The Faithful Fox Podcast
'The Faithful Fox' delivers spiritual wisdom with a side of unfiltered humor as the Jooseman tackles faith, life, and everything in between – because being holy doesn't mean you can't be hilarious
The Faithful Fox Podcast
Episode 12: From Lost to Found
Ever felt like you've been going through religious motions without experiencing real spiritual connection? You're not alone.
My journey began as "Fred" – that guy who grew up surrounded by church culture, heard all the Bible stories, yet couldn't recite John 3:16 if his life depended on it. I was the spiritual GPS perpetually stuck on "recalculating," taking every wrong turn possible while trying to fill a God-shaped hole with Fred-shaped solutions. From getting kicked out of Lutheran school to living what looked like a successful life on the surface, something essential was missing – true connection with God.
Everything changed during what I now call my "Rock Bottom Revelation." In a moment of complete vulnerability, with my ego stripped away, I finally recognized my own fragility and what truly mattered. It wasn't a dramatic movie moment with lightning and angels, but a quiet surrender: "Jesus, if you can get me through this, I will follow you." What I perceived as falling apart was actually God clearing the construction site for something new.
The transformation that followed was profound. Scripture that once seemed like distant religious text became alive and relevant. Worship and devotionals weren't background noise anymore but essential spiritual nourishment. Not everyone understood this change – my wife was confused, friends became uncomfortable, my brother stopped speaking to me. Yet despite these challenges, I'd never felt more fulfilled.
Whether you're knowing about God without truly knowing Him, or you're in your own season of searching, transformation awaits. God meets us exactly where we are but loves us too much to leave us there. Ready to trade your old keys for the one that actually fits the lock? Listen in, and discover why you are loved more than you know.
Hey there, faithful foxes, welcome back to another episode where we dig into faith life and probably make some questionable dad jokes along the way. I'm your host and today we're talking about transformation, the real deal, not the new year, new me, stuff that lasts about as long as your gym membership. We're diving into what it actually looks like when God hits the reset button on your life. So buckle up, grab your coffee and let's get into it.
Speaker 2:The faithful fox, I'm so happy you made it. I'm just in your host and I'm so glad we're acquainted. We're praising your name and the way that he's taken away our sin. Yeah, your words give me grace and you're here in this place. I've been blinded by your holy light. Give me blessings from above when I broadcast. Welcome to the Faithful Fox Podcast.
Speaker 1:All right. So picture this guy. Let's call him Fred. Fred grew up going to church, sat through all those Sunday school classes, heard plenty of Bible stories, but if you asked him to recite John 3.16, good luck with that. Here's the thing about Fred he was like a spiritual GPS that kept saying recalculating. You know what I mean? He had access to the map, but he never really learned how to read it, so he kept taking every wrong turn possible.
Speaker 1:Fred was that kid who got kicked out of Lutheran school Classic Fred move right. But here's the thing Even when he was sitting in those pews growing up, he wasn't really getting it. He was there more as a mandatory volunteer, you know, Going through the motions, hearing the words, but it was like listening to a foreign language where you catch every third word and as he got older, nothing really changed. He was happy on the surface Good job, Nice family, Looked like he had it all together. But inside man he felt this deep loneliness, this emptiness that he kept trying to fill with everything but the thing that actually mattered. It's like trying to charge your phone with a toaster cord. You can jam it in there all you want, but it's just not going to work, so this is Lost and Found to work.
Speaker 2:So this is Lost and Found.
Speaker 1:So Fred's out here living his best life or so he thinks Partying, drinking, making all the choices that seemed fun in the moment but left him feeling more empty than a politician's promise. You know that feeling when you're scrolling through social media at 2am and suddenly you're like what am I even doing with my life? That was Fred's permanent state of being. He had this God-shaped hole in his heart but he kept trying to fill it with Fred-shaped solutions. And here's the kicker. He'd been exposed to all of it. His mom had raised him right, took him to the Southern Baptist Church, then Lutheran Church. He heard all the Bible stories, sat through countless sermons, but it was like being in math class when you're eight. The teacher's talking, you're nodding along, but you're really just thinking about recess. He never actually grasped what he was learning. It was just religious background noise. Fred was searching for connection, for meaning, for purpose, but every time he thought he found it. New job, new relationship, new hobby. It was like grabbing onto smoke Just nothing there. The crazy part is Fred wasn't some terrible person. He wasn't robbing banks or kicking puppies. He was just lost, going through the motions, checking the boxes, but missing the whole point. It's like trying to use a hammer to eat soup. You're using the wrong tool for the job.
Speaker 1:My friend Scripture tells us in Luke 15 about the lost sheep. Right, that shepherd that leaves the 99 to find the one that wandered off. Well, fred was that sheep, except he didn't realize he was lost. He thought he was just exploring. I'm not lost, I'm just taking the scenic route. This is Rock Bottom Revelations. Oh, I really hate Rock Bottom.
