Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt

Episode: Bryce Crawford on Sharing Your Faith Without Fear (even when it's hard)
Date: December 1, 2025
Guests: Bryce Crawford, Grant Troutt (Madison’s husband)

Overview

This episode of Stay True dives deep into authentic faith, bold evangelism, and spiritual leadership. Madison, alongside her husband Grant and guest Bryce Crawford, unpacks how to share your faith with courage—even when it’s uncomfortable, resistance is real, and you fear being misunderstood. Bryce shares his powerful testimony of finding Jesus in the midst of darkness, the realities and challenges of street evangelism, and practical wisdom for fighting the fear of man. The conversation is honest, energetic, and deeply rooted in biblical truth, with practical encouragement for listeners at every stage of their faith journey.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How They All Met: Brotherhood and Mountain Hikes

• Madison and Grant reminisce about meeting Bryce at a men’s conference in Montana led by Pastor Levi Lusko.
• Memorable moment: Early morning hikes, eating huckleberries, bonding through shared cold plunge misery, and quoting scripture to get through it.
  • “That was the coldest cold plunge I’ve ever done.” – Bryce (03:57)
  • “We came down, and the cold plunge is where me and you, like, that was brotherhood.” – Grant (03:30)
• Takeaway: Meaningful, faith-driven friendships are often forged in shared experiences and discomfort.

2. Bryce’s Engagement Story and Navigating Insecurity

• Bryce shares the nerves and spiritual attack ahead of proposing and how mentorship and prayer helped him see God’s joy in giving Maddie to him (11:34–14:28).
  • “God finds joy in trusting you with Maddie.” – Mentor, quoted by Bryce (11:48)
• Unexpected, sweet details: practicing getting down on one knee (14:11), and how the imagery of Maddie in a white dress moved him to tears and stirred his heart about Christ’s return and the imagery of the bride (12:59–13:47).

3. Honest Marriage Advice for Couples

• Madison and Grant briefly share their own journey—three years married, the whirlwind of a short engagement, major life transitions, and early challenges (15:24–21:01).
  • Madison’s tips for engaged couples:
    • “Fight to unite and not to be right.” (19:21)
    • “Love from being filled and not to be filled.”
    • Prayer together as a marriage game changer.
  • Grant’s wisdom:
    • “You’re the thermostat of the relationship. Everything about y’all’s relationship is on your leadership.” (21:15)
    • The necessity of sacrificial leadership based on Ephesians 5 and modeling Christ’s love for the church.
  • Vulnerable stories about boundaries, accountability, and the sanctifying nature of married life.

4. Bryce’s Testimony—From Despair to Deliverance

• Bryce opens up about growing up around “cultural Christianity,” losing his grandfather, deep bitterness toward God, and years of anxiety and depression (23:52–27:28).
  • “When I was 17, I planned on taking my life on Christmas day… I thought it was the only way to get the pain to go away.” – Bryce (25:12)
• The turning point: a Christmas night encounter at Waffle House with a stranger sharing his own pain, sparking an epiphany about God’s love and a heartfelt cry to Jesus that ended Bryce’s depression and anxiety.
  • “I haven’t had [crippling anxiety and depression] since that day. It’s been over four years. Praise God.” (27:28)
• Discussion about the mystery of suffering and why healing looks different for different people (28:13–29:57). The takeaway: God’s grace comes in many forms; sometimes, weakness makes us dependent on Him.

5. Evangelism in Everyday Life—Courage, Rejection, and Authenticity

• Bryce describes how he began to share his faith at school and with strangers—even with people who bullied him (30:27–34:03).

  • Vulnerable story: Bryce reaching out to a former bully who threatened him, resulting in a surprising, tear-filled reconciliation (33:25–34:03).

• Key principle: Don’t put pressure on yourself to convert people; your job is to plant and water, God brings the increase.

  • “The Bible tells us that we plant seeds and water seeds, but God’s the one who brings the increase. So your job is to deliver the message.” – Bryce (49:23)
  • The Gospel is more than “Jesus loves you”; it’s about our need for a Savior, the penalty of sin, and Christ’s resurrection (50:21).

• Dealing with Fear of Man and Rejection:

  • Fear comes from the pressure to save people and from being focused on ourselves (struggling with “what will they think of me?”).
  • Practical advice: Start small—share in spaces where people can’t walk away (Uber, elevator, coffee shop), get your reps in, embrace listening as the core of evangelism (51:05).

