We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paul Granger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Paul, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I’ve been in ministry for the majority of my vocational life, so when I unexpectedly lost my job with a ministry in 2018, it was hard to know the next step. As a husband, father or two (and one on the way), and homeowner, not making money was not an option… that’s what all the voices around me said. Prayer is a big part of who I am, and in that space I sensed an invitation: “Don’t make choices out of financial fear.” While every other voice said to be unemployed would be irresponsible, I felt a strong invitation toward things that brought no paycheck. It was an incredible risk… but somehow it felt like the wisest option.

Time has proven it true. In the 5.5 years since that moment, I have not received a traditional paycheck, and yet my family has not missed a bill; in fact, provision has come in wildly unexpected and beautiful ways. This has freed me to serve more deeply than I ever had in all the other ministries, and press into a clear calling: to cultivate authentic, accessible space. Whether through my podcasts, writing, or conversations on the porch, I know my offering to the world is helping people feel valued, heard, and supported.

Paul, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Cultivating authentic, accessible space has always been a part of my DNA, though I didn’t always know it. For some reason, I was the guy many approached to process the hard questions of life, and I was welcomed in to wildly different spaces. From a young age I felt compelled to serve others through ministry, and for decades did so for youth and young adults. However, content-creation and organic conversations were the under-current of all of it, and I soon realized what happened there carried more value than the traditional outcomes.

Today I cultivate space in many ways. The longest-running is the “Where did you see God Podcast”, which affords people an organic, safe way to share and process; I also host “What’s God doing” for YWAM Virginia. Writing is one of my favorite ways to explore faith and life, and in addition to regular blogs, I’ve self-published several books like “God Won’t Provide” and “Stinky Feet.” Yet with those it is not the content that is important, but how that content connects; I want anyone engaging to know that connection is real. This is easier with my in person ministry, which includes community engagement and organically “loving my neighbors.”

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For a long time I believed I was lazy. I remember randomly demoing a kitchen in a house God miraculously provided on a Saturday, and afterwards resting amidst the downed cabinets thinking, “Wait, a lazy person wouldn’t voluntarily do this.” It was a pivotal moment that put a spotlight on lies engrained in me regarding productivity and value, lies that were so thick I had diminished my identity and value for years.

Even though I worked in ministries, those spaces were not immune to false metrics, misaligned values, and unhealthy expectations. When I would be intentional about work/life balance, coworkers would talk about me behind my back when I didn’t work as late as them. When I didn’t embody the Type A aggressive leadership style, my boss told me I was weak, unresponsive, and not a hard worker. The basis of my identity and value were not based on my actual impact — which on paper was robust — but on their own unhealthy expectations and insecurities. And I let it shape me, and eventually nearly destroy me.

It was in hefty prayer that I sensed God telling me that my identity and value were not tied to those things, but in the fact He made me and loved me; as a result, I could be in the most oppressive spaces and still thrive through him.

There are many voices that will shape our identity and value; the truth is, too often they are wrong, and our invitation is to discern what is true and latch to it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’ve never needed to be in the spotlight, more than content remaining in the background, yet here I am putting my face on video, voice on audio, and name on books. Normally, one does that because they want their content out there, and hopefully money in their pocket, but that isn’t what drives me. What I find rewarding is when I discover that something I said or wrote — which I strive to create prayerfully — meets someone where they are and gives them a deeper glimpse into actual-reality.

I’m not talking simple inspirational quotes; I actually don’t mind if they forget my name! What matters to me is that we all have moments where we feel unseen, unheard, and unloved, and I know the power of content to speak the opposite. When my vulnerability lets another know they aren’t the only one who felt that way, a beautiful connection is made, even if we never meet.

I want others to know they are loved and have value, and will keep writing and recording if my words can serve that purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wheredidyouseeGod.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/wheredidyouseeGod
• Facebook: facebook.com/wheredidyouseeGod
• Other: www.wheredidyouseeGod.com/podcasts