IF YOU GREW UP WIHOUT A DAD, YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS

Join Michelle and Zoe for an incredibly powerful and deeply moving conversation with Jordan Deen as he shares his radical journey from growing up without a father in Slough to discovering what it truly means to be a son through the transformative love of Jesus and the faithfulness of the church. This episode unpacks what it looks like to move from spiritual orphanhood to divine sonship, from performing religion to experiencing Jesus as a person, and from carrying wounds in secret to being met by a God who redeems every broken piece of your story. Jordan opens up about his mum's arranged marriage, his dad's abandonment when he was just eight years old, and growing up in a performative church culture where faith felt more like an Instagram bio than a real relationship. Discover how God used friendship and the body of Christ to restore what was lost, from a man gifting him expensive fragrance and inviting him into vulnerable conversations, to a friend's dad in California teaching him how to drive and redeeming a childhood promise his father never kept. This is a story of scars becoming lighthouses, of God's intentional humor in writing redemptive stories, and of learning to live for an audience of one. The episode also dives into what it means to carry an ache for the fatherless, how branding and storytelling can affirm people's true identity beyond their achievements, and why Jordan is moving to New York City to continue proclaiming a different narrative over those trapped in an orphan spirit. This is for anyone who has grown up without a father, who struggles with performance and proving themselves, who is learning what it means to be seen and loved by God, or who wants to understand how the church can step in and meet the deepest needs in people's lives. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup 01:20 Growing Up in Slough: A Mother's Arranged Marriage 03:46 God's Redemptive Story: From Fatherless to Son 05:11 A Praying Mother and Early Faith Exposure 06:27 The Performative Jesus: Growing Up in Pakistani Indian Church Culture 09:12 Jesus Becomes a Person: The Transformation 09:59 God's Promise: Father to the Fatherless 11:56 The Impact of Fatherlessness: Seeing God as Father 14:10 True Redemption: Identity Over Achievement 18:51 Living as Daniel in Babylon: Audience of One 27:18 The Fragrance Story: How Jacob Pursued Him 32:20 Learning to Drive: God Redeems Childhood Wounds 34:11 Five Years of Freelancing: Restoring Childhood, Not Building Adulthood 38:12 The Church as Lighthouse: Scars Become Beacons 40:06 The Calling: Fighting the Orphan Spirit 41:44 Moving to New York: A New Chapter in the Mission 42:54 Closing Prayer: Father to the Fatherless FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thewayuk/ FOLLOW US ON TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewayuk/ Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]