Jesus Loves Addicts

In this episode Lauren McDonald joins the Jesus Loves Addicts podcast to tell a candid, hope-filled account of a decade-long fall into meth addiction, homelessness, and an abusive relationship — and the moment she cried out to God behind closed doors. Hosts and guests discuss scripture (including Psalm 55 and 2 Kings 6), the power of persistent prayer, and the role of tough love from family in recovery.

You’ll hear Lauren’s arrest and jail-to-faith turning point, how God’s word met her in the dorms, the painful choices her mother faced, and the concrete restoration that followed: getting her son back, steady church life, marriage, and now ministry work helping other women and inmates find freedom in Christ.

Expect honest conversation about rewards and challenges in recovery, stigma, spiritual warfare, and practical next steps for those seeking help — and a frank reminder that no one is beyond mercy.

In this episode, Lauren McDonald and her mother join the Jesus Loves Addicts podcast to tell a raw, two-perspective account of addiction, family, and faith. Lauren recounts a decade-long slide from social drinking and experimentation in high school to homelessness and meth addiction, the role of peer pressure and compromises, and the moment God met her in a jail cell.

Topics include early warning signs, the slow fade into harder drugs, the strain on parent-child relationships, co-occurring behaviors like gambling, and the practical tensions of enabling versus protecting a child. Guests discuss conviction, the importance of intentional recovery, accountability, and how Christ and community (including resources like Home of Grace) played a part in restoration.

Listeners can expect an honest conversation about failure and hope: how addiction affects families, what recovery can look like, and the message that—even in the darkest places—redemption is possible.

In this episode Pastor Bryan and Angela Jones share their raw, honest testimony about childhood trauma, family alcoholism, and long careers of self‑medicating through drugs and alcohol before encountering Christ. They describe painful early experiences—including molestation and neglect—how shame and secrecy fueled addiction, and the turning points that led them back to faith.

The conversation covers recovery pathways like Teen Challenge, the challenges and rewards of sobriety, marital resilience, and the couple’s surprising call into ministry. Bryan and Angela explain how God transformed their pain into purpose, building a church that reaches addicts, bikers, and the overlooked.

Hosts and guests reflect on stigma, submission, grace, and practical hope for listeners facing addiction or brokenness, while highlighting Christ‑centered recovery resources such as the Home of Grace and the power of community to restore lives.

Guest James Rutledge shares an unflinching account of 20+ years trapped in addiction to marijuana, alcohol, meth, crack, bath salts, prescription pills and pornography, and how those habits destroyed his marriage, trust, and peace despite outward success.

The episode covers Jamie’s childhood struggles with shame and isolation, early exposure to porn, escalating substance use, relapse cycles, multiple rehabs, a suicide attempt, and the turning point that led him to a life-changing relationship with Jesus and long-term recovery at Home of Grace.

Listeners will hear practical themes about accountability, community, faith-based recovery, relapse triggers, hope after loss, and how Jamie now serves others through ministry, Celebrate Recovery, and peer support. This episode is for anyone affected by addiction or seeking a faith-centered path to restoration.

Guest Tiffany Clayton shares a raw, hopeful memoir of addiction beginning in seventh grade and spanning two decades — from prescription pills and Xanax to IV meth, homelessness, jail, and losing custody of her children. The episode covers childhood trauma, family addiction, domestic abuse, the death of her mother, and the moment she hit rock bottom.

Tiffany describes entering long-term treatment at the Home of Grace, wrestling with anger toward God, and how faith, community support, and honest recovery work led to nearly five years of sobriety. Key moments include regaining custody, forgiving her family, rebuilding life as a single mom, working at her church daycare, and taking mission trips to Belize with her daughters.

Listeners can expect candid discussion of relapse, stigma, the challenges and rewards of recovery, the role of Christ in overcoming weakness, and practical hope for anyone affected by addiction or seeking a faith-centered path to restoration.

In this episode of Jesus Loves Addicts, Shane and Lindy Cowart share their raw, unflinching story of long-term addiction, violence, and the difficult path to recovery through faith. The hosts walk through Shane’s 24 years of active addiction and Lindy’s 20 years of struggles, the trauma of broken families, early exposure to drugs and crime, and multiple stints in treatment. Listeners will hear about the moment of surrender that led them both into residential programs, the six years of sustained sobriety they’ve maintained, the legal and custody battles they faced, and how faith, therapy, and community helped restore their family.

