October 7, 2025 • 25 mins
Hear Caleb's One80 and the unlikely mentor who walked him back from the bridge.
"And then, at the pinnacle of my life. . . why do I feel so empty?" said University of Minnesota student Caleb Jue, on his rock bottom night.
But God reached out to Caleb and a journey of restoration would come to him. Namely in the form of a Pinnacle Forum leader, Merrill Oster.
These Pinnacle retirees had been praying that they would mentor a student from an area high school, and in walks Caleb to Merrill's home. Hear how he went to Merrill's house to solicit power washing, but left with purpose.
God uses this relationship to steer Caleb towards faith in Christ, and freedom from his sinful patterns. This story is a testament to redemption and the power of mentorship.
Helpful Links:
SALT, the U of Minnesota Church, a college church planting network https://www.thesaltnetwork.com/
Christian Mentoring, helpful resources from Cru.org
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:02):
Welcome to One 80.
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Be amazed at how God works tobring people to Himself.
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CalebJue (00:18):
And then at the pinnacle of my life, you know, I
had money, friends, drugs,girls.
I felt like empty.
I'm like, oh my gosh, this issupposed to be it, you know,
college, going out with yourfriends, drinking, hang out with
girls, and I'm like, oh man,why do I feel so empty?
Margaret Ereneta (00:38):
If Caleb Jew was at the pinnacle of his life,
why did it feel so empty?
Why did he find himself at thatbridge wanting to take his
life?
Well, friends, God came to therescue with Meryl, his mentor
from the Pinnacle Forum.
And the story of Caleb's comingto Jesus involves his mentor.
(00:59):
It's such a beautiful story.
This is Margaret Ereneta.
Welcome to Caleb's One80.
CalebJue (01:12):
I grew up in Naperville, Illinois.
Grew up in a really big church.
I attended every Sunday.
And it was just something likeGod, SEC football, Santa Claus,
and Jesus were those things thatyou just kind of like believed
in growing up.
Yeah, I just had that idea ofJesus.
Like that was my God in myheart.
(01:33):
You know, that's what I thoughtof.
It's just something you reallypeople really have.
And you just go to church everySunday and then you leave and
then you do whatever, get foodafter.
But there was really no likelife application and Jesus being
the propitiation for my sins.
Like I didn't know that when hedied on the cross, it somehow
counted for me.
But so I went to service, heardmultiple altar calls and calls
(01:55):
to repentance and calls tosalvation in church, but I was
like, oh, that's not really forme.
And then whenever they had thebaptisms, I was like, oh, that's
pretty cool.
I don't want to get baptized,though, you know.
So it was around like freshmanyear, still going to church
every Sunday, and then I hitaround during COVID is when I
got into like a bad friendgroup, and that's where like I
(02:19):
found my community in.
That's why I always tell peoplebe careful who your community
is because that'll really likedamage you and cripple you.
Just like woe through the whomthe sin comes from, you know
what I mean?
And that's when I like startedsmoking weed, got introduced
into a bunch of drugs like that,and nicotine and stuff like
that.
And I'm like 15, my brain'slike plastics malleable, and I'm
(02:42):
like, oh, this is cool, theseolder kids are doing it.
It seems pretty fun.
And so that's when I kind ofgot roped into some bad stuff
and like partying and drinkingin high school.
Um, I thought it was coolbecause everybody else did it.
That's just how the world was,you know, they like glamorize
sin.
It was fun.
I'm gonna be honest, like whenyou're not a slave to Christ,
(03:02):
sin feels so good.
And it's so hard, like, to lookat people that go to church
that are doing these, likepartying and drinking too.
And I'm like, I'm just likeeverybody else, you know, I'm a
Christian.
I'll wear this cross on myneck, but I didn't know who died
on it, and somehow it countedfor me.
And so, yeah, that reallywasn't concrete.
And then when I got to college,I was like, finally, I didn't
(03:24):
have to come home to my parents.
And that's when it just gotreally bad.
I was going out like a lot withmy friends.
I had good grades, had somemoney, and I was feeling good,
you know.
I was like the pinnacle of mylife.
And then at the pinnacle of mylife, you know, I had money,
friends, drugs, girls.
(03:44):
I felt like empty.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm I'msupposed to, this is supposed to
be it, you know, college, goingout with your friends,
drinking, hanging out withgirls.
And I'm like, oh man, why do Ifeel so empty?
And then that one winter break,I came home, the first one, my
freshman year.
I'm like, shoot, why am I so sadall the time?
You know, like why am I notfeeling fulfilled and have no
(04:08):
purpose like all the time?
And I just had no drive.
I was hanging out with myfriends.
I was like, oh, I don't, Idon't want to hang out with my
friends, but I have to.
I already made these plans.
And yeah, it was just like thatemptiness and then depression.
And at night I couldn't sleep.
I had so much anxiety in my myheart, like my brain wouldn't
stop taking things to theextreme of my brain.
And I'm like, oh my gosh,there's something definitely
(04:30):
wrong with me.
And there's somethingdefinitely wrong with like
everybody, you know, and it'sthat thing called sin, you know.
We live in a Genesis 3 world,we we live in a fallen world.
And so that's where those thingscame from, you know, it was
just sin and mass sin.
So when I stopped it, I justfelt like super depressed and
super anxious.
And I'm like, okay, there goesmy hope.
I had my hope in like friends,girls, alcohol, partying, money.
(04:54):
And then I'm like, I have allthis stuff.
I'm like, dang, I don't havenothing.
I don't feel good at all.
I thought this is what I wassupposed to feel like amazing.
And so when I got back fromcollege, I was like, oh shoot,
this sucks.
In my dorm room, like sad allthe time, never wanting to
leave.
My roommate's like, what iswrong with you, dude?
(05:14):
You used to like have fun allthe time, big old smile on your
face.
Now you're just sad all thetime.
And this happened for like twoweeks, and so this is around
like a month and a half of this,just like hopelessness.
So I'm like, oh shoot, what'sgoing on?
And with just no hope, you havenothing to look forward to, you
know.
Like, even class, I wasskipping classes, just taking
(05:35):
the tests.
