The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 13 – Finding Christ, Facing Evil With Love with Chris Clements

Guest Bio:

Chris Clements is a former CEO and third-generation leader of a major Arizona beverage distribution business, now a partner at STS Capital, where he guides entrepreneurs through mergers and acquisitions. Raised in a spiritually diverse family—blending Armenian Anglican, Southern Baptist, and Episcopalian influences—Chris’s faith journey was shaped by his grandmother’s devotion to Jesus and his father’s legacy of stewardship and charity. After a rock-climbing accident, a traumatic brain injury, and the sudden loss of his father at 25, Chris faced darkness, battling anger and addiction. A transformative deliverance session in 2015, guided by his wife Sasha’s compassion, led him to reclaim his sovereignty through Christ, embracing a mission to “know Him and make Him known.” Today, he lives in Arizona, integrating faith, freedom, and love into his leadership and community work.

Setting:

Recorded in the vibrant famous resort The Arizona Biltmore, this conversation unfolds as a raw, heartfelt exchange between two friends. The sacred energy of the desert mirrors the episode’s themes of surrender, forgiveness, and divine connection, inviting listeners to reflect on their own path to the “river” of divinity.

Summary:

In this intimate episode, I sit down with my friend Chris Clements to explore his journey from inherited faith to personal transformation through Christ. Chris shares his upbringing in Arizona, steeped in diverse religious traditions, and the profound influence of his grandmother Pat, a Southern Baptist who introduced him to Jesus, and his father, a charitable leader who modeled stewardship. At 25, tragedy struck when his father died of a brain tumor, thrusting Chris into leadership of the family’s beverage distribution business. Struggling with a traumatic brain injury from a rock-climbing accident, anger at God, and addiction, Chris’s life spiraled until his wife Sasha’s compassionate ultimatum in Key West prompted a turning point. A powerful deliverance session in Charlottesville, Virginia, revealed past wounds and dark energies, leading Chris to proclaim his sovereignty through Jesus, cleansing his spirit and renewing his purpose. We dive into how Chris integrates this faith into his work at STS Capital, balancing material success with spiritual surrender, and discuss the nature of evil—not as a force to fight, but to overwhelm with love. From the Armenian genocide’s generational trauma to personal forgiveness, Chris’s story is a testament to reclaiming divinity and living as love in a complex world.

Learnings:  

• Surrender is Freedom: Chris’s deliverance session taught him to release control, trusting the universe’s “zigzag path” to divinity, a lesson reinforced by his father’s death and his own healing.  
• Forgiveness is for the Forgiver: Forgiving his father, God, and himself freed Chris from anger, echoing the Armenian community’s need to release generational grudges for healing.  
• Evil Flees Love: Rather than battling dark energies, Chris learned to offer love, disarming fear and negativity, as seen in his post-deliverance clarity.  
• Faith Anchors Leadership: Integrating spirituality into business, like through the Wings Like Eagles Foundation, empowers purposeful leadership without fear of judgment.  
• Consciousness Drives Action: Raising personal consciousness, as Chris did through faith, naturally leads to loving actions, not as a checklist but as grace’s overflow.

Universal Truths:  

• The River Runs Through Us All: Divinity is within everyone, accessible at any moment, whether through Christ, plant medicine, or quiet reflection, as Chris’s deliverance and the “river” analogy from Jim Finley illustrate.  
• Evil is Intentional Harm: Evil arises when someone knowingly harms another, but love—embodied as grace or compassion—dissolves its power.  
• Sovereignty is Proclaimed: We reclaim our divine nature by consciously choosing light over darkness, as Chris did by accepting Christ’s grace.  
• Judgment Blocks Vision: Releasing judgment, as Chris learned post-deliverance, reveals truth and fosters connection, aligning with divine love.  
• Grace is Sufficient: Salvation isn’t earned through works but flows from accepting divine love, as seen in the thief on the cross and Chris’s renewed faith.

Examples:  

• Deliverance Session: Chris’s 2015 prayer session in Charlottesville, guided by Dr. David Appleby, cleansed dark energies, with his friend John noting his grandmother Pat’s pride, symbolizing spiritual rebirth.  
• Sasha’s Compassion: In Key West, Sasha’s non-judgmental call for Chris to heal—not for their marriage, but for his son’s trust—sparked his pivot toward sobriety and faith.  
• Wings Like Eagles Foundation: Chris’s family business channeled Isaiah 40’s spirit, funding charities aligned with faith, showing how spirituality can shape corporate culture.  
• Forgiving the Past: Chris’s release of anger toward his father and God mirrors the broader need for communities, like Armenians, to forgive historical traumas for collective healing.  
• The Thief on the Cross: The biblical story of the repentant thief, who found paradise through a single proclamation, underscores that grace is always available, as Chris experienced.

Smoke Trail Threads:  

• Forgiveness (Episode 7): Chris’s journey of forgiving his father and himself echoes Episode 7’s focus on forgiveness as liberation, extending to generational healing.  
• Presence (Episode 8): Like Liv Fisch’s emphasis on self-kindness, Chris’s daily proclamation of sovereignty requires staying present to avoid unconscious slips into darkness.  
• Consciousness (Episode 9): Steve Hershberger’s consciousness map aligns with Chris’s belief that higher consciousness prevents harm, as love reveals our oneness.  
• Heart-Mind Coherence (Episode 10): Dani Brooks’ mirror work parallels Chris’s heart-led faith, where his guardian angel speaks through intuition, guiding right action.  
• Surrender (Episode 11): Ivan Rados’ “allow, accept, let go” formula resonates with Chris’s surrender to God’s grace, trusting the universe’s path.  
• Optimism in Action (Episode 12): Elizabeth Funk’s solutions-driven approach to homelessness reflects Chris’s focus on positive action over dwelling on evil, uplifting the least advantaged.