good morning and welcome. it is always a privilege to host "mosaic," with my producer and co-host. we're in eastern tide season and that mean as time of renewal and juing easter a few weeks ago we hope you're in that resurrected spirits and your individual and res sur elected lives and we wanted to go beyond our choochs and congregations. we wanted to impact our society and world. it is a privilege to have of my friends and colleagues with me. they're friends because they have been here years ago and that is lobe jones with citrus

heights outside of sacramento. >> that's right. >> >> and reverend. >> tony: ken jins. >> great to have you both. >> absolutely. >> always. >> you're going to be saying a little bit about easter. what was easter like for you guys and how do you approach. >> it is the corner stone of our faith at christians. we celebrate the resurrection. this is a time of renewal and restoration in the lives of believers of jesus christ and so for us easter is a time for celebration, a time for continuing to pass on the great tradition of this is why we believe because we have a savior that loved us that god was willing to sacrifice god's only son for the entire world. it is a joyous time for us stho. thank you. anthony?

>> i agree with reverend bobby that i also feel that like the title of my sermon, ser ruer recollection leads to resurrection and i feel that the resurrection of our lord and savior jesus christ, it was about change and progressing and moving feared and i feel that's where we should be. whether than marking a begin okay change with the new year, it should start with the nee resurrection year and each year we should be moving forward in change, letting some things that maybe held us become and handcuffed us and in a spiritually unhealthy way, letting those things die and moving forward in a good spiritual way. >> i aappreciate both of you comments. >> how was it for you on that day? so what was your celebration like on that day of easter? >> the celebration was awesome. i mean, this -- the excitement that we had, we baptized 12

people. >> 1. >> on easter sunday or resurrection sunday and we had such a great time celebrating and these were all young people many of whom -- we had a couple of adults, but the majority jeer young people who made this decision for themselves. they're going to redead kit and dedicate their lives to god to live the a way that is witness to their relationship with our creator. so it was an awesome time. >> wonderful to hear that. >> at temple we began at the ocean. had our sunrise at the beach with the sand and the waves coming in and we were able to do some ministry with some of the homeless population as well as we had a very different group. some members and just some friends of members that came in fellowship with us prior to us going to having our contemporary service at temple

which starts at 11:00. >> that is tremendous for both of you. >> the next sunday is called low sunday. what was it like the next sunday? >> well, for us, we -- you know, praise god. we had a great turn out. and i -- my sermon that sunday was a fighting hope. and i believe that is the hope that god brought to us and sometimes with just the way the world is moving and oppression that we have to fight to have our hope, but as listening as we're anne chored in the rock jesus christ, we'll be okay. >> that is fantastic. what about the baptism, 12. >> 12. >> did system of them come back? >> absolutely. absolutely. it was such a wonderful time because we were still riding high. folks were still exit sod and really encouraging. and it really is about a new start, a new beginning. the resurrection of our lord and savior was a revolutionary

act. it was radical, and so this just journey, so we began to talk about, you know, you're a week older now in your new journey in life. so forget about what is buried in the old and that has passed, now move forward, begin to create newness in your life. begin to celebrate this new journey and look toward the future so that is what the resurrection is. it is about hope. >> we're going to take about ministrying this world and let's talk about your dynamic ministry. please join us. reverend anthony and reverend bobby. great friends and great colleagues in ministry together. [ music ]

welcome back. i had the privilege of serving with tease two dynamic ministries and what i discovered about them both is their strong prayer lives, strong preaching and so tell me about that. how did you develop such a prayer life that you both have and, of course, preaching an ongoing challenge. tell us little bit about that. start with you this time, anthony. >> i think what happens is that it starts from within. in my theology, i believe that there's something that happens in our life that draws us to

