Discovering Joy When Life Feels Empty with Isaac Serrano

In seasons when life feels meaningless, how can we perceive purpose, hope, and even joy?

Amid our deeply materialistic culture, the purpose of life can seem to simply be the elimination of pain and inconvenience. Yet the answer to our deepest aches lies in the joy of serving others, the wisdom of our ancestors, and the worthiness of Jesus.

In this episode of The Digital Examen, host Jay Y. Kim sits down with Isaac Serrano, lead pastor at South Valley Community Church in Gilroy, California, and author of When Life Feels Empty. He also serves on the leadership team of the ReGeneration Project and is an adjunct professor teaching theology and ministry at Western Seminary. Together, Kim and Serrano draw from ancient Christian wisdom and their experiences as pastors in Silicon Valley to discuss how discerning our telos, embracing connection with others, and locating ourselves in God’s story are essential to experiencing joy in our digital age. Serrano shares why the antidote to pain and suffering isn’t positive thinking or attempting to escape pain, but embracing endurance, selflessness, and age-old practices like communal singing, thanksgiving, and prayer.

If you long to experience tangible meaning in your everyday, this episode offers hope, clarity, and practical next steps toward a life filled with purpose and deep joy.

This episode highlights the following themes:
✅ The search for meaning in an age of emptiness
✅ How timeless practices can help us recalibrate our lives toward joy, meaning, and connection with God and others
✅ Endurance and faith in the midst of suffering

Links from this episode:
✅ Learn more about Isaac Serrano (www.ivpress.com/isaac-serrano)
✅ Read Isaac Serrano’s book, When Life Feels Empty (www.ivpress.com/when-life-feels-empty)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1FL0lPx-vHNArc-H3qO0Y1V1PHLOjBOiS/view)

Slowing down in a culture of speed isn’t easy. Noticing in an age of distraction might be even harder. But walking intentionally with God happens at the pace of peace, leading us to that which often feels elusive: joy and delight. In this season of The Digital Examen podcast, host Jay Y. Kim joins an array of writers, educators, artists, and theologians to explore the many gifts God offers just beneath the surface of our frenzied lives, often hidden in plain view. Together, we’ll discover that a life marked by joy and delight is available to any and all who would slow down and notice.

✅ Learn more about The Digital Examen (www.ivpress.com/)
✅ Learn more about your host, Jay Y. Kim (jaykimthinks.com/)
✅ Read Analog Church (www.ivpress.com/analog-church) and Analog Christian (www.ivpress.com/analog-christian) by Jay Y. Kim
✅ Listen to Meditations from The Digital Examen (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meditations-from-the-digital-examen/id1777487307)
✅ Download a Guide to The Examen (www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/digital-examen-podcast/The-Examen.pdf)

Links and Credits:
✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPEXAMEN40 for 40% off and free shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee
✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton
✅ Assistant Producer: Jack Reece
✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts
✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne
✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard and Elsbette San Blas
✅ Theme Song: "For They Will Inherit the Earth" by Stephen Keech

==== Time Stamps ====

00:00 – Introduction
00:56 – The Story of an Empty Soul
03:57 – About Isaac Serrano and His Book
06:13 – Diagnosing Our Emptiness
10:09 – Abundance and Emptiness
14:25 – Slave of Our Appetites
18:39 – The Paradox of Sacrifice
24:12 – Why Telos Matters
31:18 – Practical Practices: Singing, Thanksgiving, and the Lord’s Prayer
38:29 – The Lost Power of Communal Song
43:53 – The Art of Thanksgiving
48:23 – Endurance and Faithfulness in Hard Times

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.