God's Footprints in Personal Lives: A Journey of Faith with Darren Conrad

When Darren Conrad sat with us, he gifted us with a roadmap of redemption woven through the fabric of faith and sobriety. Our conversation takes you on a profound journey of transformation, through Jesus Christ. His testimony illustrates the resilient spirit that emerged, stronger and more integrated with God. Darren's entrepreneurial journey, now underpinned by biblical principles, speaks volumes of the resurgence one can find when faith takes the lead.

Our road trip segment is nothing short of miraculous, marked by encounters that seem orchestrated by the hand of God. It's a narrative that sweeps you from the Carolinas to Florida, from a chance church service to receiving a prophetic Rangers jersey. The awe-inspiring accounts shared by Darren are bound to resonate with anyone looking for signs that there's more to life's journey than meets the eye. "Rugged Road Trip," the autobiography resulting from these experiences, serves not just as a chronicle of Darren's transformation but as a beacon of inspiration for those yearning for a faith-driven life.

Finally, "One True Talks" opens the floor to the voices of triumph, where every Thursday, we bring you stories that embolden the heart and stir the soul. It's a heartfelt invitation to join a community where love is our link, and faith is our guide, as we eagerly await to unravel more stories that celebrate divine purpose and human resilience. So, until our next heart-to-heart, we leave you with the echoes of inspiration and the warmth of our shared human experience. Xoxo.

Transcript

Renee Richel: 0:07

Hi, I'm Renee Richel, the founder and president of One True Match. I'm here to help you find and cultivate the love of your life. For over a decade, I've dedicated my life to the importance, purpose and dynamic of human relationships. My team and I are disciplined by faith, love and integrity to help our clients find the quality relationship they've always dreamt of. Each week, I will be sharing the tools and tips I've learned that have rooted my success as a matchmaker with other leaders around the world. Hello, loves, welcome back. I am so excited about this new series that we are going to be talking about, and I have my first lucky guest to join me, talking about God's fingerprints of what he does in our lives. And so I've brought on Darren Conrad to talk about his fingerprint that God has put on his life and all the incredible things that he's doing, and he is also a host of his own podcast called Get On the Arc. And you're writing your second book even right now, right?

Renee Richel: 1:12

So, say hello to everybody.

Darren Conrad: 1:14

Hello everybody.

Renee Richel: 1:16

And what we're going to talk about today is. I want him to share his incredible story of his walk to really where he is today, because normally you're interviewing other people right to bring on and hear their story. So I thought it would be really great for our audience to not only be inspired by the things that God has done for you, but also the transformation that God made for you. So, if you don't mind sharing a little bit about you and what you do and he's a successful entrepreneur and has also never felt more rich in what he does with his faith now so I'm going to give you the floor to share us a little bit about your story.

Darren Conrad: 1:54

Okay, great, thank you, I'm excited to be here. So I remember, you know, I kind of grew up without having God in my life. You know I had faith, but I didn't go to church and I didn't have a journey with God. So I did all the things that the world taught me to do. I started drinking at a young age and partying, and I just lived a free life that way and I didn't know there was another way. In fact, I couldn't imagine life without drinking. That was how I just didn't know there was another way. In fact, I couldn't imagine life without drinking. Like that was how I just didn't know it existed and I pushed that life to the edge as far as I could go, and nothing bad had happened. But I was done and I said God, help me.

Renee Richel: 2:44

And what age was that at?

Darren Conrad: 2:46

I was 38.

Renee Richel: 2:47

Okay, okay, I was 38.

Darren Conrad: 2:49

And it was on November 22nd of 2008. Okay, 11-22. Okay, and that year, the same year that I got sober, they started a church called 11-22.

Renee Richel: 3:02

Oh wow, okay.

Darren Conrad: 3:05

And biblically if you look in the Bible, mark 1122 is when Jesus said have faith. So I had this. You know this faith, and I was like let's see what living sober is like. And initially I was like, let me just see what a year of sobriety looks like. I can compare it, you know, see if it's better. And you know, going through recovery and sobriety it was like God lifted up the blinds and the whole world was open to us, things I never saw, and it was unbelievable.

