042 - The Gift Of Joy with Jeff Benefield

In this week's episode, Jeff Benefield, an avid outdoorsman and YouTuber from Alabama shares his journey into the world of hiking and backpacking emphasizing the importance of documenting his adventures. He discusses how the outdoors plays a significant role in his spiritual life, providing moments of reflection and connection with God. Jeff also highlights the community he has found through hiking and the unexpected ways God has revealed Himself during his outdoor experiences. In this conversation, Jeff B shares his insights on connecting with God through Scripture and nature, emphasizing the importance of studying the Bible and meditating on its teachings. He discusses personal struggles, particularly the impact of divorce, and how these experiences shaped his faith and understanding of God's redemption. The conversation highlights the significance of community, encouragement, and the journey of healing through faith, offering hope to those navigating their own valleys.

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@JBENHIKES 
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jbenhikes/

IS SOMETHING BROKEN INSIDE OF YOU – ARE YOU SINKING? https://youtu.be/Ld2gKARQZKA?si=_taX0HuNeAtRLKmE

UINTA HIGHLINE TRAIL | Meditation of John 10 while in the wilderness https://youtu.be/vhS4QvwnXw0?si=mRoeD39qHmSStc-_

The Balance of Gray
God, doubt, and proof walk into a podcast... it goes better than you’d expect!

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The Signpost Inn Podcast
Find peace, clarity, and companionship for your spiritual journey.

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Chapters

• 25:31 [Ad] The Balance of Gray
• 26:21 (Cont.) 042 - The Gift Of Joy with Jeff Benefield
• 38:57 [Ad] The Signpost Inn Podcast
• 39:43 (Cont.) 042 - The Gift Of Joy with Jeff Benefield

Transcript

Kenzie Smith (00:02)
On today's episode of My Valley, His Victory, we have Jeff Benefield. He's an avid outdoorsman based in Alabama. In his free time, he enjoys helping lead small groups in Sunday school at his church, exercising, reading, spending time with family, backpacking and hiking, and creating content for his YouTube channel, J. Ben Hikes. He is a board member of the non-profit Penhoti Experience Foundation, which teaches outdoor education through in-person and electronic classrooms.

school partnerships and events. Thanks so much for being with us here. Thanks so much for being with us today, Jeff.

Jeff B (00:37)
Thanks, Kenzie. Really appreciate it. I'm excited to be on the podcast today.

Kenzie Smith (00:45)
Yeah, we are excited to have you as well coming in from a recommendation from Brad Felton or as the crow flies hiking. So that guy. But yeah, why don't you go ahead and just share with our listeners a little bit about yourself and who you are.

Jeff B (00:53)
yeah, that guy.

Yeah, so I am just an average guy, I guess normal guy living in Alabama that loves outdoors. I love Jesus most of all and I love my family and outdoors is something that's pretty important for me. It fills a need for adventure. So that's who I am basically. Of course the YouTube channel, that's just something I do cause

I got to where I couldn't remember a lot of the trips, even though I'd write down notes and everything. And I thought, hey, why not video record it for posterity.

Kenzie Smith (01:42)
Yeah, I love that. I think that's kind of a lot of the reasons why I've started. lot of things I've done too is I'm like, I just want to document it and enjoy my trips and remember them. so there's definitely a part of it for me whenever I go back and watch my videos. I'm like, I forgot about that. Yeah.

Jeff B (01:51)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Right, right. I call it a digital scrapbook. And so, you know, it's there. I can see, wow, I was really young then. Or, wow, look at that lightning storm that we were in, you know, like happened in Utah. You know, when I was with Brad Felton from Mousethe Crowflies, can...

Kenzie Smith (02:19)
Yeah, yeah, that's super special and super fun. Do you... when did you start the YouTube channel and kind of talk to us about what is on there?

Jeff B (02:31)
Yeah, so it was probably about three or four years ago. I can't really recall the exact date. I could probably go back and look at my first video. all along I was videoing stuff. just understand YouTube. And finally I was like, I'm going to do this. And I loaded up my first video. And it went fairly well. And I learned a lot from that one. But as far as the YouTube channel, what is on it?

