My guest on the podcast this week is Kori Williamson. I learned so much from her. She’s thoughtful, kind, and you’re going to wanna run out to Lowe's and get a compost bin. You know, tomorrow is Earth Day and I never know what to do! I know that when we think about Shalom, we think about wholeness in our relationships, in systems, and the Earth itself, but that last part feels so inaccessible to me. What does recycling and conserving water have to do with wholeness? And more than that, how can I work it into my life without being all or nothing! By the end of my conversation with Kori, I not only felt like I could do something to care for the Earth as a practice of Shalom but I felt so much grace for the moments I forget to recycle or my garden is a huge failure. I'm actually excited about tomorrow I hope you'll listen to today's episode and get excited too. We have a great time talking about creation care, documentaries, and of course, "The Lorax"!
The first episode of the Shalom in the City's books club episode. In the book club episode, Cara and I discuss, "The Light of the World", by Elizabeth Alexander.
In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband. Channeling her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid price, Alexander tells a love story that is, itself, a story of loss. As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the trauma resulting from her husband’s death, and the solace found in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss.
In this episode, we deep dive into the two major themes of the book: death (obs) and identity. We also laugh, share deep, dark confessions, and Cara breaks out into song.
We also answer a question from a listener posted to the Shalom Sistas' Hangout
The passage that stands out most to me is on p.93 about Alexander's parents' response to her husband's death and the quote,
"To be a parent is to be terra firma, to stand, is to be planted in the earth." Having dealt with grief myself as a parent, I've wondered how much I should shelter my kids and how much to share. How do we help them with their own grief without traumatizing them with ours?
Over all we have a great time and can't wait to jump into our next book selection, "Bad Feminist"
A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.
“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue."
We hope you pop over to the hangout and share your thoughts on, "The Light of the World" and if you're reading, "Bad Feminist" with Cara and me let us know. Your thoughts and questions are super important to our conversations.
A Bookish Kind of Shalom to you my Sistas,
Osheta
My guest on the podcast this week is Margot Starbuck. I love Margot so much. She’s funny and whip-smart and you're going to love my conversation with her about her community, "North Street Neighborhood", a neuro-diverse community built around person with disability. We break down some terms and she gives us the most incredibly Shalom Steps. You know, I sometimes feel so out of depth when it comes to being a good friend to persons with disabilities. But by the end of my conversation with Margot, I was so empowered that I rallied my kids to go to the upcoming Special Olympics and..y'all...IT WAS AMAZING! I hope you take a listen because there's some good stuff for everyone of us in this episode. Plus, we laugh...a lot!
I've known about Margot for a little bit now because I review books for one of her publishers, Herald Press.
Shalom Steps
Books/Authors Mentioned in the Episode*
*As always, if you use the links to the "Shalom Bookstore" to purchase your books, then a few pennies will be kicked over to me to keep the podcast up and running.
Margot mentioned a fun video of an impromptu concert with her neighbors and friends from Urban Promise in the show. Here's that video:
I seriously wanna move to Durham, y'all! Wait...what am I talk about? I love LA, I need to come alongside a Friendship House here and help create shalom through dancing and singing just like this.
I hope you love today's episode and if you do let me know by leaving a reaview on iTunes. Did ya'll know "Shalom in the City" made New and Noteworthy last week? It did! I'm so thrilled. The more weeks it can stay on the list, the easier it'll be for fellow shalom sistas to find the show. So, pop over and leave a review when you get a chance.
Eeep!
You can learn more about the North Street Neighborhood on their site. You can find Margot on her site, Margostarbuck.com or follow her on Facebook.
As always, you can continue the conversation in the Shalom Sistas Hangout.
Shalom in your earbuds, y'all!
~Osheta
My guest on the podcast this week is Kristin Schlle. Y’all. She’s kind and welcoming and incredibly generous, not just with her time, but her encouragement too. I hope you take a listen because she's also incredibly practical on the topic of hospitality which is the practice of Shalom she's most passionate about.
You may know Kristin as the "Turquoise Table Lady", she's the founder of the Turquoise Table movement. She put a picnic table in her front yard, painted it turquoise, and began inviting neighbors, friends, and even strangers, to hang out and do life together at The Turquoise Table. A new concept of hospitality unfolded in her neighborhood, and before long The Turquoise Table led to a movement of Front Yard People—ordinary people who long to create community right where they live.
