Leslie Johnston [00:00:00]:
Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Gabe is on the podcast today, and he thought we've been filming for the past, like, five minutes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:06]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:00:06]:
I was like, wait, we haven't started yet.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:08]:
He was giving away all of his good content. You were asking us how he came up with the name Am I doing this right?
Leslie Johnston [00:00:13]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:13]:
And for listeners who don't. Who don't know, because maybe you clued in a little bit, like, midway through or we just haven't talked about it in a while. The premise for Am I Doing this Right? Is to create an honest, unfiltered space for people to come in and explore the relationship with God, but to ask all of the insecurity questions of, like, am I doing this right in my relationships, in my faith, in my purpose, my career. And then we kind of, like, just help people feel not alone in that question. So we cover a wide range of topics, but that's why we chose to call it that.
Leslie Johnston [00:00:48]:
I think Morgan, when we were talking about the podcast. Cause we're like, we want a podcast that people feel like they can go, oh, my gosh, I feel the exact same way. Like, no one's ever said it that way. Or, oh, my gosh, I'm normal. Like, someone else is dealing with this and be very relatable. And we're kind of like, not your typical maybe women's podcast.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:08]:
Yeah. I feel like we're not your typical girls. I don't know if you knew that.
Gabe Foster [00:01:11]:
I'm kind of starting to gather. I'm starting to pick up on that a little bit. Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:14]:
But we, like, we'll talk about stuff. We'll laugh, whatever. We just don't take ourselves that seriously.
Gabe Foster [00:01:18]:
When you say unfiltered, how unfiltered do we get here?
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:21]:
Well, it will tell you if you've crossed the line.
Gabe Foster [00:01:23]:
Yellow card. Yellow card. Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:26]:
We're going to share details about, like, sheet washing and all that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:30]:
Oh, that was one of the big things. Really?
Leslie Johnston [00:01:32]:
That honestly gross. That put us on the map.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:35]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:01:35]:
Okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:35]:
Yeah. Like, that shared a couple things that felt a little like a personal hygiene. Like, like really unfiltered.
Gabe Foster [00:01:43]:
It's one thing with your. When you wash your water bottle, right?
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:45]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:47]:
Oh, yeah. You die from not washing your water.
Gabe Foster [00:01:49]:
Well, that was the one I listened to.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:51]:
That was the only one he listened to.
Gabe Foster [00:01:52]:
And Jake doesn't.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:53]:
Pulling out the one tidbit that he has from the one episode he.
Gabe Foster [00:01:57]:
I've listened to. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:59]:
Typically say. But Morgan came up with the name.
Gabe Foster [00:02:02]:
I love the name.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:02]:
She was like, am I Doing this right? Like, she. I think you were just talking and you're like, I feel like I'm just like, am I doing this right? And we're like, wait, that should be the name for a podcast.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:11]:
I feel like we both did it, but whatever. I don't really remember. Gabe Foster. Star quality name. Star quality human. We've said this about you, that we. You are instantly likable.
Gabe Foster [00:02:23]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:23]:
Which is not true for everybody. Not everybody is an instantly likable person. Lots of people have to grow on you, Gabe Foster. Instantly likable. Yeah. You walk into a room, there's like a. There's like a. Just like a.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:36]:
Not like. Like, not like magnetism and like, I'm too good for you. Like, everyone, you know?
Gabe Foster [00:02:41]:
But like, I hope it's not that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:43]:
Really down to earth, likable. Nice. Just like, oh, who doesn't want to be around Gabe? That's you.
Gabe Foster [00:02:49]:
That means a lot. Thank you. And I would honestly say you guys, like, the feeling is mutual.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:53]:
Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:02:54]:
Like, since I started at Bayside, like, you guys have been like, some of the most welcoming, inviting, encouraging people to be around. So I feel we get told that a lot. Thank you. Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:04]:
Even when you out drove me and.
Gabe Foster [00:03:06]:
Oh, here we go.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:08]:
Simulator.
Gabe Foster [00:03:09]:
No, you're a golf me. I was closest to the pin. Yes. Remember?
Leslie Johnston [00:03:13]:
I think you outdrove me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:14]:
Remember?
Leslie Johnston [00:03:15]:
Oh, no, you. I. Yeah, you were closest to the.
Gabe Foster [00:03:17]:
Pin, but you out drove me, which is probably one of the more humbling things that have ever happened to me in my life.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:23]:
Say that on here. It's ever. Oh, my God. Just a calm here. Give us the. We'll get into the. The nitty gritty of it, but give us, like, the big picture. Gabe Foster.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:32]:
What's life like? What do you do? What's your family like?
Gabe Foster [00:03:35]:
Give us that. Yeah. So currently, right now, I am one of the high school pastors here at Bayside Granite Bay. Started in June, July of the last year. I've been in and around student ministries for, like 20 years and have had every single role from small leader, volunteer, had youth pastor. So it's just something that I've always been doing, but also not full time. Full time. I own an ag real estate company as well, so that has been kind of my.
Gabe Foster [00:04:09]:
My main job up until June, because I've now walked away. Because now this is full.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:14]:
This is.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:15]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:04:16]:
Married to the love of my life, Andrea. First. This is a true story. First time I saw her, I told my buddy, I said, I want to marry that girl.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:25]:
Oh, you know, it was done.
Gabe Foster [00:04:27]:
It was like, I'm not joking.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:28]:
It was like, that's awesome.
Gabe Foster [00:04:30]:
It was the second she walked by me, I don't know. It was like, that's it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:34]:
Dang it. We see. Our listeners hate that story.
Gabe Foster [00:04:36]:
I'm sorry. Okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:37]:
I hate that. Because the biggest question that our listeners have is, how do you know when it's the one? And what you just described is. Is not very practically.
Gabe Foster [00:04:45]:
Well, here's what I'll say. This is part of my story. Like, I knew she was the one because there was the ones that were definitely not the one. And I was easy to recognize. Right. Makes sense.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:59]:
Not.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:59]:
Not the one. Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:02]:
I've seen not the one.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:04]:
Not the one.
Gabe Foster [00:05:04]:
Yes. Then we'll get into that with my story, because that's actually a part of my story.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:07]:
I do want to dive into that more. But, yeah, we're going to let you wait.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:10]:
But your kids, though.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:10]:
You're kids.
Gabe Foster [00:05:12]:
Yeah. So my oldest is Ella. She's 21. She's a middle school pastor down in Newport Beach. And then. Yeah, Avery's 19, and she is a part of Circuit Riders.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:22]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:05:23]:
Yeah. It's awesome. So that's like a missions movement. So she will lead a team to the Philippines in a couple months.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:30]:
Wow, that's awesome.
Gabe Foster [00:05:31]:
And then Sophie's 16 and she's a sophomore at do. And then my son, Brock, 12. My little homie.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:38]:
What the heck?
Gabe Foster [00:05:39]:
Baseball fanatics. Yeah. Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:41]:
So it was three girls. And then the last one, you guys.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:44]:
Were like, how stoked were you when you found out it was a boy?
Gabe Foster [00:05:48]:
Dropped to my knees, sobbing, crying when they were doing the song, like. And my wife, like, yelped like, thank you, Jesus. Like, I'm not making it up, because here's why. So we go, Ella, Avery. And then we're like, well, three is a good number. Right? We're going to stop at 3, and we're going to. It's going to be a boy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:06]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:06:07]:
So my sister gave us a book. Okay. We're going to get a little unfiltered.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:11]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:06:13]:
Gave us a book on how to have a boy. Okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:17]:
You can.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:18]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:06:18]:
Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:19]:
You can. Like, you can do it.
Gabe Foster [00:06:20]:
Was the four B's. I'm not. I'm not going into the four B. I'm not joking. Right. So, like, we. We follow this book to a T.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:30]:
And had a girl.
Gabe Foster [00:06:32]:
Had a girl, Sophie, and couldn't imagine it any other way. So irony of that story is the author of that book was a doctor, and he had seven girls. And no boys. Crazy. True story.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:43]:
Wait, sham.
Gabe Foster [00:06:46]:
Complete sham. Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:47]:
He's like, do as I say, not as I say.
Gabe Foster [00:06:48]:
Yes, it was crazy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:49]:
What the heck?
Leslie Johnston [00:06:51]:
That is crazy.
Gabe Foster [00:06:52]:
So, yeah, anyways, that's.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:54]:
Wow. I. I have questions, but we're not going to say them on the podcast.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:56]:
I was going to say, I have questions about all the bees. And it was.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:01]:
I'm glad you got your so.
