Michelle Ami Reyes

Michelle Ami Reyes can’t help but, in her own words, “eat, breathe and sleep culture and race.” She takes the biblical command for unity very seriously — and she works tirelessly to help the Church move toward that goal. As an accomplished speaker and author, Michelle has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NBC News.com and Religion News Service, and her insightful writings on faith and culture have appeared in Christianity Today and Patheos.

In today’s conversation, Michelle gets honest about why talking about race and culture is so important for Christians, the resources that have helped shape her theology and the spiritual habits that keep her motivated for the work.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

Let me tell you about a typical Monday afternoon in the Reyes casa. It’s 4 p.m. and I’m tired. It's been a long day of writing, speaking, homeschooling, church ministry and meetings. I’ve been up since 5 a.m. and I’m currently nursing cup number five of coffee. Wearily, I pull myself away from my computer and plod over to the kitchen, rummaging for pots, knives and a collection of spices that would dwarf most people’s entire pantries. Ingredients for chana masala, cabbage shaak and chicken tikka masala spill across my kitchen counter, replacing the white marble with a sea of textured greens, browns and reds.

I’m so tired that I’d like to order Indian food from a restaurant, but that’s not the Indian way. “Don’t waste your money eating out,” my mom still tells me, a 35-year-old adult woman. So I cook at home, bringing to life the comforts of my culture in a 5-inch high metal pot over medium heat. Chopped onions hit the hot oil, sizzling and filling the whole house with a warm smell that says, “Come, relax, breathe a little deeper.”

As disparate elements turn into robust dishes, my shoulders lower and my jaw untightens. Standing in front of the stove, I feel like a queen on her throne, beckoning my children and husband to come and taste the delights I’ve just created.

“Try one more spoonful. Does it need more salt?” I ask, connecting, bonding, showering them with love in the way I know best. Then, for 30 minutes while we eat, all feels well in the world. The heat of the chili pepper and the earthy flavors of garam masala hit my tongue, reminding me of the joy and beauty of what it means to be Indian American, of the foods from my childhood ... and how my mom still cooks better than I do. I don’t stop till my belly is full. I lick the ghee from vanishing chapatis off my fingers, satisfied by the empty plates now before us.

That’s what our comfort food does for us — it comforts. It whisks us away from our mundane, exhausting lives and gives us the courage to keep on keeping on. When I cook Indian food (and I do so often throughout the week), I chase after that comfort, that reassurance, looking forward to the next time I can sit down and be comforted again.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

Sometimes, I tell my husband, “All I want to do is curl up in a comfy chair and read fantasy novels.” Preferably as rain dribbles down a window nearby. I’ve always been drawn to speculative fiction, to worlds unknown and possibilities unimaginable in the here and now.

Perhaps that makes me a dreamer, but really, I think fantasy speaks to my very Enneagram 8 soul, the magic of supernatural realms reminding me of the unseen spiritual powers that pulse through our own very real, physical world and its unlimited potential to change our realities for good or evil.

Not all fantasy stories were made equal, mind you. I’m not interested in kings and queens who fight to retain (or recover) their thrones.

What I love are the underdogs, the penniless heroes and voiceless heroines, the real people of the streets with zero financial or relational capital who undertake quests to save their families and those they love, despite insurmountable odds. From Philip Pullman’s “The Book of Dust” to Tomi Adeyemi’s “Children of Blood and Bone,” Roshani Chokshi’s “The Star-Touched Queen,” and Natasha Bowen’s “Skin of the Sea,” I root for those willing to speak truth to power and for justice to have its day.

Imagining the fantastical has always influenced my thinking and writing. And for those who have eyes to see, the elements of narrative justice born from the folktales and fantasy stories of old can implicitly be detected through all my work.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So, what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

Gosh, I love this question. Perhaps because I’m a huge MCU fan and have faithfully watched every Marvel film and TV show since 2008.

I know, I know — Superman is part of the world of DC comics and so is his fabled kryptonite. My point, though, is that I love superheroes and every real, everyday superhero has a weakness — not of earth and metal but of moral and ethical dilemmas, of whether to choose power over selflessness and kindness instead of abuse. In fact, a “good” villain is a character who has noble purposes, just like the hero and even mirrors the hero’s passion and desires, but ultimately takes an inferior, corner-cutting path to achieve their goals.

