Neil T. AndersonFreedom in Christ Ministries · Pastor

That was the start of me going outside of my dad's faith.

3 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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2:25

In this interview excerpt, Speaker A recounts a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey. At age 10 he embraced a personal faith, but received little encouragement from his family. At 16, during a church gathering, an adult named Steve—who was not his father—challenged him to articulate his own beliefs rather than accepting his dad’s answers. This forced A to think independently, marking the beginning of moving beyond his dad’s religious influence. A also reveals that he developed a crush on Steve, appreciating how Steve, a 24‑year‑old military man, treated him as an adult by asking thoughtful questions. Speaker B affirms Steve’s reputation as a forward‑thinking mentor who helps others examine their convictions, and reflects on the impact of being respected by an older adult during adolescence.

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So then here I was at 10, told my mom and dad right away, didn't necessarily receive the encouragement that I expected from those that I loved. But when Steve came around and I was 16, so my dad was an elder in the church and he was always, he always answered, you know, if someone asked a question, he would give the answer. And so it was one of the first times that Steve came around. We were sitting there and Steve asked a question. I couldn't tell you what the question was, but my dad went to do his typical thing and answer. And Steve goes, hold on a minute. He says, I know what you believe. I need to know what they believe, pointing to my brother, sister, and I. And it was the first time where I had to think and act and answer what I believed and who I believed in. And that was the start of me going outside of my dad's faith and developing my own faith. And it wasn't very long after that that I realized that I had fallen in love with Steve because he was one of the first adults that would ask me a question and let me answer. He wanted to hear me talk. And of course, as an impressionable 16-year-old, you know, that was big. So.
Well, and that, that so rings true of what I know of Steve. He's part of how I describe people like him as he can see down the road and around corners. And he can— he was great at asking questions to help other people think ahead and really examine what do they really believe. I didn't realize— I didn't know that about your story, but that certainly makes a lot of sense. And like you said, as a 16-year-old looking at this 24-year-old military man who treats you like an adult and is respecting you. Uh, yeah.