Gabe Foster [00:07:02]:
But, like, looking back, it's like, we could not imagine our life without Sophie.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:06]:
Like, oh, for sure.
Gabe Foster [00:07:07]:
Or Brock as our fourth.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:08]:
It's just like, yeah, God always knows what he's doing.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:11]:
So when you went for the fourth, were you going for the fourth? Like, we are fine either way.
Gabe Foster [00:07:17]:
100%. Like, that's where I was. Like, all right. Like, I'm. God is fine. I'm gonna be a girl dad with four, and I'm great with it. And then, like, when we found out, it was, like, one of those awesome moments.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:30]:
That's a pretty spectacular moment.
Gabe Foster [00:07:31]:
She just yelled out, thank you, Jesus. And the nurse was all, huh? Yeah. And I'm on my knees crying, like, literally.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:39]:
That's so sweet.
Gabe Foster [00:07:40]:
It was super.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:40]:
Because you hear a lot about the opposite, where people have a lot of boys, and they're like, please, Like, I want a girl.
Gabe Foster [00:07:46]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:46]:
And then they saw. But I love that you guys had your girls and you got your boy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:49]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:07:51]:
It was great.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:52]:
Okay, before we jump into all the things I want to talk to you about, did you come with an unpopular opinion?
Gabe Foster [00:07:57]:
Oh, gosh.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:59]:
Okay.
Gabe Foster [00:08:01]:
Like. Like. Like the hot take thing.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:03]:
Yeah, we call it an unpopular opinion.
Gabe Foster [00:08:05]:
Unpopular. Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:06]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:08:07]:
I think you shouldn't put up your Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving. Okay. I. Me, personally.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:15]:
Yeah, you're one of the.
Gabe Foster [00:08:16]:
Currently in this moment. At my house, we have two Christmas tree shops. So that's.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:20]:
Your family doesn't agree with you.
Gabe Foster [00:08:21]:
Yeah. No.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:22]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:08:23]:
What are you. You guys.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:24]:
Well, explain why.
Gabe Foster [00:08:29]:
It just. Then it just lasts too long. The tree dies. But now we got fake trees. Right. The tree would always die a week before.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:36]:
Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:37]:
And so it's, like, hanging on.
Gabe Foster [00:08:39]:
Yeah. And it's like, this is a fire hazard. We're gonna burn the house down.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:43]:
Do you feel like you're not giving Thanksgiving its moment?
Gabe Foster [00:08:45]:
Like, yeah, basically. I like that.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:50]:
The dead tree.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:51]:
But that one, I feel like, to be honest, I feel like you' popular opinion. You said it, but you. You didn't really. You didn't really, like, you don't feel attached to it. You don't feel, like, call me out on that. Like, you Actually, me.
Gabe Foster [00:09:03]:
Like, I really don't care. That was me just coming up, like, sitting there. All right, what's something I. Like, I have a lot of other unpopular opinions.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:10]:
You just feel like they're too much for this.
Gabe Foster [00:09:12]:
Like, did we really land on the moon?
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:14]:
That.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:15]:
Okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:15]:
Is a good question.
Gabe Foster [00:09:16]:
Okay. Like, that's. That's more me. This is.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:20]:
I know. You said. You said one before the podcast.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:22]:
Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:22]:
That we can't say. And we're like, you can't say that. But we.
Gabe Foster [00:09:25]:
Way more. That's way more me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:27]:
Okay, That's a good one.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:28]:
Well, let's talk about that, because I actually. We did. Okay. Benji's birthday, Morgan's husband. We had my water on this.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:35]:
Yeah, you can. Yeah, no, sorry. Please parch yourself until the end.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:38]:
You can drink. You can't eat, though, because Morgan got shamed for you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:41]:
Oh, yeah. I used to eat because I was pregnant. Pregnant.
Gabe Foster [00:09:44]:
I just sit there and snack.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:46]:
Well, not like.
Gabe Foster [00:09:47]:
It wasn't that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:47]:
No, apparently it was that dramatic because people in the comments were like, hey, can you please eat into the microphone? It's very distracting. I'm like, well, that's very distracting. I'll just eat before, I guess.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:57]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:09:57]:
Okay. So what are you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:59]:
Yeah, Wait.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:59]:
Sorry. Okay, Benji. We had a birthday party for Morgan's husband. He's big into conspiracy theories, so we all had to come with a PowerPoint presentation of our best conspiracy theory. It was so good. Yes, I did. Mine was that people did walk on the moon.
Gabe Foster [00:10:15]:
Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:16]:
Because so many people believe that we didn't.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:18]:
But Buzz Aldrin is saying, which. What? Correct me if I'm wrong. Buzz Aldrin is the guy who walked.
Gabe Foster [00:10:25]:
On the moon with Neil Armstrong.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:26]:
With Neil Armstrong. And he is now saying that didn't happen. What?
Gabe Foster [00:10:30]:
Thank you. Like, think about it, Leslie. Why have we not been back since 1969?
Leslie Johnston [00:10:36]:
Funding. And other issues in the world.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:38]:
Gabe.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:38]:
I don't know. Like, maybe world hunger.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:44]:
So funny.
Gabe Foster [00:10:45]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:46]:
They brought back moon sand, that they tested multiple countries and. No, no, no, no. And they found no substance like it. They also. They also can. If you use a telescope and really.
Gabe Foster [00:10:59]:
Zoom into the moon, you see Neil Armstrong's foot.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:03]:
You can. You can see the tracks from the rover.
Gabe Foster [00:11:07]:
Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:07]:
Okay, So I have a whole presentation on this. I believe we went. And I want to believe we went as long.
Gabe Foster [00:11:13]:
No, listen, listen. I do, too. Right? Because if we didn't, then, like, then what did we.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:18]:
What. What's going on?
Gabe Foster [00:11:20]:
What else are we lying about? No, there's so much more like my.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:24]:
Brain is Neil Armstrong saying that we went to the moon.
Gabe Foster [00:11:29]:
He's kind of tight lipped. It's. I don't know.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:31]:
Neil punched a guy because the guy said that they didn't go. And he's like, you have no idea the toll this took on my body. Blah, blah, blah. Punched him.
Gabe Foster [00:11:37]:
Okay, maybe.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:38]:
Which because I was.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:40]:
Are we sure the other guy's not.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:41]:
Like, well, that's getting kind of people the argument is that they think he's losing it.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:45]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:45]:
So that he's. So then he's like, well, no, we didn't go to the moon. And everyone's like, well, you don't have your brain about you. But I'm like, but if he's saying we didn't go. And he was one of the ones that went.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:56]:
I'd like to see that video. Is it an interview?
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:59]:
Yeah, I think so.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:00]:
Or is this a loose, like AI created video?
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:02]:
See in today now.
Gabe Foster [00:12:04]:
You never.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:04]:
You don't know. You don't know anything.
Gabe Foster [00:12:06]:
Like. Yeah, no, trust me. I really hope. I hope we did. I really hope I'm wrong. But to me, the one thing, I'm just like, why haven't we gone back? Like, wouldn't it be. I don't know. So anyways, yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:16]:
I feel passionate about the 911 thing.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:19]:
That we can't go there.
Gabe Foster [00:12:22]:
We can talk about the Titanic.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:24]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:25]:
Yeah. There's so much.
Gabe Foster [00:12:28]:
Podcast. The entire thing that would honestly be.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:30]:
More of a conspiracy theory podcast. But we could do that.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:32]:
That's the only way.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:33]:
Different bench birthday. Yeah. And then we'd have to never air.
Gabe Foster [00:12:38]:
It would just be for us. Our own. For our own.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:40]:
Am I doing this right after dark?
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:42]:
After dark. And we edit it. And then it would be like, all right, you got 1 minute and 30 seconds of usable ye.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:47]:
Like on the Dark Web or something.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:48]:
Okay. Gape. This was really good. Thank you for your actual unpopular opinion.
Gabe Foster [00:12:53]:
I'm glad you guys pulled out the real Gabe. Right. With the little popular opinion because although.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:57]:
I disagree with you about the Christmas.
Gabe Foster [00:12:59]:
Tree thing, and I don't even know if I agree with that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:00]:
I just came with whatever I just heard.
Gabe Foster [00:13:03]:
I don't know how safe I got to play it here.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:06]:
One quick thing. I agree that I love. Like I would put all my Christmas stuff up right now, but I am over it by the time Christmas. Yeah. It's like I'm. Maybe we just do so much.
Gabe Foster [00:13:18]:
How long about Christmas tree up after Christmas?
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:22]:
Tough. Tough for me to answer that question because we were.
Gabe Foster [00:13:25]:
I don't know.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:25]:
We missed the Boy Scout pickup.
Gabe Foster [00:13:27]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:28]:
So then in. In literally July, we're taking our Christmas tree to the dump. Like, what the heck?
Gabe Foster [00:13:34]:
Like, just sitting in your backyard.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:35]:
It's sitting in our back.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:36]:
Started to, like, root down into it. Literally.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:40]:
It became a part of our backyard. Yeah, it literally did. So now I'm just like. I don't even know if I think we should honestly be disqualified from a real tree. We've lost the privilege.
Gabe Foster [00:13:49]:
There are years where my mom never took it down. Obviously, it's fake year round. And then Fourth of July, American flags all over.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:55]:
Honestly, I love your mom. Easter, they do that in New Orleans too. They'll make it a Mardi Gras tree.
Gabe Foster [00:14:00]:
Tree still up.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:01]:
And then. Then you're like, well, we're halfway there, right?
Gabe Foster [00:14:03]:
Might as well just leave it up.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:04]:
Right? That's awesome. So, Gabe, take us back to the beginning. What day Were you born?
Gabe Foster [00:14:12]:
May 31, 1976. I'm the oldest youth pastor in California.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:17]:
What was. What was childhood Gabe like? Also, how old are you? Can we ask you?
Gabe Foster [00:14:25]:
49. Yeah, 49. Childhood Gabe. So I grew up in, you know where clues is Little farming town.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:32]:
No. Close to here.
Gabe Foster [00:14:33]:
Yuba City.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:34]:
Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:14:34]:
Oh, nice.
Gabe Foster [00:14:35]:
On the west side, my dad was a beekeeper, and he raised Arabian horses. So that I grew up, like, on 20 acres.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:42]:
How does one get into beekeeping and Arabian horses?
Gabe Foster [00:14:45]:
That's a good question. So that's kind of like. My family on my dad's side is since the mid-1800s, beekeepers. So great great grandfather that's a beekeeper. Beekeeper all the way down.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:58]:
So that's amazing.
Gabe Foster [00:14:59]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:01]:
No seasonal allergies, because you just are eating honey all the time.
Gabe Foster [00:15:04]:
All the time.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:05]:
I've had his honey. It's fantastic.
Gabe Foster [00:15:07]:
I was gonna. Guys, because I'm like, I've never been on a podcast before, so I'm like, I gotta bring. Yes. Okay. I'm gonna bring you guys honey.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:14]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:15:14]:
And beef poem.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:15]:
You would be the first person to bring us a gift. Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:17]:
Yeah. You'd be the only person.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:18]:
Only.
Gabe Foster [00:15:18]:
Oh, really?
Leslie Johnston [00:15:19]:
Yeah. So it's not that kind of thing. We should start it, though, because I.
Gabe Foster [00:15:23]:
Wish I was the first one to actually be like, and here's your Melly Bloom honey. Thank you so much.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:29]:
That's true.
Gabe Foster [00:15:31]:
Anyways, so, yeah. Grew up in Calusa, and my dad was a beekeeper. He got. He just had a passion for Arabian horses. And, like, my dad would study, like, the. The breed lines of Arabians. And, like, my dad was One of the most knowledgeable guys around when it came to Arabian horses.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:48]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:15:48]:
People would come to him and be like, hey, I'm thinking about buying this horse. It's good. Look at the breed line said, nah, don't buy that. Buy this one. So.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:55]:
Wow.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:55]:
My sister wrote. We grew up Riding, and she wrote an Arabian.
Gabe Foster [00:15:59]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:00]:
They're crazy horses.
Gabe Foster [00:16:01]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:02]:
Talk about a horse with a personality.
Gabe Foster [00:16:05]:
Yeah. Yeah. A lot of spiritual. Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:07]:
That's cool. Did you ever get, like, attacked by bees?
Gabe Foster [00:16:11]:
No, because I would go out, like, with my dad and, you know, smoking the hive. So he. You have to go pull the frames out. But you. You have a smoker. Right. And the smoke just kind of calms the bees down. So I would go out and then sometimes they'd climb up in my veil and get stung like these.
Gabe Foster [00:16:25]:
I love bees.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:26]:
You love bees.
Gabe Foster [00:16:27]:
The world will not survive without bees.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:29]:
That's true. Actually.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:30]:
This is really. I bet there's great sermon illustrations.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:32]:
Yeah. What's a sermon illustration you pull from Be Beekeeping.
Gabe Foster [00:16:35]:
I don't. I don't think I have. Which is crazy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:37]:
I feel like you.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:38]:
Something about the smoke.
Gabe Foster [00:16:39]:
Yeah, the smoke calming them down. Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:41]:
Like, there's something in there.
Gabe Foster [00:16:43]:
Like in the Holy. Holy. I don't know.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:45]:
There's something there. We got. So are you an only child?
Gabe Foster [00:16:47]:
Oh, no. So I know five of us.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:52]:
There's five.
Gabe Foster [00:16:53]:
So my dad had a previous marriage, had my oldest sister, Tanya.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:59]:
Okay.
Gabe Foster [00:17:00]:
My mom had a previous marriage and had my older brother Eric.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:03]:
Okay.
Gabe Foster [00:17:04]:
Those two marriages didn't work. And then my parents met and had my sister Jennifer. Kate. I'm the baby.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:10]:
You're the baby. Which is a personality thing.
Gabe Foster [00:17:13]:
Is it?
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:14]:
I don't know. I mean, I think.
Gabe Foster [00:17:15]:
Would you have looked at me and kind of read and said, yeah, you're the baby of the family.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:18]:
I think your likability makes you baby. The babies are usually very likable, like Leslie and Christie. Very likable. They're the babies. Amanda, my sister, instantly likable baby.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:31]:
They're a little. I feel like babies are a little more carefree.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:33]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:34]:
In some ways.
Gabe Foster [00:17:35]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:35]:
I think that's. That's true. So, okay, so you're in a Christian home or not.
Gabe Foster [00:17:41]:
Yeah. So my parents. So this is actually really cool story. So my mom gave her life to Christ watching the Billy Graham, one of the Crusades. She didn't tell nobody. Two weeks later, my dad goes, like, on a men's retreat. He had no really clue what was going on. He goes on this retreat.
Gabe Foster [00:18:05]:
He knew it was a Christian retreat. But he gets radically saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and comes home and says, kathy, your whole life's about to change. I just met Jesus, Texas, and she was like, jim, I just did the same thing two weeks ago. She's like, I didn't know I was supposed to tell anybody. And so from. That kind of changed the whole spiritual legacy of our family.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:26]:
This is incredible.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:27]:
And how old are you when that happened?
Gabe Foster [00:18:28]:
I was probably six. And so here's like, at that time. So this is like 80, 81. My dad lost the B business. Interest rates shot up to like 26 during that time. Long story. Loses the business. Business.
Gabe Foster [00:18:43]:
We had to sell our. Our family ranch in Calusa. We moved to a. In Yuba City. And then my dad kind of just bounced around with odd jobs. But we got plugged into a church there. And that's. That's my first memory of like, growing up at a church and to this day still have, like, wonderful family friends.
Gabe Foster [00:19:02]:
But it was a. It was like a hardcore church and there was a school there. And like, we went to the school. When you would get in trouble, you had to stand with your nose against the wall for 30 minutes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:19:13]:
Oh, my gosh.
Gabe Foster [00:19:14]:
Yeah, it was pretty intense.
Morgan May Treuil [00:19:15]:
Were you getting in trouble a lot?
Gabe Foster [00:19:16]:
No, I was a good kid. I was like a rule follower until I wasn't.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:21]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:19:22]:
So teenage years and I wasn't. Yeah. So I was a rule follower. Never wanted to be in trouble.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:28]:
Well, yeah, if you're just stand with your nose.
Morgan May Treuil [00:19:30]:
That's crazy.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:30]:
For 30 minutes. That's crazy.
Gabe Foster [00:19:32]:
Yes. We had to wear ugly uniforms, like the brown cords and this.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:36]:
Gosh, honestly, that's kind of in now, though.
Gabe Foster [00:19:40]:
I would like some brown Jesus is Lord tie. Yeah. So did you.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:45]:
Do you remember seeing, like, a difference in. Even though you were six, like your life before they met Jesus to after. Like, do you remember that time or how it made things different?
Gabe Foster [00:19:56]:
It would have been hard for me to, like, notice the difference. Yeah, right. Okay. Like, it wasn't like, I'm six. I was just, where's my Big Wheel and GI Joe's? I just want to go outside and play.