It's kind of a mix of different things. Initially started out to record various hiking backpacking trips here in the southeast where I'm located. And then it kind of grew from there. I started adding some family stuff on there. Just to have it, once again, I have a digital scrapbook and most recently I've added something called Adventure Date. Adventure Date is where my wife and I

go out on an adventure state. It might be backpacking, camping, and most recently van-lifing for about nine days in beautiful, beautiful southern Utah. So you're going to find a little bit of everything. Then there are some devotional stuff, items on there, like a hike in the Highline Trail. And we came across a herd of sheep.

And all of a sudden I started thinking about Christ and the shepherd that he is and that the sheep know his voice. And it was, I was actually, you know, alone at that time. You know, I got separated from the crew and it was a very spiritual moment. So maybe I'm jumping ahead here, but it just came to mind that I have a video that's.

of that so as far as the content goes. then I don't really review products. I have. It just feels like a lot of pressure to me. I'm not opposed to it, but it's got to be the right thing for me to review.

Kenzie Smith (04:41)
Yeah, yeah, I love that you kind of do a little bit of everything and I think so often people are like, you got to niche down and you got to do this and it's like, no, it's my channel. I want to do all these different things and

Jeff B (04:51)
Yeah, yeah. And I considered that at one point, especially with the whole adventure date thing. And I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna leave it on there, because that's who I am. I'm husband, and I'm proud of my wife, and I'm gonna show her and show some of our adventures and some of our dates. So I decided I'm gonna keep everything together.

Kenzie Smith (05:16)
Yeah, I love that. What was your favorite thing or place on your van life through Southern Utah? If you had to pick, I know it's hard.

Jeff B (05:25)
There's so many. Gosh, there's so many. mean, I guess it was just the experience of being in a van and going to all these beautiful places and just having everything together. That was probably even my life or each joy. That was probably even Joy's favorite thing is that, you know, this is just so convenient. You don't have to pack and unpack out of a hotel room.

all your stuff is there and it was just kind of, felt like a cool factor also. So I think it was just the van itself was cool. But it was in a great location, a great setting that really played a big part in it. I don't think we would have had that same experience if we'd been driving around Alabama, but all around Utah was pretty awesome. She's already mentioned, hey, I want to go to Vermont. I want to go to New England and do this. And I'm like, gosh, okay.

Kenzie Smith (06:19)
Hahaha

Jeff B (06:20)
Guess we better start saving some money then.

Kenzie Smith (06:24)
I love that and I think that that is a really cool aspect of it and definitely adds a new layer of experience and so that's very cool that you guys got that got that opportunity and maybe found a new favorite way to travel so

Jeff B (06:32)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, it does.

Yeah.

Kenzie Smith (06:41)
So when I think of Alabama, I think of hunting and fishing and good old Southern boys who love that kind of outdoors. So talk to us a little bit about how you got into kind of the hiking, backpacking, camping piece growing up in Alabama.

Jeff B (06:47)
Mm-hmm.

Kenzie Smith (06:58)
Or are you the best, like do you do both kind of I guess.

Jeff B (07:02)
Well, I don't hunt. My family does. I just never got into hunting. And I didn't really have the hobby of backpacking until probably about 2010. It was, you know, I love, you know, I talked about adventure, the need for adventure earlier. I kind of dropped a little hint earlier. And how I got into it was, you know, back in

2010 I had a group of friends. This is very Dan Becker-esque, guess you could say. People may say that, he took that from Dan Becker, but no, that's really kind of the same as your podcast. I just listened to it today, by the way. It was very good. But I had a group of buddies that said, hey, let's go to the Sipsy Wilderness that's here in Alabama. And so I was like, yeah, let's go. Let's go do it. Let's go camp and backpack and...

And it was an aha moment. And I was like, this is feeling that need for adventure. And that, that I just, I just need. And, and so we got into the Sipsey wilderness and the box, the wooded, wooded canyons and the aquamarine river that runs through it and the waterfalls and everything. It was just like, this is it. This is what I've been searching for to fill that.

that need and that's how I really got into it. I I grew up on acreage, my family's farm in Alabama and I'd run around the hills and the hollows and look play in the creeks and the ponds and everything and I got away from that. went to school and ended up in Birmingham, Alabama where you know it wasn't as accessible, a lot of acreage and but

that filled that going to the Sipsey Wilderness and backpacking in and camping for two nights. It really filled that void and brought me in. I told him, was like, this is it. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this.

