1. Episode 22: Pastor Jordan R. N. Brown & The Holy Bible John M Jaramillo 1:33:45

For this episode, the second of my discussions covering The Bible, Pastor Brown talks about the real messages in this sacred text, those that seem to get lost and even hijacked (my word) in the chatter and noise of today’s society.

Through his early ties to Christianity via his father, who is also a Pastor, and his own work with youth, running a faith-based non-profit, teaching as a professor, and co-hosting his own podcast, Jordan has grown and enhanced his engagement and study of society and community, seeking out conversations to understand what it is people might need.

Because he is realistic, understanding that a growing number of people is turning away from religion and that his own faith has been misinterpreted and misunderstood, he seeks to help people find its true meaning and applicability to all our lives, meeting people where they are.

Some highlights from this episode:

— What TGI Friday’s (yes, the restaurant) has to do with empowering the effectiveness of Jordan’s pastoral duties.

— That it’s okay to wrestle with that in which we believe. We shouldn’t pledge blindly to a belief without questioning for our own understanding. Faith in anything doesn’t have to be all or nothing, perfectly tied up and neat. Instead, it mimics life, which is about chaos and struggle.

— I realize how much of my own leadership foundation is built from my own exposure to the stories in The Bible when I was a child.

The Bible was also covered in Episode 19 of the The Book Leads with Karen Hinds, but each of these conversations is just as powerful, with my partners in conversation providing different voices and vantage points, experiences and stories when it comes to how the book has impacted their understanding of our tumultuous human lives.

The MAIN QUESTION that underlies my conversation with Jordan is, Are you willing to learn for yourself what others have already claimed to master, to take on and understand for yourself that which can be a point of contention and disagreement?

Jordan’s Bio: Jordan Brown is the Lead Pastor of [OV]Church in Norfolk, VA. He’s been in this position since October, and was previously the director of the Urban Renewal Center, a faith based social justice non-profit. In addition to this, he’s a professor at Wave Leadership College in Virginia Beach as well as co-host of the I-2-I Podcast (short for Inspired to Inspire). He’s resides in Suffolk, VA where he lives with his wife, Michón and their dog, Little Bear the Muppet. He is glad to serve as a confrontational peace maker and conversationalist.

Learn more about Jordan’s work:

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ey_KTZe

Learn more about The Book Leads: https://lnkd.in/eFb76ck

John M. Jaramillo Leadership Performance Coach

John M. Jaramillo is founder and leadership performance coach and consultant at Coach It Out, LLC.

In that capacity he helps clients throughout the organizational hierarchy break through to their next level of leadership performance and effectiveness. Clients realize just how much more of their abilities, experiences, and goals they can bring to the table. His professional experience in the public and private, profit and non-profit sectors allows him to transfer lessons across business industries, organizational structures, and leadership needs.

In addition to coaching, he enjoys writing, presenting and speaking on leadership branding and design as well as hosting two podcasts -- The Book Leads: Impactful Books For Life & Leadership and Mindset Talks: Life Beyond The Checkboxes.