Sharing Our Stories: Introducing the writers

Introducing Kai A. Pineda in her words:

In 2015, I participated in a private author network I did not feel qualified for when initially asked to join. In one of the first meetings with our coach, we discussed the necessity of a tagline. 

As I listened to what others who were more seasoned had come up with to describe their brand or their mission, I had nothing. A few days later, I began to see the burden God had placed within my heart for the church and our need to become the Bride He hoped we would become. I prayed, leaning into what God showed me. The following tagline emerged: Be The Church You Want To See.

Fast forward to 2021, the work I had been doing surrounding the racial divide within the body and our need to unify became even more apparent when 2020 hit the world in ways many were not ready for at all. I started to be called upon to speak and share with others who did not look like me to help organizations, leaders, brothers, and sisters who desired to help as the world’s racial injustices were presented before us in a way we could not ignore. I understood the hard conversations didn’t just need to happen; they must occur for the church to move forward.

In writing my book or speaking out, I have nor will I ever say I have all the answers. What I do have is The Way, and that way is the Word of God. I will not lean into my race over my faith, nor will I condemn anyone who disagrees. We all have a lot to learn, and my desire here on this beautiful blog is to bring forth biblical principles we apply to our daily lives. I desire to see us all heal together as one body, loving its many parts.

I hope you will share this adventure with me through comments that foster dialogue. If I know anything, I know this about the Word of God; it will challenge, convict, and convert us every time we read it. I know we can no longer stand apart and think we will get anything done. 

God created us to live and grow in community.

I pray this is where we begin to become the church we want to see!

~*~
Author Bio:

I am a fire-starter and a passionate student of the Bible who helps others discover their identity and the beauty within the Body of Christ by leading them into an encounter with the Word of God. 

I am married to a man I am madly in like with and love more than I can explain. Together we plant home fellowships within the U.S. and abroad.

I am an author who released her first book, Dear Church: Vol 1: The Beauty of The Body, in 2019, with the second volume to be released in 2021. I have recorded two praise and worship albums and love to travel.

I am an introvert who loves her family, people, rainy days, a chai latte from Starbucks, and my Maltipoo McLovin.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor challenging people to live lives based on a biblical standard and not personal preferences.

~*~
Connect with Kai:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kai.a.pineda
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkaiapineda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kai_A_Pineda
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/92920689-kai-pineda

Honoring A Man of God (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) today, and celebrating his legacy

Merry Christmas!

WGTS 91.9 Words of Hope: NEWS

Injustice and a guest post

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." 

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let’s face it, there’s a lot of injustice happening in our world.

Black people in America were rocked by the verdict on the death of a young black teenager named Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed by a Hispanic/White man named George Zimmerman because he “looked suspicious” when walking home in a gated (rich) community in the state of Florida with a bag of Skittles and iced tea in his hands, wearing a hoodie. Who knew a hoodie could look sinister? Apparently if you’re a black male in America and you’re wearing a hoodie, walking in through a rich housing development minding your own business (in fact he was going to a relative’s house) then you are suspect. Zimmerman was found not guilty and Black people in America who could relate to these situations, were immersed in despair.

See, for Black people in America, it’s MORE than a black boy who was killed by a White man. It’s about the history of oppression, hatred and injustice that still hurt people in America today. It’s about feeling that your voice will never be heard and if ever is heard, it will be disregarded. It’s about being "sick and tired of being SICK and TIRED" and yet forced to stay sick and tired because people in power do not care about helping you change your situation for the better. It’s about the silence. Yes, the silence. Black people in America are often forced to suffer in silence for fear of being heard and by being heard, offending people who have the power to make your life miserable.

I wish we all would remember that we are ALL from the SAME two first parents—Adam and Eve--who were the first human beings created by God at the beginning of time on planet Earth (read the Bible book of Genesis for proof). I wish that we would remember that and then DRAW from it, in turn being motivated to treat others the way we wish to be treated and then being resolved that NO ONE is BETTER than ANYONE because in God’s eyes, we are ALL created EQUAL. And not only are we equal, but we are LOVED, yes, LOVED by GOD and I do believe that the good Lord wants us to get along with each other. 

