Brother Shaughn Riley was 12 years old when a seating chart changed his life.
It started with a friendship. Then a community. Then life-changing decisions that felt like no-brainer next steps. Quitting a job, getting on a plane, not going home for five years. None of it felt dramatic…to him. It just felt like the next step. That it was where he needed to be. In his own words: “This is just me. No big deal.”
But hearing him look back at the quiet way God was arranging everything, it became clear that every step wasn’t coincidence or luck. It was preparation for the life God was laying out for him.
This episode is for anyone who grew up with faith but hasn’t realized what God has been building in their life all along.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 God Prepared Me: The Change I Didn’t See
01:12 A Seating Chart and a Simple Invitation
05:08 Friends, Sports, and Showing Up for Social Reasons
05:46 The Day He Started Actually Listening
07:44 Growing Up With God but No Questions
08:54 The Prophecies That Sealed Everything
11:25 Baptism at 17: Relief, Not Excitement
13:17 The Job He Quit Without Looking Back
17:57 The Friends Who Built His Foundation
19:45 What If He’d Never Met Rivera?
23:03 Brother Greg and the Class That Changed Everything
25:45 The Thought He Kept Trying to Push Away
26:38 March 17, 2014: Getting on the Plane
28:12 They Knew He’d Join Before He Did
29:10 Seeing the Central Temple for the First Time
30:34 Asking to Join the Ministry
30:46 That Same Feeling as Baptism
33:22 He Never Went Back Home
34:26 Culture Shock: How Am I Going to Survive
37:50 Prayer Was the Only Thing He Had
39:28 Why We Need the Hard Days
42:55 On the Other Side: Now He’s the One Doing Bible Studies
44:12 How the Ministry Changed Him
46:21 Too Young to Share Your Faith? Living Proof.
49:39 God Used an Army of People
51:56 I Just Never Looked at It That Way
52:17 Rapid Fire: Preparation, Just Do It, Change Is Good
Brother Shaughn spent over 20 years walking a path God had been quietly laying out. One friendship, one community, one open door at a time. He never saw it as remarkable. It was just his life. Just the next step.
But that’s exactly how God works sometimes. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Every friendship. Every open door. Every yes that barely felt like a decision. God was in all of it. Preparing the way.
So if you’re in a season that feels ordinary, or if the changes in your life feel too small to matter, maybe they’re not small at all. Maybe you just haven’t looked back yet.
If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to see what God has been doing in their life.
Mentioned in the episode:
- Faith & Family Instagram https://www.instagram.com/faithandfamily.inc/
- A Good Relationship Between Adult Children And Parents https://incmedia.org/a-good-relationship-between-adult-children-and-parents/
- Listen to Dads with Autistic Kids: https://incmedia.org/dads-with-autistic-kids/
- Interested in attending a Bible study in the Church Of Christ? Set a time to speak.
Connect with us:
- Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo
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