In this episode of Very Bold Radio and Podcast, host Steve Teal sits down for part three of a deep-dive conversation with missionary and writer Steven Navarro. Picking up in 2022 after seven years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Amsterdam, Steven shares his candid, vulnerable journey through what St. John of the Cross named the "Dark Night of the Soul". 

Despite coming off a spiritually rich season memorizing the Gospel of Luke and experiencing intense corporate worship, Steven found himself entering a profound, multi-year season of spiritual dryness where traditional forms of devotion no longer brought a sense of God’s presence. Through silence, solitude, and guidance from mentors, he learned to embrace spiritual disequilibrium—moving from a performance-based, fix-it mindset toward an open-handed, contemplative faith. 

Key Takeaways & Topics Covered


Transition and Estrangement: Moving from leading Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) to joining a creative collective named Mosaic in YWAM Amsterdam left Steven feeling like a "fish out of water" amid broader life and faith transitions. 


The Onset of Spiritual Dryness: After a season of deep spiritual intimacy in Orlando, Florida, Steven returned to Amsterdam and began experiencing a withdrawal from the tangible presence of God during church services and prayer meetings. The harder he tried to "push in" or perform, the drier it felt. 


Discovering the Contemplative Tradition: Reading Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water helped Steven realize his spiritual dryness was not a sign of broken faith, but a well-documented historic Christian experience known across traditions as the "Dark Night of the Soul" or "spiritual disequilibrium". 


Practicing Silence and Solitude: Guided by mentors, Steven learned to sit on a quiet bench in Amsterdam for hours, allowing the "sand and dirt" of hurry and noise to settle so he could simply be present with God without needing to perform. 


Unconventional Places of Encounter: While standard devotional routines felt dry, Steven unexpectedly encountered God’s presence in three distinct areas: 


Everyday, mundane moments (making a sandwich in his apartment). 


Creative writing (crafting fiction and sci-fi stories late at night). 


High liturgy services (participating in Catholic Mass, Anglican, and Orthodox spaces). 


Open-Handed Faith and Spiritual Maturity: Moving away from rigid, single-stream definitions of worship allowed Steven to cultivate gratitude for all traditions within the Body of Christ and step into a role of spiritual parenthood. 


Incarnational Spirituality in the Everyday: Drawing on authors like Parker Palmer and Brother Lawrence, the episode highlights that your daily life—whether changing diapers, driving a truck, or frying an egg—is the exact "school" where the Holy Spirit desires to meet you. 


Short Story Feature ("Shooting Star"): Steven closes the interview by reading a poignant original short story exploring the tension between wonder, doubt, and holding onto fleeting moments of beauty.

In this episode of Very Bold Radio and Podcast, host Steve Teal sits down for part three of a deep-dive conversation with missionary and writer Steven Navarro. Picking up in 2022 after seven years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Amsterdam, Steven shares his candid, vulnerable journey through what St. John of the Cross named the "Dark Night of the Soul". 
Despite coming off a spiritually rich season memorizing the Gospel of Luke and experiencing intense corporate worship, Steven found himself entering a profound, multi-year season of spiritual dryness where traditional forms of devotion no longer brought a sense of God&rsquo;s presence. Through silence, solitude, and guidance from mentors, he learned to embrace spiritual disequilibrium&mdash;moving from a performance-based, fix-it mindset toward an open-handed, contemplative faith. 
Key Takeaways &amp; Topics Covered
<ul data-path-to-node="5">
<li>
Transition and Estrangement: Moving from leading Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) to joining a creative collective named Mosaic in YWAM Amsterdam left Steven feeling like a "fish out of water" amid broader life and faith transitions. 
</li>
<li>
The Onset of Spiritual Dryness: After a season of deep spiritual intimacy in Orlando, Florida, Steven returned to Amsterdam and began experiencing a withdrawal from the tangible presence of God during church services and prayer meetings. The harder he tried to "push in" or perform, the drier it felt. 
</li>
<li>
Discovering the Contemplative Tradition: Reading Richard Foster&rsquo;s Streams of Living Water helped Steven realize his spiritual dryness was not a sign of broken faith, but a well-documented historic Christian experience known across traditions as the "Dark Night of the Soul" or "spiritual disequilibrium". 
</li>
<li>
Practicing Silence and Solitude: Guided by mentors, Steven learned to sit on a quiet bench in Amsterdam for hours, allowing the "sand and dirt" of hurry and noise to settle so he could simply be present with God without needing to perform. 
</li>
<li>
Unconventional Places of Encounter: While standard devotional routines felt dry, Steven unexpectedly encountered God&rsquo;s presence in three distinct areas: 
<ol data-path-to-node="5,4,1">
<li>
Everyday, mundane moments (making a sandwich in his apartment). 
</li>
<li>
Creative writing (crafting fiction and sci-fi stories late at night). 
</li>
<li>
High liturgy services (participating in Catholic Mass, Anglican, and Orthodox spaces). 
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
Open-Handed Faith and Spiritual Maturity: Moving away from rigid, single-stream definitions of worship allowed Steven to cultivate gratitude for all traditions within the Body of Christ and step into a role of spiritual parenthood. 
</li>
<li>
Incarnational Spirituality in the Everyday: Drawing on authors like Parker Palmer and Brother Lawrence, the episode highlights that your daily life&mdash;whether changing diapers, driving a truck, or frying an egg&mdash;is the exact "school" where the Holy Spirit desires to meet you. 
</li>
<li>
Short Story Feature ("Shooting Star"): Steven closes the interview by reading a poignant original short story exploring the tension between wonder, doubt, and holding onto fleeting moments of beauty.
</li>
</ul>

Very Bold Radio and Podcast features host Steve Teel's "Simple Man Bible Study" as well as his interviews with Christian authors, singers, entertainers, athletes, and other difference makers.

Visit: VeryBold.com 

Very Bold Radio on AM 630 The Word every Saturday from 12:00 - 12:30 pm