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Award winning truth cuts through the haze,

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confronts the darkness
in these end times days.

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A single match struck against the fear,
hope ignites drawing redemption near.

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Can you feel the trembling in the ground?

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A buried

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heartbeat making sound.

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We all live in Dead America, but the
dawn’s creeping across the panorama.

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This dead awakens, change
begins, from broken places hope

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unpins.

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Yeah, we all live in Dead America.

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One healing spark starts the pyre,
burning brighter, taking it higher.

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Today we’re speaking with Steve
Ward, he is from Steps Ministries.

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And please, could you
introduce yourself, Steve?

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And let people know just a
little more about you, please.

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I’d be glad to, Ed.

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Thank you, and it’s a pleasure to be here.

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Again, as, as, as Ed mentioned, I’m
Steve Ward, uh, I’m a husband of a

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year or two behind Ed, I’m, we’re
coming up on thirty-nine years.

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Uh, I have two sons, uh, who are now
young adults in their early thirties.

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Uh, I was in the business
world for thirty-eight years.

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Uh, for a part of that time I was a
highly functioning alcoholic, had a

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lot of substance problems in my family.

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And eight years ago I felt led
to leave the business world

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to start a nonprofit ministry.

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So that’s the short version.

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Highly functioning alcoholic,
I, I love that term because, you

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know, I, I really resonate, that
resonates well with me because I,

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I was a bad alcoholic/drug addict.

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And I would do these things at
work, I would do them wherever

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I went and I felt normal.

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I thought everybody
else was kind of goofy.

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And I functioned well and I got
through life, but boy, the tragedies

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that I, I witnessed because of
people, and places, and things.

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It, it’s a lot to deal with, and that’s
kind of why I was into drugs and alcohol.

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What, what was your reason?

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Um, I started drinking when I was fifteen.

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Uh, I, I think my reasons changed
over time a little bit, uh, but we

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all do what we do for a reason, right?

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And the best I can figure out by
looking backwards is, you know, I was

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comfortable in one identity in that
I was good in school, but there was

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another identity I, I wanted, right?

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I wanted to be, uh, part of the cool crowd
and for all the girls to like me, right?

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So I would go into these situations
and these parties and feel

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slightly uncomfortable, like I was
acting, like I was playing a part.

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And I found that alcohol helped me
not feel that way anymore, probably

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made me act, uh, a stupider part.

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But that said, it made me
feel better so it, it worked.

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And at that age, you know,
actually it was fun, I enjoyed it.

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Uh, as I, you know, as I went through
high school, and then college, and

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got out into the business world,
I carried that habit with me.

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Cause that’s what we do, right?

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We, we figure out ways to live
life as we grow up, whether

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we’re conscious of it or not.

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We do.

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And then we, we very often
may carry those for decades.

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So, uh, I got out into the work
world and, uh, I, I was pretty

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responsible at work, right?

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But I would come home, and I tend to
be an overthinker, so I wanted to turn

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my brain off for a while, and I had a
go-to mechanism that helped me do that.

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So, by the way, now I, I use the term
high functioning alcoholic not to imply

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that I was less than one because I was.

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You know, alcohol was more in
control of me than I was of it.

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But I didn’t use that term and, and
I would go to a lot of people, right,

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who, uh, don’t know what they don’t
know and are going through life thinking

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everything’s great and I’d say I was an
alcoholic and they would smile politely

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and instantly internally categorize
me as one of those other people.

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So I finally started using the
term high functioning alcoholic,

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what, I guess it was true, right?

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I, I did, I did do well at work, I was,
you know, a pretty good husband and a dad.

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But that didn’t mean
I wasn’t an alcoholic,

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I was.

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But I started using that term and I
noticed that people adjusted how they, how

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they heard and responded to what I said.

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You know, especially like, you
know, business people are, you know,

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people who are doing well and may
think they have life knocked, right?

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I’d say high functioning alcoholic, and
all of a sudden they go, Huh, what’s that?

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Are you saying that if you go to
work, you could still be an alcoholic?

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And how do you know when you are one?

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In other words, it, it changed the
conversation a little bit because,

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yeah, I, I, I kind of believe that
we’re all addicted to something and

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we all have issues to work with.

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And frankly, I think we all need recovery
and, and that’s part of our message.

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And so actually using the term high
functioning alcoholic is, is meant

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to open up conversations about it.

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And it does, you know, because it,
it is one of those unrecognizable

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terms that sparks interest.

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And that’s what we need on this subject
is, we need interest on the subject.

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We all, well, maybe not all of us
have experienced the twelve step

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program and AA, uh, I started at
Alateen at thirteen years old.

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My uncle got me involved in
Alateen and I’m glad he did.

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You know, because I, I was witnessing
this life of, it’s normal to be

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an alcoholic/drug addict or chase
whatever, uh, addiction that

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you may be chasing at the time.

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And there’s a term that you
also use, Compulsive Issues.

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And this is very important for
people to recognize that compulsion

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is not just over drugs and alcohol,
it’s over every aspect of our life.

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Would you get into explaining
what those are for people?

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Yeah, I totally agree
with everything you said.

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Um, we coined a term that allows
us to have this conversation with

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people in a, I’d say, kind of
organized way, it’s an acronym, it’s

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called Chains, C-H-A-I-N-S, right?

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Which is meaningful, right?

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We all have chains that hold us
back and keep us from being, uh,

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meeting our full potential and
living life the way it should be.

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But chains is also an acronym.

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Uh, the CH stands for Compulsive
Habits, the A and the I stands

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for Addictions and Idols.

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And so from a spiritual sense,
there’s this concept of idols, which,

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which actually strongly overlaps
what we think of as addictions.

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And then the NS is for negative
self-talk, because addiction and most

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of our problems start in the mind.

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They start in, you know, what, how
thoughts present themselves into our mind.

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And, you know, do we recognize them?

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Are we aware of them?

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Uh, are we able to manage
them or do they control us?

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So it, it is a spectrum, you know?

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Um, when we do something compulsively,
that just means we’re not intentionally,

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and thoughtfully, and proactively
making a, a good choice about it.

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It, it just happens.

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And very often, a lot of the way
that we react, we either react

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compulsively or impulsively,
meaning in the moment, we don’t even

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stop, and, and emotionally, right?

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We, we react to our emotions.

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Uh, but we can learn to adjust
that once we recognize that, uh,

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there are simple methodologies we
can use to change how we think.

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So it all starts there.

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And, and I, I think of
Chains as a spectrum, right?

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And we’re all on it somewhere.

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We all have negative
thinking that bothers us.

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Uh, in many cases, uh, that
becomes compulsive, right?

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These, these thought patterns
repeat themselves and they start

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to have negative consequences
that, over time, become addictions.

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Uh, so in this case, and the other
thing you mentioned is Twelve Steps,

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I, I, I love the Twelve
Steps, uh, you know?

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In fact, uh, the, the first book I
wrote when I was in recovery, ’cause

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I was in recovery for myself, and
as a husband, and as a dad, and so I

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was exposed to the Twelve Steps and I
thought, This is some of the wisest,

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most practical stuff I’ve ever seen.

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And, you know, the question I asked
myself is, Where do people learn how

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to live life, you know, normally?

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And the answer is they
don’t, they make it up.

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So the, the first book wasn’t
really about addiction and, uh,

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you know, recovery per se, it was
about how do you live life better.

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But it, it took the Twelve Steps
and it simplified and condensed

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them into things that, you know,
regular people who haven’t even been

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exposed to recovery could understand
and put into practice every day.

