Podcasts about Sandtown

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, the astonishing true story of Kara Robinson—abducted in broad daylight and held captive by a serial killer- she outsmarted her captor and escaped, rewriting the rulebook on survival. It's resilience meets real-life thriller. Then, we head to Sandtown, Indiana—a place that once bustled with life, and now? Gone. Vanished. Poof. No wreckage, no ruins, just whispers and weirdness. Was it swallowed by the earth, or just bad at city planning? Join Kat and Jethro as they dive into survival stories and small-town vanishings, sprinkling in their signature oddball humor and curiosity-fueled commentary. It's true crime meets urban legend with a side of "Wait, what?!" Tickets to our Live Shows Here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a teenage girl and her lover were gunned down in 1948, the murders stunned a small Illinois town — and sparked a ghost story that refuses to die.Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateIN THIS EPISODE: In 2016, near the infamous Nazca Lines, an incredible find came to light – not gold or jewels, not remnants of pottery, but a tomb. But what was found within the tomb has raised more questions than answers, as the resident mummies appears not to be human… just humanoid. (The Nazca Three-Fingered Mummy) *** Once in a while you'll hear of a horrible tragedy and the victim will be described as “ground into mincemeat”. In some case, this is not much of an exaggeration. (Ground Into Mincemeat) *** In 1983 Diane Downs shot her own children – Christie, Danny and Cheryl, in the backseat of the car. Miraculously, Christie Downs survived. (The Survival of Christie Downs) *** When it comes to demonic possession, it's often chalked up to mental illness – but sometimes the events surrounding the possessed person are so bizarre and unexplainable, you are almost forced to believe in the supernatural. Such was the case with Don Decker. (The Pennsylvania Rain Man) *** Cannibalism – just the word itself is enough to creep you out. Fortunately, cases of it are usually distant, in some far-off, remote, jungle area, done by natives who have yet to discover civilization. At least, that's what we like to believe. Unfortunately, it happens worldwide, nearer than you think. Like… in America. And in some cases, not so long ago. (American Cannibals) *** The death of a young girl and her boyfriend leave an Illinois town devastated… and it also left behind a lingering ghost. (The Ghost of Mary Jane Reed)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00.00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In00:00:57.179 = Show Open (Coming Up In This Episode)00:03:26.239 = The Ghost Of Mary Jane Reed00:20:23.639 = The Pennsylvania Rain Man00:32:10.973 = The Survival Of Christie Downs00:41:20.126 = Nazca's Three-Fingered Mummies00:46:05.373 = American Cannibals00:57:20.608 = Ground Into Mincemeat01:02:19.802 = Show Close, Verse, and Final ThoughtSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…Albert Fish episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/46rmaca3“The Nazca Three-Fingered Mummy” from TheSchareChamber.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/364kxnar“Ground Into Mincemeat” posted at StrangeAgo.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3rmddv3e“The Pennsylvania Rain Man” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8bz5ez“The Survival of Christie Downs” by Marco Margaritoff for All That's Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p98ek5s“The Ghost of Mary Jane Reed” from American Hauntings Ink: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/582z7w4j“American Cannibals” from Ranker Crime: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8j83p4=====(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: March, 2022EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MaryJaneReed

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with LeChelle Redd, who transitioned from a successful corporate marketing career to become a passionate nonprofit workforce development professional in the Sandtown community. LeChelle shares the story behind the founding of the Faith and Work Center, highlighting the unique challenges faced by the community and the critical role of integrating faith and mental health support into their services.Throughout the conversation, LeChelle emphasizes the importance of listening and building trust within urban communities. She also reflects on her aspirations for creating a selfless legacy that positively impacts lives. Tune in to hear LeChelle's heartfelt journey and her vision for a brighter future in Sandtown.

In an interview close to the original thrust of the show, we speak with Baltimore knife artist, Henry Hyde, on the meandering path from making toys out of sticks as a kid to forging and smithing cutting-edge kitchen implements, most especially knives. We talk about imagination, his favorite building in Baltimore (it's in Sandtown!) Instagram cooking videos, John Prine, importing his dream vehicle, boots, and more!

Will Phillips: Sandtown Furniture Co. “My background, I sort of learned everything that I know, through a career at Under Armor. So, I spent a long time working there. And I started Sand Town in 2010. I continued to work at Under Armor. It was my side hustle for eight years until I made that leap that you often talk about and talk to your clients about. So anyway, I found a partner. I found a wood shop. We designed a collection. We started taking it to the farmer's market, the big farmer's market in Baltimore. And we left it really rustic. We wanted it to be this story of Baltimore, and we wanted you to be able to look at the piece and understand that this was salvage material.”  - Will Phillips Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve Larosiliere is joined by Will Phillips from Sandtown Furniture Company. Will acquired all of his knowledge while working with Under Armour. He stayed there for a while until starting Sand Town in 2010. Before making the leap we frequently discuss with our clients, he worked at Under Armour for eight years as a side gig. He discovered a wood shop and a partner. They designed a collection. They began bringing it to Baltimore's large farmer's market while yet keeping it in its natural state. They wanted it to tell the tale of Baltimore and to be apparent to the customers that it was salvaged material when they looked at it. In this episode, Will discusses his customer demographic, how selling at Baltimore's market became a thing and the huge AHA moment that led him to resign from Under Armour and concentrate on his company. Listen now and get the whole story! Read More!

Eight years ago, Baltimore erupted in protest after Freddie Gray's funeral. His death sparked calls for police reform and for investment in areas long neglected. What's changed? What concerns do young people have about the future? We speak with a trio devoted to their community: husband and wife, Elder C. W. Harris and Amelia Harris, and musician Todd Marcus. They are all co-founders of Intersection of Change, which works to enrich the social and economic lives of Sandtown residents. Then, young people across Maryland will have the chance to share their ideas and concerns at the 7th Annual Youth Issues Assembly, to be held Saturday, May 6th. We get a preview from Shaleece Williams, Director of Youth Programming for the No Boundaries Coalition; Kathleen Jones, program manager of the group's Youth Organizers; and high school junior Crystal Diala. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author and journalist Mark Bowden draws on wiretaps, police interviews, rap videos, text messages and interviews to drive the story of his new book, Life Sentence: The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore's Deadliest Gang Leader.  Bowden, who now writes for The Atlantic and other magazines, began his career at the late Baltimore News American and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is best known for Black Hawk Down, his book about a deadly firefight in Somalia which was turned into a movie in 2001. Mark Bowden's riveting new book is a look at the violence and isolation that casts deep shadows into the lives of Sandtown residents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quello del “Clown di Sandtown” è, senza ombra di dubbio, uno dei misteri più bizzarri di cui abbia mai parlato. Nella primavera del 1973 a Sandtown, una piccola località dell'isola di Wight (Inghilterra), due bambine furono protagoniste di un incontro realmente inspiegabile. Quello con un'entità, a quanto pare di origine sconosciuta, le cui fattezze ricordavano molto quelle di un clown ma che di umano non aveva proprio nulla. Se vuoi mandarmi la tua opinione, un suggerimento o semplicemente un saluto puoi farlo qui: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3mD4aNi Facebook: http://bit.ly/2zYausM Instagram: http://bit.ly/2yH5x6F Email: linspiegabile@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arkansas gravel scene in north central Arkansas may just be the next hot spot on the gravel scene in the state. Bobby Finster is doing what he can to make that happen and the Sandtown Shuffle could be the event of the year in 2023.

About the guestSarah Sullivan is a small business owner and community builder. She has spent most of the past decade running the Mobtown Ballroom in Pigtown, an arts and entertainment venue that serves as a second home for many Baltimoreans. She moved to Baltimore from rural Massachusetts in 2006 to attend Goucher College, where she majored in Peace Studies. After college, Sarah became the Americorps Volunteer Coordinator at the St. Francis Neighborhood Center in Reservoir Hill, where she founded the Reservoir Hill Festival and eventually served as the interim Executive Director. For 8 years, Sarah was a principal member of Guardian Dance, where she toured Baltimore City Schools and universities performing pieces that centered around racial justice and equity. She taught dance to young people in Sandtown, and was a founding member of Dance Camp, a fixture of Artscape in 2017 and 2018.Sarah has worked for the House of Ruth Maryland as the Training Institute Coordinator. She  managed and led the band, the New Old Fashioned, for 7 years. For the past 5 years, she has consulted with arts organizations on preventing and responding to sexual assault. At the beginning of the pandemic, she started a weekly livestream where she supports local artists, interviews political figures, and raises money for progressive causes. The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture.Mentioned in this episodeMobtown BallroomTo find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory.Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episode★ Support this podcast ★

Enomi Worley is a high school senior . She was born in Bethesda , Maryland and she was added to the body of Christ at the age of 12. She is a student at Edgewood , Maryland and she is a member of the honors society at her school. Enomi Worley dedicates a lot of time to community service community service in Sandtown, West Baltimore with the Sandtown church of Christ . --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kayla-whitfield/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kayla-whitfield/support

Slow Listening: A Conversation With Rev. Darriel Harris   Food and Faith Podcast   Co-hosts: Anna Woofenden and Sam Chamelin   Editor: Derrick Weston  www.foodandfaithpodcast.org   Bio: Darriel Harris is the pastor of Newborn Community of Faith Church, a church dedicated to improving the lives of the historic residents of Sandtown, Upton and surrounding neighborhoods of Baltimore, MD.  Newborn Community of Faith created a 1.5-acre urban farm, which Harris once directed, to help employ residents returning from incarceration and to help improve the neighborhood’s food environment. Harris is also a PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where his research interests include health behavior change communication, food policy, and neighborhood effects on the health and well-being of residents. His work has been featured by The Atlantic magazine, Duke University’s World Food Policy Center, Huffington Post, and several others.

