Candace Hardnett on Why We Can Still Stand In Times of Trouble

Reconstructing Faith, Sex and Gender / By

This post is part of the Uncommon Saints series hosted at Bakos Project that features inspiring works and sermons by LGBTQ followers of Christ who encourage us in the Christian faith.

I first met Pastor Candace Hardnett about four or five years ago through ministry connections, and I was immediately struck by her deep passion for Christ. Pastor Candace was born and raised in a small Virginia town. After serving in the Marines, she planted a church called Agape Empowerment Ministries, which she has served for the past fourteen years. She also started a podcast called Godly and Gay. In 2021, she created a popular TikTok channel that uses humor to challenge prejudice against LGBTQ people. Pastor Candace and her wife, Erika, have three daughters and live in Savannah, Georgia.

Trust me, you do not want to miss this encouraging word from Pastor Candace. Click on the video below to listen to her sermon entitled, “I’m Still Standing.” She starts preaching about the 15 min 24 second mark. But, I encourage you to enjoy the worship from the beginning (opening prayer and singing). It will encourage your heart as well. If the challenges of life have you down, the Holy Spirit can lift you up.

Matthew Vines on the Inspiring Heart of Christianity

Reconstructing Faith, Sex and Gender / By

This post is part of the Uncommon Saints series hosted at Bakos Project that features inspiring works and sermons by LGBTQ followers of Christ who encourage us in the Christian faith.

One of my favorite sermons is by a dear friend of mine, Matthew Vines, who directs a non-profit ministry called The Reformation Project. Matthew was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. In his late teens, he headed off to Massachusetts to attend college at Harvard. But, while there, he began to wrestle with the question of faith and sexuality. The burden reached such a point that he left school to return home. Over the next six months, his dad and mom compassionately studied the issue alongside him (go parents!). The result of that discernment process led both Matthew and his family to accept his reality as a gay man.

Matthew has a deep love for God, Scripture, and the church. In fact, those three things drive his ministry work, which seeks to create greater understanding of LGBTQ people and encourage churches to fully include sexual and gender minorities into fellowship and active leadership. At the last Reformation Project Conference, Matthew preached a classic gospel message entitled, “Yesterday, Today, and Forever: The Heart of Christianity.” I hope it will encourage you, as much as it encouraged me.

The Jesus Way: Practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises by Karen Keen

Book Reviews, Reconstructing Faith / By

I first became captivated by the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises while going through my spiritual direction training program about ten years ago. I was drawn to this 500 year old contemplation on the life of Jesus that invites us to discern God’s path for our lives. When doctoral studies took me to Marquette University, a Jesuit institution, it gave me the unique opportunity to receive further training in the practice.

At the time, I was serving as an affiliate spiritual director at the campus Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality amid my studies. My supervisor there, Michael Dante, graciously offered me a 10-months private apprenticeship, and I was able to receive additional training from Howard Gray, SJ, a Jesuit teacher renowned for his insights into the Spiritual Exercises.

Book link to The Jesus Way: Practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

I longed to introduce others to this rich Christian spiritual heritage. So, in 2015, I began leading people through the Exercises, using a 36 weeks adaptation that I created called The Jesus Way: Practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Originally, I gave retreatants a binder with the material, but I always intended to publish it in book form once I refined it. I am excited to say that day has finally arrived! As I prepared to lead another small group through the Exercises this fall, I was determined to have this resource available to them.

The retreat follows Ignatius’s intent closely, while still being accessible. The Spiritual Exercises deepen your prayer life, give you new ways of reading Scripture, teach you how to do spiritual discernment, and cultivate an inner freedom. This is an opportunity to be shaped by the story of “God with us.” The world offers many narratives, but not all lead to life. What fills your imagination is what you become. In the Spiritual Exercises you allow Jesus to saturate your reality and invite you into a life of purpose.

Button to comment on post on the The Redwood Center Facebook page.

