Faith, Football, and Finding Your Purpose

Summary

The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast

Episode: Faith, Football, and Finding Your Purpose

Date: June 23, 2026
Host: Candace Cameron Bure
Guest: Jason Jackson Jr.

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Overview

In this heartfelt episode, Candace Cameron Bure is joined by faith content creator Jason Jackson Jr. for a raw, honest conversation about navigating adversity, growing up with faith, and discovering purpose. Jason’s story moves from growing up without his father, through aspirations in football, to becoming an online faith educator for the next generation. Through stories and reflection, they explore storms, thorns, and crosses—the challenges and growth moments in everyone’s life—and emphasize authenticity, spiritual hunger, and the power of personal testimony.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jason’s Early Life: Resilience in Adversity

• Absent Father:
  • Jason’s father was sentenced to 20 years to life, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone.
  • “When I was 8 months old, my father was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison on a murder charge... the day that I started crawling, my dad was... gone for the next 20 years of my life.” — Jason (08:13)
• Family Dynamics:
  • Jason is the middle child; his older brother played a significant role as a role model and support.
  • Despite hardships, Jason’s childhood perspective was always adaptive, not pitiful.

2. Perspective on Poverty and Inspiration

• Early Awareness:
  • Even as a child, Jason understood his mother’s sacrifices.
  • Memorable anecdote: At age five, realizing the impact of his mother spending her last $8 on him and his brother at Dairy Queen.
    • “I just kind of sunk down in my seat and I was like, wow. This woman is doing everything that she can for us and we don’t even realize what she’s putting herself through every day just to make sure that we have something.” — Jason (12:29)
• Role Models in the Community:
  • Jason and neighborhood kids admired the local drug dealers because they represented success and escaping poverty, even if through illicit means.
  • Reflection: Sports (football and basketball) later became a healthier vehicle for hope and ambition.
    • “We were motivated and inspired by the drug dealers that were on the streets... we saw the lifestyle... and that’s what we were mesmerized by.” — Jason (14:22)

3. Mother’s Influence and Faith Foundation

• Mother’s Faith:
  • Jason’s mother modeled reliance on God throughout economic struggles, working as a janitor with a $300/month income.
  • Church attendance was sporadic, but the seeds of faith were planted by his mother and grandparents.
  • “That’s why I have a relationship with God, because there’s no way I could have done that without Him.” — Jason’s mom, recounted by Jason (13:25)

4. Discovering the Bible and Personal Faith

• Turning Point:
  • Faith became deeply personal for Jason at age 19, in 2020, not through tradition, but through intentional seeking and mentorship.
  • “Up until 2020, I’m telling you, I knew nothing... I didn’t even know the story of Jesus.” — Jason (20:55)
• Mentor’s Role:
  • Kanil Purefoy at Ouachita Baptist guided Jason through the Bible, revealing its relevance and complexity.
• Deepened Relationship in Hardship:
  • In 2023, during depression, Jason wrestled with scripture alone—discovering the Bible as story, principle, and promise, not just rules.

5. Becoming a Viral Faith Educator

• Unique Teaching Style:
  • Jason only posts content monthly, driven by thorough study and prayer, contrasting with the tactics of most online creators.
  • He describes a spiritual gift: illumination in Bible reading, allowing him to teach profound insights concisely.
    • “God has kind of blessed me with this ability to teach people in minutes what most people never learn in a lifetime.” — Jason (30:03)
• Motivation and Message:
  • Jason’s core message is that God uses every chapter, even the painful ones, for growth. He wants listeners to see God’s purposes in storms, thorns, and crosses.

6. Storms, Thorns, and Crosses: Understanding God’s Methods

• Storms:
  • Challenges that are seasonal, with an end.
  • “A storm is something that’s usually seasonal. It has an end date on it.” — Jason (34:31)
• Thorns:
  • Ongoing struggles designed to maintain dependence on God.
  • Based on Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”—God sometimes leaves aggravations for spiritual purpose.
    • “If God sees what it’s producing, He’s not going to change it if He likes it. What He’s going to do is give you the grace to endure what He’s not going to change.” — Jason (35:31)
• Crosses:
  • Experiences that stretch us, mirror Christ’s suffering, and transform us if we endure.
    • “There is a blessing on the other side of what feels like a burden.” — Jason (38:48)

