In this episode of the Built 4 More Podcast, Pastor Joby Martin and Denny Thompson answer one of the most common questions we receive: How do you know if you are living in God’s calling? And what if your job does not feel “spiritual” at all?

From welders to pastors, quarterback trainers, and business owners, this conversation dives into the truth that your calling is not reserved for a stage. It is lived out in the everyday work God has entrusted to you. Pastor Joby explains why chasing “passion” can actually be misleading, how the skills God has given you are meant to be stewarded for His glory, and why doing excellent work in any field can be sacred when it is done unto the Lord. Whether you are struggling with identity in your job, feeling discontent in your current season, or wondering if there is something more you are meant to do, this episode offers clarity on the difference between Godly ambition and selfish ambition and how to move forward in obedience without abandoning responsibility.

They also unpack how seasons of preparation are never wasted, why God often uses the ordinary to prepare us for the extraordinary, and how your desires may begin to change as your mind is renewed through Scripture and community. You will hear how launching this podcast has challenged Denny’s own faith and forced him to move from being someone who simply listens to the Word to someone who lives it out daily.

Plus, the conversation shifts into marriage and what it really means to honor the covenant you made with God and your spouse, how forgiveness and grace are essential to lasting relationships, and why love is less about feelings and more about commitment, sacrifice, and daily work. From learning to lead your family while still pursuing what God has put on your heart, to navigating big life decisions in unity, this episode provides practical wisdom for men who want to live faithfully at work and at home.

If you have ever felt confused about purpose, stuck between provision and passion, or afraid that you might miss what God is calling you to next, this conversation is for you.

Your calling might be closer than you think.

At 12 years old, Jake Olson woke up from surgery knowing he would never see again. After battling cancer for most of his childhood, doctors had run out of options. Removing his remaining eye was the only way to save his life. In an instant, everything changed. He went from being a normal middle school kid who loved sports to learning how to read Braille, relearn how to socialize, and figure out how to live in a world he could no longer see. But what happened next is what makes his story unforgettable. Jake made a decision in that moment that most people never make he refused to become a victim of his circumstances. Instead of letting blindness take the life he loved from him, he chose to fight for it.

After losing his sight, Jake made a promise to himself that blindness wasn’t going to rob him of the things he loved. Years later, that promise would lead him back onto the football field, first as a high school player, and eventually as a walk-on long snapper at USC. Despite being completely blind, Jake earned the trust of his coaches and teammates and went on to take the snap in a Division 1 college football game, something he once believed would only be possible if he kept his eyesight. What once looked like the end of his story became the beginning of a purpose far greater than he could have imagined.

This conversation is about adversity, identity, and the reality that every person faces a moment where they have to choose whether they will live resentful… or fight on. Jake shares how gratitude became his first step out of victimhood, how hardship can either make you bitter or build your faith, and why circumstances don’t have the power to define the life you’re capable of living. If you’ve ever felt stuck, discouraged, or defined by something that happened to you, this episode will challenge the way you think about what’s actually possible with the life you’ve been given and remind you that even when life doesn’t go according to plan, your story is far from over.

In this episode of Built 4 More, Dylan Mandell joins Pastor Joby Martin and Denny Thompson for a powerful and hope filled conversation about unwavering faith and a life fully surrendered to God.

Dylan faced cancer four times, but his story is not one of doubt or drifting faith. It is a testimony of a young man whose confidence in God only deepened through suffering. Pain did not cause him to question God’s goodness. It revealed it. Each battle stripped away self reliance and strengthened his trust in God.

This episode explores what it looks like to live with unshakable hope, to believe God’s promises without needing clarity, and to walk forward knowing that purpose is often formed through hardship. They talk about identity in Christ, the power of surrender, and why suffering does not stop God’s plan but often sharpens it.

This is an encouraging and faith filled reminder that God is present in every trial, that endurance produces strength, and that a life anchored in Christ can stand firm no matter how many storms come.

If you are facing adversity, walking through pain, or needing a reminder that real faith does not waver when life gets hard, this episode will strengthen you.

Denny and Joby sit down for a raw Q&A on faith, work, leadership, and what it actually looks like to follow Jesus when life is demanding and you keep falling short.

They talk about calling and career, why failure doesn’t disqualify you, and why repentance and responsibility are non-negotiable for growth.

They go straight at leadership, coaching, fatherhood, influence, and integrity, why competence matters, why serving people beats using them, and why you can’t lead anyone where you’re not willing to go yourself.

They address sin, scars, discipline, culture, politics, and discernment with clarity and conviction, calling men to stop drifting, stop blaming, and start owning their lives.

This episode is about daily obedience, choosing the harder path, being present where your feet are, and trusting God with the results.

If you’re frustrated with yourself but still hungry to grow, this conversation will hit home.

Ty Kelly joins Built 4 More for a real conversation about faith, family, identity, and what it looks like to lead when life gets heavy. Ty is a Jacksonville local who went from being a baseball phenom where the game became his identity, to building a massive social media platform by making people laugh, and then learning the hard way that attention can’t be the thing that drives you. He opens up about marrying his high school sweetheart, raising three kids, and how God used parenting to make grace real to him, not performance based religion, but a deeper understanding of what it means to be loved by the Father.Ty also shares the most difficult season of their marriage when his wife Haley faced major preventative surgeries due to a genetic cancer risk, and what it required of him as a husband, a dad, and a man who finally had to admit he could not do it on his own. The episode gets into the pressure of social media, the desire to be liked, the reality of being attacked online, and how those moments exposed what he was building his identity on. More than anything, Ty keeps coming back to the same point: the platform most people are praying for is usually already right in front of them, in their home, their marriage, their kids, and their day to day faithfulness. If you’re chasing purpose, wrestling with identity, or trying to become the man God is calling you to be right where you are, this one will hit.

