Many believers know they're saved but still struggle to experience the peace, joy, and freedom Jesus promised.

In this episode, Steve Adams sits down with bestselling author Gary Thomas to discuss The Life You Were Reborn to Live. Together they unpack the subtle spiritual lies that keep Christians trapped in fear, striving, isolation, entitlement, and performance-driven faith.

If you've ever sensed there must be more to following Jesus than simply "getting to heaven," this conversation offers a compelling invitation to rediscover the life you were truly reborn to live.

Get Gary's new book: https://a.co/d/03OmXHwg

Learn more about Gary Thomas: https://garythomas.com

Connect with Embracing Brokenness Ministries: https://embracingbrokenness.org

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why the Church Still Gives Gary Thomas Hope (Cold Open)

01:12 Introduction & Meet Gary Thomas

02:20 Why Gary Wrote The Life You Were Reborn to Live

08:45 The Spiritual Lies That Keep Christians Stuck

13:05 Consumer Christianity vs. Following Jesus

19:10 The Church Isn't Here to Serve You

27:35 Why Isolation Is So Spiritually Dangerous

33:45 Entitlement vs. Astonishment

40:15 The Life You Were Reborn to Live

45:05 Final Encouragement & Where to Find Gary Thomas

What if addiction isn't the real problem?

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Steve Adams sits down with author, speaker, and storyteller Jon Seidl to discuss his new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic. Jon shares his journey through anxiety, trauma, addiction, recovery, and ultimately deeper intimacy with Christ.

Together they explore why addiction often begins long before substance abuse, how unresolved wounds shape our behaviors, the danger of hidden struggles in the Church, and why true freedom comes not from behavior modification but from healing the deeper places of the heart.

Whether your struggle is alcohol, work, pornography, approval, control, comfort, food, success, or something else entirely, this conversation is for you.

As Jon says:

"We're all addicted to something."

Topics include:

• Trauma and addiction

• The role of shame in keeping people stuck

• Why Christians often hide their struggles

• Radical vulnerability and authentic community

• Identity in Christ

• Abiding in Jesus as the path to freedom

• The concept of "messy sanctification"

• Finding healing beneath the habit

Guest:

Jon Seidl: Author of Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic

Learn more:

https://www.jonseidl.com/confessions-of-a-christian-alcoholic-book

https://www.veritasrecovery.org/

For more resources from Embracing Brokenness Ministries:

https://embracingbrokenness.org/

Chapter Markers

00:00 Introduction: We're All Addicted to Something

01:23 Meet Jon Seidl

05:50 From Journalist to Storyteller

09:30 Finding Rest and Mental Health

13:40 Success Didn't Fix the Problem

16:00 When Alcohol Became an Escape

19:00 The Slow Fade into Addiction

23:00 The Miami Trip That Changed Everything

27:00 "Get to the Root of Why You're Drinking"

29:00 Childhood Trauma and Hidden Wounds

32:00 Letting Jesus Into Every Part of Your Story

35:00 Why Jon Wrote This Book

37:15 Four Steps Toward Freedom

37:30 Abiding in Christ

40:15 Finding Your True Identity

43:00 Radical Vulnerability

47:00 The Power of Obedience

50:00 Escapism, Sobriety and Freedom

52:00 Embracing Messy Sanctification

56:00 The Healing Power of Community

58:00 Veritas Recovery and Next Steps

1:01:00 Final Encouragement

Richard Blackaby joins Steve Adams for a powerful conversation about spiritual maturity, daily rhythms with God, and what it really means to experience God in everyday life—not just in the extraordinary moments.

Drawing from the legacy of the bestselling study Experiencing God and the new release Experiencing God in Everyday Life, Richard shares deeply personal stories about his father, Henry Blackaby, spiritual formation, abiding in Christ, and how ordinary believers can learn to recognize God’s presence in the middle of everyday life.

Together, Steve and Richard discuss:

Why many Christians feel disconnected from God in daily life

The danger of reducing faith to activity instead of relationship

The role of spiritual rhythms and habits in transformation

The importance of spiritual companionship

How suffering and disruption shape maturity

The next generation’s hunger for authentic faith

Why most of life is lived in the “valleys,” not the mountaintops

This conversation is filled with wisdom, encouragement, and practical insight for anyone longing to walk more closely with Jesus in the ordinary rhythms of life.

🎥 Video opening courtesy of Lifeway.

📘 Get Experiencing God in Everyday Life by Richard Blackaby and sons:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/experiencing-god-in-everyday-life-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005853831

Buy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/066sB40o

🌐 Learn more about Richard Blackaby and Blackaby Ministries International:

https://blackaby.org/

🌿 Learn more about Embracing Brokenness Ministries:

https://embracingbrokenness.org/

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — Opening Video (Courtesy of Lifeway)

01:24 — Welcome & Why This Conversation Matters

04:06 — Richard Blackaby on Family, Ministry & Legacy

10:54 — Grandchildren, Prayer Journals & Spiritual Heritage

14:12 — Writing Prayers & Hearing God More Deeply

15:28 — Leadership Trivia Begins

17:38 — Why Experiencing God in Everyday Life Matters Now

20:20 — Religion vs. Relationship with God

24:18 — “The Bible Is the Only Book Where You Can Know the Author”

25:18 — The Seven Realities of Experiencing God

26:15 — George Barna’s 10-Stop Spiritual Formation Journey

29:10 — Activity vs. Intimacy with God

31:30 — Humility, Abiding & the Presence of God

35:29 — Spiritual Legacy Across Generations

40:46 — Why Richard Wrote This Book with His Sons

45:19 — The Spiritual Hunger of Younger Generations

47:23 — God in the Ordinary Moments of Life

50:00 — Spiritual Maturity & Daily Rhythms

53:12 — Habit Stacking & Walking with God Daily

56:58 — Spiritual Companionship & Community

01:00:49 — Ministry, Prison Work & Walking Together

01:01:30 — Richard’s Message to the Younger Generation

01:03:05 — Leadership Trivia Answer Revealed

01:05:28 — Why This Book Is an Invitation Into a Way of Life

01:07:11 — Final Encouragement from Richard Blackaby