7. Listener Question: Articulating Christian Belief

• Testimony Over Theology:
  • Jason emphasizes that sharing why you believe isn’t about having “all the answers,” but about recounting your experience.
    • “If you can’t explain why you believe what you believe, you don’t believe it. You just believe what someone else told you to believe.” — Jason (39:33)
    • “When I did that, I was led back to one name, and that was Jesus. That’s why I believe, because when I cried out, he was the only one to come to me.” — Jason (40:11)
• Candace’s Advice:
  • Practice simple, honest answers; dig into resources for language, and remember, it’s OK to follow up later.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You never see yourself from the perspective of someone else.” — Jason (07:29)
• “God will always present us with challenges in the form of storms, thorns, and crosses.” — Jason (32:00)
• “Sometimes we will be panicking, protesting, and praying against the very thing God is using to prepare us.” — Jason (32:29)
• “Where you sit determines what you see.” — Jason (37:19)
• “You won’t always have the answers, but you do have your testimony.” — Jason (41:14)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jason’s Childhood Story and Dairy Queen Memory: 08:11 – 13:25
• On Admiring Drug Dealers, then Pivoting to Sports: 14:22 – 17:33
• Christmas and Family Memories: 17:45 – 19:10
• Discovering the Bible & Faith Becoming Personal: 20:28 – 24:58
• Jason’s Bible Teaching Approach & Spiritual Gifts: 28:18 – 31:39
• Explaining Storms, Thorns, and Crosses: 32:00 – 38:50
• Listener Q&A: Explaining Your Faith/Testimony: 39:33 – 42:55

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Episode Flow

• The episode moves from Jason’s background to broader reflections about coming of age against the odds, to a lively spiritual discussion.
• Candace’s tone is nurturing and affirming, often interweaving her own family anecdotes and practical advice.
• Jason is candid, humble, and deeply articulate about his growth, mixing humor with spiritual insight.

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Conclusion

This episode kicks off a six-week series with Jason, promising further deep dives into real struggles and honest faith. It’s a must-listen for anyone curious about modern Christian living, authenticity amid adversity, and practical spiritual growth.

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Resource Mentioned:

• Jason’s “Unfiltered Faith” exclusive video series — details at candace.com/together

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Next Episode Teaser:

• The series continues next week with more wisdom and practical steps for finding faith and purpose in life’s ups and downs.

Transcript

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Before this episode begins, I want to

hang out with you.

If a girls night out sounds exciting, I want you to join me this September for my Life tour.

We are going to have so much fun together.

Talking about women's health, playing trivia games. Yes, full house and Christmas movie fans, and best of all, Jesus. Go to candace.com tour for cities and dates. That's candice.com forward/tour.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

But we noticed that we were about to pass Dairy Queen and so we're in the backseat and we're yelling to my mom, can we please go to Dairy Queen? Can we please go to Dairy Queen. And I remember her looking up and looking at us through the rearview mirror and she said, I'll take y', all, but all I have left is $8. Now I remember I just sat back and I just kind of sunk down in my seat and I was like, wow. Like this woman is doing everything that she can for us and we don't even realize what she's putting herself through every day just to make sure that we have something.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

