Why Our Tears Matter with Rev. Ben Perry

“Love calls us to ask a ubiquitous question that happens across all the world's major religions: What does my neighbor need?” In this monologue, Rev. Jacqui Lewis reflects on how love—real, active, justice-rooted love—liberates. Moving through what she calls a "freedom arc" from Juneteenth to Pride to Independence Day, she challenges listeners to see love not as sentiment, but as a call to action. Drawing on faith, history, and lived experience, Jacqui names the discomfort, courage, and intersectionality required to truly love our neighbors. Whether confronting injustice within systems or at the family dinner table, this episode is a bold reminder that love is both our ethic and our path to collective freedom. Resources: Check out Rev. Jacqui Lewis's new childrens book coming in September, the Just Love Story Bible at this link. Rev. Jacqui is hosting the Freedom Rising Conference this fall in New York City from October 31st - November 2nd, 2025. Learn more here.

I think hope is about eyesight, keeping our eyes on the Holy One who is at work in us and in the world. As we prepare for a brand new season in 2025, Rev. Jacqui wanted to do a series of monologues this fall exploring ways in which we could listen, learn, and lean into peace during these challenging times. In this reflective piece, Jacqui explores the themes of Advent, focusing on the journey from darkness to light, and the significance of hope in challenging times. She discusses the importance of community, the role of faith, and the promise of restoration as articulated in the biblical text of Jeremiah. Jacqui emphasizes that hope is not just a feeling but an active decision to see beyond current struggles and trust in a brighter future. She draws on insights from various thinkers (Emily Dickinson, Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King Jr.) to illustrate the multifaceted nature of hope and how we can embrace it as a guiding principle in our lives. Resources: A transcript for this episode can be found here. Here is a link to the sermon Rev Jacqui references: LINK

"You are a theologian in residence in your own life, beloved." As we prepare for a brand new season in 2025, Rev. Jacqui wanted to do a series of monologues this fall exploring ways in which we could listen, learn, and lean into peace during these challenging times. In this monologue, Jacqui explores the power of love as a guiding principle in a world filled with division and hate. Drawing upon teachings within Christianity, and the power of Ubuntu, Jacqui explores how love is not just a personal sentiment, but a way of life that requires action, compassion, and a commitment to seeing the humanity in others. May you choose love as a lens through which to view the world, and to build communities that foster understanding and empathy for one another. Resources: A transcript for this episode can be found here.

What if your deepest identity came from God?   On this episode, writer and thought leader Tiq Milan joins Jacqui to discuss the transformative power of Love—particularly when we offer it freely and generously to our LGBTQ friends and family.  He offers: "My transness and my queerness make me closer to God. It's my gift. I feel present in this life because I get to be the man I need to be. I've come into the best version of myself."   Resources: To learn more about Tia, check out his website here. The transcript for this episode can be found here.  

What can we do today to prevent a bit more suffering for those around us?   An award-winning writer who serves as Scholar in Residence at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg joins Jacqui for the latest episode of Love Period, to discuss healing work that is happening around us even amid chaos and uncertainty.   She offers: “We must do the best we can to prevent as much suffering as possible. That is our main job down here, on earth. That’s the work.”  Don’t miss this moving conversation about finding clarity for the questions we face in our world today. Listen now online or subscribe to Love Period on your favorite podcast platform.  Resources: Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg's latest book On Repentance and Repair can be found here. The transcript for this episode can be found here.  

Does your work fulfill your spiritual purpose? On this episode of Love Period, Majora Carter joins Jacqui to help us understand what it means to be inspired to create a professional life that is fueled by spiritual principles.   As a real-estate developer, urban revitalization strategy consultant and MacArthur Fellow, Majora Carter’s thriving professional life is built on the moment she “found real meaning in the scriptures when Jesus says, ‘there are only two important laws: Love God and Love thy neighbor.’ And I realized—that is what I do! I love God and I love my neighbor. My work is a manifestation of that.”  We hope this engaging conversation inspires you to shift your way of living—and giving—to the world. Resources: Majora Carter's book Reclaiming Your Community can be found here. To learn more about her work, visit her website here. Rabbi Harold Kushner's book When Bad Things Happen to Good People can be found here. The transcript for this episode can be found here.  

What stories do we miss when we only read the Bible at the surface?  In this episode, Rev. Natalie Perkins, co-author of the new book In Trembling Boldness, helps us take a deeper look at how we read and experience traditional from the Bible, as well as stories from extra-canonical texts. Natalie offers us this: “We often approach the Bible as fact. It’s not about fact. If we approached it more like poetry, we would get a richer sense of the nature of the Divine.”   May this engaging conversation inspire you to change the way you read—and listen to—scripture. Resource: Natalie's book, In Trembling Boldness can be found here. Natalie's album can be found on Spotify | YouTube | and Apple Music. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

Do you see weeping as a spiritual experience?   On this episode, Rev. Ben Perry joins Jacqui to help us embrace the healing power of tears. Together they explore Ben's new book, Cry, Baby, discuss how scripture inspired it, and what tears have to do with our faith. As Ben explains: “Weeping after acts of violence reminds us that this is not the way God intends the world to be. This is not preordained violence, blessed by God—it is a violation of God’s intent for our lives.”  This moving conversation offers us a glimpse of what awaits us on the other side of sadness and grief, and how it can enrich our faith. Resources: Ben's book, Cry, Baby, can be found here. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

What modern rituals stir your heart?   On this episode, Rev. Otis Moss III returns to the show and offers his perspective on what living a spiritually awakened life means for us today. He explains, “Love your neighbor. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you are devoid of self-love, if you hate who you are, then you are incapable of loving your neighbor. And maybe that’s the most insidious thing about white supremacy. Many of us don’t love ourselves enough to love our neighbor.”  Resources: Rev. Otis Moss III's latest book, Dancing in the Darkness can be found here. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

How have relationships shifted your perspective on life and love?  In this episode, Jacqui talks with John Blake, an award-winning journalist who tells the story of his quest to reconcile with his white mother and the family he’d never met. Together, they explore how healing systems—from families to the culture of an entire country—begins with true and honest human connection.  This memorable conversation will shift your understanding of how building relationships and telling stories have the power to invite greater love and healing into every aspect of our lives. Resources: John Blake's book, More Than I Imagined can be found here. A transcript for this episode can be found here.