Cody Bobay
9 min read ⭑
“Every one of us is being shaped by the stories we consume. If that’s true, then I think it’s worth creating stories that call out the very best in us rather than settling for the lowest common denominator.”
Author, actor and filmmaker Cody Bobay believes that telling stories of courage, conviction and redemption can transform our world for the better. A U.S. Navy veteran, Cody makes his characters as realistic as possible by working with top stunt performers and Navy SEALs and SWAT professionals. His faith-driven books — “Memoirs of the Mighty Men,” “Soulcon Challenge,” “Raz Chazak” and more — challenge people to live their best lives for God. In his effort to call men higher in biblical strength and unity, he also founded a global movement called Soulcon, built on brotherhood, accountability and health. His words below, given specifically to Rapt and its readers, reveal his heart for finding peace in personal discipline, storytelling, acting, connecting with God and, of course, a good steak.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
Food is always about more than food; it’s also about home and people and love. So how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?
If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it’d be a great steak. No question. After moving to Texas, I honestly feel like I ended up in the promised land of great steaks.
The funny thing is, because I’m usually training or preparing for a role, my diet is often pretty strict. Thankfully, steak is one of those staples that almost always makes the cut, so I never feel like I’m missing out.
But if I’m honest, my favorite steak has very little to do with the steak itself. It’s about who’s sitting across the table. My wife, my kids, close friends, people I can laugh with, have meaningful conversations with and simply enjoy being around. Those are the meals I remember years later.
I think that’s a pretty accurate picture of who I am. I love acting, filmmaking and chasing big dreams, but I’ve learned that success means very little if it comes at the expense of the people you love. The best stories, just like the best meals, have a way of bringing people together, and those moments around the table are often the ones that stay with us the longest.
With Mahdy; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?
For me, it’s weight training. Most people probably think of it as something that’s purely physical, but it’s become one of the most spiritual disciplines in my life.
There’s something about the solitude, the consistency and the reminder that meaningful growth only comes through resistance. You can’t rush it. You can’t skip the hard days. You simply keep showing up, rep after rep, day after day, trusting that what feels difficult today is shaping who you’ll become tomorrow.
I’ve also found something strangely peaceful about the pain. Not pain for its own sake but the kind that comes from willingly embracing discomfort because you know it’s producing something good. That’s a lesson that reaches far beyond the gym. God has used that simple rhythm to teach me perseverance, discipline, humility and trust.
Ironically, one of the loudest places on earth has become one of the quietest places for my soul. It’s where I think, pray, reflect and remember that some of God’s greatest work in our lives happens through resistance.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power?
My kryptonite is believing that if I just accomplish one more thing, I’ll finally feel like I’ve done enough.
I’m wired to dream big. I love building, creating, training and pursuing excellence. I don’t think those things are wrong. In fact, I believe they’re gifts from God. But every gift has a shadow side, and mine is the temptation to tie my identity to my performance instead of remembering that my identity was settled long before I accomplished anything.
I’ve had seasons where I was chasing the next opportunity so hard that I forgot to enjoy the people and moments right in front of me. God has been patiently teaching me that faithfulness matters more than striving, and that success isn’t measured only by what I build but by the kind of man I’m becoming while I build it.
I still wrestle with that tension. Probably always will. But now, when I feel myself slipping into that mindset, I try to stop, pray, spend time in God’s Word and remember that I don’t have to earn a love that’s already been freely given. Ironically, that truth doesn’t make me less driven. It makes me free to pursue excellence from a place of peace instead of proving something.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
Right now, I’m completely obsessed with telling stories that call people to courage.
That passion has taken a lot of different forms over the years. It’s why I wrote “Memoirs of the Mighty Men.” It’s why I’m pursuing acting. And it’s the heartbeat behind i68 Studios and the feature film we’re developing, “The Weapon.” I believe stories have an incredible ability to shape culture. They can normalize cynicism, fear and hopelessness, or they can remind us what sacrificial love, courage, redemption and conviction actually look like.
I don’t want to make movies that people simply enjoy for two hours and then forget by the time they get home. I want to create stories that stay with people. Stories that spark conversations, strengthen families, inspire courage and ultimately point people toward hope.
Why should that matter to anyone else? Because every one of us is being shaped by the stories we consume. If that’s true, then I think it’s worth creating stories that call out the very best in us rather than settling for the lowest common denominator.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Whether we’re cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God’s love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
One of the prayers I’ve found myself praying most often is this: God, don’t let me succeed at something you never asked me to do.
I love creating. I love acting. I love building things. Left to myself, I could fill every waking hour with good opportunities. But I’ve learned that not every good opportunity is a God opportunity.
