058 - Love Can Change Someone with Juan Flores

In this episode, Jonathon Flores shares his transformative journey from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, where he rekindled his relationship with God and founded Outdoor Adventures +. This initiative aims to connect the BIPOC community with nature through hiking and outdoor activities, fostering inclusivity and spiritual growth. Jonathon discusses the importance of creating safe spaces for underrepresented groups in the outdoors, the beauty of California's diverse landscapes, and how nature enhances one's spiritual connection. He emphasizes the significance of building relationships and being a living testament of faith in everyday life. In this conversation, McKenzie Smith and Jonathon Flores explore the significance of intentionality in faith, the challenges of navigating personal valleys, and the transformative power of love and vulnerability. They discuss the importance of owning mistakes, the impact of community, and how experiences shape one's relationship with God. 

Connect with him on Instagram:

@__juanflowers__
@_outadvplus_
@__uynproject__

YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@outdooradventures3214?si=PuMEnt1hI5awYAME

Song of Ascent on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/78bUGqKRoXN8kJY1AeWhzt

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Chapters

• 14:03 [Ad] The Balance of Gray
• 14:53 (Cont.) 058 - Love Can Change Someone with Juan Flores
• 24:14 [Ad] The Signpost Inn Podcast
• 25:00 (Cont.) 058 - Love Can Change Someone with Juan Flores

Transcript

McKenzie Smith (00:02)
On today's episode of My Valley, His Victory, we have Jonathan Flores, or as on Instagram, he's Juan Flowers. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, but now resides in Bakersfield, California with his wife and their two cats and golden retriever Watson with a daughter in college. It was here in Bakersfield.

It was here in Bakersfield where Jonathan's relationship with God was rekindled after spending a decade running away from him. This led to him taking the next steps in his Christian walk and getting baptized, surrendered to the ministry of becoming a preacher slash pastor to then leading a youth ministry alongside his wife. From leading city outreach, international and local mission trips, Jonathan found time to discover a new passion in the outdoors, which led him to found

which led him to found the group Outdoor Adventures Plus, a once church ministry that shifted with a focus on reaching the BIPOC community where they coordinate and lead hikes, backpacking trips, camping experiences, and the occasional trail run.

also adding new educational nature hikes after becoming a certified California naturalist. His aim is to continue to provide a way for underprivileged youth in Bakersfield through the Urban Youth Nature Project to discover God in the outdoors. Thanks so much for being with us today, Juan.

Jonathon Flores (01:23)
Thank you, Mackenzie or Kenzie for having me on and for this opportunity.

McKenzie Smith (01:29)
Yeah, absolutely. I know I just read your bio, but why don't you go ahead and just share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and who you are.

Jonathon Flores (01:37)
I you pretty much summed it up in the bio. But yeah, I am from originally a transplant from Los Angeles, California. I tended to move around a lot with my dad's job, basically kind of just taking us a little bit of everywhere. So.

I think the furthest that I ended up down was in Lake Paris, California, which is kind of by Indio, maybe about 45 minutes north of San Diego. And then, yeah, my wife called, well, my fiance then called me and said, hey,

you if I were able to get you a job up here, would you move up here? And I said, sure. I got nothing going for me down here right now. And yeah, I made that change and moved up to Bakersfield, California where I reside here with my wife.

Everything basically being here has been a blessing in itself. Took me out of the situations that I was in and the current state of mind that I was in when I was living down in Southern California with really no family around. So being here, yeah, I've been blessed and honored to be able to do all these things and yeah.

McKenzie Smith (03:08)
Yeah, so talk to us a little bit about Outdoor Adventures Plus and what that is and yeah, kind of just the journey there.

Jonathon Flores (03:17)
Okay. So as I mentioned, I'm originally from LA and I was a kid who kind of focused more on going to punk shows and, you know, painting the town red. And what I mean by that is I was a graffiti artist at my younger age. I was also involved in the underground hip hop scene as a B-boy. And

Being doing that, I really didn't grow up in a outdoorsy family, as you would say. The only exposure that I had there were probably school field trips in elementary school to certain areas down in LA. But when you think about LA as a kid, it's skyscrapers, you know.

you really don't think about the mountains and everything that's around you. moving up to Bakersfield, it's been maybe what since 2015 that I actually was exposed to the hiking community as well as the backpacking and trail running and all that. And Bakersfield kind of lacked it, meaning that they lacked the groups or people.

who kind of promoted it and said, hey, you you want to join us, come out and join us and, you know, we can show you the ropes. And it ended up being that we, myself and three other friends took a weekend trip to Zion National Park. We got there and we did Angel's Landing. And on the way down of Angel's Landing, we're kind of like, hey, let's take this back to church.

and see if there's anybody who would like to join us and learn a little bit more about hiking and the outdoors and whatnot. And they were like, yeah, let's do it. And we went back to church. It kind of really didn't take off as I thought it would. And it was just basically us inviting friends and just still going out hiking and.

Then eventually they kind of just dropped it in my lap and said, you know, we really don't have the time for this. And if you want it, it's yours. And yeah, I've been running it on my own for a couple of years. And then I had friends who joined me to also bring different activities to the community, not only here in Bakersfield, but also in Southern California and Northern California.

with some backpacking and camping and a lot more other experiences that we hope to add as time goes on.

