The Pilgrimage Podcast
By Zeru Fitsum
The Pilgrimage PodcastFeb 22, 2022
Pastor Jennifer Layte—The Pilgrimage of Shepherding and Spiritual Direction"
Aye, y'all, what's good?! We got Pastor Jennifer Layte on the Podcast! She shares the story of her ministry (which my podcast shares a name with). We talked Shepherding, Spiritual Directing, Chaplaincy and More! Pastor Layte has ministered with many hats on, but most recently she's taken on the role of a Shepherd to her church and has a particular affinity for the deconstruction community who have faced many barriers to God from within the institutional religious world and guides them towards the boundless love of Jesus. I pray y'all are blessed by the conversation!
You can follow Jenn's work on these different sites:
Twitter - @JenniferAGLayte
Instagram - @thejennstagram
Facebook - Jennifer Layte (author page under same name)
Newsletter - https://the-pilgrimage.ck.page/a4459c8c4e
Linktree - https://t.co/S6QfsXXqLo
The Pilgrimage Ministry is part of a nonprofit and so even though there are costs associated with some of the programs, it’s mostly funded by tax-deductible donations:
Donate here: https://the-pilgrimage.org/donate/
Jenn's Tip Jar:
Venmo: @Jenn-Layte
Pastor Trey Ferguson—Battle Rap, Preaching, Loving, and Theologizing
Aye y'all?! What's good? We have a revisiting guest in Pastor R.G.A. Trey Ferguson III on this episode. We chop it up about how battle rap has influenced his preaching by way of helping him craft words that land and sit with people in meaningful ways. I had fun with this one, family. We talk about pastoral care, love, and accountability. Also, Trey is writing a book!! It's called Theologizin' Bigger and I'm anticipating it's release ever-so fervently. In all reality, I just really trust Trey and his heart for people and his walking according to the path God has him on.
If you'd like to financially support him on the way to publication, here is his GoFundMe where he explains the reason behind his fundraising technique as a Black Writer: https://www.gofundme.com/f/theologizinbigger
You can follow Trey's work on these different sites:
Twitter - @PastorTrey05
Instagram - @PastorTrey05
Substack - https://pastortrey05.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
New Living Treyslation - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-living-treyslation/id1576078435
Three Black Men Podcast- Trey co-hosts 3 Black Men with Sam Gay and Robert Monson. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-black-men-theology-culture-and-the-world-around-us/id1535582503
Here are Robert and Sam's individual podcasts:
(Robert) Black Coffee and Theology Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-coffee-and-theology-podcast/id1577198625.
Sam We Gon' Talk About It - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-gon-talk-about-it/id1620682591
Trey's Tip Jar
Trey's Venmo: @PastorTrey05
Trey's Cashapp: $PastorTrey05
My Socials
Twitter - @ZeruFitsum
Instagram - @zeru_fitsum
Substack - https://zeru.substack.com/
Wesley Mills—Communicating Love Through Metaphor
Aye, y'all, what's good?! Hope y'all have are enjoying the advent of this Spring season. I know it's snowing in some of y'all's cities, so y'all must not be praying hard enough... Anyway, I brought my pastor Wesley Mills back onto the podcast to speak about the Pilgrim's journey of sacralizing metaphor. It's not an easy practice, but it is a worthwhile one. Language works inasmuch we're reaching people's hearts, and what better thing to reach people with than love? We talk about different layers of metaphor, so I have it sparks thoughts and models conversationally what can be present in your daily interactions. Hope y'all enjoy :). Luh ya big time.
Wesley's Socials:
Twitter - @_WesleyMills
Instagram - @wesley_mills
Wesley's Sermons:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mosaic-knox-sermons-messages/id1547291136—some of mine are on here too :).
Wesley's Tip Jar:
Venmo - @MillsWesley
My Socials
Twitter - @ZeruFitsum
Instagram - @zeru_fitsum
Substack - https://zeru.substack.com/
Robert Monson—"Someone to Whom I Am Important": Reflections on Being Loved and Loving God in a Cruel World
Aye y'all, what's good?! I'm so glad to be back with Season 2 of the Pilgrimage Podcast, and this season opener is a banger! Robert Monson is a Black man who aims to point us all toward softness in a world that is proficient at brutalizing. Knowing this about him, I asked him to speak about his journey of being loved by God and loving God when it hasn't always been easy. These reflections are guided by Jürgen Moltmann's quote: “I know: there is someone waiting for me, who will not give me up, who goes ahead of me, who lifts me up, someone to whom I am important.” Robert has known a lot of suffering and he takes the suffering of the world seriously. We talk about Black Atheism, growing up in Chicagoland, meeting Jesus in college, feeling disillusioned with white evangelicalism, walking the contemplative life, and so much more. Hope y'all enjoy this episode!
