Episode 114 — Before You Become the Next Headline Sometimes the most dangerous moment in a pastor's life isn't when somebody discovers his secret. It's when he convinces himself that nobody ever will. In this powerful episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond explores the private decisions, hidden struggles, and small compromises that can lead to devastating consequences—not only for pastors but also for the people who trust them. The episode opens with “Nobody Has to Know,” an original four-scene audio drama about Pastor David. On Sunday, David preaches passionately about integrity. By Monday, he's wrestling with a private relationship that's beginning to cross dangerous boundaries.When a trusted friend unexpectedly asks who's holding David accountable, he faces a decision that could change everything.But the drama ends without revealing what David chooses. Because the real question isn't what David will do. It's what we will do when we're standing at our own crossroads.Through 1 Corinthians 10:12–13, the story of Joseph in Genesis 39, James 5:16, and Proverbs 28:13, Jon explores: - Recognizing warning signs before compromise becomes a crisis. - Maintaining healthy boundaries in ministry and counseling. - The danger of isolation and spiritual overconfidence. - Finding trustworthy accountability and learning to ask for help. - Taking responsibility, protecting others, and making a different decision. This episode also includes the Pass It On — One Pastor Challenge, an invitation to reach out to one pastor who might need friendship, encouragement, or someone who will simply listen.Pastor, your next chapter hasn't been written yet. There's still time.Listen, share, and connect: https://pastorsinrecovery.com/episode-114-before-you-become-the-next-headline/Discover Pass It On and hear our original theme song: https://pastorsinrecovery.com/share/ The opening drama is fictional and uses AI-generated character voices.

Episode 113 — That Didn't Sound Like You Have you ever noticed how some pastors sound completely different when they step behind a pulpit? There's nothing wrong with passionate preaching. But what happens when the pastor becomes the performance? In Episode 113 of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond explores the difference between communicating with passion and trying to become someone we're not.Through an entertaining opening drama and four personal stories from his years in ministry, Jon shares how admiring evangelist Rich Wilkerson influenced his own preaching style—and how three unexpected confrontations challenged what he believed about giftedness, spiritual anointing, and authenticity. From a junior high girl's unforgettable criticism to an older evangelist's warning about relying on talent instead of God, these experiences reveal a lesson that took decades to understand. Using the biblical account of David refusing Saul's armor in 1 Samuel 17, Jon reminds ministry leaders that God doesn't call us to imitate someone else's personality. In this episode: - The difference between passion and performance - Why giftedness can become a substitute for dependence on God - Learning to receive correction without becoming defensive - The connection between authenticity, humility, and recovery - Discovering the freedom to be yourself in ministry The question: When was the last time you felt comfortable just being yourself? If this episode encourages you, consider passing it on to another pastor or ministry leader. Pass It On: https://pastorsinrecovery.com/share/  This episode includes an AI-produced fictional drama.

Episode 112 - What Are You Doing With Their Trust When someone trusts a pastor with their deepest struggles, what happens to that trust? They share their broken marriages, addictions, relapses, doubts, and secrets because they believe they've found someone safe. But what happens when their private pain becomes the perfect sermon illustration? In Episode 112 of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond explores the sacred responsibility of pastoral trust through a powerful two-part audio drama. A pastor is faced with a difficult decision, and the consequences reveal just how easily good intentions can damage someone's confidence.Together, we'll explore three important questions: - Are we protecting the people who trust us—or using their stories to strengthen our ministry? - Are we helping people follow Jesus—or making them dependent on us? - When we've broken someone's trust, are we willing to take responsibility and begin repairing the damage? Their story is not our property. Their vulnerability is not our opportunity. Their trust is our responsibility. Whether you're a pastor, ministry leader, or someone walking through recovery, this episode is an invitation to examine how we handle the hearts and lives entrusted to our care. Learn more and connect: https://pastorsinrecovery.com

Episode 111 — Whose Disappointment Are You Most Afraid Of? When someone asks how you’re doing, do you bring the truth—or a report you hope they’ll be pleased with? Jon Hammond explores how fear of disappointing parents, ministry leaders, sponsors, and others can shape our choices and keep our recovery from becoming honest. Through a pastor-and-sponsor drama, personal reflection, and Scripture, this episode examines family expectations, ministry ambition, and the courage it takes to ask for help. What would change if pleasing God became more important than protecting someone’s opinion of you? Includes the drama “The Good Report” and the closing song “Afraid to Let You Down.”