McKenzie Smith (06:17)
Yeah. So for a listener who may not know what BIPOC is, tell us what that is and just kind of, you know, why that community wears, you know. Yeah. Why is it a group? Why is it a group for BIPOC people? And what does that mean?

Jonathon Flores (06:36)
okay,

obviously BIPOC is a black indigenous and people of color. the focus there was, I guess as a kid and even as an adult, really didn't see a lot of people like me out there.

And I know times are changing as years go by and the outdoors is actually being, it is diversifying and it is, you know, showing more signs of that the outdoors is for everybody. And I just figured, you know what? I think it's easier to reach these, this group of demographic of people.

to provide a space for them to feel safe, feel, you know, like to belong to something. And it was basically created for that. was to build community within a community, to be able to offer these services and us being a resource for them to be able to, you know, learn how to hike, the ins and outs, the 101 on, you know, what to pack and...

the gear to have. then from there, we went to backpacking and we do that now. you know, we host plenty of camping trips and over the course of time, I mean, we've had a lot of people and, it's not just one of those groups who we just solely focus on the BIPOC community, anybody and everybody has been welcome to join us. And yeah, it's, it's been a, it's been a journey definitely come March.

We'll be celebrating five years of being an outdoor group. And we've had just about every personality and person of color, whatever you want to call it. They've been out there with us and just showing people that, hey, look, we can do it and you can do it.

McKenzie Smith (08:36)
You

Yeah, yeah, I think that's awesome.

you looked around in the community of the things that you loved and you didn't see people that looked like you and you were like, hey, we need to get more people. If you know, if I love it, let's bring more people around. And I think that's super special. And, know, just creating a space where people can can try something without feeling scared or nervous or, know, all the things I think is just so helpful with it with anything. And so I love what you're doing. I love that you're bringing more people into the outdoors and teaching them what they need to know and creating a safe

Jonathon Flores (09:03)
you.

McKenzie Smith (09:23)
space to do that because the outdoors can be intimidating for somebody that never, you know, has experienced them. I know I've talked about this a lot, but I'm from the Midwest. Like I did not grow up, you know, doing all these things that I do now. And so at some point you have to, to be taught and you have to be willing to learn and have a safe environment to do so. And yeah, I think that's just really cool that you're providing that for people and giving them the opportunity to learn and to try it out. And you know what?

They

may not love it, chances are they will because the outdoors are great. So you said you've kind of lived all over California, specifically, you know, hiking. California has has really awesome hiking. Where is the part of California that you love? Is there a specific trail, specific wilderness area like where's your go to outdoor spot in California?

Jonathon Flores (09:57)
Yes, exactly.

That's a hard one. I know, you know, here in the United States, a lot of people say that Colorado is like the Mecca of like outdoor, right? It has everything. And I, I'm one of those Californians who will beg to differ because California does have a lot of different viral regions. You know, you have the mountains, you have deserts, you have the ocean.

McKenzie Smith (10:37)
Yeah.

Jonathon Flores (10:46)
Now give or take that Colorado does have more snow and they can keep it because I'm not a very snow type person. But there is, I guess there's just too many to select in California. Me and my family love to travel up highway one through Big Sur and visit all the little hiking spots there. We've spent plenty of time in the Redwoods.

McKenzie Smith (10:53)
You

Jonathon Flores (11:15)
is another location. But I guess if I were to really hone in on just one, I'd have to say the Santa Monica Mountains. Not a lot of people really go there and really think that there's anything there, but this area from Oxnard down to Santa Monica, just about, it's about 61 miles stretch. And then there's

the mountains continue inland, you know, to Griffith Park. And people think Griffith Park is just a park, but it's actually a part of the Eastern Range of the Santa Monica Mountains. And there's just two freeways that you have to cross in order to get there. But a lot of these areas, Griffith Park is very heavily populated with people. A lot of people tend to flock there. They go hiking, they run.

there's equestrian riding and all that but when you go further west towards the coast that whole mountain range is just so beautiful there's so many little state parks here and there throughout there and one of my favorite spots is sandstone peak it is the tallest peak there in the Santa Monica mountains i think it's like at 3000 plus

a good little 6.2 mile loop, but if you ever come to California and you ever just want to say, take me there. I will take you there for sunset and you will totally understand why on a clear day. It is the most majestic canvas that God has painted, to show you, you know, that he is very creative with

McKenzie Smith (12:59)
Yeah.

you

Jonathon Flores (13:13)
with the creation part of who he is and what he's allowed us to be able to see and experience.

McKenzie Smith (13:20)
Yeah, very cool.

I've heard about a lot of hiking and a lot of outdoor places in California and I have never heard of the Santa Monica Mountains. So now I'm intrigued. I'm going to have to go Google and check it out and maybe make it a part of my never ending bucket list that exists. So we'll definitely check that out. So you kind of just touched on it a little bit, but why don't you go ahead and just expound on how being in the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, all these things play a

specifically in your relationship with Chris.

Jonathon Flores (13:57)
Yeah, I have to say that a lot of... I think being outdoors obviously has helped me with my mental well-being. And when you're out there alone, it definitely gives you that one-on-one time with God. And...

