Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Every one life that avoids trafficking, there's probably a thousand lives that are impacted. What Jesus did, is he really. He worked to slowly but surely strangle out slavery. Sometimes these adventures of yes in our hearts, they are going to be costly.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: What I've realized is the best thing is to prevent something like that from happening, to stop it before it does.
The Love Justice Podcast is back. Season one was filled with great moments, and this season we have so much to unpack back in the fight against modern day slavery. Special guests include Justin Donald.
[00:00:36] Speaker A: I mean, there's all these studies that, like, over a certain amount of income, there's no additional, you know, happiness that comes from it.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Peter Greer. I think unintentionally there has been this message that we can cause harm with our good intentions.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: And Danielle Strickland, like, sometimes the undoing of injustice isn't as complicated as we make it. And I have this little theory that we overcomplicate things we don't want to do.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Here are your hosts for season two of the Love Justice Podcast, Jason Dukes and Hannah Munn.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Well, hey, welcome to the Love Justice Podcast. We are so glad you're here for season two. This is the intro episode for season two, and we're excited to look back and look forward and. And I'm really excited as well to be here with co host Hannah Munn. Hannah, how are you doing?
[00:01:30] Speaker C: Yeah, doing well. Good morning. I'm excited to shoot this today. We've been working the last several weeks on season two, and I'm just excited. I'm excited. We've got a great lineup of guests that have said yes to join us, and those conversations have been full. I would like. Just full of wisdom is probably one of the words I would use to describe it. Full of thoughtfulness.
And we've just got such an exciting lineup for season two.
[00:02:05] Speaker A: I agree. I mean, the conversations I was a part of and then the things I've heard from, the ones that, like, you and John were a part of, I just am so excited about. And we'll get to that here in just a minute. And in case you forgot, we want to remind you what our purpose is, which I think is important. We're here to share the ideas behind Love Justice's impactful work through these conversations that we're having with special guests about fighting the world's greatest injustices.
And like you just said, Hannah, I mean, the wisdom, the thoughts, the thoughtfulness, the way already that season two is shaping up is really exciting.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: Yeah. And first, I think it would be just appropriate to kind of acknowledge season one and some of the highlights there. And as I was praying and thinking about recording this intro, I feel like it's become very clear to me, you know, hopefully through the Holy Spirit of just the emerging themes Jason, where I think back to season one and we heard a lot about God's heart for justice and heard several of our guests talk about how God called, called them to his justice work and the role that we have to play.
In addition to that, we started unpacking Just Love Justice's anti trafficking model with our program leaders in a lot more detail.
Those program leaders are on the ground and we heard some really powerful stories of impact.
And when I think about the conversations that we had and just the late nights for me at least I think they were morning time for you because we're for listeners. Jason's in Nashville, Tennessee, I'm in South Africa. I would be up until maybe 10 o' clock at night recording an episode and would just be so on fire afterwards. It took me a while to go to sleep after those and would be so excited to debrief those conversations with my husband. And I think what was really special is it reignited a fire for this work for me which without making it too like I don't wanna make it about me, but as someone who's been in this for so long, It'll be my 10 year anniversary with Love justice this fall.
And I think that you naturally go through ebbs and flows where I really was in a season, you know, for the last year and a half of needing to be reminded of my own calling. And it was through those conversations with other people that I just felt like the Holy Spirit light that fire again of I am so fired up for this work. I'm so fired up for Love, justice and those and I just hope that that fire like was burning for our listeners too and that there was something going on in our listeners hearts as well towards this work that I'm really, really excited about. And then thinking about Jason Season 2, what the emerging theme is there is just how to do justice work. Well, yeah.
[00:05:15] Speaker A: No doubt, no doubt. And, and it's just, it's going to be amazing to me as I think one day when we look back even on season one and season two, I just am excited to hear some of the stories of how it ignited that fire that you're saying it ignited in you, how it ignited it in other people. And it's amazing. But I agree with you. I felt like I left every episode or even the ones I wasn't a part of which you hosted so beautifully. The. The.
Even those that I would listen to right later. It. Like you said, it just. It did what we hoped it would do.
And I think it's going to be even more exciting as we look ahead to season two. But before we do, like, think back on some of the highlights from season one. I mean, you know, we. One of them for sure was Mike Beckham, CEO of Simple Modern. Right. Like, what do you, you know, just thoughts about the wisdom he shared there.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: Yeah, I talk about his episode all the time, actually, and the story that he had about just his decision because he started off in ministry. And I think oftentimes you hear the other way around where people are called out of secular business. They're called out of the US To a different country. And Mike's story was one where he was in the throes of ministry for.
I think he said something like 10 years, was part of crew and was really wrestling with like, man, I feel like God is calling me out of this into business.
And it's almost that the opposite of most people wrestle with being called out of business to missions. And he was in missions feeling called out into business. And he did that. And the impact that he is having is tenfold.
And how just hearing his heart about how to start Simple Modern, well, the way that the investment model was just really inspiring. And I love amplifying stories like that just as much as we love amplifying stories that are telling people to go. But I think when I think of Mike, I just think of someone, you know, who felt called in a very unique way.
And his obedience in that actually led to him personally having so much more of an. An impact than he was probably in his first 10 years. And that was something he himself acknowledged, even though not to discredit the 10 years. Those are very meaningful for him. And you know, hearing him talk about that. But he, yeah, was. Was just inspiring in wrestling through that and really getting to the nitty gritty of how to. How he did that was what stuck out for me.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: I agree, I agree. And. And it. And it felt like he.
The. The. The wisdom that he dropped on what it means to have.
Do business well, but do generosity and impact well. It was just worth the listen. So if you missed that episode, please for sure go back and listen to it. I think you'll be definitely encouraged, challenged, sharpened by it.
Another one was Joel Smallbone, right with For King and Country.
I mean, that one was so fun to do. We both really dig for King and country even have some connections to them. Right. Just personally, you and I both do, and. And so it's just sweet. It was sweet to have that time with him. I mean, what's one of the highlights that stands out from that?
[00:08:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, Joel is just a really genuine, authentic guy. And I think what you see on stage, there's so much more behind the scenes and getting the privilege to talk to him and just his heart for this. He's had a heart for justice, women, children for a really long time. It's been a part of his story over the years. And just hearing the impact his mom had on the way that he thinks about women and the value that women bring, especially in the midst of injustice. And yeah, I think, you know, thinking back to his message of God cares and sees the least of these, and he cares and sees women and children and our call as Christians is to love them.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: And just hearing about his perspective of loving them through his own creative gifts, through the priceless movie, through the priceless song, how he uses his voice in their industry and in their concerts on behalf of the least of these was so unique. And, you know, I probably have used that word with both Micah and Joel, but just seeing people really capitalize on their gifts and yeah, watching and thinking about, like, man, not one of us is the same. And God has created each of us so uniquely. And we're all a part of the body, and each body part has its function in this. In this fight. And so, you know, hearing from a business perspective and then hearing from a creative perspective was so cool, especially because I have very little experience in that world. I just appreciated Joel's heart and perspective in that.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: No doubt about it. No doubt about it. And then we had another one that was. Definitely got a lot of listens for us. Those two. Mike Beckham, Joel, Christy McClellan. That was a fun one as well. Talk about that. Talk about that episode.
[00:10:50] Speaker C: K. Mac is my woman. I was gonna say my girl, but she is a woman.
And yeah, Christy has such a deep knowledge about the context of the Bible and the. The particularly the time and the people and the environment in which the Bible was written. And if. If you guys haven't checked out Jesus and women, if you haven't checked out her study the running Father, if you haven't checked out any of her resources, she has made the Bible come alive for me.
And in that, she talks about saying yes to the adventures that find us and saying yes to what God is putting in front of us. And this idea that Our lives are living water, and the spirit is living water, and it's always moving. We don't want to be stagnant. And I think the context and the depth of the word that Christy brought to this perspective of injustice was nothing short of incredible.
I mean, like, I will K. Mac is awesome, and her knowledge is beyond, beyond, beyond, beyond. And, yeah, that was. She just had a lot of good encouragements, I would say, in her episode to the mom who might be nursing or the young man who's doing a 9 to 5 and grinding it out. What does it look like to say yes to injustice and to what God is calling us in those moments where we very much might be in a mundane season? It doesn't mean that it has to stay that way, and it doesn't mean that that will change. It just means what does it look like to say yes to the things that God is putting in front of us, whether it's moving overseas or tithing a little bit more? You know, it could be on any realm of that spectrum. And she had a lot of good thoughts to say on that.
[00:13:00] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. I agree. I agree. And it's fun, too, because we've got similar guests like her with that kind of gifting and that kind of insight for season two, which we'll get to here in just a second. I mean, just wrapping up the thoughts on season one, you know, we had Brian Olson, who was on the Voice. He's been a longtime supporter. We had Spencer Patton, who's a local Middle Tennessee guy, but just a very influential leader here. We. We had our own CEO and founder, John Molineau, multiple times. But he dropped some serious wisdom in the one on impact.
And, and, and just love. I mean, that's. His gifting is to talk about impact and engineering impact. And, and we could go on and on, but just overall, it felt like season one did what we hoped it would do.
[00:13:49] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. And I would say something that I'm looking forward to about season two is we're going to hear from John a lot.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:57] Speaker C: And it's no secret and no surprise to anyone familiar with Love justice that John is a very untraditional CEO. He is one that is based in the field.
His.
His gifting is impact engineering.
And he's not, you know, spending a lot of time outwardly facing. He's spending a lot of time inwardly, like, refining, sharpening, innovating, and that's just who he is. And so I think that this podcast is actually a really great platform to allow people to get to know John and to get to know him for the incredible leader that we all know him to be.
To be the incredible visionary that we've all experienced in a lot of ways and to really hear, I would say the heart behind the mission of Love justice. And not just, you know, getting into the nitty gritty of here's how we do transit monitoring, which we will get into, but more what is the scripture behind Love Justice? What is the brokenhearted anointing stories behind building this ministry and what are the things that John has learned along the way? And you know, he was based in Nepal for 20 years. He's now in South Africa. And he has a lot of wisdom and a lot of wisdom from failing fast and often that I think the Lord just really met him in. And I'm excited for people to hear that from John and really hear more from him and get to know him and get to know his big thoughts behind this incredible impactful organization that God has really called him to build.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: No doubt, no doubt. And you said it right. I mean he's that non traditional CEO but who without question has like, I mean I'm out with a lot of our donors and partners all the time and, and, and then even in as part of expanding that network. And I can tell you in the last 12 months I've been in multiple rooms where as I give two three minute spiels even on who we are, where we've been, the impact we're having, the way we measure and the way we can even demonstrate that impact and the way it's even aff.
Modern slavery itself. Right. Like the way, I mean like and, and people are just wowed that we actually can talk down into the data and into the weeds that give specific. And that's John and his heart and his leadership and we're very, very thankful.
I, I don't want to fail to mention too from season one, Paula who's on team with us did some amazing stories. If you missed those episodes, go back, check those out. She'll be doing some more this season as well and just excited because she's able to kind of capture some of those really unique and beautiful stories that, that are, that come across really well in the podcast form.
[00:17:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:02] Speaker A: So like we built on, we, you know we're kind of now this for season two we're building on a foundation. Right. Season one was about how God cares, how he calls us to Justin justice work. Season two about doing justice work with wisdom and impact. And so let's, let's Dive into that, talk about some of the themes that we're looking at focusing on for season two.
[00:17:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
Well, one of the first guests that we interviewed was Daniel Strickland, our Canadian friend from up north. And we really talk about a brokenhearted anointing and how getting involved in meaningful, impactful justice work starts with God breaking our heart for what breaks his.
And thinking about this work in the context of who's the person that we love the most and what if this was happening to them and getting to a place that's deep, a deep well of motivation, inspiration, and that calling. Because I think what this work requires is people taking steps of obedience in a long, straight direction for a long period of time.
And so I think that we need to be grounded in that brokenhearted anointing. And Danielle impacts that with John of what that looks like, what it means. And then thinking about the conversation with Tim Nip, who was one of, I would say, kind of the visionaries and one of the first people that went to Nepal with John where they caught this vision for the ministry. He was one of the original five that, you know, started this with John and have seen it from beginning to end. And hearing from him about just the promises in Isaiah 58 that come with prayer and fasting and the type of sacrifice that God calls us to, because I don't. I don't want to beat around the bush like getting involved in injustice will take sacrifice, but it's not without these magnificent, sparkling, mysterious promises in Scripture that are outlined in Isaiah 8. And so Tim and John unpack that for us. And then we talk with Justin Donald about how to invest financial resources in meaningful work, how to vet opportunities and nonprofit opportunities to make the most return on your investments. I loved that conversation because I think having that perspective on our giving, not just to love justice, but in general is really important. And hearing it from someone who, you know, has a wealth of knowledge in that world. That was a really cool conversation with Justin.
We also talked with Peter Greer, who is the CEO of Hope International and just has a lot of wisdom for people in this nonprofit space of how to help those who need it the most with a sense of urgency and a sense of thoughtfulness that leads to long lasting impact, which I think, yeah, the way that we think about impact really matters. And we hear a lot about that from John. So that's just a teaser of all the incredible guests that we have lined up for this season. And we have more. We have advocates, we've got stories, we've got one of the Monitors from the field that are gonna get on and talk about the work. And we've just got an incredible lineup for season two. That, again, I think the emerging theme is how do we do this well and how do we do it thoughtfully and how do we do it with wisdom and with the bottom line being fruit, but not at the cost of the one, because I think we can hold both of those things really well.
