Who I Am
Hi, I’m Aaron Salvato.
I’m a minister who’s been walking with Jesus since I was 4 years old. I spent over a decade in California as a youth pastor shepherding young people through the dizzying, beautiful chaos of adolescence and faith. I’ve worn a lot of hats: middle school pastor, high school pastor, Bible college teacher, content director for a church network, podcast producer, web designer, and now…. something stranger and slower: I run a parachurch ministry called GoodLion Ministries out here in the Midwest.
I currently live in Oklahoma with my wife Brooklynn, our toddler tornado of a son Jack, and a slow-growing dream: to see young adults fall in love with Jesus and actually follow Him.
Not just attend, not just agree, but follow. Obey. Wrestle. Reimagine everything through the lens of His Kingdom.
The School of Discipleship
These days, I lead the GoodLion School of Discipleship, a humble little movement inspired by ancient, radical expressions of Christian formation—think Justin Martyr’s philosophical schools of the second century, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s underground seminary resisting Nazi ideology with truth and courage.
We’re not flashy. We meet in coffee shops, living rooms, and borrowed spaces. We sit for three hours at a time, twice a month, and talk about Jesus: His words, His heart, His Kingdom.
I mentor a ragtag group of college students from multiple churches, helping them grow deep roots in Christ in a world that wants to keep them shallow.
Why This Blog Exists
I started this blog to give all my creative work a home.
It’s the primary hub for everything I make—articles, podcasts, sermons, video essays, discipleship resources, and whatever else my overactive brain and underfunded ministry can produce.
If you’ve seen me online, it was probably through the GoodLion Podcast—a show I started years ago with my friend Brian to help people caught in the storm of modern faith crises find an anchor in Jesus.
But this Substack? It’s where I let the thoughts run long, the ideas stretch their legs, and the Spirit breathe something new.
The Heart Behind GoodLion
GoodLion began as a whisper. A desire. A burden.
We live in a post-Christian, post-truth age. Doubt is everywhere. Secularism is rising. Apathy is the air we breathe. And for so many, the faith they once held is shipwrecked on the jagged rocks of religious trauma, hypocrisy, and unanswered questions.
It’s into that storm that GoodLion was born.
The name comes from The Chronicles of Narnia, where a young girl asks if Aslan is safe. The reply? “Safe? Of course he isn’t safe. He’s a LION! But he’s good. He’s the King.”
That’s the Jesus I want to help people rediscover—not a mascot for a political tribe or a safe, tame Sunday school cartoon. But the real, raw, good King of the universe who walks with the broken and bleeds for His enemies.
Our vision is simple but costly. We want to…
Help doubters find the holes in the hands of Christ.
Wake apathetic hearts to the beauty of discipleship.
Raise up peacemakers in a divided world.
Teach the Kingdom, not just “Christianity.”
Help people move from cheap grace to radical obedience.
Why I Write
Years ago, one of my youth pastors told me I was like Barnabas… that I had the gift of encouragement. I’ve clung to that ever since, even when I’ve felt disqualified or forgotten. Encouragement, real encouragement, is rare in our world. It’s not saccharine. It’s not easy. It’s the bold, prophetic act of reminding someone they matter. That their story isn’t over.
That Jesus is still inviting them to follow.
That’s why I write.
My heart is constantly exploding with ideas… less for platforms, more for people. I know the market’s oversaturated. I know the algorithms are hungry and the hustle never stops. But I don’t write for any of that. This is worship for me. Every blog post, every podcast, every odd little project—it’s a message in a bottle. A prayer that one person, somewhere, might be blessed.
Thanks for Being Here
So if you’re here, thank you. Truly. Whether you’re doubting, deconstructing, dreaming, discipling, or just trying to survive—I hope this space helps you meet the Good Lion.
Let’s follow Him together.
Why subscribe?
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update.
Stay up-to-date
You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.
