Isaac Serrano
12 min read ⭑
“The modern world has crafted a lie and made it the story that we live inside of — a universe divorced of the spiritual. But we are spiritual beings and can never find satisfaction, contentment or true joy by purely material objects. We were made for more.”
Tucked away in the garlic capital of the world — that is, Gilroy, California — you’ll find Isaac Serrano leading South Valley Community Church and serving as an adjunct professor of technology and ministry at Western Seminary. He’s also on the leadership team of the ReGeneration Project, which disciples upcoming generations by teaching them how to approach today’s pressing cultural questions with theological thinking. Through his new book, When Life Feels Empty, he combats the materialistic mindset that pervades our culture, reminding us all that our inherent longing for belonging and purpose isn’t an accident.
In our conversation with Isaac today, he’s giving us an insider’s look at his hometown’s yearly (and quite popular) Garlic Festival, how fishing gives his soul the peace it craves and the brutally honest reason he got into theology and Bible teaching. You’ll also be encouraged when he shares how the Holy Spirit graciously works through him to minister to others — even when he feels like his efforts have fallen short.
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?
My hometown is known around the world for a specific food, so the go-to meal for people from my city is not a particular place but a vegetable with its own unique flavor. I’m from Gilroy, California, and we are known as the “garlic capital of the world.”
For decades, the world-renowned Garlic Festival has taken place here annually. In big years, more than 100,000 people would come to the event over the weekend. When people from out of town make their way to Gilroy, as they approach from miles away on the freeway, they begin to smell the strange aromas of the “stinking rose.” Residents of Gilroy, however, have become so accustomed to the smell that they no longer notice it. It’s just the normal scent of our city.
Every year for about a decade, I volunteered in the parking lot of the event to help raise funds for our church’s youth group. While we were out working, someone would bring enormous amounts of food covered in garlic for our lunch break. Among hungry youth group kids, these garlic sandwiches became legendary. Everyone waited patiently for the famous “Garlic Pepper Steak Sandwich drop off.” One year, there was a bad batch, and to put it mildly, you have not seen panic in church leadership like when an entire youth group volunteer force all gets food poisoning at the same time. Nevertheless, the Garlic Festival and the food it serves is the meal of the people of my hometown.
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?
I have fished since I was a young child, and to this day, it remains something that I find beneficial for my soul. I am a pastor, adjunct professor and author, and I typically juggle multiple tasks in a day. It’s common for my mind to be juggling several things and jumping from one project to another. There is something about fishing, though, where you have one singular focus. All you are doing is waiting for the bite. If you love to fish, you know what I am referring to. If not, it’s hard to understand. However, with fishing, it’s as if all your focus is centered on one thing. The usual worries and stresses of the day disappear, and all that matters is not missing the bite.
Modern life fills our days with noise, notifications, distractions and reminders that need to be attended to. We have deadlines, expectations and things that must be addressed. It’s as if fishing temporarily pushes those outside your field of vision, allowing you to concentrate on the one task before you. It’s you, creation and the hope of bringing home dinner. I would not say that it leads to some deep spiritual experience, but I know it’s good for my soul.
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?
The problem with human kryptonite is that it’s usually not known to the human. What I mean by that is this: in the comics, a superhero might be aware of something like kryptonite being their “secret weakness.” But with us humans, our “secret weakness” is often, in fact, a secret to us.
That is the sinister nature of sin. It sneaks in unnoticed and sets its hooks in us. We are often completely blind to how it’s working. Consider pride; most prideful people are unaware that they are indeed prideful. And if someone were to actually make progress on becoming a humble person, they might become aware of the fact they are indeed humble — and guess what begins to sneak in? Yep, pride.
Now, that being said, I don’t think we are always blind to all our weaknesses. One brutally honest thing I realized about myself is that even with many of my most significant accomplishments, they, too, were rooted in sin. For example, I am a pastor and teach Bible and theology at the seminary level. I know a lot of the Bible. But what was it exactly that made me so hungry to know about the Bible? Was it pure love of God and his Word? No. I noticed that people were impressed that I knew a great deal about the Bible. It felt good to be the guy in the room who got asked the questions. “Isaac, what does this verse mean?” “Isaac, can you explain this?” So I studied and read and learned, not with pure motivations but with a desire to be known as the guy who knew a lot. Imagine the repentance needed when you realize the thing you thought was your greatest gift was also something rooted in sin.
By God’s grace, however, he can take things that were grown in mixed motivations and begin to purify those motivations. As I grow, I can see my love for the Bible grow out of a desire for God and for the service of his people.
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?
As I mentioned earlier, I pastor, I speak and I write. All three of those activities involve teaching the Bible and theology. Recently, they have all been focused on combating materialism, especially in my book, “When Life Feels Empty.” I believe materialism is a significant ailment of our culture. By materialism, I do not mean we are a greedy culture (although that is certainly true as well); I am talking about philosophical materialism, the belief that the physical world is all that exists.
The message of the modern world is that of materialism, which says: You are a product of random chance. You are nothing more than neurons, chemicals, hormones and atoms. You have no soul. There is nothing beyond this life. No heaven. No hell. No loving figure above.
Modern people like to tell themselves that they are special, unique and have purpose, but underneath that, at the foundation, at the operating system level of our culture, is the message that says we are alone in the universe. Our feet wander aimlessly without meaning on a planet that wanders aimlessly without meaning. We are here for a fleeting moment, and then death. We are a body and nothing more. No spirit. No soul. Within this framework, life is robbed of meaning and purpose. We have nothing higher to set our eyes on. We have nothing transcendent to pull our gaze upward.
The modern world has crafted a lie and made it the story that we live inside of — a universe divorced of the spiritual. But we are spiritual beings and can never find satisfaction, contentment or true joy by purely material objects. We were made for more.
Christians have a unique opportunity at this moment in time. In a culture saturated in materialism, people are finally hungry for something more than the physical. The church has the food that they are hungry for. This is something Christians have been called to — to show an unbelieving world that the Christian faith is the answer to the emptiness they have been feeling.
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 ways I describe the work of the Spirit is that he can animate any activity. By animate, I mean to fuel and empower the activity. This can be any activity from greeting someone at church or preaching the sermon. Here is an example that illustrates what I mean.
Sometimes when I preach, I feel like I did a good job sermonically. The points were strong, and the illustrations were effective. People come up and say how they thought the sermon was good, offering words of appreciation. This may sound great, and it is certainly not bad in any way, but the real question is: were people moved to give themselves in greater ways to the Lordship of Christ?
Compare that to a Sunday when I felt the sermon was uninspiring. My points weren’t great, the application was not insightful, and I did not have any amazing exegetical insights. This is what’s strange: it’s sometimes after those sermons when someone comes up and says, “You were talking straight to me. I felt like you knew my situation and that sermon was crafted just for me.” It’s in those moments that I think the Spirit is working in and through my words to accomplish something greater than the words spoken. The words have been empowered, not because of my rhetoric, vocabulary or articulation but because the Spirit took the words of a fallen man and used them.
This can happen in any activity. The way you interact with someone at the grocery store, the way you remember to call an old friend and see how they are doing, the way you make eye contact with the person on the street, reminding them that they are seen. Normal everyday actions can accomplish much with God empowering them.
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?
One of the practices I write about in my book is the practice of thanksgiving. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he writes in chapter 2, verse 14, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Then, he contrasts this with what he calls the “crooked and twisted generation.” How powerful is that? One of the ways in which you defy the selfish materialism of any day and say no to the crookedness of the world is by refusing to grumble. Giving thanks is an antidote to an ungrateful world.
One simple practice you can introduce in your life is a habit of thanksgiving. Daily, begin your morning by making a list of all the things you are grateful for. I have tried to start my morning with thoughts of thanksgiving. I try to wake up and have my first conscious thought be, Thank you, Jesus. I go on and thank him for my family, my life, the breath in my lungs. I was not owed the blessing of waking up, yet I did. “Thank you, Jesus.”
Often, Christians want to know God’s will for their lives. Many times, people ask me to help them discern God’s will for their lives. I usually begin with, “Good news! I know the will of God for your life. I know it with absolute certainty.” I tell them the will of God for their life is to give thanks. At first, this might seem like a letdown, but then I reinforce it with Scripture. This advice is a direct quote from the Bible. First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (ESV).
I know people might want to know more about God’s will for their life, but discerning his will must always begin with what we already know his will is, and his will is that we would give thanks.
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?
Oh, man, there are so many! First, I would say the soundtrack of my high school and college years. I became serious about my faith during those years, and I found music that God used to minister to me immensely. It encouraged me but also made me bold in my faith. Some standout bands for me in that time that were significant in my growth were P.O.D., Project 86, The O.C. Supertones and Blindside. I have stuck with these bands over the years. I have sort of grown up with them and still listen to them.
Second were apologetic and theology books. I recall reading a book titled “Unshakable Foundations” and finding it to be a massive boost to my faith. Of course, as so many others would agree, C.S. Lewis was critical. These early books were my introduction to theology and apologetics, and it was from them that my hunger to learn partially originated.
Third was my youth group. I had a youth pastor who believed in me when there was not much to believe in. He was beside me in many critical times of my life, and I would not be where I am today without him.
Certain things can be godsends, helping us survive, even thrive, in our fast-paced world. Does technology ever help you this way? Has an app ever boosted your spiritual growth? If so, how?
I am one of those people who thinks the digital world has sucked a lot of us in for the worse. The problem is, I love technology and have always been into the new and trendy gadgets. So I sort of have a love-hate relationship with tech, but for the most part, I try to use it in moderation. I believe the effects of the digital world are becoming increasingly evident, and they are cause for considerable concern. That being said, there are many great resources we have because of the development of tech.
Two things I really appreciate are audiobooks and podcasts. The amount of information the average person now has access to is incredible. Podcasts like Gavin Ortlund’s “Truth Unites” are incredible resources. Gavin is a Ph.D. uploading weekly theology videos. Every single person has access to theological lectures that are digestible from an expert in the field, and it’s free. The Bible Project is another resource that has been a tremendous help to many. There are many examples like this.
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 will be writing more, which means more podcasts, articles and speaking engagements. I am looking forward to addressing some of the issues I see with modern life. I see so much emptiness in individuals, and I firmly believe that Jesus is the answer. I want to commit myself to addressing these problems and offering the best solution I know. So you can expect to see more announcements around writing and speaking engagements in the future.
With all of that in mind, however, the biggest desire I have is to continue to be a good and faithful husband and father. When you start writing and speaking, you begin to develop a “platform.” I watch people become so infatuated with “being known” that they lose sight of the fact that they are most “known” by the people next to them. My family and my local church are my first duties and responsibilities. They are also gifts. I cherish them. In a world that is seeking attention from outside, I want to be grounded locally.
Our modern culture encourages people to impress. To be big and famous. To say, “Look at me and all I’ve accomplished! I’m important!”
But Jesus did something different, and he calls us to follow in his footsteps. He told his disciples, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ” (Matt. 23:8-10, ESV).
Jesus wasn’t telling us not to teach others or take positions of leadership. Instead, he’s giving us a blueprint to follow — one that seems upside down to the rest of the world. While our culture chases fame and fortune, Christ’s followers chase namelessness. While others pursue independence and success, Jesus’ brothers and sisters pursue accountability, servitude and a quiet life (see 1 Thess. 4:11).
For Isaac, that means focusing on being the best possible husband, father and servant to his local church while he grows his writing and speaking platform. What does it mean for you?
Isaac Serrano (Th.D., Evangelical Seminary) serves as lead pastor at South Valley Community Church in Gilroy, California. He also serves on the leadership team of the ReGeneration Project and is an adjunct professor teaching theology and ministry at Western Seminary. His book When Life Feels Empty from IVPress is out now.