Anthony Beavers and Jeralyn Wilhite

00:00 Hello, my name is Anthony beavers. I'm in Shreveport, Louisiana. I'm 57 years old and my

00:14 One small step chat partner is Geralyn.

00:24 All right. My name is Geralyn. I'm 29 years old. Today is Tuesday, April 20th, 2021. We're in Shreveport, Louisiana. My partner's name is Anthony and he is my one small step conversation partner.

00:53 Hi, hi, I'm Geralyn. I've lived in Shreveport. Most of my life. I am an ordained minister in the Church of Nazarene and I serve locally as children's. Pastor at my church. I also

01:13 I am also a local real estate agent. As far as politics goes. I am very middle of the road. There are certain aspects of each party that I can appreciate and Sons that I couldn't agree with. I'm looking forward to talking with you.

01:32 Anthony says, I'm in my fifties and I have enjoyed a full life. I'm a veteran, having served in the Navy. An adventure with patent pending and granted a published author of the book. Holy the Bible companion. I am a black man. And as such I have that perspective, you I watch the new but I searched many resources for truth. We're ultimately it is the truth. That makes us lie.

02:01 So it is Our Fate. Would you like to wire me first?

02:15 It says take 3 to 4 minutes to share like 3, so you want to go first. I will I guess since I put in my bio. I didn't know that it was coming respected in my first view of politics probably started.

02:39 Not probably, it started when I was very young.

02:46 Toddler when Martin Luther King was assassinated. My mother had us watch that. Every year. They used to be broadcasted on television annually on the anniversary, and I became conscious of

03:07 Something important maybe not necessarily understanding the significance. That's where I began in adulthood. I have to say, I took of you when Reagan was elected, when I was in high school and began to kind of put pieces together, as to how and took Civics in high school, begin to put together how it actually worked and being a registered voter.

03:49 Since I was able to vote, I will say last year. I almost did not vote for the first time in the presidential election been pretty consistent in the

04:11 Send it in.

04:15 For the Congress Congressional elections in between presidential as far as my face. That begin early as well.

04:30 Raised in the church, my whole life. And

04:37 Pretty much.

04:39 I guess the easiest way to put it in perspective, as to how my beliefs were formed, You My Mother, specifically. And I save my mother. She's widowed my mother and father, they from their storytelling.

05:01 Specifically raised our household, and I have six, siblings are seven of his large family based on the Bible. If they had a disagreement, they would defer to the scriptures. And whatever the Holy Scripture said, that would be the deciding factor. My father was by no means.

05:30 Man, chasing the keys mode. They were in a partnership that said.

05:37 She's so specifically informed us that children, cover your ears. Santa Claus was not real so that when she told us that Jesus was real, we would believe her. She didn't want us to grow up. Thinking is Santa Claus was a real and then find out that he is not Andy and have a question, you know, Jesus existence and that was the beginning and from there.

06:14 It's been arrived, some asides. I served in the military. As I said, in the Navy. When in pretty green. I thought the world was the rolls loser. I thought that up.

06:43 People were better than they generally are.

06:46 And or 10 can beat everybody has.

06:52 You know, they're on Garrity, but I was kind of green.

06:58 College.

07:00 Rhoda books.

07:02 IPad.

07:04 It's so pretty much it married have a child.

07:09 And lots of your time trying to make the world a better place or spread, the good news and get people to understand that the

07:24 As a route, the Bible can be confusing reading Old English dialect is it is it is hard enough without trying to go back two thousand years and describe.

07:43 The teachings of the Christ. So I'm just trying to make it simpler for people to understand the reality and the goodness and the truth.

07:57 LOL.

08:00 Of the Holy scriptures, the gospel.

08:07 How about you?

08:09 Well, I was born in New Orleans. I grew up on the North Shore in a little town called Franklinton, Louisiana. And we move district court in two thousand and

08:25 Want no? MM. Yes. So I'm the oldest of four siblings and I kind of like, remember my life in, like arrows, like this is before, the twins. Are they, you know, the baby.

08:46 This is my home and I

08:50 Graduated from high school here and went to Northwestern got my degree in elementary education taught Elementary music for five years and my middle three years for the best three years of my life. I thought it Timmons Elementary which they closed recently, but if I could have stayed there, I would have retired there. It was still has the best but I got into real estate a couple years ago.

09:24 And I are now I'm working at a chiropractor's office serving at the church and doing the real estate. And so my life is pretty chaotic and hectic, but I was hoping in the next, 15 years old, the sific lie. I felt called to open and run a children's home. So in the next year, my goal and plan is to go back to school. Get my Master's Degree and nonprofit Administration. I will plan is actually my passion right now. My goal would have figured out what I want to do. I want to open and run a home for girl to your aging out of foster care system.