6. Personal Spiritual Disciplines and Secret Life with God

• Bryce and Grant discuss the critical importance of hiddenness, prayer, and the “secret place” for leaders and anyone striving to follow Jesus (36:58–39:47, 58:24–61:30).
  • “I have this like weird sensitivity to God’s spirit… when I get on my knees and close my eyes, for a split second, I’m tuning my heart to heaven and asking God to speak to me…” – Bryce (38:27)
  • Madison: “I need people to call me out and be like, Maddie, that was actually a very prideful approach. I care more about your soul than I care about your feelings.” (46:19)
• Emphasis on keeping grounded, having honest accountability, and being willing to rest and withdraw (as Jesus did).

7. Apologetics—Equipping for Real-Life Questions

• Bryce shares his love for apologetics, driven both by curiosity and necessity—handling hard questions from skeptics, classmates, and strangers (61:43–63:55).
  • References to memorizing entire chapters (Romans 12), repeated practice, and the biblical mandate to “be prepared to make a defense… but do it with gentleness and respect.”

8. Memorizing Scripture—Practical Tips

• Start with verses you love and share regularly.
• Take one verse per week, build gradually, and practice aloud.
• Suggestions: 2 Corinthians 5:10, John 3:14–18, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1–2 (66:00–68:04).
  • “I don’t want to just be an Instagram bio Bible verse believer. I want to be a weapon-equipped, ready to storm the gates of hell, all-offense believer.” – Bryce (67:59)

9. What God Is Saying Now—Call to Sincerity and Holiness

• Bryce’s urgent plea: “Sincerely follow Jesus. Jesus is not just your Savior, He’s your Lord. Submitting your life means it will cost you something—but it’s worth it.” (68:46–72:21)
  • Insightful teaching on the image of Christ as judge (Revelation 5), and warning about the temptation to “stop at Jesus loves you” without emphasizing repentance, holiness, and true discipleship (72:21–73:32).
  • Madison: “People accept this invitation of, like, ‘Oh, I’m loved by Jesus,’ but I’m not gonna actually submit to him as Lord… an invitation to follow Jesus is to come and die.” (72:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Evangelism:

  • “If I’m going to be a fool for anyone, I want to be a fool for Jesus.” – Bryce (52:13)
  • “You can’t reach who you don’t love.” – Grant (54:21)

• On Spiritual Leadership:

  • “You’re the thermostat of the relationship. Everything about y’all’s relationship is on your leadership.” – Grant (21:15)
  • “I want people to see my flaws. I want to be a laid down lover of Jesus.” – Bryce (44:28)

• On the Cost of Following Jesus:

  • “I want to let people know what they’re in for. It’s going to cost you something to follow this guy, but it’s worth it.” – Bryce (72:10)

• On Living for the Approval of God, Not Man:

  • “If someone wants to go get the praise of man, go get your praise… It didn’t work. And I was tempted with it after I was a believer, and it still ain’t fulfilling.” – Bryce (43:32)

• On Scripture Memory:

  • “Delight in the law, meditate on it day and night. I think so many of us are more discipled by the world than we are by the Word.” – Madison (65:55)

Most Impactful Timestamps

• Bryce’s Testimony & Waffle House Encounter: 25:12–27:54
• Engagement & Spiritual Attack: 11:34–14:28
• Evangelism Stories (bullying, fear): 30:27–34:11
• Practical Evangelism Tips: 49:23–53:02
• Secret Place & Withdrawing: 58:24–61:30
• Call to Sincere, Holy Living: 68:46–72:21

Final Encouragement & Prayer

Bryce closes in heartfelt prayer, asking for boldness, courage, and the peace of Jesus for every listener (74:55–76:00).

“We ask for your boldness, just as the new converts in the book of Acts prayed for boldness, so do we, God—not just for today, but for every day…” – Bryce (74:55)

Summary Takeaways

• Faith is meant to be shared—even when it’s intimidating.
• Evangelism is about listening and real presence, not pressure or performance.
• Accountability, withdrawal, and deep personal prayer are as vital as public ministry.
• True discipleship means surrender, not just intellectual agreement with Christianity.
• Boldness comes from the Holy Spirit and seeing yourself as sent—right where you are.

This episode is a rallying cry to “stay true”—to Jesus, to truth, and to the call to make Him known, however and wherever He places you.