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Yeah, I found the, the AA to
be a stepping stone for myself.

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It, it gave me the experience that I’m
not alone in my experiences and that

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gave me the ability to start talking.

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And I, I’ve never been a talker,
I’ve always been shut up, just

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drown my own sorrows in my privacy.

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And that really is a shame when we think
about it because expression is who we

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are as human beings, we want to express
our needs, our wants, our feelings.

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And if we can’t express them, like you
just said, we act on them and we, we

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allow our feelings to get in the way.

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And, and that’s really an immaturity
because for some reason we were not given,

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or we didn’t take the responsibility
to become that next step in our life.

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So the best thing about that program is
where people come together and actually

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talk about who they are, what they’ve
experienced, what they came out to be,

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and opening up and letting people know
that it’s okay to be you where you

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are at that particular moment in time.

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That’s really important if, if
you think about it, is it not?

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Yeah, it is.

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You know, and, you know, you’re describing
a lot of the attributes, uh, that

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are common in the world of recovery.

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And most people may not have been exposed
to recovery, they may not know what it is.

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And if, if they’re struggling, you know,
they’re very hesitant or downright against

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going to a recovery meeting because they
have a misunderstanding about it, right?

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They think, Oh, it’s a bunch of strange
people who’ve, you know, got massive

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issues, I don’t, I’m nothing like them,
they’re gonna embarrass me and put me

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on the spot, and then they’re gonna
tell me all the bad things I’m doing.

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That’s, that’s the opposite
of recovery, right?

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Recovery, you know, the, the normal
person in recovery is someone

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who has struggled, right, in the past.

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But by going through recovery they’ve
learned, uh, humility, uh, they’ve learned

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empathy, they’ve learned self-awareness,
they’ve learned personal development,

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uh, they’ve learned how to get more in
touch with, with things that will move

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them in the right direction, emotionally,
mentally, spiritually, uh, socially.

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And people generally come out of it, um,
you know, socially just more empathetic

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and more caring, more service oriented.

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Um, and so, you know, recovery
meetings are awesome, you know?

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So I, anyone who’s out there wondering if
they should go to one, uh, for themselves

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or someone that, that they love, uh, I
would suggest go give two or three a try.

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And I, I think you may be surprised
’cause they can be a very attractive,

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invigorating, non-threatening
environment where you can learn

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a lot about living life better.

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You know, the very interesting thing
that I found about these programs, Steve,

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is that when you walk in, you do, you
get a shock because it’s culturally

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different because you’re, as an average
person walking into a room, and you

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might see a lawyer, a doctor, or you
never know, a, a priest, you know?

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So there’s all walks of
life inside an AA room.

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And when, when you go into the
meeting hall, it’s a serious thing.

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It’s about your recovery,
it’s not about judging people.

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And that’s what I thought
when I was wanting to go is,

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Oh, they’re gonna judge me.

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There’s this thing in the
back of an addict’s mind that

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people are going to judge you.

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Uh, what’s the hardest thing
about that judgment thing

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always in the back of our mind?

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Yeah, yeah.

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In fact, I, I’ll use, uh, an example
that I sometimes use in, in talks, right?

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I’ll say, uh, Envision
two situations, right?

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One situation is two people come
together and they say, Hi, hi, hi.

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You know, and one says to the
other one, How are you doing?

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And the other one probably says, Fine.

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And the other one politely goes on their
way or maybe wonder if the second one

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slips up and actually says something like,
Well, actually, I’ve, I, I’ve, you know,

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my, myself, or my spouse, or one of my
kids is, is struggling and, and I think

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there’s a drug problem in the family.

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You know, in a normal
situation, what do people do?

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You know, they, they A, they don’t
know what to do, so they weirdly

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00:14:38,295 –> 00:14:42,074
smile and start to back away and
say, Well, I’m so sorry about that.

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00:14:42,464 –> 00:14:45,795
And if they’re in the lobby of a church,
maybe they say, But I’ll pray for you.

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Gotta go, you know?

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00:14:47,685 –> 00:14:50,025
Now imagine another situation, right?

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Where two people come together
they say hi, one says how

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00:14:53,324 –> 00:14:54,285
you doing to the other one.

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00:14:54,285 –> 00:14:57,860
And that person says, Oh man, I,
I’m, I’m really struggling this week.

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Um, you know, I’m, I’m trying to
stop drinking, uh, but it’s hard.

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I, I, I relapsed on Tuesday and
I’m, I’m, I’m trying to get back.

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And the other person, rather than
retreating in, in fear or hesitation,

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00:15:10,545 –> 00:15:15,975
moves toward that person and
leans in and empathetically says,

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00:15:16,035 –> 00:15:17,865
Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that.

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00:15:17,865 –> 00:15:20,895
So how are you really feeling?

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In other words, they, they lean into the
conversation because they really care

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and they’re not uncomfortable with going
there, with having a, a real conversation.

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And they, they aren’t in a hurry
to leave, uh, they’re there.

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They’re, they’re not trying
to fix, or scold, or teach,

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or lecture the other person.

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00:15:39,415 –> 00:15:45,265
They’re trying to, to listen and support
them and be there for them, you know, and,

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uh, that’s what recovery’s like, right?

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And in, uh, real life, in all of us,
different environments, whether it’s at

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work, or unfortunately, at church, or in
normal life, very often it’s the former.

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So recovery’s pretty cool.

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00:15:59,925 –> 00:16:06,045
Yeah, and, and you do meet a lot of great
interesting people that can actually

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help you advance your life in many
ways so don’t be afraid to reach out.

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I wanna step into the higher power,
you know, because we all need to look

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00:16:19,635 –> 00:16:24,915
upon a higher power to be successful
in life, I really, truly believe that.

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And for every one of us, it’s different.

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00:16:29,235 –> 00:16:35,025
But there’s gotta be some sort of
a higher power that we can reach

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00:16:35,025 –> 00:16:43,214
towards for that guidance or, uh,
just, just help along the way.

242
00:16:44,475 –> 00:16:49,214
What is your experience
with your higher power?

243
00:16:50,025 –> 00:16:50,355
Yeah.

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00:16:50,895 –> 00:16:54,495
Well, whether people have
recognized it or not, right?

245
00:16:54,795 –> 00:16:57,165
We, we all are spiritual beings, right?

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00:16:57,170 –> 00:17:01,965
We, we are designed so that, uh, what you
would think of as our wellness is, is,

247
00:17:02,025 –> 00:17:06,045
is emotional wellness, and mental, and
social, and spirit, and, and, you know,

248
00:17:06,105 –> 00:17:08,234
inter social, but it’s also spiritual.

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And, you know, for people who, you
know, aren’t very far along, uh,

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a spiritual journey, you know, you
know, with, with those, I’ll just say,

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you know, Have, have you considered
the notion that there’s something

252
00:17:19,335 –> 00:17:21,254
out there bigger than you, right?

253
00:17:22,215 –> 00:17:25,545
Innately, people know
that to be true, right?

254
00:17:25,665 –> 00:17:28,245
Wherever they are, you know,
what, they’re, they’re, you know,

255
00:17:28,245 –> 00:17:30,435
they, they know there’s something
out there bigger than them.

256
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They may label it in a different
way and they, you know?

257
00:17:33,975 –> 00:17:37,935
And then I’ll just, I, I’ll urge
them to go on, uh, you know, what

258
00:17:37,935 –> 00:17:39,555
I call a search for the truth.

