God Shows Up: Spiritual Awakenings From the Homeboy Community with Fabian Debora, Sergio Basterrechea, and Jose Arellano

In this episode, former Homeboy Industries CEO Tom Vozzo sits down with three powerful voices from the Homeboy community: Fabian, Sergio, and Jose. Together, they explore what it truly means to awaken spiritually, especially in the middle of suffering, trauma, addiction, incarceration, and generational pain.

While Homeboy is often celebrated for its job programs and re-entry success, the real transformation happens in the unseen places: a prison cell, a childhood memory, a moment of collapse, or in the quiet stillness of a 4:00 a.m. prayer.

Fabian, Sergio, and Jose each share how faith emerged not instead of suffering but through it in addiction, violence, poverty, regret, and loss, forming the bedrock of their healing. Their stories challenge the idea of a God who punishes, opening up a more spacious, merciful vision of a God who sustains, accompanies, and restores.

They also discuss how spiritual grounding becomes a daily practice of surrender, gratitude, contemplation, and showing up for others, because as they remind us, every word, every step, and every action is a prayer.

Key Takeaways

• A God Who Sustains, Not Punishes

  Rather than a God who protects us from pain, they speak of a God who walks with us through it, offering mercy, companionship, and unexpected grace.

• Spirituality Is a Daily Practice

  Stillness, early morning readings, gratitude lists, sweat lodge wisdom, and Homeboy’s contemplative culture shape their spiritual lives into something lived, not talked about.

• Community as Evidence of God

  Homeboy itself becomes a sacred space: laughter in the hallways, a hug in the right moment, a homie getting his first apartment. Transformation happens together.

• Forgiveness Evolves Into Mercy and Grace

  Rather than a transactional I forgive you, they learned to offer mercy: Welcome back. Come here. You are home. That same mercy becomes a template for how they see themselves.

• Joy Is the Fruit of a Healed Life

  From seeing their children thrive to watching homies grow into their purpose, joy shows up as a quiet anchor, a reminder of how far they have come.

In This Episode:

• 00:00 – Introduction

• 02:42 – Jose’s spiritual awakening in isolation

• 09:14 – Fabian’s journey from childhood to awakening

• 14:39 – Sergio’s early prayers and spiritual awakening

• 18:18 – Reflections on suffering and God’s presence

• 25:55 – Evolving faith and deepening spiritual insights

• 27:02 – Daily practices for spiritual strength

• 28:01 – Living prayerfully and mindfully

• 29:16 – The power of gratitude

• 32:19 – Faith in action through community and service

• 33:34 – Forgiveness, mercy, and healing

• 40:55 – Finding joy in life, family, and transformation

Notable Quotes

• "If God saw me through that freeway incident, what can He not see me through now?" — Fabian [13:07]

• “Every step you take is a prayer. Every word you utter is a prayer. Every action is a prayer.” —Jose [28:25]

• “God protects us from nothing but sustains us in all things.” — Sergio [26:05]

• “ With Father Greg, he never said, I forgive you. He said, "Welcome back.” — Sergio [35:40]

Resources and Links

Homeboy Industries

• https://homeboyindustries.org/

• https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

• Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 

• https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Fabian Debora

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-debora-886279a/

Sergio Basterrechea

• https://www.instagram.com/sergiobasterrechea/?hl=en

• https://www.godspantry.org/

Jose Arellano

• linkedin.com/in/jose-arellano-001966a0

Thomas Vozzo

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

• The Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Homeboy-Way-Radical-Approach-Business/dp/082945456X

Credits:

Hosted by: Tom Vozzo

Produced by: Podify, and Alexa Rousso and Melody Carter of Homeboy Media