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No matter who you are. Life can feel like a roller coaster, but it is so much better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Brad this podcast is not about me. I've made it for you. I want to share open conversations with my friends about life's challenges, celebrations, and everything in between. You know how sometimes you can come across someone online that you think, okay, this person is for real? That's exactly how I felt about Jason Jackson Jr. Jason grew up without his dad. He was raised by a single mom, and that has deeply shaped his life. He poured everything into playing football, and when that door closed, he had to figure out what was left. And what was left was his relationship with God. Jason started creating faith content in 2023 on what felt like a whim, and it went viral almost immediately. He quickly drew well past half a million followers each on TikTok and Instagram with tens of millions of views. Hundreds of thousands of people are following Jason because he explains the Bible in a way that people can understand, and I am so proud of Jason, because he reminds me of my own kids. He's 24 years old, and I think about the next generation. And I am so inspired when I see someone like Jason who is hungry for God, hungry for truth, and hungry for authenticity, looking for something real in a world that can feel really chaotic and confusing. Here's what I love most. His story is not polished. It's just honest. Jason has that kind of story that makes you feel like if God can work with that, then he can absolutely work with this and whatever that this is for you. So I can't wait to hear what Jason has to share over the next six weeks, and I hope you will stick with us. This next season of the podcast starts right now. Welcome, Jason.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Thank you so much. That was wonderful. I feel like I'm getting ready to be president now, so thank you. I appreciate that.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You're welcome. I know a really good intro, you're like, yes.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Kind of puffs you up, makes you feel good. But I truly feel that way about you. When I saw your content, I was like, who is he? What is this? And I'm just so encouraged by you.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Thank you so much.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So it's like my mom heart just wants, like, to hug you and cheer you on and go like, yes, keep doing this. Keep inspiring people.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Well, that's how I feel. When you were saying everything, I felt like, is this my mama talking? Like, who is this? But, you know, it's a lot of times you don't really recognize that you never see yourself from the perspective of someone else. So to hear that and to hear someone that I look up to, you know, that I grew up watching, and I'm a fan of the podcast, to hear that from you, it means more than just, this is another person giving you a compliment. So thank you so much for that, and I'm excited to be here. I am just elated. So thank you for having me.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Good.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You're so welcome. Well, I know a little bit of your story, but that's where I want to start this week. I want our listeners to get to know you, so I would love to tell me your childhood story.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. Well, I hate to go back to birth, but that's kind of where it starts for me. So. When I was 8 months old, my father was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison on a murder charge. And that's contrary to what most people may think. Like, when they see me online, they probably think, oh, he's probably a preacher's kid. But that's not. That wasn't the case for me. So the day that I started crawling, my dad was. He was gone for the next 20 years of my life. So I had to really learn how to do things on my own at an early age. So you hear people say I had to grow up fast, or I had this experience that caused me to grow up fast. That was it for me. And it's not a sad topic. I know it may sound sad having a single mother who's raising you, and you're trying to figure out life and figure out how to be a young man on your own, but that's all I'd ever known. So it wasn't like I'm. Man, I'm depressed because I see my friends with their dads, and I don't have my dad. It was like, this is just the life that I have. You know, this was the hand that I was dealt, and I'm gonna do everything that I can to make sure that I can make the most of this. So, you know, I had my brother there, and he really. I feel like he raised me, in a way. My older brother, he's a year older than I am, and all the things we fought, we argued, we battled. But looking back at it now, he is the reason why I am the way that I am and why I have so much perspective on life. And he's probably the most humble person that I've ever met. Before, I was kind of. I was a little more of the arrogant one because my younger brother came along later in life. So I'm the middle child, and I'm like, just have this stereotype of, I got to do it on my own, and I can't have health. And you. I'm sure you have kids, so you may be able to.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, well, now that you said you were the. You're the middle one, I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, I totally get it.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So that's just how I was always wired to think. But I noticed early on that my perspective of life was a little different from my. For my brothers and my cousins and how they saw things. So I could see.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. What was that difference?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It was we. You know, they were being a kid. They were in the age group that they were supposed to be in, in the mindset that they were supposed to be in. But I was looking at life from the perspective of, wow. I'm looking at what my mom is going through and what my grandparents are going through, and their whole focus when my cousins and brothers get out of school is, we're getting out of school. And we're going to play. Mine was, how can I get myself and my family out of this situation? Because I'm seeing, you know, I've had the opportunity now to go stay with friends and see the way that they live. And what's normal for them wasn't normal for us. And we are sometimes having shifts of, okay, you gonna watch the kids today, and I get to go play outside today, and then tomorrow you can go play outside and I'll watch the kids. So it was very difficult for me to see that environment and say, I don't mind staying in this at an early age. I think back to 5 years old. This story is one that I love to tell, but it's kind of a. It's a tearjerker in a way. Okay. And it's. There are two main roads in my town, so you have the highway, and then you have, like, a service road. It's a very small town, 1200 people.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Where did you grow up?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I grew up in DeKalb, Texas. So Northeast Texas and everything. Dallas Cowboys or Texas Longhorns or the Aggies. That was it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So very small town, and we didn't have a lot of. A lot of roads. And I think we have maybe two traffic lights.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. So everything else is a stop sign or a dirt road, so.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Got it.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