259
00:17:39,645 –> 00:17:44,985
I’ll say, Have an open mind and an open
heart, and keep following those questions.

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Things like, you know,
what’s the meaning of life?

261
00:17:47,865 –> 00:17:49,485
You know, do I have a purpose?

262
00:17:49,905 –> 00:17:51,045
What is my identity?

263
00:17:51,045 –> 00:17:52,185
What am I meant to do?

264
00:17:52,725 –> 00:17:54,585
How am I supposed to
interact with other people?

265
00:17:55,125 –> 00:17:58,665
And when you ask those big
questions, it leads you closer

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00:17:58,665 –> 00:18:01,375
and closer to the conclusion
that there’s something out there.

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00:18:01,835 –> 00:18:05,745
You know, and I know I was
in my late thirties, right?

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Where I was a relatively
secular person, right?

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I, I didn’t have anything
against God, I just didn’t think

270
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about Him very much, you know?

271
00:18:12,345 –> 00:18:15,855
And, uh, I’d been trained as an
engineer, I was, uh, working with

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00:18:16,085 –> 00:18:19,935
IBM, I was in the business world, and
so I was a pretty nice guy but I, I

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00:18:19,965 –> 00:18:21,555
just didn’t think about God very much.

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But all of a sudden, you know, now we
had a, a young family and I started

275
00:18:26,745 –> 00:18:29,895
thinking, Wow, sometimes people with
families take their kids to church.

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I wonder if we ought to
consider that notion.

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00:18:32,040 –> 00:18:36,390
And then I said, I went down
this path of saying, It’s one

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00:18:36,390 –> 00:18:37,590
of the biggest quest preps.

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The biggest question in our
existence is, Is there a God?

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And if there is, what
is that God like, right?

281
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So I said, I’m gonna go investigate that.

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And for a period of time, you
know, a year, a year and a half,

283
00:18:48,659 –> 00:18:52,169
I just read dozens and dozens of
books to try to understand that.

284
00:18:53,010 –> 00:18:56,850
And for me, the answer became
absolutely clear and logical

285
00:18:56,850 –> 00:18:58,209
and obvious that there is a God.

286
00:18:58,350 –> 00:19:00,929
And I think it’s the
God of the Bible, right?

287
00:19:00,929 –> 00:19:02,790
That that is who God is.

288
00:19:03,750 –> 00:19:08,400
But wherever people are, or I would say,
you know, Keep asking deep questions.

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00:19:08,490 –> 00:19:12,510
Um, you know, understand that you may
come in with preconceptions, but set

290
00:19:12,510 –> 00:19:14,280
those aside, search for the truth.

291
00:19:14,940 –> 00:19:19,080
Uh, and I think over time most people will
recognize, Wow, there is a higher power.

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00:19:19,530 –> 00:19:23,880
And the further they go on that to
understand that there is a God who

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00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:28,260
created them, and who loves them, and
has good plans for them, that’s the most

294
00:19:28,260 –> 00:19:30,540
encouraging thing you could ever learn.

295
00:19:31,169 –> 00:19:33,750
So it’s, it’s, it’s really
helpful for living life, but

296
00:19:33,750 –> 00:19:35,129
also in the world of recovery.

297
00:19:35,699 –> 00:19:38,909
Um, but wherever people are, you
know, whether they’re in recovery

298
00:19:38,909 –> 00:19:42,060
or not, you have to understand
that you are a spiritual being,

299
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whether you think so or not.

300
00:19:43,260 –> 00:19:48,629
And there are, um, big thing, there are
big things out there, and it’s worth

301
00:19:48,720 –> 00:19:50,159
taking the time to go learn about ’em.

302
00:19:51,435 –> 00:19:52,035
That’s right.

303
00:19:52,035 –> 00:19:59,715
And it, it will take you on a fascinating
journey because what sometimes is

304
00:19:59,715 –> 00:20:03,705
present in your life is not reality.

305
00:20:03,915 –> 00:20:09,765
And when you actually bump into the
wall of reality and you can actually

306
00:20:09,975 –> 00:20:18,825
place tangible things with historical
fact, that really shows you, wow,

307
00:20:19,305 –> 00:20:21,465
there, there’s something to this.

308
00:20:22,095 –> 00:20:25,695
Now myself, I’ve been
spiritual all my life.

309
00:20:25,845 –> 00:20:32,415
I, I just didn’t really act upon it
until, you know, twenty years ago,

310
00:20:32,514 –> 00:20:39,975
thirty years ago, and then I started
really seeking, and boy, did I find.

311
00:20:40,395 –> 00:20:42,495
There’s, there’s fascinating things.

312
00:20:42,495 –> 00:20:50,459
I’ve experienced, You know, spiritual
things that can’t be explained through our

313
00:20:50,490 –> 00:20:53,490
physical matter, but I know what it is.

314
00:20:53,550 –> 00:21:00,270
So I expect myself to understand
that, not other people.

315
00:21:00,629 –> 00:21:04,889
And what I can tell you
is God is about love.

316
00:21:05,399 –> 00:21:17,385
And a lot of what we experience today
in the church might not seem to be love.

317
00:21:17,415 –> 00:21:17,805
But

318
00:21:20,055 –> 00:21:21,465
there’s, there’s,

319
00:21:23,985 –> 00:21:28,875
I, I wanna tiptoe here a little bit
because I don’t wanna offend anyone,

320
00:21:28,995 –> 00:21:33,524
but there is this hurt in the church.

321
00:21:33,675 –> 00:21:41,235
There’s a hurt in our world and it
centers around love and compassion.

322
00:21:41,294 –> 00:21:44,175
And guidance is a big part of that.

323
00:21:44,745 –> 00:21:51,585
And if you’re a pastor, you have
to be upright and you have to be

324
00:21:51,585 –> 00:21:54,195
forward with your congregation.

325
00:21:55,260 –> 00:22:03,060
And a lot of the times there’s prosperity
gospel preached, and I, I’m into

326
00:22:03,090 –> 00:22:10,950
prosperity, I, I love anyone that, you
know, can be better and become better.

327
00:22:11,010 –> 00:22:16,850
But a lot of that is, when you
become better, you become better at

328
00:22:16,880 –> 00:22:23,000
giving and reaching out to others
and you expand what you do because

329
00:22:23,000 –> 00:22:24,950
of the wealth that you receive.

330
00:22:25,880 –> 00:22:28,430
And sometimes we don’t witness that.

331
00:22:29,300 –> 00:22:38,460
Uh, on the television you see these
televangelists and they over exaggerate

332
00:22:38,460 –> 00:22:47,340
sometimes, and that really diminishes what
Christ is, that love, that compassion.

333
00:22:48,180 –> 00:22:52,020
Have you stopped and just
said hello to a person that’s

334
00:22:52,020 –> 00:22:54,150
homeless on the streets today?

335
00:22:54,420 –> 00:23:00,540
Or did you look the other way and
think, Oh, why is he that way?

336
00:23:00,540 –> 00:23:02,550
Or did you even have that thought?

337
00:23:03,030 –> 00:23:09,000
There’s so much of this hate wrapped
up in what’s supposed to be love in our

338
00:23:09,000 –> 00:23:16,710
world, and I think it’s important that we
address these things so other people can

339
00:23:16,710 –> 00:23:25,950
see that everyone involved in church is
not hypocritical and we do care about you.

340
00:23:27,629 –> 00:23:27,720
Yeah.