And it was like Januarysomething, and it was just like
really, really, really snowyoutside.
It sucked.
I had my jacket on, and I'mlike, oh man, like I have
nothing to live for.
There's nothing really for me.
I don't have any hope.
I don't look forward to thenext day ever.
And this is just like how it'sgonna be like for the rest of my
life.
This is the night I'm gonna doit.
(05:56):
I'm gonna kill myself.
And so there's this bridgeright by my dorm, and I was like
walking over there.
I was pissed, I was crying.
I'm like, gosh, like, why do Ifeel like this all the time?
So I'm walking.
And then it's either Joey or mewho called.
It was it was one of us, but itwas like, I like, oh, I think I
called him, and then he calledme back and it was just ringing,
(06:18):
and I was like, I can't answerit.
And then it rang again, and Iwas like, all right, I'm
sobbing, I'm running home.
I got my big old winter jacketon.
And then in like the Sanfordstudy room, I pick up this this
this guy answers the phone, andI'm just like, boom, I crying so
hard.
He's probably like, What areyou doing with your jacket coat
on?
It's like really late at night.
(06:39):
And then that's when like theLord really encountered me at
first, you know.
There's no radical change, likewhen the Lord encounters you.
Obviously, like, oh my gosh,like he just like showered me
with love and like affection.
And then that's when I figureout like that's what love is,
that's what grace is.
You know, like while we wereyet still sinners, Christ died
(06:59):
for us, you know.
And so I'm like, man, Jesus, Ithought I had to be X, Y, and Z.
I thought I had to do go tochurch every Sunday for for you,
you know?
And so I'm like, okay, this guyreally loves me, and he's like,
you just encountered me rightthere.
Margaret Ereneta (07:16):
So Caleb just meets Jesus in his darkest
moment.
But what happens next?
There's a dance that heexplains really well that some
people deal with after theyencounter Jesus like that.
CalebJue (07:30):
And so that was like my salvation.
I'm like, all right, I loveyou, Jesus.
But then there's like thatwhole process of sanctification,
which is ongoing, you know,you'll never be perfect until
you're in glory.
And so I ran from it for liketwo weeks.
I was like, no, I don't want tobe a Christian, those guys are
crazy.
They're like, they're so boringand they don't do anything fun.
(07:52):
And so just after thatencounter, I'm like, oh my gosh.
Then I had a little bit of hope,and I'm like, where's this hope
coming from?
You know, my hope's in theLord.
That's when I felt convictionbecause I went out to like drink
on a Friday, and I'm like,wait, why do I feel bad about
this?
You know?
And so that's like Ezekiel 36,26, and I will give you a new
(08:12):
heart and a new spirit I willput within you, and I'll remove
the heart of stone from yourflesh and give you a heart of
flesh.
And so that's when like I knewI was like saved, and I felt
like bad for those things that Ionce like loved to do, you
know.
When I was yoked to the world,when I was yoked to sin, I like
loved those things.
So I'm like, oh my gosh, thisdoesn't feel good.
And I like drank a little bitmore.
(08:34):
I'm like, oh, this doesn't feelgood either.
I don't know what's happening.
And so I was just like, likethe Lord's really running after
me, and he really loves me.
And I'm like, oh man, so I andI don't cry a lot, I'm not a big
cryer, but I cried hard thatnight.
I'm like, oh my gosh, Jesus,why do you love me?
You know, I'm a dirty oldsinner.
And I was just so far from him.
(08:56):
Like, I was just lived such alicentious life, such a lawless
life.
A nd I was like, oh my gosh,like there's no way this guy
still loves me after this.
I wasn't surrounded by a goodcommunity still back then.
It wasn't until summer.
Joey passed out a flyer, one ofJoey's friends, he has a power
washing company.
Shout out to Diamond Spraypower washing.
And uh he owns a power washingcompany.
(09:17):
Joey's like, I got a big powerwashing job.
You want to help me do it?
I'm like, oh yeah, of course.
Like that's my best friendright there.
I'll do anything for that guy.
And he's like, he'll pay metoo.
I was like, awesome, he'll buyme food.
And then um, after we were donewith the job, this guy,
Merrill, comes in and he likeshakes my hand, pulls me in real
(09:37):
close.
He's like, How you doing, youngman?
It's a beautiful day out today.
The good the Lord's been goodto me.
He's looking over his porch.
And then he took us to his mancave and I was like, All right,
this is where we die.
Like it was good knowing you,Joey.
Like, I love you, Mama Dad.
I'm gonna die right here.
And he was showing me, becauseI also, this is such a
sidetrack, but I used to tradelike futures for the SP like ES
(10:01):
and NQ.
And I saw he was trading likecommodities, and he had some
books on it.
He wrote books on like hedgingyour livestock as a farmer,
right?
On corn.
So I'm like, oh, that's reallylike really interesting.
We got to talking, and thenpulls me in again really hard
when we're about to leave.
Like, that's just how Merrill'shandshake is, you know, it's
real strong and firm.
You just know it's Meryl.
(10:22):
And then he gives us this book,it's like Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren.
And then he he gave us some ofhis other books too.
And through that, that was likemy first like taste and see
that the Lord is good ofsomebody that wakes up, reads
the Bible, and acts like aChristian all day.
Meryl's the best Christian Iknow, I'm gonna be honest.
Margaret Ereneta (10:45):
Here's where Merrill Oster enters in the
story.
Merrill becomes Caleb's mentor,and it's such a cool story
about how God brought togetheran 85-year-old entrepreneur
Christian to mentor this20-year-old lost kid who just
needs Jesus.
We had the privilege ofinterviewing Merrill as well.
(11:06):
We actually interviewed Caleband Merrill together, so we'll
share parts of that interview inthis show, too, and then
Merrill's testimonies coming upin the next episode.
So here's Merrill weighing inon their encounter.
Merrill Oster (11:22):
Well, I'm a part of Pinnacle Forum.
Pinnacle Forum is a group thathas uh partners all over
America.
We typically meet in groups often with the idea that personal
transformation should lead us tocultural transformation.
So we look for projects.
And in our uh StonebridgeCountry Club here in Aurora,
we've had little projects.
