Paradox Redlands Podcast

Meredith Miller gave this Sermon at Paradox on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

This sermon was given at Paradox on August 22, 2026. 

Kathy Lin gave this sermon at Paradox on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

Here is an engaging, SEO-friendly episode description designed to capture listeners' attention, boost searchability, and encourage engagement.

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Ready-to-Use Episode Description

What does it truly mean to walk with God in our everyday lives?

In this episode of the Paradox Redlands Podcast, we dive into 1 John 4:7—a foundational passage that reveals how genuine love is the heartbeat of a life connected to God. Whether you are navigating faith for the first time or looking for a deeper spiritual renewal, this conversation offers a practical, grounded guide to aligning your daily life with God's character.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• The Origin of Real Love: Why 1 John 4:7 defines love not as a fleeting emotion, but as an active reflection of God’s nature.

• Practical Discipleship: Actionable ways to practice selfless, authentic love in your relationships, workplace, and community.

• Overcoming Spiritual Disconnect: How to recognize barriers to spiritual growth and return to the simplicity of loving God and loving others.

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Scripture Focus

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." — 1 John 4:7

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Connect & Support

• Enjoyed the episode? Please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement today!

• Join the Paradox Community: Connect with us in Redlands, CA, or follow along online for weekly teachings and conversations.

Does your faith feel like a system of control, or does it inspire wonder? In this continuation of our series in 1 John, we explore what it really means to "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1) in a modern world.

Without critique, religion can quickly become idolatry. We dive into the dangers of a strict "binary" worldview, what the horror movie Heretic gets right about toxic religion, and why healthy faith requires us to embrace paradox and mystery. If you've ever felt like God is infinitely bigger than the "bucket" of organized religion, this message is for you.

What if everything you were taught about sin was designed to keep you ashamed, not free? In part 2 of our series on 1st John, we dig into a word that shows up 27 times in this short letter: hamartia — sin. The author of 1st John claims believers can rise above sin entirely, a claim that helped split the early church in two. This week we ask what sin actually is, trace 2,000 years of atonement theology from Origen to Anselm to the Reformers, and land on a healthier, more honest way to hold our own imperfection — without losing sight of who we really are: children of God, not sinners first.

What if the "Antichrist" isn't a mysterious end-times villain — but someone your church just had a falling out with? In this opening message of our series on 1st John, Pastor Craig dives into the strange, drama-filled origin story behind one of the Bible's most feared words. Written by a small church community in ancient Turkey around 105 CE, 1st John claims to be a letter all about love — yet it labels former members as "Antichrist." So what really happened? And what does this 2,000-year-old church conflict have to teach us about handling disagreement, heartbreak, and division in our own relationships today?

This happened on July 4, 2026 at Paradox. Craig has not seen these questions ahead of time. 

What if your disability isn't a punishment — and the healing you need isn't a cure?

As Paradox wraps up its Pride series, guest speaker Christian Barrera-Sandri brings a deeply personal message connecting Psalm 38's "penitent's plea for healing" to the overlapping experiences of queerness and disability. Drawing from his husband's 20-year journey with diabetes, his father's kidney transplant and ongoing fight for disability justice, and his own unexplained seizure episode, Christian challenges the idea that illness, disability, or queerness are signs of God's punishment — and points instead to what Jesus actually offers: not a magic cure, but a restored community.

🔑 What we cover:

• Psalm 38 and the ancient question: "Is this my fault?"
• John 9 and Matthew 9 — how Jesus responds to those seeking healing, and to a community that gatekeeps who's "worthy" of it
• Why queerness and disability are overlapping, not competing, spectrums of human experience
• HIV/AIDS as a present reality, not a relic of the past, in queer life and disability conversation
• Shalom: the Old Testament concept of healing as peace, justice, and belonging — not just physical cure

Whether you're navigating a chronic illness, loving someone who is, or just rethinking what healing really means, this message invites you into a more honest, more compassionate picture of community.