There's no distractions. There's no noise other than whatever bird is flying by or whatever the case. It's just you and him. And I think that's as a creative as someone who loves to draw and has always done that since being a kid. And I've always just loved looking at landscapes and trees and flowers and animals and just different things like that.

and being an adult, being able to actually not just draw it, but to actually go to some of these places. That's what amazes me the most. I think when you think about creation and you think about the natural world, we live so fast paced lives that we forget to stop and actually admire and take in what God has created.

I mean, that's why he's given us eyes. He's given us a sense of smell, of taste to be able to hear so that you can actually get a full, you know, round of what it is that he did. You know, it's funny because I, when I've preached and I've shared this as an illustration is that, you know, even though creation itself took, you know, six days.

and poof it was there right it took him nine months to create you it took him nine months to create you to to fashion every intricacy in your body your eyes your eardrums your heart everything and how it's supposed to work together you think about that

And there's really no comparison in the sense that he created you special, unique, so that you can enjoy and expound on all the other stuff that he put into place.

McKenzie Smith (16:29)
Yeah, I never thought about that. It takes nine months for us to form, you in our mother's womb. And yeah, that's it. That's it. That's interesting to think about for sure. Thank you for sharing that. That definitely has my my wheels spinning now.

Jonathon Flores (16:46)
You

You know, it's

funny because when you look at nature, right, you look at the canopy of trees when you're looking up, if you look at the canopy of trees, it actually looks like the, I don't know what, you can fact check me later, but it actually looks like a pair of lungs.

You you look at the tree stump, you know, a tree that has been chopped down and you look at the stump and you look at the rings on it, it's exactly like the rings that are on your finger. So everything has detail, everything. And that's what's so fascinating when you're out there and you're able to see all this. All you can really do is give credit where credit is due. And I mean, he's...

McKenzie Smith (17:34)
Yeah.

Jonathon Flores (17:37)
It's his masterpiece

McKenzie Smith (17:40)
It is. And the more you go down that rabbit hole, like the more things you're going to find, like I'll never forget. I wrote a blog post about this years ago, but about how even the foods that we eat look like the things in which they're good for. So like a walnut is really good for your brain health. And guess what it looks like? A brain. Carrots are good for your eyes. Guess what the inside of a carrot looks like.

You know, avocados are good for your ovaries. Guess what the inside of an avocado, you know what I mean? Like there's so many things like that. And those are just a couple of examples, but look, you know, look at it and look at different things. And there's, there are specific foods that are told you long before we had the internet and all different things like what they were good for.

Jonathon Flores (18:08)
Yeah.

Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (18:28)
And I just think that's crazy, like in and of itself that there was even that level of detail of thought. you know, there's so much that we probably won't ever even recognize on this side of heaven. But yeah, it's crazy. The more you look at it, the more you see like, man, OK, there's a reason it looks like this. it wasn't just, let's make this. it's just, you know, whatever. Like there's reasons behind everything. So thank you. Thank you for sharing that.

So can you share a story with us about a way in which maybe God has spoken to you or revealed himself to you through the outdoors?

Jonathon Flores (19:06)
Yeah, actually, I remember back in 2021, I think it was obviously still pandemic time. And I decided to go on a solo hike about 45 minutes east of Bakersfield by Kernville. And it was January, had snowed a little bit weeks prior to that.

I wasn't sure what I was going to expect, but I ended up just going anyways and packed my pack and got in the car and took off and told my wife I'd be back, you know, later in the afternoon. So I started my hike and it was a chilly day and I remember going on this trail. It was to Power's Peak. gets its, I got 5600.

feet above an elevation and Such a beautiful hike so quiet so peaceful Until I had a jet go through the canyon of the mountains and scared, you know the heck out of me Had no idea was coming someone side of the mountain on trail and you just hear this You just kind of passed by and I was like what the world?

That was one of the cool things, but I think it was coming back down from that mountain. It's a 10 mile out and back trail and completely alone. Didn't see anybody else on the trail. and I was just admiring everything that was around me. appreciating the fact that I was alive and breathing. And there was a song that I was playing on the way down.

It's by Hillsong and I want to say it's...

called Ascension. And this song was just, it was amazing to me because the words it was, they were singing, it just kind of, it spoke to me in that moment.

It's called the Highlands. It's called the Song of Ascent. And can you imagine? Yeah, could you imagine coming down the mountain? And I heard it once and I said, I need to listen to it again. So I listened to it again. And neither of my I still had five miles to trek back to the car. So it was about a good hour, 30 minutes, maybe two hours. And I tell you what, the whole time that I head down that mountain.

McKenzie Smith (21:38)
The Song of the Saint? Yeah, that's one of my all time favourites. All time favourites.

Jonathon Flores (22:05)
I put that song on loop and I just kept listening to it and listening to it and listening to it, you know, and he says, how high would I climb mountains if mountains were where you hide and how far I'd scale the valleys if you grace the other side, you know.

And even pre-chorus where he's, cause in the highlands and the heartache, you're neither more nor less inclined. And I would search and stop at nothing. You know, you're not just that hard to find. I mean, when you really are out there in the outdoors, if you're really looking for God, you'll find them. You can find them when you walk outside of your door. You can find them when you have an interaction with an individual. You can find them.

when you're walking down a mountain and listening to a song. And I think that just kind of allowed me and helped me to just kind of really just take it in and allow him to just be and just have a simple conversation with the father.

