Fueling Faith
Welcome to the Fueling Faith Family, where we encourage, inspire, and motivate people to grow closer to Christ through personal stories and testimonies.
Fueling Faith
22 years old, Divorced, Father on Fire for Jesus
What happens when a young man's life is turned upside down by the challenges of fatherhood and divorce at just 22? Meet Jack, whose story of transformation through faith and surrender is both profound and inspirational. Raised by a single mom and grandparents in the scenic backdrop of Lake Elsinore, Jack's journey begins with youthful escapades and leads to an unexpected spiritual awakening. His mother's newfound faith seemed puzzling at first, but it sparked a change that would eventually guide Jack through life's toughest hurdles.
At the heart of this episode lies Jack's personal metamorphosis: a shift from skepticism to embracing a faith-driven lifestyle that redefined his existence. Immersed in a community that embraced him, Jack found solace and strength in church activities and Bible studies, drastically altering his life's trajectory. He candidly shares the joys and struggles of embracing fatherhood at a young age, shedding light on the societal taboos that often accompany it. Through his narrative, we explore the importance of a supportive network and how faith provided the foundation and courage to face young parenthood.
In a world obsessed with perfect social media portrayals, Jack's story is a refreshing reminder of the importance of humility and letting God shape our identity. He emphasizes the significance of prayer and community support, especially during life's unpredictable storms. Not just a journey of personal growth, Jack's transformation serves as a testament to the power of second chances offered by a gracious God. Tune in to hear how personal testimonies and stories of faith can uplift and inspire, fulfilling our calling to share the profound impacts of faith in our lives.
Hey, family and friends, welcome back to the Feeling Faith podcast, where we encourage, inspire and motivate people to grow closer to Christ. I'm here with Jack. Jack, thank you for coming in today. How's it going? Oh, it's going great. Thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. We're excited to hear your story and your testimony of what God's done in your life. So let's start at the very beginning. Let's talk a little bit about where you're from, a little bit of your upbringing. What was that like?
Speaker 2:Well, I grew up right here in Temecula Merida Valley. I grew up in Lake Elsinore, Very rural, very rural.
Speaker 1:Single mom.
Speaker 2:Grandparents lived in my grandparents' home. Single mom Wow.
Speaker 1:Lived in the same house. Props to your mom and having to put up with you too.
Speaker 2:I'm sure wasn't easy. Yeah, it was a different time, real rural out here, not too many people, kids just kind of ran around, did whatever they want, and you know, as you would expect. You know.
Speaker 1:Kids just running amok For sure. Back in the times where your kids could just go out, just come back when the street light's on, that's it, or out here. Maybe there were no street lights where you were.
Speaker 2:You might never have heard there were Awesome.
Speaker 1:So grew up with grandma and grandpa went to school. What was that like?
Speaker 2:You were all it was nice, you know. Elsinore Elementary, elsinore Junior High, elsinore High, all um it was.
Speaker 1:it was nice, you know just uh, elson or elementary, elson or junior high, elson or high. Um, didn't bounce around too much. You know same friends the whole time throughout, yeah, yeah most of kids.
Speaker 2:It was the same faces, you know. I still see them around town, a few of them every once in a while, yeah. But, um, you know, as you would expect as a teenager, you kind of get rowdy and you party and you know you dabble in things. You shouldn't, of course, um, but you know nothing.
Speaker 1:Nothing too out of control, I would say yeah, so was your mom or grandparents going to church during your so?
Speaker 2:what happened was, I would say, my mother. My mother came to christ probably about the time maybe I was in junior high school. My mother became a born-again christian and, um, you know, I don't ever recall a time I didn't believe in god or believe that jesus christ was god, but didn't fellowship at church, um, didn't practice, let's say, and didn't have my personal relationship, that's for sure. Yeah, mom was kind of growing in her own walk at that time and through high school, In high school.
Speaker 2:you just want to kind of go out and run around and do whatever you want. Hey Mom, that's great for you, I'm going to be okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so did you have siblings? No, no, so only child, okay. So you have siblings? No, I'm not so, only child, okay. So even even worse, for for my heart, I'm just kidding, okay, um, so you know.
Speaker 2:so in in middle school, that's when your mom really yeah, she came to christ and I, you know from, from a distance, I kind of saw her and she was kind of just working on herself, man, she had a lot of healing to do so. So she was growing, coming into the Lord and in high school she would drag me to churches. We'd go to the local Christian church, we'd go to Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside and she always dragged me to church and truthfully, I thought these Christians were just a bunch of weirdos. Man, they were a weird bunch Like worship, hey Jesus. I just remember thinking, boy, if these Christians didn't have Christ, they wouldn't have anybody.