Unfortunately, since we live in a sin-filled world, true harmony with all humans will not happen entirely until Jesus Christ returns to this Earth to take His faithful followers home to heaven and put a permanent end to sin (as it says in The Holy Bible, read the book of John and Revelation for details). BUT until then, God DOES hold us accountable meaning there ARE consequences to our actions and He does NOT expect us to sit idly by and watch injustice have a field day! No, God wants us to ACT, to promote peace, to as it says in Micah 6:8, do what is required of us mortals which is to, “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God”.

Read Isaiah 58:6-7 (New International Version) which says, “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 break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to 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?”

Part of acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God is sharing your story with the world in a way that encourages dialogue, dialogue that prompts change. Today, I’m being hosted by writer and editor Deidra Riggs on her blog with a guest post for her "Going There" series about race relations in America. You can read it here.

Sincerely,

Alexis

RACE: Let's talk about it

They say that if you want to keep your friends, don't talk about three things: race, religion and politics. 

Today, I am going to talk about race. If you don't want to read my blog anymore after this topic is discussed then okay but I need to talk about this, in fact WE as a people who live on this planet Earth, need to start talking about things that nobody wants to talk about because only when we have the courage to speak our minds can we invoke change. Only when we have the courage to be REAL can we take off our masks and truly connect in a way that will inspire us to not only better understand each other but you might discover that you have more in common with people than your superficial differences.

Originally, I thought I'd do one of those "31 Days of..." blog post series about race but I've decided to write as the topics emerge from the recesses of my memory. So today's first post may be more of a rambling of several topics but I promise to make sure it gets more organized in presentation as this series on race relations continues in hopes of bringing about understanding and change for the better.

I would like to begin this discussion with my views on race and race relations: 

First, I'd like to say that I love and appreciate ALL of God's children from around the world. I love how He's made us different and unique and beautiful in our own individual ways. Do you know that not even our fingerprints are the same? That's right, with over a billion people around the world, you will NOT FIND ONE fingerprint that has a copy not even in the case of identical twins! God is Awesome! :)

So since God has made us all wonderfully unique and beautiful, it bothers me when people use our differences to draw lines and divide us up into different "race" categories and give the world the idea that there is only ONE way to look, act, speak, write and present yourself to the world that is "right". The mere fact that we have to identify ourselves as either a part of a "minority" or the "majority" bothers me because use of those two defining words gives the illusion that one party is better than the other or superior. God made us ALL equal as members of the HUMAN FAMILY! And on some days when life hits the hardest, the ONLY thing that comforts me is this fact: GOD DOES NOT PLAY FAVORITES! Read Acts 10:34 if you don't believe me. God loves us all! And He will always treat us fairly and equally not based on race but based on the pure fact that HE created us ALL and LOVES us with all His heart EQUALLY. And the only truth that comforts me one some days is that there are NO SLUMS IN HEAVEN. There's no "best part of town" or "worst part of town" because Jesus Christ is there as I write this, preparing a place for us that includes MANSIONS! There is no "rich class" or "working class" or "poor class"  in heaven! It's pure, it's holy and the very STREETS are MADE WITH GOLD! A pastor once said something to the effect of "Everyone is on LEVEL playing ground with God." It reassures my soul that in a world that can be unfair, cruel and cold, God is still in control and to Him being wealthy and affluent or poor and outcast does not make a difference in how HE deals with us! Again, GOD loves us ALL and only HE can see the true nature of our HEARTS, examine our motives and determine our true intentions and as a result, when He judges us, God is 100 percent fair in his conclusions, decisions and actions!

So yes, I love people from around the world and I believe that our features that make us different and unique should be celebrated NOT made fun of or looked down upon depending on where you live in this world or what situation you find yourself experiencing.

Okay, so now that you know how I see things on a primary level, I will stop here for this post today and continue another day.

A true writer at heart, I thrive on feedback. So please, tell me what you think! Leave a comment, encourage a conversation to invoke change. I know that all the problems of the world will NEVER be fixed (the Bible says that it will get worse until Jesus comes) but that's no excuse to make things worse on purpose through living in ignorance of people who aren't like you. Remember the "Golden Rule": Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other words, treat people the way you'd like to be treated. Remember, everyone is fighting their own battle-- some you can see and some that you cannot-- so please try to be kind to everyone you encounter each and every day. And if you can't be nice then just don't say anything at all.

Finally, here's a thought to ponder: "There's only ONE RACE, the HUMAN RACE."