Darren Conrad: 3:38

It's brighter, I mean, it was like I mean it's just amazing and there's four quarters in college football. I didn't know that there's actually an end, but anyway, it was just the experience. Living a sober life is unbelievable, like I would never trade it for the way I used to be. And so, along this journey of you know, I was part of this fellowship, and this fellowship has 12 steps or principles that you practice in your life. Sure, and they're biblical principles. So I practiced those principles and I just went through this journey of discovering who I was and what living a sober life was like. And so I wasn't thinking about Jesus. In fact, I never would say Jesus. I wanted God to just be this all-loving God of loved everybody, and that was the extent of it.

Renee Richel: 4:34

So did you not go to church or anything growing up or had no awareness of faith.

Darren Conrad: 4:39

No, no awareness.

Renee Richel: 4:40

Okay.

Darren Conrad: 4:43

So I hadn't read the Bible and I hadn't had a relationship with Jesus, so but God had given me a business model. Um 25 years ago. He made me very successful at building businesses. Actually, even before that, he just made me really good at attracting people and being successful at doing something that I believe in. So if I have a product that is good for people and helps people in my business, the business model that God gave me is I think it's one of the best business models in America, but it's a great.

Darren Conrad: 5:17

You know, you have free time to be with your family and your children and, at the same time, make an incredible income with the freedom of time. Sure, so you know, along this journey of building businesses and you know, and I would build companies, and then I've had people that want what I have and I've been attacked. I've had people sue me and come after my businesses and I've lost, you know, several companies as a result of. I've been sued twice on non-competes that didn't exist and I lost both lawsuits and so I surrendered and I said okay, god, what do you got planned for me? So I partnered with, actually, one of the people that originally sued me.

Darren Conrad: 6:01

Oh okay and, amazingly, the business went. Every time I built a company and it was taken from me, the new company I start would be like three times bigger. They just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And as I'm going through this journey, I'm getting more God in my life and I'm getting curious. I'm seeking, I'm praying, I'm asking, I'm looking for him, and so I wrote this, this, the manual for this company, and I do all the training. And so when in 2020, when the country was shut down and it was hard to, I used to travel around the country and do seminars. So you know, at this time, it wasn't a good year to do traveling around to do seminars. So I had them all here in Jacksonville, and so I used to take everybody out to a restaurant. So, instead of going to restaurants, I had them come over to my house.

Renee Richel: 6:57

Okay.

Darren Conrad: 6:57

Because you didn't have to wear a mask at my house, right, right. So that was great. So I had all these people. So I have like 40, 50 people at my house. I have it catered by Taco Lou and on December 2nd I'm doing a training. I had this couple that was there. We have a lot of pastors in our business and this couple he's a pastor and she's a Sunday school teacher and we just really connected. We just really had this great conversation. And they were in arizona and they said, hey, can we meet you for coffee tomorrow after training, before we go back to arizona? I said, yeah, I'd love to, that'd be great. So I met him at this little coffee shop across the street from my house and, uh, she starts teaching me matthew, mark, luke and john. We're there.

Darren Conrad: 7:41

Oh my goodness, we're there for two hours and she's teaching me the Bible, the gospel.

Renee Richel: 7:45

That's awesome.

Darren Conrad: 7:46

And and I was like, wow, this is amazing, I had no idea. And then, uh, she's like the Holy Spirit wants us to baptize you today. And I'm like you know, I've been baptized before. And she's like, well, have you been baptized in the name of Jesus? I'm like, well, I'd assume that's what baptism is right.

Renee Richel: 8:08

So you're baptized as a baby, then I guess I'm assuming.

Darren Conrad: 8:10

You know, I had a couple baptisms in my life.

Renee Richel: 8:12

Okay.