341
00:23:27,720 –> 00:23:30,720
There, there, there are several
different spheres of this

342
00:23:30,720 –> 00:23:34,350
conversation that sometimes people
tend to lump them together, right?

343
00:23:34,350 –> 00:23:37,410
The concept of spirituality means that
you’re open to the concept that there’s

344
00:23:37,410 –> 00:23:40,650
something bigger than you, and that when
you investigate that there’s probably

345
00:23:40,650 –> 00:23:44,340
some form of higher power, and that takes
different people in different directions.

346
00:23:44,850 –> 00:23:50,550
And there’s the concept of, you know,
uh, Christianity gives, introduces

347
00:23:50,550 –> 00:23:52,919
us to what the higher power is like.

348
00:23:53,399 –> 00:23:55,949
And the best way to know what
that, what God is like is to

349
00:23:55,949 –> 00:23:58,229
go read how Jesus lived, right?

350
00:23:58,229 –> 00:24:02,129
So you have that concept then of,
of having a personal relationship

351
00:24:02,129 –> 00:24:03,659
with a higher power, with God.

352
00:24:03,959 –> 00:24:05,939
One who, who, who loves us.

353
00:24:06,510 –> 00:24:10,575
And then there’s an overlay on that,
which is the concept of religion.

354
00:24:10,965 –> 00:24:14,325
And uh, and on top of that, the concept
of different denominations, right?

355
00:24:14,325 –> 00:24:18,765
And religions and denominations
are created by people, right?

356
00:24:18,765 –> 00:24:22,605
And, and people are flawed, which
means most denominations are,

357
00:24:22,965 –> 00:24:26,865
are, by definition, created and
run by a bunch of flawed people.

358
00:24:27,045 –> 00:24:32,265
That doesn’t make them wrong, it just
means very often if you run into someone

359
00:24:32,295 –> 00:24:36,015
who’s coming out of a church and they’re
hypocritical or they’re judgmental,

360
00:24:36,645 –> 00:24:39,045
um, that doesn’t represent the church.

361
00:24:39,045 –> 00:24:40,605
It doesn’t even represent religion.

362
00:24:40,605 –> 00:24:42,735
It certainly doesn’t
represent Christianity, right?

363
00:24:42,735 –> 00:24:47,775
I mean, Christianity is a very, uh,
loving, grace oriented approach.

364
00:24:48,255 –> 00:24:54,105
Um, but in any institution, any
company, or club, or denomination,

365
00:24:54,105 –> 00:24:55,455
there are flawed people.

366
00:24:55,605 –> 00:25:00,015
So don’t judge the big picture of,
of who God is and what God is like

367
00:25:00,315 –> 00:25:01,965
by a few individuals you’ve run into,

368
00:25:02,025 –> 00:25:02,325
right?

369
00:25:02,325 –> 00:25:05,685
Just, you know, uh, understand that,
hey, we’ve all, we’ve all got our

370
00:25:05,685 –> 00:25:08,265
struggles and, and keep on your journey.

371
00:25:08,265 –> 00:25:11,115
But keep an open mind,
uh, look into who God is.

372
00:25:11,115 –> 00:25:15,565
And by the way, anyone who’s on this
journey, if, if you want to take a, a,

373
00:25:15,570 –> 00:25:19,679
a confidential guided journey on it,
uh, you know, we have some resources

374
00:25:20,029 –> 00:25:23,070
@lifeimprovementsteps.com/spiritual
growth.

375
00:25:23,399 –> 00:25:25,980
And it’s
lifeimprovementsteps.com/spiritual growth.

376
00:25:25,980 –> 00:25:33,060
That’s a confidential from your phone or
your laptop, um, attractive non-judgmental

377
00:25:33,540 –> 00:25:37,950
journey to help you ask bigger questions
and go down a path to, to learn what God

378
00:25:37,950 –> 00:25:39,629
is like and what that means in your life.

379
00:25:39,629 –> 00:25:39,780
So.

380
00:25:41,940 –> 00:25:43,110
Yeah, I like that a lot.

381
00:25:43,380 –> 00:25:47,970
So, you know, another big
issue is, you, you mentioned it

382
00:25:47,970 –> 00:25:50,280
earlier, being that cool kid.

383
00:25:50,580 –> 00:25:58,980
Gotta, you know, polish us instead of
what we should be, and that’s putting the

384
00:25:59,040 –> 00:26:03,630
shine on our Lord, our savior, Christ.

385
00:26:04,110 –> 00:26:17,205
And a lot of the times, that cool kid
ends up feeling very lonely and alone

386
00:26:17,325 –> 00:26:21,915
deep inside and it turns into depression.

387
00:26:21,915 –> 00:26:29,415
And that’s when we turn to drugs
and alcohol and other substances

388
00:26:29,504 –> 00:26:33,585
to make ourself feel better.

389
00:26:33,585 –> 00:26:40,185
But there is an emptiness without
the love of Christ inside of us.

390
00:26:41,325 –> 00:26:51,555
And some, some people may not even have
heard about Jesus yet, and, you know,

391
00:26:51,555 –> 00:27:00,885
when they hear something that sparks
interest, how do we point them to a

392
00:27:00,885 –> 00:27:06,495
place that can actually be beneficial?

393
00:27:06,705 –> 00:27:15,510
And, you know, if, if, if that
place is a ministry or a building,

394
00:27:15,600 –> 00:27:24,030
which often it is, how do we tell
them that you have to be inside the

395
00:27:24,030 –> 00:27:26,220
word and not inside the building?

396
00:27:26,639 –> 00:27:27,960
Does that make sense?

397
00:27:29,159 –> 00:27:29,760
Yeah, that’s good.

398
00:27:30,330 –> 00:27:34,439
In fact, I’m, that’s part of a thought
process of, I’m, I’m on this week.

399
00:27:34,469 –> 00:27:38,520
‘Cause, uh, on, in a couple of days,
uh, I’ll be teaching another in a

400
00:27:38,520 –> 00:27:43,080
series of, uh, of classes to, in
a workforce development program.

401
00:27:43,139 –> 00:27:47,250
And so the people in this program
are, are young adults who come

402
00:27:47,250 –> 00:27:49,485
out of periods of unemployment.

403
00:27:49,605 –> 00:27:53,445
And they could be coming out of a,
out of recovery, or incarceration,

404
00:27:53,445 –> 00:27:56,805
or in some cases even homelessness,
or maybe they just haven’t been

405
00:27:56,805 –> 00:27:58,095
able to get the jobs they want.

406
00:27:58,515 –> 00:28:01,725
But they’re probably
mostly secular, you know?

407
00:28:01,725 –> 00:28:05,895
Some, or some of them do have a
faith journey and so I’ll, I’ll be

408
00:28:05,895 –> 00:28:08,985
talking about, you know, how do you
prevent addictions and bad habits by

409
00:28:09,570 –> 00:28:10,889
taking steps in the right direction.

410
00:28:10,889 –> 00:28:14,730
But part of that story has to be
the spiritual component, right?

411
00:28:14,730 –> 00:28:19,200
So with that level, right, I, I’m
just trying to help them know that

412
00:28:19,200 –> 00:28:20,700
there is something out there, right?

413
00:28:20,700 –> 00:28:21,960
There is a God out there.

414
00:28:22,500 –> 00:28:25,320
And then to introduce them
to that God, because a lot of

415
00:28:25,320 –> 00:28:27,390
people have, have never met Him.

