🎙 Welcome to 2026, Fish Baggers!

A new year, a new season, and a new rhythm for the Fishbag Podcast! JP kicks off 2026 straight from YWAM Barcelona, sharing heartfelt reflections, late-night revelations, and a fresh word for anyone walking through seasons of growth, waiting, or confusion. This episode is honest, relatable, and packed with raw, faith-filled insight on how God works through our struggles, questions, and imperfections.

👉 Don’t miss the opportunity to join the “Follow Me” Internship — starting February 13th!
This six-week discipleship journey in Barcelona is your chance to experience authentic community, meaningful service, and transformational teaching. Learn what it really means to follow Jesus with your whole life — in ministry, creativity, and everyday work. Spots are filling fast, and we’d love for you to be part of what God is doing here.
➡️ Apply or learn more today at ywambarcelona.org

✨ Learning to Abide, Delight, and Struggle Well

JP opens up about his own wrestling match with direction, purpose, and perfectionism — especially in the context of finishing school and balancing ministry life. He shares how God keeps bringing him back to three simple but powerful truths: abide, delight, and struggle. It’s not about getting everything right the first time — it’s about learning and playing with the “gifts” God has placed in your hands.

From the story of his old high school internship, to a hilarious yet meaningful reflection on his kids learning backflips at a trampoline park, JP draws parallels between spiritual growth and the way a loving father teaches his children through play and practice. God, he says, isn’t rushing us toward perfection — He’s inviting us into partnership. Into process. Into joy.

And that’s the heartbeat of this entire episode: life with God isn’t linear. It’s a living, breathing conversation. We don’t have to perform for Him — we just bring our toys (our talents, our hopes, our work) into His presence and let relationship shape the rest.

🧠 Why Struggle Might Be the Best Gift You Have

Pulling insights from the book Make It Stick, JP reflects on how learning through difficulty actually rewires our brains for mastery — much like how God uses struggle to shape the strength, endurance, and depth of our faith. When things get tough, it’s not punishment; it’s practice. He reframes “failure” as a sacred space where God forms us into people who can handle and carry His goodness into the world.

Every challenge becomes a classroom. Every delay, a setup for deeper trust. Every confusing moment, an invitation to abide just a little longer and ask better questions. And in JP’s words — it’s okay to not have it all figured out, because our Father is far more interested in being with us than grading our performance.

🎨 What’s Coming in 2026 with YWAM Barcelona

JP also teases the exciting season ahead at YWAM Barcelona. After the Follow Me Internship, the community is preparing for the week-long Let There Be Intensive, created for artists, creatives, and dreamers who want to integrate their professional work with their faith. Then comes Rebirth, a transformative program built for those deconstructing, rebuilding, or rediscovering how to follow Jesus in the modern world — honestly and with authenticity.

It’s clear: 2026 is already shaping up to be a year of new beginnings, renewed relationships, and rediscovered purpose. Whether you’re listening from Spain, North America, or across the globe, this episode will make you feel like family — like a fellow Fish Bagger learning to walk with God one imperfect, joy-filled step at a time.

So grab your headphones, take a deep breath, and let’s dive in. This one’s real, raw, and exactly what you need to start your year grounded in grace, laughter, and deep perspective.

Contact JP at: [email protected]
Want to be on the show? Schedule a time here
Outro Song by James Tyson — Instagram**
YWAM Barcelona Web:** https://www.ywambarcelona.org