Darren Conrad: 8:13

But you know, just sometimes, when you go to the non-denominational churches and they have this, you know thousands of people and they kind of inspire you to come up and get baptized. I've done that.

Renee Richel: 8:25

Okay.

Darren Conrad: 8:26

But nothing happened. I didn't follow through.

Renee Richel: 8:29

Okay.

Darren Conrad: 8:30

But so I wasn't going to say no. You know, if God wants to baptize me, I'm going to get baptized. So I got baptized in my pool in my backyard on December 3rd of 2020. It was exactly 11 years and 11 days into my sobriety.

Renee Richel: 8:43

Oh, wow.

Darren Conrad: 8:46

And it wasn't like you know anything. I didn't come out of the water, oh, you know it was like, but something happens. There was a shift in my thinking. Yeah, and they gave me a Bible and I started reading the Bible and I started just getting involved in learning more about this Jesus guy. And you know, he's my Lord and Savior. I want to know, I want to have a relationship with him, right? So that's kind of where it started.

Darren Conrad: 9:13

And then, supernaturally, I mean, god started showing up, like, like showing off and showing up Like it was like. It wasn't just once, it's like almost like on a daily basis. He would do things and show me things. One example I was walking on the beach and I would do like a two hour walk. I'm walking down the beach and I was thinking to myself would I ever carry a cross that says Jesus saves down the beach? I'm like, no, I don't think I would do that. And I'm having a conversation with God. So I'm talking to myself and God and we're talking. I'm like, yeah, I don't want to do, I'm not volunteering, but if he told me to do it, I would do it, cause I'll do it If he tells me to do something I don't want to do it. I'm not volunteering, but if he told me to do it, I would do it, because if he tells me to do something, I'm going to do it. Right, in fact, it's John 2, 5. I love that scripture when.

Darren Conrad: 10:13

Mary, you know the servants are like he wants us to put water in the wine and she's like whatever he says, just do it Right. So I'm like, whatever you say, god, I'll do, but I don't want to carry the cross, but I will if you have me Right. So anyway, the next day I do the same walk and I go an hour south and I take I go south because there's no one there. North is more public and there's a lot of people.

Renee Richel: 10:31

Yeah.

Darren Conrad: 10:33

So I go south, I walk an hour, I turn around and there's a guy carrying a cross down the beach and I'm like whoa, and so I went up to him and I said why are you doing this? He's like God told me to. And I said, wow, and he's like Darren. Normally I go north where people are, but God told me to come down here today.

Renee Richel: 10:54

Wow.

Darren Conrad: 10:55

So I was like, wow, so I had this experience like God's in my head. He knows everything, he knows all, knowing you know. So that was my first you know experience. And then I do a road trip every year where I drive across the country and I visit our stores.

Renee Richel: 11:09

I was going to say share about your charity road trip that you do.

Darren Conrad: 11:13

So well after this, you know I'd done the, I had done the road trip for for three years, but I never dedicated it to God before and I dedicate it to God this year. I'm giving Him everything. I love it. And so originally I was going to go to the Carolinas and there was a guy in our company that had retired and I was like God told me to go see him first and he was like two hours south of Jacksonville and I was like, okay, I'll go there first. I mean, I didn't really want to, but I did it and I wanted to recognize him and give him, acknowledge all the work that he's done a lot of amazing things for our company, and so I decided to go see him first. And along the way there, so my first stop with him was on saturday, and so I was like friday night, what's going on friday night?

Darren Conrad: 12:10

Um, I'd been following some some different, um prophetic pastors across the country and I was I'm going on a road trip, maybe I should meet these people. And so Donna Rigney was one of them and she just happened to have a church at Bunnell, florida, exactly halfway between here and my destination, on Friday night. It was a Friday night service. They normally don't have Friday night service, but they have one this Friday night, wow, and so I went. And I went there two hours early and it was called Church on the Rock and they had a guest pastor. Her name is Dr Mary Crowley from.