And I think now we lead group hikes. And when I look at this community of people, when you have groups of people come along with you, you're wanting to share that same excitement, that same passion.

of being outdoors and trying to show them the intricacies of what the natural world is and how it connects to this and how it connects to God and all these things and you just want people to appreciate the same thing that you see and that you experience so that they too can find God in their own way.

McKenzie Smith (24:13)
Yeah, definitely. Thank you for sharing that. That is one of my all time favorite songs and I could also, I have spent time in the outdoors just playing that one on repeat. One of my favorite parts of that song is it talks about, know, like, I'll praise you on the mountaintops, but I'll also praise you when the mountain's in my way. And that's been really helpful for me just, you know, to like remember that.

Jonathon Flores (24:25)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

McKenzie Smith (24:43)
Remember to praise him all the time good bad ugly all the times. He is still good and It is yeah, it's just like

I love that. Words can't even explain how much I love that song. Literally. It's so good. yeah, I love it. And you're right. He's there waiting. He's everywhere. He's not that hard to find. We make him hard to find because we're so distracted, but he's really not that hard. He's waiting.

Jonathon Flores (24:57)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (25:14)
And so yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. And now that song is just playing in my head as you're, I'm just like singing it in my brain as we're sitting here. Yeah.

Jonathon Flores (25:22)
Oh yeah, I can hear it just playing, you know, it's

but yeah, it's a beautiful song. So if anybody wants to listen to it, it's yeah, definitely. Yeah, listen to it.

McKenzie Smith (25:29)
Yeah, I'll link it in the show notes so that people can listen.

So I'm honestly I'm not super familiar with Bakersfield. I would assume that it's a city because I think I've heard of it before. And it's not wouldn't probably consider it a small town maybe in California compared to LA. It's a small town, but

kind of talk to us about how a listener can connect with God on an everyday basis without having to go, you know, hours away from their house, go on these big hikes. What are some ways that they can start connecting with God through creation on an everyday basis?

Jonathon Flores (26:08)
So yeah, Bakersfield is located about an hour and 30 minutes north of California, of Los Angeles. And it's right in between LA and Fresno, California. When you say Fresno, people know what Fresno is. Bakersfield is, I wanna say like at 500,000 people now. When I moved here, I think it was like at 250,000.

McKenzie Smith (26:15)
You

Okay, do you know the population? Yeah.

Okay, sounds pretty big.

Jonathon Flores (26:37)
So it's But yeah, and that's funny because yeah, we do tend to get a lot of transplants from different cities, whether it's the Bay or LA, people do tend to come up here. But yeah, it's kind of why I created this group. I did want to bring the outdoors to people.

McKenzie Smith (26:39)
That's funny, I thought everybody was leaving California and not coming to California.

Jonathon Flores (27:07)
with the very minimal trails that we actually do have here in town. And I've got to meet a lot of great people, have a lot of great conversations, being able to share the gospel with them. And they kind of, you know, they know where I stand and who I am. And it's just, it's been a great experience in being able to share with people.

One of things that I love about Bakersfield is that even though has that, it's a big, it's a growing city, it still has that home, that small hometown feel to it. And there's churches everywhere. So there's no reason why anybody couldn't connect and find something that fits them. But you know.

we work with youth and we kind of took a step back. It's been a few years now and that was one of the main things is working with young people and whether it's kids who kind of really don't understand and you know being able to provide access for them to be able to enjoy these things and and

You know, it's.

It's not always easy. It is definitely hard. nowadays, a lot of people don't want to tend to just hear you out. They want you to sit down and listen to what they have to say. But when it comes to you sharing the word with them, we're just offering to pray with them. you know, a lot of people tend to, you don't have the time right now or, you know, maybe later.

And, you know, it's one of those reoccurring things with us and wanting to be able to share what we know and share the grace and the mercy that he's shown us to be able to, you know, help them connect. And it is definitely not an easy task, more so nowadays than it was, I guess, when I was younger.

It seemed like everybody was flocking to churches and coming to know God and having that personal relationship with them. But now everyone has their own thing and they're into spiritualism or they're into being a part of communities that have nothing to do with any kind of relationship with God.

We keep tracking on, we keep pushing forward, you know, because he did instruct us and he did tell us that, you know, we're to continue to, you know, make disciples of all nations. You you baptize in them and you continue to teach. It doesn't stop. It's a continual effort. And yeah, that's.

That's what we're here for and what we're here to do. And I hope that we can continue to do so until the day that he returns.

McKenzie Smith (30:38)
Yeah, well, and I think it's important that, you know, you have a community and, you know, this is a part of it because it's part of who you are, but it's not the main part. And so I think that that really allows you to have an opportunity to really get to know these people and really build a relationship with them so then that they trust you and that they are, you know, maybe more more open to hear, hear more as time goes on.

you know, instead of that being, you know, the way you're trying to get them to come in, you know? And so I think that what you're doing is really valuable because you're building relationships. And then I think truly, you know, you have to.

Jonathon Flores (31:15)
Yes.

McKenzie Smith (31:17)
you have to build that trust with those people in order to even for them to even, you know, listen and the first place, anything you say. So I think what you're doing is great and keep it up. And yeah, I just think it's awesome that you're getting more people into the outdoors and you're creating a space for them to connect with God, you know, maybe whether they realize it or not, they're connecting with God. And so you're you're helping them do that. So that's amazing.

