“Bury me in a dirty suit.”

Dan interviews Darren Kinder, a former U.S. Secret Service special agent, author of Bury Me in a Dirty Suit, and founder of Fierce Faith. Kinder shares a current discipline that anchors his days—early-morning workouts—then explains the Secret Service’s dual mission of protection and financial/electronic-crimes investigations, plus how his upbringing in Virginia, his parents’ divorce, and his mother’s renewed faith shaped his own faith and commitment to spiritual leadership in his future home.

Kinder recounts being assigned to the New York Field Office in 2001, located on the 9th and 10th floors of 7 World Trade Center, and describes his actions on September 11th. The conversation centers on courage, fear, and calling—Kinder argues courage is a daily choice built through small acts of obedience, and that purpose is found by seeking God’s will rather than comfort or an illusion of safety. He discusses discerning God’s will through Scripture, prayer, community, and Holy Spirit-led obedience, and how alignment makes it possible to move forward boldly.

00:00 Meet Darren Kinder: Secret Service, 9/11, and Living With Purpose

04:06 Secret Service Standards: Fitness Tests, Firearms Quals, and Staying Ready

07:10 Before 9/11: Childhood, Service Roots, and a Faith Awakening

09:30 Parents’ Divorce & Becoming the Spiritual Leader He Never Had

11:00 From Military Dreams to Teaching to Joining the Secret Service

15:05 Family Life: Four Sons, College Drop-Offs, and the ‘Did I Do Enough?’ Question

17:07 Assigned to WTC 7: His Role in NYC and the Morning 9/11 Began

21:31 From Agent to First Responder: Evacuation, Second Impact, and Running In

24:28 Courage Under Fire: Firefighters’ Sacrifice and ‘Answering the Bell’

27:57 ‘Do the Next Thing’: Stacking Small Wins in the Middle of Chaos

32:18 Purpose, Calling, and Faith: Where Courage Really Comes From

35:49 Does God Promise Safety? Comfort vs Calling

38:45 Finding God’s Will: Obedience, Prayer, Community & the Spirit

42:10 Raising Sons with Purpose: Affirmation + the ‘Council of Men’ Steak Dinner

44:49 Biblical Compassion: God’s Love in Action (and Teaching from Scars)

49:34 Your Mission Field: A Locker-Room Revival Story

52:54 Marriage & Guardrails: How His Wife Balances a Mission-Driven Man

54:55 Ambition with Integrity: Checking Your ‘Why’ and Inviting Accountability

58:48 ‘Bury Me in a Dirty Suit’: Purpose, Problems Worth Fighting For & Finishing Well

01:06:18 Final Charge: Take the Dirt Road, Do the Small Things, Live for Legacy

Thank you Darin for being a guest on Delay the Decay!

Find him on social media:

- Website: https://www.darinkinder.com/

- Darin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darinkinder/

- Darin on Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darin-kinder-75429b152

Delay the Decay is a podcast for unashamedly ambitious people who want to live longer, better and deeper by prioritizing what’s really important in life.

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