About
Chello! =)
Thanks for stopping by my luxurious e-digs!
www.gabbingwithgrace.com is an authentic and inspirational online community of the cool kids, 110% guaranteed to inform and entertain or at least pass the time. Created by Grace Biskie, a Minister & Mama. Halle Berry meets Joyce Meyer meets Anne Lamott. Blogging sippees to sermons and a lot in between.
GabbingwithGrace.com is my personal blog.I am, in fact a Minister & a Mama. All content here is filtered of course, through my faith as a Jesus-follower.
Within this blog you’ll find posts on…
- Social Media Maven - Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, MacBook Pro’s & iphones. Undercover tech geek. Tips, tricks & winning apps. Let me be your guide, young pattawan.
- Mama Bear - Parenting hacks, hilarious stories & pics of my two boys, R1 (6) & R2 (2).
- Biracial Babe - I am racially biracial, ethnically Italian & African-American. My reflections on current news through the eyes of an ethnically identifying black woman.
- I love being a girl - Fashion & hair, oh my! Love it.
- Social Justice & Human Advocacy - Of the top 5 goals of my life I choose to do what I can to play a role in caring for the poor and alleviating the plight of the suffering. I like to write posts about small (and big) ways my blogging community can be advocates for suffering people all over the world.
- Leadership- Spiritually, emotionally, physically, marriage-wise, parenting-wise, leadership-wise, etc. I firmly believe all human beings should be committed to our own personal growth & leadership potential.
- Jesus Freak - Ideas for cultivating your faith, with an insider’s view of my own.
- Pop Culture - All the cool kids are doing it.
- Aspiring Author - My journey of writing, editing & –hopefully– publishing a Memoir in the 2013-2104 time frame.
- Photography - Amauteur. Have camera. Ain’t afraid to use it or post over-processed pics online.
- Reviews & Giveaways - Books, movies, the latest DVD’s & other free stuff you just may win! =)
If you are A-OK with the above please subscribe via Google feedburner. I have about 500 subscribers who are on board with the method of my madness. Trust me, we have a good time! =)
Don’t forget to grab my button. Share the love.
COOL STUFF GWG BLOG HAS DONE:
- ****Along with 10 other fantastic ladies, gabbingwithgrace.com hit the road -family in tow- to visit McDonald’s sprawling headquarters in the Chicago burbs. Together, our blogs helped raised hundreds of thousands for the Ronald McDonald House. It was SUPER fun!
- In March 2011 gabbingwithgrace.com was syndicated on BlogHer for a post I wrote about about being promiscuous. (Socially, that is).
- In November 2011, I was a featured blogger on Blogher for a post where I explained entering into the season of Advent.
- I participated in a phone interview with Katherine Heigl. (I was waaaay excited)!
- I have guest blogged for Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter-McNeil
- I have guest blogged for Jim Walis’ God\’s Politics blog.
- As of 04/15/11, I’ll begin monthly guest-blogger contributions at www.MinistryMatters.com a blog designed to support Christian communities with resources, community & inspiration.
Before you join up with this circus, here’s what you should know about me…
(I am painfully racially ambiguous)
Ugh.
As I said, I change my hair A LOT.
Facebook Profile Album Confirms. No further proof needed.
I get bored, y’all.
My husband thinks I’m a sexy beast with no make-up on, WILD hair, a too-big tee & sweat pants. Like this…
You likey?
Moving on from hair…
Because I know for doggone sure that I am NOT PERFECT -despite my “holy” status as a Minister- I use my blog as a place to be normal. I am honest about being a screw-up in a lot of ways. I am authentic, sometimes humorous and almost always painfully vulnerable yet grace-filled.
For legal reasons, I am vague about certain issues. But other than that, it’s TMI all over this mug.
In some ways I am just your average black-Jesus-lovin’-wife-Mama-minister-writer-grad student-blogger who loves to discuss fashion, books, movies, world issues right alongside stories of my son picking his nose in public.