Jonathon Flores (31:38)
you

Thank you. And it's one thing I tell people, you know, I'm giving classes at church, I tell them that, you someone may never really open the Bible, but you're the only Bible that they're going to read.

McKenzie Smith (32:02)
Yes.

Jonathon Flores (32:02)
They're watching

you. They're watching your every step. They're watching how you react and how you are towards others. And that's exactly what it is. It's building those relationships. Not because you're trying to slap them with the Bible or tell them that Hellfire is going to come for them and they're not going to want anything to do with you after you do all that. I think nowadays that's the way to ease into it.

I think that's one of the key things for us to remember is that we are probably going to be the only Bible that anybody's ever going to read. So we need to walk accordingly.

McKenzie Smith (32:38)
Yeah.

Well,

and I think that's a really good reminder to take our faith seriously. Like if we truly do care about making disciples, we need to be very careful about the way in which we interact with others because I think that there's a...

a lot of people have been to a church before or have engaged with, you know, Christians or believers before and they've not always done the things that, you know, the Bible says and that has caused people to walk away because they're like, well, these people are not, they might like Jesus, but they don't like the people. And that's a, that's a problem. Like

Jonathon Flores (33:19)
Exactly.

McKenzie Smith (33:21)
It's not to say we're not gonna make mistakes,

but I think just being humble, being loving, not coming with a huge agenda, just like really showing that person love and it'll go further than you think. So I like that you said that, because that definitely gives me a stronger desire to make sure that when I'm around people that I know are...

aren't believers to make sure that I really am living the way that I should and that I'm talking and speaking and treating them the way that the Bible calls me to because it's going to impact the way they feel about Christians.

Jonathon Flores (34:02)
It's about being intentional

and I think that's one thing we tend to forget a lot is the intentionality with people. may be one person, it could be a group of people, but yeah they're definitely reading you, they're watching you and the moment there a lot of people tend to wait for you to slip up so that they can call you on on your hypocrisy or whatever they want to say it is.

McKenzie Smith (34:16)
They're watching.

Yeah.

Jonathon Flores (34:30)
but it's definitely about being intentional and loving them the way that God loved us. You know, Jesus was the friend of sinners and a lot of people tend to forget that, you know, he hung out with prostitutes, he hung out with tax collectors and people who were despised in society. But yet he chose us because he knew that we weren't going to choose him. He wanted to show us what it was to truly.

McKenzie Smith (34:38)
Yeah.

Yeah

Jonathon Flores (34:59)
be intentional and what it was to sacrifice and to love and to show us mercy as well as grace.

McKenzie Smith (35:08)
So good. So good.

Yeah. And if we, you know, we're all sinners and we all make mistakes. But I think a big thing too, in all of that is like own your mistakes. Because I think that's where like we're going to make them and we're going to make them around non-believers, you know, of course, where sinners were humans. But I think just even having that humility to like own whatever you did, like, I'm really sorry. That was not appropriate. Or, you know, I wasn't wasn't loving you in whatever scenario. Like, I think that will say a lot to them about, you know,

all

of this as well. So yeah, all good things. Really appreciate that and those reminders. definitely, definitely making me, you know, like, oh yeah, you know, not to say that I don't do a good job of that, but it just is like, it's a good reminder to like,

I am showing people by my actions, by my words, all the things, the things I do and the things I don't do. Okay, well, while I'm 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 just what God maybe taught you or prepared you for in that season.

Jonathon Flores (36:25)
Okay, well with further ado, I've been

thinking about this a lot and I remember due to us speaking previously and kind of just giving you a brief summary of it but I feel that my life in itself has been a valley with its ups and downs.

As a kid, I was raised by a single dad. Usually in Hispanic households, it's the opposite. But this time around, my mom wasn't in the picture. Me and my little sister live with my dad and he was a pretty, he was a strict dad.

You know, but he meant well. He provided, you know, for us and kept us, tried to keep us on the straight and narrow. You know, my dad is and was an ex-gang member.

from one of the biggest street gangs in LA and he decided that instead of pursuing that Lifestyle he decided to change his life and he gave his life to the Lord back in 1991 and When he hit the ground he hit it running and he made sure that He was going to instill in us even us being 10 and 11 years old that

you know, we're going to go to church and we're going to pray and read our Bible and so forth and so forth. And so a lot of stuff kind of started to stem from that. He was very adamant about letting me know, don't get into gangs, don't do anything stupid, stay away from drugs, the whole the whole bit. And as a rebellious teen, I

I didn't get into gangs. Instead, I chose the life of graffiti and, and you listening to hip hop and punk and all that stuff. And, you know, he, like I said, he, he did his best, but the emotional connection wasn't there. he said a lot, but the, love you, wasn't there. The, the pat on the back of good job or anything, wasn't there. And.

Like any teen, I rebelled and I rebelled a lot. You know, I did begin drinking at a very young age and I also began using drugs at a very young age. And that's just the part of it. You know, I had my...

You know, as you walk through this valley, a lot of people think that, you know, it's going to be easy, you know, it's a breeze, but it isn't. And there's a lot of bad that goes into it, but there's also a lot of good that comes out of it. Because when you're walking through a valley, you know, you kind of see the process of flowers dying and then obviously seasons change and they come back and they're nice and beautiful.

and bright for you to enjoy again. And I look at all those experiences in life as a means of, it's just the season that you're going through. You'll come back around, everything will be okay again, but then it repeats. You know.