Kenzie Smith (09:07)
Yeah, I think that's, that's so fun, but I think it's a little crazy. Like, did any of you guys have backpacking experience or you guys were just like, we're just going to make this happen.

Jeff B (09:18)
No, it was really we piece-milled everything together. I had a Walmart backpack. I went and bought one. And I had a, I did have a thermo rest mat and I had a, borrowed a sleeping bag and it was kind of this time of year, it got, it got down to 30 degrees and the back, sleeping bag wasn't, it wasn't good. And, but it didn't deter me from wanting to go back. It just like, okay, if I'm going to do this.

I need to invest in some good gear. So I started researching and YouTube at that time was just now really coming on. And this is going to sound very Dan Becker as well, but it's really just now coming on. really didn't have that many options to choose from. And so what was there, you know, I watched over and over and over. And of course you had, you know, stuff like Survivor Man or Dual Survival or stuff like that on television, Bear Grylls.

And so I learned my skills a skill set from them even though it's kind of different, you know, and but unfortunately my buddies they didn't want to go like I did and and so I found myself like if I'm going to do this I've really got to develop a skill set to go by myself and be okay and and and safely do it and so that's that's what I did I just developed and next thing you know

ran out of places to hike in the Sipsy Wilderness and I thought, where else can I go? And that's when I discovered the Penhody Trail and I fell in love with that trail at that moment. And so it's kind of my proving grounds. so now I'm on the board, I'm a board member of the Penhody, of PENEX, of Penhody Experience. So, and it's really neat to see that trail to continue to develop and gain notoriety across the

not just the United States, but across around the world. So I run into people from other countries on it when I'm out there.

Kenzie Smith (11:22)
Yeah, I've been telling my husband I'm like, I didn't know about the Penhody Trail when I lived in Alabama, so now I need to come back and hike it. When is I know Alabama can be kind of hot in the summer. So when's the best time or when's that sweet spot for it? Okay.

Jeff B (11:28)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, right now. Right now in October and November, it's the best time, probably late October, early November. And then in December, it starts getting kind of wet and everything. if I, like I've got a trip planned right now where Joy, my wife, the first part of November, she's just gonna go drop me off in Georgia and I'm gonna hike south into Alabama and.

I'll call her when my five or six days is up. Wherever I am, that's where she's gonna come and pick me up. So I do have something planned. So I was gonna go to the Carolinas during that time, but with the current hurricane and everything and the trails are just torn up, logistically, nowhere I was gonna go. It just doesn't make sense right now. So why not go to my first love, the Penhody Trail?

Kenzie Smith (12:29)
Yeah.

Jeff B (12:34)
You

Kenzie Smith (12:34)
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I can't wait to hear about it. So talk to us a little bit about how being in the outdoors and backpacking and traveling plays a role specifically in your relationship with Christ.

Jeff B (12:37)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah. So for me, it's, you I like getting out with friends. I like getting out with the family, but I really enjoy getting out and being alone. And just to absorb the stillness and the quietness that is the trail when you're solo. Being solo is not for everybody, but I...

found that I really do enjoy that the most and there's it gives you an opportunity to breathe deeply and let the stresses of life kind of fall away you know that's kind of like John Muresque right you know the leaves autumn leaves fall off the stress is just kind of fall off but when all that gets stripped away it's just you

your footsteps, the sound of your footsteps, the leaves that are crunching under your feet and your thoughts and maybe contemplating something that you've read in scripture or maybe the Holy Spirit put something in your heart just to meditate on it, on that, maybe on the law, you how you meditate on it day and night, you you really chew on it. There's just something about that when

and you don't have all the distractions all around you, pulling at you, the sounds and everything. I find myself a better person after I come back from those trips, not when I'm alone. But, like I said, I do like going with friends. Especially my guys in the Penhody Mafia.

