Who Is Ray Hardee?

This is Darren Kuhn with the masculine journey podcast research the ancient paths to find ways that God brings light into a dark world and help set men free from the struggles that we all face on a day-to-day basis.

Your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network I'm holding my hand the first pumpkin spice latte of the season and I'm honored to do it with my buddy Pastor Ray Hardy what the other pastors I have a strawberry açai has been blended and is my first season probably offers than a year. Anyway, thank you so much for having with you today will you do when you find yourself on the patio of the coffee shop with a guy who's Harvard educated former college tennis player and pastor want to fast structures in the area.

We talked about God and Christ of the gospel. I pastor is exactly right clustering to people like you student your new life is all about spreading through the Truth Network and it's an honor to be able to talk about three generic hello Steve Brown says all truth is God's truth is that he says luckily with alternate dBase voice and well past Reagan was interesting that you and I knew each other going back your brother and I have gotten closer as he's become the headmaster of the Christian school orchids go to guy reasonable so. Through him we got closer and reconnected in any that is cool and I love it when God connects people in different parts of his kingdom together for his purposes is a lot of fun was a lot of fun is really unique. The more I feel the Hardy onion Richard from Ray and your family the more I hear some amazing testimonies of literally being the caretaker of a sister right what was some challenges but amazing gifts of how having lost your family at a young age, your big brother your data get a plane wreck only go back and just talk about who is Ray Hardy sure little bit about your test. I want a listers. We love profound people want to talk is my favorite things in you have such a remarkable story so my name is Roy. I'm standing Betty son third son and Andrea is my wife.

We've been married 37 years. We have three children Anna Alex and Abigail that are 3430 and 26, respectively. We have three grandchildren pastor the pointers in Belmont was refounded 20 years ago basically reach people that no one else is reaching by doing things no one else is doing without compromising the gospel compromising the truth we grew up in a situation will remove the lot. My dad was an ambitious pastor. We lived in PowerPoint Conway New Orleans Indianapolis back to New Orleans to Daytona and then he had his untimely lease for us death in Florida with my brothers and Polly crashed the plane he was piloting and remove Betty Conway to leave my grandparents and then my mom moved to Columbia moving to Charlotte. She remarried a bit in the greater Charlotte area since I was 11, all that happened before I was 11, so I was that you married and 11 that happened later. Your mom your mom is still living and loving the Lord and married to a wonderful man and God.

She is she's 89, 393 next birthday.

He's 93 next Monday so thereby people there to serve God in different kinds ways. He is a missionary in Africa and mom is a missionary basically to pastors but she remarries a song is been married to Sue pastors and a missionary in MI about that over to Irma's tone was a very applicable pastor Westside Charlotte also took lots of people to the holy land, 54, 55 different times God graduated heaven over that two decades ago, almost 2 decades ago, 2004 and mom remarried another man of the cloth, but it was retired missionary from Ethiopia so were blessed to have a mom and is out pick out good me in the following sums you been both an MK and a PK and assess right through that in it which is interesting to some folks at all those MKs SDKs is missionary schedule step using new Masters gingersnap gives an alternate rotten their rebels are, they're gone they're gone the wrong way but what happened some gap in your life.

Tell us how you came to know Christ in the changing the thing that changed you maybe going back so I'm grateful some of the stores, like God completed my salvation before my dad died. However, my following Jesus Christ is Lord and Master and Savior took a little bit more time and certainly MKs in PK's push the boundaries. I think a lot of this because are trying to discover what faith is what really is real to them and so sometimes they wander off in the dark places and I certainly am guilty that as well. But a couple months before my dad died we sat down afternoon as I drove with my mom on the Zero seminaries and Arafat were that my thousands will and then assisted the president and we love Jesus I love Jesus, everything understood about it you want me to be the Lord to be Lord Master life is whether everything valve installed in the known to be like you guys and so not a walk dollars New Orleans First Baptist Church. Several weeks later they came back to the sea were receded and my dad was there Sunday night and is not ministering that night, but their essay that have baptism and I knew I made a profession of faith and so is Ray ready baptize and also we have sure I'm ready to baptize, it was great that I got saved I can like there's hundred 20 people that they were excited to her people.

They said proud of you know I kind of stuff is great for me moment, but was baptized in July 1969 will within just three months. My father was dead as always grateful for that time when we were able to come to cement that mom and the like, but the second moment where really I took a step with Christ in the deeper kind of way or more study.

Conway was 17 years old and I've been trying to make sports, the God of my life.

