Jayden Watkins is not your ordinary teenager.
And that suits him just fine – in fact, Watkins said, he’s known for some time that his uniqueness is a gift from God. It’s a gift that he embraces as he continues to answer God’s call to service.
“It’s OK to be unique and different,” the 15-year-old said on TownTalk this week. “I’m grateful and blessed and honored to be unique,” he told WIZS co-hosts (and for the summer, colleagues) Steve Lewis, Bill Harris and John C. Rose, all of whom chatted with Watkins about his accomplishments and what’s ahead for the future.
A synonym for the word “unique” is “different,” which can carry a negative connotation. And Watkins is all about being positive. God’s call for us, he said is to make positive changes – within our families, households, jobs and the community.
“We must work in unity, despite our differences,” he said. “The needed change will not come if we only dream or think it,” he added. But if we are brave enough to be it.”
Watkins currently is in the middle of his Limitless 2023 tour, which has him speaking and preaching in the area from June through September.
Chances are he won’t be wearing the football jersey Watkins said he used to don on Sunday afternoons as a young child pretending to be a minister delivering the Word.
“It was my preacher’s robe,” Watkins said of that jersey, recalling that his father has shared the story when introducing his son to a group or congregation.
The purpose of the Limitless tour, he said, is “to inspire people to activate and maximize their God-given potential.” He has several upcoming engagements, including Sunday, Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. at New Grassy Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Oxford and Sunday, Aug. 20 at 11:15 a.m. at St. Andrews Christian Church in Henderson.
And his ministerial licensing service will be held Sunday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. at 16 Big Ruin Creek Lane in Henderson.
Whether you listen to him live or tune in to his Preferable podcast, the message Watkins delivers is one of positivity and finding purpose.
The Preferable podcast, which he started in March 2020 can be found on platforms like Spotify, Amazon and YouTube, just to name a few. According to Fox 50 and ABC 19, Preferable is one of the longest-running podcasts by a person of Watkins’s age.
“It feels a blessing to be able to host a podcast and to receive that recognition,” Watkins said, adding that he hopes the podcast’s message inspires listeners “to activate their God-given talents…to go out and build beloved communities.”
There are challenges, he acknowledged, like sending a flurry of emails just to book one particular guest. “But when I hear the testimonies that people give…I am encouraged to keep going,” he said.
His humble nature shines through during his daily routine, from his work at the radio station to the simple act of holding the door for an elderly woman making her way into the library. She recognized him, by the way, as “that” young man who makes the podcasts, Watkins recalled. She said she listens as part of her nighttime routine, which helps her have a good night’s sleep.
Check out Preferable, follow Watkins on Facebook and Instagram, email him at iamjaydenwatkins@gmail.com and complete a booking form at https://jaydenwatkins.com/
CLICK PLAY!