Episode 110 - His Strength Is Perfect… Is Ours? We love the promise of 2 Corinthians 12:9–10: God’s power is made perfect in weakness. But do we sometimes live as though we provide most of the horsepower and God simply gives us a boost when our own strength isn’t enough? In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon uses cars, hybrids, electric vehicles, transmissions, and gears to explore the difference between depending on God and merely asking Him to supplement our own strength.But dependence doesn’t mean doing nothing. James reminds us that faith moves. We still show up. We preach. We lead. We work the steps. We make the call. We take the next right step. Jon shares moments from his own ministry when he didn’t feel strong enough to preach, teach, or lead at Celebrate Recovery—yet he showed up, engaged the gears, and experienced God providing what he needed. Maybe the question isn’t simply whether we’re strong or weak.Where does the power come from—and are we willing to put it in gear? NOTE: Also referenced in this episode: Steven Curtis Chapman’s His Strength Is Perfect. https://open.spotify.com/track/4c1y3CJhC0X5M8ieJx6SIm?si=2a78a40c395c46ef https://music.apple.com/ca/song/his-strength-is-perfect/724943025

Episode 109 - Who Told You to Carry That? What happens when caring quietly becomes carrying? Pastors are called to love people, walk with them through difficult seasons, speak truth, pray, counsel, encourage, and sometimes help carry incredibly heavy burdens. But there is a line between faithfully caring for someone and taking responsibility for an outcome we were never able to control. In Episode 109 of Pastors in Recovery, we wrestle with one simple thought: “Some of us are exhausted, not because God has asked too much of us, but because we've taken responsibility for things He never asked us to control.” Through an imagined pastor facing the collapse of a couple's marriage, the Serenity Prayer, and the tension in Galatians 6 between bearing one another's burdens and carrying our own load, we ask an important question: What are you carrying right now that isn't actually yours? Care deeply. Love deeply. Serve faithfully. Own your mistakes. But let other people carry what belongs to them—and let God carry what belongs to God. This shorter episode also sets the stage for Episode 110: “We Say His Strength Is Perfect... Is Ours?”

Episode 108 — I Think I’m Secretly Selfish I think I’m secretly selfish.That may sound strange coming from someone who has spent decades in ministry, raised a family, adopted three children, and is still parenting at 63. But lately I’ve been paying attention to what happens inside me when I’m tired, hurting, inconvenienced, or simply running low on energy.When is “I don’t want to do this” selfishness—and when is it an honest recognition that I’m depleted? In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, I talk about missed school buses, limited “spoons,” an unexpected drive for my wife, old wounds, healthy boundaries, and the Serenity Prayer’s difficult challenge: the wisdom to know the difference. We’ll also look at why self-awareness matters so much in recovery—and what can happen when a perfectly legitimate need quietly turns into something else. Because sometimes the most dangerous voice inside us doesn’t sound selfish at all.It sounds reasonable. And stay through the end for this episode’s original song, “Secret Agent Self."

Episode 107 - Sabbath Rest - The Pastor Who Can't Stop When you’re a pastor, Sunday probably isn’t your Sabbath - it may be the busiest day of your week. So you choose Monday. Then Monday fills up. You try Saturday, but the sermon still needs work and Sunday is coming. Before long, rest becomes something you’ll get to “next week.” But what if the problem isn’t just your schedule? In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, we look at the complicated reality of Sabbath rest for pastors and their families. - What does rest actually mean? - Can Sabbath move from week to week? - How does exhaustion affect our recovery? - And what if staying busy is doing something for us that we don’t want to admit? We’ll also introduce BAHALTS—Burdened, Addicted, Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, and Sick—and look at why a depleted pastor may be especially vulnerable to old coping behaviors. This isn’t about guilt or creating another religious rule to follow. It’s about stopping long enough to ask two important questions: - What are we actually trying to protect? - Where is Sabbath this week? The day can move. The commitment doesn’t.

