Strike While the Iron is Hot: Forging Future Peacemakers with Hannah & Mike Martin (S4 Episode 2)

The fire is stoked for another powerful episode of A Soulful Revolution.We sat down with Mike Martin, founder/executive director of RAWtools, and Pastor/Educator Hannah Rose Martin to explore what happens when we refuse the false binary around violence and choose a creative, restorative third way. From Sandy Hook to community anvils, from Play-Doh practices with kids to Mennonite peacemaking, this conversation moves from lament to holy imagination, asking what it costs (and creates) to “spend” our privilege for the common good.Together, Mike and Hannah are reimagining what it means to turn violence into peace–literally transforming guns into garden tools, and inviting communities to forge new possibilities at the anvil. In our conversation, we talk about how RAWtools centers survivors, grief, and collective healing in the work of peace. Mike shares the somatic, spiritual power of hammering a weapon into a tool of life. Hannah reflects on forming children in creative nonviolence, examining how play is practice, and how imagination can shift the world we’re building.We also dive deep into questions of accountability, privilege, and faith: What does it mean to call yourself a Christian in a culture of violence? How do we hold each other with love and still tell the truth? Where can lament turn into renewal?Mike and Hannah’s witness is equal parts sobering and hopeful. Their stories remind us that violence is never inevitable, transformation is always possible, and the Kingdom is already among us.Our hope is that this conversation will invite you to strike the iron while it’s hot in your own life—to choose tools of life, mercy, and justice over tools of harm.A Soulful Revolution is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About Hannah & Mike MartinHannah Rose Martin is a licensed Mennonite pastor and reading interventionist in Colorado Springs. She has a BA in Education and is currently dabbling in seminary courses. With her partner Mike and their two children, they work to build relationships and inspire change in the communities around them. Mike and Hannah enjoy spending time as a family with their sons playing games, creating art and building with LEGO, and especially enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.Mike Martin is the Executive Director and Founder of RAWtools. He lives in Colorado Springs with his partner Hannah and 2 kids. He learned to blacksmith in order to turn guns into garden tools and is trained in restorative practices for High Impact Dialogue, conflict facilitation, and others. He is co-author of Beating Guns, Hope for People who Are Weary of Violence, as well as other curriculums related to gun violence prevention.Resources & Links:RAWTools: Disarm Hearts | Force Peace | Cultivate Justice - https://rawtools.org/Hannah’s book, Sparking PeaceMike’s book with Shane Claiborne, Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of ViolenceSong: “It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way” - Andre HenryThank you as always for supporting the podcast! This project is entirely sustained by soulful revolutionaries like you. To help us set the table for more conversations like this one, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, buying us a cup of coffee, or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts to help more folks find the show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe