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This is part two of the "Strength in the Cracks" series — exploring vulnerability in leadership as a place of God's power, not human weakness.

Why do we edit the "thorn" out of our bios? In this episode, Paul digs into 2 Corinthians 12 — Paul the apostle's thorn in the flesh, his three prayers for its removal, and God's answer: "My power is made perfect in weakness." This episode makes the case that weakness isn't an obstacle grace works around — it's the location where God's power actually shows up, and unpacks what that means for where leaders locate their confidence.

What We Cover:

• Why our public bios and platforms only ever show the "strong" version of us
• A walkthrough of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 — Paul's thorn, his three prayers, and God's response
• The difference between preaching this text as consolation versus what it actually claims as method
• Why Paul boasts in his weaknesses instead of just enduring them
• Where leaders locate their confidence — in the thorn being removed, or in grace being sufficient with the thorn still there
• An important caveat: this isn't permission to avoid getting help for something you can actually work on

Scripture Referenced:

• 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 — Paul's thorn in the flesh, and "My power is made perfect in weakness"

Quotable Moments:

• "Weakness isn't the obstacle grace has to get around. It's the location where the power shows up."
• "That's not a consolation prize. That's a method."
• "Is your confidence built on the thorn being gone? Or is it built on grace being sufficient with the thorn still there?"

This Week's Challenge:

Name your thorn — not necessarily out loud to your congregation, but honestly to God. Not "fix this so I can lead better." Just: "here it is. Be sufficient here."

Coming Up Next:

Episode 3 gets practical with the neuroscience behind exposure vs. armor — what's actually happening in a leader's nervous system when they choose honesty over performance.

About the Series:

Strength in the Cracks is a mini-series exploring how pastors and leaders can experience vulnerability not as a liability to manage, but as a place where God's power shows up most clearly — drawn from Paul's ongoing D.Min. research in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience.

Enjoyed this episode? Like and share it with another leader who needs to hear it — keep doing your best, and trust God with the rest.

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

We've been taught that strong leaders don't get shaken — they absorb the chaos, keep the smile on, and never let the cracks show. But is that strength, or just armor? In this episode, Paul kicks off a new series drawn from his doctoral research in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience, naming the myth of the "bulletproof pastor" and making the case that exposure — not invulnerability — might be exactly where God does his best work.

What We Cover

• Why church culture quietly equates leadership maturity with emotional invulnerability
• How Jesus modeled leadership through visible grief and honest exposure (Lazarus's tomb, Gethsemane)
• The apostle Paul's claim that God's power is "made perfect" in weakness — and why that's stronger than just "tolerating" struggle
• The real cost of chasing the bulletproof-leader image — for your marriage, your staff, and your credibility
• Why "the crack in the armor isn't the leak — it's the opening"

Scripture Referenced

• Mark 14:34 — "My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death" (Jesus to Peter, James, and John)
• John 11:35 — Jesus weeps at Lazarus's tomb
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My power is made perfect in weakness"

Quotable Moments

• "Armor and strength are not the same thing."
• "The bulletproof pastor is a myth, and chasing it will cost you."
• "The crack in the armor isn't the leak. It's the opening."

Coming Up Next

Episode 2 digs into 2 Corinthians 12 — the theological foundation for the whole series.

About the Series

Strength in the Cracks is a mini-series exploring how pastors and leaders can experience vulnerability not as a liability to manage, but as a place where God's power shows up most clearly — drawn from Paul's ongoing D.Min. research in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience.

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Are we expecting Jesus to change lives as much as the people who are desperately searching for Him?

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul reflects on the powerful story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 and what it reveals about faith, desperation, and the surprising places where God is at work today.

Using the recent testimony of a former TikTok tarot reader ("Alex Reads Tarot"), who publicly gave her life to Jesus and walked away from the occult, Paul explores a challenging question:

Have those outside the church become more expectant than those inside it?

Bartimaeus couldn't see Jesus—but he believed Jesus could change everything. While the crowd tried to silence him, Jesus stopped, called him forward, and restored his sight.

What if the Church's greatest calling today isn't to quiet desperate people, but to encourage them to keep calling out to Jesus?

In this episode:

• Why Bartimaeus' story still speaks to our cultural moment
• What recent conversion stories reveal about spiritual hunger
• How disappointment can quietly erode our expectation of God's power
• Why desperate people have always been drawn to Jesus
• How followers of Jesus can become encouragers instead of gatekeepers

Key Scripture:
Mark 10:46-52
"Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' Jesus stopped..."

Memorable Quote:
"Once, the church was desperate and the world was doubting. Today, it sometimes feels like the world is desperately searching while the church has quietly lowered its expectations."

Reflection Questions:
Who in your life have you quietly assumed is too far from God?
What would it look like to believe that Jesus is still stopping for people who are desperately calling His name?

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.