Where Ya From? Podcast

“What we believe in our hearts matters more than what we know in our minds,” says Nona Jones, well-known preacher, executive, entrepreneur, and writer of Killing Comparison. She joins VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast to share how the trajectory of her life dramatically changed when she began believing in her heart that she truly is who God says she is. Join us to learn how to be inspired—rather than expired—by people we compare ourselves with, and see how Nona was able to push past the comparison game.Guest Bio:Nona Jones is a rare combination of preacher, business executive, author, and entrepreneur. In her day job she serves as the Director of North America Community Partnerships and Global Faith Partnerships at Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook. She is the bestselling author of two books; Success from the Inside Out, chronicling her unlikely story of success after a childhood filled with physical and sexual abuse, and From Social Media to Social Ministry, the globally acclaimed guide to digital discipleship for churches.She is the founder of Faith & Prejudice, a social justice organization that is equipping local churches across North America to build bridges to racial equity. She and her husband, Pastor Tim, lead Open Door Church in Gainesville, FL and are the proud parents of two boys, Timothy, Jr. and Isaac, and one Goldendoodle, Shiloh.Notes & Quotes: She was like, “you’re never going to amount to anything,” and I was living down to her words. “Well, if I'm not going to be anything, what’s the point of trying?” I knew what the Bible said. I totally knew fearfully and wonderfully made and all that, but it wasn’t what I knew in my mind that was the problem, it’s what I believed in my heart. And so much of what I believed in my heart was shaped by what happened to me as a child. The problem is you’re pursuing this because you want other people to approve of you. And as long as you want other people to approve of you, you’re not going to get what you want.  The hero of the story is Jonathan because he found a way to secure his identity to who God says he was. And because he did that, he wasn’t insecure. He was like, David, you could have my garment, have my weapons, man, I’m going to pray for you. I hope it all works out. There is no one on earth who has a big enough vision to see all that God has placed within you. So don’t allow anyone on earth to make you diminish your understanding of who you are, because they can’t even see it. Links Mentioned: 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: 1 Samuel 13 & 14 Psalm 1 Psalm 27:10 Proverbs 18:21 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Jamie Winship’s first day as a police officer in Washington, DC, his mentor told him, “Keep your mouth shut for one year,” and to listen closely. He applied this important lesson to his professional and spiritual life and found listening and abiding was the way to hear God’s voice and bring peace to the conflicted spaces he was working in. His methods were successful, and he was asked to do his reconciliation work across the globe to the world’s highest conflict areas.Gues Bio:Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas.After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington, DC area, Jamie earned an MA in English and developed a unique process called the Identity Method. This process of identity transformation is the key to resolving inner conflict and acquiring new levels of learning and creativity in any field. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel and back to the US. Jamie has worked with leaders in professional sports, business, education, law enforcement, government, non-profit, and other sectors. He is the author of Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God. Jamie and his wife, Donna, are co-founders of Identity Exchange and its corporate arm, Identity Method, providing training and consulting in the transformative power of living fearlessly in your true identity.Notes & Quotes: “Abide is just a decision to stand next to and listen. Abiding just means the commitment to stay with. And, in the staying with, is where you learn everything.” “I started asking God, “Can you show me another way to think about policing that I don't know?” I kept watching Jesus, reading through the gospels in Acts, and Jesus didn’t come to tell people what to do. He came to teach people how to know what to do.”  “Do you know why God tells us to love our enemy? Because they’re not really your enemy, that’s why. You only have one enemy and that’s Satan . . . .” Links Mentioned: Check out Jamie Winship’s new book Living Fearless. Explore Winship’s website about identity. 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: John 10 John 3:16–17 Philippians 2 Book of Ephesians John 6:68–69 John 15:4 Book of Acts 1 Corinthians 7:17 Psalm 22 Isaiah 53 Mark 8 Matt 23:15 Mark 4 1 Corinthians 12:12–30 Acts 17 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you grow up in a broken world and still find your voice, full and whole as God intended? When Dr. Pannell and Dr. Jemar Tisby grew up in the church, they both experienced a polite ignorance which worked to keep them “in their place” among their classmates and church family. They knew there was something deeply wrong, but they didn’t have the language or space to speak about it. Listen as Dr. Pannell and Dr. Tisby share their expertise on changing culture and developing language to foster wholeness in their brothers and sisters in Christ.Guest Bios:William Pannell is professor emeritus of preaching at Fuller Seminary, where he taught from 1974 until his retirement in 2014. Fuller recognized his service