On this special edition of Midday, six reflections on the April 27, 2015 Uprising, and how the community at the epicenter of that unrest - Sandtown-Winchester - has fared since 25-year-old Freddie Gray died from injuries he sustained while in police custody. At the heart of the protests and the rioting that erupted after Gray's funeral: anger and frustration with a system steeped in racism, inequity and apathy; and a police force that operated with seeming impunity. We begin with a focus on how community-police relations have evolved since 2015: Tom talks with Ashiah Parker, CEO of the Sandtown-based community development group, No Boundaries Coalition, and Sean Yoes, Baltimore Editor of the Afro American Newspaper and author of the book Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories from One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities. Then, a look at the rich cultural history of Pennsylvania Avenue, which runs from Penn North, the epicenter of the 2015 unrest, down to MLK Jr. Blvd. Tom's guests are Brion Gill, executive director of the new Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District and Jim Hamlin, owner of The Avenue Bakery. Finally, Tom talks with Todd Marcus, jazz musician and executive director of the Intersection of Change, and Daria Baylis, coordinator for IOC’s Jubilee Arts training and cultural programs.

On this special edition of Midday, six reflections on the April 27, 2015 Uprising, and how the community at the epicenter of that unrest - Sandtown-Winchester - has fared since a 25-year old black man named Freddie Gray died from injuries he sustained while in police custody. At the heart of the protests and the rioting that erupted after Gray's funeral: anger and frustration with a system steeped in racism, inequity and apathy; and a police force that operated with seeming impunity... (Special Election Notice - 7th Congressional District - Click to Read) We begin with a focus on how community-police relations have evolved since 2015: Tom talks with Ashiah Parker, chief executive officer of the Sandtown-based community development group, No Boundaries Coalition. Ms. Parker is also a member of the Maryland Commission to Restore Trust in Policing, a State commission formed to examine the culture of corruption that allowed the Gun Trace Task Force criminal enterprise to thrive for years. Tom also speaks with Sean Yoes, Baltimore Editor of the Afro American Newspaper and author of the book, Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories from One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities. Then, a focus on the rich cultural and commercial history of West Baltimore’s Pennsylvania Avenue corridor, which runs from Penn North, the epicenter of the 2015 unrest, down to MLK Jr Blvd, skirting Sandtown and Uptown along the way. Tom's guests are Brion Gill, the executive director of the new Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District; and Jim Hamlin, a community native and founding proprietor of The Avenue Bakery on Pennsylvania Avenue. In the final segment, two more perspectives from an innovative community development group that’s been working for more than two decades to move Sandtown forward. Tom talks with Todd Marcus, community activist, jazz musician and executive director of the non-profit Intersection of Change, and with Daria Baylis, coordinator for IOC’s Jubilee Arts training and cultural programs, which have engaged tens of thousands of West Baltimore teens and adults over the years. Audio for this program will be posted by 2pm today.

Paul Krauss MA LPC sits down with singer-songwriter Cameron Blake to discuss songwriting in a way that humanizes the voices and stories of the times we live in. Cameron and Paul discuss the universal appeal of music in our lives and how it can open us to new experiences and perspectives if allow our hearts to truly listen. Paul discusses his experiences hearing Cameron Blake perform his new album live in 2019 and how some of the stories that were told brought up both existential and emotional reactions. Cameron shares the story of his life in music as well as his composition of his new album, which was written during a week at a silent retreat and is rich with honest and raw human stories. Cameron shares about his writing process and lyrics and what inspires his writing. Many songs are also shared. If you like music and philosophy, you will love this episode! Also Discussed: Saying things through art that you might not say from a podium, personal and collective inspiration for songwriting, feeling changed from music, writing from the perspective of a character, channeling emotions into songs, trauma, Woody Guthrie, Thomas Merton, silent retreat, not giving up your power, the recent Syrian conflict, talking about politics without polarizing people, Bob Dylan, humanizing stories and people, war, walking into the black, anesthetizing news, simple answers, complicated situations, the root of all war is fear, acceptance, Tolstoy, everyone wants to change the world but no one wants to change themselves, empathy, avoidance, reflection, Goya, learning violin, Michigan, Baltimore Maryland, folk tradition, music for the people, jazz musicians, classical musicians,——Greta Thunberg, reducing carbon emissions, the complicated issues of energy, changing perspectives, transformation, rebirth, climate change increasing global terrorism, Portugal, carpe diem, existential themes, six minutes and twenty seconds, Emma Gonzalez , Joan Baez, dissociation, little time to reflect, emotional maturity, Leonard Cohen, heavy metal, releasing a new album, using your voice, telling stories no matter where you are. Michigan-born Cameron Blake is most passionate about engaging with the parts of us that are fragile and vulnerable. This is reflected most deeply in his songs, which have touched the hearts of people all over the world. Ranging from gospel-fired, high energy roots rock to introspective folk, Cameron's music is as diverse as his personal story. He began composing and playing the violin at the age of twelve; a talent that would eventually culminate in a Master's Degree from the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. Compassion, curiosity and a fair share of burnout took him beyond the walls of the practice room and out on the street, where he regularly worked and communed with the poor. Sharing what he experienced was the starting point for a new career path as a singer-songwriter. He taught himself piano and guitar, quickly immersed himself in the Baltimore music scene and took his individual brand of chamber folk on the road. After meeting the love of his life and moving back to Michigan to raise a family, Cameron's artistry bloomed into full maturity with the release of Alone On The World Stage (2015). Recorded with nothing more than voice, guitar and occasional piano, the record garnered international acclaim for its subject matter; a heart-rending, poetic and poignant picture of the issues that face the world we live in today. His keen eye for detail and skill for getting inside of characters to reveal flesh and blood human lives continued with the release of Fear Not (2017); a lush, masterfully orchestrated album that tackles the complex subject of fear. The album has earned praise from the likes of The Huffington Post, No Depression and Paste in the US and was released throughout Europe on the Netherlands based record label Continental Song City in 2018. If you've seen him before, you know that Cameron's performances leave a lasting, emotional impact.  Whether it's performing as a front man or a soloist, in a sold-out amphitheater or an intimate club, Cameron gives himself fully to his audience.  Described as “brilliant” (Baltimore City Paper), “impressive” (Local Spins) and “beautiful” (Washington Times), Cameron's soulful baritone voice, powerful lyrics and physical presence make him one of Michigan's most original and compelling live performers. Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, EMDRIA Consultant in Training (CIT), host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, and Counseling Supervisor. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline (in progress)  as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting weekly online and in-person groups.  For details, click here.  
Original Music: ”Shades of Currency" [Instrumental] from Archetypes by PAWL (Spotify) Original Songs by Cameron Blake utilized in this episode: After Sally from Fear Not (2017) North Dakota from Alone on the World Stage (2015) Queen Bee from Fear Not (2017) How Dare You from the forthcoming album Walking Into the Black (2020) Henny Penny from the forthcoming album Walking Into the Black (2020) Wailing Wall from Fear Not (2017) Fear Not from Fear Not (2017) Sandtown from Fear Not (2017) Check out Cameron Blake on Spotify   Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association is working to increase the availability of quality mental health services statewide, increasing education, promoting best practices, and working to keep Licensed Professional Counselors and other professionals accessible by the public.  

This program is in conjunction with Undesign the Redline, exhibited at Central Library November 1, 2019-January 31, 2020.Lawrence Lanahan is the author of The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore’s Racial Divide. In his deeply reported, revelatory story, Lanahan chronicles how the Baltimore region became so highly segregated and why its fault lines persist today. Writing from the Fair Housing Act to the death of Freddie Gray and beyond, Lanahan describes epic efforts to desegregate the Baltimore region and deconcentrate poverty in West Baltimore. As Baltimoreans “cross the lines” in the book, one theme emerges repeatedly: the struggle for self-determination. During the attempted revitalization of 1990s Sandtown, for example, and during the protests following Freddie Gray’s death, neighborhood leaders in West Baltimore worked the lines trying to ensure that their communities remained in control of their own destiny.Lawrence Lanahan will speak with three Baltimoreans whose lives and work have drawn them to this struggle. Sandtown resident Antoine Bennett is the founder of Men of Valuable Action, a leadership development program in West Baltimore. From 2007 to 2012, he was the co-director of New Song Urban Ministries, which worked closely with followers of the Christian Community Development movement who moved into West Baltimore to live in solidarity with the poor.Dayvon Love is the director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, where he has worked for nearly a decade years to advance the public policy interests of Black people. As interest in West Baltimore intensified after the death of Freddie Gray, Love and other community leaders created Baltimore United for Change, a hub to connect people to grassroots activists with long histories in Baltimore communities. Love is the author of Worse Than Trump: The American Plantation and co-author with Lawrence Grandpre of The Black Book: Reflections from the Baltimore Grassroots.Audrey McFarlane is the Dean Julius Isaacson Professor of Law and associate dean of faculty research and development at the University of Baltimore School of Law. McFarlane studies the intersection of economic development with race, place, and class. Her latest article, “The Properties of Integration: Mixed Income Housing as Discrimination Management” (UCLA Law Review), looks at the impact of discriminatory preferences on the development of affordable housing. Re-opening activities are made possible in part by a generous gift from Sandra R. Berman.