To give you a feel of my -hopefully- evolving writing style, here’s a few of my favorite posts covering everything from sippees to sermons…
the miseducation of Jerald Degraffenreid
Aliens are coming for black people
Why do we keep our 1st trimester pregnancies a secret?
What good can come from Detroit?
TD Jakes lisp, Moses was slow & I am inarticulate.
The power of (white, thin, pretty, etc.) privilege
C\’mon! Aren\’t we all just like Joe, Serena & Kanye???
I judged him based on the color of his skin
Black Women: Can we fix this please?
Black women: Can we fix this please? Part 2
…\”that\’s how my hair grows outta my head!\”
\”I\’m not from that house\” (my first shot at what can be construed as “poetry”)
I think 25 examples will do, ya think?!?!
Moving right along…
I work for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a Regional (MI, OH, W.VA & Western PA) Black Campus Ministries Coordinator. I’m ravenous for free time to read, journal, watch TV via Hulu & Netflix, ingest movies, facebook the day away, dabble in arts of all sorts, scrapbook and last but not least, write. My new hobby.
Of course, I have a serious side, but don’t get it twisted, I don’t think I’m better than any one else. I’m learning to fully embrace being a dirty, rotten, messy Christian. I’m also C – R – A – Z – Y…
Crazy enough to… try to win a spot next to Ryan Seacrest at the 2008 Golden Globes. (Can you believe I lost? Haters).
or
Crazy enough to… sing \”Oops I did it again\” alongside my hubby for a fake American Idol try-out.
or
crazy enough to… ride a wild bull.
Bottom line: I like to live. You only get one shot.
Still want more?
Then, let’s just start from the beginning shall we? My mother is a beautiful Italian woman and my father was African American, which means I am a “fearfully & wonderfully made” mixed up child. Over the course of several years, many tears & lots of journaling prayers I determined I am proud of who I am both as a white woman and a black woman. I’ll never understand what it means to be fully white, nor fully black, but I am content in being fully me without trying to be 1/2 this & 1/2 that. Got that? I am proud to say I was born & raised in the great city of Detroit. I attended local Christian schools and wound up at Henry Ford Community College for a few years. At 19, I made the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life: I decided I wanted to trust Jesus -who he is & what he said about himself- and give my life to following him in every way possible.
My next steps included going to Wayne State University in Downtown Detroit where I received a fabulous education in Speech Communications. I decided to bring in the new century by marking several milestones off my list: marriage, moving & graduating. In May 2000 I married my best friend, Dave Biskie.
After the Disney World Honeymoon, I moved across the state from Detroit to a West Michigan city to begin my career as Campus Staff member with a large non-profit organization called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Western Michigan University. In December of 2000 I graduated from Wayne State University.
For the past 8.5 years, Dave & I have been working together to build a relevant evangelical community amongst the African-American black student population at Western Michigan University. In the Fall of 2003, a new InterVarsity Chapter was born: Collegiate, Black & Christian which has churned out high quality, transformed students who will change the world around them.
Another aspect of my job in which I greatly enjoy is public speaking, training, discipleship, leading small groups & writing. Thankfully, ministry gives me the opportunity to do all of these things. I have also been blessed to enjoy many different regional & national roles to promote black campus ministry all over the U.S.
Currently, I serve as the Regional Black Campus Ministries Coordinator for the Great Lakes East Region of InterVarsity. Which means I provide strategically prioritized staff training and mentoring to InterVarsity staff and students working with black students on campuses in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia & Western Pennsylvania. I love my job! Besides being my passion, my calling and in line with my particular gift set, it’s fun. Every day looks different & at least 1/3 of the year I get to sleep in. What more could I ask for? 
In the Fall of 2007 I began work on a Masters of Divinity at a fantastic place, Western Theological Seminary. When I eventually graduate I’ll be an ordained Minister of the Gospel in the Reformed Church of America Denomination. When Sunday rolls around, our family attends The River Church.
In 2005, my husband & I, and our two troublesome cats, Little Jerri Seinfeld & Putty welcomed our beautiful son, R1 into our home. R2 was born in 2009.
Sit back relax & stay awhile!