10:11 And so that's where I'm kind of headed that your I feel like all these roads that I have. No walk down, have kind of lead me to Tire with that the education background the, you know, that the ordination I got ordained in October of 2020 by the church and have green, which was a long time coming. We have this whole course of study where we have to go through and we have to answer questions and be interviewed in every year and so it was a hole in the street. But yeah, for my dream. And then

11:04 I'm actually separated from my husband at this point and I don't think I'll be getting back together to get back with my wife. We still communicate.

11:20 Yeah.

11:21 We we won't be getting back together, but it's okay.

11:27 It's better for both of us, just say, so and my parents are phenomenal. They've been married since 1988. They were 18 and they got married. So it was kind of, you know, growing up with this story was kind of incredible and they're just the cutest things. I can't stand it. But you know, my family is kind of like the most important thing to me in. So I'm just really, really blessed and grateful to have them in my Pina, my friend. So if that's okay, and you're speaking.

12:19 I'm a.

12:22 Technology is good. My parents were married young and she was 17. I believe. And

12:37 Take me to take knowledge.

12:40 I have a question.

12:49 You say your middle-of-the-road in your politics, but

12:58 Unique.

13:00 On my bio or be survey. I had said that I was conservative in my

13:12 Thinking regarding,

13:15 Morality, but I do not believe that it should be politically.

13:23 Legislated, I don't think it can be and

13:31 Is it can only be taught and I'm wondering if we are put together as conversation Partners to?

13:43 Consider.

13:47 The nature of the

13:54 We're speaking on the divisions of politics and we're speaking together.

14:00 To try and heal that wound.

14:05 But from what I can see.

14:08 I share your.

14:11 Perspective already before I'm liberal in the the freedoms that we have, but I'm conservative in the morality, but I do not vote.

14:26 Morality, do you?

14:30 Vote on those wheel abortion. I can that I can pull the words to put it in a form, but like abortion and gun control are those. How important are those to you?

14:47 So,

14:49 I do not vote loyal to a party. I am not registered with a party simply because

15:00 I can't fully get behind.

15:05 Either one. There's there's a lot of gray areas. And, you know, that's something that I've been.

15:15 Kind of,

15:17 Thinking through.

15:20 You know, being raised in the church and, you know, obviously I am very committed to what I believe.

15:35 But,

15:37 I've seen a trend where

15:45 At least on.

15:48 In my, in my perspective, a lot of

15:52 Christianity has been devoted to a certain party.

15:59 And so, not only do we have the division in politics that we also have this division in that church, that comes directly from the politics. So if you, you know, believe that a woman should have the right to have an abortion while then you're a liberal Christian and you're going to hell, but if you don't believe that a woman should be able to have an abortion, then you're conservative. And you don't love people like Jesus loves people and I can't.

16:32 Get behind. Either one of those prospective.

16:35 I believe in grace.

16:40 I believe that every situation.

16:45 Is different.

16:48 And,

16:50 I believe that you don't.

16:57 I believe that you have to vote your conscience.

17:01 And,

17:04 Tell me the things.

17:07 Cuz my daughter listen to look at them.

17:18 I feel like there's so much other stuff to take into consideration that I need to bring along the lines of who I think is going to be the best person for the job and sometimes that somebody I disagree with on something.

17:37 And sometimes there's nobody, I do agree with you, but I have to book my conscience and for me, that takes a lot of a long. I did not know for sure who I was dating for until the day of the election. Because I mean it took so much out of me so much anxiety because I I wanted to do what I thought was right for our country and man, it was tough.

18:14 But yeah, for me, I always vote my conscience and and I always, you know, take a really long time to figure out.

18:22 Who are we voting for? And that's what all of them not just presidential bit.

18:34 What about you?

18:41 I'm a registered independent.

18:47 But I have to say that I have mostly voted Democratic. If not, exclusively Democratic. I can't recall.

18:59 Republican that I voted for other than maybe buddy Roemer. If he was a Republican.

