It’s okay to feel fear, anxiety, or overwhelm when participating in advocacy work of any kind. This is far from easy, which is why most people choose silence. Silence is comfortable. Silence is safe. Advocacy work is rarely comfortable. And, sometimes, advocacy work is not safe. There are real threats to this work that must be taken seriously, and protecting your mental well-being is crucial. You should never push yourself to the brink of burnout or sacrifice your mental state in your advocacy work. Breaks are key. Self-care is non-negotiable.

It is okay to live in the tension of the both/and. It is okay to feel the heartache, the guilt, the desperation and recognize that ignoring your needs and your life is not what will save the lives of those who are fighting for theirs. Yes, it is so unfair that thousands of beautiful, innocent people can no longer live their lives as they were once able to, just as we are now. That truth also applies to many other similar circumstances that are unrelated to an unprecedented present-day massacre.

I’ve made it my life’s work to help each of us get that freedom back. One faith-filled act of resistance at a time.

I refuse to be silent.

I will be that Christian.

There is a long history of hatred, live burning, drowning, and torture of the LGBTQ+ community in the name of Jesus. In other words, the LGBTQ+ community has been (and continues to be) lynched by those who are supposed to be a light of love in this world.

Sound backward and absolutely disgusting to you? It should.

Anti-racism starts at home.

Let me repeat that: anti-racism starts at home.

Anti-racist education must be a part of the discipleship of our children. The world changers we are raising must be a part of the dismantling of white supremacy.

WHITENESS: What It Is And Why We Must ALL Divest From It

“Be ashamed of being white?!”
“Stop being white?!”
“YOU guys are the racist ones!”
“You have Black History month!”
“I have Black friends and none of them believe this mess! Wake up!”

Whew. It’s a lot, huh?

I never expected any of this from the Christian community. I’ll be honest. I grew up in a Black church and never associated with a multi-ethnic church culture until after I graduated from college and became more immersed with other global ministries and the online Christian community. (For context, most of my interaction with the Christian community at large is online and that’s where I have drawn these conclusions from).

Here’s what I’m used to: silence.