You can follow Robert's work on these different sites:
Twitter - @robertjmonson
Substack - Robert posts soft reflections here on God and life, guiding us on an existence that is learning to honor our bodies' calls for rest and breath. https://musingsfromabrokenheart.substack.com/
Black Coffee and Theology Podcast - Robert is a solo host on this podcast and brings on many guests, exploring the multivalent realms of practical theology. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-coffee-and-theology-podcast/id1577198625.
Three Black Men Podcast- Robert co-hosts with Sam Gay and Pastor Trey Ferguson, and they look at life and theology from their intersections. Incredible conversations here. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-black-men-theology-culture-and-the-world-around-us/id1535582503
Also Trey and Sam have individual podcasts:
Trey's - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-living-treyslation/id1576078435;
Sam's - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-gon-talk-about-it/id1620682591
Robert's Tip Jar
Robert's Venmo: @Robert-Monson-2
Rober's Cashapp: $RobertMonson
My Socials
Twitter - @ZeruFitsum
Instagram - @zeru_fitsum
Substack - https://zeru.substack.com/
Quina Aragon—"Love Can" & Grief & Chronic Pain
Aye y'all what's good?! On this episode, Quina Aragon and I chopped it up about her new book "Love Can." It's coming out in February, and it is the third book in a children's series about the Trinity. The First, "Love Made," is about how the Triune God created the world out of love for us. The Second, "Love Gave," is about friendship and the sacrificial love of Christ. And the third, "Love Can" speaks to the power of love that resides in us via the person of the Holy Spirit. The latter half of the convo is a raw look into the life of someone who has endured a lot of shots to the body. Quina's story the past few years has been one of chronic pain and fatigue and we walked through what that pilgrimage has been like.
You can preorder Quina's book "Love Can" here: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/love-can-9780736974400
Follow her on Twitter: @Quina_Aragon
Instagram: @quina_aragon
Website: @https://quinaaragon.com/
You can find her writings, spoken words, and other displays of her gifts on her website.
Hanna Leka—Fighting for What You Love
Aye, y'all, what's good! Long time no see. In this episode, I chop it up with one of my favorite creatives, Hanna Leka. She's a SoCal resident who does photography and makes rugs. In this episode she shares many encouraging words to those of us who don't have the energy to stay the course with their gifts and dreams. We go into getting that alone time with God and listening to the voice of the Ultimate Creative who gave us our creative abilities and how relying on that knowledge can sustain us amid our discouragement. Luh y'all big time! Hope You Enjoy!
Follow Hanna Leka on Insta
Personal Account: @hannerrrs
Photography Account: @haniimages
Brother Jerry—Resisting Self-Reliance and Embracing the Help of Jesus
Aye, y'all, what's good?!?! On this episode, I talk with a friend that I call Brother Jerry. We gotta keep his identity a lil ambiguous for several reasons. But, Jerry is one who knows what it's like to not have to depend on others, and the vulnerable places that dependence actually puts us in. Learning to believe we need those that are different than us is important but it's hard. And Jerry has found this piece of his pilgrimage as crucial. We speak about the tangible ways Jesus has reached out to help Jerry and his family amid gargantuan traumas that still affect them today. I hope y'all enjoy today's episode!
Here is the link to the X-Ray questions Brother Jerry mentions toward the end of the episode: http://storage.cloversites.com/crosshaven/documents/xray.pdf
Luh y'all big time!
Dr. Sam Won—The Grace of God in a story of Immigration, Assimilation, Poverty, and Pastoral Ministry
aye, y'all, whatt's good?! Man oh man am I excited about today's episode. We are joined by Dr. Sam Won, Director of Formation and Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. In all honesty, I invited him so we could talk about the grief around closing a church that was doing well. We do talk about that, yes, but, being so interested in his family's story of immigration, we explore what Sam felt was an almost utopian childhood. We learn about his father's transition to ministry after achieving a psychology degree in Korea; his realization of embedded racism in America even in the era of desegregating schools. Sam shares with us a nature of a life-giving community that called him forth to a life of ministry. With all the triumphs and heartaches that came with this season of Dr. Sam's life, he's found (in his pilgrimage) that Jesus has been good the whole time, and he encourages us with ways to believe the same when we are at our wit's end concerning the faith.
