Built By Faith | Podcast on RSS.com

Built By Faith

by Steve Vencl

Self-Improvement Christianity

Season 2

Steve Vencl — Called Back To The Quiet

After 16 conversations, I felt God stirring something I couldn't ignore. What began as a podcast focused on faith-forward conversations has slowly revealed something deeper: the power of testimony. In this episode, I share why Built By Faith is pausing new guest interviews for the next several weeks and why I believe God is calling me into a quieter season of reflection, healing, and obedience. As I've listened to the stories of Caleb, Jaylon, Gabe, and so many others, one truth continues to rise to the surface: A testimony is not your story. It's His. Scripture tells us that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Yet many of us carry stories we've never fully shared, wounds we've never fully brought into the light, and places where God is still revealing what He wants to heal. This isn't a goodbye. It's a regroup. A chance to sit at His feet, seek His direction, and better understand how He wants to use Built By Faith moving forward. Scriptures Mentioned Revelation 12:11 2 Corinthians 12:9 In This Episode Why Built By Faith is pausing guest episodes The power of testimony in the life of a believer Healing, revealing, and obedience What God has been stirring over the last 16 episodes The future direction of Built By Faith

Gabe Klobosits — Just Trust

A seven-day panic attack. A hospital visit. A Bible opened to Philippians 4:13. And a life that would never be the same. In this episode, professional baseball player Gabe Klobosits shares his testimony publicly for the first time. We talk about identity, anxiety, surrender, Psalm 23, purpose, obedience, and learning to trust God when the future makes no sense. A conversation about what happens when life stops being about us and starts becoming about Him. Follow Gabe: https://www.instagram.com/gabe_klobosits/ 00:00 Opening Prayer 02:29 How God Showed Up This Week 03:53 Sleep, Recovery & Stewarding the Body 06:10 Spiritual Nourishment 10:03 Growing Up Around Faith 12:59 The Healing That Changed Something 18:06 The Story Few People Know 20:17 Seven Days 21:35 Getting Back Into the Word 26:08 Why He Opened the Bible 28:53 Identity Before and After 32:11 Stay Under the Fig Tree 34:40 Finding His Purpose 37:04 The Darkest Moments 39:28 A Message For The Person Listening 40:58 Psalm 23 and the Valley 43:00 When God Slows You Down 46:40 Stagnant vs Still 49:21 Faith, Pride & Heaven 55:07 Who Do You Fear Most? 57:42 Obedience 58:04 Just Trust 01:02:23 A Calling Beyond Baseball 01:05:08 Share Your Story 01:08:24 Gabe's First Public Prayer 01:09:47 A First 01:10:26 Roger That

Jaylon Lee — Use Me

Jaylon Lee plays outfield for the GlowMojis in the Cosmic Baseball League, but his journey to this moment wasn't the path he expected. After years of chasing professional baseball, Jaylon watched opportunities disappear, endured multiple releases, wrestled with financial hardship, and found himself questioning everything—including his faith. In this episode, Jaylon shares the college years that shaped his faith, the identity crisis that followed baseball's disappointments, and the moment Proverbs 16:3 changed everything. He opens up about arguing with God, walking away from his Bible for months, therapy, surrender, and ultimately discovering who he was outside of the game. What followed wasn't the future he planned—it was something better. This is a conversation about identity, purpose, surrender, and learning to trust God when the path ahead doesn't make sense.

Caleb Poston — At Complete Peace

Caleb Poston shares the story of walking with his dad through a 19-month battle with cancer — from diagnosis and suffering to the final moments before he went home to Jesus. But this conversation isn’t ultimately about death. It’s about peace. The kind of peace that doesn’t make sense when someone is fighting for their life. The kind of peace that changes the people standing in the room witnessing it. Caleb opens up about anger, exhaustion, surrender, unanswered prayers, and the moment he realized his dad’s biggest prayer was never only physical healing. It was that their story would lead people closer to Jesus. This one is heavy. Honest. Sacred. If you’ve walked through grief, loss, fear, or questions around suffering, we hope this conversation reminds you that you are not alone. This episode includes honest discussion around grief, death, suffering, cancer, and end-of-life moments.

Alejandro Avendano — Fixed My Heart

At 27 years old, Alejandro Avendano underwent open-heart surgery — but even surviving that wasn’t enough to change the way he saw life. For years, Alejandro built everything through discipline, work, achievement, and self-reliance. After immigrating from Venezuela and spending nearly two decades working at Boeing, life eventually forced him to confront what happened when identity, control, and certainty began slipping away. In this conversation, Alejandro shares the slow process of surrender, discovering a real relationship with God, and learning that faith is not about being a spectator — it’s about stepping onto the field. This episode explores fear, family, second chances, prayer, identity, and the quiet ways God keeps pursuing us even when we continue running our own plans. Listen and subscribe for more conversations about faith formed through real life. SISU Sauna Discount: https://vencl.co/sisu

Ray “Sensei” Ortega — The Mission Field

Ray “Sensei” Ortega spent years chasing the baseball dream — from independent ball to professional coaching, the Giants organization, the Savannah Bananas, and eventually Cosmic Baseball. But beneath the surface, God was shaping something deeper. In this conversation, Ray shares how adversity, surrender, influence, and faith slowly reframed the purpose behind everything he thought he was building. What began as a baseball journey eventually became a mission field. This is Part 1 of our conversation with Ray. Part 2 is coming soon.

Matt Kuiper — The Darkness Lifted

Matt Kuiper shares the story behind Desert Plunge, his struggle with anxiety and mental health, and the season that forced him to surrender control and rebuild slowly through faith. This conversation explores endurance, fatherhood, mental health, cold therapy, and learning how to keep moving forward when life feels heavy. Matt opens up about panic attacks, depression, addiction, faith, marriage, and the moment he found himself screaming at God alone in the desert — finally realizing he couldn’t carry everything on his own anymore. More than anything, this is an honest conversation about what happens when darkness finally begins to lift. Connect with Matt + Desert Plunge: Instagram: Matt Kuiper Instagram Desert Plunge Instagram Website: Desert Plunge This conversation includes honest discussion around topics like anxiety, depression, addiction, panic attacks, and mental health. Listener discretion is encouraged.

Sydney Sullivan — Faith Formed in the Dark

Sydney shares her story of growing up in a chaotic and painful environment while developing a deep and personal relationship with God from a young age. Through fear, family brokenness, and moments of desperation, she continued to run toward God — not away from Him. This conversation explores what it looks like to build real faith in the middle of real life.

Luke Adams — Freedom Through Surrender

He didn’t find freedom by trying harder. He found it when he finally let go. In this conversation, Luke Adams shares the moment everything changed — from carrying the pressure of performance in professional baseball to surrendering his life to God. What followed wasn’t perfection, but a new way of living rooted in trust, dependence, and freedom. Luke opens up about identity, injury, faith, and what it really looks like to live for an audience of one — not defined by results, but anchored in something deeper. He was a young athlete trying to prove himself while quietly carrying more than he could hold. That pressure eventually led to a moment alone in a clubhouse — where surrender became real, and everything began to shift. If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying something too heavy, this conversation will resonate.

Brianna Salvatore Dueck — Outliving Loss and Finding Identity

Some moments in life don’t just pass—they shape you. In this conversation, Brianna Salvatore Dueck shares what it’s been like to walk through loss, identity, and the quiet tension of trying to follow God in seasons that don’t always make sense. After losing her mom at a young age, she found herself asking a question most of us try to avoid: What can I cling to… if everything can be taken? That question didn’t just sit with her—it reshaped how she lives, how she leads, and how she shows up for others. We talk about identity after athletics, the unseen work God is doing beneath the surface, and how to discern His voice in the middle of uncertainty. This isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about learning to walk with God—honestly, slowly, and with open hands. Brianna’s story is shaped by loss, by the people who planted seeds in her life, and by a growing awareness that God was present even when she didn’t recognize it. And now, she’s building from that place. — If this episode resonates, share it with someone who might need it. If you’re building rhythms around recovery and wellness, you can check out a discount here: https://vencl.co/sisu

1 of 4