19:08 He certainly left an impression since I'm calling her all these years later, but

19:17 Primary early voting liberal. And I think that's because well other than the fact that what we see now taking place with the Republican party, and a recognizing that

19:39 Bass Coalition of the Republican party or I won't even call it. The Republican Party, the base of the representatives major third-party right now or the one that's

19:56 In the

19:58 Front of the news is a essentially racially-based or money based. There's not a concern necessarily from my perspective for the country and I

20:21 Boat in that. That's what convinced me to go in the boat. My frustration didn't want to vote but I can't quit. This is what we have. This is what we're working on it, but

20:40 That's where I bought from. And that's where my heart lies for a long time. I had on my Facebook page that I was bleeding, heart liberal, and a couple of years ago. I had dated it to include the conservative perspectives because I do believe in the Holy Scripture, you know, sometimes we don't agree with this, the scriptures from our you know, life's path makes us

21:15 Makes us a

21:20 You know, we have our biases, you know, you experienced something is going to shape your life. But I do believe from a liberal perspective that everyone walks their own path and they have their own choices to make and learn. And if positions will run for a learning and understanding, you know, like that a lot to teach you, you know, pretty much where I am politically, I'm, I will say this,

22:04 I'm very discouraged about the prospects for the future or let me say this back up. I'm very optimistic about the prospects for the future spiritually.

22:21 The kingdom is coming from my perspective, but for America, and society, as a whole it's a pretty

22:35 Disturbing place. They were at, you know, you look at history. And if you understand history.

22:46 Where in the volatile place are go to my participation in this conversation over when we can bring it down and get through this without where certain elements are are carrying us. We do not have to go there and

23:07 But my concern comes from what, you know, like Native Americans will say to Wing, same bird, you know, it's important for me to me, you know.

23:25 According to God's plan that is opposed to political.

23:32 Political Unity. We need shirts to be United, you know, you were saying that there was a division of the church. The church has to follow the teachings of the Christ. You can't just take the parts that you like and like them and take the parts that condemn you and throw them out the window, you know, you have to work with it. All these thought.

24:01 A lot and it's all true. That's what I've come to learn. It's all true.

24:07 And good.

24:10 Definitely. Yeah, we are staying life has a lot to teach you and I've been kind of reflecting on that because I'll be 30 this year and not just really seems like kind of a big change.

24:27 It's not that I'm like, oh my gosh. I'm getting older like I'm okay with that. But like

24:33 I just been reflecting on how much.

24:38 I don't know, you know and like,

24:45 I agree with you about being optimistic and also not optimistic. You know, I I look at this.

24:53 And there's so much that I didn't know that, I didn't know, like about how our nation is and how our nation work. And I think about what I want for any future children that I might get to have and

25:11 I don't want what we have right now, you know, I want them to grow up loving people. And, you know, treating people fairly and

25:24 It just seems like right now everything that is presented to us is bad.

25:30 I've quit watching the news. I don't don't.

25:36 I can't I can't take all this terrible stuff all the time every day. It's too much and my goal in life. You know, you said I think at the beginning you said you want to make the world a better place.

25:54 My goal is to leave the world better than I found it and I want.

26:04 I want.

26:06 Are our country that have that same line that but it just seems like everything that's shoved at us is so very negative.

26:16 And so I think that's part of why I wanted to do this today was too, you know.

26:23 Maybe find find someone who is on board with that because it is hard to be, you know.

26:33 It's hard to try to see both sides when all that's presented to. You is heavy and hard and I understand like that's reality.

26:44 But there's also good there somewhere.

26:47 I think we have to find it. There's good and bad in everything. That's what I learned while. I was in Winter Haven. You go anywhere in the world. There are good people. There are bad people. There are rich people, there are poor people, you know, there's

27:15 People are people, you know, everybody's walking their own journey to come into this world. We don't know anything, but what we're taught, you know what I mean, so,

27:28 We are all specifically taught in are no one's perfect. No one is perfectly taught and we take these pass, you know making plenty of mistakes.

27:47 Rainy day. We are saying up and we won't mention in this conversation, but we make those mistakes and take our own pads, but it was an experience that I had brought me to where

28:05 I came to an understanding that.

28:12 Better honest reflection of mirror, you know.

28:20 Looking at yourself and

28:25 Asking the question that you're asking yourself now.

28:31 What do I really know? I'm learning these new things. I didn't know and I came to a conclusion that I had this great to clean because everything that I knew I was taught and I didn't necessarily research.

28:51 What I was taught for the truth, you know, and that's where I really got serious with my best to gation of the scriptures, you know, claim to be the truth. My mother told me it was the truth and

29:11 Nobody else necessarily.

29:16 Made those claims and I started there.

29:20 And a

29:24 Going coming from that, you know, deep diving that is where the truth lies and the Santa Claus for example, or

29:39 Or liberals vote, you know, it is not that simple. It's it's binary, you know, but it's not Democratic democrat or republican for me. Now. It's a good versus evil or right or wrong. You know, that's the binary decisions and if we are unable to come as a nation as a society because it's essentially worldwide.

