Where Ya From? Podcast

If the Bible is humanity’s source of absolute truths, why do so many readers interpret it differently? Cuban-American theologian, Dr. Justo González has gained acclaim for examining this question in works like The Story of Christianity and This History of Christian Thought . In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Dr. González joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how our context—and even...

What happens when God calls you to a life different from what you had dreamt up for yourself? With long-standing plans to play basketball professionally, rapper and activist who goes by Reflect initially felt uncomfortable when the Lord called him to community outreach instead of the court. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Reflect joins host Rasool Berry to discuss giving God con...

How should we handle topics about Christianity that bring up potential offense and tension? In this episode of Voices’ Where Ya From? podcast, author Rebecca McLaughlin shares the surprising truth that facing these tough subjects can be an opportunity to show respect to people and to deepen our faith. Guest Bio: Rebecca McLaughlin is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for th...

Do you ever feel like it’s more important to “behave” at church rather than be yourself? With songs like “Church Gone Wild” and “Hammer Time,” Reach Records 1K Phew has dedicated his life to showing listeners that we don’t have to wear a mask when we sit in front of a pulpit. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, 1K Phew joins host Rasool Berry to discuss his music, upbringing, and re...

How do you walk with someone you fully disagree with and not hold scorn or contempt for them in your heart? Duke Kwon, pastor and writer of Reparations: A Christian Call to Repentance and Repair joins VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast to remind us that everyone—even people who have hurt us—is crowned with dignity because they are made in God’s image. God breaks His light of truth through even the mos...

Where do we find fulfillment? Do we find it in things like careers, relationships, or money? In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? Podcast, FOX Sports host Chris Broussard joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how his earthly successes don’t compare to the ultimate victory he finds in God. Guest Bio: Chris is an internationally-known sports analyst, commentator, and broadcaster for the FOX Sports...

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we’re pulling back the curtains at Where Ya From with an episode of producer’s picks— the powerful conversations about how God worked through women like Ekemini Uwan, KB Newton, and Jenn Peterson because they used what was “in their hand”—like Moses and his staff at the burning bush. They responded to the daunting call God was making on their lives by a...

Has God really experienced the same pain and suffering we have? Speaker, author, and trauma counselor Sheila Wise Rowe asked herself this question as a child in post-segregated America, and the answer inspired her to later live and work in post-apartheid South Africa. Hear her story in this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast. Guest Bio: Sheila Wise Rowe is a graduate of Tufts University and...

When Dr. Debbye Turner Bell won the Miss America pageant, she began the toughest time of her life. Join Rasool Berry on the Where Ya From podcast as he talks with Dr. Debbye Turner Bell about how isolation, burnout, and loss challenged her faith at a time when people expected her to be at her best. Learn how this experience taught her to be unflinchingly honest with God and to keep communicating w...

Do you ever feel pressure to stay silent to fit into your political party’s talking points? Justin Giboney, attorney, ordained minister and co-founder of the AND Campaign, joins VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast to explore how bringing our full witness to our political decisions and conversations can be a way of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Guest Bio: Justin Giboney is an attorney, political st...

You know the stories of people facing impossible barriers—and then somehow they overcome each one? Carvens Lissaint’s life is full of those stories. Writer of Target Practice and actor on Hamilton , Carvens Lissaint joins VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast to remind us that when we walk through wilderness, we can be both discouraged and faithful at the same time. Guest Bio: Carvens Lissaint is a Haiti...

“What we believe in our hearts matters more than what we know in our minds,” says Nona Jones, well-known preacher, executive, entrepreneur, and writer of Killing Comparison .  She joins VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast to share how the trajectory of her life dramatically changed when she began believing in her heart that she truly is who God says she is. Join us to learn how to be inspired—rather th...

On Jamie Winship’s first day as a police officer in Washington, DC, his mentor told him, “Keep your mouth shut for one year,” and to listen closely. He applied this important lesson to his professional and spiritual life and found listening and abiding was the way to hear God’s voice and bring peace to the conflicted spaces he was working in. His methods were successful, and he was asked to do his...