We helped the Crisis PregnancyCenter get off the ground.
(11:44):
We helped launch a Christianschool.
And uh it's been a while sincewe've had a project that all of
us could get involved in.
And so one day we were praying,wouldn't it be nice if we could
do something for our localschool, Matea?
It would be nice if we couldfigure out a way to help advance
the cause of Christ inMatthias.
Let's pray about that.
But two weeks later, a coupleof guys show up at my door and
uh they want to power wash.
(12:06):
For 50 bucks, they'll powerwash my back patio.
And while while Caleb was doingthe patio, Joey was down
brushing a little spot off my uhgreat big stone patio, and he
said, Merrill, look what I coulddo.
Uh, we could make your wholebackyard look like this.
I said, What would that cost?
He said, $500.
(12:27):
I'd say, okay, I'll do it.
I immediately became impressedby these kids who could talk me
up from $50 to $500.
I've got some entrepreneurs onmy hands here.
So when they got the job alldone, I invited them into my man
cable.
The boys came in there andtheir jaws dropped.
They said, Wow, this is reallyimpressive, Meryl.
I said, Well, I hang aroundguys that live like this.
(12:50):
Would you like to know moreabout them?
They said, Yeah.
And so uh I gave them thisbook, Purpose-Driven Life, and
invited them to meet once amonth, each month with a
different one of the guys fromour forum.
They get to sit down as we gothrough the book.
That's part of the meeting.
The other part is they get achance to ask questions of some
really successful guys who are apart of the forum.
(13:12):
And the questions go all overthe board from theology to uh
well to girlfriends.
So that was a start, and we'renow one year into it, and uh,
you're seeing the fruit.
Margaret Ereneta (13:24):
Next, Caleb weighs in on this encounter.
CalebJue (13:27):
And so it's just, I was like, oh man, like that's
what an overflow of the heart inthe Bible.
Matthew 12, 34, for out of theabundance of the heart, the
mouth speaks.
And he was just so nice to us,and I was like, oh man.
So he invited us, me and Joey,and I said, Bring some of your
buddies to um a Bible study withsome of his friends, and then
(13:51):
we started doing these Biblestudies.
So I think that was like thefirst like discipler I really
had was Merrill, and just beingin good communities, my friends
chasing after Christ as well,was just like something like
unspeakable, you know.
The Bible also talks about likea peace that surpasses all
understanding.
I tell like these guys that areso rooted in Christ and their
(14:13):
hope is so strong in Christ, um,that they just had it, you
know, like nothing, no adversityreally moved them.
So I'm like, oh man, like thisis I want that, you know, and I
I crave that.
And so just being in thatcommunity really helped me grow.
And um, that's where like thathunger and like curiosity really
started for like Jesus.
(14:33):
And then once we got to school,my buddy Jack Christiansen
reached out to me.
He's like, hey, let's get food.
And he's part of Salt Company,shout out Salt Company in
Minneapolis.
He was like, Hey man, like youcame to Salt once last year.
Because my sister, she was thebiggest seed planner, and my
parents too, they were prayingfor me.
But they've been praying for mereally hard.
(14:54):
And my sister, every Thursday,Sunday, she'd always like, hey,
come to church.
I was like, no.
Every time, my freshman year.
And then Jack, one of mysister's friends, like reached
out to me.
And I went to church with them,and then there's this pancake
party after soul, and I'm like,oh man, like these people are so
happy all the time.
Like, there's no, like, why arethey so happy, you know?
(15:16):
And I just knew it was Jesus,and so like that's when I really
like started chasing afterJesus, you know.
Like when you repent, you liketurn around and Jesus like right
behind you.
I'm like, oh man, thank you,Lord.
And so um, after joining like aconnection group at church, I
just like fell in love with theBible because sometimes you
(15:36):
can't even put that thing down,you know.
But I just love that thing, andI'm like reading in Matthew and
Mark, Luke, and John, like, ohmy gosh, like Jesus really did
all these miracles, and he'stelling people, like, no, don't
say anything.
Um, like this is awesome.
And then I think it was John8:58, it was like before Abraham
I am, and then after that, inJohn, it's like a whole
(16:00):
different gospel.
It's just like John's alwayssaying, like, it's because he is
God.
I just love John, and and itwould just like explain like
Jesus is fully human and fullyman.
Margaret Ereneta (16:12):
So now Caleb's just pouring through the Bible
and getting so excited andlearning about the hypostatic
union as he referred to it, andjust had so many questions
answered, and all these peopleto walk alongside him.
He's so excited about it.
CalebJue (16:29):
And so my friends were just like, explain to me.
I had so many questions.
If you would ask like my Cgroup members and leaders, I
would call them, send himvoicemails all the time about
like just random stuff abouttheology, and they were like,
Oh, he's he's hooked now, likehe's really in love with it.
And so it was after I read theGospel of John, I was like, Man,
(16:50):
like when Jesus died on thecross on Calvary, like it
counted for me somehow.
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
And I remember crying, and noneof my roommates were saved at
this time, and so they're like,Caleb, why are you crying?
Like, and I was like, Oh mygoodness, like, thank you,
Jesus.
These are like all seedsplanted, like I had an encounter
(17:12):
of Jesus, and then I startedjoining connection group,
applied for leadership, and gota great buddies, and then I
think it's John 10 10's like thethief comes only to steal,
kill, and destroy.
But like, I came for you to havelike life and life abundantly.
And I'm like, oh man, like Iget life abundant here on earth
(17:32):
too.
Like, I gotta carry my cross,but this is awesome.
It's just been amazing, youknow, growing and like seeing
miracles.
We do evangelism trips likeFriday nights, Thursday nights
at school, and gotta meet a lotof new friends, seeing
salvation, and it's just like,oh my gosh, like we talk about
the goodness of God, you know,we don't deserve any of this.
(17:53):
It's just all sprinkles, youknow, it's all icing.
Margaret Ereneta (17:57):
Part of that icing for Caleb is Merrill, and
he talks about thatrelationship.
CalebJue (18:02):
Merrill's just so inviting, you know, like people
talk about being Christ-like,and there's just and there's
Merrill, like, I'm not joking,he's the big the best Christian
I know.
He was just so friendly and soinviting, big old smile on his
face every time he saw us, gotus some food, and Carol's really
nice too, and it was just likesomething about that like
happiness and peacefulnessreally like drew me in.
(18:25):
And so the more we got to likemeet up with Merrill, the more
like questions I had.
And to this day, I askedMerrill a whole bunch of
theological questions.
And right now it's aboutRevelation because I just like
read that again.
My dad's reading it too.
But he just knew like all theanswers to my questions, and so
(18:46):
the more I asked him thesequestions, the more answers he
gave me, like the more like myeyes like are wide.
There's it talks about in theBible like a veil from your eyes
like is lifted once you'resaved.
And so I'm like little bylittle, I'm like, okay, I see
glory a little bit more.
Yeah, he was just like a greatmentor, knew a whole bunch of
Bible, and loved, had a truelove for Jesus.
Margaret Ereneta (19:08):
Next, I asked Merrill if he felt adequate to
be a mentor.
And he said he felt totallyinadequate, and here's what he
added.
Merrill Oster (19:17):
And so I study and study and study before these
guys come, and uh they ask mequestions that I don't know for
sure what the answers are.
So I tell them, you know what,I'm not a theological student,
but I've spent about 20,000hours listening to pastors
preach from various portions,and this is what I think it
might be like.
I'm not the final word.
The word is the final word.
(19:41):
And so this gives them a chanceto tap into years and years of
uh mistakes that we've made.
The idea is they should notmake the same mistakes that we
made, they should learn to makesome new ones.
Guys who are now learning howto advance the cause of Christ
in their own way.
And it all starts, uh, I thinkwith a heart that comes from uh
(20:04):
somebody has invested in me, Ihave a chance to invest in
somebody else, they invest insomebody else.
That's called uhmultiplication.
And uh we're in in the midst ofthat process right now.
Margaret Ereneta (20:17):
And that multiplication did already
happen.
Caleb's already mentoringpeople.
He says he has 20 guys thathe's mentoring, he'll share
that.
CalebJue (20:26):
There's like four guys like our age that I'll take
part in this mentorship.
And it's definitely like a realbig eye opener on to simple
mistakes that you can make thatare really detrimental because
like the wages of sin is death.
And so um just like makingthose small ones, even like on
harsher subjects.
We like to like consult withMerrill when we were back from
(20:48):
winter break.
I was like, hey, I'm likeleading a Bible study upon this
like particular sin struggle.
Like, can you tell us like moreabout how important it is to
like crucify the flesh?
And as well as like some of theways you could do it, and those
practical tips helped like meand like all my guys in that
group.
It was definitely like thebiggest thing I've seen as far
(21:08):
as getting poured into and thenpouring into other people.
And so through consulting withMerrill and other mentors about
like some of the actualpractical ways and some of the
stuff that helps, I was able tohelp a lot of other kids around
like 20 at my school.
Right before church, we hadthis big old Bible study, which
was really fun.
Margaret Ereneta (21:29):
Next, I asked Caleb to explain what his new
life in Christ is like.
CalebJue (21:34):
Like it wasn't like SEC football, Santa Claus, love
for something else, it was likea true, genuine love for a
living God here on earth.
And so I'm like, oh man, likethis guy is real, you know.
But I do really want to spreadlike the gospel.
And I just have just a genuineheart for the world, like my
heart cries out in my prayerroom.
(21:56):
I'm like just sobbing over likethe sin in this world, and like
especially in the US, and thenthe lack of reverence from the
Lord um just like gets me reallyfired up.
Cause also in the Bible, it'slike from the days of John the
Baptist till now, like theChristians took the kingdom by
force.
I'm definitely like not passivewith my relationships, like,
oh, like you know God.
But I'm like, we gotta knowJesus, like we need a call to
(22:17):
repentance here on earth, youknow.
And I know what my life was, andI think that's why I'm so much
like this, because I know whatmy life was before Jesus, but
before having any hope, and thenafter, and like what Jesus
could do in your life, and notjust eternal life, but life here
on earth.
Like, I don't understand howpeople like wake up and do their
lives without Jesus, withouthaving like a hope for the
(22:39):
future, and like without havinga genuine connection with the
Lord and a love for the Lord.
And I'm like, I got this thing,and it's called the gospel.
And the apostles and thedisciples, they died to give me,
like, pass this baton to me.
And I'm like, now I have it.
Who am I to just read my Bible,watch some Christian TikToks
and be like, call it good, youknow?
Like, I can't, I got too muchlike on my heart to not give it.
(23:02):
And so I've always been like anextroverted person, and the
lifetime saunas were like I juststart going crazy because
nobody has their phones inthere.
And so nobody can, nobody couldreally like put on their
headphones or anything.
So I'm like, hey, I like thattattoo or I like to start it
like that.
And then I just meet so manypeople in there that are just
like, I know there's a God, butI don't know which one, you
(23:24):
know?
And so just like from my hungerfor the Bible, and I w I like
when I first got saved, I'mlike, oh, maybe I need to make
sure this is true myself.
And so I just like learned abunch of stuff.
Like, this cannot be acoincidence, like 66 books in
the Bible, 30-some writers, likein one unity of thought, like
we can't even get 10 people in aroom and all agree on one
(23:45):
thing.
And so there's no way this is acoincidence.
And I'm like, give them thetrek.
I'm like, 2000 years ago, thisguy, Jesus, lived a perfect
life, and he died for your sins.
Like, this is the gospel.
Like, we're sinners, man sees asavior, Jesus is that savior,
and then that's it.
Because the Bible also talksabout like you just open your
mouth and the Holy Spirit justtalk through you.
And so, just really just likethat burden for other people's
(24:08):
salvation, and like Jesus givesme opportunities to share the
gospel all the time.
Margaret Ereneta (24:16):
Now you know Caleb too, but of course he had
to bring an audience with himwhen he shared the testimony, so
we all finished the show with abig round of approval.
Thank you.
And thank you for listening totoday's show.
Make sure to share it with thepeople you know, especially in
(24:37):
Gen Z.