That is a group of Latinx guys here in the southeast that we just all kind of got together and started hiking together. Then we realized we all were followers of Christ and then we actually pray with each other. We have a little text thread that's called the Penhody Prayer Text Thread with our group and we pray for sicknesses, we pray for healings, we pray for marriages, we pray for

family and friends. We've prayed for a lot of things on that and through that camaraderie, through that brotherhood, we've even held each other accountable. It's kind of been that iron sharpening and iron because it's, you know, I don't think it was just coincidence that we all came together, even though we all have YouTube channels, but God knows what we need. looked up

you know, providence, know, people talk about providence and sovereignty of God and everything. I looked up the definition of providence and it's basically that God knows and provides what you need. And so I didn't know that I needed that. And some of the other guys have said they didn't know they needed that until they got into it. And then, of course, we would add some people on here and there and they kind of watch, you know, the interaction and

it's lifted them up and everything. So that's a little part of what the outdoors and Christ and what it means to me in my life.

Kenzie Smith (16:12)
Yeah, yeah, that's just so special. And I just think that's so cool that God did that and moved through that community and through the outdoors with you guys as a group.

Jeff B (16:22)
Mm-hmm.

Kenzie Smith (16:26)
Yeah, it's funny that you said like it wasn't even something that you know that you needed. It was just something that you kind of stumbled stumbled upon and just filled a really big, big gap in your life. And I just think that's absolutely beautiful. And I appreciate you sharing that definition of providence, because I think that that's helpful. Like he knows even sometimes we don't know the answer, but he knows. And if you're open, you know, to it, then he has provision there. So I love that.

Jeff B (16:30)
Cheers.

Hmm?

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Kenzie Smith (16:55)
So can you share a story with us about a way in which maybe God has revealed himself to you or spoken to you through the outdoors?

Jeff B (17:03)
yeah, so I mean

I guess it goes back to, there's been times in my life, and we'll speak about this later on, I I didn't know that I was gonna need something until it happened, until I was in that valley. when I was speaking of that valley back in...

I mentioned earlier the sheep in Utah. God really spoke to me in that time. I I was just staring at sheep. was walking through sheep and it made me think about how He is the good shepherd in my life. And it was just one of these things, you sometimes when God just comes down, you know, through the Holy Spirit and just really places something on you that, you know, I love you and

I love you so much that I gave my unique son, my only son, to die on the cross for you, that whosoever will call on him will be saved. so I got saved when I was 16 years old. I had a very kind of vanilla life, I would say vanilla. I grew up in the church.

My parents, my father had the keys to church. He was the finance guy. And so we'll get a little bit further into that later on. But with that, obviously people that would come through and they would be delivered from hurt and shame and sin. And they were so joyous and I didn't really have that.

And I thank God, He spared me from some of those things. That's a great testimony in itself. But I I always desire to know God maybe in that manner because it was just so genuine. It was just genuine joy for whatever they came out of. And so when I was, you know, just throughout time, you know, being outdoors.

And like that time in Utah and us those sheep and I just stopped and and I never I didn't tell Brad Bess or Packs a lot the guy who the local that hosted us but I just kind of sat there on one of those those iconic Karens that they have and on the Highline Trail I sat there and I just just cried I was overwhelmed with I'm not a cryer but just you know, it was

peaceful, it's quiet, I could hear the sheep in the distance and even when I tried to go to them, I wasn't off their shepherd. They would move away from me and there was just so much in that, was so much that you know, I made a little video of it, you know, when I got back. You know, it was just a little quick little video speaking on that but...

Yeah, it was a special moment where God kind of came down and just revealed, I love you. I love you and thanks.

Kenzie Smith (20:38)
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that and we will make sure to put the link to that video in the description so everybody can go and watch it.

Jeff B (20:41)
you

Yeah, man.

Kenzie Smith (20:50)
It's interesting because I've actually, I was just watching a video and we've been talking in a few of my circles about sheep a lot lately and about how there's so much reason behind why like that is what God has used in the Bible. And like if, I mean, I didn't grow up around sheep. I don't know anything about sheep. But I've been trying to learn more about sheep and it's

so wild how just perfect of a picture like that is and so that's a super special moment.

