Aye y'all, what's good?! I'm so glad to be back with Season 2 of the Pilgrimage Podcast, and this season opener is a banger! Robert Monson is a Black man who aims to point us all toward softness in a world that is proficient at brutalizing. Knowing this about him, I asked him to speak about his journey of being loved by God and loving God when it hasn't always been easy. These reflections are guided by Jürgen Moltmann's quote: “I know: there is someone waiting for me, who will not give me up, who goes ahead of me, who lifts me up, someone to whom I am important.” Robert has known a lot of suffering and he takes the suffering of the world seriously. We talk about Black Atheism, growing up in Chicagoland, meeting Jesus in college, feeling disillusioned with white evangelicalism, walking the contemplative life, and so much more. Hope y'all enjoy this episode! 

You can follow Robert's work on these different sites: 

Twitter - @robertjmonson

Substack - Robert posts soft reflections here on God and life, guiding us on an existence that is learning to honor our bodies' calls for rest and breath. https://musingsfromabrokenheart.substack.com/

Black Coffee and Theology Podcast - Robert is a solo host on this podcast and brings on many guests, exploring the multivalent realms of practical theology. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-coffee-and-theology-podcast/id1577198625. 

Three Black Men Podcast- Robert co-hosts with Sam Gay and Pastor Trey Ferguson, and they look at life and theology from their intersections. Incredible conversations here. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-black-men-theology-culture-and-the-world-around-us/id1535582503

Also Trey and Sam have individual podcasts: 

Trey's - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-living-treyslation/id1576078435; 

Sam's - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-gon-talk-about-it/id1620682591

Robert's Tip Jar

Robert's Venmo: @Robert-Monson-2

Rober's Cashapp: $RobertMonson

My Socials

Twitter - @ZeruFitsum

Instagram - @zeru_fitsum

Substack - https://zeru.substack.com/