How do you grow up in a broken world and still find your voice, full and whole as God intended? When Dr. Pannell and Dr. Jemar Tisby grew up in the church, they both experienced a polite ignorance which worked to keep them “in their place” among their classmates and church family. They knew there was something deeply wrong, but they didn’t have the language or space to speak about it.  Listen as D...

When Natasha was in sixth grade, her parents sat her down and told her that if she didn’t do something to make her stand out, she wouldn’t go to college. At the young age of eleven, she made up her mind to be the best of the best in order to affordably go to college. When she enrolled in the Naval Academy, reality hit hard when she realized her public education failed her, she was different and no...

Why do bad things happen? Recording artist, former America’s Got Talent finalist, and author of More Than My Scars Kechi Okwuchi asked herself this question after a plane crash changed her life. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Kechi joins host Rasool Berry to discuss how to rely on God’s unchanging love when faced with unspeakable tragedy. Guest Bio: Kechi Okwuchi is a Nigerian...

Injustice is the second most talked about sin in the Bible following idolatry. God is calling His followers to advocate for the marginalized. In this episode of Where Ya From? , Jenn Petersen, the Director of Mobilization for International Justice Mission (IJM) and co-lead pastor of Resurrection Life NYC, shares with host, Rasool Berry, some of the most unimaginable cases of injustice she witnesse...

Deep down, we all crave to be our truest selves. But what if we’re afraid that our culture has no place in Christian spaces? Recording artist, author, and academic Sho Baraka argues that our faith doesn’t have to exist separate from the rest of the world. On this episode of VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, Sho joins host Rasool Berry to discuss his book He Saw That It Was Good and his walk with Je...

In 2021, Juneteenth—also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day—became the United States federal holiday, but many are still unaware of its origins and significance in American history. On this special episode of VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, author and associate professor Dr. Carey Latimore shares with us the legacy of Juneteenth and the radical faith it still inspires today. Guest Bio: Care...

These days, the world—and the Church—are heavily divided on how to approach issues surrounding race. That’s why writer and higher education instructor Dr. Christina Edmondson and Race, Religion, and Justice Project director Chad Brennan have brought biblical insight into the conversation with their book Faithful Antiracism . On this episode of the VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, Christina and Cha...

People around us may think they know what’s best for our future, but in the end, it’s God’s plan that matters most. This is a truth Grammy-nominated and recording artist Mali Music learned at a young age, when he decided, against his family and community’s wishes, to pursue his passion for creating music. On this episode of the VOICES’s Where Ya From? podcast, the singer-songwriter details his chi...

Plenty of people in our lives can burden us with expectations. Reach Records’ rapper, author, and preacher Trip Lee knows this all-to-well, as his childhood was painted by a strong family legacy. In this episode of the VOICES Where Ya From? podcast, Lee shares how his faith took him on an unexpected path, and how in the end, God’s plans for our lives are greater than anyone—including ourselves—can...

We are all looking for a place to belong, whether it be in clubs at our schools or cliques at our workplaces. However, Texas-born rapper Tedashii knows firsthand that the “home-shaped holes” in our hearts are spaces that only God can truly fill. In this episode of Where Ya From? podcast from VOICES, Tedashii shares how Jesus took the passions that often made the artist stand out and turned them in...

It’s often easier to run away from life’s greatest messes. However, Back2Back Ministries’ codirectors Todd and Beth Guckenberger are proof that we can often find our purpose in the chaos. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Todd and Beth discuss how God turned their passion for orphan care into a 350-person nonprofit organization. Guests Bio: Codirectors of Back2Back Ministries, Tod...

It’s tempting to believe that our way is the only route to achieving our goals. However, Nigerian American hip-hop artist Wande has learned that when trusting God, He often delivers on our dreams in a way we couldn’t even fathom. On this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, Wande sits down with Rasool Berry to discuss God’s hand in her journey from a young student rapping about biology in Au...