All books selected for discussion on this site are thoughtfully critiqued by the reviewer and reviews include affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

True Stories of Pastors and Ministry Leaders

Pastors and Christian Leaders, Reconstructing Faith / By

As someone who has provided spiritual care for pastors and ministry leaders, I have witnessed firsthand the vulnerabilities and challenges these leaders face. Their courage and compassion as they give of themselves for the sake of others is such a gift to our communities. Yet, sometimes we forget they are people too with struggles of their own. They can end up isolated at the top. That is why I am grateful for this new video series featuring the real life stories of ministers as they share their hearts openly with us.

If you or someone you know is a pastor or ministry leader in need of support, help is available. See this referral list to find a spiritual director.

What Is Your Picture of God?

Reconstructing Faith / By
Who is God? What do you imagine this Divine Being is like? Your picture of God is likely shaped by a variety of factors, including what you were taught in your faith community, the way clergy modeled themselves, your relationship with parents, or significant life events. These can intersect with each other. For example, you might have learned to view God as a father based on Scriptures that use this metaphor. This in turn is associated with your relationship with Dad. If Dad was patient and kind this can lead to a positive image of God. But if Dad was distant or abusive, a picture of a harsh God might develop. Many of us also have impressions of God based on life circumstances. When tragedy strikes, we can become disillusioned. Does God not care? Why didn’t God intervene? We cannot see God physically and so we naturally draw conclusions based on what we do know: our relationships and life experiences. The biblical authors did similarly. They described God using images from real life. God is a king ruling the land (Psa 47:7-8), a humble shepherd in the field with sheep (Psa 23), an impenetrable rock (Deut 32:4), a pregnant woman writhing in labor (Isa 42:14; see also Deut 32:18), a warrior in battle (Ex 15:3), a mother hen protecting her young (Matt 23:37). God is even described as clothes you can put on (Gal 3:27).[1]  As Paul the Apostle said, we see through a glass darkly (1 Cor 13:12). Our ability to describe God in human words is limited. But this does not mean we are left only with an image of God we have invented. Just as the Israelites and early Christians encountered God, so also we can experience God. How do we experience God? It may be in the beauty of the Creator’s sunrises and sunsets. Or in the kindness of a friend. Scripture says that the character of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). We can recognize God’s presence or absence by these traits. In fact, even though we cannot see God, we experience God in the love we give to one another (1 John 4:12). This is why many people have discovered God even in difficult times. While circumstances might not always change, it is possible to feel a supernatural peace in the middle of a storm. These spiritual experiences, along with the witness of the biblical authors help us to develop an accurate picture of God. Our perception of God is significant because it affects how we understand ourselves and the way we treat other people. Who we imagine God to be is who we become. If God is hard to please, then we will naturally use others as the measuring rod for our own performance. Judging others will make us feel superior, less sinful, and therefore worthy of God’s love. On the other hand, if we know the truth of God’s incredible mercy toward our imperfections, we are more likely to offer the same. As Jesus said, the one who is forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:47). Coming to experience God by noticing the fruit of the Spirit displayed in people around us and seeing God in the Person of Jesus (John 1:18), will transform our picture of God, and therefore, us as image-bearers. __________________________ This post is excerpted from Karen R. Keen, The Jesus Way: Practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. [1] See Lauren F. Winner’s lovely discussion on this along with other metaphors for God in her book Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God (New York: HarperCollins, 2015).

Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

Reconstructing Faith / By

“You Asked” is a blog series that answers questions people have submitted to Karen via e-mail or asked in person that relates to the faith life or Scripture.

Question: “I wonder if you could provide some of your thoughts on how one should interpret eternal punishment in the Bible? . . . Like many others, I cannot imagine how a loving God would like to see those who have failed to repent to end up burning in the lake of fire eternally. . . The reason I have been thinking about this question especially recently is partly due to the fact that my grandfather is going to die very soon due to lung cancer.”

Thoughts to Ponder: This is a difficult question, and one I have pondered myself. While it would take more space than I have here to thoroughly answer this question (and I don’t claim to have all the answers!), I do want to offer some food for thought. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. The Old Testament does not have a concept of hell. Instead all people are thought to go to Sheol, a gray, neutral place of sleep. In fact, the Old Testament says little about the Afterlife. Moving into the Greco-Roman period, we see a change in Jewish writing exhibiting a strong duality of heaven and hell. This movement seems to be based in part on concerns about justice for those suffering.