god, and when i was drawn to god, i developed that prayer life. to be honest, i was nervous at first because i thought that there was a prescribed way to relate to god, but after i began to grow into relationship with god, i knew that then i had the opportunity to speak to him just as i would speak to you or just as i would speak the a parent. so i became more open and more open, and the more open i became with god, the more revealing i became or more understanding i began to understand of myselfment and so through that i just began to strengthen it and now i'm in a place of just having a deep spiritual momentum in my prayer life and preaching. >> well, the advice to others, like the clergy who want to develop a deeper prayer life? i south florida i would say to loosen up with god, you know. don't go as if you have to be afraid of god. the scripture tells us to fear

god but translated into the greek or he brew it literally means respect. we can come with an openness. don't feel that god is this strong, stiff necked spirit. like reverend bobby say, god is radical, but he is radical in loving us as well, so just come with an open spirit. >> and you were with me for three years. we were all there together so that's how i know from personal experience your prayer life as well as your preaching. so your take on it. >> my prayer life is my personal relationship with god, creator, with god, and if i don't have that personal relationship that inspires me, that encourages me, that motivates me, that supports me and nurtures me, then i'm missing something. as in any relationship, it requires us to invest in it. >> that's right. >> it requires us to nurture it, to spend time developing

that relationship, and so my prayer life is out of that relationship with god. i want god to know me intimately and i believe god does, but more importantly, i want to know god. >> amen. >> and so i can go to god and be transparent. i can go to god and let it all out. as a pastor we don't often -- we often have to contain some things, but not for the relationship that we have where we nurture each other and support each other and we're spiritual warriors, if you will, and we're prayer partners. that's the thing that nurtures us. my relationship with god. my relationship with god.(.ecl) that's where i live. >> i wanted to start there because people think we might be an activist, engaged in our community, but it starts with our personal relationship with god and i want the congregations and the community to hear that. so you other grounded and centered and it is great to hear that. now let's talk about some of

the ways in which you engage in society and the community around you, like when the issues come up. how do you see your ministry? >> well, i see my ministry as, first and foremost, my faith must be relevant to the life i lead. so if i'm leading a life that, for example, if my son's school or the educational system here, well, i bring my faith experience and i bring my faith to that. there is no dichotomy in who i am. i am not just a pastor, but i am a man of god. and so to engage in things of the community, whether it be helping build a community garden. why do i do that? because out of my faith and being a good steward of the gift that god has given us, likewise, if there is a challenge, then we, the people of faith, and it is a personal

thing. for me it is a personal choice to engage that. i don't want to sit on the sideline and say what about is someone going to do something about that? >> you want to be there. >> i want to be there. >> and anthony? >> yes, i feel that i have a saying that you can't withdraw what you haven't deposited, and so what i mean by that is that we as pastors, we want more people to be involved in our church and our ministries, but i believe some churches build walls up. temple is the type of church where they kick the walls down, and we go out into the community, and i think that requires a personal relationship with god because your community out there working on -- you're community out there working on community things. well, what do i bring? i bring the spiritual integrity. and so we are involved in ministries that are outside in the community because when we lock at jesus, jesus, when we look at scripture, i think maybe one time he was actually

inside the temple. the rest of the time he was outside the temple and he was bringing the spiritual walk as god to the outside community. he ate with the tax collectors. he was there with the woman at the well and whatever her secular activities were. he was going out to the people. and so that's what we believe at temple. it is imperative that we knock down the walls of the church, which we have with the various ministries. >> it make me think, one of the few times he was in the temple, and you talk about the spirit of the lord is pointing him that was in his hometown and then he got ran out of town and almost killed! so sometimes it is not in the temple that we can have any kind of affirmation and support. >> right. sometimes it truly is out. but it is a boldness in and it is a boldness outside. it is not either, of. i think it is both. so at temple we're just so focused on, yes, having a vibrant praise and worship for all people.

