In this fiery and thought-provoking episode, Brian and Kersha Owen challenge listeners to examine whether they're truly following Jesus—or following Jesus plus the American Dream. What begins as a discussion about resolutions versus intentions quickly becomes a deep dive into the tension between cultural expectations and God's calling, asking the uncomfortable question: Are you chasing comfort or chasing God?

Between stories of buying boats they couldn't afford, the pressure to "keep up with the Joneses," and Brian's confession about building a house that never felt like home, this episode delivers both brutal honesty and biblical truth that Crazy Unbelievable Faith is known for. Brian and Kersha unpack the danger of seeking God's approval on our blueprints rather than surrendering to His plans, the difference between chasing God's calling versus chasing God Himself, and why real faith requires stepping into uncomfortable waters. They challenge listeners to evaluate whether they're storing up earthly treasures or heavenly ones, whether their eyes are fixed 20 feet ahead or fixed above, and whether they're willing to let God stretch them in the areas they're holding onto most tightly.

With powerful imagery of light defeating darkness and Peter stepping onto the water, Brian and Kersha remind us that God doesn't call us to comfort—He calls us to faith. This isn't just about rejecting materialism; it's about surrendering our timelines, our money, our comfort zones, and our carefully constructed plans to a God who sees the bigger picture. It's about being counter-cultural in a world that worships success, and choosing to follow Jesus even when it costs us everything we thought we wanted.

🔥 What You'll Learn

• Jesus vs. Jesus + The American Dream: The critical distinction between genuine faith and the comfortable Christianity that adds God's blessing to our own plans while keeping control of our comfort, money, and timeline.
• The Joneses Mindset: Why society's pressure to have the boat, the big house, and the picture-perfect life is a "monopoly mindset" that sets us up for stress, debt, and chasing things that ultimately don't satisfy.
• Uncomfortable Waters: Why God's calling will always push you into discomfort, and how the absence of being stretched or challenged might be a sign you're following your own plans rather than His will.
• Chasing God's Calling vs. Chasing God: Brian and Kersha's most profound question—are you hyper-focused on what God wants you to do, or are you longing to be closer to who God is? The distinction changes everything.
• Earthly Treasures vs. Heavenly Treasures: A fresh look at Matthew 6:19-21 and why placing our security in material things, career success, or societal approval leaves us vulnerable to loss and disappointment.
• Eyes Fixed Above, Not Ahead: The difference between looking 20 feet in front of you (keeping your gaze on outcomes and goals) versus looking up to God (keeping your gaze on Him and trusting His direction).
• God's Timeline, Not Yours: Why surrendering to God's timing is one of the hardest parts of faith, and how financial and material pressures can reveal what we're truly holding onto.
• Light Defeats Darkness: Brian's powerful illustration of how light shining from above can penetrate any darkness, while light reflecting up can only illuminate the ground—and why the direction of our focus matters.
• The Broader Picture: Why Christians can get so hyper-focused on one piece of God's calling that they miss the fullness of what He's inviting them into, and how stepping back reveals the bigger puzzle.
• What God Wants to Break Down: The uncomfortable truth that whatever you're clinging to most tightly is exactly what God wants to stretch you on—whether it's a house, a job, a relationship, or your sense of security.

💬 Memorable Quotes

Kersha: "Let's be real. Are we really following Jesus, or are we following Jesus plus the American dream?"

Brian: "Are we following Jesus plus the American dream? Is it this overlapping? Like I'll do God's will as long as we're staying comfortable?"

Kersha: "Society puts these things on us that you need the boat, you need the nice big house. It's a keeping up with the Joneses mindset. Who's Jones? I don't know. Who are they?"

Brian: "We have 13 plus years that's been fed to you to go to school, get good grades, get a good job, and you'll be comfortable. You'll be happy. But we know a lot of people—we have gone through unhappy seasons having walked that path."

Brian: "Am I chasing the material things or am I chasing the things that God has put in my life?"

Kersha: "Are we chasing earth or are we chasing heaven?"

Kersha: "If we're living for God, he's going to call us into uncomfortable waters. He's going to call us into doing uncomfortable things."

Kersha: "Are you doing things that aren't making you uncomfortable? And is it really God's will for you?"

Kersha: "Or is it: God, bless my plans. Approve of my blueprints. Don't touch my comfort. Don't touch my money. And don't touch my timeline."

Kersha: "If that's the way in which you're coasting through life, then you really are trying to say, I will follow Jesus plus the American dream, rather than I will follow Jesus."

Kersha: "I had my eyes fixed 20 feet in front of me rather than my eyes fixed above me."

Kersha: "I think that we have to determine, are we chasing God's calling or are we chasing God?"

Brian: "Are we just going to stay surface level in 2026? No. We're going there."

Brian: "Are we chasing God's call on my life? Or am I chasing God? Am I longing to be closer to him as a whole, or am I longing to be closer to him in this one little slice of his call?"

Kersha: "His calling is much broader than the thing that he's asking you to do."

Brian: "It's important for us as Christians to assess and reflect—what are we doing? Are we chasing the American dream? Are we chasing God's plan? Or are we chasing both?"

Kersha: "Make sure that your eyes aren't fixed in front of you. They're fixed above you."

Brian: "The light coming this way can only hit the ground and reflect up. The light shining down can cast into any form of darkness."

Kersha: "Light defeats darkness. As long as we're looking for it."

Kersha: "It's like we think, oh my gosh, this world is caving in. This challenge, this job, this scenario. I don't think I'm ever going to get out of it. People can get out of it. There is a way. It's just being focused on God, his path. But it's also allowing it to be in God's timeline."

Brian: "God will stretch you and whatever you're holding onto, he's going to try to break down to show you you're holding on to that."

Brian: "I remember the night that I first laid my head down, I—it didn't feel like my home. It felt like his. But that's okay."

Kersha: "Are you chasing the American dream? Are you chasing God's will? Or are you chasing both?"

Kersha: "Which is: God, I will take up my latte and I will follow you instead of take up my cross and follow you."

🛑 Reflect + Apply: Questions to Ask Yourself

• Are you following Jesus, or are you following Jesus plus the American Dream? What's the difference in your life?
• When was the last time God called you to do something that made you genuinely uncomfortable? Did you obey, or did you negotiate with Him to stay comfortable?
• What are you holding onto most tightly—your comfort, your money, your timeline, or your plans? Is God asking you to surrender it?
• Do you pray "God, bless my plans" or "God, I surrender to Your plans"? What does your prayer life reveal about who's really in control?
• Are you chasing God's calling (what He wants you to do) or chasing God ...