The Cradle

We never thought we would be here, but we are so grateful to each one of you for your dedication and faithfulness. We are proud of the work we have done on the cradle together and are excited about the future of Graced with Questions. In this final episode, Grace shares some final thoughts from her heart and offers a prayer of love and peace. Be well! Also, don't forget to join us at Graced with Questions! Remember, you are seen, heard, and loved.

“The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth”. Truth is the bedrock in which society is able to thrive, live, and be free. True justice is predicated on knowing, living, and speaking the truth. Our education, justice, healthcare, and other institutions cannot properly function without truth as a fundamental. In the episode, we go on a journey of understanding and exploring what makes something true and how others for centuries have explored the concept of truth. Take a seat at the table and let's explore the truth. This is episode 1 of Graced with Questions, for more, visit https://gracedwithquestions.com or subscribe to Graced With Questions on your favorite podcast app.

For the past 2 years, you journeyed faithfully with us on the cradle, where we explored personal, relevant, and difficult moments in our country and society, and for that, we are grateful. In 2020, pandemic year, we felt a need to change course and embark on a critical and challenging journey to tackle serious existential questions facing our world, so we created a new podcast called “Graced with Questions”. For a taste, the first episode will be in this feed. Visit us at https://gracedwithquestions.com. About Graced With Questions We are born with questions, aspirations, dreams, and curiosity. In the midst of fear, we believe God has grace for our difficult questions. Graced With Questions podcast is placing itself in the midst of the fire by aiming to address life's most difficult questions. We will discuss existence and experiences from a philosophical, theological, cosmological, and psychological perspective, in a place without judgment, shame, and fear. We are in pursuit of answering questions of the heart. No questions barred.

We will never forget 2020. The experiences and stories of this year have made their way into our hearts, mind, and soul. We are forever marked. My hope and prayer for us is that we would not leave this year the same but be transformed for the better. Many lessons and moments need our attention and reflection. In this episode, I had some of my dear friends share their end-of-the-year reflections and takeaways. I hope this encourages you to do the same even if it is painful. Be blessed, be kind, and be safe. We will see you in 2021 with some surprises. Love you much! Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

"Where did it go wrong?" I ask the White church. Why the silence for so long? Your time for redemption is here. I began this conversation with God, myself, and a pen. My simple reflection on Black lives became a letter to the White Church and to the Body of Christ. The Gospel began in the East, but it was written to cover and speak to all humanity. Yet, for so long, the American church has preached a partial gospel. The Gospel in its entirety is a radical narrative on love, justice, forgiveness, and freedom. Jesus Christ was crucified because of good news that went against accepted social norms. “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow's cause.” (Isaiah 1:17). As members of the Body of Christ, we cannot miss another moment in time to make right the watered down gospel of the West. In this episode, I have a conversation with one of my producers, Dr. Qi Yang, about this letter to the White western church. The full letter will be available on my social media and the Cradle Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/thecradlepodcast. Take a front-row seat, sip your tea or coffee because this gets real and deep real quick!

I wrote this short poem in the reflection of my family's journey with police brutality and our walk with Jesus Christ. This is one of my declarations of love in the midst of a painful but hopeful time in our nation. It is my call to us to press into love while focusing our attention on the realities of our today. I pray it blesses you.

You requested and now you have it. Many of you after listening to “Why Jesus” episode asked us to discuss how to examine and study the bible. Historically and now, people have abused the bible, misinterpreted, and taken the bible out of context to fulfill their agendas. The Word of God is Inerrant (Nehemiah 23:19, John 10:35, 2Timothy 3:16, John 5:18). There are three lines of evidence that support the claim of the biblical documents and their reliability: bibliography tests, internal tests, and external tests. To gain a full understanding of the inspired word of God (Bible), one must be willing to conduct historical exegesis, a systemic review of the word, and address their presuppositions. To unpack this topic, I was joined by one of my biblical scholar friends Josh Cheng. Josh Cheng is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he currently works as a software engineer. He went to the University of Michigan for his undergraduate and graduate studies, during which he developed an interest in theology, philosophy, apologetics, and biblical studies. He has taught a few seminars on apologetics and reading the bible at his church, and will be starting a masters program in New Testament at Northern Seminary in the fall of 2020. No matter who you are and where you are, we hope this episode provides you with the foundational resources and tools to examine the word of God effectively and truthfully. Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

The tides are changing, the lukewarm are awakening, the oppressed are arising, and the prayers of our ancestors are resounding. We can't wait for tomorrow, now is the time for a change. Black people in America and globally have suffered enough, no more silence. This episode's tough conversation, recorded in mid-May, examines direct and systemic violence towards Black people through a historical and psychological lens. I hope you will leave this episode a little more insightful and passionate about joining the movement to end racism in America and in the world. In this episode I am joined by my good friend and fellow scholar Ed-Dee Williams. Ed-Dee is a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan in the Joint Social work and Sociology Ph.D. program. His research examines Black boys' perceptions of mental health and depression and explores the intersection of mental health and punishment in schools. Ed-Dee received his BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2013 and his Masters of Social Work in 2014. Prior to entering the Ph.D. program, Ed-Dee worked as a Clinical Social Worker providing therapy and counseling to incarcerated youth and youth with behavioral disorders. Ed-Dee also is a husband and a father of an 8-year-old little boy and an 8-month-old baby girl.