We noticed. My brother and I, we noticed that we were going to Dairy Queen, and. Or we were taking the highway home, and right off of the highway is Dairy Queen. So we have, like, maybe two restaurants. Dairy Queen isn't even there anymore, but we have probably two restaurants in the town now. But we noticed that we were about to pass Dairy Queen, and so we're in the back seat and we're yelling to my mom, can we please go to Dairy Queen? Can we please go to Dairy Queen? And we're just constantly saying this over and over and over. And I remember her looking up and looking at us through the rearview mirror, and she said, I'll take y', all, but all I have left is $8. And I was in kindergarten at the time. My brother, he's ecstatic. He's like, yes, we want a Dairy Queen. And I remember I just sat back, and I just kind of sunk down in my seat, and I was like, wow. Like, this woman is doing everything that she can for us, and we don't even realize what she's putting herself through every day just to make sure that we have something.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And. How old were you?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I was five at this moment. I was five. Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. So your Little heart has just always been so tender from the start. And you are sensitive in the best of ways, right? Yeah.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And so once she said that we had a chicken strip basket that we shared, and she got both of us ice cream cones. Now, this was before inflation. You probably couldn't get that now. But she got both of us ice cream cones. And I remember I couldn't even enjoy the food because I was just thinking, if she had $8 before she bought this, how much does she have now? And this is. We still have the rest of the week left. And I didn't know it at the time, but during that time, my mom was working as a janitor at the school, and she was making $300 a month. Not. Not a week.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

A month. Right.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And I'm like, how did you possibly find a way to make ends meet and make sure that we were taken care of? And she was like, that's why I have a relationship with God, because there's no way I could have done that without Him. So.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So your mom has really been the foundation for you knowing Jesus, right?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. And I would say that growing up, I didn't grow up in the church. My mom was working. And so a lot of times church was something that we would attend if we woke up on time. It wasn't like mandatory or.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Right.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

But I noticed that with my friends, it was. That was a priority for them. So my mom and my grandmother, my grandparents, they really cultivated me, knowing God or having some type of knowledge about who God is. But the relationship with God actually started later in life, I would say.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So would you consider your grandparents your mentors, or is there another person in your life that were your biggest mentors?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, well, contrary to popular belief, my grandfather did. He was a big role model for me and I think all of my cousins and my siblings. But we were motivated and inspired by the drug dealers that were on the streets. Like, when we saw those people, it was like, wow, I see that there's a different life that I can live because no one that we were around, none of them had anything that we desired to have in life. You know, they were struggling to make ends meet. And the car that they were driving, it was like, you know, it's going to get me to the destination, but it's not what I would prefer to be in. So when we saw these drug dealers and people who probably weren't doing the things that they were supposed to be doing, we saw the lifestyle that they were living, and that's what we were mesmerized by. So it wasn't necessarily the people inside of our houses. It was the people outside that we were looking up to.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But you weren't thinking about Jesus at that moment. You were just saying that they. They found a way out of the broken system.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And. But it didn't matter at that time what that looked like, but that was attractive. That made sense. Of course.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. I mean. Cause when you. When you grow up in an environment, and the most common thing that you hear is how we're struggling with money and how this financial situation is hurting us, and you look at the house and you see we don't have food or we don't have the ability to get this. And these are the things that we need. But this person and his kids have all of those things. That's what you want to aspire to be like. Because one day you think about your future with your kids and you're like, I want to make sure that my kids are taken care of. And that looks like it's the only avenue to do it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Right. Oh, I want to go down that path for a second. Because that is still. When you're younger, you're looking to the drug dealers for a better life, I might be jumping ahead. But what was. Was there a moment when you thought, hmm, I want what they have, but I don't wanna do it the way they're doing it?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes, yes, absolutely. I would say it really didn't hit me until probably about late middle school, early high school age, because, I mean, still, there was nobody that was successful that looked like me, that had the things that I aspired to have in life. But then I started noticing that all of these people, the drug dealers that I looked up to, I mean, all of them. There came a point in time where I didn't see them anymore. And I'm like, where is this person? You know, I used to see him driving all the time. It's like, yeah, they're in jail now, and you probably will never see him again. And I'm like, well, if that's the lifestyle, if that's the life that I have to live while living this lifestyle, I don't think I want that. And so that's when sports became something that my brothers and I, we began to take more seriously. Because we see people like, whether it be LeBron James or Steph Curry, whoever it is, we see these people and it's like they're living a life that is completely contradictory to what we are told is the only way out. And it seems like they're happier. They don't have to worry about the police being behind them. Why don't we just follow that path instead of what we've been told and what we've been taught is the only way out, you know? So that's what really did it for me.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay, so sports became a huge part of your.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Absolutely.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Of your life.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I want to go back to your. To your mom and the influence that she had because, I mean, just as a young kid, what were some of the best memories with your mom?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. I think back to Christmas. Christmas is always a big one. And we would have these. We would just have so many traditions around the holiday season where we would watch movies and we would bake cookies. My brothers and I, we would stay up late waiting for Santa to come through the door. Like, we didn't have a chimney. Okay. But we were like, he gotta come through the front door, so we gonna wait until he. Me and my brother stayed up for two days one time, two days straight.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Oh, that's so cute.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Waiting for Santa to come.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

