This is Pastor Mike Greetings and God bless. Welcome to another episode of Pastor Mike. This is your host, Tyler Burns. Of course, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram and threads, actually. At Burns Clan, please follow at your own risk. And this week we are continuing our very special look backstage at this year's Joy and Justice Conference

where the theme was rise up and flourish. And if you missed it, oh my goodness, what a time we had, what a time, what a time. And we are so honored that we were able to host so many incredible speakers at this year's conference. And one of them is a very own faith brooks of the Melanator Faith Podcast. And she was incredible to graciously step in and take a few minutes backstage with each of the presenters. They show their testimonies and discuss what it truly means to rise up and flourish in our time.

So this week we've got conversations with Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert, Dr. Natasha Cisterunk Robinson, Reverend Alvin Love, and Danny Koch Balfour. You are not going to want to miss this one. So without further ado, let's kick into faith brooks backstage at Joy and Justice 2023.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Path of Mike podcast here at the Joy and Justice Conference. This is a special edition podcast. And it is powered by the witness, a black Christian collective. My name is faith brooks. I am your host. And I am here with a very special guest, Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert, who is the Dean of the School of Divinity at Howard University.

So welcome. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, Faith, for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

Well, I have a question for you. As you know, this year our theme is to rise up and flourish. When you hear that, what comes to mind for you?

For me, it is highly appropriate to theme this conference as such in our particular national conversation. You're talking about wokeness and things that relate to standing up for justice, being highly vigilant in one's own ways of addressing injustice.

And so when I hear the word rise up and the word rise up and flourish, I think about the emerging generation of youth and young people who are taking the baton and seeking ways in which to push the conversation forward and to also celebrate and flourish in their own respective ministries.

I love that. So for you, as you're talking about community, what do you think, or why do you think it is important for us as black people and black Christians together together?

Well, it's important because there's such a dilution of people in the country itself. We are diverse people, of course, different shades of blackness, different perspectives, different denominational traditions, different ways of knowing.

But also, there's something common about one thinking about one's own heritage and cultural traditions that form and shape us.

And so I do think it's important to gather because in fellowship, there is the opportunity to shepherd, to coach, to build moments where joy can be established and engaged in ways in which it's very difficult to do in societies where many of us, particularly those of us who have been privileged to attend,

in universities that are historically white, for example, I find themselves minoritized in those contexts. So it's always, I think, important to gather with people who share racial and cultural uniqueness.

It makes me always feel like when I get to be with my people, I feel like it's a moment of like, I see you. And I feel really seen in those spaces. And that's why I always think it's so good for us to be able to gather together.

When you think of your own life, when you think about your life, when you think about what you've been going through, what helps you to cultivate joy in your own life?

I'm really at heart a very deeply devoted family person. I just love my family. They bring me joy. They bring me craziness and chaos. They give me a lot of joy. I'm thankful for the bride that I selected and selected me.

We've been journeying together now for 26 years. And I'm very thankful. I have three daughters, one who's 20, another who's 16, and then who's 20 tomorrow, another who will be 17 next month. And then we have a 14-year-old who just turned 14 at the beginning of the month.

So they bring me joy. But beyond that, teaching gives me joy. I've taught at Howard now for nearly two decades and a part of that work of knowing that you're preparing the next generation of religious leaders and educators really is deeply gratifying.

But on a personal level, music brings me joy, running, bringing me joy, and just cutting up with my friends. They also bring me joy.

I love that because we have so much going on in the world today. And we have to find those things that keep us anchored, that give us joy, and that give us hope. It's easy to fall into hopelessness.

And so I love that you have those things ever present in your life.

Try to stay balanced.

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