Seeking the God who is not safe, but is very good.
Pointing to Christ and His Kingdom
We live in a postmodern, post-Christian age. Christianity is dwindling, secularism is rising, and the faith of many is being shipwrecked on the rocks of doubt and deconstruction.
It’s into this world that GoodLion was born.
It started with two youth pastors with a heart to see young people caught in the storm of modern culture find an anchor in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The name GoodLion comes from C.S. Lewis’ classic Narnia stories. The child Lucy asks if Aslan is a safe lion, and to this the woodland creatures respond… “Safe? Of course he’s not safe… he’s a lion! But he’s good.”
It’s our deepest desire for people everywhere to encounter this Jesus, the God who is not safe but is very good.
We want to see people break free from apathy. We want to help doubting Thomases see the holes in the hands of Christ. We want to help people move from a place of cheap grace and easy-believism to radical discipleship. We want to raise up powerful peacemakers in a hostile and divided culture.
Most of all, we want to help people live their lives for the Kingdom of God.
We are GoodLion, and we are glad you are here.
Who we are.
Aaron Salvato
Aaron spent over a decade sheperding youth ministry students in the Way of Jesus. He has served as a middle school pastor, high school pastor, and Bible College teacher. He recently served 5 years as the Content Strategy Director / Podcasting Director at Calvary Global Network. Currently Aaron directs GoodLion Ministries & School of Discipleship and runs a web design business.
Aaron describes himself as having the heart of a pastor and the hands of an artist, which he expresses in a drive for creating Gospel-centered content through podcasts, writing, videos, and theological courses. He is an avid reader, lifelong learner, and dedicated Bible teacher. Aaron is passionate about helping young people navigate our post-Christian culture, prioritizing the ministry of peacemaking in a divided world. Aaron is most happy when he is mentoring others on their journey with Christ.
Aaron lives in Oklahoma with his best friend Brooklynn and their new son, Jack. His favorite ministry role so far is husband/father.
Brian Higgins
Brian has served as a pastor, teacher, and discipler for nearly 15 years. Previously, he worked as a Youth Pastor at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge and as the Director of Admissions for Calvary Chapel Bible College. Currently, Brian is leading a small group seeking to plant a church in Central New Jersey.
Brian’s main ministry passion is personal discipleship, helping people enjoy and embrace the lifestyle of Jesus. He works to do this through podcasting, writing, preaching, and one-on-one mentorship. Brian loves to see a new generation of Christians learn to live like Jesus so they can experience and advance God’s Kingdom.
Brian lives in New Jersey with his incredible wife Tori and their newborn son Nathan.
Aaron and Brian met in 2017, founded the GoodLion Podcast Network, and now serve together researching, writing, and creating content to help young people walk with Jesus.
Recent Posts
We create resources and content to help people follow the Way of Jesus.
We want to walk with people through the complexities and challenges of faith in our age.
Our goal is to challenge you to think, learn, and grow in your apprenticeship to Jesus.
Podcasts
One of the core ways we serve the Church is by creating podcast content that is theological, educational, and focused on forming disciples in the way of Jesus.
Below you will find curated lists of our content.
Our cornerstone show is The GoodLion Podcast.
That constant, nagging feeling that no matter what you do, it’s never quite enough. You pour your heart and soul into everything, trying to live up to these impossible standards—whether it’s the ones you set for yourself or the ones you feel from the world around you.
But here’s the truth: perfectionism is a trap.
In this episode, we’ll talk about the pressure we feel to perform and to present our lives as flawless—especially in a world driven by social media and comparison culture.
We’ll get real about the toll this takes on our mental health—how perfectionism breeds anxiety, sucks the joy out of life, and leaves us feeling like we’re constantly falling short.
But there’s another way to live, a way that frees us from the pressure to be perfect. So, if you’re tired of striving, if you’re exhausted from trying to measure up, this episode is for you.
We’re going to talk about grace, letting go, and finding peace in the fact that you’re enough, not because of your efforts, but because of who you are to Jesus.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/goodlion/support
Courses
As lifelong learners, we have a passion to help shape the next generation of believers. We want to freely share with them what we have learned. Below you will find some of the free theology courses we have developed.
More Resources From Our Library
Aaron and Brian love preaching and teaching the scriptures and helping people grow in their passion and love for Jesus and the Kingdom.
Both Aaron and Brian have spent many years preaching to youth ministries, Bible college classrooms, young adults ministries, churches, camps, and conferences.
They are as comfortable speaking to rooms of 10 as they are rooms of 500.
A big part of what we love to do at GoodLion is invite people into discussion.
We love leading discussions and Q&A after we preach to help people go deeper.
If you’d be interested in having Aaron and Brian speak at your event, please let us know!
We can be booked individually, but we love working together as a package deal, much more fun.
We don’t charge to speak. The Gospel is our mission, not our side hustle! You are free to donate an offering to support what we do, but we don’t have rates and we aren’t afraid to work for free. We only ask that our travel expenses are covered.