Leslie Johnston [00:20:07]:
Right.
Gabe Foster [00:20:08]:
So. But that's what started kind of the spiritual legacy.
Leslie Johnston [00:20:13]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:20:13]:
That's really cool.
Leslie Johnston [00:20:14]:
When did you. Did you ever. I mean, assuming since you grew up in a Christian home, you kind of did all the things that Christian homes do, but when was the moment you're like, either a moment you're like, I'm going the other way, or a moment you Were like, oh, no, this is real for me. Not just because I grew up in this.
Gabe Foster [00:20:35]:
There was never, like, growing up, like, I would go to. I would go to camps, right? I didn't ever really go to youth group because I was always playing sports and, you know, baseball was my thing and I was always playing sports and I would go occasionally. But it wasn't until I was 24, 23 years old, where, like, Jesus showed up on the shore of my life and completely changed me. Like, never. Like, it was one of those moments, you know, Graduate high school, I'm just gonna get into the story. Yeah, that's okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:21:09]:
Take us there.
Gabe Foster [00:21:09]:
Right? Growing up, baseball was everything to me. Right. That's all I cared about. I just want to play in the big leagues. That's. That was my dream. That was my identity. That's what I put everything in.
Gabe Foster [00:21:19]:
And I was. I was a good pitcher. And so got drafted out of high school, but I didn't sign. Played two years of JC ball, got a full ride scholarship to Fresno State. And at that time, I had a girlfriend going to Chico State. So I get hurt playing at Fresno. I get like a medical red shirt. And my girlfriend was like, hey, just transfer to Chico, right? So Fresno's like legit D1 baseball school.
Gabe Foster [00:21:53]:
Chico at the time was national champion D2, but no scholarships. I end up leaving my scholarship at Fresno and go to Chico State. And that was when, like, this is where I describe it. Like, things I thought I would never do became habits, right? At Chico.
Leslie Johnston [00:22:16]:
That's what I hear about Chico.
Gabe Foster [00:22:20]:
I would never let any of my kids. Yeah, I don't know. I'm sure you might have some listeners that might be at Chico's day.
Morgan May Treuil [00:22:27]:
Listen, I'm sorry. Be alike.
Gabe Foster [00:22:29]:
I know. Be alive. Please be alike. Stay away from Buck Night. Don't go to the Bear, Riley's, Joe's. I got them all. Like, don't go. Stay away from them baseball boys.
Morgan May Treuil [00:22:40]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:22:40]:
So nobody's safe. Yeah. So I end up going to Chico State. And within like four or five months of being there, I ended up breaking up with a girlfriend that I had at the time. And I was. I met this other girl, we're at a bar, she turns around, says, can I buy you a drink? And I'm like, yep, you can buy me a drink. Well, that girl, we ended up going to a party afterwards. And that was the first time I'd ever seen cocaine.
Gabe Foster [00:23:12]:
She introduced me to cocaine. Never seen it before in my life. And she says, hey, do you want to try It. And I. You guys, like, I could take you to the exact spot where this went down, because I did. And it handcuffed me for three years, like, fully addicted.
Morgan May Treuil [00:23:32]:
Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:23:33]:
Like, all I wanted. All I wanted was to go get another line of cocaine. Crazy thing is, I ended up asking that girl to marry me. So when I said at the beginning, like, I know what the wrong one was when it comes to looking for my one, I saw my wife. Now I. It. Yeah. End up asking her to marry me.
Gabe Foster [00:23:54]:
Graduate Chico. And her dad was a very, very successful businessman in San Jose. And I had met one of his best friends, was in commercial real estate. And he gave me a job, like, at a very successful commercial real estate firm in San Jose. So on the outside, looking at my life, everybody was like, man, Gabe's got it going on, right? Like, graduated. I got this attractive girl as a fiance. I got this incredible job. Like, everything on.
Gabe Foster [00:24:27]:
Like, on the outside was great, but on the inside, I was dying. Like, we're four months away from the wedding. Like, you guys, it's. It's. The wedding's happening.
Morgan May Treuil [00:24:38]:
Gosh.
Gabe Foster [00:24:40]:
Dresses bought, invitations going out, like, venues picked. And that's the day I was home alone by myself. And I said, God, I need you, man. Like, I get emotional. Sorry.
Morgan May Treuil [00:24:55]:
Yeah, it's good. Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:25:02]:
It was just like, what people talk about, right? It's like, you have that day where it's like, God, if you're real, I need to see you right now.
Morgan May Treuil [00:25:06]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:25:08]:
So I look up and I see my Bible. I didn't even realize I had my Bible. It was stacked under a bunch of papers. And in that moment, you know how it talks about, like, the Holy Spirit will, like, bring, like, truth back to you in your memory of things that have happened in the past. Going back in time. My senior year in high school, I went to, like, a Christian winter camp, and, like, could care less about what the speaker was talking about. And it was the last night, and I'm sitting in the back with my friends, not paying attention, and all of a sudden, it's like the room goes silent, right? And this guy is the speaker standing directly above me. And I look up, and I'm like, oh, what's up? Like, what's happening? And he just looked at me and said, gabe, I.
Gabe Foster [00:26:02]:
I don't do this a lot, but I feel like God just gave me a vision of your life, and I want to share it with you. And, like, I'm like, this is crazy what is happening, right?
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:14]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:26:14]:
Everyone's staring at me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:15]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:26:17]:
And he said, I just saw a picture of a bookshelf and this is your life. On the top, you have sports. On the middle shelf, you just have your social life and your friends. And on the very bottom, you have God. And until you flip that, your life is going to be challenged for you. And so that day in San Jose, that's exactly what happened. I looked up and I saw my bookshelf and I saw like our college World Series ring. I saw all the pictures of like all of our friends.
Gabe Foster [00:26:51]:
And in the very bottom was my Bible. And so I grabbed my Bible and this is like where God is just so incredibly faithful. I grabbed my Bible and I just said, God, if you're real, boom, open it up. And it's Proverbs 16, 3. It was the first verse I ever read. And it's commit your ways to the Lord and he will establish your plans. And that was the same exact verse that that pastor had spoke over me, my gosh, at that winter camp. And that's.
Gabe Foster [00:27:18]:
I broke everything. Everything changed in that moment. So.
Morgan May Treuil [00:27:22]:
This is insane. Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:27:24]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:27:24]:
Like, yeah, God absolutely meets you in a. And, and it's not always that way. It's not always like, no, it's not perfect.
Gabe Foster [00:27:34]:
Right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:27:35]:
But, but there, when God goes out of his way to be like, you are so important to me that I want to meet you right here in this moment and bring things into full circle. This is, it's huge.
Gabe Foster [00:27:46]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:27:47]:
And I guess my question for you is like, because you have this moment where there's a lot of life that's happening. Like you're four months away from your wedding, you have this job that her dad got you. It's like life is going in the direction of that.
Gabe Foster [00:28:02]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:28:02]:
So then it's like, I would imagine people maybe have had experiences where it feels like God's told them something, God showed them something, God's called them out of something. But then you look at the, the next steps and you're like, I don't know how to follow God through this. Like, this is already going, this is already done. You know, like, so what, how did.
Gabe Foster [00:28:22]:
You move forward so in that moment? Right. Like, and that was the first time I've ever truly felt the tangible presence of, of, of God and just like the power of the Holy Spirit. And so I got in my car, I'm in San Jose, and I drive two and a half hours because I didn't know where else to go. My brother in law was a worship pastor of the church that we grew up in. And I just drove to his house and just kind of unpacked everything. And he just loved on me, prayed over me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:28:50]:
Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:28:51]:
We went and met with the pastor of that church, and it. We took communion together. And it was just like. It was like, just a complete cleansing and washing from, like, the inside out.
Morgan May Treuil [00:29:01]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:29:01]:
To where it's, like, really hard to put into words. Right. But it was just God just saying, no more.
Morgan May Treuil [00:29:07]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:29:07]:
Like. Like, I am showing up on the shore of your life and I am taking you somewhere else.
Leslie Johnston [00:29:13]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:29:14]:
And so I drive back home, and there this gal and her family, they weren't. They weren't Christians. And I'll never forget, the mom opens the front doors. Obviously they know what's going on. Right. Like, because I'm communicating. I gotta go try to explain it to them. They're like, what? The mom opens the front door and she looks at me and she goes, it's okay, church boy.
