Addiction Episodes

This September, Greg celebrated 39 years of sobriety, and he’s quick to say it’s all God’s doing. In this episode, Greg shares how God removed the obsession and compulsion to drink. He talks about the sponsor who has walked beside him for all 39 of those years, and the stranger from under a bridge who told him, “Brother, you gotta get it out.” He also describes how a legalistic upbringing and childhood trauma shaped his understanding of God. Today, Greg is a former pastor, Celebrate Recovery coordinator and chaplain from the Joplin, Missouri area. He works one-on-one with people in early recovery and helps churches become ready to walk alongside them.

We talk about the hard first 18 months of sobriety, what Greg calls “obedience before understanding,” and the moment a friend told him the Bible never says to give your life to Jesus. That truth changed everything for him. Your job is to get your life from Jesus.

Whether you’re questioning your own drinking, newly sober, or still t…

Ryan VandeHei spent 30 years trapped in cocaine addiction, repeat incarcerations, and over 140 criminal charges before God broke through. Through the relentless pursuit of a Teen Challenge worker and a community of believers who stood with him in court, he experienced radical redemption. Today he speaks openly about why willpower fails, the necessity of new fellowship, and how the same intensity once given to drugs now fuels his walk with Christ.

A shorter recording that reflects on episodes 31-33. The stories hold similarities and the messages have themes that are worth being highlighted. There is added scripture for deeper understanding. Addiction, or anything that we yearn for, is unable to meet our deepest needs. The "threads" that run through three interviews speak into that. "What are you thirsty for" is drawing you to be aware of what you might be settling for that is less than God's best for you, what you may be using to replace God as the rightful King of your life, and who is the true source of all joy, hope, and peace - despite your circumstances.