Built By Faith

Steve Vencl

4.8 (18)
Christianity
Updated Biweekly

Built By Faith is a space for honest conversations about real life and the quiet ways God shapes us through it. No performance. No pressure. Just real stories shared with open hands. Because some of the most meaningful faith isn’t taught from a stage, it’s built over time through everyday life. Hosted by Steve Vencl.

2d ago

Olivia Schaff — Learning to Live Open-Handed

Sometimes following God makes sense to you before it makes sense to anyone else. Olivia Schaff thought she knew what life after college would look like. She studied finance, considered a career in real estate, and had a path in front of her that felt safe and explainable. But God kept leading her somewhere else. In this conversation, Olivia shares how her faith became something she no longer wanted to keep private, the conviction that led her to start It’s Cool to Love Jesus, and the unexpected response when her first 50 hats sold out in two hours. She also shares the decision to step away from the career she thought she would build and into student ministry — and the very specific moment God met her while she was asking for clarity. We talk about caring deeply about what other people think, identity in Christ, showing up to church alone, daily surrender, and what it looks like to hold our plans with open hands. And somewhere in the middle of the conversation, we stop talking and worship together. This one is about learning that obedience doesn’t always make sense to everyone around you — and trusting God enough to follow anyway. Built By Faith is a space for honest conversations about how faith is formed in real life. SISU Sauna has given the Built By Faith community a discount: https://vencl.co/sisu 00:00 — Cold Open 00:22 — Meet Olivia 02:51 — The People Who Helped Build Her Faith 07:40 — When Faith Became Real 12:26 — Saved vs. Surrendered 17:00 — Why Keep Jesus Private? 21:20 — Choosing the Path That Didn’t Make Sense 23:53 — Asking God for Clarity 28:00 — The Night Everything Became Clear 32:41 — Caring What Other People Think 36:05 — Surrender Is a Daily Decision 38:20 — Building a Life With God 42:43 — Knowing God Through His Creation 47:28 — Jesus Intercedes for Us 48:43 — It’s Cool to Love Jesus 52:58 — What Are You Trying to Be Famous For? 56:19 — Responding to the Call 57:15 — An Unplanned Moment of Worship 1:03:53 — “He’s So Cool” 1:08:15 — Why Surrender If We’re Already Forgiven? 1:11:11 — Who Are We to Say No? 1:13:44 — Closing Prayer
Sep 8

Letting Go: Surrender, Discernment & Trusting God | Aubree Munro Watson

What happens when the life you prayed for doesn’t look the way you thought it would? Aubree Munro Watson knows what it means to chase big dreams. She won two NCAA championships at the University of Florida, represented Team USA, and earned an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo. But some of the moments that shaped her faith most happened when striving stopped working. In this conversation, Aubree shares about reaching a breaking point during her freshman year and praying, “Lord, I can’t do this anymore. I give you my life, it’s yours. Take over.” We talk about learning to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit, holding dreams with open hands, wrestling with disappointment at the Olympics, and the Daniel 3 message that changed her perspective: even if things don’t turn out the way we hoped, God is still good. Aubree also opens up about leaving full-time ministry, realizing how much of her identity had become wrapped up in doing for God, and learning the difference between performing for Him and simply allowing herself to be loved by Him. This is a conversation about surrender, discernment, disappointment, identity, and what can happen when we finally loosen our grip and say: God, I want what You want. Aubree is also the author of Born Ready: Making the Most of the Moments That Mark Our Lives. — Built By Faith is a podcast about honest conversations on how faith is formed in real life. If this conversation encourages you, share it with someone who needs it and follow Built By Faith for future episodes. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 0:24 Welcome + Aubree Munro Watson 1:18 Faith at the University of Florida 4:46 When Everything Started Falling Apart 9:06 The Pressure Behind Aubree’s Surrender 16:34 Learning to Recognize the Holy Spirit 21:19 Discernment, Obedience + Writing Born Ready 33:37 From Olympic Athlete to Full-Time Ministry 47:51 When God Asked Her to Leave Ministry 52:10 Performance, Identity + Letting God Love You 1:04:26 Open Hands + The Olympic Dream 1:09:00 “Even If” + Stop Fighting the Fire 1:19:59 When Fresh Anointing Looks Like Rest 1:23:05 Pray for Your Pastors 1:34:11 Born Ready + Where to Find Aubree 1:36:15 Closing Prayer
Sep 1

Dominick Adams — When Obedience Gets Costly

There are moments when following God stops feeling exciting and starts costing you something. Dominick Adams reached one of those moments after leaving the path he knew to pursue what he believed God was calling him toward. The opportunities didn't unfold the way he expected. Money got tight. Eventually, his wife sat him down and told him she couldn't keep doing it. Dom went upstairs and broke down. In this conversation, Dom shares what happened next — the three specific things he began asking God for, what happened on days 10 and 11, and how that season changed his understanding of surrender. We talk about marriage, provision, friendship, discipleship, the difference between being saved and living surrendered, and the “pile of rocks” Dom has built by remembering moments when God showed up in his family's life. If you're walking through a season where obedience feels expensive, I hope this conversation reminds you that you aren't walking through it alone. CHAPTERS 00:00 I Didn’t Know What to Do 00:18 Dom’s Testimony 05:30 Walking Away From Security 07:30 When the Plan Started Falling Apart 12:00 “I Can’t Do This Anymore” 14:00 Three Prayers That Changed Everything 20:30 Commitment vs. Surrender 25:00 Faith, Marriage & Walking Through Uncertainty 31:30 Delighting in the Lord 33:20 Building Rhythms That Keep You Close to God 42:00 The Mentors You Need in Your Life 46:30 Finding Your “Mat Carriers” 50:30 Why Men Need Other Men 58:50 Chosen — and Choosing Him 1:00:00 Walking in God’s Purpose 1:01:30 Remembering What God Has Done 1:04:20 How to Pray for Dom
Jun 23

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 12:112 Corinthians 12:9In This Episode Why Built By Faith is pausing guest episodesThe power of testimony in the life of a believerHealing, revealing, and obedienceWhat God has been stirring over the last 16 episodesThe future direction of Built By Faith
Jun 16

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
Jun 9

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.
Jun 2

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.
May 26

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

4.8

out of 5

18 Ratings

Built By Faith is a space for honest conversations about real life and the quiet ways God shapes us through it. No performance. No pressure. Just real stories shared with open hands. Because some of the most meaningful faith isn’t taught from a stage, it’s built over time through everyday life. Hosted by Steve Vencl.

Creator

Steve Vencl
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

40
Rating

Explicit
Show Website

Built By Faith