There's so many Gen Zers thatare just on fire for the Lord,
and it's so exciting to witness,isn't it?
And if you're looking for amentor or you want to be a
mentor, check out our shownotes.
We'll list all the resourcesthat we can find in there for
you.
Butcheck out next week's show, where
you'll hear Merrill'stestimony, which is really
awesome too.
(24:58):
Praise God.
Announcer (25:14):
OneWay. Exalt Christ and advance his gospel.
Welcome to One 80.
Transforming testimonies fromnext door to across the globe.
Be amazed at how God works tobring people to Himself.
Share today's One80 with afriend.
It might be the best news theyhear today.
CalebJue (00:18):
And then at the pinnacle of my life, you know, I
had money, friends, drugs,girls.
I felt like empty.
I'm like, oh my gosh, this issupposed to be it, you know,
college, going out with yourfriends, drinking, hang out with
girls, and I'm like, oh man,why do I feel so empty?
Margaret Ereneta (00:38):
If Caleb Jew was at the pinnacle of his life,
why did it feel so empty?
Why did he find himself at thatbridge wanting to take his
life?
Well, friends, God came to therescue with Meryl, his mentor
from the Pinnacle Forum.
And the story of Caleb's comingto Jesus involves his mentor.
(00:59):
It's such a beautiful story.
This is Margaret Ereneta.
Welcome to Caleb's One80.
CalebJue (01:12):
I grew up in Naperville, Illinois.
Grew up in a really big church.
I attended every Sunday.
And it was just something likeGod, SEC football, Santa Claus,
and Jesus were those things thatyou just kind of like believed
in growing up.
Yeah, I just had that idea ofJesus.
Like that was my God in myheart.
(01:33):
You know, that's what I thoughtof.
It's just something you reallypeople really have.
And you just go to church everySunday and then you leave and
then you do whatever, get foodafter.
But there was really no likelife application and Jesus being
the propitiation for my sins.
Like I didn't know that when hedied on the cross, it somehow
counted for me.
But so I went to service, heardmultiple altar calls and calls
(01:55):
to repentance and calls tosalvation in church, but I was
like, oh, that's not really forme.
And then whenever they had thebaptisms, I was like, oh, that's
pretty cool.
I don't want to get baptized,though, you know.
So it was around like freshmanyear, still going to church
every Sunday, and then I hitaround during COVID is when I
got into like a bad friendgroup, and that's where like I
(02:19):
found my community in.
That's why I always tell peoplebe careful who your community
is because that'll really likedamage you and cripple you.
Just like woe through the whomthe sin comes from, you know
what I mean?
And that's when I like startedsmoking weed, got introduced
into a bunch of drugs like that,and nicotine and stuff like
that.
And I'm like 15, my brain'slike plastics malleable, and I'm
(02:42):
like, oh, this is cool, theseolder kids are doing it.
It seems pretty fun.
And so that's when I kind ofgot roped into some bad stuff
and like partying and drinkingin high school.
Um, I thought it was coolbecause everybody else did it.
That's just how the world was,you know, they like glamorize
sin.
It was fun.
I'm gonna be honest, like whenyou're not a slave to Christ,
(03:02):
sin feels so good.
And it's so hard, like, to lookat people that go to church
that are doing these, likepartying and drinking too.
And I'm like, I'm just likeeverybody else, you know, I'm a
Christian.
I'll wear this cross on myneck, but I didn't know who died
on it, and somehow it countedfor me.
And so, yeah, that reallywasn't concrete.
And then when I got to college,I was like, finally, I didn't
(03:24):
have to come home to my parents.
And that's when it just gotreally bad.
I was going out like a lot withmy friends.
I had good grades, had somemoney, and I was feeling good,
you know.
I was like the pinnacle of mylife.
And then at the pinnacle of mylife, you know, I had money,
friends, drugs, girls.
(03:44):
I felt like empty.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm I'msupposed to, this is supposed to
be it, you know, college, goingout with your friends,
drinking, hanging out withgirls.
And I'm like, oh man, why do Ifeel so empty?
And then that one winter break,I came home, the first one, my
freshman year.
I'm like, shoot, why am I so sadall the time?
You know, like why am I notfeeling fulfilled and have no
(04:08):
purpose like all the time?
And I just had no drive.
I was hanging out with myfriends.
I was like, oh, I don't, Idon't want to hang out with my
friends, but I have to.
I already made these plans.
And yeah, it was just like thatemptiness and then depression.
And at night I couldn't sleep.
I had so much anxiety in my myheart, like my brain wouldn't
stop taking things to theextreme of my brain.
And I'm like, oh my gosh,there's something definitely
(04:30):
wrong with me.
And there's somethingdefinitely wrong with like
everybody, you know, and it'sthat thing called sin, you know.
We live in a Genesis 3 world,we we live in a fallen world.
And so that's where those thingscame from, you know, it was
just sin and mass sin.
So when I stopped it, I justfelt like super depressed and
super anxious.
And I'm like, okay, there goesmy hope.
I had my hope in like friends,girls, alcohol, partying, money.
(04:54):
And then I'm like, I have allthis stuff.
I'm like, dang, I don't havenothing.
I don't feel good at all.
I thought this is what I wassupposed to feel like amazing.
And so when I got back fromcollege, I was like, oh shoot,
this sucks.
In my dorm room, like sad allthe time, never wanting to
leave.
My roommate's like, what iswrong with you, dude?
(05:14):
You used to like have fun allthe time, big old smile on your
face.
Now you're just sad all thetime.
And this happened for like twoweeks, and so this is around
like a month and a half of this,just like hopelessness.
So I'm like, oh shoot, what'sgoing on?
And with just no hope, you havenothing to look forward to, you
know.
Like, even class, I wasskipping classes, just taking
(05:35):
the tests.
And it was like Januarysomething, and it was just like
really, really, really snowyoutside.
It sucked.
I had my jacket on, and I'mlike, oh man, like I have
nothing to live for.
There's nothing really for me.
I don't have any hope.
I don't look forward to thenext day ever.
And this is just like how it'sgonna be like for the rest of my
life.
This is the night I'm gonna doit.
(05:56):
I'm gonna kill myself.