to the school and the whole church with the January 2015 renaming and dedication of the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies. Previously serving in leadership roles with Youth for Christ and Tom Skinner Associates, his books include My Friend, the Enemy; Evangelism from the Bottom Up; and The Coming Race Wars? A Cry for Reconciliation, recently expanded. Jemar Tisby is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism. His writing has been featured on CNN, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He is the founder and president of The Witness—a Black Christian Collective and the cohost of the Pass the Mic podcast. He has a PhD in history from the University of Mississippi.Notes & Quotes: “Racism is a severe denigration and restriction upon someone’s humanity. Because to be fully human, is to be in relationships, is to be a partner with others in a common humanity. You cannot be a full human being in isolation.”—William Pannell “Whatever experience we go through, the Holy Spirit understands it all. He’s been there before. God’s been working on this for a long time.”—William Pannell “Where love is the beating heart of justice, I always say we have to have a priestly proximity to people, particularly suffering people, because that breeds empathy, and empathy births love.” —Jemar Tisby “Talk to the old saints. Talk to the folks who have been through some things that seem really unbelievable and like they were just about to break your spirit. And yet, they’re not only still here, but they still love the Lord. And they still love people.” —Jemar Tisby “God’s got some wonderful people. They come in all kinds and sizes and shapes. Colors, blue, black, grizzly, and gray. We need each other. More than ever. We’ve got to find each other. And settle down and make ourselves at home with one another. Listen and learn.”—William Pannell Links Mentioned: Check out Jemar Tisby’s book How to Fight Racism. Here is a link to William Pannell’s book The Coming Race Wars. Here is some information on Dr. Tom Skinner, as mentioned in this episode. 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: Mark 12:31 Ephesians Colossians Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Natasha was in sixth grade, her parents sat her down and told her that if she didn’t do something to make her stand out, she wouldn’t go to college. At the young age of eleven, she made up her mind to be the best of the best in order to affordably go to college. When she enrolled in the Naval Academy, reality hit hard when she realized her public education failed her, she was different and not accepted among her peers or superiors. In this same season of life, the unexpected passing of her mother would require Natasha to become her family’s main provider. How do you overcome when the odds seem stacked against you? On this episode of Where Ya From?, Author, retired Marine Officer, and inspirational speaker Natasha Sistrunk Robinson shares her unbelievable story of what it looks like to endure through hardship and cling to the only thing that is true and constant—faith in God.Guest Bio:Natasha Sistrunk Robinson is the president of T3 Leadership Solutions, Inc., as well as a sought-after international speaker, executive leader, and mentoring coach with over twenty years of leadership experience in the military, federal government, church, seminary, and nonprofit sectors. She’s also the author of many notable books including A Sojourner’s Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World. Natasha is also host of the podcast A Sojourner’s Truth: Conversations for a Changing Culture. She is the Visionary founder and chairperson of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Leadership LINKS, Inc., where she cultivates a multi-generational network of influencers who offer leadership education that facilitates impactful living, character and spiritual development. She holds a doctorate from North Park Theological Seminary and is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Charlotte and the US Naval Academy. Natasha has proudly served her country as a marine corps officer and a federal government employee at the Department of Homeland Security.Notes & Quotes: “It’s one thing to have unjust laws on the books that should never be on the books. It’s another thing to have just laws on the books, but they have to be enforced.”—Natasha Sistrunk Robinson  “I’m like, God, I need you to go because the people who normally go, to do all the things, to show up in such a way, they're not going to be able to do that for me. So I need you to do that and be that for me. And if you do that, I will serve you. And so that was kind of the start of my own personal journey.”—Natasha Sistrunk Robinson  “You know, the question is are leaders born or made? And I say both, right? I think some leaders are born. I think some are made. And I think, whether you’re born or made, you all need training, you could always get better.”—Natasha Sistrunk Robinson “I know God uses anybody. He uses broken vessels, so to speak, all the time and imperfect people all the time. But I also, I just take that as a try to stay humble in that, but also stay in awe of God in that.”—Natasha Sistrunk Robinson “Disciple making is not just about programming. It’s not just about Bible study. It’s not just about going to church. It’s not just about activity. I look at disciple making in the way that Jesus models for us with the twelve men we call apostles and the women that accompanied them on the journey of investing large amounts of time with small groups of people, because I believe that’s where we’re going to have the greatest impact.”