Some of my favorite episodes of Faith All Over the Place are the ones where my friend, colleague, and partner in podcasting excellence, Stephen Kruiser, and I get to talk to people I know. Trust me, this is one that you'll never forget.
My good friend Troy Gonzalez-Mazzone is a warrior in every sense of the word. He serves in the U.S. Air Force, does some work with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and he serves on the safety team at Eastridge Community Church. He's had his share of ups and downs and then some in 2026, and if his story doesn't inspire you, you either need to check your heart or clean out your ears.
I won't give away all the details of his story — you've gotta hear it for yourself — but Troy has dealt with a serious illness that devastated him. The toll that losing so much of what makes a hero so strong and self-sufficient led to a mental health crossroads for Troy, but it also led him to commit his life to Jesus like he never had before. And that's when the remarkable healing began, spiritually as well as physically.
Kruiser called Troy's story "intensely devastating adversity," but Troy acknowledged how God is using it for his glory. Troy is looking for opportunities to share his story with even more people (and if you have one of those opportunities, please reach out, and I can put you in touch with him).
Troy gave us his advice for people going through struggles, and he shared with us his path forward in the military as well as his dream to serve as a chaplain one day. God's still using Troy, believe me!
Troy's story makes me think of the Apostle Paul's words to the church in Corinth:
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. —2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (ESV)
And later in that same chapter:
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. —2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV)
I hope you'll find this episode as encouraging and inspiring as we did. And I hope you'll share it with anybody who might need to hear it.
Previously on Faith All Over the Place, Episode 36: An Important Conversation About Persecution With Joshua Youssef
Check it out on the PJ Media podcast page or below; you can also find us on your favorite podcast app. Don’t forget to leave us a five-star rating and review if you really love what we do.
If you want to hear Troy's story in more detail, here's where he gave his testimony at Eastridge a couple of weeks ago:
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