Struggle is inevitable.

There may be no slavery deeper than doing it my way.

Having appropriate expectations for sober prayer.

How to deal with the sorrowful-joy of grief in a sober spiritual life.

Un-compartmentalized recovery.

Discussion and highlights from the recovery retreat held at St. John Chrysostom Church in Nashville on June 10, 2023. Watch the sessions at https://www.youtube.com/@chrysostom_nashville/streams.

The mother of all episodes...

Resentment and anger can often overtake us without our knowing. How can it and overcome it?

St. Gregory Palamas, what do we know about the unknowable? What do we do with repentance and sobriety?

How do we square Christ's command to do good works in secret with his other command to let our lights so shine before men? Where does grandiosity get in the way?

The path to God and wisdom begins with doing the things that correspond to our aim. A rigorously honest look at ourselves often yields the uncomfortable truth that there is a gulf between what we say we desire and what we are actually pursuing.

There is often a call for people to reap the results of their actions. The line between unchristian retribution and vengeance, on the one hand, and consequences aimed toward someone else's highest good and repentance on the other, can be stark and is guided by the principle of love. How do we understand the idea of either consequences or love in a world that defines both so differently than does the mind of the Gospel?

In this episode, Fr. Joseph and Fr. Michael discuss the pitfalls of grandiosity and the quiet heroism found in Anonymity.

Heading into the holidays, our hosts discuss the issues of consumerism in our culture. This is not a new phenomenon by any means - in fact, the desert fathers address it. The issue, at its core, is glutton and compulsion. It can even be a misuse of the idea of giving. The question we must all ask is, "where do I get agitated if I’m impeded?"

In this episode, our hosts discuss the topic of expectations. The truth is that expectations are almost always rooted in extremes, with the end result being a recalibration to the middle no matter the outcome of any situation. What does this mean for how we view others, especially the addict? When we make decisions on how to treat others (in and outside of the Church) we often hear the trite saying "what would Jesus do?" (WWJD). But, what is our view of Jesus? Is He merely a moral character, soft in disposition, who justifies us in our sins? Or does He require a much more radical transformation?

In this episode, our hosts tackle the issue of "rest" and workaholism. What does it mean to enter into the Sabbath Rest? Piggybacking off of the last episode's theme of peace, we can see that once order is established and justice is restored, God rests by becoming enthroned. When we enter into rest, we begin to participate in the words from St. John's Apocolypse that "to the one who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne". We find that reciprocal sabbath is the means by which God has established relationship with His creation. Work is addictive like any other substance, only - in our society - this vice of overworking is held as a virtue. We always end up RESTless, irritable, and discontent . . . which always leads to more problems.

What is peace? Is it some kind of esoteric feeling of tranquility - or is it something more? In this episode, our hosts dive into the issue of peace and its relationship to recovery. Tracking the concept of "shalom" in the scriptures, we can see that from Genesis 1 peace has less to do with a lack of confrontation and more to do with bringing order out of chaos. God's peace makes us whole and complete, and God's peace has to do with the well-being of an entire community. When we give ourselves over to this kind of peace, we learn how to reconcile opposites and bring in tension and endure it. The goal is to be able to ask for God's will and the strength to carry it out.

In this fascinating episode, our hosts address a common sentiment in many Evangelical circles that the Cross is the exclusive point of our adoration. Were any of the Lord's 33 years wasted? What about His baptism, His ascension? The discussion continues with a look at Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement - and Christ as the scapegoat. The connection is drawn between the addict and the scapegoat and how we can image Christ in this way. We mustn't truncate the Gospel as it is, in its entirety, Good News.

Addiction is fueled by stress - in particular, those with stressful childhoods are much more susceptible to addiction. In this episode, our hosts discuss the four trigger points of stress in our lives: uncertainty, isolation, loss of control, and conflict. When we look at the medical data on addiction, the situation seems hopeless; however, the recognition of the image of God in each and every human being gives unfathomable hope as we battle for sobriety. Solving the problem our way leads to sin & death, solving it God’s way (repentance and recovery) leads to life. For these reasons, what we really need is a total distrust of self and complete & daring trust in God alone.

In this episode, our hosts take a deeper look at the concept of community - more specifically, the uniqueness of community within the confines of the Church and the Holy Trinity. Community cannot exist without a common purpose and life. When we speak about addiction, we see it as a disease of isolation that is ultimately disruptive to the human person in his very existence. When we encounter God in the Church, community is ultimately restored; however, as always, a sincere life of repentance is necessary.