And so there's this bridgeright by my dorm, and I was like
walking over there.
I was pissed, I was crying.
I'm like, gosh, like, why do Ifeel like this all the time?
So I'm walking.
And then it's either Joey or mewho called.
It was it was one of us, but itwas like, I like, oh, I think I
called him, and then he calledme back and it was just ringing,
(06:18):
and I was like, I can't answerit.
And then it rang again, and Iwas like, all right, I'm
sobbing, I'm running home.
I got my big old winter jacketon.
And then in like the Sanfordstudy room, I pick up this this
this guy answers the phone, andI'm just like, boom, I crying so
hard.
He's probably like, What areyou doing with your jacket coat
on?
It's like really late at night.
(06:39):
And then that's when like theLord really encountered me at
first, you know.
There's no radical change, likewhen the Lord encounters you.
Obviously, like, oh my gosh,like he just like showered me
with love and like affection.
And then that's when I figureout like that's what love is,
that's what grace is.
You know, like while we wereyet still sinners, Christ died
(06:59):
for us, you know.
And so I'm like, man, Jesus, Ithought I had to be X, Y, and Z.
I thought I had to do go tochurch every Sunday for for you,
you know?
And so I'm like, okay, this guyreally loves me, and he's like,
you just encountered me rightthere.
Margaret Ereneta (07:16):
So Caleb just meets Jesus in his darkest
moment.
But what happens next?
There's a dance that heexplains really well that some
people deal with after theyencounter Jesus like that.
CalebJue (07:30):
And so that was like my salvation.
I'm like, all right, I loveyou, Jesus.
But then there's like thatwhole process of sanctification,
which is ongoing, you know,you'll never be perfect until
you're in glory.
And so I ran from it for liketwo weeks.
I was like, no, I don't want tobe a Christian, those guys are
crazy.
They're like, they're so boringand they don't do anything fun.
(07:52):
And so just after thatencounter, I'm like, oh my gosh.
Then I had a little bit of hope,and I'm like, where's this hope
coming from?
You know, my hope's in theLord.
That's when I felt convictionbecause I went out to like drink
on a Friday, and I'm like,wait, why do I feel bad about
this?
You know?
And so that's like Ezekiel 36,26, and I will give you a new
(08:12):
heart and a new spirit I willput within you, and I'll remove
the heart of stone from yourflesh and give you a heart of
flesh.
And so that's when like I knewI was like saved, and I felt
like bad for those things that Ionce like loved to do, you
know.
When I was yoked to the world,when I was yoked to sin, I like
loved those things.
So I'm like, oh my gosh, thisdoesn't feel good.
And I like drank a little bitmore.
(08:34):
I'm like, oh, this doesn't feelgood either.
I don't know what's happening.
And so I was just like, likethe Lord's really running after
me, and he really loves me.
And I'm like, oh man, so I andI don't cry a lot, I'm not a big
cryer, but I cried hard thatnight.
I'm like, oh my gosh, Jesus,why do you love me?
You know, I'm a dirty oldsinner.
And I was just so far from him.
(08:56):
Like, I was just lived such alicentious life, such a lawless
life.
A nd I was like, oh my gosh,like there's no way this guy
still loves me after this.
I wasn't surrounded by a goodcommunity still back then.
It wasn't until summer.
Joey passed out a flyer, one ofJoey's friends, he has a power
washing company.
Shout out to Diamond Spraypower washing.
And uh he owns a power washingcompany.
(09:17):
Joey's like, I got a big powerwashing job.
You want to help me do it?
I'm like, oh yeah, of course.
Like that's my best friendright there.
I'll do anything for that guy.
And he's like, he'll pay metoo.
I was like, awesome, he'll buyme food.
And then um, after we were donewith the job, this guy,
Merrill, comes in and he likeshakes my hand, pulls me in real
(09:37):
close.
He's like, How you doing, youngman?
It's a beautiful day out today.
The good the Lord's been goodto me.
He's looking over his porch.
And then he took us to his mancave and I was like, All right,
this is where we die.
Like it was good knowing you,Joey.
Like, I love you, Mama Dad.
I'm gonna die right here.
And he was showing me, becauseI also, this is such a
sidetrack, but I used to tradelike futures for the SP like ES
(10:01):
and NQ.
And I saw he was trading likecommodities, and he had some
books on it.
He wrote books on like hedgingyour livestock as a farmer,
right?
On corn.
So I'm like, oh, that's reallylike really interesting.
We got to talking, and thenpulls me in again really hard
when we're about to leave.
Like, that's just how Merrill'shandshake is, you know, it's
real strong and firm.
You just know it's Meryl.
(10:22):
And then he gives us this book,it's like Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren.
And then he he gave us some ofhis other books too.
And through that, that was likemy first like taste and see
that the Lord is good ofsomebody that wakes up, reads
the Bible, and acts like aChristian all day.
Meryl's the best Christian Iknow, I'm gonna be honest.
Margaret Ereneta (10:45):
Here's where Merrill Oster enters in the
story.
Merrill becomes Caleb's mentor,and it's such a cool story
about how God brought togetheran 85-year-old entrepreneur
Christian to mentor this20-year-old lost kid who just
needs Jesus.
We had the privilege ofinterviewing Merrill as well.
(11:06):
We actually interviewed Caleband Merrill together, so we'll
share parts of that interview inthis show, too, and then
Merrill's testimonies coming upin the next episode.
So here's Merrill weighing inon their encounter.
Merrill Oster (11:22):
Well, I'm a part of Pinnacle Forum.
Pinnacle Forum is a group thathas uh partners all over
America.
We typically meet in groups often with the idea that personal
transformation should lead us tocultural transformation.
So we look for projects.
And in our uh StonebridgeCountry Club here in Aurora,
we've had little projects.
We helped the Crisis PregnancyCenter get off the ground.
(11:44):
We helped launch a Christianschool.
And uh it's been a while sincewe've had a project that all of
us could get involved in.
And so one day we were praying,wouldn't it be nice if we could
do something for our localschool, Matea?
It would be nice if we couldfigure out a way to help advance
the cause of Christ inMatthias.
Let's pray about that.
