Most people are told to “follow your passion” to find purpose in life and work. But what if that’s the wrong starting point? In this episode of Buried Talent, hosts Ken Freire, and Patrick Lowndes unpack why your calling should begin with a problem that breaks God’s heart—not just something you enjoy.

They explore the false belief that passion equals calling, the dangers of a self-centered approach, and the biblical truth that calling flows from God’s purposes, not our preferences. Along the way, they highlight frameworks and resources that help Christians discern their calling by asking the better question: What does the world need—and what has God wired me to help solve?

This episode is part of the four-part Clarity of Calling series.  Resources Mentioned

• Clarity of Calling Assessment
• Solving the World’s Greatest Problems
• Praxis Labs Opportunities for Redemptive Imagination 

• 00:03 – Welcome to Buried Talent and today’s focus: why calling starts with a problem, not a passion
• 00:35 – Patrick on the danger of starting with passion instead of what breaks God’s heart
• 01:28 – Why hobbies and interests don’t always equal calling
• 02:19 – The false belief: chasing passion = finding calling
• 03:08 – The real goal: glorifying God, not self-fulfillment
• 04:04 – Aligning passion with God’s purposes
• 05:09 – Introducing the Clarity of Calling assessment
• 06:14 – The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals vs. God’s lens
• 06:40 – Faith Driven Entrepreneur’s framework for solving global problems
• 07:59 – The power of praying through global problems
• 08:26 – Praxis Labs and Opportunities for Redemptive Imagination (ORIs)
• 10:22 – Avoiding the trap of feeling obligated to solve all problems
• 11:30 – Intersection of gifts + God’s need = calling
• 12:26 – Example: how Frontier Operators grew from these intersections
• 12:48 – Why “Start with Why” (Simon Sinek) is incomplete for Christians
• 13:57 – Discerning your “what” before your “why”
• 15:06 – Why calling takes time and seasons to develop
• 16:00 – Next steps: take action, explore resources, and pray through problems