I was running cross-country and track and playing tennis and swimming in got dehydrated and ended up in hospital with kidney stone that will make you really spiritual in a hurry operable in a hospital bed. I knew the butts or pain medication that they would send me the maybe same hospital saccades. Please make this pain go away and it did and also the fact that the stone remained, but nevertheless it was something that some of the spiritual moment for me, but that Sunday night my father, stepfather, thermos, on second at six open services.

I thought this might your life needs to make a decision to their commitment to Christ is God and has that is upright up and so my first father. Mom sat down with me.

My ball is father.

We had to stop and then now in my second father, I said you know pop was we called this a pop in on exactly what God means for me to do, but I don't want to be part-time or just halfway here as I want to be off.

He is known to be obedient what it is the same for me to do, which was a pivotal moment for me in a very powerful moment for me and then college came with all his tests of meeting people that are smart and PACs by their names and try to get you to doubt what it is you believe. Instead, I was only strengthened, but it did lead me to. In my junior college at a major university or North Carolina where I spent about a year just completely depressed me for me to get up and go to school was the real struggle was strange about that is made the best grades of my life thus far in that year, but may not specific college athletics and I got hurt I was making from the straight A's in all like to present posse mouth honor society, which is the national political science. Our society also pre-log want to go to Harvard to Harvard law and become the next daily log, you think I drive fancy cars and Malcolm's girlfriends. I consisted are still things that I struggle with about what should be a priority in my life and it occurred to me back then after going through this period of depression that I become a knowledge of God and how wanted to make great grades of East Marden did in law schools or procedures that comes about something he said to get away forces a transfer, but didn't have room for me so that's why never knew that once out to stick it out here in ultimately God this week will explore new things in my life. That time he showed me that without an authority of what is real truth that anything goes real, you can make words say whatever it is that you will make the meal. Never forget this constitutional law class outside my professor said that if he or Felix frankfurter. One of the justices of the Supreme Court. One day you start listen arguments in these lean back in his words, words about his word to me.

That was almost empty moment and that really cannot spark the kind of what was the authority is a real authority is my following my fate because my parents father faith is really minded over the course of a couple of years, and including a transfer from UTC Performa last year was to be my senior year I went to Gardner Webb University and it seems more like a memo life. There are families calling their they wouldn't happen if I'm not going to the dark night of my soul still with destiny. One thing I would say specially is that their people are out there that you feel guilty because you need help.

I was a pastor Steve and you know my designee. The answers many joints, faith and salvation in Christ and how you don't worry, buddy, things that pray about everything I knew about these things, but there are also times where Christ followers need to walk through with somebody that is trying to help you walk through an avenue or dark time in your life that you facing in for me going to counseling meant walking back to losing my father and finally mounted in the and what it means to be that person and then Kilby was my counselor, her name was Dana a bus route name is Tom Jim Daly Gardner with an but also you did not know was that one day hers husband to be was going to be my boss Gardner Webb and I was going to turn this passion for Christian education in recruiting students for 15 years on average. It plundered Gardner Webb.

Right before my senior year made no sense whatsoever. Leave UTC to go there on spray my bed one morning a signature God. If you want me to go to this place up in the garden with all like it like the people that are up there are people that are just real Christians with really good minds and early hearts, but I need a sinus and I'm sorry for being such a Gideon police out there within 30 minutes after I got up that morning I had a phone call from Dana.

She said you still want to go to Gardner Webb in a settlement praying about it and she said while fennel scholarship you immediate one of those answers. The Prairie raises the here on my skin as I think about it now. Got call me there and and since the enemy almost 21 years old, God did extraordinary things in my life. I was there, usually about those things will come right back for a quick break and about your sister and the remarkable testimony of being a caretaker for a cure caregiver to your sister and your book on the 10 Commandments and Harvard degree what the world's going on with Pastor Ray, x-ray, hearty mortar store.

We come back in to talk. Dr. Seto one remarkable testimony would honor sit down with Pastor Ray Hardy, a North Carolina pastor who has a lot this year. He was the commencement speaker my daughter Joy's graduation. He's a brother what best friends and he is just as a great testimony for Christ role family really has a story to all the brothers and your sister and raters on other side, we are a caregiver. People don't really get that sometimes things just you just show up and you go knew this but when you're caring for someone who who has had a challenges your sisters had talked about that we have Pastor Rachel good had with us today is going to be your state.

Thank you so much so went after dad died in mom and waited through 3/2 years.

Not for any particular arbitrary time, but she fell in love again.