Episode 106 - The Pastor Who Never Gets Caught What if you never get caught? Nobody finds the browser history. Nobody sees the messages. Nobody smells the alcohol. Your congregation still respects you. Your family still trusts you. You still preach on Sunday morning. But are you doing well because God has changed your heart—or have you just gotten really good at not getting caught?  In Episode 106 of Pastors in Recovery, we look at Paul’s surprising words in Colossians 2:20–23: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” Paul warns that religious rules and self-imposed discipline can have the appearance of wisdom while lacking the power to transform the desires underneath our behavior. Boundaries matter. Saying “no” matters. Consequences can keep us from making decisions we would deeply regret. But recovery has to go deeper.  We’ll look back at the progression of Episodes 101–105, revisit the familiar 1980s message “Just Say No,” and hear a special audio drama showing how a pastor’s vulnerability—or lack of it—can affect struggling people sitting in the pews. The question isn't simply, “Did I cross the boundary?” It's also: “What would I choose if I knew nobody would ever find out?” Because recovery isn't simply learning how to say no. Recovery is allowing Jesus to change the heart that keeps wanting to say yes. Scripture: Colossians 2:20–23; Colossians 3; James 5:16

Episode 105 - Cast Your Cares In Episode 105 of Pastors in Recovery, we take an honest look at the burdens we carry—and what it really means to “cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you. ”Pastors can become very good at carrying layer after layer of responsibility, worry, fear, family concerns, ministry pressure, regret, and things we simply cannot control. Sometimes we don’t even realize how much weight we’re carrying until it begins to overwhelm us.Using the picture of casting a fishing line, Jon explores the meaning behind 1 Peter 5:7: we aren’t simply told to get rid of our cares—we’re told where to send them. We cast them toward the Lord.Because alcohol doesn’t care about us. Addiction doesn’t care about us. Busyness, food, shopping, and distraction may numb the pressure for a while, but they cannot carry us.God can.And He invites us to give Him the burden for a very personal reason:Because He cares for us. This episode is not a sermon aimed at other pastors. It’s a reminder from someone who is learning to do this himself: identify what you’re carrying, release what you cannot control, and keep casting it back to the One who loves you.

Episode 80 - The Serenity Prayer | Part 6 - Accepting Hardship as a Pathway to Peace  This may be the most difficult line in the entire Serenity Prayer. In this episode, I share personal stories of real hardship — my sister running away from home, losing my brother to Hodgkin’s disease, the devastating loss of my nine-month-old nephew, and more recent struggles with injury, limitation, and physical decline. Hardship doesn’t feel like peace. So how can it possibly be the pathway to it? Drawing from James 1, Hebrews 12, and the words of Jesus Himself, we explore how pain becomes training, how suffering forces surrender, and how surrender leads us to the Prince of Peace. This is not about pretending hardship is good. It’s about discovering what it produces when it is surrendered to God. Peace is not the absence of suffering. Peace is the presence of Christ in the middle of it. If you are carrying something heavy right now, this episode is for you.

Episode 79 - The Serenity Prayer | Part 5 - Living One Day At A Time Are you living in yesterday’s regret… or tomorrow’s anxiety? In Part 5 of our Serenity Prayer series, we explore two powerful phrases: “Living one day at a time. Enjoying one moment at a time.” Many pastors and ministry leaders struggle with replaying conversations from the past or rehearsing fears about the future. Shame and insecurity quietly shape how we lead, speak, and show up in relationships. In this episode, we imagine the same pastor in three different mental locations: • Living in the past • Living in the future • Living fully in the present We unpack how worship and prayer realign the heart, expose hidden idols, and restore peace. When we seek God’s face, shame loses authority. Fear loosens its grip. And clarity returns. Scripture anchors this conversation in: Isaiah 43:18–19, Matthew 6:34 and Psalm 118:24 If you are tired of spiraling thoughts, insecurity, or mental over-rehearsing, this episode will gently guide you back to what matters most — today.  🎶 At the end of the episode, Jon invites listeners to enter into worship through the new Stone and Mercy album, Greater Still, available wherever you stream music under “Crashing Lyrics.”

Episode 77 - The Serenity Prayer | Part 3 + Original Song "When It's My Turn" This week on Pastors in Recovery, we move into the hardest part of the Serenity Prayer. Not accepting what we cannot change. But owning what we can. As pastors, we preach that the Holy Spirit does the cleaning. We say, “God changes hearts.” And that’s true.  - But what happens when God has already shown us something… and we haven’t obeyed? - Where have we prayed for deliverance when we needed repentance? - Where have we blamed God for our lack of discipline? - Where have we said, “God hasn’t changed me yet,” when we haven’t taken the step He already asked for? In this episode, we talk about the partnership between God’s power and our responsibility. About how obedience isn’t passive. About how growth requires courage. And about the quiet, personal work that no one else sees. This isn’t condemnation. It’s clarity. Because sometimes the prayer isn’t “God change this.” Sometimes it’s “God, I’m ready to change.” Take a deep breath. Let the Holy Spirit speak. And ask yourself… what’s mine to own?

