Pastor Brandon Petty returns to Dudes Without Dads for a raw, deeply honest conversation about his new book A Journey Through the Wilderness — releasing August 11. Brandon is the lead pastor of Generation Church, a fast-growing congregation in a small farming town north of Nashville, and founder of the Landmark Association, a network of churches committed to pastor and church health.

Brandon opens up about the severe sexual and physical abuse he suffered between the ages of 8 and 10, the identity that was formed underneath the shame, and the years he spent running from his story while building a ministry that was blessed beyond his character. He shares the 2015 moment when God stopped him from running — when he came face to face with his abuser — and the solitude sabbatical that finally began his healing.

Joshua and Brandon talk about the difference between a memory and a monument, why your family of origin is part of your sanctification, why every man wants to be fully known but fears it more than anything, and what it looks like to live for fruit instead of achievement.

In this episode:

• Why the years between 8 and 10 shape a man more than his teenage years
• The abuse Brandon endured — and what "love" was distorted to mean
• Memory vs. monument: how we turn wounds into shrines and stay stuck
• Reconciling with a father who wasn't there — and baptizing him before he died
• The ministry mask: being blessed beyond your character
• Achievement vs. fruit — and why nobody will talk about your achievements at your funeral
• The 2015 moment God forced him to stop running
• The solitude sabbatical that changed everything
• What Mother Teresa said about prayer — and why it wrecked Brandon
• His new book A Journey Through the Wilderness and the roadmap at the end

Get the book & connect with Pastor Brandon:
📖 A Journey Through the Wilderness — releases August 11 on Amazon
📸 Instagram: @BePettyGC
📘 Facebook: Brandon Petty
⛪ Generation Church — Portland, TN
🔗 Landmark Association — landmarkassociation.com

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"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." — Proverbs 27:17

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