Unsure Yet Beloved
Today, I share, briefly, about my pilgrimage with my uncertainties with being Beloved. Maybe y'all will find yourself relating. Thank y'all so much for listening and traversing this journey with me.
Pastor Trey Ferguson—Seeing the Bible as a Library and Letting it Inform our Love
If you have any questions you can always reach out to me on Twitter at ZeruFitsum, or Facebook and Instagram, which are under the same handles.
You can listen to more of Pastor Trey on the 3 Black Men on all Podcast Platforms and The New Living Treyslation where he teaches from passages in the Bible in his unique way.
Jalynn Baker—Finding Your Voice and the Art of Storytelling
Aye, y'all!! What's good?! Today's episode was recorded with my friend Jalynn Baker. We chat about her story and how she grew a passion for storytelling through photography, as well as through other mediums. She shared about her journey to finding her voice in predominantly white spaces as a Black woman and offers encouragement to aspiring creatives wanting to listen to the voice inside of them that tells them to create! Hope you all enjoy the episode.
Ebenezer Endiryas—The Role of Stand-Up Comedy and the Christian Conscience
Back from Hiatus
Aye y'all, what's good?! I'm not gonna lie, for a lil bit, I thought I was just gonna drop off. But, with ample encouragement and feeling compelled by the desire within me to create content, I knew I couldn't stop. Hope y'all have been well. Luh ya big time.
Wesley Mills—The Mission of God in the World, Listening to Others, and Eschewing Colonial, Missional Tactics
John Onwuchekwa—Holding Honesty and Hope Together in the Wake of Suffering
We talk about his story, an event that changed the course of his life before he went to college, the grief of losing his brother, the joys of adopting his daughter, and the work of continuing on in life. I was a kid in the candy store throughout the course of the convo. Pastor John was dropping gems as to how to cultivate a life that observes the world and works at illustrating every day and being a Christian who is confident in God's care and love. Enjoy, fam!! Luh y'all big time!
Ruth Buchanan—Books, Viewing Yourself as a Writer and Why We Need Each Other
Natalie Jeffries—Hope in God Amidst Shattered Dreams and Disappointment
Yoni Fitsum—Navigating Personal Brokenness and Hurt while Finding Restored Confidence and Love
I hope you enjoy this episode, and if you find yourself resonating with these struggles on your pilgrimage, know I got you, and I love you.
Reflections on the Life of Barry Kerr—Grief and Hope and Barry's Song
Hey, friends. My friend, Barry Kerr, unexpectedly passed away almost two weeks ago. In today's episode, I spent a few minutes verbally processing what I had been feeling on the day of his funeral. This episode's content is not particularly insightful; it is primarily revealing. It shares experiences I had with Barry; it explains his persona. Lastly, I finish the episode with the silly "Barry Songs" my friends and I would sing for him every time we would leave his house after dinner or a meeting. We love you, Barry.
Tianna Haas—Pilgrims and Poetry: The Power and Beauty of Words
Tianna encourages us to look at reading poetry in all of its forms as a sort of listening. She shares a few of her favorite writings, and she encourages others who desire to become poets with viable practices to help them improve and shine light into a world in so much need of goodness.
Alicia Akins—A Pilgrimage to Loving Neighbors Across the Globe
Ebenezer Endiryas—A Pilgrimage to Embracing Incompetence
Aye y'all, what's good?! In today's episode, I tackle the topic of incompetence with my cousin Ebenezer Endiryas (pastor of Perazim Church and host of Shaping the Culture Podcast). We talk about calling, failure, and continuance. This pilgrimage that we call life unloads heavy feelings of incompetence onto us, and it causes a lot of us to question whether it is wise or not to embrace said incompetence. Are we wasting our time, or are we sowing an indispensable investment when we continue through the embarrassments and loneliness of incompetence? This conversation aims to encourage those whose proficiencies are not quite where they want them to be by pointing to the grueling yet beautiful pilgrimage of working through failure and hoping to see God work uniquely through each of us.