Gabe Foster [00:29:40]:
We'll be here for you when you fail. And you guys. You would think that would crush me, right? There was so much peace. I was like, yep. Okay.
Morgan May Treuil [00:29:51]:
And so that's like a movie line, by the way.
Gabe Foster [00:29:53]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:29:54]:
I feel like I'm impulsive.
Leslie Johnston [00:29:54]:
I know. I feel like I'm watching a movie right now.
Gabe Foster [00:29:56]:
Like, and. And. But there was just, like, the smirk. And it's just like, it's okay, church boy. Right. Like. And I was just like. But the point is this.
Gabe Foster [00:30:06]:
The night that I called off the engagement, we're have, like, we're having dinner, and I had so much confidence and peace. It crushed me, like, because it. I just ruined this girl's world at the time.
Leslie Johnston [00:30:22]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:30:23]:
Right. So that was very, very hard. But I had so much peace and assurance that God was leading me through this and that he would sustain me and that there was something so much better for my life.
Morgan May Treuil [00:30:37]:
Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:30:37]:
Because that verse, commit your ways to the Lord and he will establish your plans. Like, I've. I cling to that. I cling to that right now. You guys, like, here at this church, Right. I. I cling to that. And so.
Gabe Foster [00:30:56]:
And long story, but ended up getting back into baseball. Played some, like, independent minor league baseball after that. And then. And in the year 2000, the most beautiful woman walked by me and it was game over.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:11]:
How long is this after. How long after?
Gabe Foster [00:31:14]:
A year and a half.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:14]:
A year and a half after that.
Gabe Foster [00:31:16]:
Experience, because I ended up. Yeah, I ended up doing a. It was called Sold Out School of Leadership Development for. For young adults. I did that for a year.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:24]:
That's cool.
Gabe Foster [00:31:25]:
And that's kind of the same time where I met my wife. And, like, the. The pastor director said, hey, like, look, I get it, but you can't talk to her while you're in this program, so you gotta wait.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:35]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:31:36]:
So we waited and then. But from the time we met to September 28th was nine months and we were married, like, it was just done. It was over. Like, for her, for me, like, our pastors, our parents, everybody.
Leslie Johnston [00:31:49]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:31:49]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:50]:
How old were you?
Gabe Foster [00:31:51]:
I was 25.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:52]:
25.
Gabe Foster [00:31:53]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:31:54]:
What did it look like? Because you talked about how you got. I mean. Right. You pretty much were like, hey, for three years, I was, like, kind of addicted to cocaine. What did that look like when you had that encounter with God after? Like, what did. Was it instantaneous instantly?
Gabe Foster [00:32:14]:
And what you. Like, so, yes, there was cocaine, but, like, smoking weed, like, that was like a daily. Like, I would. I was. I hate talking, but I would wake up and smoke weed. Weed. Like, I was working for one of the top real estate firms in San Jose, and I would go out to my car and smoke weed. I was like a functioning stoner.
Gabe Foster [00:32:34]:
Right. Like, it's just. I felt at that time, and that's crazy to say, I felt more normal stoned than I did when I wasn't. Well, it's just super sad. Right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:32:44]:
And it's. Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:32:45]:
And. But the point is that, like, that is the power of God.
Morgan May Treuil [00:32:50]:
Right.
Gabe Foster [00:32:50]:
Because in one instant.
Leslie Johnston [00:32:52]:
Yes.
Gabe Foster [00:32:53]:
All that is gone.
Morgan May Treuil [00:32:54]:
That's.
Gabe Foster [00:32:54]:
And like, the. One of the most crazy one, like, the F word was every other word for me. It was just how I talked, and it was like, it changed everything. So that's crazy. Yeah. That's not that. Everything's been, like, super perfect, you know, ever since. Right.
Gabe Foster [00:33:11]:
I've had my struggles, for sure.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:13]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:33:13]:
You know. Yeah. Addiction's been my thing. Like, that's like when I. When I meet with people or talk to people that have, like, addiction issues. Like, like, I get it. I fully get it. And I have so much love and compassion for people who struggle with addiction.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:30]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:33:31]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:31]:
When following up to the day that you were like, God, I need you, you said kind of like you had, like, a rock bottom type moment or you just came to the end of yourself. What, like, what got you to that? I mean, obviously we know some of, like, the decisions and those things, but what did that feel like when. Because I think a lot of times people think, like, is this my rock bottom moment?
Morgan May Treuil [00:33:52]:
Is.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:52]:
Is it gonna get worse? Is. What did that feel like?
Gabe Foster [00:33:54]:
What?
Leslie Johnston [00:33:55]:
Like, describe that day before you encountered God.
Gabe Foster [00:33:59]:
It was the mo. It's just like a heavy, heavy weight anxiety of, like, I know what I should do and I can't. I feel trapped. I feel stuck in this relationship, and I don't know how to get myself out of it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:34:17]:
Right. Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:34:18]:
And so I'm masking. I'm covering up with substance. People cover up and try and deal with it in other ways. But for me, I felt like I was in, like, a straight jacket and I could not get out. And I didn't know, like, how or what to do, except for, say, God, I need you right now. Like, this is it. I am a mess inside. And, yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:34:46]:
It was just a miserable, miserable place to be.
Leslie Johnston [00:34:50]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:34:50]:
Right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:34:51]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:34:51]:
And see, that's. You know. But that's the beauty of it. Like, because I did grow up in a wonderful home. My parents are amazing. Right. Like, Christian home. So I had that foundation, even though I never truly bought into it until this moment.
Gabe Foster [00:35:03]:
Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:03]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:35:05]:
So I had the upbringing.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:08]:
Did they know what you were going through at that point?
Gabe Foster [00:35:11]:
No. I mean, they knew I was a partier at Chico.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:14]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:35:14]:
But they had no clue. And that's the thing. Like, right. I was. I was able to play it off really, really good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:35:21]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:35:22]:
And act a certain way and put up this facade of, like, you know, everything's great, but everything was not great. I was dying on the inside.
Morgan May Treuil [00:35:32]:
Yeah. When you think back to that time, because I know you said something interesting, like, it felt more normal to be stoned than it did to be not stoned. Do you feel like that your conscious awareness in that time frame was, I know that I'm suffering and that I'm. And that I'm broken and I need something different, but I just can't give it up. Or do you feel like you were kind of blissfully unaware?
Gabe Foster [00:35:54]:
No, I fully was aware.
Morgan May Treuil [00:35:56]:
So even, like, in your relationship, you're like, I know this is toxic and unhealthy, guys.
Gabe Foster [00:36:00]:
This, like, yes. Like, I. I. So the first time I did that line of cocaine, it was on a mirror. Right. And I remember seeing my reflection and, like, having that quick, like, this ain't me. And then doing it. The first time I kissed that girl.
Morgan May Treuil [00:36:19]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:36:19]:
I felt like I don't hear God's voice, but there was something in my mind saying, no, no, no. Like, no. Ignored that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:36:26]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:36:27]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:36:27]:
So what do you feel like that's taught you? Or, like, how do you. When you. Because obviously, students, you're getting to speak to people on a weekly basis who are either in that space, or they're right on the verge of getting the freedom to go pursue all that life has to offer. How does that. How does, like, your experience in that season frame, how you look at sin or how you, like, counsel people with sin? Because all of that stuff, you're like, I didn't set out or plan any of this. This is all stuff that happens accidentally unless you're very careful, right? And life doesn't throw you a lot of, like, careful safeguards when it comes to sin and things like that. So how do you. How do you counsel people? Like, what.
Morgan May Treuil [00:37:11]:
What kind of conversations do you have with your. With your kids about this stuff?
Gabe Foster [00:37:22]:
I think, like, the most important thing is that, like, just like, with my story, right? Like, I. There's not much that I haven't experienced in this life, right? And so I am an open book with them. Like, I share everything with my. My kids.
Morgan May Treuil [00:37:39]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:37:40]:
Kids in my house and with my kids, students.
Morgan May Treuil [00:37:43]:
Right.
Gabe Foster [00:37:45]:
And it's. It's more of like, hey, I know where you're at right now. I know what you're looking. The road, the path that you're looking down right now. Been there, done that, got every T shirt that. That. That path has. And let me tell you where that leads you.
Gabe Foster [00:38:02]:
And then I just open up my life and share with them. And then I say, but you're at a fork. You could go this way. And then I just roll out just the peace, the contentment, the joy that comes with just surrendering your life to the Lord and just following in his ways, committing your ways to the Lord and let him establish your plans and the fruit and the joy that is just. It's unmatched. What the world tries to sell you. That bill of goods. Let me tell you where that leads.
