What happens when the future you thought you could see suddenly disappears?

Former Florida Gators basketball star Patric Young had built a life around strength, competition, achievement, and independence. Then, in June 2022, a devastating car accident caused a spinal cord injury that changed the course of his life.

In this episode of the Embracing Brokenness Podcast, Patric joins Steve Adams for an honest conversation about suffering, identity, dependence, faith, and discovering purpose when life looks nothing like you expected.

Patric describes the journey through a powerful image: sometimes the streetlights illuminating your future become a flashlight—and eventually only candlelight, giving you enough light for today.

In those moments, he says, God asks:

Do you still believe I am who I am?

Do you still believe I am in control?

And do you still believe that I am crazy in love with you?

Steve and Patric talk about:

• How being an elite athlete shaped Patric’s identity
• The accident that changed everything
• Learning to accept dependence after a lifetime of physical strength
• Why suffering exposed the “idol of self”
• Wrestling honestly with God in adversity
• The difference between surrender and giving up
• Why Patric believes his best days are still ahead
• Discovering purpose in suffering
• The story behind Sit to Rise
• Why embracing brokenness can become part of our transformation

Patric also shares how his experience led him to establish a foundation helping others facing life-altering circumstances—and why he believes there is purpose even in the places we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Near the end of the conversation, Patric captures the heart of the episode:

“Embracing the brokenness, embracing it as your journey, as your story, as your unique path—I think that’s where the strength comes in.”

ABOUT PATRIC YOUNG

Patric Young is a former University of Florida basketball standout and professional basketball player, broadcaster, speaker, author, and founder of the Patric Young Foundation. His book, Sit to Rise: Turning Your Darkest Pain Into Your Brightest Victory, chronicles his journey through catastrophic injury, faith, resilience, and purpose.

LEARN MORE

Patric Young
https://www.patricyoung.com/

Sit to Rise on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Sit-Rise-Turning-Darkest-Brightest/dp/B0CN1SXL42/

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus?

Richard Blackaby joins Steve Adams for a conversation that challenges one of the most common assumptions in modern Christianity: that believing in Jesus and following Jesus are automatically the same thing.

Richard argues that Jesus never simply invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to agree with a set of beliefs. He told them:

“Follow me.”

That meant leaving the security of the fishing boat, surrendering their own agenda, and learning to recognize where Jesus was leading next.

In this conversation, Steve and Richard explore why churches can emphasize decisions more than discipleship, how we can unknowingly make people disciples of us instead of Jesus, how to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit, and why discipleship is ultimately a relationship—not simply a program.

Richard also shares a deeply personal lesson from his father, Henry Blackaby. Whenever Richard came to him asking what decision he should make, Henry resisted simply giving him the answer. Instead, he taught his son to go to God, listen, discern, and follow Jesus for himself.

The conversation also turns toward one of the harder dimensions of discipleship: sometimes following Jesus means recognizing that a good assignment or season has ended and being willing to move wherever He leads next.

And Richard leaves us with a practical challenge for anyone wondering:

“Am I really following Jesus?”

Sometimes the first step is simply being willing to get out of the boat.

Learn more about Richard Blackaby

RichardBlackaby.com

https://richardblackaby.com/

Get Following Jesus: God’s Ancient Path to Spiritual Maturity

Lifeway:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/following-jesus-P005852910

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Following-Jesus-Ancient-Spiritual-Maturity/dp/B0GRFSBR3N

Learn more about Embracing Brokenness Ministries

https://embracingbrokenness.org/

Why does transformation sometimes seem so difficult even after we’ve chosen to follow Jesus?

In Part 2 of their Embracing the Way conversation, Steve and Colleen Adams move from identifying the problem of performance-based Christianity to exploring a pathway toward a different way of living.

They unpack the six movements at the heart of Embracing the Way: Remember, Clarify, Choose, Recover & Reprogram, Reclaim, and Walk. The journey begins by returning to Genesis and remembering what humanity was created for, understanding what was lost in the Fall, choosing allegiance to a different Kingdom, healing the distortions that shape us, reclaiming our God-given purpose, and ultimately learning to walk with Jesus in everyday life.

Steve and Colleen also get personal about what this journey has changed in them. Colleen shares how surrender has increasingly meant waiting for God’s direction rather than charging ahead, while Steve talks about learning to begin his days in communion with God instead of allowing his agenda to lead.

They also reflect on what living this message together has done for their marriage and ministry—and end with a question worth sitting with:
What would your life look like if following Jesus stopped being something you were trying to succeed at and became a life you were actually learning to receive?

Request a PDF of the Introduction to our book here: info@steveandcolleenadams.com

Learn more about Embracing The Way at https://www.embracingtheway.com/