But two weeks later, a coupleof guys show up at my door and
uh they want to power wash.
(12:06):
For 50 bucks, they'll powerwash my back patio.
And while while Caleb was doingthe patio, Joey was down
brushing a little spot off my uhgreat big stone patio, and he
said, Merrill, look what I coulddo.
Uh, we could make your wholebackyard look like this.
I said, What would that cost?
He said, $500.
(12:27):
I'd say, okay, I'll do it.
I immediately became impressedby these kids who could talk me
up from $50 to $500.
I've got some entrepreneurs onmy hands here.
So when they got the job alldone, I invited them into my man
cable.
The boys came in there andtheir jaws dropped.
They said, Wow, this is reallyimpressive, Meryl.
I said, Well, I hang aroundguys that live like this.
(12:50):
Would you like to know moreabout them?
They said, Yeah.
And so uh I gave them thisbook, Purpose-Driven Life, and
invited them to meet once amonth, each month with a
different one of the guys fromour forum.
They get to sit down as we gothrough the book.
That's part of the meeting.
The other part is they get achance to ask questions of some
really successful guys who are apart of the forum.
(13:12):
And the questions go all overthe board from theology to uh
well to girlfriends.
So that was a start, and we'renow one year into it, and uh,
you're seeing the fruit.
Margaret Ereneta (13:24):
Next, Caleb weighs in on this encounter.
CalebJue (13:27):
And so it's just, I was like, oh man, like that's
what an overflow of the heart inthe Bible.
Matthew 12, 34, for out of theabundance of the heart, the
mouth speaks.
And he was just so nice to us,and I was like, oh man.
So he invited us, me and Joey,and I said, Bring some of your
buddies to um a Bible study withsome of his friends, and then
(13:51):
we started doing these Biblestudies.
So I think that was like thefirst like discipler I really
had was Merrill, and just beingin good communities, my friends
chasing after Christ as well,was just like something like
unspeakable, you know.
The Bible also talks about likea peace that surpasses all
understanding.
I tell like these guys that areso rooted in Christ and their
(14:13):
hope is so strong in Christ, um,that they just had it, you
know, like nothing, no adversityreally moved them.
So I'm like, oh man, like thisis I want that, you know, and I
I crave that.
And so just being in thatcommunity really helped me grow.
And um, that's where like thathunger and like curiosity really
started for like Jesus.
(14:33):
And then once we got to school,my buddy Jack Christiansen
reached out to me.
He's like, hey, let's get food.
And he's part of Salt Company,shout out Salt Company in
Minneapolis.
He was like, Hey man, like youcame to Salt once last year.
Because my sister, she was thebiggest seed planner, and my
parents too, they were prayingfor me.
But they've been praying for mereally hard.
(14:54):
And my sister, every Thursday,Sunday, she'd always like, hey,
come to church.
I was like, no.
Every time, my freshman year.
And then Jack, one of mysister's friends, like reached
out to me.
And I went to church with them,and then there's this pancake
party after soul, and I'm like,oh man, like these people are so
happy all the time.
Like, there's no, like, why arethey so happy, you know?
(15:16):
And I just knew it was Jesus,and so like that's when I really
like started chasing afterJesus, you know.
Like when you repent, you liketurn around and Jesus like right
behind you.
I'm like, oh man, thank you,Lord.
And so um, after joining like aconnection group at church, I
just like fell in love with theBible because sometimes you
(15:36):
can't even put that thing down,you know.
But I just love that thing, andI'm like reading in Matthew and
Mark, Luke, and John, like, ohmy gosh, like Jesus really did
all these miracles, and he'stelling people, like, no, don't
say anything.
Um, like this is awesome.
And then I think it was John8:58, it was like before Abraham
I am, and then after that, inJohn, it's like a whole
(16:00):
different gospel.
It's just like John's alwayssaying, like, it's because he is
God.
I just love John, and and itwould just like explain like
Jesus is fully human and fullyman.
Margaret Ereneta (16:12):
So now Caleb's just pouring through the Bible
and getting so excited andlearning about the hypostatic
union as he referred to it, andjust had so many questions
answered, and all these peopleto walk alongside him.
He's so excited about it.
CalebJue (16:29):
And so my friends were just like, explain to me.
I had so many questions.
If you would ask like my Cgroup members and leaders, I
would call them, send himvoicemails all the time about
like just random stuff abouttheology, and they were like,
Oh, he's he's hooked now, likehe's really in love with it.
And so it was after I read theGospel of John, I was like, Man,
(16:50):
like when Jesus died on thecross on Calvary, like it
counted for me somehow.
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
And I remember crying, and noneof my roommates were saved at
this time, and so they're like,Caleb, why are you crying?
Like, and I was like, Oh mygoodness, like, thank you,
Jesus.
These are like all seedsplanted, like I had an encounter
(17:12):
of Jesus, and then I startedjoining connection group,
applied for leadership, and gota great buddies, and then I
think it's John 10 10's like thethief comes only to steal,
kill, and destroy.
But like, I came for you to havelike life and life abundantly.
And I'm like, oh man, like Iget life abundant here on earth
(17:32):
too.
Like, I gotta carry my cross,but this is awesome.
It's just been amazing, youknow, growing and like seeing
miracles.
We do evangelism trips likeFriday nights, Thursday nights
at school, and gotta meet a lotof new friends, seeing
salvation, and it's just like,oh my gosh, like we talk about
the goodness of God, you know,we don't deserve any of this.
(17:53):
It's just all sprinkles, youknow, it's all icing.
Margaret Ereneta (17:57):
Part of that icing for Caleb is Merrill, and
he talks about thatrelationship.
CalebJue (18:02):
Merrill's just so inviting, you know, like people
talk about being Christ-like,and there's just and there's
Merrill, like, I'm not joking,he's the big the best Christian
I know.
He was just so friendly and soinviting, big old smile on his
face every time he saw us, gotus some food, and Carol's really
nice too, and it was just likesomething about that like
happiness and peacefulnessreally like drew me in.
(18:25):
And so the more we got to likemeet up with Merrill, the more
like questions I had.
And to this day, I askedMerrill a whole bunch of
theological questions.
