Episode 76 - The Serenity Prayer | Part 2 + Original Song "When God is First"

What happens when God is first… but nothing changes?

In Week 2 of our Serenity Prayer series, we slow down and sit with one of the hardest realities of faith and recovery: accepting what we cannot change. Many of us were formed to believe that obedience should be rewarded—and that if we’re doing the right things, life should get easier. But what happens when it doesn’t?

This episode explores the quiet disappointment pastors often carry when surrender doesn’t lead to relief, and how the Serenity Prayer invites us into a deeper reframe—not changing reality, but changing our relationship to it. Drawing from Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” we reflect on faithfulness without resolution, obedience without relief, and peace that doesn’t depend on outcomes. Acceptance is not giving up—it’s learning how to trust God inside what remains.

If you’ve ever prayed, surrendered, and still found yourself standing in the same pain, this episode is for you. “This week on Pastors in Recovery, we stayed with the Serenity Prayer and sat with what it means to accept what we cannot change—and still find peace.”

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Episode 75 - The Serenity Prayer | Part 1 + Featuring the song "The Serenity Prayer"

In this episode, we begin a new short series by slowing down and looking closer at the Serenity Prayer—starting with the very first word: God. Before we ask for serenity, courage, or wisdom, we acknowledge who God is. This prayer begins by placing God at the center, not as a vending machine or last resort, but as the greatest and highest power—worthy of our trust, our surrender, and our praise.

We talk honestly about control, pride, and the tension between the things we desperately want to fix and the things we simply cannot change. From chronic illness to other people’s choices, from global problems to personal limits, this prayer invites us into a posture of humility and dependence on God.

This episode sets the foundation for the weeks ahead, where we’ll break the Serenity Prayer into four clear sections—one piece at a time—so it stays practical, meaningful, and livable, not overwhelming.

 If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to control what was never yours to carry, this episode is for you.

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This episode includes AI-generated content.

Episode 74 — The Twelve Steps Recap | Recovery as a Lifelong Practice

This episode is a pause, a breath, and a look back. In Episode 74, we step away from teaching individual steps and instead reflect on what the Twelve Steps give us as a whole. Not as a program to complete—but as a way of living. Each step becomes a rail that keeps us steady:

how we tell the truth,
how we surrender control,
how we repair damage,
how we stay spiritually awake.

This recap is especially for pastors and leaders who’ve walked the steps but need a reminder of why they matter and how they shape a lifetime of recovery. Next week, we’ll slow down even more as we begin a deep dive into the Serenity Prayer—line by line—discovering how it guides recovery for the rest of our lives. You don’t graduate from recovery. You live it.

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This episode includes AI-generated content.

Episode 73 — STEP TWELVE | From Recovery to Responsibility – Carrying Hope Without Ego

Step Twelve is where recovery turns outward—but for pastors, this step comes with real danger. When healing starts to look like leadership, ego can quietly slip in. In this episode, we talk honestly about what it means to carry hope without trying to carry people. Step Twelve reminds us that recovery doesn’t make us heroes—it makes us witnesses. In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between calling and control
• Why pastors are tempted to become fixers instead of fellow travelers
• How ego can hide inside good intentions and spiritual language
• What it really looks like to practice Step Twelve in daily life
• Why giving back is about availability, not platforms

Jon shares personal stories about creativity, ministry influence, early lessons in humility, and how this entire podcast—now 73 episodes—is simply a response to the opportunity to serve and give back. If you’re a pastor wondering what comes after healing…this episode will help you walk forward with humility, clarity, and hope. Recovery didn’t end with you—but it doesn’t revolve around you either.

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This episode includes AI-generated content.

Episode 72 - STEP ELEVEN | Listening Before Speaking + Original Song "Face Down on the Table"

Most pastors don’t struggle with prayer because they don’t know how. They struggle because their lives are loud. In Step Eleven, we’re invited to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation—but for pastors, listening can be harder than speaking. When our days are full of serving, leading, producing, and responding… there’s often no space left to be still. In this episode, we talk honestly about:

• why pastors already know Step Eleven—but still struggle to live it
• how constant noise and digital distraction make listening to God difficult
• the difference between prayer as speaking and meditation as staying present
• why God’s voice often feels quiet—not because He’s absent, but because our lives are full

This isn’t about doing more spiritual things.
It’s about making room. The episode closes with a simple, realistic listening practice and an original song, “Face Down on the Table,” inspired by the choice to set distractions aside and sit quietly with God.