Darren Conrad: 12:46

Hollywood and she was doing a movie and still doing a movie on the prodigal son. It's the story about Lonnie Frisbee, the Jesus Revolution movement. And so I go in there and I don't know anyone it's maybe 40 or 50 people and I'm there two hours early. I feel the presence of God. I mean, I'm just beaming in this church and, you know, I pull up in a transit van that's wrapped for our company. I'm in, you know, shorts and a T-shirt, a t-shirt. And I'm just walking into this church and they bring all the men on stage and they prophesize over all the men. They tell all the men hey, look, god wants you to be men of God, so you're going to be his rangers. And so she's like, kind of like, he's giving you a new baseball jersey and it's going to say rangers, his Rangers. And so she's like, kind of like, he's giving you a new baseball Jersey and it's going to say Rangers on it, and you're going to go out and you're not going to drink, you're not going to do drugs, you're not going to watch porn, you're going to be pure clean man of God. And I'm like, okay, wow, I'm in. And so we held up these fake swords and the. The women went underneath the men's swords. It was really just very different.

Darren Conrad: 14:03

I'd never been to a church like this before, but it was awesome. And then Donna Rigney was looking at me and she's like hey, and if you want to speak in tongues, I'll baptize you in the Holy Ghost at the end of the service, so just sit in the chair back here. But she was looking right at me and I was like, okay, so I went back and I didn't know what that was and I sat back in the chair and she came by and was praying over me, tapped me on the shoulder and I just felt this bubbling in my stomach and I was like came to my throat. I was like giggling and my, my brain was like fighting it, like you know, like, like, but I was like like vibrating. Then it settled down and then she came back and touched me again and it all happened again and I was just like. I was like crying and just filled with joy, like it was just. It was amazing experience.

Darren Conrad: 14:51

So I left that church. I was there for eight hours, so I left and I was just on fire and I was like, and I had them pray for this trip and dedicated to God. I wanted to just make it be known that this is God's trip. You know? Show me what you have.

Renee Richel: 15:05

Right.

Darren Conrad: 15:06

So I go to my first stop and I invited a couple that's south of there to join us for lunch. And at the end of this trip, this visit you know my visit's about an hour, an hour and a half long, you know I just visit with the store owners and I want to edify them and promote their business. And this couple came up right before I was about to leave and they said hey, wait, we have something for you. I'm like, oh, what do you have? And they brought me a Rangers jersey.

Renee Richel: 15:32

Oh, that's cute.

Darren Conrad: 15:34

They didn't know that I was at that church.

Renee Richel: 15:36

Oh my gosh, that's crazy. So I was like okay, God. Another sign.

Darren Conrad: 15:41

Another sign. So that kind of stuff just keeps happening.

Renee Richel: 15:45

Is that what inspired you to write your book? Rugged Road Trip?

Darren Conrad: 15:48

Yeah.

Darren Conrad: 15:49

Okay, and what is that book about? Well, the Rugged Road Trip was what inspired me to write. The Rugged Road Trip was my, my autobiography. I wanted to share my journey in you know, I've I've had some a very colorful life. I've got some amazing opportunities to do a lot of amazing things in my life and I wanted to share the story. So I actually started the. I have a ghostwriter and I started writing the book prior to meeting Jesus. Wow. So I write the story and cause. Initially it was going to be like let me tell everybody what I did, what me. You know what I got to. You know what I built.

Renee Richel: 16:21

Right.

Darren Conrad: 16:22

And so halfway through it, I meet Jesus and he's like you're going to tell everybody what I did for you, right? And so I changed my book and it really became my testimony. Yeah, and you know, it's a lot of. It was how I surrendered to alcohol and how God took that. And then, you know, surrendered to business and he gave me this amazing platform to to build and grow something, and and then, uh, the final thing was to surrender to relationships.

Darren Conrad: 16:47

Right, right you know I, I'm not picking anymore. I'm gonna let God pick for me.

Renee Richel: 16:52

Amen, that's what we say all day long to all of our singles and now happily matched couples is that it's all in God's work, timing and design, and our job is to just make the most incredible introductions to the right people, right.

