Our Past Doesn’t Have to Define Our Future: Dr. Chris Rappazini & Lisa-Jo Baker
This week, we’ll hear from Dr. Chris Rappazini—a professor of leadership and former pastor—as he shares a deeply personal story through the lens of grief and recovery. Chris reveals how his father's death propelled his brother into a downward spiral of addiction and estrangement. Yet, amidst the chaos, a narrative of hope and forgiveness emerges, highlighting the profound realization that our past does not define our future.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from author, editor, and speaker Lisa-Jo Baker. She discusses her awakening to the cycle of anger she risked repeating from her father if she continued to live on autopilot. Through her journey of healing and reconciling with her father, Lisa-Jo illustrates how we can all seek reconciliation and live life to the fullest.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Rosie Rivera
Upcoming interview: BeBe Winans
Jesus Calling commemorative edition
Moving Forward After Messing Up
It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping
Interview Quotes:
“God is in the business of fixing broken relationships, and that's what He's been doing in our relationship for the last several years.” - Dr. Chris Rappazini
“For us to be able to ask forgiveness from those that we've hurt the most, I mean, it's hard to do. And I think the only way you can do it is somehow with the grace of God, with the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit.” - Dr. Chris Rappazini
“If we're going to have a future that God wants for us, we have to keep our eyes moving forward. We have to keep our eyes on what we want that relationship to look like, not what it has looked like in the past.” - Dr. Chris Rappazini
“Oftentimes, the hardest person to get forgiveness from is ourselves. The hardest person to forgive is the person that we see in the mirror every morning, because we feel so guilty and we feel so shameful for what we've done and how we've hurt people.” - Dr. Chris Rappazini
“The beauty of Jesus that I've discovered is that, as we know, God is not limited by time. This is what's so powerful about Him.” - Lisa-Jo Baker
“I needed to stop and pull off onto the side of the road and figure out the story I had inherited, because I was really determined to write a new one.” Lisa-Jo Baker
“I think for family trees to heal, we have to be willing to lay down our defenses. It doesn't happen all at once. It happens slowly over years between generations, because we have a God who is so adamant, passionate about forgiveness, about reconciliation, about redeeming generations, who wrote a new plot line out of an old bloodline.” - Lisa-Jo Baker
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