—Natasha Sistrunk Robinson Links Mentioned: Natasha Sistrunk Robinson ministry website Natasha Sistrunk Robinson book: A Sojourner's Truth 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: John 10:11–18 Revelation 12:11 Psalm 68:5 Psalm 34:18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do bad things happen? Recording artist, former America’s Got Talent finalist, and author of More Than My Scars Kechi Okwuchi asked herself this question after a plane crash changed her life. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Kechi joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how to rely on God’s unchanging love when faced with unspeakable tragedy.Guest Bio:Kechi Okwuchi is a Nigerian American recording artist, motivational speaker, author of More Than My Scars, and a former finalist on America’s Got Talent in 2017. One of two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on December 10, 2005, she became a national patient ambassador for Shriners Children’s Texas in Galveston in 2017. She has since been active in events organized by WE Movement—a global youth empowerment organization—speaking and singing to thousands of students at WE Day events all over the country. As a bullying prevention advocate, she has teamed up with the organization Be Strong Global, as well as Instagram and Teen Vogue, to speak out against bullying. She hopes to use her story and her musical talents to ignite hope. Okwuchi lives in Pearland, Texas.Notes & Quotes: “Being a Christian does not exempt you from bad things happening to you. Bad things happen in life to good and bad people.” “[God] is a place of endless replenishment and strength, especially when things are really bad.” “Seeing myself through [God’s] eyes is probably the best way to hold on to my confidence. You’re never going to be able to come to me to make me feel bad based on my appearance, because God doesn’t care about that.” Links Mentioned: Check out Kechi’s new book, More Than My Scars. Listen to Kechi’s debut album on Spotify and Apple Music. Visit Kechi’s website. Learn more about Shriner’s Hospital for Children.  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: Philippians 4 1 Samuel 16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Injustice is the second most talked about sin in the Bible following idolatry. God is calling His followers to advocate for the marginalized. In this episode of Where Ya From?, Jenn Petersen, the Director of Mobilization for International Justice Mission (IJM) and co-lead pastor of Resurrection Life NYC, shares with host, Rasool Berry, some of the most unimaginable cases of injustice she witnessed that sparked the passion and question, “God, what can I do to make a difference?”Guest Bio:Jenn Petersen serves as Director of Mobilization, NYC, for the International Justice Mission. She is also co-leader and founder of Resurrection Life NYC; a multi-ethnic congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Jenn holds a Masters of Divinity from Wesley Seminary along with a Bachelors of Music from the University of Northern Iowa. Jenn’s passion for justice and worship allows her to work with churches, businesses, and non-profit organizations in every domain of the city to advocate for and share the heart of justice God has for the broken and enslaved men, women, and children. She currently lives in Harlem with her husband Branden, their two children, and their dog, Charlie.Notes & Quotes: “Sometimes you just need to stop and ask, ‘God, what do your people need and how can I help them?” “Injustice is the second biggest sin the Bible talks about after idolatry.” “You can do the work of God by using what He’s already put in your hands.” “Be who God has uniquely created you to be.” “IJM (International Justice Mission) has already rescued 66,000 people.” Links Mentioned: Read about the IJM (International Justice Mission) on their website. Learn more about Resurrection Life Church. 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: Psalm 27:1 Exodus 3 John 15 Psalm 89:14 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deep down, we all crave to be our truest selves. But what if we’re afraid that our culture has no place in Christian spaces? Recording artist, author, and academic Sho Baraka argues that our faith doesn’t have to exist separate from the rest of the world. On this episode of VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, Sho joins host Rasool Berry to discuss his book He Saw That It Was Good and his walk with Jesus so far.Guest Bio:After attending Tuskegee University and the University of North Texas, where he studied Television/Film, Anthropology, and Public Administration, Sho Baraka has spent the last fourteen years traveling the world as a recording artist, performer, and culture curator. His overseas work has ranged from leading seminars about race relations in South Africa to establishing artist hubs in Indonesia.Sho is also co-founder of The And Campaign and currently serves as Adjunct Professor at Warner Pacific University. His first book, He Saw That It Was Good (2021), was nominated for an Audie Award.Sho lives in Atlanta, GA with Patreece, his wife of eighteen years, and their three children; one daughter and two sons.Notes & Quotes: “. . . Why don’t we call Frederick Douglass and Tubman a theologian? Why don’t we see them as people who are worthy of being read and talked about in the pulpit?” “If God cares about our physical being, He also cares about our physical liberation, our physical freedom, our ability to move.” “I feel like a lot of evangelical history has not really been honest about their heroes.” “. . . God is a God of grace and forgiveness. And that our enemies are not too far gone, that they’re beyond redemption. And that we’re not as righteous as we think we are.” Links Mentioned: Order Sho’s book. Learn more about Sho on his website. Listen to Sho’s music on the Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom soundtrack. 