come dressed as you can, be as you are, but also taking that outside of the walls with the various ministries that we have. >> right. >> absolutely. >> and i completely agree with anthony, reverend anthony, and for me it is -- we have to be radical in our thinking. for so listening and far too often we're trying to be safe. we're trying to be careful. we don't want to offend anyone. and so often we find that the spiritual, the faith component, the people -- you know, it is not about trying to be extreme on one side or the other, but we're talking about fair. for example, all parents want their children to receive education, quality education, and fairness and be equipped to compete globally in the work police and in the educational setting. and likewise, health care. all of these things, we bring a voice to that and say we need to be part of the process.

we need to be at the table. i'd like to say, and some of my colleagues like to say if you're not part of -- if you're not at the table, then you're probably on the menu. so we want to ensure that we're at the table and at least bringing the voice of those who typically have no voice and who are not typically considered. and i think that's what christ does, did, and does through us. and so we continue to do that. >> well, we're going to look at the next segment in a minute. i want to further this discussion because you guys are already hitting on some great points so please, please join us. reverend anthony, reverend bobby.

welcome back. during our break we got excited about the resurrection again, but one of our guests here, reverend anthony, was talking about the resurrection is not just with jesus. we are supposed to be resurrected, the people. and so we're hoping that this happens again throughout our community, congregations, and, again, how do you go about doing that? >> i think -- again, i'm going to go back to the beginning when we were talking about like new year's resolution. people come and say, well, it is new year's day. i want to lose weight.

i want to handle my finances better. i want to change. i want to improve myself. but i think more important than easter sunday or -- i mean new year's day, it should be resurrection day. we should see how are we growing? how can we improve ourselves on that day? and as i share immediate the break that i believe in my theology that jesus came not to just himself be resurrected but for the church to be resurrected. not just from death to life but in our daily lives, things that need to shed from us that are really dead and holding us back. we look at ourselves. where am i going next year in my spiritual journaly? >> good. [ and for me, echoing that, but more importantly, the resurrection is about getting up, moving forward, rising up. like the phoenix from the ashes. it is -- and as a pastor and

one who leads a faith-based organization here in the state, it is about lifting up the people. it is about empowering the people. it is about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, empowering others to fish for themselves as well, and so we believe, all of us believe, an people of faith, people of god, believe that if we'll vat the conditions of the least of us, it is greater for all of usment and so for me, i'm all about -- it is not just on easter sunday, but every day is a resurrection day. every day is about let's get up and let's celebrate the gift of life and what god has placed before us. let's g and celebrate. how do we do that? by living this life so we can spread some joy to someone. give someone some love, encourage anyone to kind of just play tag. tag, you're it. tag, you're it. just go and do likewise that's what christ did for us. >> okay. >> and i agree with reverend

bobby. also, it is like we have an organization at our church called bake. bay area immigration task force which is connected with the jus physician for our neighbors in washington, d.c., the fund, and it has to do with helping people who are trying to become citizens here of the united states, and then repelling the country's desire to put people out of our country. it requires a boldness in faith. and it means that, okay. churches don't do this. at temple, we do this. we provide legal services. we have a lawyer on full-time staff at the church and an office that does nothing but deal with immigration rights and issues to help people. and this service is done free. but it requires a boldness to go out. it is not what the country or some of the country may feel is the right thing to do, but as

people of faith, we feel it is the bold thing to do. >> temple is multigenerational? >> it is not the -- one of the most diverse churches in our conference being for lifestyle, for ethnicity, for ministry, and temple, really when it comes to this real diverse -- we're not pigeonholed into how someone should come to church dressed or how they should come and act. we are so bold at temple, churches sometimes have a habit of the old guard what i call them sitting in one seat autothe time. someone that is homeless, someone that is hungry, someone of a different lifestyle can come and sit in any seat and will be welcome. that's jesus. >> okay. >> amen. >> i understand there are about 14 different languages spoken there? >> 14 different languages and maybe a few more different ethnicities. >> okay that is an exciting place to be. >> amen. >> how wonderful that is.

