Rev. Izzy is an AMAZING pastor and preacher and organizer, and he took time to record today’s devotion to help promote a word of encouragement in the form of Liberating Love Devotional, available this month from Chalice Press! Enjoy today’s devotion, consider buying a copy, and come to the book launch on September 1! 

To celebrate the launch of the Liberating Love Devotional this month, every day features a reading of that day’s devotion by an amazing spiritual leader. Today, the Rev. Tuhina Rasche, a powerful ELCA pastor who currently serves as Minister of Small Groups for University AME Zion Church in Palo Alto, CA.

Also, consider coming to celebrate the book launch at our Spiritual Spa book launch party on September 1, 5pm pacific/7pm central/8pm eastern! RSVP today. <3

In order to celebrate the fact that Liberating Love Devotional drops officially on August 4 (buy a copy here and support a great publisher), every day of August gifted religious leaders are sharing videos of them reading each day’s devotion. Today is the gifted pastor of Hilton Christian Church in Virginia, who has cheered on this project since Day One!

It was a real gift to preach in Redding, CA in July. What a great community, with a history of LGBTQ+ inclusion. After preaching this sermon, I was told by a couple in the church that they were ready for my sermon because they had watched the Netflix stand up special Nanette by Hannah Gadsby the night before. “She talked about the same thing as you: self-effacing comedy when done by oppressed people is not humility; it’s humiliation.” What a cool connection to have made. Go watch Nanette. Seriously.

I gave listeners an assignment at the beginning of this sermon so they could do their own biblical interpretation, even if it wasn’t the same as mine. That’s some Disciples of Christ moves right there.