Features Archives - kia speaks

November 8, 2020November 14, 2020Features, Theology

I’ve had a contentious relationship with God…

The first time I cursed at God was the summer of 2004. It was over some boy whose name I now forget […]

July 4, 2020July 5, 2020Features, justice, Theology

All Black Lives Matter to God

All Black lives matter to God, so how do we ensure that all Black lives matter in our communities? How do we live up to the divine mandate to ensure justice is an integral part of our society?

April 9, 2020April 9, 2020Features, Theology

Maundy Thursday Communion

Here’s a mini Maundy Thursday service. I really enjoyed this message from SarcasticLutheran. “Hurt people, hurt people. Forgiven people, forgive people. And […]

February 26, 2020June 24, 2020Features, Theology

Dust of the Earth Face Ass

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Humans are interesting creatures. We don’t like to face our own […]

February 24, 2020July 3, 2020Features, Uncategorized

Leaning Into Grief

Grief is a wet, weighted blanket being thrown at you full speed. It’s heavy. It knocks you down. It hurts. You can’t […]

December 2, 2019December 25, 2019culture, Features, Music

Grammy Listening Party 2020

Each year I attempt to listen to every Grammy nominated record or album. It’s as great way to find new music and […]

December 2, 2019December 25, 2019Features, Spirituality, Theology

We drank Hennessy and tequila and danced to our favorite songs in an old chapel surrounded by Christian icons and beautiful artwork, and it was holy. We saw the sacred in the secular, and God was in that place.

November 4, 2019December 25, 2019Features, Theology

Black Christ vs. the Enslavers God

Many of us have chosen to worship a God who resembles the white slave master, a God focused on controlling behavior, policing sexuality, and keeping people in their place, a God aligned with the capitalistic, white supremacist, sexist, and patriarchal values of mainstream America. But that isn’t the only God we have access to.

July 15, 2019December 25, 2019culture, Features, Music

The Danger of Discrediting “Strippers Rapping”

Salt-N-Pepa’s lyrics helped me learn to verbalize the concepts of sexual liberation, autonomy, and women’s ability to be sexual without losing their dignity. Their lyrics were a rebellious voice that challenged the sexism, respectability politics, and the confining and conservative interpretation of womanhood that was present in the church and culture around me.