Paradox Church | Redlands, CA
paradoxredlands.com | @paradoxredlands

#PrideAndPenitence #Psalm38 #DisabilityTheology #PrideMonth #ParadoxChurch #FaithAndDisability #LGBTQFaith #ChristianSermon #Healing #Shalom #InclusiveChurch #RedlandsCA #SundaySermon #ChurchMessage

"Who sinned, this man or his parents?" That's the question that opens John 9 — and it's a question that still gets asked, in different words, about anyone whose body or identity doesn't fit the frameworks we're handed.

In this guest message, Esther Loewen — a licensed marriage and family therapist and former pastor — walks through three places where the story of the man born blind in John 9 echoes her own experience, and the experience of many trans people today: being treated as a puzzle to solve rather than a person, the holiness of embodied transformation, and the demand to testify again and again before being believed. Esther shares pieces of her own transition story and ends with a question for the whole church to sit with: if God were doing something sacred in the life of a trans person, would you be able to see it?

🔑 Why John 9 "rhymes" with trans experience — from suspicion, to interrogation, to exclusion
🔑 The difference between Side A, Side B, and fully affirming approaches to LGBTQ+ people in the church
🔑 Why physical, embodied transformation can be an act of faith, not a failure of it
🔑 The role of personal testimony in Christian faith — and why it deserves to be heard before it's judged
🔑 The closing challenge of John 9: would you recognize the works of God if you saw them?

Wherever you find yourself in this conversation, we invite you to listen with an open heart. This message is for anyone wrestling with identity, belonging, or what it means to be fully seen.

Paradox Church | Redlands, CA
paradoxredlands.com
@paradoxredlands

#JohnChapter9 #TransFaith #ParadoxChurch #RedlandsChurch #AffirmingChurch #LGBTQFaith #ChristianityAndGender #InclusiveChurch #FaithAndIdentity #ProgressiveChristianity #ChurchSermon #SeenByGod

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon on Saturday, June 6, 2026

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on May 23, 2026.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven fair? In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable where workers hired at different hours all receive the same pay — and the ones who worked longest are furious. Pastor Craig unpacks why Jesus intentionally describes heaven as "unfair," and why that's actually the most liberating news you'll ever hear.

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on Saturday, May 16, 2026. 

Madison Brown gave this sermon at Paradox on May 9, 2026. 

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on May 2, 2026.

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on April 18, 2026. 

Christian Barrera-Sandri gave this sermon at Paradox on Saturday, April 11, 2026

Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox Church on April 4, 2026. 

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on March 28, 2026

Pastor Craig Hadley gave this sermon at Paradox on March 21, 2026. 

Pastor Craig Hadley discusses the context around the Sermon on the Mount, and then reimagines Jesus Christ's sermon in a way that reveals what these words mean to him.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

 

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of Paradox Church, Kim Krogstad asked ten questions, and Craig attempted to respond ten times. He heard none of these questions ahead of time.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley tells the stories of how Jenny Prctor, Susie King Taylor, Frederick Douglass, and Maria W. Stewart all learned to read and then discusses how reading today is part of a bold act of resistance.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Yi Shen Ma tells the story of Jeremiah. He highlights the difficulties we face when we exist in an empire and how we can live well in uncertain times.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley discusses two stories about prophets getting punched, what the villains can teach us, how these stories are similar, how these stories are different, and how all of it can teach us what it means to have faith in 2026.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley discusses the overwhelming anger in the book of Jeremiah and what it teaches us about the anger we hold today.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

On Saturday, January 3, Pastor Craig Hadley took questions from the congregation and attempted to answer them. He had several leftover questions that he never got to respond to, so he took all of them and did his best on this podcast.

 

He has not seen any of these questions prior to this podcast. 