In this episode of Built 4 More, Lysa TerKeurst sits down with Pastor Joby Martin and Denny Thompson for a raw and honest conversation about pain, betrayal, faith, and trusting God when life does not turn out the way you planned. Lysa opens up about walking through deep personal adversity, seasons of heartbreak, and the tension of loving God while wrestling with unanswered questions. This is not surface level encouragement. It is about what faith really looks like when disappointment hits close to home.

The conversation dives into how to keep your heart soft when you have every reason to shut down, how to lead yourself through grief without letting bitterness take root, and why healing often takes longer than we want it to. Lysa shares hard earned wisdom on boundaries, obedience, forgiveness, and what it means to stay anchored in truth when emotions are loud and circumstances feel overwhelming.

Together, they unpack how adversity exposes what we truly believe about God, how to walk through pain without letting it define you, and why faithfulness in the middle of the struggle matters more than having everything figured out. This episode is for anyone navigating loss, broken trust, or a season where the future feels unclear. If you are trying to hold on to your faith while carrying real hurt, this conversation will meet you where you are and point you forward.

In this episode, we sit down with Rebecca Maxwell for a powerful conversation on Jesus and mental health and why real growth requires both faith and intentional healing.

Rebecca shares what led her into ministry and family therapy, how God shaped her calling, and the role she played in building The Church of Eleven22 Kids Ministry. We talk about why Christian therapy, rooted in a biblical worldview, helps people develop the tools needed to grow, lead, and live with purpose, not just cope.

This conversation challenges the fear around therapy and reframes it as a process of transformation. We explore why healing often requires going back to the past in order to move forward, how identity and worth must be rooted in Christ rather than performance, and why continued growth and change are essential to a healthy life of faith.

Rebecca also explains how the 12 steps of AA apply to every person, not just those in recovery, and how they point us toward freedom, joy, and dependence on Christ instead of circumstances or people.

If your life feels overly shaped by outcomes, expectations, or other people, this episode is an invitation to step into lasting transformation spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

Jesus and Your Mental Health (Book) - https://www.jesusandyourmentalhealth.com/ 

Jesus and Your Mental Health Sermon: https://youtu.be/6hoeY8Nn34E

Built 4 More is back with Denny Thompson and Pastor Joby Martin for a raw, honest conversation about real faith, real growth, and real change. This episode dives deep into the sin, repen, repeat cycle and why remorse alone never leads to freedom. Pastor Joby breaks down what biblical repentance actually means, how your mind gets renewed, and why wisdom, boundaries, and accountability matter if you want lasting transformation.

The conversation expands into leadership at home, parenting talented kids without turning their gift into their identity, and why discipline and discomfort are often the tools God uses to shape strong men and families. They also talk about what happens in your darkest moments, how taking responsibility changes everything, and why isolation is one of the most dangerous lies men believe.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, numb, frustrated with surface level faith, or unsure what God is doing in your life right now, this episode brings clarity, conviction, and direction. This is about becoming who God designed you to be, leading well, and living with purpose instead of drifting.

Dr. Matt Carter, pastor, church planter, and now part of the teaching team at The Church of Eleven22, joins Denny Thompson and Pastor Joby Martin for a powerful conversation on what it truly costs to carry responsibility. From discipling Colt McCoy through a Heisman run at Texas to planting one of the fastest growing churches in the country, Matt’s story is one of calling, surrender, and learning the hard way that success always comes with weight. He opens up about his time building The Austin Stone from scratch, the growth, the pressure, and the unseen spiritual toll that comes with leading something big for God. Then he shares the moment everything changed, a 99% heart blockage that forced him to slow down, reevaluate his purpose, and finally let go of being “the guy.”

This episode dives deep into the difference between confidence and dependence, between a quarterback’s mindset and a pastor’s calling. Matt and Joby talk about how leadership isn’t about control, it’s about obedience. They break down how to build teams that raise the lid instead of holding it, how to live in rhythms that fill instead of drain, and how to keep your soul healthy when the responsibility feels heavier than you imagined. The conversation turns toward faith, Christmas, and the reminder that even when life doesn’t go as planned, God’s still in control, just like He was when He chose a teenage girl in Nazareth to carry the Savior of the world.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure of leading, building, or providing, this episode will hit home. It’s about surrendering your plans, trusting God’s hand in the middle of the unknown, and remembering that real strength is found in dependence, not in doing it all yourself.

In this episode, we sit down with DR Meadows for a wide ranging conversation that moves between fatherhood, leadership, and life as a Savannah Bananas. DR Meadows reflects on what it means to be present as a father while navigating demanding seasons of work, life, and responsibility, sharing honest insight into how priorities shift when family comes first.

We also recap the Savannah Bananas season and the culture that has made the team one of the most compelling stories in sports. From the joy and pressure of the spotlight to what’s happening behind the scenes, DR Meadows talks what made this season special and what it taught him about teamwork, humility, and consistency.

This conversation goes deeper than baseball. It’s about showing up, leading well, and understanding that success is ultimately measured by who you are at home and how you invest in the people who matter most. Whether you’re a parent, a sports fan, or someone trying to balance ambition with purpose, this episode offers perspective that sticks with you long after it ends.