In this episode of Unrealized Purpose, Dalton and Isaac sit down with Austin Gardner — pastor, missionary, author, and leader trainer — to ask one question that everyone thinks they already know the answer to:
Who is God?
(Spoiler: Austin’s answer will challenge everything you learned in church.)
Austin shares how his view of God changed across 50+ years of ministry, missions, suffering, and most recently, a stage-four cancer diagnosis. He talks about the moment Psalm 23 became more than a verse — it became an anchor.
What unfolds is one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast:
Why so many Christians see God as angry, disappointed, or impossible to please
Why that picture is completely wrong
The difference between cultural love and biblical love
Why God “hates sin” but does not hate you
How a performance-driven church culture has distorted God’s character
What it means that God relentlessly chases us with mercy
Why the eternal purpose of life is not achievement — it’s relationship
How cancer stripped everything away until only God’s goodness was left
Why God is the “I AM” — the God of the now, not the past you regret
This episode is especially for:
Anyone who left church because of judgment
Anyone who feels unworthy
Anyone trying to rebuild their faith
Anyone who sees God as harsh, distant, or angry
Anyone who’s tired of performing
Austin said something in this conversation that hit me harder than almost anything we’ve heard on this topic:
“God is not angry at you. God is angry at the sin that hurts you.”
“Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life.”
If you’ve ever questioned who God really is — this episode might be the one that reframes it for good.
