, on your preferred podcast platform. Check out Russell’s latest book, Losing Our Religion, on Amazon. Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like many of us, Chriscynethia Floyd questioned what made her special. And even though we know God always has a plan for us, it’s not always the easiest thing to trust. Join us as we hear Chriscynethia’s story of trusting the different journeys God led her through and explore how He remains with us in both the highest and lowest moments of life. Guest Bio: Chriscynethia Floyd is Vice President of Publishing at Our Daily Bread Publishing. Her more than twenty-year career spans both secular and Christian publishing, where she’s served as a vice president in sales, marketing, and editorial for organizations such as Simon and Schuster Publishing, HarperCollins Christian Publishers, and David C. Cook. She leads and collaborates with a tremendously talented group of editors and publishing professionals. Together they work to fulfill the mission of Our Daily Bread Ministries: to make the Bible's life-changing wisdom understandable and accessible to all. Chriscynethia is a classically trained singer and has traveled the world where she performed for such dignitaries as Desmond Tutu and President George Bush. When not with her ODBP team, Chriscynethia loves attending arts performances, being outdoors, watching sports, and hanging out with her English Springer Spaniel, Thelonious (Theo) Monk. Notes & Quotes: “[God is] going to find us. It's always light. You know, whether we go high or whether we go low, God is there. And God knows us.” “No matter the situation that someone might find themselves in—good, bad, or whatever, indifferent— it's important to understand that God is faithful through all of that.” “If [God] was going to take him away, I just couldn't, you know, I couldn't comprehend that. And I think the lesson from all of that was that for a girl who felt alone in her childhood, He wanted me to know that I could be loved.” “So when I think about Psalm 139, I think about folks understanding that God is always with them, and that God is always present, that God is always knowing, and that to me is a running theme through the Bible, that God is.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT To explore some of the books Chriscynethia has worked on, check out Our Daily Bread Publishing Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Psalm 139 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the outside, it seemed like Katara Washington Patton was on track to get everything she dreamed of. Yet, when she started aligning her desires with God, her life took on a beautiful, unexpected journey. And no matter if she’s going through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, Katara has realized that her joy in the Lord can still co-exist with the feelings of grief and struggles. See how navigating the blues and unexpected plans with God’s heart and our faith can also look like accessing the mental health tools and people He graciously brings into our lives. Guest Bio: A regular contributor to Our Daily Bread, Katara Washington Patton currently serves as the Executive Editor of the VOICES Collection by Our Daily Bread Publishing, and is the author of eight books, including her latest book, the best-selling title Navigating the Blues. After graduating summa cum laude from Dillard University in Mass Communication and English, Katara went on to complete her Master of Journalism at Northwestern University and receive her Masters of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She has worked in the editorial and acquisitions departments at Weekly Reader Corporation, Jet Magazine, Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI), McGraw-Hill, The African American Pulpit, The Chicago Defender, Tyndale House Publishers, and Christian Century Magazine. In 2014, she was named Nonfiction Editor of the Year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). Katara is a native of Thibodaux, Louisiana. She and her husband, Derrick, reside on the south-side of Chicago. They have one daughter, Kayla. Katara is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. As much as possible, she tries to enjoy a Zumba class and a competitive game of Scrabble to keep her life balanced. Notes & Quotes: “There's highs and there's lows. . . we know we pray real hard in the lows and we rejoice real high in the highs. But what happens when life is years upon, years upon years of being in the middle? How do you deal with that? “Jesus is the answer. But at the same time, Jesus gives us people. Jesus gives us medicine and technology to help us in the midst of [struggles]...in the midst of things that we cannot handle.” “I can have my Bible, I can have my faith, I can have my Jesus and I certainly can have my therapist helping me unpack some of those things.” “[God] let me know that He still had me and He still had people that He was placing in my life to fill that void.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Check out Katara’s best-selling book, Navigating the Blues. Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Psalm 51 Psalm 22:1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Where Ya From? podcast is gearing up for a sixth season which will begin on February 6th. Get ready for more insightful and thought provoking conversations centered around faith and culture with host Rasool Berry. Subscribe to never miss an episode! Links: Visit our website to sign up for emails. Leave us a review. Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Where Ya From? podcast is gearing up for a sixth season which will begin on February 6th. Get ready for more insightful and thought provoking conversations centered around faith and culture with host Rasool Berry. Subscribe to never miss an episode! Links: Visit our website to sign up for emails. Leave us a review. Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vince Bantu knew God called him into ministry, but he first needed to learn a thing or two. This desire for knowledge led him on a journey of reconciling his background and culture with what he thought the Christian life was, and a passion for understanding how context, culture, and racial justice influence the way we go about sharing Christianity with others. It wasn't until he discovered early church traditions and teachings outside of Europe that he found the missing puzzle piece in the conversation. Guest Bio: Vince Bantu is the Ohene (President) of the Meachum School of Haymanot and is Assistant Professor of Church History and Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Vince’s assignment from the Lord is to proclaim that the Bisrat (Gospel) of Yeshua is for all nations, tribes, and tongues and to do this by teaching on the earliest history of Christianity in Africa and Asia. Vince is the author of A Multitude of All Peoples (IVP), Gospel Haymanot (UMI), and The Bisrat (Jude 3 Project). Vince is also the Ohene (President) of the Society of Gospel Haymanot (SGH), an academic society of theological Gospelism—Afro-rooted theology committed to the universal Lordship of Jesus, biblical authority, and the liberation of the oppressed. Vince also serves as the Katabi (Editor) of the publication of SGH—the Haymanot Journal. Vince, his wife Diana, and their daughters live and minister at Beloved Community Church in St. Louis and they love to travel, watch movies, and bust some spades. Notes & Quotes: “Because I grew up in a white church, I did not have any context for Black Christians. I knew Black people and I identified as a Black person, but nobody in my neighborhood went to church. Nobody in my family on that side or either side really went to church. . . it wasn't like I thought all white people were Christians, but I felt subconsciously that all Christians were white because that was my little microcosm world.” “I think that reconciliation needs to go both ways. It shouldn't just always be like people of color going into white platforms to help diversify them, but it should also be white Christians going under Black platforms or Hispanic or Asian or indigenous.” “We need to know that Christianity is not just from the West to the rest, but it's always been in Africa and Asia and taking diverse forms. And so, that was really when I just knew I had to dedicate my life to learning about that and sharing it with the world.” “The word Haymanot means faith, but it actually means a lot of things. It means theology, it means faith, it means doctrine, it means lifestyle conduct. It speaks to how in an Ethiopian mindset, action is not divorced from belief, but right belief and right action have to go together, and practice and orthodoxy go together.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Check out Vince’s books, A Multitude of All Peoples and Gospel Haymanot, on Amazon. Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Acts 10:9-23 Psalm 19:1-6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michelle Sanchez always expected perfection. Growing up, that expectation guided her to great success. Yet, God had a much greater plan for her in mind; a plan that required a journey of untangling her toxic pursuit of perfection from the racial dynamics of her past. Today, that journey has led her to become a voice for change and fueled her passion for using discipleship to help heal racial inequalities and build a beautifully diverse and beloved community with one another. Guest Bio: Michelle T. Sanchez (M.Div., Th.M.) has served in various discipleship and evangelism leadership roles for more than a decade, most recently as Executive Minister of Make and Deepen Disciples for the Evangelical Covenant Church. She’s the author of a trilogy of books that provides Christ-centered racial discipleship for all ages: Color-Courageous Discipleship, Color-Courageous Discipleship Student Edition, and the picture book, God’s Beloved Community. After studying international business at NYU, Michelle worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and ministered to international students with Cru in New York City. She has served in various capacities with the Institute for Bible Reading and the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization. She is a frequent conference speaker, a regular columnist with Outreach Magazine, and a contributor to The Message: Women’s Devotional Bible (forthcoming). Michelle completed seminary degrees at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, spiritual direction training at Boston College, and field studies on the life and times of Jesus at Jerusalem University College. She’s thoroughly enjoyed experiencing colorful cultures in thirty-eight countries and territories worldwide—and counting! Michelle and her husband, Mickey, live with their two children in greater Chicago. Notes & Quotes: “Your coming to Jesus is just the beginning. He doesn't invite us to make converts. He invites us to make disciples who can, in turn, eventually grow and make more disciples.” “The reality is the Bible is full of references to ethnicity, to injustices related to ethnicity, the need to heal and to mend these things. It's all over the word of God, and it's a vital need in our world today, but we don't always see it.” “The Lord created difference within us, ethnicity as a gift, as a source of joy and enrichment for humanity really, and to bring glory to himself. But the reality is that in a fallen world, things that were meant for good can become twisted. So our differences in a broken world tend to lead to disparities.” Beloved community is a phrase popularized by Martin Luther King . . . he wanted to see people both in a diverse community and an equal community, but one in which people are willing to lay down their lives for one another in the very love that God has shown to us. “When it comes to race and ethnicity, these are embodied concepts. These are embodied ideas, flesh ideas of the real flesh and blood. So, in order to transform or to have an awakening, what I have seen is it often involves some kind of real-life experience, with real-life people, in actual geographic places, so that we can see, we can experience, so we can understand.