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Episode 67 - STEP SIX | Being Willing To Change + Original Song "No More Defending" Step Six is where healing finally starts to take root. It’s the moment we stop defending our dysfunction and become willing for God to rewrite what we’ve been hiding. In this episode, Jon shares raw stories from his years of church planting—ministry burnout, pride, insecurity, financial pressure, and the addictions that surfaced when life got overwhelming. He also opens up about the deeper roots behind anger, shame, and the patterns that kept him stuck.  Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds…but renewal begins with willingness. If you’ve been exhausted, overwhelmed, or defending habits you know are hurting you, this episode is for you. God isn’t asking for perfection—only willingness. Featuring the new worship song: 🎵 “No More Defending” — a Step Six anthem about moving from hiding to healing.

Episode 66 – STEP FIVE | Confessing, Not Preaching + Original Song “Hats” In this powerful episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon unpacks Step Five: Confessing, Not Preaching — learning to tell the truth instead of performing it. He shares honest reflections from his own ministry life — the “pastor hat,” the “church-planter hat,” and the moment he realized that the only hat that truly fits is the real-self hat. Through personal stories, relatable pastor examples, and the story of King Saul, Jon reminds us that fear of people leads to performance, but confession leads to freedom.  This episode also features Jon’s brand-new original Suno AI-assisted song, “Hats,” a nostalgic 1920s jazz-gospel piece led by clarinet that captures the journey of taking off every mask until only the real self remains. 🎵 Don’t preach your confession — live it. 📖 James 5:16 — “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Episode 65 — STEP FOUR | Taking Honest Inventory + Original Song “In Your Eyes" In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond walks through Step Four — Taking Honest Inventory. It’s the moment when pastors and ministry leaders stop performing and start allowing God to search beneath the surface.Through powerful stories and personal reflection, Jon shares how honesty replaces performance, how confession becomes a process, and how true freedom begins when we finally write the truth down and share it with someone we trust.  This episode features Jon’s original Suno song, “In Your Eyes,” a tender, acoustic reflection on God’s loving presence — the One who sees us fully and still calls us His own.  📖 Psalm 139:23–24 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Episode 59 - Food Feelings and Finding Balance Food is one of the most socially acceptable ways pastors medicate their pain. Nobody questions you when you go back for another plate at the potluck, but for many of us, food has become the comfort we reach for instead of God. In this episode, I open up about my own story of gaining weight later in life, battling cravings for ice cream and baked goods, and struggling to keep consistent with exercise. We’ll talk about why food is such a powerful temptation, how stress and medication can add to the struggle, and why food addiction is uniquely difficult in recovery circles. You’ll also hear relatable stories about pastors: - A potluck that turns into pressure to overeat. - A late-night drive-thru run after a stressful meeting. - A traveling pastor hiding behind “conference calories don’t count.” - And a young pastor using Pop-Tarts and sugar as a substitute for deeper temptations. But more importantly, we’ll look to God’s Word for hope. Scriptures remind us that the Holy Spirit is our true Comforter (John 14:16–17), that God always provides a way out of temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). This isn’t about perfection or six-pack abs. It’s about honesty, progress, and surrender. If you’ve ever used food as medication, you’re not alone — and God has a plan for your body, your health, and your recovery. 👉 Reflection Question: What role does food play in your recovery story — and what step could you take this week to invite God into it?  🔗 Links - Email: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery

Episode 56 – Shame - The Weight We Shouldn’t Carry Shame is one of the heaviest burdens pastors and people in recovery carry. It whispers lies that we are our weakness, our mistakes, or our past. In this episode, Jon shares a very personal story about feeling shame while taking his medication — and how those feelings connect back to childhood wounds and moments of being belittled. Through Scripture, reflection, and honest testimony, this episode reminds us that shame is not from God. Jesus not only carried our sin to the cross, but also our shame. You are not your weakness, you are not your burnout, and you are not your relapse. You are loved, forgiven, and free in Christ. 👉 Connect with Pastors in Recovery: - 📧 Email: - 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery?utm_source=chatgpt.com - 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery?utm_source=chatgpt.com