Autumn Lockett is the executive director of development and marketing at Good Faith Media.
1. What story, verse or passage from your faith tradition’s sacred texts has significantly influenced / shaped your life?
My family and I were members of NorthHaven Church in Norman, Oklahoma, where Mitch Randall was pastor before he “abandoned” us to lead EthicsDaily, now Good Faith Media.
One Sunday, he preached a sermon about Jesus feeding the 5,000. When I saw the sermon title, I figured he’d tell the story I’d learned about since Vacation Bible School. He did not.
Instead of approaching the story as Jesus using his magical lord-and-savior superpowers to abracadabra enough lox and bagels for the whole hungry mass, he proposed that Jesus inspired community and generosity among the group, who shared their food, so no one was without.
I had never heard the story interpreted that way. Instead of relying on Jesus to fix the problem with a mystical Band-Aid with zero sacrifice from us, his words and leadership were a catalyst for listeners to become the solution.
It’s a concept that applies almost universally to the way I hope to live my life as a mouthy, big-hearted Baptist.
2. Who are three people (other than your family) who have shaped your life and worldview? And how?
The wife of the pastor who baptized me, Rayeanne Campbell Owen. She weathered more storms than any person ever should. Her grace through toxicity and her gift of writing her way through and out of trauma is a testament to her faith.
My high school youth minister, Steven Payne. He broadened my worldview, challenged me to be the hands and feet of Christ in tangible ways and insulated me from more harmful theology than I understood at the time.
My longtime friend and one-time doula, Sarah Chisolm Miller. She is younger than me in years but decades older in wisdom. We’ve prayed, cussed and discussed our way through ministry, trauma and the beautiful births and burials of our children. Through all of the trials, she remains authentic to herself and to her faith. I hope to be more like Sarah when I grow up.
3. List three of your “desert island” books, movies or TV shows.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, Derry Girls on Netflix and The Homesick Texan cookbook by Lisa Fain.
4. What is one of the most critical issues people are facing today?
An egregious focus on self-interest and preservation.
5. What are a few of your hobbies?
Cooking from scratch, True Crime podcasts, keeping up with four kids and PBS Masterpiece anything
6. If you could freeze your life into an already-lived 10 seconds, what would they be?
Riding the gondola down Mount Pilatus in Lucerne, Switzerland, over the clanging cowbells while devouring a Toblerone
7. Our tagline at Good Faith Media is, “There’s more to tell.” What’s your “more to tell”?
You absolutely can!
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Reflection and resources at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.