She met Mary Thurman stone from Charlotte with Carolina we found out that among March 2 three brothers strategically one new brother and two sisters and one of our sister this handicap and sorting by handicap so she's special needs person and on. So they toldwhat that meant that she learns to unlearn walk when she was a baby she was born normally but she fail and hit her head on the corner table which is like 10 or 11 months old and she had learned walking all over again. It took years for that to happen. Obviously, long before my mom ever met my second father.

So we moved into the house is a nightmare that I really somebody drew target us to curb Belmont North Carolina's undercover rafters. We are outside folks.

You hear the noise in the cool sounds and some better than others, but pastor Hardy's with us in this is so good to be itself on the perfect pumpkin spice latte for the whole season and you got so you got some good healthy drink on their so what is what yes what happened that changed a lot of things in your life. Absolutely. So one of the things I could tell people is that it's an incredible gift to be around people that are weaker who are special-needs or have special abilities. Ben would put them rather special disabilities. Debbie was told she never learned to walk or talk again. They said sheep I would live to be very long ship complicated brain surgeries will then be living 65+ years after that she still she still living as usual Caesar Richard Tracy shall be of any of her singing she does very best you can with what she has an onset of underwriting working on writing a book about Debbie's like just the lessons she taught us about what it's like to be somebody to to make the most of what you have and also God allowed us to learn I can. I can never say why did Debbie fall why she hit her head. I can never give me the answer for what amount as plane crash instead of land on the runway is two minutes room when they center for I can explain to you what my second father Debbie's father died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

But here's what I've learned through all these dark night things in my life. You can even get mad at God or you can lean in the God for his comfort.

Mom and I had this conversation just two nights ago.

Again, she's approaching her 90th birthday. She lost her first child was stillborn and still warm and everything prompted with very long.the baby is born. My mom said your dad's loss, loss baby to the loss of Robbie with my dad in the crash. She said I have a lot of questions from God about God and what he wanted me to do, but I never got mad at God's. I think that's the key that she taught us to look at not getting mad at God, but so what now you can distill into the walkway's grace is what Neil so what I can say about having live with Debbie first of all she taught me about maximizing the life on she's writing cards, greeting cards for people at our church right now because it's something she can do just as they appreciate your God loves you neck and submit what people realizes she has to do it with incredible muscle control. He might take her an hour to write one card and address one car and so maximizing your personal potential. The second thing is when you have some ice handicap in your life or somebody that has special abilities or disabilities. It makes you slow down and then she stopped and understand the world is not going in your speed and you got to get out, get their speed for a while.

In this that's very important for people like me and I was is maybe like you were fast. People were only go through this running to do that but there's something unique about how having Debbie's sister slows us down now to see my brothers, Richard and Roger on or just incredible champions Rangers crew chiefs mean they deliberately take time and spend time with Debbie and I do some these days as well, but not nearly as much of the UC Debbie comes and attends the church in which a pastor Roger comes mortar brother Richard drives down the strategically takes time to be with her. I've taken some time with her over the years. One of the things that you want to do is compete in the race and on. There was a time when she could walk with a walker and participated fun runs like shards or marathon others on she's meant to be in a wheelchair, but she just makes you stop and slow down incensed as the brevity of life was not secretive. Charlotte marathon where the people took off the 10,000 people took off and on where to call the starting line and she said right before we took off.

She said this was all never forget. Gen. Walker furnishes it on.

They finished last, but on my way up his walk in the 1 mile run, run, and everybody sees long order I denoted Tom delay water besides him nobly. There is no runaround, everything like that.

This reporter said to tell you what you do. As with the solicitor. Debbie's you really want to run in this race and she said in starting line only finished last normally open she said was that we were better so apples on it turned out she was in inner interviewer. She was reporter for the chart observer and the next morning on the front page of the sports section. There were like 3500 runners that are growing in all these different races. There is this whole paragraph quote from Debbie Stone about how she was special and the cost of selling. It also shows that God takes the things that are the least and elevates them for his purposes to and so therefore Debbie sought us out to go to different speed.