Like I said, I got into heavy drug use, drinking a lot as well. And at one point in time where you just kind of feel alone, you feel useless. You would hope that the people that were around you were the ones there to encourage you and guide you and show you the way, were the people who were actually bringing you down and...

telling you that you're never amount to anything. And that just, it kind of just festers and you think about it and you dwell on it. you know, my dad said a lot and he went to church a lot and it was just one of those things that I didn't want. So for, like I said, decade, I ran away from God.

And in that decade of running from God, there was times where I would actually stop and tell them, if you're real, you'll make it stop. If you're real, you'll show yourself to me. If you're real, you'll, you know, you'll show me that there's a reason and a purpose for living. Um, at one point, my sister, me and my sister went to go live with my mom. I had to go live with a woman who I did not know.

other than through a Christmas card or a birthday gift with an occasional maybe 10, 15 minute talk every now and then. And had to go back and live with her. And when you have someone in that position to kind of start telling you or trying to start telling you what to do and how to act and how to be, I was like, no, this isn't going to work.

so I went back with my dad and even more so then was I even more alone then because now I didn't have my little sister with me. So during times, like I said, you know, being heavily into drugs and drinking and partying and always just basically hanging out with friends and whatnot, contemplated suicide, not only once, but twice in.

in that period of time and I knew that it'd be okay if I did because nobody would care if I was gone.

And in those moments, there was times where I'd there and talk to God and say, Hey, if you're real, show me that you are. And for stretches of time, I just continued down that downward spiral and

It all changed when I moved out of the situation that I was in down in Southern California and I moved to Bakersfield.

You know, I always give credit to my wife because to me she is the one that God sent at the right moment in time to save me from myself. like I said, there's beauty in the valley because everything that you go through, it's there for a reason and a purpose for you to learn from.

I think God allows us to go through these valleys in order for us to be able to learn and to realize that we can't do it on our own. I think you mentioned previously in one of your episodes that I listened to is that we're creatures of being in community, being in fellowship with people. And it's very true. When you're alone, your mind...

starts to take over, it starts to tell you that you're worthless and all these things, but in reality, you you're worth so much, you know, to God and you mean so much to him. And like I said, that he fashioned you in nine months because he wanted to make sure that it came out perfect. And...

It was when I moved here to Bakersfield, I continued kind of still drinking. I was working and it was really on the work on a weekend type base. And my wife was pregnant. We're going to have our daughter. And I just continued to just kind of live life like, oh, it's going to be okay. And I remember telling her, you know, when baby's born, I'll quit. I'll stop drinking. I'll stop smoking. I'll wait.

Baby came, I continued. If it wasn't for her crying and asking God for

who knows if I would have ever changed. But like she always says it is like it happened overnight. And I went before the church. I think we went to church camp actually. And we went up there and kind of rededicated my life to the Lord. And then after that, I said, you know, I want to get baptized. I want to further this. want to, you know, solidify this and.

got baptized at church camp in the big swimming pool that they had up there. And yeah, I came back to, we all came back to Bakersfield and it was about two weeks later that we were sitting in the front of the church on the floor in a circle. And we're just all kind of talking and praying and sharing, you know, what we got from church camp. And I kind of raised my hand and I told the church, said,

think God's calling me to be a preacher or a pastor. And they were just kind of like.

all ecstatic and happy. My wife was kind of like, what? She goes, I was just asking God to change him, not to, you know, to do all that. yeah, it's kind of where it went. And from then, I mean, I still have my ups and downs, but not as bad as I did as a teenager. You know, but I have somebody to face them with now.

McKenzie Smith (46:47)
haha

hahahaha

Jonathon Flores (47:12)
You know, I have my wife. And she also has her things, you know, and we've worked through those things together. And yeah, you know, God has blessed me to be able to do some amazing things going on mission trips with my family, with the church, you know, to visit people in Mexico, to put roofs on churches down there or hold vacation Bible schools down in Costa Rica.

or even be a part of the Bible project that they have here in our church association where they go during the Olympics or they go during Super Bowls and they go hand out, you know, John and Roman Bibles with little pins so that you can basically just share the gospel and be able to talk to them. And, you know, we were able to be in youth ministry together and be men.

mentors and leaders for these young people for like, you know, 17 years. We kind of took a step back over the course of the past few years, but it's still something that's very much there. And, you know, that I hope that eventually, once we get some youth into the church, you know, we're able to jump back in and, and continue to do that together.

McKenzie Smith (48:40)
Yeah, thank you so much for sharing all of that. I'd say...

heart story. mean honestly, mean, it's hard to say that's harder than anyone else's, but it's hard. Like what you went through and growing up in the kind of family that you did and I know the first time we talked, you know, I think one of the big things that you were lacking in your life was just love. You know, like feeling like you were really loved.

and it's amazing what can change when you feel loved. You know, I know we talked about that and just, you know, it's not to say your parents didn't love you, but you know, you just, they weren't so good at showing it and, and that's hard. And you, you know, you had kind of mentioned like some of your rebellion.

Jonathon Flores (49:29)
Mm-hmm.

McKenzie Smith (49:50)
was probably to get their attention and to be like, hello, like, can someone please like, you know, help? And so I just hear this and I immediately have so much more grace and compassion for kids that rebel and that are, you know, seem like they're...

they're troubled because you just don't know what's going on. And chances are like they don't, they don't know how to voice it. Like they're, they're 10 years old. They don't know what life's supposed to look like. They're watching their parents and they're, you know, they're coming up with, this is how people that love each other treat each other. And there's just so, so much that we learn at such a young age. And

Yeah, I just know since we chatted the first time I've just really, really tried to not judge. I know I'm not supposed to judge anyways, but kids that are troubled because you just don't know. And like I said, it's hard because they don't know either and they don't know how to communicate that. And so I appreciate you sharing.

sharing this story so much because I know that it's impacted me in the way I think about some things and I know that there's a lot of kids that go through, you know, having absent parents and having, you know, parents that are, you know, abusive or, you know, all the things. We're on the gambit of things and yeah, I just know that this is an important topic and it's...

it's important to see, you know, like I said, the very beginning of this, like how much love can change someone, like when they feel loved. And so I would love for you to just kind of talk, I guess, a little bit about, know, I you kind of shared your story of how you came to know the Lord, but just like that transition period and maybe some of the wrestling that you

Jonathon Flores (51:34)
Mm-hmm.

McKenzie Smith (51:57)
Like was there wrestling or was it just like this is it? Like, you know, next chapter kind of thing when you came to know the Lord. And you shared a little bit about the drinking part, but yeah, we just love for you to share a little bit more.

Jonathon Flores (52:12)
Yeah, with the drinking and smoking, know, as I got older, you know, even closer to when I was getting married and having a child, I kind of dwindled down on, I was just mainly kind of drinking most of the time, but it was a pretty cold, tricky moment.

I didn't have, I didn't grow up having an addictive mind. I could easily stop doing something and that was it. but when I felt that call and when I felt that, that

you know that like you said that love right you know you everything changed from there because I mean it's not to say that I don't have my ups and downs still it doesn't say you know I still wrestle with God I wrestled with him a year and a half ago when my sister passed away I questioned him I was angry I was

first person that I ever really lost in my life that was this close to home. You know, she left my brother-in-law, her four kids behind. So you know, life isn't always going to be easy. And anybody who tells you that it is, we're lying to you.

McKenzie Smith (53:46)
you

Jonathon Flores (53:47)
And nobody ever says that the Christian life is going to be easy either. Nor in the Bible does it say it's going to be easy. If instead it says it's going to be hard, you know, but don't worry, I'm going to help you carry that cross. You know, one thing I can say is when the transition of us

leaving our own life behind and really focusing on trying to start something new and trying to start those new chapters in life. They're always going to come with the ups and the downs. You're always going to go to the valleys. You're always going to make that ascent to the top of the mountain. But guess what? You're going to have to come back down, walk through the next valley, and repeat the process.

But I think one thing that helped me out a lot was obviously having the support of my wife, my daughter, my in-laws, my church family. I mean, it just, goes on and on and on when you really start looking into it and really.

start realizing that God places these key people in your life at these precise moments in life because He's trying to show you look.

this person's going to like going to be able to offer you this and build on it and take it, take it for what it is. And you're to have people who are temporary. You're not going to have people who are always there. But those are those learning moments. And, you know, really, I think that's why my heart's so drawn to young people, because they're the next generation after we're gone.

and you're trying to instill in them what you weren't taught. You know, I was scared to get married.

I was afraid because I had no idea what it was to be a husband because I didn't see it with my dad and my mom. It was, it was non-existent. So how am I supposed to be a husband? How am I supposed to be a loving dad? And so forth and so forth to these two, you know, women in my life. And God was like, don't worry about it. Just, be present. I'm going to take care of the rest.

and he's done just that. I don't consider myself the best dad in the world or the best husband in the world but one thing I can guarantee you is that I try. I'm not the best Christian in the world but every day that God gives me I'm grateful for it, I'm blessed and I can say okay let's start over today. Take it a day at a time. That's all you can do.

McKenzie Smith (56:23)
Yeah.

you

Yeah, well, and I think it's interesting that this whole shift kind of happened whenever you were also put in a new place. And I think that sometimes we say, leave the things behind. It's like, no, really. Go somewhere else. Go move to a new city. Go make new friends. You need to get out of the entirety of the situation.

Jonathon Flores (56:53)
Because too good

McKenzie Smith (57:19)
start new because sometimes we can just be pulled back into our own habits because Your friend might call you and be like, hey, do you want to go out and you don't have the You don't have the strength to say no, you know, it's not even like, you know

Jonathon Flores (57:32)
Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (57:35)
So anyways, I think that definitely, you it's like you moved to a new place and then you were able to, you know, like create a new life and make a lot of those changes. And so I think sometimes that's really helpful. I would love for you to share. This is something we chatted about. We haven't chatted about it yet, but I think I want to just talk about it in the context of a piece of encouragement or a word of advice.

But how would you give advice or a word of encouragement to someone who is

who didn't didn't feel loved maybe by their by their parents and how they can trust God to be a good loving father when you have like those words might be might be hard for you

Jonathon Flores (58:37)
Yeah, that's a tough pill right there.

You know, a lot of...

Hispanic culture it's not very it's not macho enough I guess you would say right you know that that whole stigma kind of lingers so you can't be in your feelings and there's no crying you know boys don't cry suck it up be a man and move on

And I did that for a very long time in life. And I think that's kind of one of the things that ate away at me.