Darren Conrad: 17:04

Yeah.

Renee Richel: 17:06

So tell me a little bit about this new book in your podcast that you currently obviously run and in the guests and things that you have on.

Darren Conrad: 17:14

Yeah. So I never thought about being a podcaster. In fact, it wasn't anything I want to do or thought about doing. Never thought about being a podcaster. In fact, it wasn't anything I want to do or thought about doing. And, uh, I'd had a. I've had a lot of divine appointments. God has aligned me with a lot of amazing people currently, and one of them is a broadcaster, um, his name's Jeff Sisk and he's the CEO of findcom. And he, he, um, he told me he's like hey, I think you'll be a podcaster on my show someday. I'm like, yeah, that sounds good. I'm not really a podcaster. But he said it's really easy. You just get this microphone and this camera.

Darren Conrad: 17:51

And so I ordered the stuff because I was like, well, maybe I'll do that. So I ordered it because he suggested. And then I didn't really do anything after that. Then I had this dream and I was awoken from the dream with an audible voice that said get on the ark. I'm like get on the ark, lord. What do you mean? And then the next day, Not build an ark.

Renee Richel: 18:14

Get on the ark.

Darren Conrad: 18:15

No, get on, get on the ark, which getting on the ark means having a relationship with Jesus. Right yeah absolutely Absolutely so. The next day a friend of mine, she sends me a four-series episode on the days of Noah and she didn't know about my dream and she sends me I'm like the days of Noah, wow. So then I watched this series and I learned about Noah and his family and they tried to get other people to come on the ark, but nobody joined them.

Darren Conrad: 18:43

So it made sense and originally, when I wrote my book, my book was my testimony and I just give it away because I want people to share their story. I want to inspire people. Everyone's got a book in them.

Renee Richel: 18:51

Right.

Darren Conrad: 18:52

And everyone has a story Right, and if we got everyone to share their story, that would bring so many people to God. I know, Because it's just amazing what he does through all of us. And so you know, I wanted that platform. And then you know, God tells me to get on the ark, shares me this, and then, you know, several other things happened and I decided well, I guess I'm going to create the platform where people can share their testimonies. So that's what I did.

Renee Richel: 19:17

So how long have you? You had the podcast for now.

Darren Conrad: 19:19

Four months.

Renee Richel: 19:20

Okay, so it's new 39 episodes. And you've had that many guests on. That's awesome and are most of your podcast guests. Are they sharing also incredible stories?

Darren Conrad: 19:30

Oh, it's unbelievable. It's funny because I made a list of all the people. I'm like I'm going to have this person, this person. Then God gave me a totally different list and I've had people. You know someone like Charlita Bassett in California. She was running for Senate and her agent called me up and said we want to have her on your show. I'm like, yeah, I just started, I'm in Florida, but so I had. I got to hear her story, you know, and how God healed her from cancer and just the movement that he's done with her in her life.

Darren Conrad: 20:01

And then I've had people that have recovered from leukemia. A good friend of mine, judah Ayers. I met him through this divine meetings that God has. Judah Ayers had leukemia, was given four days to live. An old couple came into his hospital room and gave him the book Know your Enemy and he reads this book and then he looks in the mirror and he says, god, take this from me and I'll give you everything I have. And he healed him.

Darren Conrad: 20:32

Wow. And then there's some supernatural download that he got and he's becoming a truth teller. He exposed a big corporation in some of the darkness that they have, and but amazing stories and people you know, and there's more than one person that I've interviewed that has recovered from leukemia or been healed from leukemia, people that have you know recovered from alcohol and cancer. I've had two guests that died, went to heaven and came back. Wow, one of them a combat veteran in Iraq and his Humvee was blown up and he died. He goes to heaven, he meets his grandfather and his unborn son and he was an atheist before he went and then he goes to heaven, meets Jesus and his family and he comes back.

Renee Richel: 21:22

That's amazing.