That’s a long way to say that my kryptonite would be wanting to find the quick fixes, the easy low bars for justice in our world, the corner-cutting paths that benefit me either just as much or more than those I’m seeking to help.

My husband and I do a lot of work in our community in East Austin to pursue justice on our streets, whether that be immigration reform, advocating for the innocent on death row, or caring for the homeless in our midst. And every day, I have to remind myself, This isn’t about you.

I think of every justice activist I know, and we all have similar stories. Each of us experienced injustice in such a deep and personal way in our own lives that it lit a fire in us to change the world and fight as hard as we can to prevent that kind of injustice from ever inflicting itself on another human being ever again.

But too often along the way, we lose ourselves. Like P.T. Barnum in “The Greatest Showman,” some of us get blinded by the lights, the fame and the noise, and we start to think that what we do is all about us. The moment we center ourselves in the pursuit of justice, we turn from hero to villain. People get overlooked and trampled. Lives get forsaken. Short-term fixes supplant long-term wins, and very little change actually takes place.

So I have folks in my life who hold me accountable, speak truth in and over me, and encourage me to keep my eyes on the true prize: building God’s kingdom purely out of love for my neighbor and for the glory of God.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

I eat, breathe and sleep culture and race. I’ve written two books on the topic (“Becoming All Things” and “The Race-Wise Family”) and regularly host trainings on race-related issues for churches, organizations and teams.

We need to talk about race and culture. In this day and age, we need to become culturally competent and racially aware if we’re going to have any hope for a healthier, more unified future.

But what I’ve also learned over the years is that the medium is just as important as the message. Since 2020, more and more folks are reading books and listening to podcasts, and a lot of people now feel like they’ve got these topics in the bag. But then what happens? They show up online and even sometimes in person and become nasty jerks. They shout, condemn and cancel each other. “If you don’t think exactly the way I do, then it’s fair game to call you an idiot. If you’re not as far along in your culture and race journey as me, then again, there’s something wrong with you, and I have no problem telling the whole world about it.”

I look at the noise on the internet and just shake my head. Not only are we not making progress in these conversations, but our mud-slinging is causing us to slide backward. We’re making people more fearful and less likely to engage in culture- and race-related topics because we’ve shamed them into a hole they never want to come back out of.

Enough is enough. Sometimes the most charitable and culturally competent thing we can do is keep our mouths shut. Keep that opinion to yourself. If you’re really impassioned by something someone said, DM them and ask for them to clarify what they meant (if they are able). Don't wage a public war against them. Don’t lecture at random strangers (or family members).

Be kind. Be loving. Talk to people the way you would want them to speak to you. And if the words coming out of your mouth don’t encourage, equip or inspire, it’s best to say nothing at all.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?

One of the hardest things for me to receive as a writer is critical feedback. I’m a creative at heart, painstakingly slaving over every word I put onto a page, be that a virtual Google doc or the thick, worn pages of a journal. I craft sentences over and over again in my mind before feeling them out with ink-drawn letters. The stories I create, the essays I write are living, breathing entities with their own shape and movement.

So when I hand these precious creations over to an editor or trusted friend and they ruthlessly gut my darlings into fragments, it’s hard not to take it personally. They don't understand what I was trying to create, I tell myself. Or perhaps, They just don't appreciate my idea.

But again and again, I force myself to sit with the feedback, to let it wash over me and cleanse me of plot holes, redundancies and conceptual fallacies. I might inwardly shed a tear for the death of my beloved first concept, making space to grieve the creative spark that has now fizzled and been put out.

But then I pick myself back up, go back to the drawing board, rewrite and rewrite some more until something beautiful appears, something stronger, more concise and more evocative. I am a better writer, thinker and speaker because of critical, constructive feedback.

I learned long ago that the person who rejects feedback is a person whose ideas and desires will never go far. We need each other so that we can go deeper, find better points of connection and actually achieve the influence and change we are hoping to create.

In the process, we must be willing to let go of some of our first loves. I know God has called me to be a writer. When I write, I feel his pleasure. More than that, I’ve come to hear his voice in the words of trusted friends and editors, who push me to write better and be better for the sake of my own craft and as I use my craft for his glory.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

It’s 5 a.m. I’ve just brewed a hot cup of coffee with medium cream, the color of my skin. Its heat radiates around the top edge, leaving marks of evaporated mist in its wake. I sit in our kitchen nook with my Bible open, turning the familiar worn pages until I reach my destination. The light above burns my eyes, still partially in slumber, a stark contrast to the midnight sky outside.