This program is in conjunction with Undesign the Redline, exhibited at Central Library November 1, 2019-January 31, 2020.Lawrence Lanahan is the author of The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore’s Racial Divide. In his deeply reported, revelatory story, Lanahan chronicles how the Baltimore region became so highly segregated and why its fault lines persist today. Writing from the Fair Housing Act to the death of Freddie Gray and beyond, Lanahan describes epic efforts to desegregate the Baltimore region and deconcentrate poverty in West Baltimore. As Baltimoreans “cross the lines” in the book, one theme emerges repeatedly: the struggle for self-determination. During the attempted revitalization of 1990s Sandtown, for example, and during the protests following Freddie Gray’s death, neighborhood leaders in West Baltimore worked the lines trying to ensure that their communities remained in control of their own destiny.Lawrence Lanahan will speak with three Baltimoreans whose lives and work have drawn them to this struggle. Sandtown resident Antoine Bennett is the founder of Men of Valuable Action, a leadership development program in West Baltimore. From 2007 to 2012, he was the co-director of New Song Urban Ministries, which worked closely with followers of the Christian Community Development movement who moved into West Baltimore to live in solidarity with the poor.Dayvon Love is the director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, where he has worked for nearly a decade years to advance the public policy interests of Black people. As interest in West Baltimore intensified after the death of Freddie Gray, Love and other community leaders created Baltimore United for Change, a hub to connect people to grassroots activists with long histories in Baltimore communities. Love is the author of Worse Than Trump: The American Plantation and co-author with Lawrence Grandpre of The Black Book: Reflections from the Baltimore Grassroots.Audrey McFarlane is the Dean Julius Isaacson Professor of Law and associate dean of faculty research and development at the University of Baltimore School of Law. McFarlane studies the intersection of economic development with race, place, and class. Her latest article, “The Properties of Integration: Mixed Income Housing as Discrimination Management” (UCLA Law Review), looks at the impact of discriminatory preferences on the development of affordable housing. Re-opening activities are made possible in part by a generous gift from Sandra R. Berman.Recorded On: Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Lawrence Lanahan’s book, ----The Lines Between Us,---- introduces us to a white suburban businessman and his wife, who felt a religious call to move to Sandtown in solidarity with its disenfranchised residents … and to an inner-city African-American mother, who believed her son would have a better life if they moved to a more affluent community in Howard County.Along the way, Lanahan shows us the public policies and government programs that offer opportunities or throw up barriers. He argues that inequality was designed into the system.

Fulton County was created in 1853 from the western half of DeKalb County. It was named in honor of Hamilton Fulton, a railroad official who acted as surveyor for the Western and Atlantic Railroad and also as chief engineer of the state. In 2016, the City of South Fulton (COSF)  was chartered and includes the communities of Red Oak, Cooks Crossing, Stonewall, Tell, Fife, (part of) Campbellton, Ben Hill, Sandtown, Cliftondale, and Peters Woods (a few of which were towns founded before the American Civil War).  COSF consist of 7 Districts that immediately went to work setting up the city's Police, Fire, Parks, Planning & Zoning and Public Works departments.  The city is 90% African American and the court system is run by 8 African American women.  COSF continues to move forward with goals to forge partnerships with the community, businesses and stakeholders. Catherine Rowell, City Council, District 1 provides an update on where we stand and why the City of South Fulton is – Where You Want to Be!  www.cityofsouthfultonga.gov (Season 10, Ep 28)

The new book, The Lines Between Us, introduces us to a white suburban businessman and his wife, who felt a religious call to move to Sandtown in solidarity with its disenfranchised residents and an inner-city African-American mother, who believed her son would have a better life if they moved to a more affluent community in Howard County. Along the way, author Lawrence Lanahan shows us the public policies and government programs that offer opportunities or throw up barriers. He argues that inequality was designed into the system.

Louise Phipps Senft, Attorney Louise Phipps Senft and Associates, Baltimore Mediation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisephippssenft/ Louise Phipps Senft is an attorney, mediator, best-selling author of Being Relational: The Seven Ways to Quality Interaction and Lasting Change, and founder of Baltimore Mediation, the first mediation firm in Maryland. She has mediated over 4,000 controversial matters in the US and abroad in domestic relations, organizational and community issues. Her contributions to Baltimore City include work with the Safe Streets programs in Park Heights, Sandtown, Cherry Hill, McElderry Park, and Belair-Edison. From 1992 to 2013, she put in over 20 years of work building the Safe Haven Network with Clergy United for the renewal of East Baltimore and the Park Heights community in West Baltimore. Ms. Senft is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2018 Chief Judge Robert M. Bell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Alternative Dispute Resolution in Maryland, voted “Baltimore’s Best” Mediator by Baltimore Magazine 2002, and named one of “Maryland’s Top 100 Women” for the years 2004, 2007 and 2009 by The Daily Record. She is a change agent leading from the heart, followed by the intellect. Her riveting keynote speeches inspire interpersonal and leadership shifts, drawing upon other awareness and somatic self-awareness for conflict transformation.  In this episode, we discuss: Building a business without ever losing site of the satisfaction of family and 5 children The power of a supportive family setting a vision for success Creating new ways of approaching things without set rules The importance of gratitude in our daily lives Facing tough challenges by reaching out for resources and support Creating an “energy field of healing” through gratitude and devotion The power of community, “the bedrock of who we are” Engaging people for their strengths and skill sets, and asking for what you need The importance of knowing yourself… strengths, weaknesses, fears, personal reactivity. The value of having a good grounding in conflict transformation and relational conflict theory.

This week, you’re the producer, as breaking news and transportation reporter Colin Campbell shares four You Ask, We Answer stories inspired by Sun readers’ curiosity. Come underground, underwater, to the back of the restaurant, and back in time as we reveal lesser-known facts about Federal Hill Park, the Inner Harbor, carryout staple Lake Trout and two Baltimore neighborhoods.Related links:What do you wonder about the Baltimore area that you'd like us to investigate?https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-you-ask-we-answer-20190228-htmlstory.html'Secret' tunnels are hidden under Baltimore's Federal Hill. Where did they come from and what lies inside?https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-md-ci-federal-hill-tunnels-20190514-story.htmlYou asked: What's really in Baltimore's Inner Harbor? Here's what we found.https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-md-ci-what-is-in-inner-harbor-20190404-story.htmlYou asked: What is lake trout? The story behind the Baltimore delicacy with a misleading name.https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-fo-lake-trout-20190417-story.htmlYou asked: How do Baltimore neighborhoods get their names? The origin behind Pigtown, Sandtown and more.https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-md-baltimore-neighborhood-origins-20190425-story.html