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:Ephesians 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2021, Juneteenth—also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day—became the United States federal holiday, but many are still unaware of its origins and significance in American history. On this special episode of VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, author and associate professor Dr. Carey Latimore shares with us the legacy of Juneteenth and the radical faith it still inspires today.Guest Bio:Carey H. Latimore IV serves as associate professor of history, co-director of the African American studies program at Trinity University, and associate pastor of a local church. Frequently asked to serve as a commentator and consultant on current topics such as race, land ownership, political identity, and religion for local and state media and organizations, he has also authored Unshakeable Faith: African American Stories of Redemption, Hope, and Community and The Role of Southern Free Blacks During the Civil War and appears in Our Daily Bread Media’s documentary film Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom. Dr. Latimore and his wife reside in San Antonio, Texas.Notes & Quotes: “I think Black people in their faith were kind of presenting a mirror and a window into the essence of the gospels that many people have forgotten or left behind.” “On Juneteenth, people start talking about what we can be, what we can do. What we have done. It’s an inspiring moment because we think of the possibilities.” “When one group becomes free, we all become freer.” “When those people came out of slavery at Juneteenth, we all came a little bit out of slavery. We all lost one link on that chain on our way towards a greater freedom, so that’s why we celebrate.” Links Mentioned: Visit our website to sign up for emails. Leave us a review.  Check out VOICES Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram. Follow VOICES on Instagram. Follow Dr. Carey Latimore on Twitter. Explore more Juneteenth resources from VOICES. Check out Dr. Carey Latimore’s book, Unshakeable Faith: African American Stories of Redemption, Hope, and Community. Verses Mentioned: Psalms 1 and 2 Samuel 1 and 2 Kings Exodus Exodus 6:5 Acts 10-34 Philemon Hebrews 11 Joshua 4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

These days, the world—and the Church—are heavily divided on how to approach issues surrounding race. That’s why writer and higher education instructor Dr. Christina Edmondson and Race, Religion, and Justice Project director Chad Brennan have brought biblical insight into the conversation with their book Faithful Antiracism. On this episode of the VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, Christina and Chad join host Rasool Berry to share their research and insights into racial reconciliation.Guest Bios:Dr. Christina Edmondson is a writer, educator, and mediator, whose writing has been referenced and featured in a variety of outlets, such as Essence.com. In addition to co-hosting the Truth’s Table podcast, she currently serves as Calvin University’s Dean for Intercultural Student Development.Chad Brennan earned his master of arts/theological studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and currently serves as the director of the Race, Religion, and Justice Project. Formerly, he mentored and led students from over 30 campuses as part of the college ministry, Cru.Notes & Quotes: Christina: “When I talk to believers who are part of persecuted groups, they’re desperate to find God in this story of oppression.” Chad: “As Christians, we are not going to effectively change our society if we can’t effectively change ourselves and our own communities.” Christina: “There’s not a hierarchy of who is made more in the image of God versus others.” Links Mentioned: 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. Order Edmonson and Brennan’s book. Learn more about Christina Edmondson on her website. Take an individual and organizational assessment at The Racial Justice and Unity Center’s website. Verses Mentioned:Ephesians 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People around us may think they know what’s best for our future, but in the end, it’s God’s plan that matters most. This is a truth Grammy-nominated and recording artist Mali Music learned at a young age, when he decided, against his family and community’s wishes, to pursue his passion for creating music. On this episode of the VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, the singer-songwriter details his childhood in the church, his boyhood pressures in athletics, and how he overcame criticism to chase his dreams.Guest Bio:Grammy-nominated, singer-songwriter, and producer Mali Music began creating and arranging his own material at the age of twelve. Since then, he’s gone on to receive acclaim in both the sacred and secular music worlds with his albums, 2econd Coming, Mali Is…, and The Book of Mali. His song “Beautiful” also made the Billboard charts and propelled him into the mainstream music industry.Notes & Quotes: “I loved falling into just the shadow of the Most High, like, disappearing in worship.” “I just never wanted the Word of God . . . to be detested or underestimated like I was . . . .” “You gotta trust God. And I just love that music is just gonna be connected to what God is doing.” Links Mentioned: 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. Follow Mali Music on Instagram, and check out his website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices