It’s easy to love Daniel Fusco’s down-to-earth teaching style and his signature locks. But what we love even more is his fiery passion for the Word and the gospel. Whether he’s preaching, pastoring or playing the bass, he has one goal: Help people know Jesus is real.

Daniel learned this all-important lesson himself when he gave his life to Jesus in 1998 during his last year at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Afterward, he spent a few years touring as a professional upright and electric bass player, but he couldn’t escape God’s call on his life to pastoral ministry. After being ordained in 2002, Daniel went on to plant several churches and, in 2012, become lead pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, Washington.

When he’s not pastoring or hosting the "Real with Daniel Fusco" TV show and "Jesus Is Real" radio show, you’ll find him happily plucking away at his bass and sharing laughs with his family over a warm meal. You’re sure to join in the laughter in this interview as Daniel pulls back the curtain to give a glimpse at how Jesus fuels his authentic faith.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to a meal than palate and preference. How does your go-to order at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

As an all-Italian kid from New Jersey, food has always been a love language for me. Most of my earliest memories involve a table full of food, not to mention people, who are eating and talking, usually very loudly. Whatever your stereotype of Italian people from New York, that is exactly my family.

Both my grandma and my mom could cook in extraordinary ways. But it was super special when we would go out. My grandma would say, “You know the food is good if we are paying to eat here.”

But now I live a long way away from the East Coast. No longer are we finding amazing Italian places or unique ethnic foods. Now I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, just north of Portland, Oregon, in Vancouver, Washington. For my bride, Lynn, and our three kids, Obadiah, Maranatha, and Annabelle, we love going to the Barrel Mountain Brewery (which we efficiently call “The Barrel.”) Our table is loud as we feast on massive grass-fed burgers and salads, delicious piles of wings, and lots of hand-cut French fries. We love the casual atmosphere and amazing food. But what we love the most is the family time and the eventual shenanigans that ensue. The food is just a vehicle for family.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests, but we tend to hide them. What do you love doing that might surprise (or shock) people?

I’ll never forget the impact MTV had on me as a young child. There was just something about those rock stars. Man, they were cool. I always thought, “I’d love to be a lead singer, up front, rocking the microphone.” The only problem was... well, I can’t sing at all. So I did the next best thing — I picked up a guitar. If you can’t be a singer, might as well be the lead guitarist. But my fingers did not enjoy those little steel strings. So I passed on that. Then I thought about picking up the drums. That was a non-starter because my parents told me, in no uncertain terms, that there would be no drum set in their home. So I landed on the bass. And I found my love.

What was amazing was that I immediately found myself in a few bands and I was on my way to stardom (or so I thought). But along the way, I saw a guy playing an upright bass and thought, “That looks awesome.” So I found an upright bass at a garage sale in college. That began my journey into jazz. A journey that still continues to this day. I love playing both the electric and upright bass, in any style of music, at any time. I always like to remind people that “Bass is the bacon of music!”

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 broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

While I am no superhero, I definitely have my own kryptonite. That would be — wait, don’t judge me for this. I say that because whenever I tell people this, someone is bound to be all judgmental. So don’t do that!

Ready?

Twinkies.

Seriously, Twinkies.

I have absolutely no self-control around Twinkies. There is just something so heavenly about that sponge cake and delicious cream. They are the perfect size for quick snacking. Not to mention they never go stale. In the event of nuclear fallout, my Twinkie stash will still be perfect and delicious. I honestly believe the Manna from Heaven that the Bible speaks about is Twinkies. (Kidding!)

But here’s what makes this so challenging. I can never eat just one. I have to eat the whole box. To make matters worse, I can and will eat Twinkies at all times, in all situations.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

When Jesus entered my life, things quickly shifted. I wanted to impact eternity. I desired not only to see my life change but also to help others on their journey. I wanted people who were not connected to Jesus to meet him personally. I also wanted to see those who knew Jesus go deeper. So I began to sense a calling toward pastoral ministry. I've spent the last 20 years working in the local church and have had the pleasure of planting numerous churches on the East Coast of the United States and in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a blast.

Almost 10 years ago, I found my way to the Pacific Northwest to become lead pastor of Crossroads Community Church and things have been crazy! Now with a TV program featured on the Hillsong Channel (“Real with Daniel Fusco”), a radio program being played nationally (“Jesus Is Real” radio), wildly popular social media content (Two Minute Messages) and now a brand-new book (“Crazy Happy: Nine Surprising Ways to Live the Truly Beautiful Life”), I am just blown away by the opportunities that have opened for me to share with people. It is exciting to see people meeting Jesus for the first time as well as hearing from people who have been following Jesus for a while and who are growing. And I’m still doing tons of music in various styles!

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace 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?

When I was a senior in high school, I was nominated for homecoming king. As part of the process, each nominee had to have a “Get to know me” video. So my video began with a still photo: me with a big goofy smile. “My name is Daniel Fusco, and I’m a really friendly guy,” the video said. Then the way-too-loud-and-obnoxious punk music began. For the next 80 seconds, the entire video had quick edits of me kissing people.

It was epic.

But I knew that to truly make this video unforgettable, I needed to kiss Mr. Lundquist. Why? Because at a solid 260 pounds, Mr. Lundquist was known as one of the sternest teachers in school. It was not uncommon for him to bring students to tears.

One day he opened the door and said, rolling his eyes, “Hey, Fusco, I heard a rumor that they’re taking videos of you kissing people.”

I seized my moment and said, “Funny you should say that, Mr. Lundquist. I was thinking I need to get you in my video.”

His face turned red. “If you even try, I will get you suspended, and I will fail you in my class. Say goodbye to college, Fusco.”

Well, that escalated quickly. But hey, everything involves risk.

So I got myself mentally prepared and sufficiently hyped up. I had my buddy Fred set up down the hall with the camera. I figured that as Mr. Lundquist walked down the hall toward Fred, I would come up around him all ninja-like and plant a wet one on his gray-and-black beard.

Sure enough, the time was right, so I made my move. It all happened in slow motion. I leaned in, but Mr. Lundquist was wicked fast. He leaned away. I missed by about an inch.

Rats! He just leered at me, which made me very nervous. And then he chuckled and just walked away. I felt as though I’d just lost the Super Bowl. I must have re-watched “The Attempt” fifty times. So close, but so far.

But then it dawned on me that I actually had something better. When it was my turn to present the video, it was unlike anyone else’s, obviously. But I was just waiting for that last frame. It was me trying to kiss Lundquist: me all puckered up and him pulling his face away cringing.

My eyes were glued to Mr. Lundquist when that final still shot appeared on the projection screen. His eyes got really big. Everyone roared with laughter. Lundquist then started to laugh hysterically. He looked over at me with a big smile and mouthed, “Great job!”

I tell you this story because, for me, when I take a risk, God shows up and does something completely beyond what I was hoping for. The power comes as we take those steps of faith.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Some people divide things sacred and things secular. But you know, God can surprise us in unlikely places. How do you find spiritual renewal in so-called “nonspiritual” activities?

Life is simply one big invitation. Every day, at every moment, an invitation. My life’s goal is to keep saying, “Yes.” When I do this, I find myself in the most beautiful situations — not that they’re always easy.

Like the time I found myself washing the feet of homeless people in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. Or the time I was asked to speak at the funeral of a dignitary’s child in India. Or the time I was moving between rooms at our local hospital praying and encouraging people. Or just yesterday when my 7-year-old daughter and I were walking and talking outside while rain poured down on us.

I find that God is continually trying to reach through our circumstances and into our hearts. But we need to open up our hearts and lives to that beautiful reality. So the key is to keep on saying yes!

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith. But you know about some really great stuff too. What are some of your favorite resources?

Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” was a total game-changer for me. It landed in my hands at a time when I was becoming aware that God had more for me than simply going to church. That book opened up my heart to the different purposes God has for us. There’s a reason that “The Purpose Driven Life” is such a popular book. I just reread the book recently and it blew my mind all over again!

That’s why I was also so honored that Rick Warren wrote the foreword to my new book “Crazy Happy: Nine Surprising Ways to Live the Truly Beautiful Life.” Rick is one of the truly crazy happy people I know.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

I am absolutely loving the new Faithful app for my smartphone. It’s an app that contains videos of some of the best communicators around. And it has curated content to your exact needs. If you are looking for hope, you can find videos about it. If you’re dealing with fear, there are videos for that. Relationships? It’s all there. And it can also help curate content for you based on the amount of time you have. I’m a big fan of the Faithful app.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is 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 love how God’s work is always right on time. Things never happen when I think they should, but they always happen at the best time. I am super blown away by the timing of the release of my book, “Crazy Happy.” In the midst of the craziness of 2020 and early 2021, everyone I know, including me, is feeling crispy. And to see how this book is helping people learn how to move from crispy to crazy happy is amazing.

But what’s nuts is that I’ve already begun to write another book. This book was born in the heaviness of the pandemic and social upheaval of 2020. Talk about things getting all messed up! Yet as I led through this season, I saw how people needed two specific things, hope and grit, to not just survive but thrive. And man, were they both hard to come by.

So I’m excited to be working on another book, even with everything else going on.

It’s hard to miss the excitement and zeal Daniel has for life. It shows in every sentence he says! You probably also noticed the strong sense of purpose that shines through his words, too. That’s no coincidence.

After all, God’s ways of pursuing happiness are always better than the world’s. But don’t take our word for it — the scientific evidence speaks for itself. In 2013, UCLA researchers found that people who derive happiness from a sense of purpose and doing good were genetically healthier than those who got their happiness from pleasure. Both groups of people reported similar emotions of happiness. And yet the group of pleasure-seekers were at a higher risk of inflammation and diseases and had a harder time fighting viral infections.

As Christians, we know this is because God didn’t create us to focus on the pleasures of this life. His purpose for you goes far beyond temporary comforts. He has a beautiful, intricate plan for you — and he’s eager to take you on that journey with him. Will you accept his invitation to a crazy happy life?

Daniel Fusco