If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
If I won the Lotto and could live anywhere I would buy three apartments in New York and have them connected. With all the accessories I come with I need the space.
Mark 1:1-11 NIV [1] The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, [2] as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— [3] “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” [4] And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [5] The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. [6] John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. [7] And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. [8] I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” [9] At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. [10] Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [11] And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
1 Corinthians 15:6 NIV [6] After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
2. It takes Faith to believe but it doesn’t require abandoning reason to have faith.
3. Scripturally rooted
Isaiah 40:3 NIV [3] A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Malachi 3:1 NIV [1] “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 4:5 NIV [5] “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
Malachi 4:6 NIV [6] He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
When God shows up:
1. Jesus is Lord
Ezekiel 39:29 NIV [29] I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Joel 2:28 NIV [28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Mark 1:3 NIV [3] “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
Mark 1:3-4 NIV [3] “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” [4] And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
3. His way is the cross
Mark 8:34-35 NIV [34] Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Mark 10:33-34 NIV [33] “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, [34] who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
4. Jesus is our perfect representative
Mark 1:9 NIV [9] At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV [21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 Peter 2:22 NIV [22] “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
5. Jesus is the beloved son
Hebrews 2:11-12 NIV [11] Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. [12] He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.”
who makes us loved sons and daughters
Mark 1:11 NIV [11] And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Galatians 3:26 NIV [26] So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
I’ve honestly slacked on self-care lately but one of the things I love doing is writing in my journal that is on my phone.
2. What are you currently working on?
Encouragement notes keeps me busy at least once a week, and the weeks I go to concerts or play more than once a week. I also am in rehearsals for the Christmas Season at church.
3. Did you have a job as a teenager?
I have never worked for a paycheck, but when I was a teenager when I was in high school, my friends and I would volunteer for our kid’s summer day camp called Summer Spectacular. I was the office attendant who would sign the children out at the end of the day.
4. What Kind of Disability do you have?
I have spastic diplegia cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus
5. What are your favorite foods?
Sushi
Mexican
Pasta
6. What made you start your podcast and how did you do it?
I started my podcast because I watched a video by a creator named Gary Vaynerchuk he goes by Gary V on all of his social media. In the video that I watched he said that people were turning their attention from watching a YouTube video to Simply listening to a YouTube video. So h his advice was to start a podcast because people were listening to information more than they were watching it. I started my podcast using an app called anchor which is now called Spotify for podcasters.
7. Do you believe in coincidences?
No, I don’t. I believe that we were all created by God on purpose and for a purpose.
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ableism is the belief that people who do not have a disability or Superior to people who do have a disability. I had to do a lot of self-advocacy in this area starting from when I was very young. I fought for my right to sing as a teenager in my junior high and High School choir. The auditorium was inaccessible during my junior high years, so my parents would come and help me up the steps. But one day seemingly out of the blue my school said that that was no longer possible and my choir director said that’s only way I could participate was to sing from the floor while all my other friends were on stage. So I did some advocacy work in late Junior High and early High School and they told my story to a bunch of people and that led to having a ramp built to the stage from the outside of the school. The excuse that I was given by the adults was that the area that was going to be used for the ramp if it were to be built was that there was a 100-year-old tree in that space and they did not want to kill the tree. But eventually, the tree died and I got my right to sing. Nowadays I navigate ableism simply by speaking up, telling people how you want to be helped and how you don’t want to be helped is super important.
9. How do you feel now and where are you at with accepting your disability?
Now in October 2023, I feel great. Now I know that I have an amazing Community around me of boundless babe sisters who I can lean on whenever I have a problem and I need to vent. And I now see myself as beautiful and confident.
10. How has your Viewpoint changed from when you were little to now?
My viewpoint has greatly changed about myself. I no longer see my disability as something that needs to be fixed. I love the camaraderie of the community and I wouldn’t want to go back for anything.
11. What would you say to your younger self?
I would say that things were going to get better and that eventually I would see real, beautiful, empowering women who look like me and who didn’t live a sad life.
12. I know you love Broadway, what are some of your favorite shows that you identify with the most?
This question can be answered with three musicals. I love Wicked even more now than I did when I was in my twenties because I now identify as a green girl in this stage of my self-acceptance Journey. If you google the disability pride flag you will see that all of the colors correspond to different types of disabilities and cerebral palsy corresponds with green disabilities. Those are sensory disabilities. At this stage of my life, I am so happy and proud to be a green girl and I love the empowerment that Wicked teaches and then I’m learning to have in my own life.
13. What are some of your guilty pleasures?
Coffee and sweets. I’ve been drinking coffee regularly since I was 14 years old. My grandma got me hooked on it. When I would stay at her house, we would drink coffee and have something sweet while watching our novellas.
14. What do you do to take care of your mind body and spirit when you need to rest?
At night I will Journal on my phone and when I’m truly not feeling good I’ll try to take a nap. First and foremost though prayer is a big part of my life.
15. Who do you look up to the most, who is your biggest inspiration?
My first answer to that would be my mom. My mom has done a lot for me growing up and now as an adult. Another woman that I look up to is my pastor’s wife Judy. I met her when I was 4 years old and I first went to the church I go to now. She has been there for me to help me out with problems and she also helps me get on stage when we sing in choir she is a very amazing speaker and watching her teach has taught me a lot.
16. What needs to be done for accessibility in theater spaces, what would you like to see?
This has to be by far my favorite question. I would love to see the world of Broadway take action in making their theater spaces accessible to everybody not only the house spaces but backstage as well. I think that they should consider a staggered shutdown of every theater space in the United States and around the world so that actors who have disabilities as well as other theater people can be hired in the roles they want to take on. Specifically, I would love to see theaters have accessible backstage entrances, accessible dressing rooms and bathrooms with no barrier entrances, no barrier showers bars in the toilet area, and shower chairs. Ultimately I dream of Nessa Rose legitified in the role by being cast with an actual wheelchair user. I think that if Wicked chose to do this it would change the world drastically. Furthermore, I would love to see Elphaba be played by a green girl, someone who has cerebral palsy as discussed in an earlier question. And even furthermore I would love to see roles that are not traditionally cast with people with disabilities to be cast with people with disabilities so that we can get the visibility that others in the disability community need to see. I think my life would have been so different if I were to seen somebody who looked like me on a stage. I would love to see roles that are not traditionally cast with people with disabilities become cast with people with disabilities so that by our example people would see that anything is possible.
17. Do you have a favorite podcast topic?
Encouragement notes was primarily built on reteaching the sermon notes that I learned in church and it has grown to include my viewpoint on disability as well as talking about entertainment such as my favorite singers.
Philippians 4:10-13 NIV [10] I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. [11] I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV [18] Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] 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, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
James 1:17 NIV [17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Psalms 95:1-2 NIV [1] Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. [2] Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3. We learn contentment by following Paul’s example and by the teaching of the Holy Spirit
Philippians 4:9 NIV [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
John 14:26 NIV [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Philippians 4:11-12 NIV [11] I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
2. being content in every circumstance does not mean we are happy with every circumstance
2 Timothy 4:9-12 NIV [9] Do your best to come to me quickly, [10] for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. [11] Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. [12] I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV [25] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? [28] “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Philippians 4:6-9 NIV [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Encouragement Notes Podcast 