Pastor Craig Hadley invited the congregation to write down questions on paper airplanes and throw them on the stage. He then attempted to answer as many of these questions as he could.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Madison Brown and Mario Sanchez, Erin and Alex McMullen, Sara and Eric Schilt, and Minori and Miko Tsukimoto all write letters to their children about the Christmas story, gratitude, joy, hope, openness, generosity, and just about everything in-between.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Esther Loewen teaches on the story of Joseph and reveals that a lot of things we assume about Joseph's story become more gender-expansive when we take a closer look at the text.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Genesis Ford asks a question which considers Joseph's story from his brothers' perspective, and Craig talks about the character development of Joseph throughout his story.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Krystl Fabella wonders why God felt the need to hold a jiu jitsu match with Jacob in the middle of the night, and Craig responds by sharing Jacob's entire story. And Jacob, Craig says, is NOT the hero of this story.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Lucca Estrella read through the story of Rebekah and Isaac, and asked three questions from his eleven year-old perspective. Pastor Craig responded to his curiosity with illustrations about Piggly Wiggly, Disney movies, and a story about bandits.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Khari Washington, Rory Smith, Christian Barrera-Sandri, Yi Shen Ma, Chris Glevy, and Jordan Kattenhorn discuss what it means to be a man in the year 2025 and beyond.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley looks at how three different story tellers remember the lives of Hagar and Ishmael, and what they can teach us about how we live in a multi-religious global society.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Coco Ma, age 6, asked Pastor Craig a question about Sarah's Infertility in the book of Genesis. Craig responded by talking about her favorite movie, K Pop Demon Hunters, and told Sarah's story through the lens of Rumi, Zoey, and Mira.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley responds to Jeff Bullington's questions after reading the story of the curse of Ham, and how we have a responsibility to be humble, be informed, and be great story tellers. Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA.

 

We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley gives the historical context of Obadiah, reads through the entire book of Obadiah, discusses the thesis of Obadiah, tells a story in which he is the bad guy, shows a picture of a cute dog, points out something on In-N-Out Burger cups, and then asks what all of it means for us today.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Mattie Kattenhorn asks about how we can reconcile the apparent discrepancies between evolution and creation, and how we can find God in the presence of so much death.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Padmini Davamony shares a story about her discovering the author of Genesis, and then

 

Pastor Craig Hadley discusses who wrote it and what we do with this information. Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley discusses the necessity, the calling, the history, the leadership, and the community of Paradox Church.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Kim Krogstad shares what communion has meant to her in over 41 years of serving this sacrament to people under her care.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley reimagines the sixth chapter of Galatians as a letter Paul might write to the Christian churches of America today. After the letter, he offers a commentary on the artistic liberties he took to bring this letter to life.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

What is Paul wrote a letter to the churches in America today? Pastor Craig Hadley imagine this letter would discuss the improper use of the Bible by modern Christians and call them to refocus on a faith that counts. He then offers a commentary explaining why he made the artistic choices for this reimagined letter.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

What if Paul wrote the churches in America a letter today? Pastor Craig Hadley reimagines this alternate reality based on the fourth chapter of Galatians and then offers a commentary on the artistic choices he made.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

What if Paul wrote the churches in America a letter today? Pastor Craig Hadley imagines this alternate reality based on the second and third chapters of Galatians and then offers a commentary on his creative choices.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Yi Shen Ma talks about a short passage at the end of Galatians, and how it calls all of us to a sacred kind of anarchy.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Pastor Craig Hadley offers a commentary on the book of Galatians, and discusses how these first two chapters set up the theology which fills the rest of the book.

 

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com

Christian Barrera-Sandri takes an in-depth look at the life of Paul and explores how these writings impact our lives today.

Paradox Church was founded in 2016 in Redlands, CA. We are currently in a nine-year, 66-part sermon series through the entire Bible. We are affirming for all LGBTQIA persons, we celebrate and empower women, and we prioritize the sacred work of anti-racism. If you'd like to know more about our church, please visit our website at www.paradoxredlands.com