416
00:28:27,480 –> 00:28:34,065
But when people find out that they are
designed by a God who loves them and

417
00:28:34,065 –> 00:28:39,675
cares for them, and that each of them is
designed special with their own strength,

418
00:28:39,675 –> 00:28:43,035
you know, a lot of people don’t think
that they got, they have much going

419
00:28:43,035 –> 00:28:47,445
for ’em, they do, you know, uh, they,
everyone is, is, has their own talents

420
00:28:47,445 –> 00:28:51,465
with which they’ve been, uh, given
and there are things that they can do

421
00:28:51,855 –> 00:28:53,895
and that God has good plans for them.

422
00:28:54,345 –> 00:28:58,455
Not just collectively, but individually,
right, when people learn that, that,

423
00:28:59,085 –> 00:29:03,945
Wow, you mean my life has meaning
and that I have a purpose and that my

424
00:29:03,945 –> 00:29:08,925
identity is not what my background is,
or what, you know, my, my, my parents

425
00:29:08,925 –> 00:29:13,815
or my friends have told me my, that
I, you know, that’s life changing,

426
00:29:14,015 –> 00:29:14,575
literally.

427
00:29:14,835 –> 00:29:17,685
That’s, that’s, that’s a
massive transformation and

428
00:29:17,955 –> 00:29:21,075
it’s incredibly freeing, right?

429
00:29:21,135 –> 00:29:26,505
To let go of, I don’t have to get
through life all on my own, right?

430
00:29:26,775 –> 00:29:30,555
I’ve, I’ve got to be perfect,
I’ve, I’ve got to do everything on

431
00:29:30,555 –> 00:29:33,885
my own, I’ve got to control every
situation, I’ve got to control people.

432
00:29:34,125 –> 00:29:40,425
No, I’m, I, I’ve got to be the best
me I can be and keep, move, take, keep

433
00:29:40,425 –> 00:29:42,435
taking steps in the right direction.

434
00:29:42,885 –> 00:29:45,495
And I know that, that there’s a
God who’s there rooting for me,

435
00:29:45,495 –> 00:29:47,925
and, and, and guiding me, and
walking with me along the way.

436
00:29:47,955 –> 00:29:51,855
That’s, that’s just a, a life changing
revelation for a lot of people, you know?

437
00:29:53,130 –> 00:29:54,990
Yeah, I, I like that a lot.

438
00:29:55,470 –> 00:30:02,430
You know, being our authentic
self and being who we are

439
00:30:02,430 –> 00:30:04,620
is the most important thing.

440
00:30:04,620 –> 00:30:12,780
Because you can’t hide that from our
maker, He knows who, where you are.

441
00:30:12,840 –> 00:30:20,399
And when we actually relieve ourself from
our stubbornness, we, we actually find

442
00:30:20,399 –> 00:30:26,100
it’s okay to mess up and stumble and fall.

443
00:30:26,639 –> 00:30:33,660
Because when we are doing that and we
can’t walk for ourselves, like the poem

444
00:30:33,720 –> 00:30:40,110
Footprints, there’s one set of footprints
in the sand when He’s carrying you.

445
00:30:40,920 –> 00:30:44,790
When you’re walking on your
own, you see two footprints.

446
00:30:44,820 –> 00:30:49,710
He’s there with you at all times,
we just don’t recognize it.

447
00:30:49,770 –> 00:30:55,530
Or we blindly don’t want
to, and it’s a choice.

448
00:30:56,190 –> 00:31:03,590
So, Steve, tell us about your
ministry and how it helps people.

449
00:31:03,590 –> 00:31:10,260
Because I, I see that it helps
children, it helps, uh, people, it helps

450
00:31:10,590 –> 00:31:13,980
businesses, so you’re into everything.

451
00:31:14,010 –> 00:31:20,850
Tell us about how you created it, why you
created it, and what it does for people.

452
00:31:21,880 –> 00:31:23,850
Yeah, I, I describe it a
little bit differently.

453
00:31:24,060 –> 00:31:26,970
I, I’m into one big thing
that affects everybody.

454
00:31:27,720 –> 00:31:30,240
In other words, where it came from, right?

455
00:31:30,240 –> 00:31:33,585
I, I mentioned that I was in recovery
for myself, and as a husband, and,

456
00:31:33,720 –> 00:31:37,500
and as a dad, and I was fascinated
by the word recovery, right?

457
00:31:37,500 –> 00:31:39,930
And over a period of time
I had these epiphanies.

458
00:31:40,050 –> 00:31:43,380
The first was, well, we’re all
addicted to something, right?

459
00:31:43,560 –> 00:31:44,700
We all have issues, right?

460
00:31:44,880 –> 00:31:46,560
The second was, well, I’ll be darned.

461
00:31:47,040 –> 00:31:50,460
The things that can drag our life down
are actually not only treatable, but

462
00:31:50,460 –> 00:31:51,870
in many cases they’re preventable.

463
00:31:52,620 –> 00:31:56,400
And the third epiphany was, the way you
prevent them is learning how to live

464
00:31:56,400 –> 00:32:00,930
life better, you know, uh, emotionally,
mentally, spiritually, socially, that

465
00:32:01,140 –> 00:32:03,120
that’s, that’s what life is all about.

466
00:32:03,780 –> 00:32:08,730
So again, I was still working full-time
at that, but I, I was so fascinated by

467
00:32:08,730 –> 00:32:10,560
that, that that led to my first book.

468
00:32:10,560 –> 00:32:15,410
And then I, I enjoyed that process of,
of trying to understand what I believe

469
00:32:15,440 –> 00:32:20,730
have been, you know, truths that have
worked out and been proven over decades,

470
00:32:20,730 –> 00:32:22,110
in many cases, centuries, right?

471
00:32:22,320 –> 00:32:26,070
Try to help people understand them and
put them into terms that are very easy

472
00:32:26,070 –> 00:32:28,950
to understand and put into use, right?

473
00:32:28,950 –> 00:32:34,080
So what Steps basically does is, is we
do the work for you to, to study worlds

474
00:32:34,080 –> 00:32:39,690
like, um, spirituality, recovery, uh,
neuroscience, psychology, wellness,

475
00:32:39,720 –> 00:32:43,590
personal development, and pick those
things that have been proven to work for

476
00:32:43,590 –> 00:32:47,010
a lot of people over a long period of
time and make ’em easy to understand and

477
00:32:47,010 –> 00:32:49,350
put into practice on a practical basis.

478
00:32:49,560 –> 00:32:50,640
In fact, that’s what we do.

479
00:32:51,330 –> 00:32:55,470
Um, and then we, we offer information,
uh, for parents, especially

480
00:32:55,470 –> 00:32:58,830
parents of teenagers, but parents
of pre-teens and parents of kids.

481
00:32:59,340 –> 00:33:04,020
Uh, we offer, uh, information for
teenagers themselves, uh, so that they

482
00:33:04,020 –> 00:33:06,000
can learn how to live life better.

483
00:33:06,280 –> 00:33:10,725
You know, I mentioned that most people
make it up as they go along, but wonder

484
00:33:10,725 –> 00:33:14,175
if you actually walk them through,
here are some practical life skills

485
00:33:14,175 –> 00:33:15,525
you can use to live life better.

486
00:33:15,525 –> 00:33:17,145
It’s, it’s, it’s incredible.

487
00:33:17,685 –> 00:33:21,105
Uh, we work with a lot of organizations,
uh, whether they be companies, or

488
00:33:21,105 –> 00:33:25,515
nonprofits, or churches, you know,
we try to, to multiply what we do.

489
00:33:25,515 –> 00:33:30,435
We create resources and online
education that we share through other

490
00:33:30,435 –> 00:33:34,450
organizations to help their people
and that people can find directly

491
00:33:34,450 –> 00:33:35,030
themselves @lifeimprovementsteps.com.

492
00:33:36,460 –> 00:33:40,379
So our goals are to help people
improve their lives, grow closer

493
00:33:40,379 –> 00:33:44,610
to God in the process, and prevent
behavioral health issues like

494
00:33:44,700 –> 00:33:46,260
substance abuse and mental health.

495
00:33:46,830 –> 00:33:49,110
And I think we could do all those
things at the same time, right?

496
00:33:49,110 –> 00:33:52,710
We can learn to live life better
and walk along this attractive

497
00:33:52,710 –> 00:33:56,220
winsome journey toward getting
to, to know that God is out there.

498
00:33:56,610 –> 00:34:00,409
And the better we live, the less
self-inflicted harm we will have.

499
00:34:00,409 –> 00:34:02,780
I mean, we will still have
trials in our life, right?

500
00:34:02,990 –> 00:34:06,590
There is no instant prosperity
as, as you mentioned, right?

501
00:34:07,010 –> 00:34:10,670
We will still make mistakes, uh,
we will still have troubles, but

502
00:34:10,670 –> 00:34:13,009
life in general will get better.

503
00:34:13,909 –> 00:34:18,170
And, you know, it’s, when you get
along that journey, there, there are

504
00:34:18,170 –> 00:34:23,330
so many things that just make you feel,
not confined by a religion, but freed

505
00:34:23,330 –> 00:34:24,830
to be who you were designed to be.

506
00:34:25,370 –> 00:34:30,000
I mean, when you actually think,
Wow, I’m supposed to be who I am.

507
00:34:30,480 –> 00:34:34,620
I am designed special, I have
value, and now I’m just gonna try

508
00:34:34,620 –> 00:34:36,480
to be the best me that I can be.

509
00:34:36,480 –> 00:34:40,560
And I’m, I’m, I’m gonna walk, you know, in
companionship with others who are on the

510
00:34:40,560 –> 00:34:43,409
same journey, uh, what a relief that is.

511
00:34:43,554 –> 00:34:47,699
I mean, I, I don’t really have
to try to control all my outcomes

512
00:34:47,699 –> 00:34:49,290
and circumstances in other people.

513
00:34:49,320 –> 00:34:51,719
No, you don’t because
you can’t do it anyway.

514
00:34:51,780 –> 00:34:59,085
It’s, you know, and, uh, and, and the,
the, the people I’m most empathetic

515
00:34:59,085 –> 00:35:02,175
toward, ’cause I used to be one of
’em, are all those people out there who

516
00:35:02,175 –> 00:35:04,725
don’t know what they don’t know, right?

517
00:35:04,785 –> 00:35:09,975
They’re running through life thinking,
Well, life is, you know, working

518
00:35:09,985 –> 00:35:14,030
fifty-five or sixty hours a week so that
I can be recognized for being great at

519
00:35:14,035 –> 00:35:17,955
what I do and making the most money and
I’m living, you know, what Thoreau would

520
00:35:17,955 –> 00:35:19,815
say is a life of quiet desperation.

521
00:35:20,265 –> 00:35:23,235
You know, uh, anxiety
is a daily companion.

522
00:35:23,805 –> 00:35:27,375
Um, you know, I don’t have, I have
some buddies that, you know, maybe I

523
00:35:27,375 –> 00:35:30,645
play golf or hunt with, but I don’t
really have any close people that

524
00:35:30,645 –> 00:35:32,265
I can be real and vulnerable with.

525
00:35:32,835 –> 00:35:38,055
Um, I put on this act every day to act
like I’ve, I’ve got it all together and

526
00:35:38,055 –> 00:35:41,685
I’m confident, but inside I feel like
I’m not, I feel like I’m an imposter.

527
00:35:42,165 –> 00:35:44,865
Um, I, I want to feel good
about the future, but I don’t

528
00:35:44,865 –> 00:35:45,975
know where the future is going.

529
00:35:45,975 –> 00:35:50,385
That, that’s not the exception,
that’s the norm, right?

530
00:35:50,385 –> 00:35:53,415
So that, that’s kinda what
most people are going through.

531
00:35:53,415 –> 00:35:57,255
But on the outside they act like
everything’s great, you know?

532
00:35:57,255 –> 00:35:59,085
And if you ask ’em how they’re
doing, they’ll say, Fine.

533
00:35:59,295 –> 00:36:00,165
They’ll, they’ll say, Fine.

534
00:36:00,675 –> 00:36:03,075
But inside we’re, we’re all
struggling with something, right?

535
00:36:03,075 –> 00:36:04,305
We’re all on a similar journey.

536
00:36:06,435 –> 00:36:06,945
That’s right.

537
00:36:06,945 –> 00:36:12,945
That’s what makes up Dead America,
you know, that, that’s actually the

538
00:36:13,005 –> 00:36:19,275
literal definition of our name is
we all feel dead inside and we’re,

539
00:36:19,545 –> 00:36:21,405
we’re looking for something better.

540
00:36:21,795 –> 00:36:29,595
Dead America is alive and it, it takes
just the reaching out and connecting.

541
00:36:29,985 –> 00:36:32,984
You know, the connection has been lost.

542
00:36:33,315 –> 00:36:40,125
We, we are witnessing chronic homelessness
and look at the streets of these cities,

543
00:36:40,125 –> 00:36:48,464
how filled up with tents and people bent
over shoving God knows what in their arms.

544
00:36:50,535 –> 00:36:53,805
That is the calling for each of us.

545
00:36:54,404 –> 00:37:02,235
And I, I’m, I started Dead America by
going out talking to homeless people,

546
00:37:02,505 –> 00:37:05,325
I’ve witnessed homelessness myself.

547
00:37:05,955 –> 00:37:11,895
And when we are down in the
basement like that, we need

548
00:37:11,895 –> 00:37:14,085
somebody to give us a ladder.

549
00:37:14,835 –> 00:37:20,550
And that’s what that love and
compassion of Christ is truly about.

550
00:37:21,120 –> 00:37:26,400
So we need ministries out there
doing whatever they can to

551
00:37:26,430 –> 00:37:32,190
bring light to the darkness, and
that’s what we are here to do.

552
00:37:32,190 –> 00:37:32,880
Is it not?

553
00:37:34,950 –> 00:37:35,370
Yeah.

554
00:37:35,550 –> 00:37:39,420
I, you know, um, you
mentioned homelessness, right?

555
00:37:39,420 –> 00:37:44,265
And somewhere along the way, I’m not
sure where, from whom I learned this,

556
00:37:44,265 –> 00:37:49,155
but I, I’m glad that I did, someone
gave me the, the simple advice that say

557
00:37:49,185 –> 00:37:52,605
when you encounter a homeless person,
right, we tend to do one of two things.

558
00:37:52,725 –> 00:37:56,205
You know, most of the, most of us,
most of the time, we’ll walk back

559
00:37:56,205 –> 00:37:58,875
and try not to look at them and
we’ll just walk by as fast as we

560
00:37:58,875 –> 00:38:01,875
can or drive by and just ignore it.

561
00:38:02,025 –> 00:38:03,315
We don’t want to think about it.

562
00:38:04,005 –> 00:38:09,615
Occasionally we’ll feel like Oh,
I’m gonna bestow something on this

563
00:38:09,675 –> 00:38:13,845
different kind of person and, and we’ll
give them a bill of some sort, right?

