The Kinship Collective with Mark Fields

What does it really mean that God has “a plan” for our lives? Is it disempowering? Does knowing God has a plan give us more agency and creativity, or does it disempower us as we wait for God’s movement? This week we get to hang with Kendall and Deven Hollimon. Two young professionals who share their journey of faith and how their Christian beliefs have evolved after high school in the real world of college and career. We reimagine the very popular scripture Jeremiah 29:11 and think about the power of choice. Subscribe to Deven's youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiwmGzSBVKBE8vcAyCzz9XA and follow Kendall on Instagram @kendall_hollimon for really thoughtful/comical takes on current politics.  This episode would be a great share for a younger family member or friend who is making space for their faith to evolve and could use some encouraging examples! Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast and check out our website https://www.thekinshipcollective.org.  As you listen week after week and share the podcast we will keep ending otherness and growing solidarity!   Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds

Whether you've been fired or not, you know the sting of rejection, feeling unaligned with a company you're working for and the tension that can create all around.  Our guest this week shares about how being fired from her job ended up unleashing her into a new dream! Meet April Diaz, she is the Founder and CEO of Ezer + Co. which is a coaching company that's all about activating women to live and lead with wholeness.  We sat down to talk about how and why she started her company and heard about how powerlessness turned into agency through the process of forgiveness.  We also talked about what it's like to raise black children as a white mom in our social climate.  Then we reimagined Genesis 2:15-25, and thought about the kind of God who celebrates the extraordinary power of women and unleashes partnership!  Follow April on instagram @aprilldiaz, and learn more about Ezer + Co. at https://www.ezerandco.com/ Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast and check out our new website https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​.  As you listen week after week and share the podcast we will keep ending otherness and growing solidarity!  Please share our podcast with a friend who needs to be included in a more inclusive conversation about scripture and community. You are loved! We are family!

Danté Stewart is an author, writer, speaker, husband and dad whose voice has been featured on The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN's The Undefeated and more.  We sat down with Danté to talk about his book "Shoutin' In The Fire" and he shared about how telling his story instigated new kinds of comparison, anxiety and depression.  Danté shared who and what practices most reorient him to his most authentic self when he's comparison spiraling.  Then we reimagined Daniel 3:16-26 and how some of the coping mechanisms we've adapted to survive to this point are not the practices that will help us transform in the fire around us now. Follow Danté on instagram @stewartdantec, read more of his work and order "Shoutin' In The Fire" at https://www.dantecstewart.com/ Check out our new website https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ and join our newsletter community to take the conversation further and learn about upcoming live conversations you can participate in.  The conversation won't be the same without YOU! You are loved! We are family!

We sat down with Christena Cleveland Ph.D. to talk about her new book "God is a Black Woman".  She shared how her recovery journey with Bulimia led to being able to name the God she needed, expedited her deconstruction and instigated a pilgrimage to know more deeply the Sacred Black Feminine.  Then we reimagined Genesis 16:7-14 and the extraordinary dignity honored in Hagar and the invitation to personal spiritual authority. Follow Christena on instagram @ChristenaCleveland and learn more about (AND PRE-ORDER) "God is a Black Woman" at https://www.christenacleveland.com/  Check out our new website https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ and join our newsletter community to take the conversation further and learn about upcoming live conversations you can participate in.  The conversation won't be the same without YOU! You are loved! We are family!

You may have heard that a relationship with God is “personal” but felt tremendous pressure that your relationship with God look or feel like someone else’s. We sat down with Daniel Hardy Jr. to talk about his journey from the NFL to Pastoring to now Acting.  We get into what it means to pay attention to our unique gifts and give it all we’ve got, no matter what is in front of us. We talk about our tendency to compare our spiritual journeys with others and the power of turning comparison to curiosity. Then we talked about 2 Timothy 1:3-7 and land on some beautiful ideas around creating a new spiritual legacy for the people looking to our lives for inspiration. Follow Daniel on instagram @drayjr9 to connect personally and follow along on his journey toward acting! Learn more about #endingotherness​​ and upcoming live recordings at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family!

We have all been through so much clarifying life in 2020 and 2021.  We have woken up to new values or woken up away from harmful beliefs or harmful relationships.  Some of us may find our selves facing the seemingly catch 22 decision of disappointing the people around us who we love... or worse, disappointing ourselves who we long to love.  With this in mind we sat down again with Katie Distelrath, a Gay Christian Therapist, to dive deeper into her story of making the very difficult decision to break off the engagement she thought she wanted to be true to an awakening queer identity.  We reimagined Jesus word's from Matthew 5 about "loving our enemies" from the perspective that sometimes we perceive parts of our own experience or identity as the enemy and maybe Christ invites us to graciously love those places within our selves.  Follow Katie on instagram @katesdrath to connect personally and be inspired daily toward grace and wonder.  Learn more about #endingotherness​​ and upcoming live recordings at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family!