Jeff B (21:21)
yeah, yeah definitely, definitely.

Kenzie Smith (21:28)
So for a listener who maybe lives in a kind of big city like you near Birmingham, Alabama, and doesn't get the opportunity to go on some of these really awesome experiences out West and get to go on some of these long backpacking trips. What are ways that people can start to connect with God through the outdoors, even in an urban environment in their everyday life?

Jeff B (21:35)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, it goes back to just getting along and being with God. I mean, we see all in the Gospels, Jesus would retreat into the wilderness for prayer, in reflection, in commuting with the Father. What better example could we have than that? And it's something I always tell the guys in our Sunday night Bible study group.

I tell them, we've got the most resources at our hands to know Scripture, to know the Bible, but we're the most illiterate, biblically, ever. And so I always tell them that in order to know God more, we've got to get in Scripture more. We've got to not just read it, but we've got to study it and really meditate on it.

How can someone getting to the outdoors is in the urban environment and maybe connect with God in that way? Have a favorite Bible verse. Have a chapter. Go out and read it. We've got our phones with us. know, while I like disconnecting from the phone, the amazing invention, having the entire Bible, multiple versions on your phone of that Bible.

you know, sit down and really meditate on God and think about God. Maybe you write down a memory scripture that you just want to really chew on a song. know, songs are beautiful to meditate on, especially when you're out and outdoors and you might be in urban environment. It doesn't necessarily have to be a trail. It could be a park.

and watch the wind blow flowers or grass. Or you could look at the clouds or the leaves here. Now in this time of year in the fall, they're just gently falling. And I think even that, or look at the rocks. The rocks will cry out. I mean, if we just look around and not worship the creation, but the creator.

and know that there's a master architect in all of that, how can you deny that God is real? And if you'll draw close to Him, He will absolutely draw close to you. He's not moved. We always move away from Him. He's always there. He's always around us. And the Holy Spirit will draw you to Him if you ask. Just simply ask.

Kenzie Smith (24:42)
Yep, yep, that's so good, so true. He has never moved. We are the ones that get distracted and move away.

Jeff B (24:50)
Mm-hmm always Where the sheep were prone to wander and those sheep, well they do wander but they're always listening for the voice of the shepherd, but if one does stray away He leaves the 99 to go rescue that one He's rescued me. He's probably rescued you. He's rescued a lot of people on your podcast That's how much God loves us

He loves us so much that he's willing to go after us.

Kenzie Smith (25:24)
So good. Thank you so much for that. It's really encouraging. All right. So switching gears into the title of this podcast, My Valley, His Victory, would love for you to share a valley or a season of wilderness that you experienced and what God maybe taught you or prepared you for in that season.

Jeff B (25:30)
Okay. Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, so what I have to share, you don't even know, I didn't prep you for this, it's heavy. I've listened to some your other podcasts and there's some heavy podcasts on there of valleys and overcoming those experiences. But what my experience is that I'm going to share affects about 40 to 50 % of people. That's divorce.

in our modern society. And then that's just the first marriage. A lot of people go on to have a second marriage. That percentage goes up to 60 67 or 70 percent. God instituted marriage. It's a beautiful thing. And it's something that, you know, shouldn't be taken lightly. But sometimes you're blindsided. You're blindsided and you're like, boom.

You you're in this valley of despair. But there's a good chance that someone listening to this podcast, maybe in the future, maybe they're just out searching something. They just type in, you know, divorce and guys like divorce and outdoors or what? I don't know. And all of a your podcast pops up and here we are talking about this very heavy subject that touches a lot of people. And so. But.

God is not, he desires more for us, he desires redemption in that. And so, so my story, you know, I mentioned earlier that I had a very vanilla life growing up. My father, my mother and father made it get divorced. My father had the keys to the church. I would mow the church yard, I'd mow the grass. So I was always involved with it.

Like I said, I would see people come in and be delivered and have these victorious moments where they had really experienced God.

And I was very envious of that. I don't think, not in a bad way, but I wanted more. I wanted to experience just that, that of God, of loving God that much. And so, you know, I go to college, I meet a girl, we get married.