Speaker 2:But you know, I saw a transformed life is what I saw. I saw her just growing in the Lord, confidence being secure in who she was, and you know I saw the transformation, you know. And then I got out of school and still continued doing my thing and you know it's just making a mess of stuff and and and just kind of burning bridges, being an idiot really. And then I would say it was maybe, and this is what you were plumbing at the time. Yeah, yeah, I was, I was working. Yeah, I was, I had my own place, I was grooving and I was probably about 21, 22. I was 22 years old and I was at the end of my rope and it was bad. It was really bad. And I should back up.
Speaker 2:As a teenager, my mother drove me to church, right, yeah, 15 years old, I responded to an altar called Harvest, christian Fellowship. Greg Laurie gave an altar. I went to church, right, yeah, 15 years old, I responded to an altar called Harvest, christian Fellowship. Greg Laurie gave an altar. Well, I was 15 years old. I went to Harvest for a while. That's a great church. And I was always a believer, right, there was never a time I did not believe Christ was not my savior. But man, I was telling, like you know, you were walking it. No, no, no. You go out that night with the boys and you just keep doing what you're doing. But at 22, it was like, oh man this is a mess.
Speaker 2:And my cousin and I are tight, he goes. Man, you need Jesus, you gotta clean up your act. Man, you gotta go to church.
Speaker 1:And he is a believer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was sold out man, and we were tight. We are tight still to this day. That's awesome. Uh, then I go, you know he's right. And I was at home by myself and the television was on and, gosh, we're talking mid 90s, right, and promise keepers, you know, promise keepers are, um, men of faith, men, men. There's a, there's a christian group called the promise keepers. At that time I don't even know if they're still around and it was just fathers and husbands who dedicate their lives to Christ to be better men for their families. And this is in the background. My cousin leaves and this is in the background. I go, you know what? He's right, man, what am I doing? And at that moment, that was it, man. I just I surrendered, I surrendered all. That was it. I said, lord, you know what, man, I just I'm making a mess of things. All right, I get it, let's do it your way. And from that moment, I've never looked back.
Speaker 1:Wow, so the promise keepers, the Lord, kind of spoke to you through a message that they were given.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean among a lot of different things.
Speaker 1:Spoke to you through your cousin. Yeah, spoke to you at the altar. You probably started having flashbacks.
Speaker 2:Seeing transformed lives, seeing transformed lives, the Lord tugging at my heartstrings. And then, yeah, it was it, man, I was on fire. I was on fire. That was it. Still to this day, man.
Speaker 1:So what happened at that point, when you fully committed to Jews, did you just start going to church? Yeah, did you open up your Bible?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean to be truthful. At 22 years old I was a father, divorced and circling the drain and it was bad and I surrendered all, and then that was it?
Speaker 1:Who was your kid?
Speaker 2:Christian was probably three. I had him at 18. Wow, so I had Christian at 18. I was 21, 18, 19, 20, 21. I was 21. And so that was it. Next Sunday I was at church, and let me tell you, the transformation doesn't happen overnight. It's still a work in progress to this day.
Speaker 1:It's a work in progress.
Speaker 2:Always will, I won't even go into yeah. So yeah, I was in church Sunday and people just hey, reaching out inviting me to young adults Bible studies, inviting me to retreats, adults Bible studies, invite me to retreats. And I plugged in men's Bible study, young adults Bible study, church on Sunday, church on Wednesday, and I would go to different churches. I'd go to this church on Sunday, that church on Sunday night and this one on Wednesday and I was just everywhere, man Fellowship, being like a nut man, just pouring into the word in prayer. I just I focused everything on the word of God in prayer.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 2:It was a time of growth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's great being on fire too. I still remember when I first gave my life to the Lord, and everybody remembers those times, right, because we're just on fire. That's why it's important to be around new believers, because they're on fire and they fire us back up. So you started building your community. Then it sounds like started hanging.
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah so, like I told you, my cousin was sold out. So me and my cousin and quite a few of the guys, man, it was just all about church and worship and we're going to harvest crusades and any kind of weekend concert and it was all fellowship. It was just fellowship. Um, good, sweet fellowship, boys and girls, and just surrounded myself with good people, just really surrounded myself with good people. And even within my family aunts, uncles, cousins there was really a revival with my family. It was, it was everyone, everyone around me, everyone. At that time it was incredible what the lord was doing in our family at that time.