In ancient Near Eastern belief, including Israelite, God rewards good people with good things in this life and punishes bad people with a miserable life (e.g. Deut 28). But we see a couple Old Testament writers question this perspective, including in Ecclesiastes and Job. For example, Qohelet (the writer of Ecclesiastes), wrestles with the fact that rewards and punishments are clearly not fairly meted out in the present life (e.g. 8:14). Bad things do happen to good people, while evil people prosper. The circa 1st century BCE Jewish text Wisdom of Solomon (included in the Catholic Bible), provides an explanation for the conundrum: fair reward and punishment will surely be given in the Afterlife instead.

So originally, the concept of hell did not develop out of a belief that God is easily angered and ready to smite humanity. Rather, it stemmed from the existential crisis of Jews living under foreign rule who wanted assurance that somehow, someday the wrongs inflicted by cruel people would be made right. If justice for the suffering was not evident in the here and now, surely God would bring justice in the Afterlife.

2. The second thing to keep in mind when reading hell texts in the Bible is literary genre, including the ancient Jewish form called Apocalyptic Literature. Just as we would not read poetry the same way as we read a newspaper article, so also we have to attend to literary features in the Bible to read it correctly. Notably, the book of Revelation, which contains key hell texts, is an example of the apocalyptic genre. As a genre it contains highly symbolic language. So we have to ask ourselves whether a particular text might be conveying an important figurative meaning.

3. Thirdly, some prominent Christian theologians dating back to the early church have believed through Christ universal salvation is possible. Origen (c. 185-254 CE) was one of the most prolific and respected Christian thinkers of his time and believed in universal salvation. For an excellent article on Origen, see “Saint Origen,” by David Bentley Hart. For more recent commentary from an evangelical, see this brief video (How Do You Reconcile Universalism with Hell Texts) by Dr. Robin Parry. And also check out this intriguing post on what the Bible says and doesn’t say about hell.

Evangelist Billy Graham was once asked about the salvation of Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and secular people. He replied: “Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have” (Newsweek interview, 2006).

Regardless of where one falls on this question, we know that God loves us while we are sinners (Rom 5:8), and we are not saved because we do right things, but because of mercy (Titus 3:3-7). This marvelous grace woos us such that we follow Christ out of love and not fear. Perfect love casts out fear.

PS: What about Heaven? Have you ever wondered what that is like? Read this great article by New Testament scholar N.T. Wright on what the Bible teaches.

When Death Comes Too Soon

2 Comments / Reconstructing Faith / By

During Lent this year, death hovered near. My friend Bill, a beloved pastor in the community, underwent chemo for an unexpected brain tumor. The spouse of someone I provide spiritual care for was suddenly hospitalized. And well-known Christian writer, Rachel Held Evans was placed in a medically induced coma after the flu took a dangerous turn. On Holy Saturday I mentioned each of them in a tweet and pleaded, “This Holy Saturday I am crying out for life!”

All three of them died this week. Tomorrow I am attending two memorial services.

Bill was only 56 years old and blessed the lives of so many, including refugees. He persuaded his congregation to turn the parsonage into a home for transitioning immigrants. Bill died just weeks after the birth of a grandchild who will grow up without him. Rachel was 37 and had a profound impact through her writing and speaking, challenging the evangelical world to follow Christ more fully. She leaves behind a three old son and a little girl not even a year old.

It always startles me when good people die young. It goes against my gut sense of justice that God should and surely will look out for the faithful. Yet, even Jesus and his disciples died unfairly. The gospel does not offer the protection that I so wish it did.

I first began to reckon with this truth several years ago when I encountered another unexpected death. At the time I was ending a stable career, packing my bags, and moving across the country to pursue a new vocational dream, namely, a Th.M. degree at Duke Divinity School with hopes of going on for a Ph.D. in Old Testament. But amid my hopeful beginning, David died. I didn’t know David, but his death hit me hard. His dreams mirrored my own dreams, having just completed his Ph.D. in Old Testament at Duke.  …

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