And right now it's aboutRevelation because I just like
read that again.
My dad's reading it too.
But he just knew like all theanswers to my questions, and so
(18:46):
the more I asked him thesequestions, the more answers he
gave me, like the more like myeyes like are wide.
There's it talks about in theBible like a veil from your eyes
like is lifted once you'resaved.
And so I'm like little bylittle, I'm like, okay, I see
glory a little bit more.
Yeah, he was just like a greatmentor, knew a whole bunch of
Bible, and loved, had a truelove for Jesus.
Margaret Ereneta (19:08):
Next, I asked Merrill if he felt adequate to
be a mentor.
And he said he felt totallyinadequate, and here's what he
added.
Merrill Oster (19:17):
And so I study and study and study before these
guys come, and uh they ask mequestions that I don't know for
sure what the answers are.
So I tell them, you know what,I'm not a theological student,
but I've spent about 20,000hours listening to pastors
preach from various portions,and this is what I think it
might be like.
I'm not the final word.
The word is the final word.
(19:41):
And so this gives them a chanceto tap into years and years of
uh mistakes that we've made.
The idea is they should notmake the same mistakes that we
made, they should learn to makesome new ones.
Guys who are now learning howto advance the cause of Christ
in their own way.
And it all starts, uh, I thinkwith a heart that comes from uh
(20:04):
somebody has invested in me, Ihave a chance to invest in
somebody else, they invest insomebody else.
That's called uhmultiplication.
And uh we're in in the midst ofthat process right now.
Margaret Ereneta (20:17):
And that multiplication did already
happen.
Caleb's already mentoringpeople.
He says he has 20 guys thathe's mentoring, he'll share
that.
CalebJue (20:26):
There's like four guys like our age that I'll take
part in this mentorship.
And it's definitely like a realbig eye opener on to simple
mistakes that you can make thatare really detrimental because
like the wages of sin is death.
And so um just like makingthose small ones, even like on
harsher subjects.
We like to like consult withMerrill when we were back from
(20:48):
winter break.
I was like, hey, I'm likeleading a Bible study upon this
like particular sin struggle.
Like, can you tell us like moreabout how important it is to
like crucify the flesh?
And as well as like some of theways you could do it, and those
practical tips helped like meand like all my guys in that
group.
It was definitely like thebiggest thing I've seen as far
(21:08):
as getting poured into and thenpouring into other people.
And so through consulting withMerrill and other mentors about
like some of the actualpractical ways and some of the
stuff that helps, I was able tohelp a lot of other kids around
like 20 at my school.
Right before church, we hadthis big old Bible study, which
was really fun.
Margaret Ereneta (21:29):
Next, I asked Caleb to explain what his new
life in Christ is like.
CalebJue (21:34):
Like it wasn't like SEC football, Santa Claus, love
for something else, it was likea true, genuine love for a
living God here on earth.
And so I'm like, oh man, likethis guy is real, you know.
But I do really want to spreadlike the gospel.
And I just have just a genuineheart for the world, like my
heart cries out in my prayerroom.
(21:56):
I'm like just sobbing over likethe sin in this world, and like
especially in the US, and thenthe lack of reverence from the
Lord um just like gets me reallyfired up.
Cause also in the Bible, it'slike from the days of John the
Baptist till now, like theChristians took the kingdom by
force.
I'm definitely like not passivewith my relationships, like,
oh, like you know God.
But I'm like, we gotta knowJesus, like we need a call to
(22:17):
repentance here on earth, youknow.
And I know what my life was, andI think that's why I'm so much
like this, because I know whatmy life was before Jesus, but
before having any hope, and thenafter, and like what Jesus
could do in your life, and notjust eternal life, but life here
on earth.
Like, I don't understand howpeople like wake up and do their
lives without Jesus, withouthaving like a hope for the
(22:39):
future, and like without havinga genuine connection with the
Lord and a love for the Lord.
And I'm like, I got this thing,and it's called the gospel.
And the apostles and thedisciples, they died to give me,
like, pass this baton to me.
And I'm like, now I have it.
Who am I to just read my Bible,watch some Christian TikToks
and be like, call it good, youknow?
Like, I can't, I got too muchlike on my heart to not give it.
(23:02):
And so I've always been like anextroverted person, and the
lifetime saunas were like I juststart going crazy because
nobody has their phones inthere.
And so nobody can, nobody couldreally like put on their
headphones or anything.
So I'm like, hey, I like thattattoo or I like to start it
like that.
And then I just meet so manypeople in there that are just
like, I know there's a God, butI don't know which one, you
(23:24):
know?
And so just like from my hungerfor the Bible, and I w I like
when I first got saved, I'mlike, oh, maybe I need to make
sure this is true myself.
And so I just like learned abunch of stuff.
Like, this cannot be acoincidence, like 66 books in
the Bible, 30-some writers, likein one unity of thought, like
we can't even get 10 people in aroom and all agree on one
(23:45):
thing.
And so there's no way this is acoincidence.
And I'm like, give them thetrek.
I'm like, 2000 years ago, thisguy, Jesus, lived a perfect
life, and he died for your sins.
Like, this is the gospel.
Like, we're sinners, man sees asavior, Jesus is that savior,
and then that's it.
Because the Bible also talksabout like you just open your
mouth and the Holy Spirit justtalk through you.
And so, just really just likethat burden for other people's
(24:08):
salvation, and like Jesus givesme opportunities to share the
gospel all the time.
Margaret Ereneta (24:16):
Now you know Caleb too, but of course he had
to bring an audience with himwhen he shared the testimony, so
we all finished the show with abig round of approval.
Thank you.
And thank you for listening totoday's show.
Make sure to share it with thepeople you know, especially in
(24:37):
Gen Z.
There's so many Gen Zers thatare just on fire for the Lord,
and it's so exciting to witness,isn't it?
And if you're looking for amentor or you want to be a
mentor, check out our shownotes.
We'll list all the resourcesthat we can find in there for
you.
Butcheck out next week's show, where
you'll hear Merrill'stestimony, which is really
awesome too.
(24:58):
Praise God.
Announcer (25:14):
OneWay. Exalt Christ and advance his gospel.
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