I would love to hear from you. Click the link now The Strength Within You: Jay Setchell on Faith, Survival, and Refusing to Quit James Moffitt speaks with Jay Setchell, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose life was reshaped by a near-fatal car accident and a long series of injuries, surgeries, and recoveries. Jay shares how farm life, military service, prayer, and relentless discipline helped him rebuild again and again.This conversation matters because it is not just a survival story. Jay offers a practical worldview for hardship: keep moving, ask for help, stay connected to community, and focus on what you can still do. Key topics In this episode: Jay Setchell traces his life from a hard-working farm childhood in north central Illinois to the Marine Corps, then through multiple life-threatening accidents and long-term disability.In this episode: He describes the foundational lessons of farm life—urgency, responsibility, frugality, and the idea that “if it is to be, it is up to me.”In this episode: Jay recounts the near-fatal Marine Corps car crash that left him hospitalized for a year, followed later by another devastating accident with a drunk driver.In this episode: He shares the July 4, 1981 swimming pool accident that broke his neck in four places, led to drowning, and resulted in 73 surgeries.In this episode: Jay explains how prayer and faith became central to his recovery, especially through a prayer offered by a stranger and sustained support from church communities.In this episode: He emphasizes mindset during rehabilitation, including setting small goals, looking ahead rather than down, and measuring progress by persistence rather than speed.In this episode: Jay discusses how community used to function in rural life, from neighbors bringing food to families in need to church networks praying for one another.In this episode: He reflects on the emotional burden of grief, especially when his children were in danger and when he later lost one of the Marines who helped save his life.In this episode: Jay talks about his book, The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit, which focuses less on the accidents themselves and more on how to respond to adversity.In this episode: He closes with a call to reach out to others, especially disabled or hurting people, and to remember that strength often comes through connection.Timestamps 00:00 — Jay Setchell’s life story in one sentence: farm kid, Marine, survivor, builder 03:15 — Sales success at GTE and the sudden neck-breaking accident in a swimming pool 05:15 — Prayer, patient of the year, and learning to see rehab as a mission 07:08 — Retiring early, building businesses, and refusing to treat quitting as the easy way out 10:07 — Farm work as childhood training for responsibility and endurance 11:27 — “If it is to be, it is up to me” and why Jay still repeats it to his sons 13:24 — School, factory work, and balancing chores, class, and exhaustion as a teenager 16:18 — How the Marine Corps sharpened discipline that was already forged on the farm 17:15 — The silo auger accident and the lesson that life can turn in seconds 20:21 — Sunday school, Methodist roots, and how neighborhood care shaped his faith 23:30 — Church prayer networks and the recovery gains Jay saw as spiritual support 27:02 — Faith as confidence in what you cannot see, not just wishful thinking 28:00 — Parallel bars, looking ahead, and setting a goal at the far end 30:50 — Purpose, grit, and why Jay says he will not quit until the Lord takes him 33:26 — The long road back: traction, wired jaws, and learning to endure pain 36:27 — Why the farm motto still matters during recovery and when asking others for help 39:17 — Internal injuries, patience, and staying busy while the body heals 42:09 — Reframing success as service to others rather than awards or money 43:25 — Grief, divorce, and the terror of nearly losing his children 46:16 — The childhood pool rescue, the koi pond rescue, and a daughter saved from bleeding out 52:19 — A son choking in a chair, a quick rescue, and the fear of seeing a child in distress 55:44 — Visiting one of the Marines who helped save Jay’s life before he passed away 57:26 — Jay’s book, The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit 58:52 — Choices, consequences, and why bad hands can still win if played well 61:11 — Reaching out to others in hotel lobbies, disability, and the power of empathy 63:29 — Closing takeaway: broken bodies do not have to mean a broken spirit Notable quotes Copy “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Copy “It’s not what’s happened to you. It’s what you’ve learned from it.” Copy “There’s always an opportunity to get ahead. Life is too short, time is too precious, and it goes way too fast.” Support the show Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583591441571 Podcast Support https://www.fathersrefuge.com/support/ One Time donation https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528600/support Monthly Support Want to be a guest? https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/fathersrefuge Mobile Follow Page https://www.fathersrefuge.com/follow/