The third thing is is that we might get discouraged and we want to quit and we want to give up, but nevertheless she sought us that she never asked. She cries she thought she missed her father she misses her mother she lost to cancer, my dad would not plane crash. Debbie's mom died of cancer before she was 15 and so the people she misses in her life. One of her brothers gone stepbrother Butch to sing the poor souls of each music group and has two great sons and wife is now remarried neck and stuff but what Debbie teaches us is that you can find joy even when you got here and so a lot of people say to me you just deposit best of rate you can you know you can try to make something is really bad deposit but here's what I discovered is that you're around somebody that has little you can go fast in his look down upon by most of the world is somebody that is less than it stops you in your tracks to say you know what the most important things are the simple things in the little things in the loving things. The big lesson out of the dark lessons of life. Losing losing that loser popped Alzheimer's disease dealing with Debbie and have down syndrome. These two states use as to what our world is that this is not why you probably never going to get the why question answer on what you do now and so as result of that what God's taught me to do is how to love on a deeper level. Based upon the people in the circumstances and situations I've been around and also just to know that you are guaranteed another moment, so don't think these moments for granted what people there in front of you. In Jesus name. And you also wrote a book of the 10 Commandments. Write to Stefan. This got the racecar fee on the front.

I did this, and overbooking to self publish that some of you want to copy out.

I'll guess very pretty. You don't buy it but Scotty in the win. Winning in the power to and and I want to zigzag or onetime 101 before they paid to go to room with a lot of people in the early 1990s became Shaw's speech and he tells me was stage the challenge me in person to say their buddies write a book about what is necessary to be successful in life begin to reflect on the 10 Commandments are not the 10 suggestions not just the team cannot months. There's really a powerful principal, a lot of principal behind every commandment, even though it stated in the negative on you know so the way I refrained him as the T and the wind is first things first, God is first and second no think to take the place of the one who made all things there.

We should always live our lives as if were always in God's presence because we always are forth that we take one day a week to rest and recharge our batteries. God did it God that we need to decide that we make mom and daddy proud. Even if mom and dad are honorable. Some people have mom and dads were honorable. We need to live in an honorable way that honors our heavenly father only got gave life and only God can take away. True love waits real of states in earn what you own. Don't take it from other people tell the truth and enjoy the consequences and then the grass is not greener on the side of the fence is still has to be mowed, said is one of the commandments as a principle that is positive in a demonstration of love to God I love the way the Exodus chapter 20 begins is God speaking to him using this covenant with 10 Commandments and then lots of different derivations to explain this is on the Lord your God brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the women's labor you shall have no other gods before he sees reminding them of your Savior. I'm your Redeemer on the one who loves so let me back in the take… Israel have our bed, got to keep all those amines, a God thing can you sleep with that guy's wife. Hey, can you not kill somebody you just tell the truth. We do not steal for other people stuff is the real high bar if you love somebody better so that Mr. manager the very formative etched in stone. The formative years in the laws. All jurisprudence system of America absolute and of Harvard University where you have got a degree from recently. Why would a pastor with this kind of life experience in these kind of stories and degrees, you are leading a successful church. Why would you degree from Harvard and why Harvard just appoint an atheist as their campus chaplain Pastor Ray that you're here to help her settle the score euros on will. I can only tell you why I chose to go there so when I was an undergraduate I will always thought that I cut it in the Ivy League, and so part of it was personal pride part of it was the fact that something of emptiness. When I started but there are other things as well. I think that in our culture. We have to learn the language of speaking what the world is talking about safe for me to go to Harvard by Paul going Marcio and sock with the philosophers and the poets and the people that were the thinkers in the theologians of that day because I wanted to make sure that I could talk in the language that the culture has been put out there with terms like intersection now would be in the 6019 project and structural racism in the very things that you've heard there's a reason that those things have become important. So only be able to talk with facility about the issues that people talk about other play only to do was see if I could cut it. Alysia will outdo really will graduate 3.75 average in that comes up at the most important thing for me after I got there was couple residency so there's times that I was on campus and then the worst times every week when I was on zoom with people and I wanted to be a Christ follower.

That was not the jerk.

There's some people that are Christ followers that are not your commercial for Jesus and so I wanted to show people that I was in the room with them that you can love Jesus and love Christ and still be loving inappropriately inclusive to people as well. Even if you don't agree with everything about them.

And so I will show them the love of Christ in a practical way and show them that you can be a Christ follower and also be a gentleman and also be a scholar and also be somebody worth listening to. Nothing in order to build a bridge between holy culture that loves God's words, precept upon precept in line upon line still believe that the Bible is the standard of all truth because it was back to the one who was the way in the truth and the life and even harder was begun when those kind of foundations to train ministers so there would not be an illiterate ministry to the next generation. But over time things things have changed in what I found is that when you put in a place where knowledge is more to say, this is not just true artistry for anybody. Once you begin to want to know the right answer. Knowledge can just like it was for Adam and Eve become the first temptation to become God. So when you're in a place that is, the hallowed halls of academia. One the most prestigious places in the world. Sometimes it's easy to worship knowledge.