That sounds like the perfect little pardon of one of my Christmas memories. Right?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly. Yeah. But I remember those times where we would watch movies home alone, and we just developed so many traditions around Christmas, and my mom really wanted to make us feel like, this is something that you will remember forever. Even if we didn't get everything that we wanted. And most of our Christmas was coming from the fire department with toys for tots. My mom made sure that we had the experience of Christmas. So, you know, there were some times when we would go to school and our kid or our friends would tell us all the things that they got for Christmas, and it would be like they're happy that they got them, but they aren't grateful for the experience. And we were just the opposite. You know, we may not have had everything that we wanted, but the experience of actually getting to experience Christmas was what we were to die for. It felt like.

[Ollie Product Announcer]

Yeah,

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I get that. It becomes so humbling. And. Yeah. Also the kind of thing when you. When you. When you have much and can give much.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Becomes unappreciated a lot because there's an expectation there. And when you have little, it means so much more, and the value is there. And anyway, I, you know, have thought about that so much over the years, raising my kids and even where my husband's come from, which was very much, you know, in terms of, like, poverty, I guess. My, you know, my husband grew up in communist Russian.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Can tell you stories all day long. About how he'd wait in line for one piece of fruit or one vegetable for eight hours, and that's what they had for the day for his family. You know, stuff like that. But, you know, it's not my experience, but those. Those stories and hearing the reality just, they hit hard and, you know, make me so appreciative of the things that I have and being able to provide. So I want to know, when was the moment in life that you realized that the Bible was interesting to you? How old were you?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Surprisingly, I wasn't. I wasn't much. I wasn't far from the age that I am now. It was in 2020, so I was about 19 when the Bible really became real for me. Because growing up, I mean, you go to church, but I thought it was just a book full of random stories, and I thought the people in the Bible were characters. I didn't think that they were like, real people.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Real people, yeah.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So up until 2020, I'm telling you, I knew nothing. I knew. I didn't even know the story of Jesus. The I knew he got crucified notice of. I didn't know anything that led up to it. I didn't know about Judas. I didn't know about the disciples.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So when you went to church, it was just casual. You kind of half listened exactly. You know, like, Jesus is my savior, right? He's God died for my sin. And that was kind of.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

