Be the Bridge

We are called to embody justice.
This means we consistently seek opportunities to treat people with dignity, do what is right, protect the vulnerable, and repair harm.
It means we speak up for what is right at all times, even when it's inconvenient.

May we always remember that being bridge builders is active work.

Good afternoon, Bridge Builders.

I wanted to take a moment to share a little more about why I’ve been quiet this summer.

This spring brought some significant changes. In April, Be the Bridge underwent a major staff reduction as we worked to reduce overhead and respond to the changing cultural and funding landscape facing organizations committed to racial literacy, healing, and justice. Those were incredibly difficult decisions, and they have required us to rethink not only the size of our organization, but how Be the Bridge will operate and carry out this work moving forward. Please pray for the BTB staff and all those impacted.

Then, in May, I graduated with my second master’s degree, an M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. That accomplishment represented years of study, stretching, growth, and formation, much of it happening while leading Be the Bridge through some of our most challenging seasons.

So when June and July came, I knew I needed an intentional pause.

I took my first real vacation in three years. I spent time with friends and family. I celebrated family reunions, made space for grief, and allowed myself to be fully present for some things that simply needed my attention. And after thinking about it for three years, I finally got Sisterlocks! 😂

I rested. And I needed it. But rest has not meant disengagement.

Even in the quiet, I’ve been thinking, writing, praying, learning, and meeting with leaders behind the scenes. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a think tank in Denver, and I’m preparing for an upcoming training with a church in the D.C. area. I’ve also been paying close attention to what is happening in our country, our churches, and our communities. There has been so much to process, lament, and respond to.

But I’ve realized that I don’t want to respond simply because something is happening. I want to respond from a place of clarity, conviction, and calling.

So I want you to hear this clearly:

I’m not giving up.
I’m not walking away.
And I haven’t stopped caring about this work.

I’m creating space to listen, to God, to wise voices, and to what this moment requires of BTB and myself.

This season is about healing, reimagining, regrouping, and discerning what comes next with wisdom rather than urgency.

The landscape has changed. Be the Bridge is changing. And I’m changing too.

But the commitment to truth, justice, reconciliation, and faithful witness remains.

Thank you for your patience, your prayers, and your trust. It means more than you know.

I’ll share more in the coming weeks as there is more clarity about what this next chapter will look like.

For now, I’m listening, learning, praying, and preparing for what’s next.

Take heart bridge builders. Even now, taking care of our mental health is how we can move forward and have the capacity to initiate change.

Be encouraged by the full article on our blog: https://bethebridge.com/how-to-care-for-ones-sensitive-soul/

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In just a day, America will mark 250 years as a nation.

Milestones matter. Scripture reminds us to remember. Israel built memorial stones not to glorify itself, but to remind future generations of both God’s faithfulness and their own responsibility (Joshua 4). Remembrance in the Bible was never an exercise in nostalgia. It was an invitation to tell the truth.

As I think about this anniversary, I find myself returning to the words of Frederick Douglass and his piercing question: “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?” His speech remains one of the greatest examples of prophetic love ever offered to a nation. Douglass loved America’s ideals enough to expose the distance between its creed and its conduct.

He understood something we still need to remember:

Love tells the truth.

Today, 250 years later, perhaps we should ask new questions.

What does America at 250 mean to the family who fears deportation?

To the veteran who wonders if the nation remembers the promises it made?

To Black communities who continue to bear the weight of histories many would rather forget?

To Native peoples whose story did not begin in 1776?

To women whose leadership continues to be questioned?

To families fractured by politics?

To young adults wondering if truth has become negotiable?

To churches struggling to remember that discipleship cannot be formed by partisan outrage?

These questions are not intended to shame our nation.

They are invitations to examine it.

Because biblical love never asks us to ignore what is broken. It compels us to move toward it.

Throughout Scripture, remembrance is almost always accompanied by repentance.

Not because God delights in guilt.

But because repentance makes room for renewal.

Perhaps that is the invitation before us.

Not simply to celebrate our history.

But to examine it.

Not simply to defend our traditions.

But to ask whether they reflect the justice, mercy, and humility God requires of His people (Micah 6:8).

Not simply to cherish freedom.

But to ask who still struggles to experience its fullness.

As Christians, our highest citizenship has never been earthly. The Apostle Paul reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). That truth doesn’t make us less invested in our nation, it frees us to love it without worshiping it.

We can celebrate what is good without denying what is painful.

We can honor those who sacrificed for liberty while acknowledging those who were denied its promises.

We can love America deeply without confusing it with the Kingdom of God.

In fact, I would argue that this is one of the greatest needs of our generation.

The Church must recover the courage to be a faithful witness rather than a political possession.

Our calling has never been to protect an empire.

Our calling is to bear witness to another Kingdom.

A Kingdom where every tribe, every language, every people, and every nation gather around one throne—not because their differences disappeared, but because Christ reconciled them (Revelation 7:9).

That vision should shape how we live here and now.

If America is to flourish over the next 250 years, we will need more than stronger economies or better elections.

We will need truth.

We will need repentance.

We will need courage.

We will need neighbors willing to cross divides instead of deepening them.

We will need churches more committed to discipleship than to ideology.

We will need leaders who understand that power without humility eventually destroys itself.

And we will need ordinary people willing to practice the slow, holy work of loving their neighbors.

The American story is still being written.

The question before us is not whether our past was perfect.

It wasn’t.

The question is whether we have enough courage to tell the whole story, and enough hope to write a better next chapter.

As America turns 250, my prayer is not that we become a nation without flaws.

My prayer is that we become a people more willing to tell the truth, to repent where we have failed, to repair what has been broken, and to pursue the common good with humility, courage, and hope.

Because the most patriotic thing we may do is not to pretend our nation has always been right.

It may be to love it enough to help it become more just.

And the most Christian thing we can do is remember that every nation is temporary.

Only the Kingdom of God is eternal.

Be the Bridge Founder, Latasha Morrison, celebrated a birthday yesterday. 🎉 Let's continue celebrating her today!

If you've been impacted by the words and work of Latasha, let her know in the comments! 💙

Need some resources for Juneteenth? We've compiled a few of our favorites here: https://bethebridge.com/juneteenth-resources/

Know of another resource other bridge builders would appreciate? Share in the comments!

Tune in to the Be the Bridge YouTube channel at 6:45pm ET to listen to a special livestream with Latasha Morrison and Bri Stensrud! And, you can always come back later to catch the replay and share this important conversation with your community.

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We had a great time at our Atlanta Civil Rights Tour a few weeks back! Bridge Builders are lifelong learners, and we love any chance we get to learn together.