Mayra Macedo-Nolan joins us this week to address some challenges I am having around the “American Dream”. She shares some powerful questions we can use to locate ourselves and understand what’s really motivating us. Then we reimagined Jeremiah 29:4-9 together and were reminded to never shrink back! 9:10 - “What do you want & Why?” 30:51 - Jeremiah 29:4-9 34:06 - Don’t shrink back! Follow Mayra on instagram @itsmayra to connect personally. Learn more about her work in Pasadena at https://clergycommunitycoalition.org/ and learn more about her work Nationally with CCDA at https://ccda.org/. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

Brianna Sanderson winsomely and joyfully shares her passion for reforming the education system. She shares a traumatic "educational" experience from elementary school that has had lasting effects on her as a Bi-racial woman. Brianna invites us toward real “allyship” and true listening. Then we reimagined Matthew 25:31-45 thinking a lot about empathy, support and solidarity. 23:13 - True Allyship 41:58 - Matthew 25:31-45 58:24 - “Speak up for them…” Follow Brianna on instagram @b.sandersonn to keep in tune with her journey toward reforming our education system. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

Ed Oxford, researcher for 1946 The Movie, joins us to talk about how the word “homosexual” actually got translated into the Bible.  He shares about the grieving process he went through as he came to grips with a reality that God would never change him and grant him the American dream he had so desperately desired. We reimagined 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and landed in a true and thoughtful space of love and empathy. 2:36 - The mistranslation of “Homosexuals” 25:38 - “they didn’t care enough…” 42:03 - How it all changed Ed 50:36 - 1 Cor 6:9-10 1:08:13 - 2 Pivotal Points 1:31:06 - How experience shapes our understanding 1:34:38 - a bit on Kinship… Ed isn’t on social media, but you can learn more about the movie he is working on at https://www.1946themovie.com/ You can read some of the resources Ed made reference to by checking out http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/ Be on the lookout for Ed’s book coming this fall! Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

This week Sally Gary, the founder of CenterPeace, shares about her new book “Affirming” and the incredible loneliness of a life spent faithful to ideas of sexuality she no longer holds. We reimagined Genesis 2:18-24 and talked about the ways God sees and makes space for our loneliness. 32:30 - Loneliness 41:08 - Genesis 2:18-24 51:44 - Do God’s words still apply to me? follow Sally on instagram @SallyGary, learn more about CenterPeace at https://www.centerpeace.net/ Grab Sally’s new book “Affirming” from your local bookstore! Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

This Week Brian joins us and shares about how his best friend walked with him toward self acceptance and coming out, which encouraged him to “Be Free”. Brian shares the unhealthy results of hiding and the ways community invites us to be our most authentic and purposeful selves. Then Brian and Mark imagine Psalms 139 as a self declaration but not an excuse to accept trauma or transmit our pain. 22:29 - We’re holding in so much more… 35:21 - Psalms 139:1-18 50:08 - It’s Not ALL Wonderfully Made follow Brian on instagram @brianterada and learn more about Be Free at https://befreestories.com/ Learn more about #endingotherness at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol...,

We’ve all felt the pain and loss of grieving what could have been. Candice joins us and shares her story of integrating her faith and sexuality and the grief of mourning the time she lost disintegrated. She shares her incredible experience of encountering God in an unshakable way through her queerness. Then Candice and Mark reimagined Jeremiah 17:7-10 and the reality that we all have our own goggles on that inform the way we see the world around us. 22:48 - Grieving The Lost Time 33:12 - Jeremiah 17:7-10 42:00 - Our Interpretive Goggles follow Candice on instagram @lesbiantherapist and learn more about The Christian Closet at https://www.thechristiancloset.com/. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

We all need someone mature to invite us to hold our stories with awe, wonder and celebration. Mark Fields, the founder of The Kinship Collective, shares his own centers of identity, how The Kinship Collective came to be and the values it embodies. Then Mark and Mykah reimagined Isaiah 43:16-21 together and pondered the power of something new and the room that must be made for the new things to exist. 8:10 - Why Kinship? 21:22 - What does safety mean to you? 42:32 - Isaiah 43:16-21 follow Mark on instagram @Mark_Fields. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

We all benefit from the liberating power of forgiveness when we forgive people who wound us and ourselves. Mykah Wilson, the Director of Operations for The Kinship Collective, shares about how forgiving others and herself led to an unexpected embrace of her whole self. Mykah shared about how her loving community instigates healing in wounds that once tempted her to end her life. Then Mykah and Mark talked about 1 Kings 19:9-13 and the beauty of encountering and following the unexpected still small voice fo God. 13:15 - Liberating Forgiveness 29:10 - Choosing to Stay. *There are no graphic descriptions of self-harm but from 29:10-39:43 we do have an extensive discussion of suicidality.  If this may trigger you please skip forward and remember you are loved and can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 whenever you need outside support. * 39:43 - 1 Kings 19:9-13 follow Mykah on instagram @MykahMay10 and show her some love if her story resonates with you. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Here's that link to that convo with "Alicia Crosby" mentioned at minute 28... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-love-with-jen-hatmaker-podcast/id1258388821?i=1000490463097  Outro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​..., Special Shout out to this weeks mixer @JoelYoshonis for making magic with our audio!