Gabe Foster [00:38:31]:
And it's death, right?
Leslie Johnston [00:38:32]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:38:32]:
I mean, it's. There's some temporary satisfaction, for sure. But let me tell you about the eternal satisfaction that comes in the person of Jesus. And it's. It's just amazing how gracious God is to. To be able to use, like, my life, right, to then to try and impact and to speak into this next generation. Because I feel like God has given me the ability and grace me with the opportunity to. Where I can speak very, very, very confidently about a lot of topics when it comes to what these students are faced with, what they're struggling with and what they've been through.
Gabe Foster [00:39:16]:
And I think that's the most powerful thing. You know, in church and in student ministries, we can. We can plan the best game we could plan the best program we can have the smoke and the lights. But what they really want right now is authenticity.
Morgan May Treuil [00:39:33]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:39:33]:
That's what they want. That's what people are really looking for. And. And I feel like that's what God is giving me the platform because he's like, yeah, you went through some stuff, but look. Look how we're going to use this for good.
Leslie Johnston [00:39:49]:
So.
Gabe Foster [00:39:51]:
I'm not sure if I answered your question.
Morgan May Treuil [00:39:52]:
No, you did. No, it's so great. That's great. Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:39:56]:
Who. Who's some. Or maybe what's something like right now. So obviously that happened when you were 25ish. That range. Then you met your wife, you got married.
Gabe Foster [00:40:06]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:40:07]:
What did life look like after that? And was there ever this like. Like, God, where the heck are you taking me? Like, you know, it's like you've. You have this verse that God so clearly gave to you that I'm sure there were moments where even the enemy's like, are you sure you went. You know, it's like, what. What were some situations like that that maybe you walked through?
Gabe Foster [00:40:27]:
Yeah. So, like, to kind of paint that picture. So when we got married, the. The church that we were at, the. Where I did that school of leadership, they asked me to be a high school pastor. I was like. Like, not sure what that is, but no idea.
Leslie Johnston [00:40:41]:
Right.
Gabe Foster [00:40:41]:
I want to play baseball. So we were.
Leslie Johnston [00:40:45]:
You have a baseball pastor?
Gabe Foster [00:40:47]:
I'm in on that one. Right. So, like, no joke. You guys like Doug Fields. That's all I. Whatever he put out, I did. Like, I would just get all his teachings and just be like, oh, there's a whole script of Doug teaching. He's like the best communicator in the world.
Gabe Foster [00:41:00]:
I'll do that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:41:00]:
Those who don't know, Doug Fields is like a youth ministry expert.
Gabe Foster [00:41:03]:
Oh, he's the legend.
Morgan May Treuil [00:41:04]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:41:05]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:41:06]:
I went to college with his son.
Gabe Foster [00:41:07]:
With Cody.
Leslie Johnston [00:41:07]:
Cody.
Morgan May Treuil [00:41:08]:
Oh, yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:41:08]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:41:09]:
We were good friends.
Gabe Foster [00:41:09]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:41:10]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:41:11]:
So we're high school pastors. Don't have a clue what's going on, and we're just trying to figure it out. And during that time, there were some hard things that that church went through. And we ended up moving down to Orange county because we got connected with Saddleback down in. Down in Lake Forest. So I was the high school. I was a part of the high school team there when Doug was there. Matt McGill, Josh Griffin, and Megan Hutchinson.
Gabe Foster [00:41:40]:
So long story short, ended up not sticking around there very long. Loved the church, loved the small group that we were a part of. But at that time, I felt like youth ministry. I don't. I'm. I don't want to do this. Right. And that was.
Gabe Foster [00:41:56]:
That's been a pattern in my life up until three years ago. So I get out of youth ministry, and I start doing commercial real estate in Newport beach, and everything's good. Then the financial pressure of life hit. Right. I'm living in Newport.
Morgan May Treuil [00:42:12]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:42:12]:
We have two kids. My wife is pregnant with the third, working for a commercial real estate company. 2008 hits the Common. The economy crashes, and so I don't have a dollar to my name. Like, literally. Like, you hear stories about people looking through their couches with. For quarters. That was me.
Gabe Foster [00:42:31]:
Like, we would literally do that. And so we end up moving back to Yuba City because the company I was working for went under. And during that time, I got introduced to Vicodin. And there was a stretch for like a year, year and a half where I would. I got hooked on Vicodin, and I. Not from the doctor. I would, like, drive to, like, a trailer park to get Vicodin. Fully in love with Jesus.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:07]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:43:07]:
Was a youth pastor. Right. Worked for a church. Worked for an amazing church. But there was this restlessness in my soul, and I got hooked on it. And so one day I was at my office on my work line, have my cell phone, and I text my hookup. My. My plug, as the kids call them now.
Gabe Foster [00:43:30]:
Plug. Right. That's a new thing. Yeah. Yeah. So text plug. Hey, I need 40 more. Well, I texted that to my wife by accident.
Gabe Foster [00:43:39]:
By accident. And so that was a very hard season for our family.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:47]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:43:47]:
And for my wife.
Morgan May Treuil [00:43:48]:
How old are your kids at that point?
Gabe Foster [00:43:52]:
Ella was probably 10. Yeah. Avery was 8. No, younger than that. Probably 6, 4. And Sophie was 1.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:01]:
Okay.
Gabe Foster [00:44:02]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:03]:
But how did Andrea respond to that?
Gabe Foster [00:44:07]:
Yeah. Not really great at first. Right. Like, any wife would, like, what are you doing? You're like, have this secret addiction. Like, what's. What's going on? So she. She. I got home.
Gabe Foster [00:44:20]:
I drove home from my office, and it just so happened that her dad was also there when I did that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:24]:
Oh, my gosh. Like, this could not be worse.
Gabe Foster [00:44:27]:
This is.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:28]:
This is the worst.
Leslie Johnston [00:44:30]:
He's just like, the cringe before you.
Gabe Foster [00:44:32]:
I'm like, oh, oh, no. Yeah. It was crazy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:35]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:44:35]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:44:36]:
And my wife just looked at me and just with tears in her eyes and said, we're not going to live like this. You have to put a plan in place. You have 24 hours or you're not going to live here. Like, yeah, not what I want.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:49]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:44:49]:
But you got to figure this out.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:50]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:44:52]:
And so I went and met with a pastor and he prayed over me. And I came home. And now by then, my parents are there. Andrea called my wife.
Morgan May Treuil [00:45:03]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:45:06]:
And I'll never forget. Like, my parents are devastated. My wife is devastated. Right. I just, like, completely just crush them just with this secret addiction. And my mom came up and wrapped her arms around me and said, gabe, God is faithful to complete the work that he started in you. And it was like God was speaking to me, Right. Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:45:31]:
And then. And then my wife came up, right? And she put her arms around me, like, looked me right in the eyes and said. And she just started speaking so much truth, like, you are a good man. You are an incredible father. You are amazing husband, and you are a spiritual. And just started speaking truth. And it was like, coming from the mouth of my wife and my mom, but it was like, God, this is like getting home. I'm not done with you.
Gabe Foster [00:46:06]:
This isn't it. Like. And it was just like one of those. I call it the breakfast on the beach moment with Peter, right? Where he's like, do you love me? And it's not really. Jesus isn't really asking, peter, do you really love me? Jesus kind of knows everything. He said, no, Peter, I love you. I believe in you. I've called you, I've destined you.
Gabe Foster [00:46:22]:
And that's what it was. That was my breakfast on the beach moment where God completely just once again showed up on my life and just restored.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:33]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:34]:
Wow.
Gabe Foster [00:46:34]:
This crazy secret addictions that I had, you know? So.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:40]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:46:41]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:42]:
So thanks for sharing that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:43]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:44]:
That.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:44]:
That is. Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:46]:
So hard. What's cool about, like, the faithfulness of God in that is like, I'm sure it was hard for you to go, okay. I feel like God called me in that. When you were 24, 25. It was just like, immediately you're like. It was almost. Even though you grew up a Christian, it was almost felt probably like brand new. Like, oh, my gosh, God just spoke to me and whatever.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:08]:
And then I'm sure sometimes we as humans think, oh, well, I can't mess up again.
Gabe Foster [00:47:14]:
Right?
Leslie Johnston [00:47:15]:
Because God, he. I know. I know better, right? You know?
