Signature Keynote
Still Standing
Faith, Fear, and Moving Forward Without Pretending
A warm, faith-forward keynote about holding belief and difficulty at the same time — and building communities where people do not have to perform restoration.
The Experience
What happens in the room
Faith communities are often the first place someone in crisis turns, and frequently the last place they feel free to be honest. Stephanie speaks directly into that gap, from inside it.
She talks about the years when her prayers were short and angry, when the answer did not come on schedule, and when the most faithful thing available to her was staying alive and telling one person the truth. She talks about what her church got right, and what well-meaning advice nearly cost her.
The message is warm rather than heavy. It leaves congregations with permission to be unresolved, and leaders with a clearer understanding of how to care for someone whose situation cannot be prayed into simplicity.
Why this message now
Congregations are carrying grief, financial strain, and quiet crises that rarely reach leadership. A message that honors faith while telling the truth about hardship rebuilds trust.
What your audience leaves with
- A picture of faith that does not require pretending
- Three things to say, and three to avoid, with someone in crisis
- Clarity that safety and faith are not in conflict
- A community more willing to tell the truth
How it is customized for you
- Scripture and language aligned with your tradition
- Care team training session for pastoral staff
- Safety and referral planning with your leadership
- Multi-service weekend scheduling
Session outcomes
- Permission to be honest inside a faith community
- Language for caring well without offering false certainty
- Understanding of how coercive control hides inside religious settings
- Hope framed as durable rather than decorative
Lengths
- 35 minutes
- 50 minutes
- Retreat weekend series
Formats
Ideal audiences
- Weekend services and multi-service weekends
- Women's retreats and ministry conferences
- Pastoral care and lay counselor training
- Faith-based nonprofits
While each of our panelists made important and insightful contributions, perhaps the most meaningful contribution of the day came from our keynote speaker, domestic violence survivor and advocate Stephanie J. Bond. Graciously sharing her story with our attendees and panelists, Stephanie spoke about the night she was shot by her husband. She shared about the painful series of events leading up to that night and the role the legal system played in that story. Although the story Stephanie shared is tragic, she and her children have exemplified resilience, hope, and strength in the aftermath. Today, in her role as an advocate, Stephanie devotes much of her time to speaking engagements where she emphasizes the unfortunate reality that her story is not unique. The heart of Stephanie’s message provides a vitally important backdrop for this symposium issue—gun laws in the United States have grave and tangible consequences for millions of real people every day.
Read more from Stephanie
Hope That Survives Contact With Reality
Optimism assumes a good outcome. Hope does not require one. That distinction is the difference between faith that holds and faith that shatters.
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