In this stillness of the early morning, I find my strength for the day. I read a passage of the Bible, usually a whole chapter or a literary unit (sorry, I’m a literary scholar by trade), and memorize as many verses as I can.

Memorization has always been a spiritual practice that I’ve leaned toward, even as a child. When all is broken in the world, when I feel like I’m drowning and unable to find my way, returning to Scripture and allowing its words to wash over my heart, my brain and my very soul guides me back to life.

Psalm 119:50 speaks to the way God’s Word, specifically his promises, preserves our life. That has always been true for me. Staying rooted in the Word of God day in and day out has preserved my life more than once. It is a spiritual practice I will cling to with fiery fervor until my dying breath.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

Growing up, no one ever told me that the Bible had anything to say about race and culture. I didn’t hear anything ever taught about these two topics at church, from the pulpit or even from the Christian school I attended from kindergarten through 12th grade.

So when I first stumbled upon J. Daniel Hay’s “From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race,” I was floored. Never had I ever had someone systematically unpack for me the storyline of God’s heart for all peoples from Genesis to Revelation.

Equally impactful was Jarvis Williams’ “Redemptive Kingdom Diversity.” His Orthopraxy section was the first time in book form that I read a Black pastor call out the importance of standing against anti-Asian racism. His words on whether Black and Brown Christians should join the staff at a white church are equally provocative. You should get a copy and read what he says!

Finally, the roots of my love for biblical literary analysis were forged through the writings of Robert Alter. His book “The Art of Biblical Narrative” has given me a new appreciation and eye for even the smallest motifs in Scripture, from meetings at wells to the role of nature and colors in any given story. Read it. It will blow your mind.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it’s done for you.

I feel like I’ve been going pretty deep with my previous questions, so I’m going to be a little more lighthearted for this one. You may laugh, but prior to about two months ago, I didn’t have a skincare routine. Never in my whole life — not as a child, a teenager or an adult — have I ever used something specific to wash or cleanse my face beyond just plain ol‘ H20. But recently, I discovered an Asian-owned business called Cocokind, and I invested in some products for an evening skincare routine.

I never knew I could look forward to something as simple as cleaning my face! There’s something about slowing down and spending time focusing on the body that makes me reflective and grateful. I find myself praying while cleaning my face or just thanking God for the day.

I promise I have not been asked to promo any product, but I am saying that carving out space to clean my face has become a life-giving step in my daily routine now, and I love it!

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

When people ask me if I’ll be writing any books in the future, I tell them, “Oh, I have many more books inside of me to write.” I’ve got a few different products in the works right now — some nonfiction and some fiction. I got my start with creative writing and am exploring some ideas for how to dip into the fiction pool.

I once read writing advice that you should write about the ideas that drive you crazy. And let me tell you, there are a lot of ideas that drive me crazy. Ideas that are just marinating and growing and blossoming inside of me and knocking on the door to come out. My hope and prayer is that God will use my writing to change the world — at least, for my writing to be a force for good and healing in the spaces I inhabit.

Writing has always been how I process the world. The minute my brain begins to spin with ideas, I need to grab a journal or my notes app on my phone to start grinding out an eclectic assortment of thoughts and unfinished sentences. I have journals and notes apps filled with these kinds of ideas. I’m praying for God to show me which project to tackle first and the best home for each project as well.

If you’re a fellow writer, keep turning out those ideas. Keep taking those notes and saving those sticky pads full of half-written ideas. See which ones you keep coming back to, which ones the Spirit is convicting you with, and faithfully follow that path until the words flow into sentences and the sentences flow into pages.

Since 2008 when the first Iron Man film came out, the MCU has become the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. By 2021, MCU movies and TV shows had grossed $22.5 billion — a number that only continues to rise.

There’s a good reason for this popularity. People love heroes. We long for someone with extraordinary abilities to rescue us from evil — and even more so, we long to see ourselves in those heroes. In reality, these movies tell the same story over and over again.

If we chase that longing long and hard enough, maybe we’ll find what we’re really searching for. Galatians 1:4 describes our ultimate hero as the one “who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (NIV).

And even more amazing is that this hero is making us like him so we can reflect his image in this broken, desperate world. Isn’t that a story worth telling over and over?