For knowledge, say and therefore what seems to be to make no sense and is the head banger like slap yourself why would chaplain the chief capital Harvard University be an atheist is that knowledge has led to that kind of thing sometimes whether we are people that are Christians you get too full of ourselves. People that are out there in the world that are trying to find meaning in truth and purpose through academia because the mind the words apostle Paul proclaiming to be wise, they become fullness their food source and darken what I failed to Harvard around every assignment some wonderful people that were there people that were professors and that I love dearly.

What I found is that everything I learned how to thread back. What is truly God's words like he said the 10 Commandments, the foundation of our judicial system. The best legal scholars in people district court judges people are friend of mine friends of mine say that every one of our laws is tied back in commitments where another is absolutely that's true.

So when you begin your part of free country and you're part of a free place of inquiry like Harvard or Princeton or UC Chapel Hill or Berkeley or wherever you're going to find the knowledge can become God in the sale and therefore can seem perfectly rational that your chaplain would be. Could be an atheist because he has a perspective to but were disagreeing with Dylan certainly is that I'm very much of the ugly. God is at the center of it all that he is the truth.

While he says that we need to find the truth within ourselves eloquently.

Giglio self-help can't help. Ultimately we have to have the helper of the maker and the master, the Lord of the universe for any kind of self-care L2 Hill. I can be disciplined. I can work out. I can memorize things I can make a I can go to get advanced degrees from prestigious institutions, stuff like that.

What he did for me is to drive me straight back to the truth of what harbor was formed in the first place. Doesn't everybody but wanted fairness to those people that are there for the they allow me to express myself and did not condemn me. They tells me an appropriate kinds of ways but I felt like it was very much an academic environment was allowed to stay mopping everybody does. But this professor did their job and enjoy. Are you always challenge me to thinking how your books do that your blog is that you want to learn more about you was the best website also one by the church must Ray Hardy.com is my personal blog sites and the church is the point church Belmont.

It's the point.cc.com and.org were taken by other the points in the world. So were the point.cc, first Community Church.

You can find on the webpage and also Ray McKay Hardy there's there's like 550 Ray Hardy's with series like hamburgers are made on the run, cameras built as a RTE summary McKay Hardy on Facebook or twitter. Things like that but you not try to use the influence the guys give me to make a difference in the people in it are some things on Axelson years ago. This kind of a life mission statement for me is is on the actual voice I want to make a difference with people who want to make a difference doing something that makes a difference at a time that makes a difference to me. That's what it's all about and set means for me. Building bridges with people and sometimes it might be things like building houses and work on a project now with local pastors, reimagine us with Habitat for Humanity and if we sweat together we get together so you thought will talk about making the rice get together. But what if this black church in this white church predominantly goes and builds a house together.

What is Hispanic church in this multilingual church get together and they could build a habitat house together.

We do things like that make a difference in their people are friends of mine because denominations were able to sit down and have these conversations around race and structural racism in things that are part of cultural racism or things like that cultural violence is lots of terms are used, but at the bottom line. Anything that causes to be separated from one another and separated from God is the selfishness and sin me right in the middle of the work season is the letter I and eyes. The problem, and sin is that I want to be somebody that builds bridges, people, and my personal life mission statement is to encourage people to turn to Christ become is fully devoted followers fallen completely in the I just think it's important that each person decide what understands you to take it easy, coming until the holy healer, holy huddle and understand that sometimes I just want to retreat to me and God. Nobody else because only being him convict the world together right but I found that I got to go out in the highways and hedges. In some ways I compel them to come in the picking of the gospel is by showing that all of them feed them all.

Talk with them.

I have a spirited debate with them. I'll take them out to lunch. One of my best friends is an atheist and has been for years and share the gospel over and over and over again, but I'll abandon John because he's different than me because very last breath, he might decide what racing is true blessing. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

What a story. Please share this podcast is easily made into a book.

What a blessing your brother your family. We love you guys and thank you for what you're doing for the kingdom regional loss at all cost.

A love that is what Jody will enjoy just guess what together to get together and doing that for the glory of God in your book, and all you're doing at the point church in Gastonia, North Carolina Ryan Gaston County, North Carolina were on the Belmont side you from our Charlotte airport thing right in the city as Tim is way to think a left to be right next door. We are cerebral communities on the come. This is the Truth Network