Can you make sustainable changes in community or neighborhood health without tackling the issue of food and diet? Why is such work so difficult? What is the role of churches and other faith organizations? Our next guest on The Leading Voices in Food is Reverend Darriel Harris and he works on this problem in a variety of ways. About Darriel Harris Darriel Harris is on the cusp of earning his doctorate at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the Department of Health, behavior and society, and he has a deep history of engagement with education. He holds a bachelor in electrical engineering from Oregon State, an MBA in organizational management from George Washington University, a graduate certificate in financial management from the University of Maryland, and a master's degree of divinity at Duke University. He looks at issues from a broad range of perspectives. Right now, he is focused on faith-based health communications, neighborhood-related health factors, social determinants of health and community based participatory research. He previously worked as a missionary in South Sudan, is also a pastor at a church in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a founding member of the Black Church Food Security Network. Interview Summary A lot of our listeners might not be familiar with terms like faith-based health communications or social determinants of health. Can you explain? Okay. So those two things are very different. Faith-based health communication means that you're trying to do some type of health behavior change, or some type of health education, so that people can become aware of an issue. And you do that in a religious institution. Usually we call that faith-based. It's done in good ways and in bad ways. Usually when you just use the institution as the gathering place we call that faith-placed. When you institute some aspect of the religion into the messaging itself, then we call that really faith-based--because faith is playing a role and not just as a node where people gather. Let's hone in on that before we get to the social determinants of health because there's some great stuff right there. So you said some people do it well, some people do not so well. Could you give an example from your work and one you've seen that you feel is not executed as well? Sure. So I'm a critic. I'm a critic of the status quo. Essentially the status quo is that some scientists, well meaning, some medical doctor or a public health professional, wants to convey some sort of health messaging to an audience. And so therefore they go to churches or religious bodies because these are natural gathering spaces. But usually once they get there, the language that they use--it's really scientific language which is probably not most appropriate in that setting. Within a religious setting, there's a religious language that is used most often within those religious settings. The surrounding environment puts you in a certain mindset and that community has a language. We need to really, really start honing in on language. Anytime you do education that's meaningful and that's not oppressive, it does require some type of dialogue so people are on equal footing. And the way that science has engaged with faith-based institutions historically has been that they come to the faith based institution and they speak science. They lead with science. And then they leave and they are expecting people within the organization to adjust and to embrace their messaging. So I'm a critic of that. I think that there has to be more of an equal footing. And what I'm proposing is more or less a dialogue where the faith institution and the scientific institution are equal partners on equal footing. So instead of the scientists coming into the body and speaking scientific language, the scientist is going to the faith body and saying, faith body, teach me how to speak in your way. And then someone who's educated and trained to articulate the faith language within that body is going to work with the scientist to come up with the proper messaging. Could you give us an example of how you've been able to do that? So I got this idea while I was working with Professors Ellen Davis from the Duke Divinity School and Peter Morris. They sent me to South Sudan when I graduated from Divinity school. Ellen Davis is like the premier Old Testament scholar living today. Dr. Peter Morris is used to be a student of Ellen Davis. He was the leading health professional for Wake County and now he runs a nonprofit in Raleigh. Ellen Davis has been working in South Sudan for years. She invited Peter Morris to come join her. Peter Morris decided to do that and they've been going to South Sudan year after year after year. I come along and they invited me to join them as well. I went but they pushed this agenda that said go to South Sudan and try to teach people about health. And when I went to South Sudan everyone wants to hear about the Bible. They didn't care about health. I mean, it's not that they didn't care about it, but that wasn't what they were most interested in. So I was there trying to teach them about health and they wanted to hear about the Bible. Professor Ellen Davis with her biblical interpretation kind of lens and mindset--she was really pushing for kind of like a merging of the two. So I did that. And I talked to people about malaria and washing hands with soap through biblical messages. So if we apply that to the American context and we're saying, okay, if I'm a scientist the way it's done now, the worst scenario would be the scientist comes into the church and says people need to eat more fruits and vegetables. If you eat more fruits and vegetables, you'll be healthier. Which is a common message because every doctor says it to most patients every time they go in there. If the scientist is somewhat savvy and is trying to be sensitive to the religious audience that they're working with, maybe they'll give their science-based message and they'll quote, you know, people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a tendency to live longer. They're less likely to get this disease and that disease. But then they'll, they'll marry that with a verse and they'll say the body is a temple of God. Or they'll sing a spiritual him at the end of it. But it's kind of tacked on, it's like an addendum really. So what I'm proposing is to this: if you want to go into that faith institution and you want to teach people about fruits and vegetables, then open up Genesis and talk about how when God created the world. God created vegetation and when God created human beings, male and female, God created them and tells them that fruits and vegetables are to be your meat or the primary ingredient upon what you eat. And so then you can marry in some science. Say, okay, people who do this are live longer, they have healthier lives. But it's a theological basis for the behavior and not simply a scientific basis for the behavior. Has your experience been more successful? And also maybe riffing off your experience in south Sudan? So that's the test, right? My dissertation is to test the effectiveness of those three modes. Those are the three elements of my dissertation: science only, science only with some type of religious reference tacked onto it, which is the status quo, or what I am proposing, which is a true merging. So results pending, results pending. (laughs) But I can say anecdotally in South Sudan, I will go into villages and I would teach these messages to people about mosquito nets and I would talk about how Mary wrapped little baby Jesus in swaddling cloth. And what was the reason that she did that? That this is protective. The reason that she did that is protective. And then we would say if Mary was in South Sudan where the mosquitoes were killing everyone, would she allow her to son to be bitten by mosquitoes? She would put some type of protective cover over the child and people would say oh, Mary would cover the child. Mary will cover the child. And so this is how we would teach 10 health lessons. Somebody would go teach the lessons and the people would say, we've never heard this before. Now I would go into the health clinic and I would see on the wall chart stuff, mosquito vectors, etc. People are constantly talking about malaria and where malaria comes from. But when we taught it, they say, we've never heard this before. Anecdotally, we sent another student after I was there for a year and a half after I came back. Another student went there for a few weeks and he went around and counted the pit latrines in some villages that were there. They had zero pit latrines when I was there. When he came there, there was 100 pit latrines in some of these villages. So just learning about the science was not enough to leverage behavior change? It's not enough. It's not enough. And behavior change is really, really hard. It's a hard thing to get someone to change their behavior because changing their opinion is hard. Right? Which is why we see that in the political sphere. But, it's also in our day-to-day interactions. And so you need every bit of leverage you can get. The biggest thing that they'll do differently is that they'll listen. So when when you present it as a faith argument, faith presentation, at the least, they're open. They're open to it a little longer before they shut their minds off. So it's not a panacea in such that if I come and I preached this message, then everyone's going to follow exactly what I suggest, right? It doesn't quite work like that. But what we're trying to do is what essentially what we learn in seminary. We talk about preaching being something that affects the hearing. And so that's what we're trying to do in speech in general. And so I'm using theology, using the biblical language, using something that somebody already cares about. It allows him to listen and consider it a little longer. And most likely if you're using some type of a biblical reference, then there's something that's going to come up again with even without effort. We know food culture is a very strong pull that's been there for years, but this is another kind of cultural power that could come to be leveraged. So we also talked about this a little while ago, but social determinants of health. I want to come back to that and talk about neighborhood-related health factors, social determinants of health. What are these terms and how does it fit into your work? Social determinants of health means what things are happening around the individual or group of individuals that leads them to exercise their behavior that they practice. So, in my Baltimore context, we have a thing called food deserts, or healthy food prioritization areas, or the newest term is food apartheid. And the reason why that term is has come to fore is because food availability largely falls along racial lines. And in the environments where healthy food is not available you can't expect people to make wise decisions around their food when the only thing that they see is bad food. It becomes normal. So when we talk about people eating better, the social determinant of health is what's available to them. What's the norm within that community? What are the barriers that they have to go through? And how hard is it to buy or purchase, eat healthy food if they want it to. How does your involvement with the Black Church Food Security Network address those things? That's one piece of a larger portfolio of your work, but we would love to hear more about that network and what it's trying to do. So the Black Church Food Security Network is trying to do several things. Baltimore has so many problems, it's really hard to specialize on any one. And so the network is trying to address the food problem. And we use black churches because black churches are in abundance everywhere healthy food is lacking--where healthy food is lacking, there's an abundance of black churches. The goal is to work with the black churches, partner with the black churches, so that they can be vehicles of change, right? We partnered with churches, qe planted gardens in several churches around Baltimore. We have market days, so it kinda like a farmer's market, but it's happening at the natural meeting times of the congregations. We started off with ARK Church in Baltimore city. They had a Wednesday Bible study--midday Bible study. So we started off selling fresh produce at midday Bible study. And then now we've moved on to Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, which is pastored by Reverend Dr. Heber Brown. He's a great, great friend. And he's kinda like the lead of the Black Church Food Security Network. So now at his church on Sundays there's a farmer's market that is set up at the church. So people come to worship service like they always have. And then after worship service, the market is set up and those who desire--and everyone is encouraged to participate--but those who desire can come in and purchase food that's available. You've got a lot of different pieces of work. So what solution or opportunity are you most excited about right now? I's hard to say. I'm excited. So we now have a farm. It's called Strength to Love 2 Farm in my church. My church started the farm before I was ever involved in it. But now it's there. We're trying to figure out how to mature it and see grow to its fullest potential. That farm is in the middle of a neighborhood called Sandtown. Sandtown was the neighborhood where Freddie Gray was from. He is the young man who died in police custody a few years ago. And in response to his death, there was what we like to call the uprising where CVS was burned and there was violence between police officers and high school children. The National Guard was called in. Children were called thugs by the Mayor, by the president. It was a good time in the city because people were awakening to the issues, but it was a very rough time in the city because there was a lot of destruction. Things happened not the way that we wanted them to happen and the city was characterized in the way that was not honest. And that is the ground work for this place-based intervention? Sorry, yes. So you're asking about what makes me excited? And so the farm is right in the middle of that neighborhood. It's 1.5 acres. We're growing food there. We're employing returning citizens, coming home from incarceration, returning home from incarceration. We're selling a large amount of that produce to high end farmer's markets because we're trying to create employment. But then a portion of that food is also going within the neighborhood. So we're solving problems. We sell a portion of that food through the Black Church Food Security Network and we sell some of that food at the farmer's market on Sundays. And it becomes also an educational space. People from all over the city come into one of the areas of the city that frankly is despised. It's a despised area by many people. Most people are afraid to come in there. They don't want anything to do with it. But people will come to learn about the farm and the see the farm to witness it. And so it gives everyone who works there a sense of pride, which is great. Which is one of our huge issues that people here are lacking dignity. And so, any type of positive attention helps build that up. There's a lot of layers to that project, the dignity, the inclusive economic growth, the food security elements, education. I can see why you're excited about that one. It's a lot of layers. So if you wanted to talk about like what social determinant is most impacting why we have some of these food issues? And I would say it's the clustering of poverty. And so whenever we're envisioning putting low income housing or federal housing someplace, they're envisioning putting it in a place that is already highly stressed. Which doesn't make any sense, right? So Heber really liked to say, oh, it's a food desert. But it's not just the food deserts it's an employment desert, all these other things. It's really a life desert. And so people in some of these neighborhoods are dying 20 years younger than the affluent neighborhoods within the same city. We're talking like two miles away. People living there with a 20-year life expectancy difference. So why did that neighborhood get that way? Why did they put all the people who are enduring the most stress in life all in one place? Even with all these different programs, even the farm, it is not enough to overcome all the issues that are associated with it. And so I believe the real issue is to disperse poverty.   Produced by Deborah Hill, Duke World Food Policy Center

R. Kelly’s CBS interview, Leaving Neverland, the Sandtown middle school incident and more! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ifyourelistening/support

Today, Tom speaks with Dr. Richard Antoine White, a tubist with the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque. White is originally from Sandtown-Winchester, a neighborhood in West Baltimore. As a young child, he experienced homelessness and poverty. Despite this, he graduated from Baltimore School for the Arts and Peabody Institute. Now, in addition to the Philharmonic, he is a tenured Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of New Mexico and the associate director of the university’s marching band. White is also the first African American to earn a doctorate of music in tuba studies.White's extraordinary journey from the streets of Sandtown to his status as an accomplished symphonic musician and professor is told in a new documentary called “R.A.W. Tuba: From Sandtown to Symphony.---- The documentary is made by Baltimore filmmakers Darren Durlach and David Larson and produced by Early Light Media. You can watch a trailer for the film here.

Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7th) and Baltimore activist Dominique Stevenson discuss activism, political involvement and why leaders should consider running for office. Then Stevenson takes us on to a community farming project in Baltimore's Sandtown (Freddie Gray's neighborhood).  Music featured: “Bruthas” by Paris Cesvette featuring Brutha Basil from her album “Celestial (My Journey Among Stars)” released on Groove Odyssey. Support theLFShow

Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7th) and Baltimore activist Dominique Stevenson discuss activism, political involvement and why leaders should consider running for office. Then Stevenson takes us on to a community farming project in Baltimore's Sandtown (Freddie Gray's neighborhood).  Music featured: “Bruthas” by Paris Cesvette featuring Brutha Basil from her album “Celestial (My Journey Among Stars)” released on Groove Odyssey. Support theLFShow  

Todd Marcus is an acclaimed bass clarinetist, composer and arranger. He’s also a community activist who has lived and worked in the Sandtown- Winchester neighborhood of West Baltimore for more than 20 years.He’s about to release a new CD, inspired by that historic neighborhood, called On These Streets: A Baltimore Story and recorded with a quintet of some of the area’s finest players. The disc includes compositions that portray the strengths and challenges of Sandtown-Winchester, and its release coincides with the anniversary of the violence and uprising that followed the funeral of Freddie Gray, three years ago Saturday. Todd and his band will be performing a free concert this Fri., Apr. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Harris-Marcus Center on Pennsylvania Ave. in Sandtown. It’s part of an exhibition by Jubilee Arts marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the unrest that followed in Baltimore. On May 20, the Quintet will perform another free concert as part of the Community Concerts at Second series. You can also catch them on June 16 at Center Stage.

Fresh produce can be hard to come by in the city’s Sandtown neighborhood. That’s why chef Ausar Daniels has created a farm - to grow fruits and vegetables for the community and educate kids about plant science. He tells us about his plans to expand ----The Greater Mondawmin Empowerment Project---- into a food co-op and biocellar.

March 16, 2017 / Addendum host D.Watkins is joined by Undisclosed: The Killing of Freddie Gray host, Amelia McDonell-Parry, as well as guest panelist Harold Perry. Episode scoring music by Patrick Cortes, Ramiro Marquez, Blue Dot Sessions, and FMG Dez. #undisclosed #freddiegray #justiceforfreddie #udaddendum Support the show.

First things first.  It's not a secret. We need positive male role models in our homes and in our communities.  The Panel of Men and callers explain the importance of Men in our communities and how we need to support them.  Special Guest Men of Sandtown Community.  

