124. Racial Justice, Sexual Wholeness, and the Way of Jesus, with Rich Villodas, author of The Deeply Formed Life

Spiritual Life and Leadership

Rich Villodas is the lead pastor at New Life Fellowship and the author of The Deeply Formed Life, in which he explores five values that help us live in union with Jesus.
In this interview, Rich and I focus on two of those five values: racial justice and reconciliation and sexual wholeness. These are not values typically associated with spiritual formation, but they are incredibly important nonetheless to being formed in the way of Jesus.
THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Rich Villodas is the lead pastor at New Life Fellowship in Queens, NY, and the author of The Deeply formed Life: Five Transformative Values that Root us in the Way of Jesus.
• Rich shares the story of how he came to faith in Jesus and was called to be a pastor.
• The five values discussed in The Deeply Formed Life flow from the values of the church Rich Villodas pastors.
• These five values are:
  • Contemplative rhythms
  • Racial justice and reconciliation
  • Interior examination
  • Sexual wholeness
  • Missional presence
• Spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus for the sake of others.
• Rich Villodas explains why we need to think about racial justice formationally.
• Despite our many ethnicities, races, socio-economic backgrounds, and so forth, what unites all of us is that we have all been socialized in a racialized society.
• Rich Villodas unpacks what it means to be formed into sexual wholeness.
• Contemplative rhythms is about ordering our lives with God in such a way that we are living from a place of Communion, prayer, reflection.
• Rich Villodas explains why contemplative rhythms are so important for healthy spiritual leadership.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Rich Villodas
  • www.richvillodas.com
  • Instagram - @richvillodas
  • Twitter - @richvillodas
• Books mentioned:
  • The Deeply Formed Life, by Rich Villodas
  • Good and Beautiful and Kind, by Rich Villodas
• Related episodes:
  • Ep 123: Gentrification and Spiritual Leadership, with Mark Strong
  • Ep 112: The Beatitudes and Spiritual Leadership
  • Ep 111: A Gospel for the Sinned-Against, with Phuc Luu
  • Ep 87: Racism and the Trials of Hercules, with Dr. Jerome Butler
  • Ep 42: Speaking Out Against Injustice, with Kathy Khang
  • Ep 27: Developing a Framework for Intentional Spiritual Growth, with Markus Watson

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