Married for three years. The first year and a half was the normal newlywed. It was fine. We bought a house, we bought two houses within that three years. But that last year and a half was incredibly difficult. And I'm not gonna get into a lot of details, but I'll share just a very high level of it. going back to Providence, God knew what I needed.

before I knew that I needed it. And so about that time, I kind of had this revival in me about the year and a half mark, and I really started pursuing God. started, if I'm gonna know God, I need to know the Bible. If I'm gonna know God, I need to know the Bibles. I really started studying it. Even with, I would go whenever the church doors were open and put the...

through all that. It was about this time of year, I can still remember, it was about 19 years ago. Every time I tell the story, I can still feel that same feeling. sitting on the back deck, I was told, I don't love you. I've never loved you. I only married you to get out of my parents' house.

And that was very... It was... I felt betrayed, I felt hurt. All those emotions. I was embarrassed. I couldn't hold my family together. I had a... newly born daughter. Beautiful brown eyed little girl. And just stole my heart. But I couldn't... I was attacked spiritually. You know, which happens.

You know, you can't hold your family together. What kind of follower of Christ are you? That whole scenario. And so my family just, they didn't get divorces. And so I really searched out, you know, God in that time. And of course, you know, you know, I'd like to say that the marriage got back together, but it didn't. There was too much irreparable harm done. And so

I found myself alone again. during that, so that was my son. You might've heard in the background and shouting, but, but during that, I didn't know if I'd ever get married again. That's how, you know, how hurt I was over it. but I, but I knew, you know, it goes back to

you you asked about maybe a life application verse and I don't want to do it right and read it off, but it turned out to be this, those who know your name, trust in you for you Lord have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9 10. And so I held on to that and I cried out to the Lord and for him to save me and to never let me go.

He started to reveal to me, you know, you thought your life was very vanilla. You're witnessing all these moments of people having victory and overcoming. And this was my moment. I didn't know that God was preparing me for that. He didn't make it happen. He didn't make the divorce happen.

We live in a sinful, fallen world and bad things happen even to good people. mean, the Bible's replete with that. You see Joe, really even worse things happen to him. And he said, though he slayed me, I'll still trust in him. So I really held onto that anchor of Christ that I'd learned as a young boy and a young man. so this was my prayer.

I said, God, I'll not ask you why. I'll just ask that you somehow allow me to use this to glorify you. And that was my true heart's prayer in that.

And as time went on, there was some healing and I got okay. And I started having times when I started connecting with people and I could speak into their life with an experience that they were going through. It was almost like I could spot it on people and I would ask them if they're okay and they would be fine in me and I'd get to share the story.

share my story. And a lot of it was after I had met someone very special, sometime after. And her name was Joy. And so it almost felt like my joy had been lobbed from me from that previous experience. But then, you know, I mentioned earlier, God is in the

He desires so much more for us that he desires redemption even when we fall. He desires to give us a good kiss, a great gifts, and he gave me back joy. And through that, like I said, I was able to tell that story to people. I was able to witness to people. And I've got many, many stories.

And so every time I get that opportunity, go back to when I prayed that, that first night that I'd heard, I don't love you. I've never loved you. I only married you to get out of my parents' I go back to that night in that prayer. as I went through that, as I've experienced this now, and it's been 19 years now, I can tell you that that scar is still there.

But just like the markers that in Joshua 3, when Joshua was going to go across the Jordan River, was during flood season. And he petitioned God, he says, you know, what am I to do? I've got to get all these Israelites across. They had experienced the Red Sea. All those people had died off, but these Israelites had not. And God told him to tell the heads of each tribe of Israel to pick up a stone.

out of the middle of the Jordan River, because I'm going to stop the river just like I did the Red Sea. And there they take that stone and make a marker or memorial on other sides. So when your children ask, what do these stones mean? This is where the Lord provided. And so I've held on to that for a number of years. I've spoken to that, that even though this is a scar in my life, I look back at God's provision and that, you know, I was able to trust Him and that

that no matter how bad it got, it was terrible. No matter how bad it gets, that those who know your name trust in you for you. The Lord has never forsaken those who seek him. He'll never forsake us if we will place ourselves in him. He'll protect us all along the way. It doesn't mean we won't have bad things happen to us, but when...