You are in for a treat. This episode is definitely one of my favorites because it is a collection of reflections from individuals from all walks of life sharing their journeys with us and answering the question “why Jesus?” These are scientists, social workers, electricians, managers, researchers, and stylists who all had to do a deep constructive examination of Why. These stories bring us hope, love, warmth, and faith. They leave us to reflect on our own faith journeys. This will bless no matter who you are, what you believe, whose you are, and where you come from.

In the past 4 months, we have seen a rapid increase in detected cases (160,000-170,000) of coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world resulting in about 7000 deaths worldwide. As a public health agent, I believe it is important to educate, dispel the myths and equip people on how to better understand the coronavirus and mitigate the spread. To better equip and understand, I invited my dear friend, Ali Abazeed, a Public Health Advisor at the National Institute of Health (NIH), and a former Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan earning a Master of Public Health and Master of Public Policy in 2017. My goal for this episode is to get us to take this seriously, stay calm, change our lifestyle and to keep hope alive. Feedback? Email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

There are many books, talks and seminars on relationships and finding love. For many, finding love has become like a job search. You may be blessed to encounter your God-given partner or you may end up disappointed. The science of understanding another human can be difficult on its own but to add on the complexity of gender can be overwhelming. In this episode, part one on singleness, is focused on men who lead vs. men who lord. I had the privilege of discussing this complex topic with Torrion Amie, a friend and mentor, to get his perspective on men leading in heterosexual relationships. Torrion Amie is an entrepreneur, businessman, worship leader, coach, and educator. Some of the points made in this episode may or may not be in alignment with how you view relationships between men and women. With this, the point of this episode is to continue to challenge all of us in our journey no matter your background or values. I love to challenge and to be challenged. Are your values straight when it comes to finding a partner? Feedback? Email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

Without a vision, we are lost. Without a vision, we are tossed by the wind easily. Without a vision, we just exist. A vision leads us to our next stop. We want you to start this year and the next decade with the proper vision without regrets. I am joined by one of my soul sistas, Kadilsha Cain, entrepreneur, and founder and principal consultant at Storefront Media and Harvest Celebration. Her skills have been sought out by many in sports and entertainment, including WNBA all-star, champion and Olympic gold medalist Cappie Pondexter and musician Essence Carson. Join me in discovering our visions together. Feedback? Email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

On this episode of Get Back into the Cradle, PhD candidate in Psychology and Social Work, Janelle Goodwill joins me to discuss the state of mental health in our society and how our culture influences people to seek help and services. We all know someone who has dealt with mental health at some point. Join us as we get real. Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

I am getting personal with a new series "Get back into the Cradle." On this episode, I am joined by my right hand woman and sister girl Janelle Goodwill, a PhD candidate in Psychology and Social Work. We discussed the importance of resting and knowing when your mind, body, soul, and spirit is telling you to cease from busyness to evaluate and re-energize. How bad does it have to get for you to stop and rest? Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

I am joined by two of my Michigan buddies, James Tan and Josh Kammeraad, both PhD students and scientists at the University of Michigan. Together, we wrestle with the difficulties of Evolution and Creationism by discussing facts, complexities, and commonalities. As always, these topics lead us to a deeper place of reflection, and it was evident that the issue of trust among the scientific community and communities of faith influence how these issues are discussed. I hope this discussion lead you do a deeper understanding of God as an artist with the earth as a canvas. Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

Ali Abazeed, a dear friend from graduate school, joined Grace to discuss navigating today's political and social atmosphere through his civil servant and private citizen lens. Ali is a Presidential Management Fellow and civil servant with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C.. He is definitely one of the smartest and kindest people Grace loves to call a friend. This conservation helped us think about ways we can be the change agents in our schools, workplaces, and communities etc. This is just the beginning… are you having these tough conversations? Ali Abazeed is on Twitter at @thisisabz Feedback? email us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com

Grace was joined by two friends from church Lachelle and Cody to discuss and give their insights on the role of theology in studying the word of God as well as navigating the complexities and politics around theology. How often does theology influence your time with God? Or does theology impact your time with God? We would love to hear your thoughts. You can contact us at thecradlepodcast@gmail.com with your questions

A short message: sending love to our Muslim Brothers and Sisters in New Zealand. Regular episodes will continue

I had the pleasure of talking to one of the smartest, most genuine boss woman I know, Cheryl Keith, my mentor, about the credibility of the bible. Cheryl served 26 in the United States Navy and retired honorably in 2006 as Lieutenant Commander. She is a theologian, leader, wife and critical thinker of the word of God. Together, we conduct an exegetical analysis of Bible text by address presuppositions and triggering questions about the credibility of the bible. We hope this episode challenges you no matter where you are in the faith journey.

Welcome to the Cradle

My dear sister Alisa Castilla joined me to discuss the role of women in church leadership/ministry and the marketplace. Alisa is an entrepreneur, teacher, and speaker whose perspectives gave a hopeful yet challenging resolution on this topic. Together, we wrestle with the question by addressing specific scriptures and experiences. I hope this first episode will challenge you to look at the scripture and start dialogue with other men and women to find your resolution no matter where you stand. - Grace