564
00:38:13,845 –> 00:38:14,955
And that’s as far as we go.

565
00:38:15,615 –> 00:38:20,325
Anyway, what I heard was, when you,
rather than do that, when you encounter

566
00:38:20,325 –> 00:38:24,105
a homeless person, uh, whether it’s
on the street or it’s, they walk up

567
00:38:24,105 –> 00:38:29,475
to your car at traffic light, look
at them and look them in the eyes

568
00:38:29,805 –> 00:38:34,410
and ask them what their name is
and repeat their name back to them.

569
00:38:35,100 –> 00:38:38,940
And, um, actually, and ask
them how they’re doing.

570
00:38:39,390 –> 00:38:41,970
And when they tell you, care.

571
00:38:42,450 –> 00:38:43,380
I mean, don’t fake it.

572
00:38:43,680 –> 00:38:44,640
Show empathy.

573
00:38:44,940 –> 00:38:47,670
And you don’t, you don’t
have to know more than that.

574
00:38:47,820 –> 00:38:51,120
But in other words, try to
connect with them at a human

575
00:38:51,120 –> 00:38:54,990
level and just that is amazing.

576
00:38:54,990 –> 00:38:58,260
‘Cause they don’t have anybody who’s,
who’s connecting with them at that level.

577
00:38:58,964 –> 00:39:01,815
Now you take that kind
of an extreme version.

578
00:39:02,505 –> 00:39:05,685
I would suggest there’s different
versions of that that operate at, at

579
00:39:05,685 –> 00:39:07,905
all, at most levels of society, right?

580
00:39:07,905 –> 00:39:12,645
There’s a lot of people who are around
people all the time, and they may be

581
00:39:12,645 –> 00:39:16,455
very successful and they’re hanging
around successful people, but when you

582
00:39:16,455 –> 00:39:21,015
see how they interchange, they have
relatively shallow conversations in

583
00:39:21,015 –> 00:39:26,069
shallow, you know, they talk about,
um, work, or sports, or the weather,

584
00:39:26,759 –> 00:39:29,910
or when they think they’re getting real
vulnerable, they’ll talk about something

585
00:39:29,910 –> 00:39:33,029
one of their kids does that makes
them look like a good parent, right?

586
00:39:33,330 –> 00:39:35,880
Uh, that’s about as deep
as a lot of people go.

587
00:39:36,569 –> 00:39:41,549
They aren’t connecting at, about, uh, you
know, with real people about real life.

588
00:39:42,060 –> 00:39:45,660
So I, I would suggest that this concept
of how we connect with each other,

589
00:39:45,930 –> 00:39:50,430
it, it, it operates in different forms
at all levels, but whatever sphere

590
00:39:50,430 –> 00:39:57,105
is, is your world, assume that of
all the people around you, most of

591
00:39:57,105 –> 00:39:58,665
them are struggling with something.

592
00:39:59,265 –> 00:40:02,745
And a half or more are struggling
with something serious or are very

593
00:40:02,745 –> 00:40:06,705
close to someone who is, and they’re
probably not talking about it.

594
00:40:07,275 –> 00:40:12,795
And by you just being there for them,
and being interested, and being real,

595
00:40:12,795 –> 00:40:16,275
and being empathetic and listening,
you can make a big difference on ’em.

596
00:40:16,275 –> 00:40:18,345
Just, you know, one
conversation at a time.

597
00:40:18,585 –> 00:40:20,570
What, what an incredible way to
live when you think about it.

598
00:40:21,509 –> 00:40:21,930
Yeah.

599
00:40:22,290 –> 00:40:22,770
Yeah.

600
00:40:22,770 –> 00:40:28,830
Uh, I’ll tell, you know, and I’ve
witnessed it myself, that a lot

601
00:40:28,830 –> 00:40:33,899
of your homeless people are very
happy because they have very little

602
00:40:34,589 –> 00:40:37,109
and they have a lot of friends.

603
00:40:38,040 –> 00:40:43,140
And that’s very interesting to
me when, when we break down the

604
00:40:43,140 –> 00:40:46,020
psychology and physiology of it.

605
00:40:46,935 –> 00:40:53,625
You know, it, it’s fascinating
that it, all it takes is friends

606
00:40:54,525 –> 00:40:57,855
and that, that brings community.

607
00:40:58,635 –> 00:41:02,235
And a lot of people overlook
the simplicity of that.

608
00:41:02,625 –> 00:41:04,065
Why are they so happy?

609
00:41:04,065 –> 00:41:10,905
And they’d rather be homeless than,
you know, in the system, per se.

610
00:41:12,510 –> 00:41:17,850
Well, you know, we allow ourselves to
be deluded that happiness equals, uh,

611
00:41:18,090 –> 00:41:24,510
the most stuff, or the most important
job, or people thinking how cool we are.

612
00:41:24,810 –> 00:41:28,290
Um, you know, that’s what we,
that’s what we strive for.

613
00:41:28,860 –> 00:41:34,185
Those are all, you know, uh,
artificial and, and shallow.

614
00:41:34,815 –> 00:41:38,685
You know, the, the things that
matter is, um, A, do we connect

615
00:41:38,685 –> 00:41:40,005
with other people at a real level?

616
00:41:40,695 –> 00:41:45,285
B, do we try to understand
ourselves so that we can take

617
00:41:45,285 –> 00:41:46,755
steps in the right direction?

618
00:41:47,325 –> 00:41:52,485
And even, and when we screw up, you
know, when we fail, do we, rather

619
00:41:52,485 –> 00:41:56,295
than saying, you know, I am a failure,
we said, Okay, that’s a setback.

620
00:41:56,745 –> 00:41:58,515
I don’t have to be that way tomorrow.

621
00:41:59,155 –> 00:42:02,605
You know, and, and so we keep
taking steps, uh, day to day,

622
00:42:03,025 –> 00:42:04,645
uh, hopefully as much as we can.

623
00:42:04,645 –> 00:42:07,675
We keep moving in the right direction
and we try to connect with the

624
00:42:07,675 –> 00:42:09,055
people who are on a journey too.

625
00:42:09,265 –> 00:42:12,535
You know, it’s a, it’s a whole different
way of, of thinking about life rather

626
00:42:12,535 –> 00:42:17,275
than striving for something artificial and
thinking that’s gonna make us something.

627
00:42:17,485 –> 00:42:19,635
Um, you know, you, you don’t
have to look far, right?

628
00:42:19,635 –> 00:42:24,045
You look at a lot of people who, you
know, in, in the movies, or in TV,

629
00:42:24,045 –> 00:42:28,365
or whatever, have made great amounts
of money and internally they’re

630
00:42:28,365 –> 00:42:30,555
very often empty and dissatisfied.

631
00:42:30,705 –> 00:42:35,384
Um, you know, because it, it’s
like a, you know, you put it

632
00:42:35,384 –> 00:42:36,555
in a business context, right?

633
00:42:36,555 –> 00:42:38,115
I, I talk to a lot of
business people, right?

634
00:42:38,115 –> 00:42:42,465
They’re, they’re climbing the ladder of
success, and then they get to the top and

635
00:42:42,465 –> 00:42:46,335
they figure out, you know, that ladder’s
leaning against the wrong building.

636
00:42:46,485 –> 00:42:48,025
There, there’s, there’s nothing there.