Bad things do happen to us. We can look at that. And our pastor, I've heard it said many times that fruit is grown in the valley, not on mountaintops. But I shared with one of my buddies in the Penhode Mafia that just the other day that, you know what? It's our job when we're coming out of the valley or we've been on the mountaintop. You don't always stay on the mountaintop.

You're either coming off the mountaintop or you're ascending to the mountaintop. Most of time you're in the valley. But it's in the valley where the fruit is grown. But when we're coming off of the mountaintop or when we're going up the mountaintop or coming off the mountaintop, we're to look back and tell others keep pushing. Cause the mountaintop is here. You just gotta keep push. You gotta keep going. Keep trusting God. And when you get to the mountaintop, there's a good chance you won't stay on the mountaintop cause we wouldn't need God if we on the mountaintop all the time.

And so, but you know, but when everything is stripped away and you're in the valley and it's silent and it's just you in the trail, then you can, you can commune with God a little bit closer. So that's the, that's my, that's my story. That's a, I'm kind of long-winded in that, but it's something that, you know, God has used in my life.

knowing that when life did squeeze me, it didn't squeeze out hate and fear and anything like that. It squeezed out an opportunity for God to be glorified. you know, that's how I rationalize going from having a vanilla life to having that experience and then glorifying God in it.

Kenzie Smith (38:06)
Yeah. Two things, not long-winded at all. And secondly, I am so grateful that I didn't hear this story before this because I have just, I just went through a whole range of emotions just as you're telling that story. And I'm just grateful that I, that I got to go through those experiences as we're sitting here and actually having this conversation. what an

Jeff B (38:11)
Okay.

Kenzie Smith (38:35)
Obviously I want to say, you know, I'm sorry. And I know that I don't know. I can only imagine that that was a really hard season. But what a testimony of what God has done with it. mean, it's such a such a beautiful story. I just.

Jeff B (38:40)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Well, it's all it's all God. It's not me. The flesh in me wanted to rage. But the Holy Spirit, because remember I said that he was preparing me for a year and a half for an appointed day when he didn't he didn't make it happen. He knew it was going to happen. And he was preparing me for that. And then he was preparing me for it may be another podcast probably.

I another one where my son got hurt, had his thumb ripped off and we're down at the beach and God showed himself there also. It's not outdoors, but God has repeatedly showed himself that you can trust him. You can absolutely trust God no matter what, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how bleak it is. Trust God.

Kenzie Smith (39:54)
Yeah, I think it's beautiful. The prayer or the question. I think you said it was a prayer, but the question that you asked and that you prayed about, which was not why I'm not going to ask you why, but how do I use this to glorify you? And I think that is a heart posture that is so incredibly important in the Christian lifestyle, because like you said, we live in a broken world. Bad things happen there.

There's a lot of things going on all the time. Life is not anywhere close to what I've expected it to be, at least in my experience. And that is just a beautiful, beautiful question and a beautiful heart posture to be in. Because I think that, you know, that's my whole heart behind this whole podcast is like.

Jeff B (40:32)
No.

Yeah.

Kenzie Smith (40:46)
witnessing the stories of the things that aren't ideal, but giving people exactly almost what you're saying. Like everything that you said, like sums up this whole, you know, thought of this podcast in my mind is.

Jeff B (40:54)
and

Kenzie Smith (41:01)
You know, we're all going to go through valleys. We're all going to go through hard seasons. But I think that God has given us stories and he has, you know, given us things in our lives to help and to witness to others. And so I think so often people like, don't know what I'm called to do. I don't know how I'm called to share, you know, the gospel. don't know, you know, X, Y and Z. It's like.

Jeff B (41:15)
Mm-hmm.

Kenzie Smith (41:27)
start by sharing your story because so often that can open so many doors and like you said you just felt like you drawn to people that you were able to you know they were able to confide in you and that you were able to witness to and that you were able to maybe even just plant a seed of encouragement and I think sometimes even just that open door to even be able to talk about something is so helpful.

Jeff B (41:29)
Mm-hmm.

Hmm.

Yeah.