The Holy Spirit has a remarkable way of bringing conviction, clarity and peace into the middle of the noise. Sometimes that means giving me the courage to move forward when something feels impossible. Other times, it means closing a door I was convinced I wanted. Looking back, some of the prayers I’m most grateful God answered were the ones he answered with “no.”
How do I know it’s him? His leading will never contradict his Word, and over time, I’ve learned to recognize his voice by spending time with him. The more I abide in Christ, the easier it becomes to distinguish his direction from my own ambition.
Ultimately, I don’t want my career to simply be successful. I want it to be surrendered. If people see anything worthwhile in my work, I hope it’s because the Holy Spirit shaped the man behind it long before he ever shaped the project itself.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?
If I had to name one practice that’s been changing me in this season, it would simply be slowing down enough to abide with Jesus before I rush into accomplishing things for him.
I’m naturally driven. I love to build, create, train and chase big goals. Those things aren’t inherently wrong, but they can become dangerous if they begin to replace intimacy with God instead of flowing from it.
Jesus said in John 15, “Abide in me.” That’s become a daily invitation for me. Before the emails, the preparation for my next role, the auditions, the workouts or the meetings, I want to spend time in God’s Word, pray, sit quietly and let him shape my heart. I’ve found that the fruit of my life is directly connected to the depth of my communion with him.
The beautiful thing is that abiding isn’t another task to accomplish. It’s a relationship to enjoy. And the more I learn to remain in Christ, the more I find the peace, wisdom and strength I was searching for everywhere else.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?
First and foremost, God’s Word. There isn’t a close second. Scripture has confronted me, encouraged me, corrected me and continually reminded me who God is and who I am in light of him. The older I get, the less interested I become in chasing the newest idea and the more convinced I become that God’s Word is sufficient.
Second, my wife, Hayley. God has used our marriage to refine me in ways I never could have accomplished on my own. She’s challenged me, encouraged me, extended grace when I didn’t deserve it and consistently pointed me back to what matters most. Loving someone sacrificially, being loved through my imperfections and growing together in Christ has changed my heart in profound ways. I truly wouldn’t be the man I am today without her.
Third, adversity. I never would’ve chosen many of the difficult seasons I’ve walked through, but I also wouldn’t trade what God produced through them. Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned about perseverance, humility, faith and dependence on God came through circumstances I desperately wanted to avoid. Looking back, I can honestly say God often did his deepest work in my life through the hardest chapters.
Those three continue to shape me. God’s Word gives me truth, my marriage reminds me what grace looks like in everyday life, and adversity has taught me to trust the One who never changes.
QUESTION #8: dream
God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I think what’s stirring in me is an even deeper conviction that storytelling isn’t just my profession. It’s my calling.
One of the things I’m most excited about right now is “Brotherhood: A Cinematic Musical,” which releases nationwide this October. I believe it’s arriving at an important moment in our country. We’re having difficult conversations about immigration, race, division and what it really means to love our neighbor. What I appreciate so much about this film is that it doesn’t simply point fingers. It holds up a mirror. My character, Scott, is a reminder that real change doesn’t begin with “those people.” It begins with us. It begins in our own hearts, our own homes and our own neighborhoods.
Being part of stories like “Brotherhood” has only deepened my conviction that storytelling is one of the most powerful ways we can shape culture. That belief eventually led me to launch i68 Studios with a simple mission: to create films that inspire heroism globally. At the end of August, we’ll begin filming “The Weapon,” an 18- to 22-minute proof of concept that, Lord willing, will become a feature film in early 2027. It’s a dream that’s been years in the making, and one I believe God has been preparing me for every step of the way.
I believe the world doesn’t just need more entertainment. It needs stories that call us to greater courage, deeper compassion, stronger conviction and a willingness to love the people God has placed right in front of us.
If my work can encourage someone to walk out of a theater loving God more deeply and loving their neighbor more faithfully, then I’ll feel like I’ve spent my life well.
Cody Bobay says he tells stories that inspire courage and conversation. But you don’t have to create films or books to tell stories that spur others on to love and good deeds (see Heb. 10:24). You can do it through your parenting, the way you invite people over for dinner, your work ethic, the way you notice others going through a hard time and lend a helping hand. Your life tells a story more powerful than any work of art.
Cody Bobay is an actor, filmmaker, author and U.S. Navy veteran. As an author, he creates immersive, faith-driven books that challenge readers to live with courage and conviction. His Memoirs of the Mighty Men devotional invites readers into the lives of biblical figures through cinematic, first-person storytelling. Cody is also the founder of Soulcon, a global movement calling men to biblical strength and purpose, and i68 Studios, dedicated to Hollywood-level productions with a heavenly purpose. He stars in the upcoming film Savage (2026) and appears in Brotherhood: The Cinematic Musical. Cody lives in Texas with his wife, Hayley, and their children.