What happens when the life you’re chasing leaves you empty.. and God meets you at rock bottom?

Jackson Ford didn’t grow up deeply rooted in faith. For years, God felt distant - something reserved for holidays and church buildings, not everyday life. College only amplified that distance as partying, addiction, and isolation quietly took hold.

Then everything changed.

In this episode, Jackson shares his raw and hopeful story of transformation:

Growing up around church but never really knowing God

How COVID isolation exposed deeper emptiness and addiction

Hitting rock bottom during college and encountering grace for the first time

Saying yes to Jesus and watching identity, relationships, and purpose change

Learning to love selflessly instead of living for himself

Discernment, surrender, and an unexpected call into ministry

This isn’t a story about having it all figured out.

If you’ve ever:

Felt far from God even when you knew about Him

Tried to numb emptiness with success, relationships, or habits

Wondered if God could really use your past

Wrestled with obedience when it didn’t make logical sense

Jackson’s story is a reminder that God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up - He meets us in the mess and leads us forward.

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Raised in a deeply Mennonite home, Brad Brenneman grew up surrounded by faith, service, and spiritual discipline. But it wasn’t until adulthood—after success, ambition, and an unexpected sense of emptiness—that grace became personal.

In this episode, Brad shares a story best described as “surprised by grace”:

Growing up with a strong spiritual heritage—and learning faith for himself

Leading businesses with humility, stewardship, and love for people

Saying yes to international adoption - and watching grace multiply

Learning generosity as a pathway to joy, not obligation

If you’ve ever:

Wondered whether your career could truly be a calling

Struggled to reconcile ambition with faith

Felt God nudging you toward generosity, leadership, or adoption

Believed in grace, but wanted to experience it more deeply

Brad’s journey offers a compelling reminder: God often does His deepest work quietly... through faithfulness, surrender, and everyday obedience.

🎧 Listen now to hear how a life rooted in grace can shape work, family, generosity, and legacy.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (NIV)

Mark 10:45 (NIV)

Quote

What's So Amazing About Grace, Phillip Yancey

Tim Johnson was serving as a senior pastor when he received a life-altering Parkinson’s diagnosis. Overnight, certainty disappeared, plans unraveled, and the future became fragile.

In this second episode of This Is My Story, Tim shares the story after the diagnosis:

Hearing the word Parkinson’s and choosing not to waste it

Letting go of leadership, identity, and control

Learning to trust God without demanding answers

Finding peace, and even joy, while living with uncertainty

Discovering a new calling rooted in care, presence, and hope

This isn’t a conversation about healing formulas.

If you’ve ever:

Faced a diagnosis you didn’t see coming

Wondered why God didn’t intervene

Struggled to trust when your future feels unsteady

Tim’s journey offers a steady, honest reminder: God may not remove the suffering, but He never removes His presence.

🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, surrender, and purpose can grow even in the shadow of Parkinson’s.

Carly Patterson was just 16 when she won Olympic gold - then suddenly had to figure out who she was without gymnastics.

In our first episode of Season 3: This Is My Story, Carly shares the rarely told story after the medals:

The identity crisis that followed peak success

The pressure to live up to “gold” for the rest of her life

Her unexpected faith journey when control slipped away

A painful season of infertility—and learning to release outcomes

How purpose looks different when the spotlight fades

This isn’t a story about gymnastics.

If you’ve ever:

Reached a milestone and still felt unfulfilled

Struggled with identity after a major life transition

Tried to control an outcome that wouldn’t budge

Carly’s journey will meet you right where you are—and remind you that your worth was never tied to your achievement.

🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, surrender, and resilience reshaped life after Olympic gold.

In this powerful season finale of Why Do I Do What I Do? Exploring the Enneagram, host Paul Basden sits in the guest chair—interviewed by creative pastor and longtime friend Allison Harrell. Together, they explore Paul’s personal journey as an Enneagram Type 1 (The Reformer) and how understanding his type has shaped his spiritual life, leadership, and relationships.

With honesty, humor, and deep self-reflection, Paul shares how childhood experiences formed his worldview, why he mistyped himself as a Two for years, how spiritual direction and counseling transformed him, and how he’s learning to distinguish his inner critic from the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This episode also addresses big questions Christians often ask about the Enneagram:

Paul offers thoughtful, pastorally grounded responses while weaving in Scripture—especially Romans 8—to show how the Enneagram can be a tool for spiritual formation when held in the right way.