Speaker 1:That's phenomenal, yeah, so you got to see just the Holy Spirit just flow through. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It was like it was a wildfire. It was a wildfire. Aunts, uncles, cousins, people I grew up with, you know, I think everyone just kind of got burned out man. At the same time. Everyone just kind of burned out Same old, same old man, the world life.
Speaker 1:You got it. Yeah, it gets old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know, my father and I, we talk about it. The Lord just lifted the veil from my eyes and you just see the world through a new lens. I think you see others in the world as christ would see them. Yeah, you know, through the eyes of a certain yep, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Okay, so at that, at that point and during that time period, what did you start to see transformationally within your own life? Oh, and then within?
Speaker 2:I'm sure your mom was super excited yeah, she was, she was, and then she was on fire, is on fire for the lord. Um, oh, it's tremendous. You know you stop drinking, you stop going out, you know you stop carousing, you know just everything. It's so radical, such a radical change, yeah. And desires change, the Lord changes your heart, everything. I mean. Do you truly? The Everything is so radical, such a radical change. Yeah, desires change, the Lord changes your heart. Everything, I mean, truly. The old man is dead, but you're an entirely different person. So it wasn't just one thing.
Speaker 2:It was everything, yeah, and just pouring into the Word, pouring into the Word. And again, it didn't happen overnight, man, I was still a train wreck in the beginning. Yeah, and still to this day.
Speaker 1:You know, lord's still work. I was still a mess, you and I both, bro. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Always a work in progress, that's right, 100%. So what year was it that, or how old were you when you met your wife and then started, so came to?
Speaker 2:the Lord on fire, got a job. Just like I said, just focus on the Lord my son. That was it. Just the Lord my son. That was my world, that was everything. And you know, mom was kind of out of the picture and I'm a boy, so you were single dad, I think to him. Well, yeah, kind of, kind of yeah, it was a mess, and I was not looking to court to date. That was the furthest thing from me. I didn't have time for that, nor did I want to do that for my son. It was all about him at that time and by that time I had found a home church. I was going to Calvary Chapel in Murrieta a couple times a week, again, men's Bible study. If the doors were open, I was there. That was my home church.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's where Isaac's at. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I went to church one Sunday morning and put my Bible down on the pew and I wanted to go down before service and talk with the pastor and pray with the pastor. So I went down to Brian Bell and we were chatting and we were praying for a little bit and I went back to my pew and at the far end of the pew I'm at one end, and at the far other end is this young woman and she's sitting there. So I have my seat and you gotta figure we're 15, 20 feet apart and I don't pay much attention. I just see someone down there and then this large family of eight or ten comes down the aisle and they go hey, do you mind if we slide in? I go, I'll scoot down. So I scoot all the way down the pew. I sit right next to this young woman. The family sits down, they go we don't like this seat. They all get up and they get out of the pew and they go somewhere else. There's a big long pew and the two of us are sitting there and of course the church fills, service happens and turn and greet your neighbor.
Speaker 2:And so we met. I was 22. She was 19. She was a college student and we just got to chatting and I go hey, what are you doing today? Would you like to go grab a bite? And again, I truthfully say this it was entirely innocent. It was entirely innocent. That is not where my mind or heart was. I was fellowshipping with a lot of Christians. She was a Christian girl. I would invite her to our Bible studies. That would be cool. And that's exactly what happened. And so I met this young woman and invited her to bible studies and she kind of fell in with our group and and we would go to the muriata valley bible, call muriata bible college and go to the coffee shop. And she was just kind of in the mix of things and um little did you know god had a plan brewing in the background?
Speaker 2:yeah, right and um didn't take long and we weren't. I wouldn't say we were courting, you know, yeah, but it was just like I don't know. It was just like the Lord lifted the veil from my eyes. I was like holy smoke, look at this gal. We started dating and it was a whirlwind, and we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.
Speaker 1:Wow, congratulations, no, thank you. That wedding anniversary Wow, congratulations, no, thank you. That's amazing. Yeah, couple kids as well, right, yeah, yeah, you have family growing. So how old were you when you got married?
Speaker 2:So she helped raise Christian. It's amazing, she was three years old. He was a young guy. He was three years old, so she was there, she helped raise Christian. We've had a couple more um blessed, blessed beyond measure, blessed far more than I should be. Yeah, oh my god, so incredibly blessed. She's such a woman of god, such a heart for the lord and, uh, she is truly my inspiration. She is my inspiration. She's your proverbs 31, and then some every bit. Yeah, she's an incredible woman love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. So all your uh, pretty much from that point right, like all your family, everyone's on fire for the lord. You guys are walking, you've been able to raise your kids and in the lord and in the church. Yeah, yeah, really have laid that, that foundation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for them yeah how, how have you seen um between you've had friends and family. You've, you know, you've had people walking with the Lord, not walking with the Lord. How has God really, you know, used your family in a way to encourage, inspire and motivate? You know others through their group and their friends of influence, or your other family, or through their cousins.
Speaker 2:It's exponential you know, like the scattering of the early church is just exponential. Aunts, uncles, cousins have all gone on. Now I've got cousins having their own kids. Those children are believers. And in my own family, in my immediate family, my son, my middle boy, is just absolutely on fire. He's on fire. He was the president of the on-campus Bible group campus ministry in college, very involved in ministry. Most kids for spring break want to go to Daytona and party. He goes to outreaches and evangel, evangelizes. He goes to other college campuses and evangelizes um young adults retreats. This is all him and this guy's on fire. He's amazing, blessed, absolutely blessed. Yeah, so there's no end. I mean, it's just exponential for sure.
Speaker 1:That's phenomenal. So I gotta ask you what do you feel your purpose is in this life?
Speaker 2:Well, first and foremost, it was my family, my wife and my children to be a good man, a good godly father, an example to my kids. My kids are a little older now, they're almost out of the house, and so now my focus has probably turned to being the leader that the Lord has called me to be within my workplace.
Speaker 2:So I have people that are under me, of course, and so now I need to be the godly example, I need to be the leader for them, to be able to maybe show them or at least be an image of Christ for them and their families, because maybe some of these guys aren't, you know, they're not saved, not walking with the Lord, but be an example and a good boss, employer, friend for those guys. So, and my wife, you know, the Lord gave me a word early on, before we were married, we were dating, we were talking about this two nights ago, and the Lord gave me a word that she would be the strength of my ministry. On before we were married, we were dating, we were talking about this two nights ago and the lord gave me a word that she would be the strength of my ministry, and I feel like I'm finally seeing that realized because she's she's my office manager and she's my inspiration and she's the one behind me, allowing me to attempt to be a leader for others right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. She's that, that backbone, that that we all need, right? What's the saying behind every good man is a better woman is the truth is yeah, I agree, 100, that's not a, that's not a fallacy. Uh, saying that's not a, that's not a fallacy. Uh, saying that's really genuine. You know, every good man will say that. The bad men will you know. They'll think otherwise. It's all me. It's all me. Yeah, exactly At that. That ego and that pride there, that was awesome, yeah. So Let me ask you you had a kid at such a young age. What's your encouragement to somebody that has a kid at 18 years old? That's a really early age to have a child. It's hard, especially in a generation like today, where people aren't having kids until they're 30, right. So what would your encouragement?
Speaker 2:be to them. It's not a bad thing In society. It's a taboo it is. And people are going to look down on you and they're going to think you're a wipeout, you're a failure. But you know what? That's not the case. You can be a good parent at any age. Amen. It was hard, it was brutally hard. I worked myself sick man, and that's all I did was work six days a week, 12 hours a day, just work, work, work, work. Keep a roof and food in the fridge. It's not easy, man, and if you're going to be a young parent, buckle up. But you do have advantages because you're young. You got a lot of energy, yeah, and you can play and you'll be their best friend, yeah, but yeah, my boy was my shadow and he's still one of my best friends, you know. Yeah, it's not easy, but I wouldn't say it's a bad thing and we really shouldn't frown upon a young girl having a child 17, 18 years old. I mean it ain't easy, but don't look down on her. That's just such a bad thing.
Speaker 1:Do what you can to help them 100% Do what you can to help them. I think that's a huge like at that point. They need so much support, right? Because you're still a kid at 18. Like, you're still figuring out your life I mean even hearing your story. So the more support that you can get friends, family and the encouragement of your influence and sphere of influence is super important.
Speaker 2:I have an incredible family and they just they were my greatest cheerleaders and everybody wanted to see me succeed and that's all I would want for someone young at that age and it truly is a blessing. I mean, anyone who has children will tell you it's their greatest blessing in life.