30:18 Unable to

30:21 Come to a place where we can accept, what is right and what is wrong, you know, we're going to always have confusion and Chaos, almost psychotic government. You know what I mean? You're struggling with, okay. I want people to be able to do what they want to do on walk their own path and learn at their own pace. And, you know, see from their perspective while I try and persuade them to my, to take a couple of steps over and see from my perspective.

31:01 But it has to be from a place of solid foundation of what is good. And what is evil? You can't just stop?

31:13 Take the lesser of the two. There is no lesser of the two eras. The common good or there is not but there's the common. Good is a common eagle.

31:28 For me, that's what I see. So I think people, you know, they think the people just go to church and try and take money.

31:39 Or.

31:41 Go to church. And, you know, it was.

31:45 There was a real Damage Done in the Catholic faith with the

31:55 You know, scandal with the priests, you know, babe. It's not exclusively is not exclusive to the Catholic church. And you know, I read about a Baptist member. I believe it wasn't it in Atlanta who gave their their congregation the blues and it doesn't have to be Atlanta. It's all over. So

32:22 To try and

32:24 Me, what I want to do, teaching the teachings of the crisis, get people to recognize the very real danger of what we do. That is not right. We paid for that. You know, it's it does not happen without effect, if you do something wrong.

32:51 It is going to end in a wrong results and you may feel like you've gotten away with it. But there's no such thing as it comes back and you're the white. So.

33:05 Getting that into them.

33:09 Politics is a necessary to me. I don't believe necessarily in separation of church and state. No, I don't think the government should.

33:25 Be a leader of religious practice, but I do believe that religious practice should inform our government.

33:45 I,

33:47 Kind of has maybe lost faith in the government and maybe lost faith isn't the best trade for it?

33:58 But,

34:00 I'm to the point where I think that we're only going to make a difference.

34:07 On the personal level, as individuals or as you know, congregation because from what I have seen, the only thing that really matters to politicians is money.

34:25 And Power.

34:28 And it doesn't feel like they care about us at all. There. Just, you know, up there doing their big ol show and we're just supposed to go along with it. So I'm to the point where I feel like the only thing that's going to bring about change is if people do things like that. He knows people talk to other people or hard because so many times. We live in Echo Chambers and we only talked to people who think like we think or do the things that we do. We only hang out with people that we have stuff in common with natural. I mean, that's really natural heat. You find people that make you feel good and you hang out with those people and when and when you hang out with people challenge you to think differently, that's not quite as easy. And so,

35:23 It. I think.

35:28 It would help if we would be willing to talk with people who think differently than we do. I think it would lead to a lot of personal growth, but I also it would lead to a lot of

35:41 Change in our society because I think when you when it comes down to it.

35:48 You know, where is very different, but all of us have things in common, there are things that bind us all together.

35:58 And then, they'd issue I think is just that we're not to a point where we're at.

36:07 Willing to do that anymore, you know, and I Economist like

36:14 An interesting.

36:16 We were down in Franklinton for a funeral a little while ago, be weeks ago, and people just stop by. You know, like they would just show up at my grandmother's house and be like, hey, it like, it's so good to see you and if people we haven't seen in forever, but that's kind of a common practice, you know, any time. I'm at my grandmother's house, people just stop by and just hang out for a little while. He's come sit on the couch. Nobody's got there. So, now everybody is talking in, it can get loud and chaotic, cuz we have a large family, and then you add more people to it. And $17 is going on at one time. But he's lost the art of sitting on the front porch, or sitting around the fire and just conversing. And I think if we can find a way to bring that back.

37:16 I think we could.

37:20 How do I say, take back our country? But, you know, it's kind of like a revolution, like, like if we could be different if we could live differently.

37:30 And maybe I'm too optimistic. Maybe I'm too naive, but I would love to see that happen, you know.

37:40 As being willing to

37:45 Be challenged and us being willing to actually listen. I think that way.

37:53 Bring a lot of healing and

37:58 Reunions.

38:01 Listening, listening is definitely important because that is a major from my perspective of major, of cause of unrest in conflict, because people who feel like they are not heard.

38:24 Are going to be.

38:31 Agitated.

38:34 Inner self.

38:38 Arnie are they're going to give up.

38:42 Oh, how precious?

38:46 As a beast in, there's a lot of crime you say? Yeah.