Speaker 1:So here's where Fred's story gets real, and I mean real, real. Picture this Fred's having what he thought would be just another night of exploration. Let's say he decided to try some natural substances. You know, the kind that grow from the ground and make you question reality. Well, reality came knocking and it was not delivering pizza, not delivering pizza.
Speaker 1:But here's what happened. It was like his ego just melted away. All the pretenses, all the walls he built up, all the I've got this figured out attitude gone, completely dissolved. In that moment he wasn't the guy with the good job, or the nice family, or the clever comebacks. He was just a raw human being face to face with his own fragility. In that stripped down ego, free moment, all he can think about was his kids. What if something happened to him. What if they had to grow up without their dad? What if his wife had to pick up all the pieces? With his ego melted away, he could finally see what actually mattered and how desperately he needed something bigger than himself.
Speaker 1:Now Fred had been to church. He'd heard about foxhole prayers. You know when people suddenly get religious, when things go sideways. But this wasn't just fear talking. This was desperation meeting revelation. In the middle of that tear, with tears streaming down his face, fred cried out Jesus, if you can get me through this, I will follow you. And here's the thing. It wasn't some dramatic movie moment with lightning and angels singing. It was just quiet surrender, like finally admitting you're lost and asking for directions. Sometimes the most profound moments happen in the most unlikely places. But you know what's beautiful about Rock Bottom? It gives you a solid foundation to build on. Fred thought he was falling apart, but really God was just clearing the construction site. This is the New Creation Chronicles.
Speaker 2:I've been down before. Look, I've been down before. I told him better than this, Craig, get up, Get up Craig. Come on Craig, Come on Craig.
Speaker 1:So what happened next? Did Fred wake up the next morning and pretend it was all just a bad trip? Nope, this is where it gets good people. This is where a second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17, starts making sense. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new. New creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.
Speaker 1:Fred started listening to worship, music and devotionals. I'm talking about actually listening, not just having it out in the background while he thought about lunch. Every morning, he'd put in his earbuds and soak it all in. Suddenly, these Bible stories he'd heard as a kid but never really grasped. They started making sense. It was like he'd put in his earbuds and soak it all in Suddenly, these Bible stories he'd heard as a kid but never really grasped. They started making sense. It was like he'd been trying to read a book in the dark his whole life and someone finally turned on the lights. He started reading scripture like it was the morning news, couldn't get enough of it. The guy who couldn't recite John 3.16 to save his life was now staying up late reading about Paul's missionary journeys. His wife probably thought he'd lost his mind. Honey, are you feeling okay? You're enjoying Leviticus and church. Well, fred started tuning in online, which, honestly, was perfect for a guy who was still figuring things out. No pressure, no awkward where-do-I-sit moments, just him and the message when time allowed he'd visit the actual campus. But those online services became his weekly anchor. It's like having a personal trainer for your soul, available 24-7. Now, I'm not going to lie to you, it wasn't all rainbows and church potlucks.
Speaker 1:Fred's transformation made some people uncomfortable. His wife didn't quite get it. She's more of the I'll-figure-it I'll figure it out myself type. Some Freds started treating him like he joined a cult. His brother, straight up, stopped talking to him. But you know what Fred had never felt more fulfilled in his entire life? It's like the difference between eating gas station sushi and actual good sushi. Once you taste the real thing, you cannot go back to the knockoff.
Speaker 1:Fred started thinking about baptism, not just as some religious checkbox but as a public declaration, like announcing to the world the old me yeah, he's dead and buried, this new guy. He's rising up as a new creation in Christ. That's the power of transformation, folks. It's not about becoming perfect, it's about becoming new, different, redeemed.
Speaker 1:You know I've been telling you about this guy, fred, and his journey from lost to found, from old to new. And maybe you're sitting there thinking that's a nice story, but what does it have to do with me? Well, here's the thing, fred's story, it's not just some hypothetical example I cooked up. Fred is me. This is my story. Every searching heart, every wrong turn, every moment of desperation crying out to God, that was me. That night of terror that became a night of surrender, that was my rock-bottom revelation. The transformation, the hunger for scripture, the joy in worship, even the loneliness that comes with change, all of it my journey. I'm telling you this not because my story is special, but because God's faithfulness is.
Speaker 1:Whether you're like I was knowing about God but not knowing him, or you're in your own season of searching, there's hope. There's always hope. Maybe you're listening to this and you feel like that spiritual GPS stuck on recalculating. Maybe you've been trying to fill that God-shaped hole with everything except God, or maybe you're ready for that old thing to pass away and for something new to come. Whatever place you're in, know this God meets us where we are, but he loves us too much to leave us there. So if you're ready to trade your old keys for the one that actually fits the lock, if you're ready to let the old things pass away and embrace the new. Jesus is waiting, not with judgment, not with a list of things you need to fix first, but with open arms and a heart full of love. Thanks for joining me on the Faithful Fox today. Until next time, keep seeking, keep growing and remember you are loved more than you know. Peace out, fam.
