the complexities of being pro-life

Today, our governor signed a bill banning abortion after 6 weeks, modeled after the law in Texas. I gasped as the headline popped up on my phone, and my 12-year-old asked what was up. I explained the bill to him, and he asked if we should be glad about that, since we value all life. …

Amanda Hood (Episode 18)

Amanda Hood lives in Orange, CA and works as a Case Manager and Benefits Specialist for a homeless outreach services agency. She grew up in a small town in Louisiana, and we talk about what that was like and how her worldview has changed as her exposure to diversity expanded. Amanda gives us some great insights …

Zach Scott (Episode 17)

CONTENT WARNING: Suicidal ideation Zach Scott recently moved from Arkansas to Las Vegas, NV with his husband.  He is the Head of Sales and Customer Success for The Dental A Team, a dental consulting company whose main goal is to increase profits, improve systems, and better everyone's involved in dental practices.   On this episode, we talk …

Christianity, Culture, and Community: Embracing Nuance and Moving the Needle Forward (Episode 16)

On this third and final episode of this series, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they finish their discussion about equity versus equality, how people are created equal AND created in God’s image, the dueling theologies of the Constitution and the Bible, how this is anti-CRT rhetoric …

Christianity, Culture, and Community: Why the Words We Use Matter and Knowing Real History is Key (Episode 15)

On this second episode of this series, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they pick up the conversation discussing the Christian voice that’s driving anti-CRT rhetoric and our personal struggles with church right now. Ben takes us to church as he shares about Jesus’ first sermon, the …

Not surprised…

I talked to so many friends today who all said the same thing: I’m not at all surprised. This is business as usual in this country. I had to contrast that with my own emotional response. I broke down in tears right in the vet’s office. It’s not that I was surprised. I wasn’t. In …

The Pretense of Protection: Another Layer of Privilege

I drove by the mall yesterday for the first time since a man opened fire, killing two people, injuring four more, and sustaining gunfire injuries which ultimately ended his own life. I prayed as I drove by: for the people impacted by this tragedy, for their families, for our community. The day it happened, I …

The Inefficiency of Love: Maintaining Humility and Curiosity as White Allies (Bonus Episode)

After episode 14, we received quite a bit of feedback, most of it positive, but some of it was critical. The main complaint we got was that we should not have addressed Critical Race Theory without a Black person on the panel. In this episode, Jamie Corbin and April discuss how they responded to the …

Honoring History Education and Addressing the Impact of Anti-CRT Rhetoric on Schools and Communities (Episode 14)

On this episode, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they discuss Critical Race Theory through the lens of education, community, and faith. They also talk about power: who has it, who doesn’t, and why. This is the first episode in a series of 3 with this group …

Honoring Educators in a Pandemic (Episode 13)

On this episode, I have three of the best educators in the state of Idaho and, without any hint of hyperbole, the country. We spoke about what it's really been like in schools over the last 19 months, how teachers are coping and rising above, and what we can do as community members to support …