38:51 Lot of crime kicking up here in Freeport right now. And did it go across the country. I was watching the news and they say it was trending. It across the country and I imagine his trending all over this. As I observed. Everything else has taken place pretty much as a society.

39:13 Hopelessness.

39:18 I think there are a lot of people who feel that.

39:23 And I would agree, and I'm sitting up here trying to think of how.

39:29 That might be addressed other than through the holy scriptures. I don't know where else to go with that other than the Holy Scripture, hopelessness. I know that there is a better way, you know, and trying to communicate parts of it. Now.

39:52 But how do you get people to listen to?

39:58 You.

40:01 When you were unable to listen.

40:04 Timmy, I'm hoping that's a booger bear.

40:15 The question in the chats as lawyers, then why do you not change in your own life? I think.

40:21 The first step is.

40:24 Deciding to be willing to listen, you know, so often we listen and I were listening were preparing as you know, and

40:39 I've been challenged in conversations lately.

40:48 And I've got a challenge for myself, not like the person I was talking to a challenging. I've challenged myself to listen, not to respond. But to listen to hear what they're saying, because if you don't listen to respond, but then you know, I think a way that we show people out of hopelessness is

41:16 Imma Wesleyan the Theology of John Wesley and our definition of Holiness is love for God and neighbor. And

41:28 You know.

41:30 It's based on what Jesus said was the greatest commandment. Love the Lord, your God and then love your neighbor as yourself and to me.

41:41 Some ways that we can actually change our to actually wear that what we say, you believe, if I say, I believe in the Theology of love and I'm going to love people.

41:54 I am one of the least judgmental people you'll ever meet and my goal is literally to walk around the city and as I'm going to be kind of people, you know, to, to love on people and and I think that's the way that I I cannot change in my life.

42:21 It's just doing what I say. I believe. And I really wished that the church would kind of get behind that because there's so many people who say they believe and then they walk around being ugly and mean and judgmental and it's so frustrating and frustrating. And I like I just want to know if you say that, you believe in Jesus and you believe in a God, who is love. What are we doing?

42:59 So my goal in life is to live out my face. I don't want to just say I believe something and then do nothing about it. Is I'm going to believe something, then it's going to shape How I Live. Then

43:19 Okay, I'm with that be sincere, be who you are and who you should be is loving and kind and I would have to admit that I need to work on the car. I parked outside and I need to work with you. There. It is not caused me to stop loving people and you absolutely right on that. You know what, the Bible teaches that we must even love our enemies, you know, and I

44:03 Life is a tree. It'll teach you, you know, but you must

44:08 Love your enemy or didn't work, and you must be giving that is a whole foundation of the church is not to say that Christ is the center, but with forgiveness is what he taught forgiveness as what we must do. Excuse me, forgiveness, is what we must receive for our own selves, you know, you have to forgive

44:44 Everyone including yourself. If you do not have forgiveness thing. You have a circle, you know, this cycle that we go through every so often in history where where, you know,

45:01 Here, you know.

45:09 Just a statement on racism cuz it just crossed my mind because I see this.

45:16 This contention, you know, elevating elevating elevating.

45:24 It is important that.

45:27 Forgiveness. Take place on both sides. Yes of self. But up specifically of the other, you know, blame serves no purpose, but if you

45:46 Are unable to forgive right now, we're talkin about white supremacy and you know fascism in home or whatever you call it white privilege, but if the tables turn, you know, and we have black power.

46:05 And bashes, you know, what have we accomplished? You know, we just had it for another conflicting. We're we're we're worrying for our children, you know our families, you know in in the bottom line is we all want the same things, you know. Good life for our children education.

46:34 You know, Foods.

46:39 You know.

46:41 Small things, you know better.

46:46 And just a small note on the greed to how much is love, you know.

46:54 Understand how much would you be willing to give up?

46:59 When, if the world enters into chaos?

47:04 When it does.

47:06 How much would you have been willing to give up?

47:12 You know, before money ain't no good for nothing, but burning in the fireplace, you know, and that's where we at. People don't really understand how

47:23 Volatile.

47:27 Democracy is?

47:30 And oh, how precious freedom is, you know, but I would say that true freedom.

47:41 Belongs to the person who is free in the spirit.

47:47 Yeah, that's in the Holy Scripture.

47:52 Definitely.

47:54 Well, it's been really nice to talk with you.

48:00 And if I'm kind of a kindred spirit here, cuz sometimes it can feel like

48:07 Yep, you're alone in the weight of the world has been a pleasure to meet you and I hope that we get a chance to further. It's been an absolute pleasure for me.

48:25 That would be really cool.