A gatherer at heart, Kristin brings people together for delicious food and stories at her table and online home www.kristinschell.com.
She also shares with us a recipe for this amazing dish which she says is a crowd-pleaser and what she'd cook my husband and me if we visited her in Austin. I haven't made it yet, but I am going to the market today so maybe I'll grab the ingredients for Chicken Marbella:
Shalom Steps:
Every episode, I ask our Shalom Sista to give us 2-5 practical next steps to help empower us if we feel inspired to share in her Shalom Practice.
Here’s Kristin's:
We're also hosting an Instagram giveaway this week. Pop over to my Instagram and find this picture, and tag one friend you think would love to learn more about the podcast, hospitality, or recipes.
You can find Kristin on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
Shalom my Sistas,
Osheta
Visit shalominthecity.com for show notes on this and every episode. Find us on Facebook Shalom Sistas’ Hangout or @oshetam on Instagram!
My guest on the podcast this week is Kathy Escobar. Y'all. She is wise and funny and so, so thoughtful. You're going to love everything she has to say about having hard conversations with people we disagree with and what peacemaking is (and is not). We both share a passion to take big concepts (like Shalom, like unity, like reconciliation, you know...so meta ;)) and making them practical so that we can actually live them out.
She tells us about a recent video series she did with The Work of the People, "Different Not Divided: A Third Way" with her co-pastor, Karl Wheeler about how they've navigated living together in unity while still honoring their differences at their church, "The Refuge".
From the "The Work of the People" website:
When we love our theology more than our brothers and sisters we are usually left with
only two options: 1. Create increasingly larger, theologically monolithic and
homogeneous churches, or 2. Disintegrate, fracture and eventually close the doors and
lose relationship with each other.
For almost 10 years in The Refuge community, we have tried to practice a third option--a
Third Way--where instead of fighting for our positions or fleeing for the safe haven of a
group that looks, thinks, and believes like us--we live in the tension of our difference.We are different, not divided.
And because practical application and providing awesome resources to the Body is something Kathy and I love to do, we've teamed up with Travis Reed over at "The Work of the People" to provide Shalom in the City listeners access to the videos and discussion guides. Normally you'd have to purchase these from the site, but we want to empower you, Shalom Sistas with this amazing resources to bring Shalom to your hard conversations and messy communities!
Just make sure you're subscribed to the "Shalom in the City Newsletter"
here:
shalominthecity.com
Shalom Steps:
Every episode, I ask our Shalom Sista to give us 2-5 practical next steps to empower our Shalom practice in our everyday lives.
Here's Kathy's:
1: Read the Beautitudes every day.
2: Practice Being Brave.
3:Show up. Tell the truth. Trust God. Let go of the outcome.
Perfect Day in her city: Denver:
1: Travel in her car.
2: Go to Snooze for brunch
3: Hang out at Standley lake with a cup of coffee from Global Goods.
4: Marvel at the mountains of Denver, they still surprise her after so many years in Colorado.
You can find Osheta on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
Visit shalominthecity.com for show notes on this and every episode. Find us on Facebook Shalom Sistas' Hangout or @oshetam on Instagram!
Shalom my Sistas,
Osheta
Osheta invites Shannan Martin to share about her four different adoption stories, what happens when her dream was no longer God's best for her family (and beginning to involve ponies who made her life cra-zy), and the surprising lesson an Ecuadorian teen in an Aeropostal shirt taught her about poverty.
Osheta and Megan Tietz of "The Sorta Awesome" podcast talk about loving your neighborhood school, what word just gets under her skin, andthe best Guatemalan iced coffee in Oklahoma City.
Finally.
FINALLY! After many delays and a learning curve much steeper than I anticipated, I am so thrilled to tell you that the podcast is up and running and ready to go!
Ep. 00 is an introduction to the podcast where you'll hear why Shalom in more than just another word for peace, how the show came to be, what you can expect every episode, the things that will cause me be exclaim, "Hold my purse, Hold my Earrings" and my dream day in my three favorite cities if Beyonce loaned me her private jet!
Thank you for listening!