Darren Conrad: 21:22

Yeah.

Renee Richel: 21:23

Yeah, so during this season of waiting, when you hear for God, like from God, right, is it something that you hear from him on a regular basis? Is it more like yearly? How often do you feel you? Or daily, do you hear messages of what he wants you to do?

Darren Conrad: 21:41

You know it's daily. God talks to us daily. We have to be open to him and you know I'm writing my next book is going to be about hearing his voice. You know hearing God's voice. You know initially it was. You know numbers and through other people I mean, I hear him all the time. That way, my sobriety date 1122, mark 1122, like God was giving me a message.

Renee Richel: 22:01

Right.

Darren Conrad: 22:02

And you know audibly. I've only heard his voice just a couple times audibly and you know. But I think you know everyone hears from God differently. But you got to pay attention and listen to him.

Renee Richel: 22:17

Right. So for any of our viewers out there because we tell everybody that's in the season of waiting, or maybe they're in a relationship and they're trying to figure out is this the right match or do we have? Do we make a godly decision to be in this relationship and they go through the ups and downs and the roller coasters that we've all gone through. This is something that I always tell everybody to be inspired by your relationship that you have with Jesus. It should not change. But then when you get into a relationship with somebody, you want to find somebody that then you enrich that relationship together. Um, what advice would you give other people while they're in the season of waiting for the love of their life?

Darren Conrad: 22:59

Um, yeah, just be still and know that I am God. You know, be still and wait on God. He's got a match for everyone.

Renee Richel: 23:08

Right.

Darren Conrad: 23:09

He didn't make us to be alone. In fact, next to survival, you know which is air and water. You know coupling is our second strongest instinct. So God's got us. We just have to let him. Just don't grab the torch and get ahead of him.

Renee Richel: 23:26

And what is something that you've done personally yourself to be in this season of waiting.

Darren Conrad: 23:33

I'm just getting closer to him. The more I get to know Jesus, the more I just patiently just wait and, you know, just trust in him.

Renee Richel: 23:45

Exactly and I was going to say and that's when the right person comes into your world, just like when we reached out to you and connected right, right there's definitely so many details that God is working on and through you and so many other people. And then so your next road trip that you're taking, or you just did, do you have another one planned?

Darren Conrad: 24:04

I'm probably going to do one in 2025, but I don't have one planned right now.

Renee Richel: 24:08

Okay, so you're just in waiting to hear the details.

Darren Conrad: 24:11

I've been gone for the last five summers and this year I'm taking the summer off to be here.

Renee Richel: 24:16

Which is the perfect time to start dating right.

Darren Conrad: 24:18

Yes, exactly Summer off to be here, which is the perfect time to start dating, right?

Renee Richel: 24:22

Yes, exactly. Well, we are so excited that you are here to chat with us, to inspire so many of our viewers that are wondering what do I do next, lord, and so many of I feel like the singles that come to us that are just trying to figure out their time or their path. We're like keep busy in the Lord and it will all come together the way that it's supposed to. So I inspire our guests to check out Darren's not only podcast, his book, to think about the things that God is doing in your work and your moment in life and start timelining it right so that all the pieces come together to make life and love a better place, because I feel, with the work that we do together to inspire more people, if there was more love in this world, there would be less hate if we spent more time in the presence of Jesus.

Renee Richel: 25:12

Amen, amen so thank you so much for coming on.

Darren Conrad: 25:14

Thank you.

Renee Richel: 25:15

And please write in. We would love to share all of the details about Darren as well. And please write in. We would love to share all of the details about Darren as well, and we're excited for this new series. Every Thursday that comes out to bring on incredible people that are doing great work in God's footprints of the things they want him to do or others to do. We're going to love and leave you and hope you have a blessed day. It's been another great talk on this episode of One True Talks by Renee Rochelle. I look forward to our next chat. Please write in your questions and comments so I can be sure to talk about whatever it is you want to discuss in our next upcoming episode. Lots of love, god bless. Xoxo.