That was, I think, growing up before 2020, church was something that I attended out of fear. I was like, I'm going to church because this is what God wants me to do, and I don't want to burn in hell. So it wasn't out of a relationship. It was simply a religious thing to do. And once I started to learn the Bible for myself, I was like, church isn't even about what God wants. God does not need you to go to church. You know, that's for you. You need the community. And so once I started reading, I was like, wow, this is the best love story in the world. And it's like so much in there. You have humor, you have entertainment. And so, yeah, learning the Bible for myself changed my entire. My entire mind.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So what was the moment of motivation where you said, I'm going to read it, I'm going to start. I'm going to sit down, be committed, and start reading this?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Well, my mentor at Ouachita Baptist, his name is Kanil Purefoy, and we still meet, we still talk every single week. And he sat me down one day, I Told him. I said, I want to get to know God. I want to develop a relationship with the Lord. And I could tell he has something that the people that I went to church with and grew up with, they didn't have. So I was like, the God that you serve doesn't seem like the same God that I grew up hearing about. So tell me about this version of God that you talk about all the time. Because he just. It's just filled with joy all the time, like laughing and joking. And I said, I want what you have. So he sat me down one day and he just took me through the Bible. And he started from the very beginning. Now, I had the basic knowledge of, like I said, who Jesus was and him being the Son of God and things like that and the Holy Spirit. But I did not know the complexities of the Bible. And most of the stories. I think the only story that I heard at that time was probably David and Goliath and the Prodigal Son. Those were the only two stories that I was familiar with. So he took me through this journey of just teaching me, and that gave me the foundational knowledge. But in 2023, when I was going through the worst depression of my life, I was like, I can't talk to anyone. No one has the right words to say to me. I have to figure out how to read this Bible for myself. Because it's one thing to be led by someone through a Bible study, but when you have to sit there by yourself and wrestle with the text, it's a completely different thing. And I was like, God, I'm not going to stop until you bless me. That's what Jacob said. I'm doing the same thing. I was familiar with that story at that point. I was like, jacob, wrestle with you. And I'm going to wrestle with this text until I can finally understand it. So I opened up the Bible and I just started reading. And I noticed that the Bible was not a book about rules and regulations. And you have to do this and you have to do that. It was simply principles, practices, and promises that if you did them, this would happen. I was like, wow. So these people's lives, God gave us all of these experience with Job and with David, with Daniel. He gave us all of these experiences to look back on so that we can reflect and say, I'm not going to do that, because it will breed this experience. I am going to do this because God will bless me like this. So that's when it really, really became real to me. And I honestly thought because it didn't take long for me to be able to understand it. But I thought everyone had that experience when reading the Bible. And then once I took it to the Internet, I was like, wait a minute, is this not normal? Like, do people not understand or read the Bible this way?

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yeah, so talk about that because you teach Bible lessons online and I would love for you to describe what, what you do and I want to know how you choose to share what you teach.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It is, it's something that I always pray about. And for anyone who does follow me, you'll notice that I don't post content like most people would recommend you post content. So which is what they will say, post three to five times a week at least so that you can get maximum reach and do all these things.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Usually if it's my own personal content and it's no ad behind it, something that I'm doing for a company, I post once a month and people are like, wow, why do you only post once a month? And it's because it's very intentional about behind what I do post, what I choose to post. It's. I'm taking a lot of time to study. So there is a video that I'm probably about to upload sometime later this week and I have been working on that video for over a year. Wow. Over a year on one video. 12 minute and 30 second video.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Just about to ask you how long it's going to be. So 12 minute and 30 second video.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And it's because you're studying. You want to have the right words, right? Are you writing it out or are you just studying and you just basically know and you're kind of preaching off the cuff.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It's a mix of both.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

But here's the thing, okay. And I just discovered this, like probably two days ago. Okay. So when I'm reading the Bible, this has to be a gift. It has to be a gift because I thought this was everyone's experience. And that's why I had this whole epiphany of like, I'm like, what gift

[Candace Cameron Bure]

do you have that I need to start asking God for when I open a Bible?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And I think what people are kind of attracted to is God has kind of blessed me with this ability to teach people in minutes what most people never learn in a lifetime. And I didn't know that it was a gift because I thought everyone could do it. But when I open a Bible and I go to. Let's just say we go to the book of Matthew. It's not like, blatantly obvious, like it was embedded into the text. But when I'm reading, there are certain words that are, like, illuminated in Scripture and it'll be like a blue or a golden, like, hue around a certain word. And so I stayed there until I get what the Holy Spirit is trying to download into me. And I didn't know that wasn't a thing that everybody had. So when I'm reading a text and this person is reading the text, we may get two totally different interpretations, and that's normal. But I thought that everyone had that experience of when you open a Bible, it's just almost like, colorful.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

You know?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

No, most of us don't have that experience.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

When I was speaking at this conference a couple days ago, I was asking people, yeah, you know, like, when you see the blue letters and stuff in script and they're like, what are you talking about? And I'm like.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I was like, what special Bible are you coming from with the blue letters? And so, yeah, I always look for the red.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

That has been mind blowing to me.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I was like, yeah, that is a gift for sure.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

