Sojourner Stories

When someone begins to doubt/question their faith - especially in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles - any talk about things like divine healing, prophecy, or the all-encompassing love of God tends to lessen or disappear. But as Jo’el Adifon’s website says, “my world’s a little different”. Though Jo'el may not identify as an orthodox Christian anymore, he's as enthusiastic as ever about tumors disappearing, words of knowledge, and being loved by the Divine.  In fact, he's gone on to obtain a Masters in Psychology from Columbia with a specialization in Spirituality & Mind-Body Practice, and today identifies as a Miraculist (a practitioner and student of the science and art of making miracles happen). In this episode, we talk about integrating science & medicine with healing modalities, creating an interspiritual lexicon, how racial justice and the church are inseparable, and coming to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted, multi-dimensional, and loving Yeshua who's been with Jo'el through it all.

Books mentioned in the episode:

He may be the #1 employee of a San Francisco startup, a top writer on Quora, and cofounder of a soft-skills education company, but when I met Brandon Lee 12 years ago, he was a 19-year-old in Redding CA who had just dropped out of college to pursue full-time supernatural ministry. His marriage of passion with practicality soon took him all over the world to minister, and his Youtube ministry channel Whizzpopping now has over 9 million views. He also founded a ministry school in San Jose which - as one of the first attendees - I can say was definitely the craziest three months of my life (so far).

So what happened to his ministry? How did he end up at the SF startup scene? And where’s he at now with...everything? Brandon’s story - laid out with incredible transparency and articulation - is a wealth of insight for anyone facing deep questions about faith, the supernatural, and what it means to make a difference.

In this episode we hear the story of a learning designer in Cape Town, South Africa (who wishes to remain unnamed in the credits), whom Nathan originally connected with during a missions trip a decade ago. She shares how she navigated disillusionment with her church when she realized “missionaries don’t look like me”, and how this has turned into a passion for decolonizing education. We also talk about science vs the supernatural, valuing an honest journey, and trusting a God big enough to handle doubt.