October on Freedom Road
Build a Better World
Never has it been more clear that we are in need of a better world. When events like those we’ve been witnessing seem overwhelming, remember that social change is accomplished mostly by small things, done consistently, by ordinary people working together. Because together, we can build a better world for all of us.
Build a Better World: A Learning Community from Freedom Road
Have you read one of Lisa Sharon Harper’s books? Or one of the books from our Global Writers’ Group authors? Have you been a part of one of Freedom Road’s Webinars either live or purchased one on demand? We have just launched a learning community on Facebook for anyone who wants to chat with like-minded people about the material they’ve been reading or watching.
Join us today and we will grow together to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly into a better world!
Join the Facebook Group
To make things easier in these difficult times where everything seems to be more expensive, we have lowered our individual pricing on all our courses to make them accessible to more people. And don’t forget there’s a couple of free offerings to get you started as well! Check out our institute page and the course archive now.
Rather read a book? Check out The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can be Made Right or Fortune: How Race Broke my Family and the World… and How to Repair it All both by Lisa Sharon Harper.
Or check out the list of books written in our Global Writers’ Group here.
Fuller Theological Seminary 2023 Missiology Lectures
Lisa spoke on the intersection of evangelism and justice for the Fuller Theological Seminary 2023 Missiology Lectures. Fuller Seminary is a global leader in the field of Missiology (the study of the mission of God and how the church engages that mission in the world). It was a powerful conversation that drew clear and direct connections between the good news of The Gospel and the call of the church to protect human dignity as witness.
Alabama Pilgrimage
Earlier this month, Lisa and members of Freedom Road’s consultant team led a private pilgrimage for one of the organizations we are consulting with. Honoring both the indigenous Hopi people from the area, and discussing the history of enslavement in Montgomery, this pilgrimage led participants to interrogate the history they’d learned. Then moving forward in time, we walked through the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement including the bus stop where Rosa Parks initiated her resistance.
There’s power in standing and walking in the places where history has happened so we can learn to stand on the shoulders of those who’ve come before and make movements for justice happen in our time.
Do you want this kind of powerful experience for your church or organization? Learn more about the consulting services we offer here.
On the Freedom Road Substack
What We’re Reading about Israel and Palestine
Jump into the Instagram conversation from last week on what we’re reading to help understand the current conflict. Read Lisa’s current picks and get ideas from the comments as well!
How to Support the Farm Bill and Reduce Food Scarcity in the United States with our Friends at Feeding America
DID YOU KNOW? Every community in the country is home to families who face hunger. But rural communities are especially hard hit by hunger. – Feeding America
Nearly 4 in 10 people say they don’t have enough cash to cover a $400 emergency and missing one paycheck could mean they cannot cover the cost of food and household expenses without going into debt. Many of our places of worship do their best to help these families in times of need through food pantries, but that’s often not enough. Congress must avoid a government shutdown, which could jeopardize many people’s access to food through potential disruptions to federal employee paychecks and food assistance programs. On top of that, a shutdown would further delay Congress’ consideration of our country’s most meaningful food and agriculture legislation, the farm bill, which impacts nearly every federal program that helps ease the strain and stress of hunger in communities across the country. If Congress does not act, it will create uncertainty for many people, including families, the elderly and people with disabilities, who depend on federal programs to supplement their groceries. We know that 100% of U.S. counties are home to people experiencing food insecurity, and we must continue the movement to end hunger in this country.
Join Feeding America’s email list for more information.
Fly
Download Fly now on Apple or Amazon Music or stream on Spotify and take it with you wherever you go!
Truth-Telling is the Work of Right Now
As we find ourselves in a pivotal moment in the history of both our nation and the church, truth-telling is the call of the moment. For a limited time (now - April 2024) Lisa is offering discounted speaking rates for truth-tellers like you!
Talk Title: “Truth-Telling is the Work of Right Now”
In a world that hungers for honesty and clarity, Lisa's talk delves into the pressing need for all of us to seek, listen to and tell the truth about who we are as a nation and as the church. With intimacy, humor and power Lisa models her truth-telling process by sharing her own quest to untangle her family’s 300 year story on American soil. She addresses the urgency of this moment, emphasizing how authentic storytelling can catalyze positive change. Lisa's powerful and engaging delivery leaves a lasting impact on her audiences, inspiring paradigm shifts that catalyze change.
For more information about Lisa Sharon Harper and her impactful message, please visit her website.
If you are interested in booking Lisa for your event, please fill out the Speaking Engagement Form to get started.
Lisa's schedule is filling up quickly, so we encourage you to act soon to secure her presence at your event. This is an opportunity to empower your audience with insights that are both enlightening and transformative.
On the Freedom Road Podcast this Month
If you are a paid subscriber or a Patreon patron at the James Farmer level or above, you are invited to participate in a quarterly call with Lisa Sharon Harper.
Mark your calendar for the next two calls, and if you aren’t a subscriber or Patron, upgrade your subscription today, or join our Patreon!
December 13: 7-8pm ET
Global Writer’s Group
Since April of 2020 as the world closed down, the Global Writer’s Group has been meeting via zoom every Saturday, with time off only for Christmas and New Years. Early in our time together, Lisa Sharon Harper charged the group with the task of “writing a new world into existence” and over time we have truly seen this in action. We have taken on the task of changing the world, and of course what changed first was ourselves. We as a group have become better writers over this time, but also better people, finding true community in the sacred sharing of ourselves with each other and the world.
We accept members on a rolling basis: it’s never too late to join the community. Prepare to find your life changed for the better as you sharpen your writing skills and prepare to bring your words to the world.
Collectively, we have published six books, have several writers who’ve recently become agented and/or are under contract for upcoming books, and many, many journal articles over the past three years with several more books in the works.
The Narrative Gap, as coined by Lisa Sharon Harper, is the distance between the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves, including how we got here and what it will take to make things right. In our world today, competing narratives vie for our loyalty, dividing society and the church, therefore making justice impossible. Our mission is help communities shrink the narrative gap, by identifying core issues and building community capacity so they might work toward common solutions for a just world. Here on the Freedom Road Substack, we can converse together on ways to shrink that narrative gap and help ensure everyones’ stories are told.
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