This episode takes a second, deeper look at the Enneagram Type 9—this time through the voices of two leaders on the Preston Trail staff: Ryan and Cody. With humor, vulnerability, and relatable honesty, they explore what it means to lead, parent, partner, and grow as Nines in a church setting.

Ryan and Cody share openly about their experiences as Nines working closely together, leading teams, raising young families, and seeking emotional and spiritual health in a fast-paced ministry environment.

Together, they unpack hallmark traits of the Type 9—harmony-seeking, calm presence, empathy, stubbornness, avoidance, and the quiet strength that emerges when a Nine steps into healthy leadership. You’ll hear real stories, vulnerable insights, and practical reflections on marriage, parenting, ministry, spiritual formation, and how the Enneagram helps them better follow Jesus.

Whether you identify as an Enneagram 9, love a Nine, or lead alongside one, this conversation offers practical wisdom and heartfelt encouragement for your everyday life and relationships.

This episode explores the Enneagram Type 9: The Peacemaker, featuring two authentic and engaging voices—Robin Johnson and Denise Basden. Both share openly about their upbringing, personality patterns, life as pastor’s wives, and their unique journeys toward emotional and spiritual maturity. Their stories highlight why Type 9s are often called “the sweethearts of the Enneagram.”

Drawing from real stories of marriage, motherhood, life, and church leadership, Robin and Denise unpack the core motivations and struggles of the Enneagram 9: the longing for peace, the fear of conflict, the tendency to avoid decisions, and the quiet strength of loyalty, empathy, and steadiness.

Listeners will hear how Type Nines navigate relationships with strong personality types (like Enneagram 1s and 8s), how they manage emotional overwhelm, and how their calm, grounding presence becomes a gift to families, churches, and communities.

Perfect for anyone interested in:

In this episode of Why Do I Do What I Do: Exploring the Enneagram, host Paul Basden interviews longtime friend and co–senior pastor Jim Johnson for an in-depth, engaging, and heartfelt look at the Enneagram Type 8 personality—the Challenger.

Jim shares his moving family story, including the life-altering accident that shaped his parents’ faith and filled his childhood with unconditional love. From leadership in the church to marriage and parenting, Jim offers real-life examples of how Type 8 traits show up in daily life.

Listeners will learn:

What drives an Enneagram 8

How Type 8s lead, love, work, and relate

Why Eights value independence, justice, and honesty

The common fears and anxieties of Type 8s

What healthy vs. unhealthy Type 8 behavior looks like

How the Eight’s passion for strength and protection can mirror the heart of Jesus

This conversation is rich with wisdom, humor, and practical takeaways for anyone who is a Type 8, loves a Type 8, or leads with a Type 8. If you're exploring personal growth, spiritual formation, or Enneagram wisdom, this episode will give you clarity, encouragement, and a deeper appreciation for the powerful, justice-oriented Enneagram Eight.

In this episode of Why Do I Do What I Do?, we explore the vibrant, possibility-driven world of the Enneagram Type 7—The Enthusiast. Host Paul Basden interviews Natalie Wells, Parent Communications Director at Preston Trail Community Church, who shares how the Seven’s love of fun, spontaneity, and freedom shapes her family life, marriage to an Enneagram One, and her spiritual walk.

Natalie opens up about her upbeat “YOLO” mindset, her legendary costume carpool line, and the challenge Sevens face in sitting with sadness—especially through the loss of her father. She also shares practical ways she’s learned to pause, savor, and stay present.

If you're an Enneagram 7 (or love one), this episode offers relatable stories, faith-based insight, and a deeper look at the unique gifts and struggles of The Enthusiast.

What defines an Enneagram 7

Strengths and shadow sides of The Enthusiast

How Sevens navigate marriage with an Enneagram One

The role of spontaneity, FOMO, and planning the next adventure

How Sevens avoid sadness—and how Natalie learned to face it

The spiritual journey of an Enneagram 7: joy, gratitude, and open-handed living

Natalie’s famous “costume carpool line” tradition

Scripture that resonates with Type 7s: John 10:10, Ecclesiastes 8:15