The conversation covers themes of generational trauma, codependency, sexual abuse and shame, spiritual warfare, relapse, and the practical steps that supported lasting change — including extended residential care, mentorship, and faith-based ministries. Shane and Lindy also describe their ministries: Sheena’s Hope (a 90-day program for women and children experiencing homelessness) and SNL Contractors (a company that employs men in recovery), along with the couple’s work restoring family relationships and helping others find recovery through Christ.

Expect candid, emotional testimony, tough conversation about addiction’s realities, and hopeful encouragement for those fighting similar battles or supporting someone who is. The episode emphasizes that recovery is possible, the importance of lasting foundations (longer residential care, counseling, community), and the healing power of Jesus even in the darkest places.

On the 100th episode and two-year anniversary of Jesus Loves Addicts, hosts Kathryn and Ross sit down with Austin and Clay Barton for a candid roundtable on surrender. This episode explores what surrender really looks like—beyond drugs and alcohol—why everyone struggles with some form of addiction, and how Christ’s love meets us in our weakest moments.

Guests share raw testimonies about rock bottom, daily dying to self, the tension between fear and trust, and the vital role of community, accountability, and programs like the Home of Grace in recovery. Practical steps—reading the Bible, church, trusted fellowship, and honest confession—are discussed alongside the challenges, victories, and hope that come with true submission to God.

Expect heartfelt storytelling, tough questions, and encouragement for listeners who are weary or watching a loved one suffer: surrender is not defeat but the pathway to restoration, mercy, and lasting change through Christ.

Guest Amber shares a raw, honest account of growing up with parental addiction, 25 years of substance abuse, a painful abortion, violent relationships, jail, homelessness, and the suicide of her adoptive father. She describes a powerful encounter with Christ while incarcerated, the decision to enter long-term faith-based recovery, and the slow work of sanctification afterward.

This episode covers trauma and identity, the realities and stigma of addiction, legal consequences, faith as a healing force, residential treatment at Home of Grace, transitional housing, employment in recovery, and the challenges Amber still faces two years sober.

Listeners can expect a candid testimony about failure and restoration, practical hope for those struggling or supporting loved ones, and a reminder that recovery is hard but gets better through community and Christ-centered care.

In this powerful episode of Jesus Loves Addicts, Amber Mitchell shares her raw, honest testimony of a childhood marked by addiction, abuse, and instability. Listeners will hear about her early memories of being removed from her biological parents, the trauma of foster placements, and the emotional scars that led to years of substance use, self-harm, and destructive relationships.

Host Paul and Amber discuss how anger, rejection, and a hunger for attention shaped her behavior, the challenges of building trust within a loving adoptive family, and the ways addiction offered temporary relief. Amber also opens up about her spiritual awakening at age 38—an encounter with Christ that transformed her life—and explores theological insights about free will, suffering, and redemption.

Tune in for an unflinching conversation about the realities of recovery, the stigma of addiction, and the hope found in faith. This episode is both sobering and uplifting, offering empathy for those who struggle and a testimony to the power of God’s grace.

On this episode of Jesus Loves Addicts, guests Jimmy Bourn and Sabrina share raw, unfiltered testimonies of long-term addiction, trauma, and the moments that changed their lives. They describe kidnappings, sexual abuse, prison time, prescription dependence, and the suicides of loved ones that marked their darkest seasons.

Jimmy recounts a violent 26‑day abduction, years on meth, criminal involvement, a catastrophic hand injury and a transition to prescription opioids; Sabrina speaks about childhood sexual abuse, doctor‑shopping and a 15‑year opioid struggle before finding sobriety. Both reflect on treatment experiences, the difference between legalism and grace, and the spiritual turning points that led them to recovery.

The conversation closes with hope and purpose: both now mentor and serve others through ministries like Showered by the Holy Spirit, Next Step Restoration and Taylor House, and highlight forgiveness, restoration and practical steps for anyone facing addiction or trauma.