Grey Pages

We are back with another incredible conversations with our big brother Dezi

Dezi Baker, Kingdom community leader and coffeehouse owner who cultivates arc-like, neighborhood 'brave city' ecosystems. He talks about music and coffeehouse culture shaping community. He frames kingdom vs Babylon structures and discusses spiritual powers and humility in spiritual warfare. He names practical practices like tables, baptism, and local economies as ways to subvert prevailing powers.

We are super excited to kick off this series with Dezi Baker. Buckle up!

They discuss funding struggles and the odd gaps between money and kingdom impact. Conversation about grassroots community growth and surprising neighborhood wins. Reflections on pride, boasting, and the value of nonfinancial resources like relationships and volunteer expertise. Stories about improbable projects that succeeded and the discipline of remembering provision.

A great conversations with one of Hugh's longtime co-conspirators

They revisit gritty, real-life frontline work and the messy joy of restarting a drop-in center with showers, laundry and meals. They explore grassroots gatherings that incubate missional entrepreneurs and community businesses. They describe designing a multi-use ‘park’ as a kingdom hub and reflect on startup energy, risk, and renewed vigor in daily service.

Justin Stice, founder of Kingdom Co-Op and author, discusses building resilient kingdom communities in Lubbock, Texas, while Carl Olson, a mental health professional, shares his pioneering work in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Together, they explore the challenges of early-stage community building, the loneliness of leadership, and the importance of mentorship in fostering resilience. They also reflect on embracing socioeconomic diversity and the constant tension between ideal aspirations and real-world challenges, all while loving the process of their transformative journeys.

This week on Grey Pages, we flip the script with a long-overdue ladies takeover episode! For the first time ever, we hear directly from the women who have been holding it down behind the scenes of the Brave Cities movement. Join Bree Linderman, Chelsea Repic, Cheryl Halter, and Lindsey McCall—the wives of Lance, Joel, Hugh, and Taylor—as they share candidly about life, marriage, motherhood, leadership, and living out a missional call as a family.This episode centers the voices of women whose steady presence, faithful discernment, and often-invisible work have helped shape families, ministries, and entire communities.In this episode, you’ll hear:🔥 How they’ve navigated mission as family, not just “supporting roles”🌪️ The balance between stability and flexibility in life and ministry🛑 Real talk about boundaries, burnout, and permission to say “no”💡 Why authenticity matters more than fitting into anyone else’s mold😂 Hilarious (and sometimes ridiculous) “war stories” from life in the trenches🙌 What’s helped them stay grounded through unpredictable seasons🧭 Words of wisdom they’d offer to their younger selves—and to anyone just starting the journeyKey Quotes:“It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to not be at everything. That doesn’t mean you’re failing.”“Don’t compare your life to someone else’s call—walk your road faithfully.”“Authentic community isn’t a luxury. It’s how we survive.”

Discover the transformative power of 'communities of desire' that prioritize mutual longing over measurable outcomes. The discussion shifts from traditional hierarchies to decentralized connections, drawing insights from historical movements and personal experiences. Explore the role of shared aspirations in spiritual growth and the importance of purpose over productivity in leadership. By fostering an authentic community, individuals can align with their true desires and create meaningful relationships, enriching their lives and collective journeys.

– Lessons from Senegal with Joel RepicIn this special episode of the Grey Pages podcast, Joel Repic joins the team live from Senegal to share a deeply moving reflection on mission, suffering, and the slow, faithful cultivation of Kingdom ecosystems. What begins as a simple story about a fruit orchard becomes a rich metaphor for prophetic work in hard soil—spiritual, cultural, and literal.Joel recounts his time with a Senegalese pastor and his wife—pioneering believers in their tribe—who have built a refuge, a youth center, a school, and an orchard in one of the most difficult contexts imaginable. Together, the team explores what it means to fall in love with the process, to work with your hands, and to find hope not in the results, but in the slow, faithful labor of love.From aquaponics systems in Tampa to mango trees in Senegal, this conversation is a testament to those who plant where the ground is dry, who water with tears, and who stay even when there's little fruit—because they love the soil and the people on it.Topics Covered:The slow work of Kingdom ecosystems in hard placesWhy some of the most faithful work bears fruit far down the road—or not at allLearning from suffering, not success, in global missionThe healing power of working with your handsEmpire vs. Kingdom thinking: Results-driven vs. process-loving workAquaponics as a parable for community-buildingApostolic foundations and generational thinkingWhy “loving the process” might be the most sustainable posture for missionA Few Quotes:“He doesn’t just love results—he loves the soil and the people who live on it.”“It’s not normal for beautiful things to grow quickly.”“You might have to cut down the very tree you spent ten years tending.”“Kingdom work is everywhere. You’ll find Jesus in it—I promise.”Who This Episode is For:Mission workers, church planters, social entrepreneurs, anyone doing hard work in dry places, and all who need a reminder that slow faithfulness matters more than quick fruit.