It is, yeah. I mean, you just, you can look around, you can see the world is hurting. the way, there's really one way to heal that hurt, and that only way is Christ. We can do different things to try to make it feel better. We can, you know, take different drugs or, you know, take different medications or...

or alcohol or whatever advice may be to numb it up, but you always come off that numb and it's still there. And Christ came to this earth for that, for your salvation, to reconcile us to the Father. Because this is not the way it all meant to be, but this is what happened, that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

down across it, believe in Him shall have eternal life. And that life, you also can have it more abundantly. Doesn't mean that it'll be perfect because we live in a fallen world. But if we will submit to Christ and seek Him and follow Him and try to know Him more through a sanctification process of, this is gonna naturally happen as we draw closer to Christ, we're gonna naturally.

become more more sanctified. It doesn't mean that we're holier than thou or anything. It just means that we are beggars showing other people where bread is, right? Where hungry people are, cause, you know, we were sick. We were sick people and, you know, the church, the church body is not a museum for saints. Everybody's heard there's not a museum for saints. It's a hospital.

for sinners and those who are broken and everything. And is there if you'll reach out and take a hold of him.

Kenzie Smith (44:00)
Yeah, yeah, so good. So for a listener who maybe is struggling with a similar season, what piece of advice or encouragement would you offer to that person?

Jeff B (44:09)
you

Don't give up. Hold tight to the anchor. If you're a believer, if you're a Christ follower.

Seek the Lord, He's there. Trust in Him and know that He will never forsake you. If you're not a believer, it starts with becoming a believer. It may be a journey that you're on as you come to that point where you do realize that you are in need of a Savior. You are in need of

someone to reconcile you to God the Father. in that, there will be healing, not that it'll be easy, but it will be, there will be healing in that. But don't give up, keep pursuing God. He's not, like we spoke about earlier, He's not moving. We keep dodging Him. He keeps reaching out for us. He'll send little things out to us, send people to us.

He'll send the gentle wind, you know, when we're out in the wilderness, we're out in the outdoors, and you'll feel that wind blow across, you'll see that stream flowing, that sound of that waterfall, you'll see that beautiful rock, you'll see that beautiful flat, whatever it may be, that beautiful animal gracefully going across a prairie. And he sends messages to us. He reaches out to us.

So it said that, and that's the drawing of the Holy Spirit to God the Father, because He desires for us to be in that fold.

Kenzie Smith (46:06)
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I just wanted to say thank you again so much for sharing your story and for being vulnerable and talking about a really hard season in your life. I know that that's not always easy and I know that it can bring up some feelings just like you said. Like I still get the same feelings that I got the first time that I heard that and I just appreciate you being willing to share that and.

Jeff B (46:16)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Kenzie Smith (46:33)
being open and also I feel like you've encouraged, you know, men to be in community and to have a brotherhood of men that you can be open and honest and transparent with and you know, that is the way in which iron sharpens iron and you have to be vulnerable. And so I just thank you for living that out, living that out and being here with us.

Jeff B (46:41)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, definitely.

Kenzie Smith (46:59)
And for those listening who maybe want to follow along with you and your YouTube channel, where can they find you?

Jeff B (47:06)
Yeah, so just go to YouTube type in J Ben Hikes, J-B-N-H-I-K-E-S, all one word. And look for, all my gear is black because it shows less dirt. So now I'm like the Johnny Cash of the trail. But my logo, if you think of the ACDC logo and you see that J Ben Hikes, then I've got a lightning bolt. Cause I think I'm.

hype fast I probably don't but I've got a lightning bolt between JBen and Hikes on my logo so if you see that you see JBen Hikes then you know you've arrived in the right place Instagram JBen Hikes if Facebook I'm just Jeff Bennefield I'm just a regular old guy but I probably will never monetize so they have

I just want because I don't want that stress of it. But yeah, if you want to follow along, you're welcome to come aboard and I'll try to do my best to keep your attention in videos.

Kenzie Smith (48:15)
Yeah, well like I said, just thank you again so much for being here and sharing your story.

Jeff B (48:21)
You're welcome. I really enjoyed it and I'm a big fan of your podcast. I keep listening through a lot of them, but thank you so much.