>> and you have been in sacramento for about 10 years now. >> that is correct. >> in fact, i baptized your son, isiah. >> that's right. >> so it is good to see you again. >> you as well. thank you. thank you. and so when you're in sacramento, you're at the capital of things that are happening. we have just another minute or so in this segment. and you're the chairperson of the pass torse' organization there? >> yes, i am the president and the ceo of the black pastors and it is an agency and empowerment agency. we advocate on behah of just not african-americans, but we understand that in most of the best categories you can name, education, health, economic empowerment, we're typically take residence at the bottom. and so our efforts are to empower them. we work with different

communities, jewish communities, different faith backgrounds. so when we celebrate what jesus said love your neighbor. he didn't just say your black neighbors, your white neighbors, rich, poor, love your neighbors so that's what we do. in that you'll often find me and others at the capitol advocating on be- of many of the proposed legislations that is going forward. and so it benefits the entire state. and that's what we're about. >> when we come back in this last segment, and it is hard to see you guys go. >> it is hard to leave. >> come back in these last few minutes, these great ministers, reverend anthony and reverend bobby.

and i'm ron swisher and i hope you is a been with us this whole time because you have been inspired if you have been. in these last few minutes i'm going to ask reverend anthony

and reverend bobby, what is the most joyous part of your ministry and what is the most arduous and difficult? >> the most joyous time for me is being able to bring the good news of the gospel of jesus christ, and being able to help someone improve their life. it is not about living a life that -- the way i do or choosing to do things the way i would, but embracing their faith the way that is comfortable for them. my gettest joy is when someone says that they want to accept christ as their personal lord and savior and live out that faith. whatever that means. >> the most difficult? >> the most challenging is system of the community issues that we have to engage in, and that can be challenging because often you'll take shots from colleagues and and others in

the administration who would prefer you not to be out and even church members that you love. they would rather you not engage that. but when the call goes up, and there is a need, we must respond. we must respond. >> anthony? >> the joyous is, again, what reverend bobby said. it is spreading the good news of jesus christ. but also at temple, people realizing that the doors and arms of the church are open to everyone. one of the things that really excites me is when i see little children come to the church and enjoy being at church. running around the church with excitement, and bring taught about jesus christ. it really thrills my soul. >> the most challenging. >> the most challenging for me is breaking down the stereotypes of what christianity is. people feel -- some people stereotype their church and feel we're a bunch of righteous, self righteous hypocrites. that is not always true. a lot of times, and more times

than not we come as humble people with our hearts and hands open to help whoever we can, and to, again, like i said, live by the example of our jesus christ. no matter who it is, oring them sincere love. tell us where you are so people can go there where you are. >> i'm at citrus heights united methodist heights just north of sacramento. >> i'm at 65 beverly street in san francisco, 94132 is the zip code and we up site everybody. if you want to come to church and have fun. come to temple. if you want to be a part of aiture thatch is exsteamly diverse, come to temple. >> that's great. >> and first come to the community in fairfield! if you can't find temple, citrus heights! >> so you have to pass you first. >> amen. >> it is great to have you guys. i miss you, being together in ministry, but god is calling

you to do your individual ministries, and you serve wonderful churches, oak park and centennial, and, bobby, you have been at and of course anthony as been at tracy as well as now in temple. >> yes. >> so thanks for joining us. i'm ron swisher, and we hope that you have been inspired by these two great ministers. ,,

hi, everyone. i'm your host and we begin with a weekly pitch. if you are have a show requested, we'd love to hear from you. go to our facebook page. meant to the pig and hopefully we can get in touch. showtime time, you have heard the saying you can't love another until you love yourself. our guest would agree. his latest book "nothing changes until you do with the ," 40 short essays to rid your life of crippling doubt and pave the way to happiness. he is an expert in team work and the powers of appreciation and authenticity. how am i doing? pretty good. and he empowers others through seminars. let's meet the man behind the words. >> how ar