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Episode 71 - STEP TEN | Stay Ready Stay Free + Original Song "I'm Keeping the Backpack Light"

Step Ten is where recovery becomes a way of life. In this episode, we talk about what it really means to stay honest in real time—not by sitting down later to write another inventory, but by dealing with life moment by moment as it happens. Using the image of a clear backpack, we explore how unowned reactions, careless words, and unresolved moments quietly add weight to our lives and ministries.

Step Ten invites us to keep the backpack light by owning our part promptly, repairing relationships quickly, and refusing to carry tomorrow what can be handled today. We also look at what it means to be “prepared in season and out of season”—not just with sermons, but with a clean heart—and how living this way allows us to stay free, present, and grounded in our calling. 

This episode is for pastors who want:

• Freedom that lasts
• Relationships without unfinished business
• Recovery that’s lived, not just talked about

Step Ten keeps us ready.
Step Ten helps us stay free.

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Episode 70 - STEP NINE | Making Amends Without Making a Mess + Original Song "My Side of the Street"

Making amends sounds simple—until you actually do it. In this episode, we move beyond talking about Step 9 and step into the harder work of doing it wisely. We explore how even sincere apologies can cause more harm when they’re driven by guilt, image management, or the need for closure. Through a personal story, three “Imagine a Pastor” scenarios, and Scripture, this conversation helps pastors understand the difference between managing our conscience and truly owning our part. Step 9 isn’t about fixing relationships or securing forgiveness.
It’s about taking responsibility without controlling the outcome. We’ll talk about:

• Why some amends make things worse instead of better
• How to own your side of the street without reopening wounds
• When silence and changed behavior are the most loving response
• Why peace comes from obedience—not resolution

The episode closes with an original, acoustic song, “My Side of the Street,” reflecting the quiet surrender that comes when we do our part and place the rest in God’s hands.

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Episode 69 - STEP EIGHT | Owning the Damage I’ve Done + Original Song "The Bubbleator"

In this episode, we step into one of the most challenging and freeing moments of recovery: learning to own the damage we’ve caused. For many pastors, it’s easier to talk about what happened to us than to look honestly at what has happened through us. Step Eight calls us to step out of our self-protective bubble, stop justifying our patterns, and let God show us the people we’ve hurt along the way. We talk about:

• How pride and unconfessed sin build a “Bubblelator” around our hearts
• Why Step Four is necessary before Step Eight
• How patterns form—and why we can’t heal what we keep defending
• What David teaches us when he finally said, “I have sinned against the Lord”
• Two stories of pastors who discovered freedom by seeing the truth
• Why this step is not about shame, but about clarity and healing

This episode is an invitation to step into the light, experience the grace of honesty, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you toward real amends, real healing, and real change.

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Episode 68 - STEP SEVEN | Letting God Heal the Pastor, Not the Performer

Today we talk about the crash that almost every pastor knows but rarely admits—the moment after the sermon when the anointing fades, the adrenaline stops, and the real battle begins. You’ve prayed. You’ve preached. God has moved.

But when the house grows quiet… the worries return.
The pain you’ve carried comes back.
The temptations you thought were gone show up again.
And the enemy whispers, “You’re failing.” But you’re not.
You’re human.

And God is inviting you into something deeper than image management—He wants to heal the pastor, not the performer. In this episode, we walk through why pastors hide, why the anointing doesn’t erase our humanity, and how God used imperfect people throughout Scripture—Elijah, Balaam, and even King Saul—while still calling them to transformation. This step is about dropping the act, letting God into the rooms we keep locked, and allowing His voice to shape us more than our platform does. Step 7: “I seek character change, not image management.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18)

If you’ve ever felt anointed one moment and broken the next… you’re not alone.
And you’re not beyond healing.

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BONUS EPISODE — “Tripping Over Myself”

In this bonus episode, Jon looks at the blind spots we all have — the places where we keep tripping over our own attitudes, reactions, and old patterns. Sometimes the biggest obstacle in the hallway isn’t the enemy… it’s us.

This episode features Jon’s new original song, “Tripping Over Myself” — a throughtful track about stumbling over our own blind spots and learning to let God show us what we’ve been defending. If you’ve ever reacted too quickly, defended something that didn’t matter, or discovered your biggest struggle was actually your own stubbornness… this bonus episode will make you smile and encourage your heart. Sit back, enjoy and let God speak gently to the places you’ve been protecting.

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 Connect :
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Find the Podcast:
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Podcast Music:
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