Speaker 1:Amen, yeah, I agree 100%. Yeah, and I've seen oftentimes where you know you shared a little bit. You were knucklehead, you were kind of doing your thing. I'm sure your boy helped straighten you out a little bit early on. Well, yeah, maybe not as much. Oh, no, no, but it held you accountable and held you rooted right. If you're working, you couldn't, you know, get well yeah, I mean, I don't know maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean for a lot of people it does for me, you know, once I found out my girlfriend was pregnant at the age of 17, it was like, okay, well, I gotta get a job. I just just didn't. I don't know, didn't. Okay, gotta work, just buy diapers, pay rent, groceries. That was it, that was I don't know.
Speaker 1:Have to grow up. There's no well.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I just that's all I thought about. It wasn't a choice, never was a choice. Right, it wasn't a choice to make. It was just hey, we're going to work, I feed the kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and that's all I did right, yeah, yeah, and that's, that's a very uh, it's a, it's a phenomenal story because you, like, you, found the lord right and then that's when everything really started changing. But early on, you took the initial responsibility where you know some, some guys will just, they'll just leave, they'll just be like you, I'm out of here.
Speaker 2:I had that conversation with the Lord. I was 17 years old and my girlfriend says hey, I'm pregnant, I'll do anything you want. You know what that means. Right, and it was a prayer. I wasn't walking with the Lord, I was out partying with the boys. It was an early date. A couple times and I poured my heart out. I go Lord, what do you want me to do? Man, here I am, what do you want me to do? And the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly. You told me what you need to do. I was like, okay, but if I'm going to do this, I'm going to need some help. Man, I can't do this alone. That I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna need some help. Man, I can't do this alone. That prayer went just like that. At 17 years old, I said all right, man, that's it, let's do it. And all right. I gotcha and just never looked back, man. So that's how that prayer went.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Just give it to the Lord and here you are years later and it's your best friend. You're super grateful that you had him right.
Speaker 2:It doesn't make it any easier at that time, of course. If anyone's in the thick of it, it is a lot of work.
Speaker 1:Man. Yeah, 100%. There's people out here who've been there, who've experienced it, who've gone through it, and they know him right. So just make sure, if you have a family member or a friend that's gone through it, be that support and be the the models that you want them to, to look up to and somebody that they can lean on. So as we, as we wrap up here, I got to ask you, like what's your encouragement to somebody, whether they're in the construction world, whether they have, you know, started a family, young, or they're walking with the Lord, or they want to walk with the Lord, what's your encouragement to them?
Speaker 2:Oh, we have such a loving, gracious God and he's the God of second chances. And I know a lot of people carry a lot of scars and a lot of baggage and they think I'm not good enough for God or the Lord could never forgive me, or maybe not yet. Now's the time. Now's the time. Surrender all, come as you are the Lord. He's in the business of fixing people. Amen. And none of us are perfect.
Speaker 2:And we continue to fall short every day. So don't waste any time. Don't waste any time. Just fall at the Lord's feet, pour yourself out, get into the word, get into prayer and just start your walk. Man, just keep plugging along and for people that are already saved and going through those tough times, man, just stay in prayer and then reach out to others, reach out to your brothers and sisters, ask for prayer, ask for others to come alongside you. Find strength in others in your time of need. We're a family. We're all here together. Man, life is a dirty business and I know we put on our good faces and our good clothes on Sunday, but you know what, when we get home, you know life's not as rosy as it looks on Instagram. So you know again, check your ego at the door, man, and, just like I said, life's a dirty business.
Speaker 1:Love it, love it. No, that's great advice All of it. Come now. Come now, get in prayer, get in the word, come as you are. Let the Lord fix you.
Speaker 1:It's not our job to fix ourselves. If we wanted to do that or if we could or were capable of doing that, we'd be fixed, but we're not. It takes the Lord of changing our hearts, re-evaluating, changing our minds and helping reshape and refocus our thoughts and who we are and our identity, finding our identity in the Lord and really leaning into that, because it's easy to get caught up in the world, make a couple bad mistakes. We've all been there, we've all done that, we've all made dumb decisions, but that doesn't define us at the end of the day. It doesn't define who we are and it's never too late to change. Not if your identity is in Christ. Right Amen, 100%. It's never too late to change, not if your identity is in Christ, right Amen, yeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:Before we wrap it up, is there any last advice, recommendation or even story you'd like to share of anything? That's the top of mind. That's it All, right, cool, well, we appreciate you coming in and sharing your story. Thank you, it's phenomenal. I know it'll definitely be encouraging and inspiring and motivating to others. Wonderful. That's what we're called to do, right? Share our stories, share our testimonies. The Bible's full of them. That's it. It's just full of personal testimonies and what God's done in people's lives. That's what we're called to do and that's what this podcast is all about. Amen, brother. No-transcript.
