Stories and lived experiences I do believe change minds more than anything else. A sheltered world is an ignorant one. Of course new awareness brings its own disruptions and burdens and we will each have our own opinions about when and at what age or how much people ought to know about any given thing. … Continue reading “It comes before the birth…”
Author: devonbailey
The new Young Life document
In every conversation I’ve had with Young Life staff and leadership since “Do Better Young Life” began nearly a year ago, the one attainable ask we all felt we could get from the ministry was public clarity. Perhaps one day that will come. In my view it is harmful for youth to be asked to … Continue reading The new Young Life document
Young Life & Binary Safety Policies
Ministries like Young Life need to understand that gay and non-binary people actually exist. They are real people, humans, they have feelings. We live in a non-binary world despite the specifics of the Genesis poem. Sure there’s night and day but there’s also dusk and dawn. There’s land and sea, there’s also swamps and marshes. … Continue reading Young Life & Binary Safety Policies
Questions.
In recognizing my abundance of posts, let this be the last post for the week: It is regarding questions I have asked people. Regarding election fraud, if you do not trust the courts, the states, the governors, the secretary of states, both Republicans and Democrats when they tell you there was no substantial election fraud, … Continue reading Questions.
Joy is the invitation.
I know so many people who voted for Trump. I believe your support of this man was wrong in a way that transcends partisanship, but for me and my heart, that's not the end of our story. In all the ugliness that has been brought to the surface over the last several years, I met … Continue reading Joy is the invitation.
The Soul of our Vote: a post for Election Day
How are you feeling today? What is happening in your body? How do you feel about the choice before you? What worries sit close to your heart? It’s hard to imagine any person not feeling some sense of anxiousness about what is about to take place in our country.Whether you like Biden or not, the … Continue reading The Soul of our Vote: a post for Election Day
John Lewis
I wanted to share my three John Lewis stories. My first was a day that was an accident on the scale of just how memorable I expected it to be. I had long awaited the grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. I had heard that Public Enemy and … Continue reading John Lewis
Do Better YoungLife.
My first draft of this was over ten pages. I hope you feel the grace that went into cutting it in half. Over the last week I have seen so many brave people come forward with stories of the ways in which YoungLife has hurt them. I feel it is important to say none of … Continue reading Do Better YoungLife.
An Invitation to Young Life & The Bible Churches that raised me:
An invitation to my Christian siblings from many and far traditions. But especially the ones that raised me. Namely Young Life and Bible Churches: The other day I saw Young Life and communities I once belonged to participate in a solidarity "blackout" with the black community of this nation. In one Young Life post it … Continue reading An Invitation to Young Life & The Bible Churches that raised me:
Interrupting Racism
Sermon 3/22: A link to listen to this sermon is provided here. Intro: Hello, if you have never met me, my name is Devon Bailey and I am the Director of Youth Ministries here at First Church. When I first came out to interview for this job, I was literally leaving a protest. A 10 … Continue reading Interrupting Racism