When it comes down to it and you start looking at kids nowadays and you start realizing the patterns, not only in kids, but in people and young adults and even adults themselves, you really start realizing patterns and you're like, recognize that, right? Because you can relate. And like I said, sometimes people don't want to hear it.

because a of people don't like being vulnerable. They don't like letting those walls down. They don't like, you know, showing their true selves. They do it behind closed doors and that's that. But I think it goes back to really building that relationship and that trust in people. You know, when Jesus, when he sat at the well,

you know, just kind of waiting for the Samaritan woman to come by and, you know, just so that he can talk to her casually. Didn't know the woman. He didn't build that relationship and all that and that trusted her, but he did once he started talking. And I think when people are trying, not transparent, but when people are vulnerable and you allow yourself to be in that moment.

and you let your walls down to show people that hey I've gone through it I know what you're feeling you kind of level that playing ground and and you're able to kind of like okay let's go from here and all that tearing down that happened in life with whoever it was that did it towards you when now it's time to start building it up

You know, one of the things that I wish I would have heard at a very young age is, it's not your fault.

I thought to myself, maybe it was my fault or maybe it was me and my sister's fault for being born and the fact that my parents didn't work out or that my mom didn't want us or that we had to be split up eventually, that we kind of bounced around and did all these things and lived life and all this stuff happened.

to know that it wasn't truly your fault for anything that happened. You know, when we start blaming ourselves and realize that, it just happened and it wasn't your fault. I think when you can get there, it's easier to talk to people because you're showing who you truly are. And...

I think it makes it easier for you to be like, and this is what God did. Had nothing to do with me. You know, I'm just a vessel. I'm just.

someone an instrument that's being used in that particular time in that moment, you know, someone recently, the other day had lost her brother, someone who's been to, you know, a couple of our hikes and has hiked with us and she lost a brother. And I was like, I could relate. I just reached out to her and I said, Hey, I'm sorry that this happened. But I totally know what you're going to. It happened to me

year and a half ago. said allow yourself to be in that moment. Don't try to be that pillar that everybody needs because you too are going to need the lean on someone. I said I was angry with God. I questioned him. I doubted him. My faith was rocked because this had never happened and I asked why her? Why not somebody else? Why not one of these other people who who live in sin? You know and I said she

She

was a mother and a wife and a sister and like, and I shared with her and just said, allow yourself to be there in that moment. I said, I'll be praying for you and your family. I said, but if you need anything, just let me know. I think when you allow, like I said, when you're relatable to people, people will definitely open up and they will share with you and...

Everything just kind of goes on from there because I think, like I said, God places people in your life at certain moments in time. Either for you to be that person, to be that pillar, to be the encouragement that they need at that moment, that comfort, whatever it may be, or it's vice versa.

But you have to allow yourself to be that person. You're that person as Christians, we're those people. Even when people don't want to hear us, okay, take a little step back and just let them know. I'll still be here, I'll still continue to pray for you. It's never a forced thing, it's one of the things that we...

think fail a lot is when we try to force it. It pushes people away rather than drawing them closer to God. And it's literally our job to just love on them.

When he left that New Commandment, he says, okay, I'm gonna leave you with the New Commandment. Sure, those other ones are great, right? They're there as a template. But the most important one, and the new one that I'm gonna leave with you, is to love people. And I think that's one thing that us as Christians nowadays lack and fail to...

actually put that at the forefront and say look Jesus loved us first God loved us first why can't we love people regardless of the sin that they live in we're sinners we live in the same sin so like you know I think that's where where it needs to start is literally to to to love on people just like Jesus loved on us and when he stepped me in when he he took that cross upon him

McKenzie Smith (1:05:49)
Yep.

Jonathon Flores (1:06:06)
that he didn't need to take and gave us that opportunity to know him, you know, on that personal level when we accept him into our lives.

McKenzie Smith (1:06:19)
Yeah, yeah, thank you for sharing that. I think that it is so important to be vulnerable and to be real about where you're at because that's only way you can start building some of those things back up and allowing people to show you differently.

Yeah, thank you so much, Juan, just for sharing and for being here and for just walking us through this season of your life and pointing us to God and just to trust him and really appreciate that. I would love for you to leave us with a way that listeners can connect with you or find more about Outdoor Adventures Plus on the socials and all of that.

Jonathon Flores (1:07:01)
Yeah, you can follow us at underscore OUTADVPLUS underscore and connect with us that way. I mean, if you're in California, definitely look us up. We've had friends from Washington join us. We've had friends from Arizona come out and join us on a couple of tracks and backpacking trips.

We definitely have a whole calendar year of events planned, backpacking, camping, to kind of just show you different areas in California. You can also follow me on my personal at underscore underscore J U A N F L O W E R S underscore underscore Juan Flowers. It's just a play on my name, Jonathan Flores. But yeah, with that.

McKenzie Smith (1:07:54)
You

Jonathon Flores (1:07:58)
there. You know we're working on a new initiative known as the Urban Youth Nature Project to bring nature to the kids here local in Bakersfield, California and hopefully we can start changing lives that way not only through sharing you know our love for the outdoors but also our love for God.

McKenzie Smith (1:08:23)
Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you again so much and y'all go connect with him and thank you so much for being here.

Jonathon Flores (1:08:30)
And thank you for having me.