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:18]:
Oh, yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:19]:
And we've already been down this road. He's gonna not show up for me in that way. But it's like, no. So God to be like, and here. Here we are again. But I'm gonna do the exact same thing again for you, which is so cool.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:32]:
Wow.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:33]:
What did the healing look like after that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:36]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:37]:
And what stuff did you have to do to go? Okay, I'm, I'm, you know, addiction, it's a tricky thing. I have a, like a family history of like addiction and stuff. And so I'm just curious what that looked like for you.
Gabe Foster [00:47:53]:
As far as like the addiction like that. Like I hadn't, I have not taken 1 Vicodin hydrocodone since that day.
Morgan May Treuil [00:48:00]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:48:02]:
But then what happened after that? Probably four or five months after that, we were living in Yuba City and one of like a mutual friend of my brother in law, Andrea's older brother and I, we were business partners, best friends, right. And he's an amazing brother, Christian worship leader. And so like he's like my, my guy, a guy that was running a young life group of guys on the campus of Yuba City High School was moving and we were mutual friends with him and he said hey, will you take over these group of guys, like just do a Bible study, right? They called it campaigners with, with young life. And so we're like, yeah, for sure. And so we met with like five or six of these guys and it, it just so happened that one was like the ASB president, one was the starting quarterback, the running back, like the most influential juniors and seniors on the campus of UB City High School. And so Josh and I, my brother in law, we would just meet with him and love on them and just do Bible studies with them. And then God just got a hold of all of their hearts and then they're having, doing Bible studies on campus in the wrestling room and 300 kids would show up, right? And so what happened was that this little campaigner's Bible study that my brother and I were started with five or six guys, turned into a youth group of like 150 like that. And so now I'm back in it, right? Just volunteering and we did that and it was, it was just an incredible move of God, right in Yuba City.
Gabe Foster [00:49:42]:
And that's kind of been like the pattern of my life where I was, I've been kind of just in and out, right? Out because of probably some of the choices that I made. And out because of there, there'd been this kind of this pull to, to the marketplace and to making money and to real estate. And so I was, I've always kind of had one foot in, one foot out when it came to student ministries, but always kind of around it. And up until four years ago when like that, that all changed and I don't know if you guys want to get into that. Sure.
Leslie Johnston [00:50:20]:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, let's do it.
Gabe Foster [00:50:23]:
Have you guys read the book Living Fearless by Jamie Winship?
Morgan May Treuil [00:50:28]:
No.
Leslie Johnston [00:50:28]:
But you told me I should read this.
Gabe Foster [00:50:30]:
It's a must read. It's a must, must read. So it's all about true identity and false identity and all. It's an amazing book. So a buddy of mine had kind of turned me on to Jamie Winship and just. I was just listening to his podcast, and then his book came out and. Exactly. During that time at my old church, I was just volunteering, and that youth pastor left, and the senior pastor came to me and said, hey, I think you're supposed to be the high school pastor here.
Gabe Foster [00:50:59]:
And I was like, all right, give me a week. I'll pray about it. Well, like, for four months, I was like, in and out. I couldn't make a decision up, right? Because, like, I was comfortable. Right. I have my own ag real estate company. Like, things are going great financially at that time. I'm volunteering.
Gabe Foster [00:51:14]:
I have a small group. Like, I'm. No, I'm good.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:17]:
Right?
Gabe Foster [00:51:18]:
And then I read this book, and there's a prayer in this book that the author, Jamie, walks you through. And the whole premise of this book is like, God, what do you want me to know? What do you want me to do? Right. God, who do you say that I am? All about true identity. And at the end of this prayer, it ends with that statement, what is the most important. You ask God, what is the most important thing you want to say to me right now? And then he instructs you, just listen and write it down. And so I did. And I wrote down, your name is significant in the book. Right? In the book, as I'm reading, I just kind of.
Gabe Foster [00:51:55]:
Look, I'm, like, crazy. Like, I. Okay, right. And I had always kind of known, right. We know who Gabriel is in the Bible, right? He was God's messenger. And. But I never really understood Foster. And I just know because I'd never even thought about this before.
Gabe Foster [00:52:14]:
And so I can't get away from it, like, all day. It's just one of those things. And I don't know, like. Like I said earlier, I don't hear audible voices of God. Right? But for me, the way God speaks to me is a thought that I know is not. That's way bigger than mine. Like, why. Why would I ever think your name is significant? Pretty sure the devil's not going to try and get me to unpack.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:37]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:52:37]:
You know what I mean? So, like, Feel like the devil's like.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:40]:
It'S not me, and it's not the devil.
Gabe Foster [00:52:42]:
Right. You know, and so I can't get away from, like, all right, this has got to be God talking to me like, I'm gonna just sit in this. And then it was like, in a. In a moment, God just put my first name, Gabriel messenger. And because, like, Foster, I, like, Googled it, and it was like, the people of the Trees. And I'm like, this is wild. I had way.
Leslie Johnston [00:53:03]:
Like, maybe this is from Satan.
Gabe Foster [00:53:04]:
Way too much caffeine this morning.
Morgan May Treuil [00:53:06]:
Right.
Gabe Foster [00:53:06]:
Like, well, I'm tripping out.
Morgan May Treuil [00:53:07]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:53:07]:
But then it was like, God just gave me an image of, like, a foster parent, someone who temporarily raises, supports, encourages students that are not your own. And he's like, that's who you are. I want you to be my messenger and do that. And for students that aren't yours and care for them and love on them. And it was just in that moment where I was like, I'm all in. And that was when I told that pastor of the other church that, yeah, I'm all in. And from that day, there's. I had never had a second thought desire for anything outside of doing what I do right now.
Gabe Foster [00:53:44]:
Because I think that's the. One of the most important things for us and for your listeners is like, once we know our true identity, it changes everything. It changes everything, and it gives us this laser focus on, okay, I know what I'm going to do with my life now. I know what my purpose is. I know what my calling is. I know what my identity is. I know what, like, God says about me, and I'm all in. And so because a lot of times in this life, and I am a living testimony of living in the false identity of.
Gabe Foster [00:54:17]:
And that's fear, guilt, and shame. If you're living in fear, guilt, and shame, that is the devil holding you down. And you are not walking in your true identity. And that is a false identity. And that's one of my main passions right now, is to help students come out of that. I will talk about fear, guilt, and shame all the time.
Leslie Johnston [00:54:33]:
Yeah.
Gabe Foster [00:54:33]:
And just help them come out of it and say, that's not who God says you are.
Leslie Johnston [00:54:36]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:54:37]:
For the people listening right now that are. I feel like people are probably resonating with so many parts of your story, and I have a lot of questions that I could go off on tangents with, but one of the ones I would ask is if. If that's the passion, knowing your true identity, not Living under gear. Fear, fear, guilt. And I was combining all fear, guilt, and shame. What's the first. What's the first step you would give somebody to understand their true identity?
Leslie Johnston [00:55:04]:
Yeah, it's a good question.
Gabe Foster [00:55:05]:
It's a really good question.
Morgan May Treuil [00:55:07]:
Obviously, that book is a great resource, but, like.
Gabe Foster [00:55:09]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:55:09]:
In your journey with that and with journey you encourage students to take with that, with that quest in mind, what's the. What's the first practical thing?
Leslie Johnston [00:55:18]:
Because that is probably the number one question we get when we talk to young people. Young people, they're like, what do I do with my. Who am I? What do I do with my life? I don't know where God wants me to go. It's just this, like.
Morgan May Treuil [00:55:30]:
And it's interesting that those questions are even so connected, right? Like, the question of who am I and what I'm supposed to do are so connected for people.
Gabe Foster [00:55:38]:
Yeah. I mean, I think the first thing is to genuinely, like, stop and create space to listen, Right. I think in this world, we are so busy and so distracted with our phones and with just life that we haven't created the spiritual habit just to stop and listen. Like, we can talk to God, right? And. But are we actually taking a moment to just say, God, what do you want to say to me? Right? Because that's a conversation that he's dying to have. Like, God is dying to have that conversation with his children. Of like, hey, no, I actually got an opinion here. I have some thoughts here.
Gabe Foster [00:56:16]:
Right? This is who I say you are. And just to create the spiritual habit to stop and listen to God's voice. And I don't want to make it sound like, oh, it's just that easy, right? Because it's not. It takes work. And the way I kind of describe it is like, you know, the old radios where you have to, like, really kind of tune in, you have to adjust the knob and put up the antenna, and you have to really tune in to try and tap in and listen to the voice of God. And it's not something that happens just overnight. It's just a spiritual habit that we as believers need to develop over time. And because it's a conversation that he wants to have with his people.
