Category: advocacy

advocacy, Dance

I’m excited

I can’t wait to meet these Ladies

I can now publicly get excited about meeting these two groundbreaking women next month!
Judy Heumann began fighting for the rights of the disability community in the late 1960s. She was a witness to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act ( The ADA) in 1990,and she continues to speak about how the world needs to change its perspective of disability.

@alistroker is someone you definitely can call a #boundlessbabe she is an original member of @rollettes_la. She was the first and only legit wheelchair user to be on Glee, and she was the actor in our community to win a @tonyawards_ I know that there will be many more. I can’t wait to learn from these ladies.

Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

I need to clarify something

Hi, I hope you’re having a blessed day. I need to clarify something that I said on the podcast yesterday. My pastor’s barber asked him what a pastor does, and Andrew said it’s the job of a pastor to help people see the love of Jesus. The barber then took out his phone and showed him the photo that he found online with the hateful words that I told you about and asked Andrew, how would you explain this photo? Andrew told his barber that that is not a picture of who Jesus Christ is.

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Asking for A friend: How can I follow Christ if I don’t like Christians?

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 2:1‭-‬12 NIV

Back to the Basics

  • New Birth is always into a family.
  • New birth is exciting, but maturity in Christ is the goal.
  • God’s plan is for the world to experience him in and through us.
  • Holiness is a powerful witness

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6 NIV

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 3:15

Memory Verse

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 NIV

https://john.bible/john-1-14

Bottom line

Resistance is expected; let Christ not our character be the stumbling block.

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advocacy, Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Today is global accessibility awareness day.  This is a day of recognizing the things and people that are allies to the people in the disability community. 

Thank you to the following people:

Thank you to Feinstein’s at Vitello’s for creating accessibility by adding the chair lift to your place.  I truly feel like family when I attend shows at your place.

Thank you also to the federal bar in North Hollywood.  I love attending shows upstairs, and I love how easy the access is for a wheelchair and walker user like me.   

Thank you also to theatre 68, who gave me a front-row seat to see my friend Renee Marino in a production of Danny and the deep blue sea.  Thank you also to Renee Marino for letting me take a Walker-free photo with her on two occasions. 

Thank you also to John Lloyd Young, who was the first person to take a walker-free photo with me back in August of 2015.

Last but not least, thank you to my family at Eagle Rock Baptist Church for not giving up on me or leaving me out of things when my movement became a little bit more difficult. 

The things I think need to change:

The first thing that needs to be changed is the restaurants that use the accessible bathroom stall or the walkway to the bathroom for high chair storage space.  Companies need to require their employees to go through a training called the other side of the chair.  A training in which wheelchairs, walkers, and other assistive equipment is used to give people the experience of those who use that equipment daily.

Another improvement that needs to be made is accessibility in entertainment.  The only way that crip face casting will become a thing of the past is if theatres and movie and tv filming locations become accessible. 

The definition of Cripface casting is- casting someone in the role of a disabled person when the actor has no life experience as a person with a disability.

Society still has a lot to learn, but I do believe that things have the potential to get better.

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Facing Failure with unshakable Faith

The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

Acts. 12:6‭-‬14 NLT

1. We need an unshakeable community

2. The people in your community need to be people who practice sacrificial love

3. Speaks words of encouragement

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Asking for a friend: Why didn’t God answer my prayer?

Reasons we may not see Answers to prayer:

1.  Maybe the request is Wrong

James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.” “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.” “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”

Mark 10:35‭-‬37 MSG

When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?”

Luke 9:51‭-‬54 MSG

2.  Maybe the timing is wrong

Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.

2 Peter 3:8‭-‬9 MSG

3.  Maybe there’s something wrong with me. 

The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

1 Peter 3:7 MSG

Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

Isaiah 59:1‭-‬2 NLT

4. Maybe Nothing is wrong

Memory Verse

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 NLT

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Asking For a friend: Does God care what I wear?

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Colossians 3:1-14

What Does God want me to wear?

  • Compassion
  • Kindness
  • Humility
  • Gentleness, aka quiet strength
  • Even temper
  • Contentment with second place
  • Forgiveness
  • Love

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Just Sayin’ Sticks and Stones

Just Sayin’ is a sermon series that my church taught five years ago. I felt the desire to reteach this on my podcast because it was one of my favorite series.

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences

Proverbs 18:21

Filters for speaking

1. Contemplate before you communicate

Even fools are thought wise when they are silent. With their mouths shut they seem intelligent

Proverbs 17:28

2. Speak truthfully

There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 6:16‭-‬19 NLT

3. Speak tastefully

Everything you say must be true, but not everything true must be said

People that have a tongue problem actually have a heart problem.

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Asking for a friend: Aren’t all religions the same

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NIV

Memory Verses

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:1‭-‬7 NIV

Myth 1

The world is getting more secular; this is not true more and more people are looking for hope.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18‭-‬20 NIV

1. As followers of Jesus, we are all cross-cultural missionaries now.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:15 NIV

2. Our manner and our method must match our message

Myth 2

All religions are valid.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
John 11:25 NIV

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3 NIV

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:9‭-‬10 NIV

Christianity is exclusive on how you get in but inclusive on who gets in.

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