Living in Chains As I was thinking about Isaiah 58, thinking about this sermon, I'm going to be preaching two sermons on this chapter. There's just too much for me to be able to deal with here. But, I meditated and it became clear and clear as there's a phrase "the chains of injustice" and I thought about chains or bonds, or yokes of oppression, and it occurred to me we live in a world of invisible chains. For many, many months we had the privilege of studying in the Book of Ephesians, and how in Ephesians 2, we're told of a dark Satanic kingdom in which we all once lived. And we were held in the bondage, in the invisible chains of sin, and we couldn't see them. Satan has cleverly crafted a vast network of invisible chains that are effective in accomplishing his evil desires. Chains of injustice yokes of oppression, prisons of sin that we cannot see with the natural eye. They have to be spiritually discerned, we have to be able to see through what we can see with our eyes to see the injustice to see the chains, and to see them rightly the way God does. Now The gospel of Jesus Christ shines heavenly light into that, enables us to see with ever-increasing clarity, the more we grow in Christ, these chains. It enables us ourselves through faith in Christ, to rise up out of a prison of sin, rise up out of chains and walk in newness of life, and then we can be filled with joy and we can have purpose, in our lives. But you know, for all of that, I still feel strong chains satanic chains on my heart. Do you not feel it on yours? When we are called on in Verse 10 of this chapter, to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor or needy. I feel a reluctance, in my flesh to do that. I feel it all the time. I feel the same thing when I try to share the Gospel, I feel something holding me back. I want to share my faith. I want to be bold, I want to care about the lost around me, but I hold back, something's holding me back. I must feel there's some kind of invisible bondage or chain around my heart that's keeping me from living the kind of righteous life that God wants me to live. And so this text challenges me, friends, it gets in my grill, it bothers me. The phrase, "Spend yourself on behalf of the needy" bothers me, it challenges me because I know I'm not really doing it, not like I should. In the summer of 1986, I was on my first mission trip and I've told this story before, it has never left me of how for the first time, I saw poverty in another country. And poverty in America, is different than poverty in other countries. It's just not anywhere near as severe. And so now I've seen many, many such scenes but this was my first time. I was riding in an air-conditioned van through the streets of Mombasa, 15 passenger van with other members of my mission team and we were just driving around there and I couldn't believe the scenes that I was seeing. I couldn't believe the degradation of the homes. I couldn't believe the poverty. And Kenya is not really an incredibly poor African nation, but compared to us, it was just, there was just poverty, there. And we were just moving through in a bubble of air conditioned comfort and luxury. And just moving through and just like Julie was sharing her testimony a few minutes ago, I felt like, yeah, I mean there's this comfortable bubble around me, like she was talking about her sheets and all that. Well, that was the air condition van and how the principle of the Gospel, the incarnation principle, is to get out of the van and go be with the suffering people. I feel that there's something inside me that holds me back from doing that. It's a love of self, it's a love of fleshly comfort and ease that keeps me from living an openly righteous life. I think the only remedy must be the ministry of the Word of God, the Power of the Spirit in my life, for me to see the standard and say, "I'm not living up to this, I'm not living the kind of life that I want to live I'm not spending myself, on behalf of the poor and needy. I don't feel like our church is doing everything we could do in this community to do the same." And so what I really want is for you to have an encounter with God through the text here, this timeless text. So that we would understand mercy ministry. We'd understand the kind of life God's calling us to live and that we might be more righteous in His sight. But we have to understand it in the context of the Gospel that God's given us here, in the context of true religion, in the context of justification by faith alone, apart from religiosity. We're not going to be saved by our good works, we're not going to be saved by our ministry to the poor, or needy, that is false doctrine. We are saved by simple faith in Jesus Christ. I. Exposing Hypocrisy and Oppression (vs. 1-5) And so, right away, the prophet Isiah is calling to the people of Israel, because God is commanding him to do so, to expose their religious hypocrisy, and their wickedness, to expose how religious they are, and how displeasing the whole machine is to him. Look at verse 1 and following, it says there, "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them." So Isaiah here is exposing their hypocrisy, their religiosity here, the wickedness of the Jewish religionists of his day. He's commanding Isaiah to shout aloud and not hold back, to declare to Israel, their sins. He wants them declared and exposed the ministry of the Word of God. That's all. This is what you're doing. I want to speak these words to you. He's saying this to them. Now they were outwardly, obeying the laws of Moses, they were outwardly keeping the laws of religion. But they were actually rebelling against Him at the same time. Now I'm going to talk more about this next week, I'm going to just move ahead in the message. But in Isaiah 29 Verse 13, He says this, "These people come near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they worship me in vain. Their teachings are just rules taught by men." So their worship, their religion was not pleasing to God. Now, the NIV, I think does a better job than the other translations of giving a sense of how wrong this whole thing is by adding words like, "They seem eager to know my way, they seem like they want me to come." I think actually it's appropriate. That's the feeling here. And yes, it's more like they actually are righteous, they are coming, they are etcetera. But I don't think that's actually what's going on because later in the chapter, He's very negative toward them. So there seems to be a discrepancy between their religion and how they're living and then what's really going on in their hearts. Verse 2 and 3, "For day after day, they seek me out. They seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation, as if they were a nation, that does what is right, and is not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 'Why have we fasted?' they say, 'and you have not seen it?' Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?'" So they're going through this religious sham, really. This outward machine, they're just in a ritual, a pattern of animal sacrifice, coming to the temple, doing all these things, the Jewish religion of the old covenant, that's what they were doing. But it was just a sham, it was hypocrisy. They'd actually forsaken the commands of their God. Look at Verse 3-5, they're actually fasting, while sinning or sinning while fasting. I don't know which. But both were going on. "'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?" Well first notice their attitude, "Why have we fasted Oh God and you have not seen it? Why have we done this religion and you've not noticed?" They seem to think that depriving themselves of a little nourishment for 12 hours or something like that, puts God in some kind of debtor's position in reference to them, as if He owed them something. Clearly they have forgotten the exalted Holiness of God that their forefather, Abraham, clearly had in mind as he was interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah, remember that? In Genesis 18, and he approached and he said, "Oh, would you please just hear me though I am dust and ashes." There's that broken humility or even just the previous chapter, Isaiah 57:15 that we looked at last week in depth. God is Not a Vending Machine Isaiah 57:15, "This is what the high and lofty one says, He who lives forever and whose name is Holy, 'I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is humble and contrite in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite.'" So, they've forgotten all that. That's not how they're coming, they're actually coming somewhat angry at God, they're uppity toward God, they feel like there's some injustice Heaven to Earth here. Also how did they know that God hadn't heard. They said, "Why have we fasted and you've not heard, why have we prayed, you've not answered." So there must be some specific measurable thing they were looking for. I don't know what this could be, but they just know that God's not heard, He has not answered them. So, I imagine in the old covenant era, there probably was some agricultural issue there. There probably was a drought leading to a famine of some sort. God said He would do this kind of thing. Maybe there was some kind of locust infestation or some other thing was going on, but there was something that was causing them trouble and making them come and fast and pray. But the problem had not been solved There was no rain, I think they figured 12 hours of fasting, check. Now, the rain should come, right? As though God is some kind of vending machine. Have you ever done that? Have you ever put coins in a vending machine and not got what you are looking for? I know you, it has happened right here, in this building, and I feel right down there. I feel a sense of injustice. I have put 50 cents in the machine and I should get my Coke out or Diet Coke, that's what I should get, but it has not happened now. There's injustice. I'm owed something here. I get that same feeling here. Do you not get that? This sense, I have put in the time now, on my religion stuff. There should be something coming back, that I could measure. I should know that you heard me. But can I tell you the God of Isaiah 57:15, the God who is high and lofty, whose name is holy, the God who inhabits eternity, will never be any man or woman's debtor ever. He will never owe you anything, never. Romans 11:35, "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him. For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To Him be the glory forever!" God's never going to owe you anything, ever. And actually God [chuckle] somewhat minimizes their piety her, do you see it? It's like kind of low level, it's like below average. Look at Verse 5, "Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?" Now, if we have sinned, we have done something that violates God's holy law, and God is disciplining us by sending us the equivalent of a drought, and a famine. He does not owe it to us to remove the drought and famine. He's never going to as anything, no matter what we do with fasting and prayer, He'll never be in our debt ever. It's just mercy, and grace. But actually even worse these people are actually adding sin upon sin in their religion. Look what He said about what their days of fasting and prayer were like. "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please, and exploit all your workers, your fasting ends and quarreling and strife and striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high." So these are issues of social injustice. That's what's going on. God is clearly judging people of power and influence, people who have workers who are serving them. But there are also issues of just pe­rsonal godliness person-to-person. They would get a little hungry I think, and get irritable. I really think that's literally what's happening here. They would fast for a while, they would get irritable and they would start having fights, with each other and it might actually end up in a brawl. Like, "If I can just tell you", says the Lord, "this is not acceptable to me, this is not a fast, this is not piety, it's not godliness, you're actually beating each other up. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high." Now, let me just bring it right here to us 21st century American Evangelical church. This is a clear and present danger for us as well. Every generation is tempted to trust in their own religiosity, their own acts of righteousness to put God in some kind of debtor's position that He should do what you think He should do. Everyone's tempted in that way. We Baptists, we think that because we've been baptized, we've joined a church, we attend pretty faithfully or even just occasionally, but we do attend, that God should be happy to have us. He's lucky to have me. I don't think we'd ever a voice it like that, but it feels that way. Oh, we think that because we bow in prayer for grace before a meal, or we even have a daily quiet time, or because we read through the Bible in a year, or memorize Scripture, or do some other acts of piety, that we have the same kind of attitude. We also might make a few sacrifices in our lives, we might give some money, might write a cheque to something, and we expect God instantly, to answer our prayers. And then we actually like me and the vending machine, I didn't get too angry, but I was irritated. Alright? But there's an irritation toward God. I have prayed and you've not answered my prayer. Beware, beware of this kind of trust in religion, beware of trusting in your habits and patterns and religious machinery, in your church attendance, and putting up with sermons once a week and sacrificing sleeping in on Sunday mornings. Remember the lesson of the Gospel. We have been trained in the Gospel. In the Book of Galatians, we are told that we are justified by faith in Christ Jesus alone, because by the works of the law shall no one be justified. We are not made right with God by our good works, we are made right, we sinners, we broken, unjust, wicked sinners, we are made right with God, simply by faith, in Jesus. Possibly you've come into this church building this morning looking for answers maybe after the election, may be a friend invited you, but you know you're outside of Christ, you're not claiming to be a Christian, you just here today. Can I just tell you the good news, of the gospel is that all of your sins can be forgiven by simple act of faith on your part, turning away from wickedness and sin, saying "I'm a sinner, I know I deserve condemnation, but Jesus died for me, He died on the cross for me, and He rose from the dead, that I might live a new life, I want Jesus." If you can say that to Him in your heart, trusting in Him, alone, then you will be forgiven, all of your sins will be wiped away. You need to know that before we get into the social justice issue that I'm about to talk about, because there's such a temptation for Americans, for people all over the world to feel good because they care for the poor and needy. You can't use your service to the poor and needy to pay for your sins, only by the Gospel. II. The True “Fast”: Generous Justice (vs. 6-12) Now I'm going to talk more about going through the motions in religion next week, but let's just dive in out at 6-12, Verses 6-12. What is the true fast? What is the true religion? God's calling on us to do? Look at Verses 6 and 7, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer, with shelter, when you see the naked to clothe them and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" God is redefining religion here. He's causing them to turn away from their own selfishness to minister to their neighbors to the hurting among their communities in the name of their relationship with God, that's what He's calling that's true fasting, according to me. And He calls it a fast I think because they are learning to deny themselves. The reason I didn't want to get out of the air conditioned van is, because I didn't want to. The reason I don't want to care more for the poor and needy, is because it's costly to me. It affects my lifestyle. So the fast God's calling on us affluent people to make is to deny levels of comfort so we can care for others. That's the fast He's calling on us. It's an energetic thing, it's not bowing your head like a reed and lying on a mat, it's actually very energetic, it's bold and energetic and filled with activity, but it's a fast. And God says He's actually chosen this kind of fast to honor Him. He begins in verse 6 by talking about breaking the chains of oppression, to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke. Societal injustice is, as I said at the beginning of the message, difficult to discern. Like the old statement, "Does a fish know it's wet?" Do we unjust people know when we're being unjust? It's hard to know. So, we need to be able to get out of ourselves and say, "I accept the basic premise that I am a sinner, depraved, only saved by grace. Alright, show me my injustice, show me the ways." And not just me, but the ways other citizens here, people in this community are being unjust to their neighbors. Show it to me. Now, these hidden chains slip around people and they guarantee poverty. They guarantee a difficult life. Laborers are working and they're not receiving wages like they should, they're downtrodden, but they can't get a fair hearing from the judge, because the judge won't even entertain their case. Isaiah 1:23, "Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves. They all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless, the widow's case doesn't even come before them." So, how is there social injustice in our day? Now, I have thought about this more and more over the last year or two. I preach sermons on racism, I've talked about issues that are really heavy on my heart. I thought about what kinds of institutional injustices are there right here in Durham? Show them to me. What's going on in my heart? How can we get involved in cycles of poverty and ignorance and sin, and see the truth of the gospel break all that apart? To see chains broken apart, to actually see that happen. That's what I want to see happen here in Durham, because we're here. I want the community to be different because first, Durham is a church here, in the name of Jesus. It's what I want to see happen. So I think about the police issues, been thinking about it and it's still on my mind. But I was at Logan Airport about a month ago, and there's an African-American young man there, had a hat on. He's a cool-looking guy and he was humming Jazz music as we're standing there in line, I was like, "I want to talk to this guy." I love sharing the gospel in airplanes and airports. I just love doing it because they're a captive audience, they need to stay near their gate and then when they're sitting next to me, that's even more true. That is so cool. This young guy, he was from New Orleans, turned out he was a believer. He comes from a Baptist background, his parents are involved in church leadership. But he's a jazz pianist. So I was talking about the police issues, the Colin Kaepernick, NFL thing, different things. He said, "Yeah, it bothers me." He said, "But you know what bothers me too, I grew up in the streets in New Orleans. It bothers me to see a black dude kill another black dude 'cause he stepped on his shoes." So I'm just telling