Gabe Foster [00:57:00]:
And the other thing would be to have a very. I call it, hold up the mirror to yourself. Like, just like, take an assessment of your life and say, where am I? Operating in fear, guilt and shame. And just be honest. You gotta be like. That's the other thing. To be brutally honest with yourself. Because until.
Gabe Foster [00:57:24]:
Until you're honest with yourself. We're just gonna continue just to kind of struggle and limp along and you know what I mean? And it's just like we gotta be able to be honest and evaluate where we're really at.
Morgan May Treuil [00:57:35]:
And yeah, I like, I like this because it sounds like you're saying if fear, guilt and shame are present, then you're going to have a really hard time seeing your true identity. Identity. Because those are the. Those are three, the big three. Like, almost like they make it blurry.
Gabe Foster [00:57:52]:
That's the devil's playbook.
Morgan May Treuil [00:57:54]:
It's the devil's playbook is fear, guilt and shame.
Gabe Foster [00:57:56]:
Honestly, you guys. Like, that is something that, like, even now, like coming here to Bayside, which I love, I'm so thankful to be a part of this team. But it's like the fear part, the insecurity part has been like raising its head up in my life, right? Because I find myself sitting in rooms where there's Mark Clark, who can preach Romans in a day and not miss a thing, or sitting in leadership living rooms with your dad and these world class leaders. And then there's Gabe, who graduates from Chico State. Never, right? Like just this insecurity. But I say all that is because. Because now that I know my true identity, Gabe, this is who you are, right? And when fear tries to raise its head, I said, no, no, no, no, no. That is not me, God.
Gabe Foster [00:58:56]:
This is who you say I am. I trust you. You have called me here for such a time as this. This is commit your ways to the Lord and he will establish your plans. This is your plan for me being here. So that is probably one of the biggest things for me. Knowing that you're what your true identity is and how to defeat the fear, guilt and shame is.
Morgan May Treuil [00:59:20]:
That's cool that they kind of work. There's a practical piece to this, if you're listening that you're saying, I don't wanna miss it. It's like if fear, guilt and shame are present, it's going to be a hindrance to understanding your identity. But at the same time, defeating fear, guilt and shame comes with understanding your identity. And so it's like, I think that there's definitely a charge coming from this episode of like, you need to get into your Bible and understand what God has said about you, what God's done for you and who you are in Christ. And there's a new creation element that you can't get away from. And then understanding that more and more, that's. Those are when the fear and insecurity rises.
Morgan May Treuil [01:00:05]:
Up in you of, like, I'm an imposter. I shouldn't be here. I. I relate to you a little bit. Cause I look around and I'm like, I was a dance major from Texas Tech, and I own. I love it. Like, I'm owning it. But at the same time, like, you can look around and be like, what am I doing here? I'm not called to be here.
Morgan May Treuil [01:00:21]:
This is. This is. You know, there's somebody else who's better than me at this. And it's like, in those moments, the way to push back on fear, guilt, and shame is to rehearse. Okay, but who does God say that I am? Exactly? He says in his word that I'm this, and I'm this, and I'm this, and knowing God's word. I think it was sermon prep Yesterday when Andrew McCourt. We were talking about the armor of God and how the armor of God, you put it on to stand firm for when the time of evil comes. And it's.
Morgan May Treuil [01:00:49]:
It's. That's the verbiage for when the time of evil comes. This is the armor of God. Learn to wear it. Learn to stand in it. But we were talking about how unless you. Unless you know what the armor is and you've equipped yourself with it before the day of evil comes, it'll be really hard when the day of evil comes to start throwing on armor while the darts and the arrows are coming at you. And so he said something.
Morgan May Treuil [01:01:12]:
He was like, if you don't know the word of God, then you won't know the word of God. And it's like that. That present and future play of, like, get in your Bibles so that when fear, guilt, and shame comes, you actually know what God has said about you. Because if you don't know what God has said, fear, guilt, and shame has got great dialogue skills. Oh, like, the best.
Gabe Foster [01:01:33]:
The very best.
Morgan May Treuil [01:01:34]:
The very best. Like, can spin all kinds of narratives. This is what people are saying about you. This is what this person thinks about you. This is how you're not qualified. And so I kind of love that they work both ways. And I would say a big practical step in people leaving this podcast is you need to know who you are. The good news is who you are is not subjective to how you feel or what the world or culture says or how it changes.
Morgan May Treuil [01:01:55]:
There's a very concrete written piece of proof that that perfectly explains who you are.
Gabe Foster [01:02:02]:
Right.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:02]:
And it is in the word of God, and you have to know it. So that would be a big Are.
Gabe Foster [01:02:07]:
Real, but they're not always right.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:09]:
No, they're real, but they're not always right. Great point.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:11]:
Don't believe every thought you have.
Gabe Foster [01:02:13]:
That's right.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:14]:
Yes, I know. And it's funny because I even look at you, Gabe, and I'm always like, man, Gabe is so much cooler than the rest of us.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:21]:
He's. I thought Gabe was so, so in.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:23]:
Tune with the Holy Spirit, all this stuff. And I'm like, it's just so funny that we can all sit in the same room.
Gabe Foster [01:02:29]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:30]:
In Tahoe. And it's like everybody has that thought about themselves, but they don't actually think it about the other person. So even some of it's like, Satan's not that crap.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:39]:
Like, he's crafty, but he uses on everybody.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:43]:
Not creative. And I think it's just. It's funny because even sometimes we step back and go, like, is anyone even actually thinking these thoughts about me, or am I just the only one thinking these thoughts about me?
Gabe Foster [01:02:53]:
Oh, yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:53]:
It's usually the second thing.
Leslie Johnston [01:02:55]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [01:02:55]:
I'm so encouraged for listeners who are walking through any part of your story.
Gabe Foster [01:03:00]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [01:03:00]:
At any phase of your story and to look at your life now and what you're getting the. The calling. You're getting to walk in now and to see man. Even when you think it's. You've had a couple moments where it's like the rock bottom moments. Right. It's like, I'm engaged, I'm by her family, and now God is telling me I've got to reorganize the bookshelf, and I'm gonna have to walk away from lots of things that I love and I'm invested in. Or like when you accidentally sent your wife the text about the Vicodin stuff, and you have to, like, all of a sudden you're faced with, like, man, now my whole family knows that I'm really struggling with this.
Morgan May Treuil [01:03:36]:
It's like these big moments where, like, even us listening to you, we feel our stomachs drop. Because everyone knows what it's like to be found out and to hit the bottom and be like, now what Is there a. What is there a way forward? And your life is a testament. Even what your mom and your wife said to you, looking at you, it's like, that's God's grace, that even in the moment of the fall, there is a promise which is true from the garden too. Right in the moment of the fall, there was God with the promise of Jesus. And that was true for your story, too. So everybody listening to this. Who has something similar addiction or a fall or a shortcoming.
Morgan May Treuil [01:04:18]:
There is so much on the other side of obedience.
Leslie Johnston [01:04:23]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [01:04:23]:
And God's so good to give that.
Leslie Johnston [01:04:26]:
Fullness on the other side of giving up something. Oh, yeah. That may feel like you can't, like. Oh. I mean, I even watched, like, my aunt really struggled. She just passed away a couple months ago, and she passed away from her addiction, basically. And I just think, man, there. There actually is so much on the other side of something that you maybe think there's not another side of, or, oh, well, if I have to give this up, I'm gonna live, you know, a half.
Gabe Foster [01:04:53]:
Yep.
Leslie Johnston [01:04:54]:
Half life, you know, or, like, it's not gonna feel, but it's like you are a testament that. It's like. No. There actually is so much.
Gabe Foster [01:05:00]:
So much more.
Leslie Johnston [01:05:01]:
More. So much more on the other side of that.
Morgan May Treuil [01:05:03]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [01:05:03]:
So thank you so much, Gabe, coming on the podcast for facing your fears.
Gabe Foster [01:05:09]:
I'm not joking. Like, my heart rate was probably, like, 131.
Morgan May Treuil [01:05:13]:
What is it now?
Gabe Foster [01:05:14]:
What is this like, oh, I'm good.
Morgan May Treuil [01:05:15]:
It's over.
Gabe Foster [01:05:17]:
When's the next one? Yeah, well. But thank you. My first one, I couldn't imagine doing it with anybody else.
Morgan May Treuil [01:05:22]:
And, you guys, we're so glad to have been your first experience.
Leslie Johnston [01:05:25]:
Thanks for coming on and being so honest.
Morgan May Treuil [01:05:27]:
Yes. We'll see you guys next week on Am I doing this right?