Pastors in Recovery

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...

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. Thro...

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 expl...

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, thi...

Last week, I lost my friend Terry Gurno. Terry and I first met in Bible college, and years later I had the privilege of sitting down with him for two deeply personal conversations on Pastors in Recovery. In this special memorial episode , I’ve brought those conversations together so Terry can tell his own story in his own words. You’ll hear Terry talk honestly about ministry, leadership, church hu...

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 diffe...

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 Episod...

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” selfis...

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 o...

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...

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 re...

Episode 104 - Intentions What happens when good intentions never become action? In Episode 104 of Pastors in Recovery, Jon explores the gap between what we mean to do and what we actually do. Through the drama “Humble Pride,” personal reflection, and strong biblical recovery principles, this episode looks at the subtle ways pride, anxiety, exhaustion, ministry pressure, and fear can keep pastors s...

Episode 103 - After the Words Leave Your Mouth What do you do when the words are already out there and you cannot take them back? In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, we continue our series on words and intentions by looking at what happens after careless or hurtful words have already done damage. Using Scripture as the foundation and recovery principles as practical tools, we talk about owning...

Episode 102 - Taming the Tongue Words may be small, but they are never powerless. In Episode 102 of the Pastors in Recovery podcast, Jon begins a three-part series about our words, their impact, and the intentions behind them. Using James chapter 3, Jon explores the power of the tongue through the images of a bit, a rudder, and a small spark that can set an entire forest on fire. He also shares ho...

Episode 101 - Your Brain Is Trained by What You Entertain: Reels, Temptation, and Recovery What happens when the same platform that helps you stay connected also becomes a threat to your recovery? In Episode 101 of Pastors in Recovery, Jon begins with a five-minute audio drama, then shares an honest and practical conversation about Facebook Reels, temptation, accountability, boundaries, and spirit...

Episode 100 - The Story Is Not Over In this milestone 100th episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon looks back on the journey that shaped the first one hundred episodes—and offers a glimpse of what may come next. The episode begins with a short original radio drama, The Bridge, followed by a personal reflection on loneliness, hidden struggles, failure, recovery, ADHD, creativity, and the grace of God....

Episode 99: Grace Has Always Been the Hero As we prepare for Episode 100, Jon reflects on one truth that has quietly woven its way through every conversation on Pastors in Recovery. We've talked about addiction, burnout, ministry, failure, shame, and recovery—but underneath every story has been the same Hero: God's grace. In this episode, we'll explore the beautiful connection between God's love a...

Episode 98: The Mistake You Can't Stop Thinking About Every pastor has a story they wish they could rewrite. Maybe it was inviting the wrong speaker. Making a leadership decision that didn't work out. Trusting the wrong person. Or simply making a mistake that still comes back to mind years later. In this episode, Jon shares several real ministry stories—and one fictional scenario that every pastor...

Episode 97 - Devil's Been Lying to You What happens when the enemy convinces us that our failures are the whole story? After a motorcycle ride through the winding mountain roads of Arizona, I was reminded that we rarely see what's around the next bend. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Satan points to our past, our mistakes, and our struggles, hoping we'll believe that's all there is. But h...

Episode 96 — Come Apart Before You Come Apart Many pastors know they need rest, but not every pastor can take a sabbatical or a week-long retreat. Some are bivocational. Some are raising families. Some are using their vacation time for family trips. So what do we do when life and ministry keep demanding more of us? In this episode, Jon talks about the importance of intentionally getting away for a...

Episode 95 - Look How Far You've Come Recovery can sometimes feel frustrating. We complete a Step Study, attend meetings, work with a sponsor, and still find ourselves noticing all the ways we haven't arrived yet. In this encouraging episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond reminds pastors and ministry leaders to pause and look back at what God has already done.  Using the illustration of a woo...

Episode 94 - The People God Sent When we pray for help, guidance, wisdom, or strength, we often expect God to answer through a miracle, a sign, or a dramatic breakthrough. But what if many of God's answers arrive in the form of people? In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond explores the biblical examples of Aaron, Jonathan, Barnabas, Ruth, Naomi, and the friends who carried a paralyze...

Episode 93 - Retiring Without Losing Your Purpose Episode 93 explores the emotional and spiritual transition many pastors quietly face as they grow older. What happens when your passions begin to change? What if retirement is not the end of your purpose, but a new season of it? In this deeply personal episode, Jon Hammond reflects on aging, ministry identity, family, legacy, and the growing desire...

Episode 92 - Always On - Pastors ADHD and the Guilt of Rest In this deeply personal episode of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond talks honestly about pastors who struggle to slow down. From racing thoughts and chaotic desks to guilt over resting and late-night scrolling, this episode explores the hidden mental and emotional overload many pastors quietly carry. Jon discusses ADHD-style struggles, ov...

Episode 91 -  Everbody Else In Episode 91 of the Pastors in Recovery, Jon opens up about something he misunderstood about himself for years — why certain parts of ministry energized him while other parts emotionally drained him. Why did preaching, mentoring, recovery groups, creativity, and helping people solve problems feel life-giving… while hospital visits, emotionally heavy conversations, and...