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Visit Michelle’s website to purchase and further explore various Color Courageous Discipleship books and resources. Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out our VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Acts 2:1-13 (Pentecost) Acts 6:1-7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if, instead of being just one person, you were created to be a part of something more? Even with her past hurts, Dr. Heather Thompson Day continues to see God’s goodness through her story. In fact, it has fueled her mission of standing in the gaps so others can learn from her mistakes and build healthy relationships with one another. Discover how we are invited to be in an intentional community with one another and how that influences our understanding of our identity and faith in Christ. Guest Bio: Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an interdenominational speaker who has been a contributor for Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Newsweek, and the Barna Group. She is also the host of Viral Jesus, a podcast with Christianity Today, that is in the top 200 of all Christian podcasts in the country. Heather is an Associate Professor of Communication at Andrews University. She is passionate about supporting women and runs an online community called I’m That Wife which has over 270k followers. Heather’s writing has been featured on outlets like The Today Show and the National Communication Association. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio Live and The Wall Street Journal. She believes her calling is to stand in the gaps of our churches for young people. She is the author of 8 books; including It’s Not Your Turn, and I’ll See You Tomorrow. She resides in Michigan, with her husband, Seth Day, and their three children, London, Hudson, and Sawyer Day. Notes & Quotes: “We have to talk about things like post-traumatic growth because more people experience growth from trauma than PTSD, which if we don't say that, if we don't name it, I just think people don’t know what's possible and what's available to them.” “You will pour into a career and I think that's okay, but it cannot be where you find your worth or your fulfillment. And I've realized that the biggest picture, the most important thing to me is….the people that I've gone through life with.” “When we have Christians who are truly living out what it means to be a relationship builder, to carry somebody else's burdens as if it's your own, you can survive the things you thought you would never be able to get through.” “So when we are able to refocus our thoughts into what we're so grateful for and shift away from what we still don't have, it can make all the difference. And actually, your brain is not able to experience stress. And I think some of the best ways that we do that is in a relationship with each other. I know my life has been held together by two to three people.” “I texted my husband and I said, ‘Heaven is a small town.’ It is a place where when you walk in the room, people know your name and they recognize that you've come and they missed you when you weren't there. And if there's something to be done, if somebody needs something, anybody else, it doesn't even have to be my job, will get up and help you because this is ours. This is our community." Links Mentioned: FINAL TRANSCRIPT LINK Check out Heather’s website to learn more about her books and other resources Listen to Heather’s podcast, Viral Jesus, on your favorite podcast platform Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Galatians 6:2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the very beginning, Dhati Lewis had a plan; he was going to be in the NFL and that was it. Yet, when he was so close to achieving it, God gave him a different dream. Instead, he suddenly found his calling into ministry, one that inspired his mission of being the last generation to leave the urban context for sound discipleship and being God’s hands and feet in his own neighborhood. Guest Bio: Dr. Dhati Lewis serves as the Vision and Multiplication Pastor of Blueprint Church as well as the Founder and President of MyBLVD, an organization focused on helping disciples thrive where they live, work, and worship. Dhati is passionate about bringing contextualized resources to disciple-makers through coaching, consulting, cohort training, and church planting. He is married to his best friend, Angie, and they live in Atlanta, Georgia, with their children and church family. He is the author of Among Wolves: Disciple-Making in the City and Advocates: The Narrow Path to Racial Reconciliation. Notes & Quotes: “I was going to these studies and I started hearing words like evangelism and discipleship. I was like, ‘Man, I knew my friends, they loved the Lord, but they ain’t talking about this.’ You see, Christianity to them was don’t go to the club, don’t drink, don’t have sex outside of marriage, don’t join a fraternity or sorority, don’t, don’t, don’t. . . . I was just like, ‘God, I'm real clear on what not to do. I just don’t know what you’re calling me to do.’ ” “It was like either I was around people who got my context but didn’t have that same commitment to theology and mission, or I was around people who got my mission in theology, but they didn’t get my context.” “And many of us define God’s will by the path of least resistance. It is like, God, why does it feel like we are always calling Christians to easier and better? It’s never harder and worse. And I recognize that for many of us, our North Stars are comfort, and we’re addicted to our comfort.” “We wanted to establish a blueprint and we want it to be a church that’s planting other churches because we want to be a church that’s going to be the last generation to leave the urban context for sound discipleship. And so that’s what we did.” Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Check out Dhati’s books Among Wolves and Advocates on Amazon. To learn more about Dhati’s passion and vision for urban ministry, check out MyBLVD’s website Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Matthew 16:18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can we possibly see the good when it feels like the world is on fire around us? Writer, speaker, and activist Ally Henny shares how her strong faith has carried her through racial trauma and other challenging situations, and how God used all of that to prepare her life’s call of being a voice for liberation, freedom, and justice. Guest Bio: Ally Henny is a writer, speaker, advocate-minister, and vice president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, an organization committed to encouraging, engaging, and empowering Black Christians toward liberation from racism. Her new book is titled I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You. She completed her MDiv from Fuller Seminary with an emphasis in race, cultural identity, and reconciliation, and she hopes to lead a church someday. Ally has been leading conversations about race on her social media and blog, The Armchair Commentary, since 2014, and her posts reach millions each month. She is a proud Chicago Southsider. Notes & Quotes: …I recognize that the impulses that God has placed in me to do His will… a desire to make those things in my faith, those aspects of my faith, not just to be a personal, individualized, kind of thing, but for it to really be an aspect of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God being within me and bringing the Kingdom and the reign of God… God didn’t want me to experience all these different traumas…God wasn’t the author of that, but I realized that God can use that. … I realized that the Lord has brought me into the work, it’s not been people. And so the Lord is the one who can also take me out of the work. And at whatever point He decides to take me out of it, okay. There were times when I wanted to give up, there were times whenever I wanted to just be like, “I’m not doing this anymore,” and the Lord was the one who kept giving me the words, who kept pushing me, who kept encouraging me. …being able to be that source of nourishment, to be that river in the desert for some people, it’s really an assignment that I don’t take lightly because we see this every day where so many people, they’re fainting because they’re not seeing the goodness. Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT To learn more about Ally’s work with The Witness, check out their website. Check out Ally’s book, I Won’t Shut Up, on Amazon. Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Verses Mentioned: Psalm 35 Matthew 13 Isaiah 40 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we know the Bible to be true? Popular British apologist, author, and podcaster Justin Brierley desires to answer this question head-on. Growing up in a Christian home, his life-changing experiences serving across Africa, and even his personal doubts about faith led him to wonder where genuine Christian theology starts and how we share those things in a predominantly secular society. This idea led to his passion for Christian apologetics, inviting non-Christians into positive conversations, and the hope he has for a revival in the years to come. Guest Bio: Justin Brierley has been working in radio, podcasting, and video for two decades. He cohosts the Re-enchanting podcast for Seen & Unseen and is a well-known speaker and broadcaster. Justin founded the popular Unbelievable? faith debate radio show and podcast, and has also hosted the Ask NT Wright Anything podcast. Justin’s first book, Unbelievable? Why, after Ten Years of Talking with Atheists, I’m Still a Christian, was published in 2017. His latest book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God, has just recently been released. Justin and his family live in Surrey, England. Notes & Quotes: Christianity lifts rather than crushes different cultures around the world when, in its best forms, Christianity can liberate and bring out God’s diversity in a way that honors and transforms people in where they are and the culture that they’re part of. Christianity without emotion would be pretty soulless. If it’s purely intellectual, you're getting the balance wrong. At the same time, I think to a large degree, we weren’t catechizing Christians anymore with what they believed and why.…They [the church] didn’t know how to respond to this sudden upsurge in quite militant Atheism…. It forced the church to pick up its Thomas Aquinas again and start reading C. S. Lewis again and everything else. The New Atheists had come along and said, “God doesn’t exist. Science is our best route to understanding the world.” What we discovered is that it didn’t really satisfy any of our deepest longings or questions and that we’re starting to see, especially with the rise of technology and everything else, a real kind of meaning crisis emerge in our culture. The problem with apologetics has always been that it can lead to a form of idolatry where you think, “I can just have the answer to everything, and as long as I can kind of give you a rock-solid philosophical argument for God, you must accept my conclusion and become a Christian.” That’s not the way people work in reality. You can show an intellectual case for faith, for God, for Christianity, but if people don’t want it to be true, there is always going to be another intellectual objection they can reach for. Links Mentioned: FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Keep up to date with Justin’s latest projects at his website Listen to Justin’s newest podcast Re-enchanting here or on your favorite podcast platform. Check out either of Justin’s two books, Unbelievable? and The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God, on Amazon or his personal website. Visit our website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices