From Comfort to Calling: Paul Hurckman on What Happens When You say “Yes”

“What happens when faith moves beyond something we believe and becomes something we actually live? This week on Bigger Than Belief, Paul Hurckman, executive director of Venture, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, courage, service, family, and the uncomfortable places where belief becomes action. Paul shares the story of the decision that changed his life: saying no to a cross-country bike trip — and living with that regret for years. Eventually, he learned to say yes to the unconventional, a journey that took him to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and ultimately into leadership at Venture, a faith-based justice organization working in some of the world's most unsafe, unreached, and under resourced communities. We talk about the realities of refugee care, human trafficking, women's health and church planting, and why Paul believes the Gospel requires both proclaiming hope and responding to urgent human needs. But this conversation isn't only about global missions. Paul gets candid about the tension between doing meaningful work around the world and being present for his wife, his five children and his neighbors. He talks about resisting the temptation to be the "hero" of his own story, the importance of listening to your neighbors, and why sometimes faith asks us to step away from comfort. And in a particularly honest moment, Paul discusses what happens when he turns on the news and sees faith used to justify competing worldviews — and how those moments of doubt send him back to the foundations of what he believes. From seven marathons on seven continents to the simple act of helping a neighbor move a couch, this is a conversation about what it means to live a faith that shows up.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices