Men of Faith is a Christian podcast dedicated to calling men up and not out.
Hosted by Caleb Cole, each episode equips men to follow Jesus with conviction, character, and consistency—at home, at work, and in every season of life. Through honest conversations and practical biblical wisdom, Men of Faith tackles real issues like leadership, fatherhood, identity, marriage, discipline, spiritual growth, and navigating culture without compromise. This is a podcast for men who want more than inspiration—they want transformation.
00;00;00;02 - 00;00;24;28
Caleb Cole
We'll end when God touches it, right? And there's like favor because I can try something I'm passionate about. But sometimes the favor of God won't move on it. And it's like, well, maybe I'm. Let me try something else that I'm passionate about. Well, let's let's say this there's passion and then there's strengths, like just strength. Just because I think I, you know, when I'm passionate about pastors, I want to be on that worship team.
00;00;25;01 - 00;00;29;19
Caleb Cole
Yeah. But if you don't sound good to Mike. Yeah, that's not for
00;00;29;21 - 00;00;48;12
Caleb Cole
You're listening to men of Faith, the podcast dedicated to calling men up and not out. Join me as we live a life dedicated to our God.
00;00;48;15 - 00;01;16;05
Caleb Cole
Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Caleb Cole, and I'm here once again with my co-host Brandon Miller in the building. Brandon? What up? How's it going? You're looking good today, my friend. Thank you. Likewise. Yeah, it is spring. Spring has sprung for sure, and we are excited to be back with you another episode. And today I'm looking forward to talking a little bit about burnout.
00;01;16;06 - 00;01;44;20
Caleb Cole
Burnout. And ultimately, we are in a moment in culture where we have more content than ever before. We were just talking about this, Brandon. We can consume more than ever before, and that includes spiritual content. That's right. Podcasts, sermons, music. You guys are listening to this, another piece of content. And yet we see people will burn out spiritually, maybe just stagnate spiritually.
00;01;44;21 - 00;01;59;19
Caleb Cole
You could call it either one. Right. And so what we want to talk about today is what do you do when you get stuck? Like what do you do when you feel like your faith is stagnated? Maybe you're spiritually burnt out, maybe you don't know what to do to kind of jump start and feel close to the Lord again.
00;01;59;20 - 00;02;21;17
Caleb Cole
And I think this is something Brandon, you and I probably have experienced multiple times through the years. So talk to me a little bit about, I mean, you've been serving the Lord for how long now? 30 years. 30 years. Okay. And in those 30 years, I know there's been some ups and downs. Sure. Not just failures or sin, right?
00;02;21;17 - 00;02;47;14
Caleb Cole
We all have that. But what have you done in, you know, in your journey of faith, 30 years of it, when you feel like, man, I'm kind of just hitting a wall or I don't feel close to the Lord or what I've been doing doesn't seem to be working anymore. Right? So we talk first about just what is burnout, because burnout is actually a condition where you've reached beyond the point of just being weary, tired, exhaustion.
00;02;47;14 - 00;03;10;16
Caleb Cole
So now you're spiraling into a place where rest doesn't equal refreshment. And so you've you've actually exceeded one's capacity. And I've lived in that. And for some of us, depending on personality, I work a lot with strengths. Some of us are in that space before we know we're in that space. And you've hit this danger zone where now exhaustion is norm.
00;03;10;17 - 00;03;46;22
Caleb Cole
So feeling feeling depleted constantly. And when I liken that to my spiritual life, the two definitely have been linked. Because if I'm not finding refreshment in the Lord, if I'm not resting properly, Sabbath, taking the time to really allow hard reset, then inevitably I get to that spot. And when I've been there, what I've noticed is that coming to spaces and places where I'm going to draw near to God in worship, His word, fellowship with the believers, I'm still being left feeling like all of that's going out of a drain faster than it's retaining.
00;03;46;23 - 00;04;07;21
Caleb Cole
Right? And so it's it's this quagmire one can end up in. And I've been here where it's I'm not getting traction. And I think that's a discouraging place because you can begin to question, have I done something wrong? Am I in sin? Am I, you know, doing something I shouldn't? And remarkably, I've been hearing more and more of this.
00;04;07;22 - 00;04;40;15
Caleb Cole
I'm hearing it with young adults. I'm hearing it with people who've served the Lord for a long time, feeling that that sense of almost an overwhelm because they're not getting the proper space condition in their growth. Well, yeah. And with all the content incoming, it's not an issue of, oh, I don't have something to consume to pour into me like you were just talking about, but it feels that the drain is large on the way out, so more is going out than it's coming in.
00;04;40;20 - 00;05;10;20
Caleb Cole
And that burnout, I mean, I would say it's when we lack Sabbath and proper boundaries because there are people probably listening to this that are giving so much, going so hard that then no amount of spiritual consuming or content or presence or prayer is ever going to refill or restore what's going out the other end because we don't have the proper boundaries in place.
00;05;10;21 - 00;05;41;07
Caleb Cole
Yeah, I was talking to a young adult leader this last week who was attending the ministry that we were a part of, two others serving in the youth ministry, working a part time job doing all these things. And this is a relatively young person saying, I'm just getting burnt. And I said, of course you are. Yeah, listen to what you're trying to do right now, because the the mistake being made was the substitution of stuff over substance.
00;05;41;10 - 00;06;02;16
Caleb Cole
It's I'm doing a lot, but am I really am I really taking time to discern well what's what's God's rhythm for me? And I think when we're out of alignment with the Holy Spirit in terms of what is his, his calling to us, what does it look like? He he will intentionally lead us into extending ourselves. We know this.
00;06;02;22 - 00;06;30;09
Caleb Cole
We know he's going to take us into seasons of sacrifice, seasons of suffering. But I find that and maybe you've seen this as well. Some of what we're describing today is human manufactured. We're doing it to ourselves. Of course. I mean, I want to say I don't want to take this the route of just Sabbath, but but I do want to say, first, young adults that are listening, this actually is probably the time to go a little harder.
00;06;30;11 - 00;06;48;29
Caleb Cole
You know, I think as we get older, we have more responsibilities. We have to be more structured. And so I always challenge young adults. There are a few that are probably doing too much, but more of them is like you actually have capacity for more and you should be serving more. You know, you should be giving more. You have more, more time for it.
00;06;49;00 - 00;07;09;13
Caleb Cole
Right? But I do think I literally just had one of those talks. Yeah. So you it could be both. But I do think that some of the reason that there's a situation like what you just described with this individual who's like, yeah, of course you're burnt out, like you're going so hard is even when they Sabbath, they don't know how to do it properly.
00;07;09;13 - 00;07;42;29
Caleb Cole
And that's what I found is that those who don't know what godly rest looks like, then when they rest, they end up more tired or depleted or empty because this generation thinks, oh, I replenish or restore by like watching binging Netflix all day, I Sabbath. And then they wonder why the next day they feel worse. Yeah, I was going to say, when I've talked to young adults or contemporaries to where I'm at in life, rest as defined by what you just said.
00;07;42;29 - 00;08;12;27
Caleb Cole
If I'm consuming more while I'm resting, if I'm just scrolling, if I'm just allowing myself to feel some sense of of whether it's entitlement or just lack of options, I'm bored. So I'm just feeling you're not actually resting. Your mind is trying to stay stimulated with something that humans throughout the world have never, ever, ever encountered. The amount of information we can glut on yes, like no other time in history.
00;08;12;27 - 00;08;37;04
Caleb Cole
And the reality is, is that that's exhausting. Your brain cannot possibly sustain that many information bites at that pace. Yeah. What what I always tell people to do is like, look, if you are going to take a Sabbath properly, you need to dedicate some of that time to the Lord. That means you're just listening to him, talking to him.
00;08;37;06 - 00;09;00;10
Caleb Cole
I always tell people like what? When I'm feeling Burt, I make sure my Sabbath involves being outside, involves no screens, involves me touching the ground, even like like I'm going to take my shoes off and I'm going to walk in grass. You know, my daughter, who is 22, will love when I say this right now because she'll send the message out to our family.
00;09;00;12 - 00;09;37;21
Caleb Cole
All right, everybody touch some grass. Like, literally. And she's she's my conservation biologist. So she reminds us that, hey, you need to actually replenish yourself by being in nature, by being outside, by being in a space where you're allowing your body, your mind, your spirit to have a reconnection with the the glorious earth we've been presented with. Yeah, I think for people to to stop the spiritual burnout, they need to maybe remove themselves from all this spiritual stimulation that is man made.
00;09;37;23 - 00;10;01;09
Caleb Cole
That's that's my encouragement because I've seen it for me so often where I'm feeling like burnt out spiritually. I'm feeling like disconnected from the Lord. And then it's like, man, let me just go on a hike, let me go lay in the grass in the sun, you know, and get some vitamin D and listen to the Lord and nature and and next thing you know, man, I feel so much better.
00;10;01;16 - 00;10;27;03
Caleb Cole
So this is, this will sound interesting, but it is timely to this conversation. I would also challenge our brothers watching this today, men of faith, that there are times when the remedy to what we're talking about is, is in Scripture. Find your rest and God alone. Where I was recently in a prayer time and I felt prompted to actually schedule time to just go be alone with the Lord.
00;10;27;04 - 00;10;55;09
Caleb Cole
Yes. And and non-scripted time just to literally get in my vehicle, go drive somewhere, and then be alone for four hours with no agenda. Now, the agenda was eventually there were things that I was doing and some introspection and some thinking and some worship, but it was literally an unscripted God saying, come away with me. Yes, come away with me and leave behind what you're there.
00;10;55;09 - 00;11;21;17
Caleb Cole
And it was a it was a hard reset. It was a moment of clarity around. There are a lot of things you wanted to get my attention on. There are things that I needed to think that I couldn't think, because I was crowded and clouded by too many competing interests. Yeah, the stimulation that is just constant for us and the demand on us, which as we get older, gets stronger, right?
00;11;21;19 - 00;11;55;00
Caleb Cole
The demand as the leaders which ran and I, you know, both lead different organizations like the demand. It's so easy then to the Lord and connection with him it to be to be put on the back burner. And so for me, I wouldn't say that spiritual burnout is the norm for me. I think the norm for me is lack of prioritization or feeling stuck because the same rhythms and disciplines over time can actually lose their power.
00;11;55;00 - 00;12;18;24
Caleb Cole
Now, I'm a big believer in discipline, but I can make small changes that actually bring life back to my relationship with the Lord. And so to shift gears a little bit, we've been talking about burnout. What do you do when your spiritual burnt out? But I want to talk like, what do you do when you're spiritually stuck? Because I think that a lot of men and I've been there, it's like, well, I'm reading my word every day and I still have my time of prayer set aside.
00;12;18;24 - 00;12;39;29
Caleb Cole
But when I do it the same way for six months a year, suddenly I feel stuck. And I can always liken it to the gym. If I do the same workout for a year straight, I'll see results. But then I kind of stagnate and I gotta change it up. All because my body needs to be, challenged in a different way, which will develop it in a different way.
00;12;40;02 - 00;12;50;20
Caleb Cole
And so talk to me about that. Like, what have you done to to maybe change up the spiritual rhythm so you don't stay stuck when things start to stagnate? Yeah.
00;12;50;20 - 00;13;14;09
Brandon Miller
So probably the first thing that you were just describing in terms of a shift in approach is I think a lot of us and I and I don't want to speak across the board, but in my experience, hearing from men and women, people serving God, is that that ability to tune into what does he want in this season?
00;13;14;09 - 00;13;21;13
Brandon Miller
For me, I think our ability to be prescriptive of what we think it's supposed to look like to be a follower.
00;13;21;13 - 00;13;21;21
Caleb Cole
But.
00;13;21;21 - 00;13;42;26
Brandon Miller
We think it's supposed to look like to engage our disciplines with the reality that we are being led. And so in our in our following, there are times where intentionally, like a good coach, a good father, God's going to say less of that, more of this, more of that, less of this. Hey, this season we're going to ramp up service.
00;13;42;26 - 00;13;57;24
Brandon Miller
In this season, we're going to ramp up prayer. I'm going to ask you to do more of that. And our willingness to adjust as God so sees fit, I think, as a really important impact upon our our vitality.
00;13;57;26 - 00;14;20;24
Caleb Cole
Yeah. I always think about the the Dead Sea, and I don't know if I've used this in here before, but, you know, the Dead Sea, you've been to the Dead Sea have not. Okay. So in Israel, right, there's the Dead Sea. It's the the most salt content in a body of water, I think, in the world. I don't know, maybe speaking out of pocket, but I know it's got a lot.
00;14;20;26 - 00;14;39;12
Caleb Cole
And so you can just lay in and just float, but nothing can live in it because it's dead. That's why it's called the Dead Sea. But the reason that it's got so much salt and nothing can live in it is because it's got an inlet but no outlet. Right? And so water flows in, but it doesn't go anywhere.
00;14;39;12 - 00;15;02;13
Caleb Cole
And so this body of water, even though it's huge. It can't produce any kind of life. Nothing can survive in it. No fish, nothing. And I always like in that to our spiritual walk because so many people consume, consume, consume, take in, take and take in. And you just talked about maybe you need to go serve, right. You need to have an outlet.
00;15;02;14 - 00;15;23;04
Caleb Cole
And so I think for a lot of the men listening that one of the small changes they can make right now, if they're feeling stuck spiritually is, what am I doing for others, right? How am I serving other people? And I get it. You're going to serve your family. You're serving your wife. You're serving your kids. Like, yeah, yeah, but like for the kingdom.
00;15;23;07 - 00;15;44;25
Caleb Cole
Because what I found is when I get out of my comfort zone, do something I don't normally do right. Serve in a way I've never served. Next thing you know, there's this vitality. It comes back. Why? Because I'm walking in purpose. On purpose. I'm kingdom minded. And I know for you. You've constantly been in spaces of serving the kingdom, right?
00;15;44;26 - 00;15;48;27
Caleb Cole
So how has that, you know, kept your spiritual vitality?
00;15;48;29 - 00;16;20;12
Brandon Miller
Yeah. So I want to just say something to your point. Recently, I in this in this context of service, I have had the Lord impressing upon me the need to serve visibly in my home, to start taking on some chores, some extra activities that I might otherwise have delegated. I have a lot of kids and have the ability to focus on where I need to be, which leading, business, leading, ministry, coaching, sports, whatever.
00;16;20;14 - 00;16;56;24
Brandon Miller
But two Saturdays ago, I was prompted to do bathroom duty and I found rubber gloves and I found all the cleaning supplies and I'm in there just going to work on a toilet, and my wife comes in and makes a comment about it. Kind of snarky, but encouraging, you know, just about I can't remember the last time I saw you doing that and, and and what I didn't tell her that I'll say here is it really was something I was prompted to do because I needed to serve in my home, that it was that it was when am I most like Jesus?
00;16;56;24 - 00;17;20;06
Brandon Miller
It's when I'm serving. It's when I'm giving back. And so then when I overlay that with looking at the space of ministry, whether I'm hands on, opening my home, having people come in, doing all that it takes to lead in ministry, train leaders do the work of the kingdom, reaching out to people who are unsaved, discipling people who are that outlet.
00;17;20;07 - 00;17;32;02
Brandon Miller
You're right. Now, the purpose of what's coming in has a natural outflow. So fresh water is moving through, and it has absolutely been a catalyst for growth.
00;17;32;08 - 00;17;56;00
Caleb Cole
Yeah, I think that the man you know who are listening. This is a good reminder that we need to serve in our homes. I know I'm guilty of telling my kids what to do and delegation. Yeah, I'm a great delegator, telling my wife I need this done. And but it's like, hey, what am I doing myself to, to contribute, especially if I see there's a need.
00;17;56;02 - 00;18;13;25
Caleb Cole
I need to be like Christ. He was a servant. The servant of all right came to to serve, not to be served, but then also in the kingdom, because I think you're serving your home, but you're also serving right now with young adults, you're also serving your home, but you're serving in the kingdom by serving with young adults.
00;18;13;28 - 00;18;47;16
Caleb Cole
And that's something that I think more men need to be reminded that, hey, there's both are representative of price. Both is us being Christ to our family, to our, you know, our home, our kids, and to the body, to the world. Because we were meant to also build the kingdom. And so so when it comes to like you found a niche with young adults, what do you how would you encourage guys, I guess, where do I serve?
00;18;47;17 - 00;18;48;05
Caleb Cole
Yeah.
00;18;48;06 - 00;19;17;14
Brandon Miller
I think being aware of what's on your heart. So delight yourself in the Lord. He'll give you the desire of your heart. You know, if you're if you're drawing near the Lord and saying, what is it that comes to mind when I think about where I would love to serve? So maybe it's going on some of these mission trips, or maybe it's serving with the kids, or maybe it's helping out on the campus, on either campus on Sundays, or it's getting involved with youth or young adult really thinking through, well, what already lives in me, what's growing up.
00;19;17;14 - 00;19;42;15
Brandon Miller
Or maybe it's something not even offered yet that could be brought up as, hey, I think we could do more with this type of ministry because we're a body. We're all meant to have a part. We're all meant to serve in different ways and paying attention closely to what is it that comes to mind? What is it that you start to get excited about when you think about serving in the kingdom of God?
00;19;42;15 - 00;20;00;19
Brandon Miller
Because we're you're drawn in that way. It's because God designed you to be drawn that way. So working with young adults is is actually a really enjoyable season for me right now, because I spent a lot of years working with high school and junior high a lot. And so when the I'll call it the upgrade to a different age group came.
00;20;00;21 - 00;20;19;24
Brandon Miller
I became really excited because I love talking career, I love talking education. I like to work with a group where I don't have to have them sign permission slips to do a trip, right, you know, and who have more responsibility. And so I find myself getting really.
00;20;19;26 - 00;20;28;20
Brandon Miller
We'll just say a lot of ideas, a lot of vision, a lot of just, oh, we could we could try this or do that. And that's your sign is what's, what's percolating.
00;20;28;21 - 00;20;43;29
Caleb Cole
Well. And when God touches it. Right. And there's like favor because I can try something I'm passionate about. But sometimes the favor of God won't move on it. And it's like, well, maybe let me try something else that I'm passionate about.
00;20;44;00 - 00;20;48;14
Brandon Miller
Well, let's, let's say this there's passion and then there's strengths.
00;20;48;17 - 00;20;49;10
Caleb Cole
Like just drink.
00;20;49;13 - 00;21;10;10
Brandon Miller
Just because I think I, you know what I'm passionate about pastors. I want to be on that worship team. Yeah. But if you don't sound good to Mike. Yeah, that's not for you. You're not there, right? Because it's so the perfect intersection of career but also service in the kingdom is where do I excel and have passion at the same time.
00;21;10;10 - 00;21;31;13
Caleb Cole
And that cross section, that's where the anointing that's where clearly the power of God is moving you in you and through you and seeing God's work. Now, that doesn't mean you don't strap on the gloves and do the toilets when it's asked. Of course there's some service is just someone's got to do the chores. Yeah. And any of us can help with that.
00;21;31;13 - 00;21;51;04
Caleb Cole
But there is a place, I believe, every one of us is called to have that healthy outlet to where God has uniquely designed you to do that work. I was thinking about as you were talking, this young guy in our church, he's in his early 30s, single, and we were doing the food distribution, so he just started showing up.
00;21;51;06 - 00;22;14;01
Caleb Cole
He's like, you know, 31, not married, not dating. You know, I can show up and serve in the food distribution. So he would show up and he showed up for a few months. And then they started asking him to help more in leadership. And the next thing you know, he's like one of the three people leading it. And then our guy Chris, who's been leading it, his wife had a baby a week and a half ago, two weeks ago.
00;22;14;04 - 00;22;42;29
Caleb Cole
So now this last one, that was this last Saturday. This dude is now leading the whole thing. That's awesome. And he ran the whole show. It was just Saturday. We had almost 900 people there, our biggest one yet. Praise God and fed hundreds of families and he ran it. Everything went off without a hitch, and it was just like an example to me of like, sometimes we just gotta show up and we're available, and then next thing you know, opportunities come.
00;22;42;29 - 00;23;06;07
Caleb Cole
If I'm consistent in places also, that's when fruit comes and and and it's the faithfulness. And now oh wow an opportunity to lead a little bit. Oh and now I'm leading the whole thing okay. Right. And he did a good job did a great job. So clearly clearly his gifts, his strengths, his what he has been given by God now matched by I like being here.
00;23;06;08 - 00;23;34;18
Caleb Cole
Yes, I'm enjoying this. And man now he's now he's taking a leadership role when he is asked to step up. And it's a great job wherever you are, a great job. And it just got me thinking, you know, in in all of this. And as we challenge guys to break through, you know, the burnout, maybe feeling spiritual, spiritually stagnant, I think at the end of the day, we have to just show up with open hands, willing to serve.
00;23;34;19 - 00;23;58;17
Caleb Cole
I think we know we're better when we're serving, when we're giving of what God has given us out into the into the community, into the kingdom. And and yes, we need rest. We need Sabbath, all of that. But too many people, I think, are holding on to the gifts or don't think they have much to give. And it may start with you just showing up.
00;23;58;18 - 00;24;23;15
Caleb Cole
Yeah. I think if we come around to burnout, it's very possible you're in that space of stagnation, not burnout if the water's not flowing. And I think that's a really important takeaway today. Yeah. So we want to give a call up not a call out Brandon. And so I think my call up would be, you know, that you would start serving in some capacity.
00;24;23;15 - 00;25;00;20
Caleb Cole
I don't know what that looks like. Serve more in your home like Brandon talked about. Serve in the local church. Maybe serve in your community as opportunities arise, but find somewhere to use what you have. And I guarantee you that'll get the the spiritual stagnation broken off of you. Yeah. Here's my call up. When we talked about your rhythm of rest and being aware that your rest when you can unplug, unplug from all the extra and really allow your mind, your heart, your spirit to turn, to tune in to what God has for you, what the Holy Spirit is saying.
00;25;00;22 - 00;25;15;24
Caleb Cole
In order to do that, you got to turn down the volume on all the noise, and I think therein you'll find the rest you're looking for. Hey, thanks so much for joining us for this men of Faith podcast, Brandon. Always a pleasure to be with you. I want to encourage you. If you don't follow us on Instagram, go follow us.
00;25;15;24 - 00;25;33;22
Caleb Cole
Menifee, PA we're also on TikTok now. Metta Faith pod. You can share clips. We'll drop clips when new episodes are dropping. We drop new episodes every other Friday, and if you got something out of this, please like it? Share it with someone you know. But hey, thanks for being with us. We'll see you guys next time. Grace and peace.
00;25;33;23 - 00;25;34;11
Caleb Cole
Peace.