That's a gift. So just that ability. And I kind of feel like I'm plagiarizing a little bit because I'm like, well, this didn't technically come from me. I'm just telling y' all what I saw in the text and how the Holy Spirit delivered it to me.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, that's incredible. Well, we're going to be talking over the next six weeks, and I'd love for you to share kind of an overview of what we're going to be talking about and then where you want to go with it today.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. So over the next six weeks, I really just want people to understand how God is showing up in your life in ways that you probably don't even acknowledge Him. So we all go through different things, different seasons, different chapters, and they. It's all for a reason. We hear that a lot. But like, for instance, today, what I really want people to get out of this message in this video today is that God will always present us with challenges in the form of storms, thorns and crosses. Okay. Now, you probably have never heard a lot of this stuff that we're going to talk about in church, but what I mean by storms, thorns and crosses is there are different aspects for different seasons that God is like, you need to go through this so that you can develop into Something on the other side. And what we don't realize is that a lot of times we will be panicking, protesting, and praying against the very thing that God is using to prepare us for where he has taken us. And if you don't know the difference between the things that God is taking you through, you'll be trying to rebuke what God is using to develop you into the person that you need to be for when you get there, you know? So that's really what I hope people get out of this one today.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, that's great. Has there been a storm that you've gone through recently?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes, usually there are. So when I believe when God gives you a great gift, it's always going to come with, like, a great amount of demand as well. So the more gifted you are, oftentimes the more you'll struggle with vision because you have so many different ideas of what you can use that gift. And so a storm that I've recently been going through is figuring out what exactly God wants me to dive into completely. So I'm kind of being pulled in a lot of different ways. And I'm like, well, I know I can do this, God, and I know I can do this. I know I can do this. And sometimes God really just has to sit me down and say, well, if you only had one option available to do something for the rest of your life, what would you choose to do? You know, because we. You are gifted people, we are talented people, and we are created in the image of God. So the storm has been not so much wrestling in the rain, per se, but it's seeing what life is like on the other side. So taking myself out of right now and putting myself into. Would you be more pleased with the person you are after you did whatever it is that you choose to do?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

That's a great perspective to have.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And it's hard. It's very hard.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Of course it's hard. So talk to me about a thorn. What's the difference between a thorn and a storm?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So the difference between a thorn and a storm is a storm is something that's usually seasonal. It has an end date on it. A thorn doesn't always have an end date. So when we think about Paul, when he said, I was sent a messenger from Satan, and that messenger was constantly aggravating him, you know, and he said, I asked three times for the Lord to remove it. And the Lord said, my grace is sufficient for you. So he asked God to remove something. And God saw it and he liked it. So he Left it. So that's the whole thing about the storm. Sometimes Satan will send something. God will see it and he'll like it, so he leaves it. And some of us can be like, well, why would God leave something that is hurting me? It's because it's not injuring you, it's just aggravating you. And if God sees what it's producing, he's not going to change it if he likes it. What he's going to do is give you the grace to endure what he's not going to change. So if it keeps you coming, if it keeps you on your knees praying and it keeps you in conversation, why would God remove that?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Right. It keeps you dependent on.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly, Exactly. That's the difference between a storm and a thorn. That thorn is going to constantly keep you going back to God. The storm is something that you go to God so that you can get to the other side of it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Right. A storm is going to pass.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

The sunshine comes out. Right. But that thorn. Thorn can aggravate you for the rest of your life.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And that's a hard one. That's a hard one, Especially for the not. I think as Christians, when we know the scriptures, we are taught to endure.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

To endure the thorn. And we, we, we figure out how to do that, even though it's not pleasant. But there's a lot of people that have a hard time grasping God when they're like, why would God keep me in pain?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Why would he want to do that?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Oh, that's great. One thing about. I'm so glad you said that. This is what I've noticed about pain a lot of times, what you see, the God you see is the God you get. And what I mean by that is we go to, for instance, I think is Matthew or Mark, chapter six, and Jesus returns to his hometown. And they're like, oh, isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this so and so, so and so? And it says that Jesus was only able to do. He was only able to heal a few sick people. So only a few got what was available to many. Right? And the perspective is what drives what God you get, what version of a God you get. So you may see it as, I've never been in this much pain before, God, why don't you just remove this pain? God sees it as. You've also never been in this much prayer before. So why would I remove this pain, you know? So where you sit determines what you see, you know? And sometimes we can look at the same thing and not get the same thing that God is getting from what he's seen.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, exactly. It's perspective.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes. Pain is perspective.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Perspective. Okay, tell me about the cross. You said there are storms, thorns, and the cross.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So the cross, when we think about Jesus, we always talk about. We talk about Jesus being crucified, but we don't usually talk about what it means for us. Like, it's great that he died for our sins and he was resurrected. That's great. What does that mean for me? Because there will be a lot of times that you will find yourself in a cross situation. And what that is, is you will find yourself in situations that stretch you. They're very uncomfortable things that cause you to hang out and actually have to wait for God. When Jesus was on the cross, he was there for a while, you know, and he was crying out to God while he was on that cross. Could he have gotten down? Sure, he could have. But the case may not be the same for us. We don't have all the same powers. We're not the same person that Jesus is. So when you are in a cross, that is a season where God is stretching you beyond what you could have ever imagined. And it's probably going to be uncomfortable. And most people think if God called me to it, I'm going to want to do it. That's not always the case. Jesus didn't want to go to the cross, but Jesus went to the cross because he knew Sunday was coming. And you got to keep living life with that perspective. There is a blessing on the other side of what feels like a burden.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So good.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

That's. That's it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So good. I cannot wait to continue this conversation and just hear all the things that God has been teaching you. It's so inspiring. And I love when it gets my brain working and just thinking of that other perspective, you know, we're gonna finish this episode. We always take listener questions here. And I love that you're here and in your 20s because we have lots of your generation that I want to hear your perspective more than just my mom perspective, you know. So today's question is from Tracy and she says, I believe in the gospel and in Jesus, but I get tongue tied when I'm asked why I believe this. Do you have any advice?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes. I heard someone say one time that if you can't explain why you believe what you believe, you don't believe it. You just believe what someone else told you to believe.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

That's so good.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, it's so good. So when it comes to what you believe, and why you believe the gospel. Okay, Obviously there is a reason why she believes. He believes what they believe. Okay? You don't always have the theological answers to explain. This is why I believe Jesus is the son of God. But what you do have is a testimony. We all have our testimony. And I can't tell you what happened for someone else. I can't tell you what happened for my mom or my grandmother, But I can tell you what happened for me. And I'll give you a personal example. I didn't just go to Jesus and say, I'm gonna believe in you, because this is what I was raised up doing. I went to God and I was praying to God just in general at first, and I said, I'm going to discover which God is truth. Okay? So this, the Islamic God and all these other gods, I'm going to do my studying for myself. Because I'm not about to be deceived into believing something just because someone told me to. When I did that, I was led back to one name, and that was Jesus. That's why I believe, because when I cried out, he was the only one to come to me. So there's nothing anyone else can tell me about. Well, you shouldn't believe that. Listen, if I'm wrong, I'll get to the end of my life and I'll be happy with my decision. But if I'm right, you have to make the decision about what you gonna choose to do with your life, you know, so that's what I would say. You won't always have the answers, but you do have your testimony.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, that's such a good answer. Such a good answer. I know it always gets. I think so many people get afraid to share the gospel or to, um, because they don't feel that they're equipped with the right answers when someone wants to start talking theology or statistics. And like, you know, unless you really know your Bible and have all of the scripture, you're. Most of us are not theologians and we did not go to seminary. And so it gets scary. But my suggestion is if you. It is so important that you do know why you believe this. And it might be hard to articulate, but I think there's some really simple answers in that you could really go to. I mean, there's so many books on it, but you could do a quick search online and say, how do I answer this? In the simplest form, right? And you might say like, oh, well, that is what I believe. I truly believe that. I understand that. I just didn't have the words to put it to articulate it that way. And so I would just do a little digging, a little research and if I think you'll come away equipped if you put a little effort and energy into even if that means you memorize two or three sentences so that when you're asked, you know exactly what you want to say. And if the conversation goes beyond that, you can always say, you know what. Not quite sure how to answer that. Let me get back to you. Like I want to think about it and I'd love to pick up this conversation later.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So that's my practical advice.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, we're going to come back next week. Thanks Jason. This was awesome. We have a brand new resource guide for you this season. It's an exclusive video series hosted by Jason. The video series is called Unfiltered Faith and Jason walks you through a lot of questions that Christians have but might be too afraid to talk about. So go to canvas.com together and you'll be able to find the link to buy that course. And this one does have a cost, but I'm telling you, really, it is totally worth it. And you'll also find a link to ask questions for future episodes that we will do our best to answer. Until next time, be grateful all day, every day.

Candy Rock Entertainment all rights reserved.

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