637
00:42:48,594 –> 00:42:52,465
You know, they’ve been, they’ve been,
they, all their life for thirty or forty

638
00:42:52,485 –> 00:42:57,975
years, right, they’ve been chasing this
elusive, when that happens, I’ll be happy.

639
00:42:58,395 –> 00:43:03,345
When that promotion, or when I get
that much money, or when those people

640
00:43:03,345 –> 00:43:07,485
give me that title, that doesn’t
give you satisfaction or contentment.

641
00:43:07,485 –> 00:43:11,565
It’s, yeah, it’s okay to feel good about
our accomplishments, that’s fine, right?

642
00:43:11,565 –> 00:43:14,460
But it’s, it’s how do we
think about ourselves?

643
00:43:14,460 –> 00:43:15,870
How do we interact with other people?

644
00:43:15,870 –> 00:43:18,990
Are we doing things, uh, that
are having an impact on the

645
00:43:18,990 –> 00:43:21,690
people in our, in our domain?

646
00:43:22,260 –> 00:43:25,950
Um, you know, are, are we trying to
be better people a step at a time?

647
00:43:26,250 –> 00:43:29,160
You know, that’s actually what, much
closer to what life is all about.

648
00:43:30,470 –> 00:43:31,720
That’s exactly right.

649
00:43:31,740 –> 00:43:33,240
I like it a lot, Steve.

650
00:43:33,420 –> 00:43:37,800
Is there anything else that people
should recognize before we go?

651
00:43:38,279 –> 00:43:40,170
This flew by so quick.

652
00:43:40,200 –> 00:43:43,049
Yeah, I’ve enjoyed it.

653
00:43:43,709 –> 00:43:47,100
Uh, you know, the other thing is, again,
Steps is a nonprofit ministry, right?

654
00:43:47,100 –> 00:43:48,570
So we’re just trying to help other people.

655
00:43:48,660 –> 00:43:52,680
Um, you know, we do a lot to help people
prevent bad habits and addictions.

656
00:43:52,770 –> 00:43:56,550
Um, you know, we’re, have just
put out a new resource out

657
00:43:56,550 –> 00:43:57,570
there that’s, that’s free.

658
00:43:57,570 –> 00:44:00,160
If anyone wants to go
get it, they can find it

659
00:44:00,170 –> 00:44:01,280
@lifeimprovementsteps.com/prevention.

660
00:44:01,430 –> 00:44:02,060
lifeimprovementsteps.com/prevention.

661
00:44:07,025 –> 00:44:11,555
So again, you’ll see, uh, short videos,
uh, easy to read articles, or you

662
00:44:11,555 –> 00:44:16,475
can list a podcast and it, you, it
can help you prevent bad habits or

663
00:44:16,475 –> 00:44:17,855
addictions or whatever you call ’em.

664
00:44:17,855 –> 00:44:19,175
So I hope that’s available to anyone.

665
00:44:19,175 –> 00:44:23,345
And anyone just searching for resources
overall could find ’em at, at the main

666
00:44:23,345 –> 00:44:24,895
website, lifeimprovementsteps.com.

667
00:44:26,435 –> 00:44:31,185
Alright, and is that where you
want people to reach out to you at?

668
00:44:31,890 –> 00:44:32,310
Yeah.

669
00:44:32,460 –> 00:44:34,020
That, that’s, that’s the best place.

670
00:44:34,620 –> 00:44:35,190
All right.

671
00:44:35,460 –> 00:44:38,910
Steve, it’s been a
fascinating discussion today.

672
00:44:39,210 –> 00:44:42,600
I thank you for being here and
sharing your wisdom, your knowledge,

673
00:44:42,600 –> 00:44:44,340
and your understanding with people.

674
00:44:44,510 –> 00:44:45,220
My pleasure, Ed.

675
00:44:45,260 –> 00:44:48,280
I love what you’re doing and it’s,
it’s a great cause, I enjoyed it.

676
00:44:49,140 –> 00:44:49,500
Amen.

677
00:44:49,500 –> 00:44:49,830
Thank you.

678
00:45:06,520 –> 00:45:12,180
Cold linoleum floors, the hum of the
fridge so low, the boy counts cracks

679
00:45:12,180 –> 00:45:15,690
in the ceiling where the shadows grow.

680
00:45:17,100 –> 00:45:24,710
Empty chair at the table, whiskey
still on his breath, while the needle

681
00:45:26,390 –> 00:45:28,450
whispers promises of sweet forget.

682
00:45:30,709 –> 00:45:38,789
Midnight oil burns, yellow legal
pads in stacks, trembling hands trace

683
00:45:38,789 –> 00:45:42,899
redemption through the relapses.

684
00:45:43,700 –> 00:45:51,999
Each prison bar he broke became
a rung to climb, turning his rock

685
00:45:51,999 –> 00:45:56,229
bottom into other’s starting line.

686
00:45:56,629 –> 00:46:05,269
Sunday school flannel boards to stadium
lights ablaze, his voice cracks when

687
00:46:05,669 –> 00:46:08,379
he speaks of those first sober days.

688
00:46:10,169 –> 00:46:16,389
Live streams glow in lonely rooms
where parents pace the floor, till

689
00:46:16,389 –> 00:46:18,335
his words cut through the static

690
00:46:20,864 –> 00:46:22,674
like a lighthouse roar.

691
00:46:23,724 –> 00:46:25,644
You rose up, Steve, from

692
00:46:28,004 –> 00:46:30,104
ash and flame, built a
kingdom from the pain.

693
00:46:30,854 –> 00:46:32,234
Leather-bound

694
00:46:34,974 –> 00:46:55,134
hope with dog-eared
pages, blog posts shining

695
00:46:57,474 –> 00:46:58,464
through the ages.

696
00:46:58,464 –> 00:47:10,394
One next step, one prayer’s might,
turns the darkness into light.

697
00:47:10,394 –> 00:47:13,954
From trailer park evictions
to church basement pews, from

698
00:47:13,954 –> 00:47:14,284
court-ordered meetings to sold-out

699
00:47:36,634 –> 00:47:36,724
venue views.

700
00:47:36,724 –> 00:47:42,484
Every scar a road map, every tear
a well, drawing water for the

701
00:47:42,514 –> 00:47:42,954
thirsty from the depths of hell.

702
00:47:42,954 –> 00:47:43,484
You rose up, Steve, from ash and
flame, built a kingdom from the pain.

703
00:47:43,484 –> 00:47:44,324
Leather-bound hope with dog-eared pages,
blog posts shining through the ages.

704
00:47:44,354 –> 00:47:46,194
One next step, one prayer’s might,
turns the darkness into light.

705
00:47:46,194 –> 00:47:56,044
From holding cells to holding
grandbabies tight, from

706
00:47:58,794 –> 00:48:10,074
pawn shop guitars to podcast mic.

707
00:48:10,074 –> 00:48:40,444
You mark the trail from shame’s cold
grip, to morning coffee, grandkids’ lips.

708
00:48:40,444 –> 00:48:41,274
One step- a sober kiss goodnight,
one step- a paycheck in the light.

709
00:48:41,274 –> 00:48:41,824
One step- a Bible on the dash, one step-

710
00:48:41,824 –> 00:48:41,881
breaking addiction’s lash.

711
00:48:41,881 –> 00:48:42,107
One next step through the rain,
one next step turns the pain.

712
00:48:42,107 –> 00:48:42,334
One next step lifts them high,
one next step love won’t die.

713
00:48:42,334 –> 00:48:42,447
One next step, one next step,

714
00:48:42,447 –> 00:48:42,504
one next step.