you friends, there is injustice everywhere. It's in our hearts. There's no one group that's free from it, so that if that group were in charge, there would be no more injustice. We are all sons and daughters of Adam, and we need to be delivered. I think the greatest injustice in our country right now, I've said it before, I'll say it again, is abortion. I think it's wrong for the strong to not protect the weak. But before that, I think it's wrong for a young man to impregnate a woman and then walk away from his responsibilities, leaving her a very young single mother to fend for herself and her child in a low-paying job, just about guaranteeing a lifetime of poverty. I think that's wrong too. I feel like we could shed some light in that, the light of the gospel. I think we could get some young men early and teach them what it means to honor a woman, and what sexual purity looks like, and what the gospel calls on us to do, and what it looks like to be a husband and a father. And just the church can be the light of the gospel right here in this community. I've got friends that are planting a church in a very underprivileged hard area of Washington DC, and they've partnered with the government school right near their church to try to help it, and it's just a tragic scene. In the last 22 years, that government school has had 24 principals. Just think about that. Nobody wants that job. And the committee, the government committee there, they allot extra money to attract teachers to the school with promises that they'll pay your school loans as a teacher so that you'll even come and work there. They can't hold on to any good teachers. What would it be like to grow up as a child in that community and be educated at that school? What's that like? So that church wants to make a difference in that school and find a way to bring the light of the gospel there. For me, perhaps a leading evangelical thinker on issues of social justice is Tim Keller. He's written a book called Generous Justice. It's available out here in the North Tower Resource Center, you can order it. It's very helpful, very practical. I was thinking about the issue of justice, and I realized it wasn't helpful for me thinking about justice to think first and foremost vertically toward God. That would be a sinner saying to God, "I only want justice from you, give me what I truly deserve." Friends, none of us wants that, you know what I mean? We deserve hell. We deserve condemnation. That's not what the prophets mean by justice, I think. Horizontally we're not in a position of mediating or ministering hell to other people. I really think the best way to look at justice the way that the prophets meant is the second great command, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Whatever God means for you to do in any certain situation you are to do, that is the justice you owe to your neighbor there. But it's even more significant if you are in a position of authority and power and you're dealing with people who are vulnerable, people who need protection. So horizontally, justice for me, doing justice means to care for others, to love them as I love myself, but especially to protect and provide for those most vulnerable in society. There's four people that are mentioned again and again in the Old Testament prophets as vulnerable in society, they are widows, orphans, the aliens, and the poor; those four are the most vulnerable and they need therefore to be protected. So what that means is, for us we have to use whatever power we have, whatever influence we have, whatever positions we have in this community to protect those that are vulnerable, that's what we're called on to do. Those that don't have a voice. Now none of us finds this easy. These issues are complex. I don't know always what it means to loose the chains of injustice. I want to start with this. In 2013 I preached at the Cross Conference and we had a conference slogan that we, we Christians, care about all suffering, but especially eternal suffering. What would it profit someone if they should gain the whole world and lose their soul? So we want to be sure that we're going to break the chains of sin and eternal condemnation through a proclamation of the gospel. But what I believe is that the two are not in contradiction with each other, they actually are in great harmony. As we step out and spend ourselves on behalf of the poor and needy, we're going to find more and more opportunities to share the gospel. More and more opportunities to talk to people about what we really love, what we're living for, why we're doing this. To show generous justice in a lavish sort of way. Tim Keller gives a lot of examples in his book and I'll just pick a couple, one is a woman named Heather who's a highly-educated lawyer who gave up a lucrative position in a corporate law firm to become an assistant DA in New York where so many of the criminals she prosecutes have been exploiting the poor, particularly poor women, so she's able to use her legal acumen to come in there and break that chain of injustice legally. But she did it at sacrifice, she spent herself on behalf of the poor to do that, she could make a lot more money in a corporate law firm. Or another example Keller gives is of a young man he knew in seminary named Mark Gornik who moved with his wife years ago to Sandtown, one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. For decades white people had been fleeing Sandtown, living at other places, he was the first to move back long before there was any gentrification or any appeal, it was just a dangerous place to live. Keller said this about Mark Gornik, Mark Gornik said, he said, "The police all thought I was a drug dealer and the drug dealers all thought I was a police officer. So for a long time I didn't know who was going to shoot me." But now, partnering with other church leaders and other people in the community they planted a church and they have a flourishing ministry with all kinds of creative ways of addressing the needs of the community in the name of Jesus. So Heather and Mark and others like them are willing to spend themselves on behalf of the needy. They lay it out for generous justice, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless. Look at verse 7, "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter? When you see the naked to clothe them and," listen to this, "not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." That turning away, that's the enemy, that's what's going on. Remember the story of the good Samaritan and the road to Jericho and you got the priest and the Levite, we know they're the bad guys in the story. But they cross on the other side, they don't want to get involved, they don't want to look at it, they don't want to get close to this bleeding guy by the side of the road, the priest and the Levite, they're very religious, but they're just on the other side of the road. That's the turning away. Now the true sacrifice, as I've been saying, is verse 10, look at it again. It says, "If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like noonday." This is the real challenge, isn't it? It's easy to write a check, it's easy to do little things. This text is calling on you to be all-in, to invest yourself in some pattern of ministry. I don't know what it is, because everybody's called in different directions, you're going to be called in different directions than somebody's sitting right next to you in the pew. But you have to do something. There has to be some pattern of sacrifice going on in your life or you're disobeying the spirit of the text. So, I think spend yourself on behalf of the poor looks exactly like Matthew 16:24 and 25, Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must," What? "deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will find it for eternity." I think that's what it means to spend yourself. Like, lose yourself to find yourself. Now I think this becomes much more practical, much easier, if you start to get to know people on the fringe personally. If you actually draw close, get out of the air-conditioned van, draw close, there's this gap between us and the poor that affluence has set up. For us to cross that gap and actually make friends and make connections with people who are struggling. John Wesley did this, he went to a debtors' prison. And we don't have them now but there was a debtors' prison, and back in England in those days if you owed X amount, you're thrown in prison until you should repay the debt. Well, do you not see a practical problem there? I mean, they didn't have work release programs for which you got paid a salary back then, you were just in there. So there was no answer there. You might owe a couple of copper coins that were jangling in John Wesley's pocket as he walked in there. That idea hit him, "Wait a minute, I could set you free right now with this money I have in my pocket." Once that thought hit him he said, "I never looked on money the same way again the rest of my life." Because he got close to somebody who was hurting. He looked them in the eyes. William Ruffner, Pastor of Seventh Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, 1853, wrote these words: "To cast a contribution into the box brought to the hand or to attend committee meetings are very trifling exercises of Christian self-denial and devotion. Compared with what is demanded in long, weary walks through the street, the contact with filth and often with rude and repulsive people, the facing of disease and distress, and all manner of heart-rending and heart-frightening scenes. And all the trials of faith, patience and hope, which are incident to the duty we are urging." In other words, he didn't mean this, but get out of the air-conditioned van and go walk the streets. Get to know people and you will be more generous. I think that's what Keller is saying, I think that's what the text is saying, spend yourself means invest, connect, relate. If you say, "Look, I don't want to just give money because they're going to use it for drugs." Well, fine. Then don't just give money, give yourself, give something more, get to know people that you could find yourself partnering with and connecting with and helping. Now, Keller gives a theology that's called the theology of Shalom, a deep, rich, full relationship, and this is what he wrote. It's very powerful for me. I want you to follow this image. "The wedding together of God, humans and all creations in equity, fulfillment, and delight. This is what the Hebrew prophets called Shalom." We just translate it peace, but in the Bible, Shalom means a universal flourishing, a wholeness and delight. It describes a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are faithfully and fruitfully employed all under the arch of God's love. Now here's an illustration of Shalom. If I threw a thousand different colored threads onto a table they wouldn't become a fabric, they would just be threads laying on top of each other. Threads become a fabric when each one has been woven in and under, around and through every other one. The more interdependent they are, the more beautiful they become; the more interwoven they are, the stronger and warmer they become. God made the world with billions of entities, but He didn't make them to be an aggregation, rather He made them to be in a beautiful, harmonious, knitted, webbed interdependent relationship with each other. So physically when your body's working properly, every part works with all the others, but if you have a cancerous tumor, it means that a part of your body's at odds with all the rest. You experience the unraveling of physical Shalom. Psychologically your inner psyche has various parts: Thoughts, feelings, and reason. When they're all working together, you experience inner Shalom, peace. But when your feelings crave something that troubles your conscience, then there's a dissonance; you experience guilt, which means you experience the unraveling of psychological Shalom. Financially when people, some people have money and resources and advantages, when they then plunge them into the human community, so the parks are great, the schools are great, the houses are great, you have a strong social fabric, you experience social Shalom. But when the wealthy ignore the less fortunate, when they hold on to everything, the social fabric unravels. Now, note in the text that justice is depicted as sharing food with the hungry. This literally means to wait on the hungry, that's literally what it says. Not just giving money so somebody else can serve the food, it's literally to serve the food for yourself. That's what it means to do justice. So it means "taking the threads of your life and weaving them up with the threads of other people's lives." So Keller talks about the educational system in New York and in cities like Washington DC and all that. Children are growing up in communities where given their family circumstances and their school situation, they are functionally illiterate. By the time they're 15, 16, 17 years old, they effectively can't read or write. When you get to that age and you can't read or write you're ruined for the market, you're ruined when it comes to economic and social flourishing, you're locked into poverty probably for the rest of your life, and that's happening to hundreds of thousands of people in New York City right now, says Keller. Why is it happening? Now, here's the thing. The liberal, politically liberal analysis says it's because of unjust social structures. The conservative, the political conservative analysis says it's because of the breakdown of the family, but neither side ever says it's the kids' fault. No one's blaming the 7 and 8-year-olds. Thank God. No one's saying the 7-year-old needs to say, "Hey, I need to move to a better school district." No 7 or 8-year-old's supposed to think, "My parents are guilty of injustice toward me and malpractice." They're not thinking that, they just go where they go and yet, "A child born into my family," says Tim Keller, "has a 300 to 400 times greater chance for economic and social flourishing than the kids in those neighborhoods." That's just one way in which the fabric of this world is tattered and torn and ripped. So the Lord, through this text, is calling on us to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor and needy. And if we do, we are going to have an amazing platform for the gospel. People are going to want to know, "What is it that motivates us? Why are you doing this?" And they're going to ask and we're going to say, "Hey, I want to alleviate this suffering that we're talking right now, but I want to alleviate far greater suffering than that. Can we talk about what Jesus came to do and how He came to save souls, like yours and mine?" It's going to happen, it's going to happen. The Lavish Rewards of Serving the Needy (vs. 8-12) Look at the rewards, and we'll finish with that before we go to Lord's supper. Verses 8 through 10, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear. Then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will answer. You will cry for help. And he will say, 'Here am I.' If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noon day." I just can't help but read that in light of the gospel. If we do this, we are going to be a light shining radiantly in a very dark place. People are going to say, "Tell me more about that light." Jesus is the light of the world. We're going to have opportunities to do that, and I'm looking forward to that. Look at the rich spiritual prosperity, verse 11 and 12, "The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land, and He will strengthen your frame, your bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden like a spring whose waters never fail. And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the age old foundations and you will be called repairer of broken walls, restorer of streets with dwellings." III. Applications Application first, come to Christ. I said at the beginning, I say it here at the end. This kind of mercy ministry will never save a single soul, never. You could do a thousand hours of community service and be even more sinful before because you didn't do it in the name of Christ for the glory of God. We can never use our good deeds to pay for sins. Come to Christ, come to Christ, trust in Him. Now, if you already were Christian before you came here, I guess I would start with just understand generous justice. What does it mean for you to live a life of justice? What does that mean to spend yourself on behalf of the needy? Ask yourself this question. This is just a one application question I want to press on you. Ask yourself this question, "How am I spending myself on behalf of the poor?" Just ask that, it's a simple question. "What principle of sacrifice is going on in my life for the poor?" There needs to be some answer. I would say definitely you don't all need to have the same answer, but there needs to be some answer in your life. Now, there are some people in our church that are moving to the community, like Mark Gornik did, and they're going to seek opportunities to do that. I think it would have been good for us to do that before gentrification and property values became $400,000 for this house or that house. But there may be still some bargains to be found or maybe some people are wealthy enough to do it, but there are other parts of our community we can be moving in and influence, but you don't have to move in to do it. There are folks that go out on Wednesdays and interact, as I said, with young African-American kids. Boys from our community, they play sports with them, they do Bible studies with them, and they talk to them about sexual purity, they talk to them about manhood. Praise God! Get involved in that. Our international connections ministry does ESL classes, English as second language classes. It's a tremendous ministry. Nathan Ma is doing ministry with refugees. We're talking right before worship today, he said, "Probably in light of this election it's going to be even harder for refugees in our country. You know what that means? Even greater opportunity for the gospel." Find out from Nathan Ma. If you want to get involved in refugee ministry, that is loosing the change of injustice. Find out ways that you can be involved in that. Find some way to be sacrificially involved. Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to close this time in prayer, and then we're going to go to the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is an ordinance that we do regularly. We're excited to do it. We expect, as believers in Christ, we should expect, to have an encounter with the living God through this ordinance. We do not believe that the bread and the juice become the actual literal body and blood of Christ, but we believe that by partaking, by eating and drinking, we are spiritually drawing close to Christ and we're mindful of his death for us, his resurrection. We're mindful of the future when he comes again. We're mindful of our accountability to him. Now, this is for those that have put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and testified to that by water baptism. If you have not yet done that, then first do that, and then next time we'd love you to partake. But we'd ask you to refrain if you've not yet done that, so close with me now in prayer.