Yeah. So excite. Really excited.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: Totally. Totally excited. And, and, and there's others that we haven't mentioned that we are super excited about as well. And, and some of those we're going to just keep quiet about right now because you'll have to anticipate with us. And.
[00:21:12] Speaker C: Yeah, we can't give it all away.
[00:21:14] Speaker A: Subscribe and stay tuned and pay attention as we. As we go about this. And, and so one thing I do want to say, if you've been a faithful listener in season one, you know, share. Share about what? What? Share us. Share about the podcast with friends that, you know, care about this kind of justice work.
That'll be significant. That'll be big. So make sure you're subscribing that kind of thing, but also send us feedback. I mean, give us, you know, whether it's on our LinkedIn or on Instagram or on, you know, Facebook or on X, whatever, and, and then, you know, certainly just send us information back and you can send it, even send to marketingovejustice ngo, you can send a note to that email and if you want, and we'll certainly respond to you. But thank you for how you have listened for those that are our current faithful listeners and help us grow that base. Why not? Because we want to have a popular podcast. We're actually not that worried about that. We actually just want more and more people to care deeply about this work, about fighting human trafficking and about fighting the greatest injustices in the world.
[00:22:22] Speaker C: Yeah, we want to call the church.
Oh, sorry, go.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: No, no, go ahead.
[00:22:27] Speaker C: I was just gonna say we want to call the church to Love justice.
[00:22:30] Speaker A: Yes, yes, it's exactly right.
Yeah. And so along those lines, I'll go ahead and give this teaser. We, our founder wrote a small group study that we're actually right now in beta with. We're getting some feedback from some churches that have already walked through it and, and so be looking for that. We'll likely announce that at some point in the course of season two as well, which will be fun.
[00:22:53] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: So as we wrap up here, like, like real quick, Hannah, share just what's. What's something that's stirring in your heart about this upcoming season that, that just really excites you about the chance to get on with these guests.
[00:23:09] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that Love justice has a lot to share with this space.
Not just about our work, but about the way that we approach our work that I would say is the secret sauce, the secret weapon to our impact, to the way that we operate. That I think, yeah, it could just be really inspiring.
And I think about last season, even there were multiple mentions of Gary Haugen and how many people in our circle and in our guests were connected to this one man who took a step of faith and built something absolutely incredible, you know, with. And partnered with the Lord in that. And I think that, you know, Love justice has a lot of really thought provoking ideas that, that are under the radar, that I'm just excited for those to come out. And again, not for the purpose of elevating our own status or for people to say, look at Love justice, but for the kingdom and, and saying like, you know, we can, we can share these ideas with the hope that it's going to inspire someone else, whether it's in their giving, whether it's in their prayer and fasting, whether it's in the way that they choose to engage in their own nonprofit work and to share that wisdom, to make the greatest possible impact on the least of these and to share the love of Jesus Christ by doing that.
I think that would be the heart, and that's what I'm excited for our listeners, is just how to love justice and do it well.
[00:25:05] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. And I agree with you. I mean, that is exactly what our prayer is, exactly what our hope is, as Micah 6, 8 says, right, we want to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with our God. And our name as an organization comes from Isaiah 61, where it says, I, the Lord, love justice. And it talks about, you know, preaching good news to the poor and setting the captives free and the beautiful mission that Jesus not only embarked on, but now invites us into. And so we just, we really hope as you listen that you'll understand and realize you're being invited into impact.
You're being invited into a chance with your generosity, with your time, with your. With your voice to have impact and to help keep people free.
And that's just what I love telling people is our work is so unique because we help intercept someone as they're on the way to be sold into modern slavery, but we intercept them before that happens. And so we're just excited about how we can continue to keep this conversation going and invite others into it with us and learn from those special guests that we invite on in season two and the ways that they think about justice and the mission of Jesus and about fighting the world's greatest injustices. And so we're looking forward to season two and all that's to come. And so just let, I'll let you wrap it up. How about that? I'll let you wrap it up as we, as we close out today.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I think it would, the wrap up would almost be a prayer of just, lord, come and be with us in this season.
Do what only you can do and light those fires, like set that fire down in our soul for the, the things that you care about.
And I am just expectant of what the Lord is going to do in and through these conversations, through generosity again, through prayer and fasting, through the way that we engage. I, yeah, I don't, that's, that's a prayer that he's not, not going to answer.
And so just praying that over all of our listeners. And we'll catch you on the first episode of season two. Thanks, guys.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: We are grateful for the generous support of the Love justice community. Please consider joining our family of donors. Learn more at lovejustice ngo.
