Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hey, what's going on? This is from nothing to something else. Let's just say God told us to love each other, not judge each other, because judging is for suckers. And the sermon that was preached this week was about how, through history, Scripture has been used in different ways, even to keep slaves enslaved. And even people who know the Bible can still twist it. And in John 10:1 through 10, it says a sheep. Listen to his voice. He called his own sheep by names, and he leaves them out.
[00:00:30] Now, the person that I'm dating has a farm, and she raises chickens and ducks and turkeys and things. And when I go out there and try to call out to the little chickies and birdies, they scattered and hide. But when she calls them, I mean, they come running. They come flooding to her. They surround her. There's no hesitation. So I understand the whole idea. In John 10, sheep learned their shepherd's voice, and they trusted.
[00:00:55] And Jesus is basically saying, that's how it should be with us and God.
[00:00:59] And it sounds simple, except that it's not, because today, there's so much noise, there's so many people talking. Everybody's got something to say on social media. Your friends got their opinions, families got their opinions. Everybody named Mama got a podcast like myself right here doing this.
[00:01:16] So the real question is, how do you actually know when God is speaking and not just someone using his name?
[00:01:23] Now, this last week, I had to deal with a situation. There was an event at Chico State called Love One Another, a big event where over 40 churches from Chico and surrounding areas were invited to share their message of God's love, which why I wanted to be a part of it, because it sounded amazing. But it wasn't, because once they found out that the church that I attend, Faith Luther, is affirming, and we really live by our mission statement that there's a place at the table for everyone, including the LGBTQ community.
[00:01:55] We weren't allowed to have a table or any speaking roles at this event because they didn't want to have a conversation or volunteers from that community. And honestly, honestly, it pissed me off because I just can't stand any type of discrimination or division, which is what they said, which is why they said they didn't want us out there, because they didn't want to cause a vision, but they were doing that exact thing so I would accept. I was upset about this event because I thought it was about loving one another and sharing the real love of Christ. So, honestly, I had thoughts. I had some voices in my head to set things off like Queen Latifah. But even though our church couldn't get a table, I still already had a spot to perform some music as a local artist. Or at least I thought I did, because the night before the event, I found out that I was actually taking off the schedule because of some miscommunication.
[00:02:48] But I reached out and they said that they actually put me back on, but they wanted to review my music first.
[00:02:55] So, more voices in my head, right? Do I let someone filter what I feel called to say? Or do I not send them my tracks and be able to show up and say what I need to say?
[00:03:06] But the whole week leading up to the event, I was trying to figure out the right approach.
[00:03:12] Honestly, I had two events lined up that day, and none of this I truly had the energy for. But. But because of division and discrimination, I had time today.
[00:03:22] So all week again, I'm thinking, talk to my pastors, co workers, friends, family, listening to music, dude, scrolling on Tik Tok, listening to a lot of different voices. And honestly, it was exhausting trying to figure out what voice to follow.
[00:03:38] But when the day came, I showed up to the event and the power wasn't working. Everything was kind of spread out and still speaking with people there. I made a simple decision that I was just going to leave with love. I did a few simple songs, and at the end of my set, I spoke about God's love and how no matter if you're black, Mexican, queer, gay, trans, God loves you. Then I left and I went and took a nap. But I saw something on Tik Tok from comedian Kev on stage that stuck with me. He said if he went to heaven and God asked him why he loved people instead of condemning them, he said, I was following your example. I live with love.
[00:04:14] So like Jesus said in John 10, his voice isn't leading me into division just to prove a point. It's leading me and others into something better.
[00:04:24] So here's my takeaway. You're going to hear a lot of voices every day. Some loud, some convincing, some even holding scripture.
[00:04:32] But what you can do is pause and pray before you react. Pause and pray. Ask yourself, does this sound like the shepherd? Is this leading me towards love or away from it? Is this bringing me life? Or is this just a bunch of noise?
[00:04:50] Because again, not every voice that sounds right is right.
[00:04:54] So for me, the last couple weeks weren't about being perfect. They're about pausing, praying, and listening. Really, truly listening. And I'm still figuring things out. But what I'm choosing to do is I'm choosing to the voice that leads with love every single time. I'mma choose love leading with love.
[00:05:20] And yeah, I mean, thanks for listening. This is from nothing to something else. Leave with love this week. Catch you next time.