We revisit a conversation about African centered approaches to mental health with Dr. Cheryl Grills of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and Enola Aird , the f ounder and president of Community Healing Network. This conversation originally aired on April 15, 2016. Then, comedian and political satirist Barry Crimmins weighs in on the presidential election and discusses how the abuse he experienced as a child informs his work today. Plus, we go up on the roof to hear about one pastor's efforts to get voters to the polls in his community during the 2016 primary season. This conversation originally aired on April 20, 2016.

We discuss the importance of approaching topics from an analytical standpoint by conducting proper research, rather than basing opinions purely off of emotion and conjecture. This topic was partially inspired by a caller who challenged Tyrone regarding Malcolm X's legacy last week, and the caller's emotion driven statements were proven wrong in an entertaining and informative clip at the beginning of the show. From there we get into Hillary Clinton's visit to Baltimore (she visited Port Covington, while Bernie Sanders visited Sandtown), Bill Clinton's defense of her "super predators" comment in the 90s, how the Dollar House program can be a great way for the local government and the citizens to invest in the rebuilding of the community (as opposed to giving it up to corporate interests), and the importance of holding politicians accountable overall and how we should channel our collective power as leverage to make change. This is a hard hitting show packed with information, be sure to listen and share! Originally aired 04/11/2016 on WOLB 1010 AM Baltimore. Tune in every Monday from 2pm -3pm.

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys talk about how researchers at the University of Bristol and the Public University of Navarre created a sonic tractor beam that uses high-amplitude sound waves to levitate, move and rotate small objects, how scientist at MIT have developed a way to use Wifi signals to see and identify people through walls, then a Delaware witness at Sandtown reported watching a low flying, boomerang-shaped UFO that gave off a humming sound. Finally, researchers develop a robotic Bee that can both fly and swim. After the break Kyle brings up the fascinating tale of the Missouri's Mystery Weapon as well as some other weapons found in America. Then Cam brings up the Pharaoh's Curse of Tutankhamen. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives. Please Rate and Review the show for us on iTunes. You can email the show with your own stories, ideas and more at expandedperspectives@yahoo.com or you can call the show 817-945-3828. Have a great week!! Show Notes: Tractor Beams and X-Ray Vision Are Now a Reality Delaware Motorist Encounters Hovering UFO Robotic Bee Flies and Swims  Missouri's Mystery Weapon "Ancient American" magazine Volume 3, Issue 23: Who Were the Mound Builders? The Curse of King Tut: Facts & Fable Howard Carter and the Curse of Tut's Mummy Chinese Votive Sword Found in Georgia suggests Pre-Columbian Chinese travel to North America Music: All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com Songs Used: Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin Finally Moving Short Cut/detour Almost Familiar

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys talk about how researchers at the University of Bristol and the Public University of Navarre created a sonic tractor beam that uses high-amplitude sound waves to levitate, move and rotate small objects, how scientist and MIT have developed a way to use Wifi signals to see and identify people through walls, then a Delaware witness at Sandtown reported watching a low flying, boomerang-shaped UFO that gave off a humming sound. Finally, researchers develop a robotic Bee that can both fly and swim. After the break Kyle brings up the fascinating tale of the Missouri's Mystery Weapon as well as some other weapons found in America. Then Cam brings up the Pharaoh's Curse of Tutankhamen. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives. Please Rate and Review the show for us on iTunes. You can email the show with your own stories, ideas and more at expandedperspectives@yahoo.com or you can call the show 817-945-3828. Have a great week!! Show Notes: Tractor Beams and X-Ray Vision Are Now a Reality Delaware Motorist Encounters Hovering UFO Robotic Bee Flies and Swims  Missouri's Mystery Weapon "Ancient American" magazine Volume 3, Issue 23: Who Were the Mound Builders? The Curse of King Tut: Facts & Fable Howard Carter and the Curse of Tut's Mummy Chinese Votive Sword Found in Georgia suggests Pre-Columbian Chinese travel to North America Music: All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com Songs Used: Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin Finally Moving Short Cut/detour Almost Familiar

SPECIAL GUEST: Penny Marshall, chairperson for the Harriet Tubman Journey. The Harriet Tubman Journey Committee is presenting the Inaugural Delaware Harriet Tubman Commemorative two mile walk, ride, run and race event for the family on Sunday, March 10, 2013 (Harriet Tubman Day), to recognize the 100th Anniversary of  Conductor Araminta “Harriet” Tubman's death. Often called Moses, Tubman is known for her daring resistance against the institution of slavery.  Her life story is amongst the uppermost profiles of courage and bravery in American history. The Inaugural events are part of the “Ten for the Tenth” days of activities from March 1 to March 10 to honor Ms. Tubman’s contributions and legacy.  The events include a two mile walk/run in northern Delaware at Dravo Plaza on the Wilmington Riverfront, a motorcycle caravan riding from the PA border to the Riverfront and a14 mile relay from Sandtown at the Maryland/DE border to Camden, Delaware. The latter two events track the Delaware Harriet Tubman Byway.  The Harriet Tubman Journey is a volunteer organization whose members have come together to honor the legacy of Harriet Tubman. For more information, contact the Harriet Tubman Journey at (302) 514-7785 or visit the website at www.HarrietTubmanJourney.org  or ShopRite Riverfront Customer Service to register for the two mile walk/run.