We have all felt the paralyzing fear of not knowing how to show up for a friend after racially charged acts of violence. This week Dean Choi generously shares about the loneliness he felt growing up in Chicago suburbs as a first generation Korean-American. He also shared some empowering ideas of how we can use the “5 Love Languages” to show up for our friends in times of racial trauma. Dean and Mark then reimagined Leviticus 19:13-18 and thought about why and how we love our neighbors. 7:10 - Loneliness 18:09 - "The 5 Love Languages" 39:19 - Leviticus 19:13-18 Follow Dean on Instagram @dreamy_dean!!! Learn more about #endingotherness at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com You are loved! We are family!

We have all experienced pain that propels us toward truth in new ways. Bonnie Lewis, the author of “Timshel”, shares about how the most painful experience of her life unleashed one of her most purposeful endeavors. Bonnie talked about what it means to trust our intuition as a gift from God and thought about what is at stake when we come to “leap of faith” moments in our lives. We talked about patriarchy and his metrics and how we can resist the temptation to play that game. Then we talked about the picture of "What God is Like" found in Philippians 2:5-11. 13:30 - Power & Patriarchy… 24:30 - Leaps of Faith & Integrity 43:05 - Philippians 2:5-11 “What is God Like?” Order your copy of Timshel at https://www.timsheltranslation.com/ and follow Bonnie on instagram @bonniegaillewis & @timshelproject. Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​ You are loved! We are family! Intro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

One of the most triggering and problematic practices for recovering evangelicals or deconstructing truth seekers is "worship".  Spiritual songs that carry harmful understandings of God that actually stand in the way of "Faith, Hope & Love".  Today we get to hang with Astyn Turrentine, a singer, song-writer, arranger, worshipper and worship leader who gives us her perspective on worship.  Join us for a fun conversation and let's reimagine "worship" together! 8:20 - Music is Manipulative & Magical...  33:00 - What is worship? 40:00 - Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Follow Astyn on social media @astynturr and check out her music on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/2By37PSkMs1WNuiTY0CbQl   Learn more about #endingotherness​​​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​​​  You are loved! We are family!

How did we loose sight of the most basic premise of scripture for humanity, our "image-of-god-ness"?   Eric Johnson joined us for a conversation on some of how that happened.  He is a gracious and wise Community Organizing Pastor with over 30 years of experience serving toward reconciliation and solidarity.  We talked about the history of race in America and how these truths distorted the Gospel and the Church.  We talked about the "root why" of gratuitous dignity for all... Genesis 1:26​-27. Follow Eric on social media @blondenegro and check one of his latest sermons here https://youtu.be/wQ6GAxo-aVQ​  Learn more about #endingotherness​​​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​​​  You are loved! We are family!   "Blkszn" pullover from https://resistancefashion.co/​​ who have incredible pieces as forms of and invitations to your own resistance!    Intro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​​​...,

What does it look like to face your fears and do the hard things because they're "Worth It"?  It looks like Brit Barron.   Brit joined us for a conversation about her book "Worth It".  We talked about the complexities of truly diverse communities and what it looks like to invite people to the middle ground.  This lead us to a conversation around judgement and Matthew 7:1-5, where someone else's freedom is a threat because we haven't done the work to live our most wholehearted lives.   13:03 - One of the challenges of real diversity...  42:56 - Matthew 7:1-5  47:50 - A Drag Queen's invitation to freedom...    Get connected to all things Brit at https://britbarron.com/ and follow her on all the socials @britbarron.  Order her book "Worth It" now from your local bookstore or wherever you get your books. (*Also 1st new Podcast Review mentioning this episode on Apple and Spotify are getting a copy sent to them!!!*)   Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​  You are loved! We are family!  Intro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,

Have you ever wondered about the difference between people who create great success in their industry and those who work just as hard but don't?     David Lee joined us for a conversation on how integrating his faith with his industry leading businesses has created his pathway to experiencing blessing.  He shared how he became the most popular Ferrari collector in the world on the shoulders of generations of hard work, perseverance and integrity.  David shared courageous family stories of immigration and shared his 5 business principles for experiencing great success.  Then we talked about 2 Peter 1:3-4 and how we already have everything we need within us!   Follow David on instagram at @ferraricollector_davidlee and learn more about the Hing Wa Lee Group at https://www.ferraricollectordavidlee....​  Learn more about #endingotherness​​ at https://www.thekinshipcollective.com​​  You are loved! We are family!   Intro "We are Family" - Sister Sledge (Official Cover) by @ShaundReynolds, check out more of his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/c/Shaunreynol​​...,