Latest / Abide In Me / July 23 - Ordinary Time 2026 with Jenna Barber

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July 23 - Ordinary Time 2026 with Jenna Barber · Abide In Me

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_02: Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_02: If you abide in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the Abide in Me podcast.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: This summer we will be hearing from different voices, each bringing you reflections, songs, and liturgy to help us stay connected to the vine.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: This week we are joined by our Chapel Campus pastor, Jenna Barber.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, friends.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you've interacted with me at all lately, you may know already that I've been completely taken with 12-step formation.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that 12-step.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, SA, NA, basically anything with an anonymous attached to it who adheres to the way of counting 12 steps.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: The 12 steps originated in the church and is deeply spiritual in nature.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Many pastors lately, including people like John Ortberg, have been actively imagining and presenting a specifically Christian take on the 12 steps for the purpose of the formation of the church today.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: For a long time, I resisted the steps.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: I was really intimidated by them, and I didn't know how people in those rooms had anything to do with me.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then my own life was changed by them.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: I wound up in one of those rooms myself as a result of uncovering the alcohol abuse of someone close to me.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: I've been given the opportunity to share three podcast episodes this summer, and it only felt natural to do a bit of a mini-series on the first three of the 12 steps.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: All of the steps are important, but these three are really where it's at anyway.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Working these steps alone can take someone months to years.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And even beyond that, on any given day, you might find yourself back at step one again.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's the wash, rinse, repeat cycle of the recovery world.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, step one.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: For most of us, this might be the hardest.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Step one says, we admitted we were powerless and that our lives had become unmanageable.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: I can't convince you that this is true for your life, only God can do that if you let him.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: But in the enormity of that statement, maybe you can consider this.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: The Franciscan monk Father Richard Rohr claims that Paul, as in the apostle, Paul's notion of sin comes amazingly close to our present understanding of addiction.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's the same Paul who courageously named the truth that we all experience daily, that I do not understand my own actions.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's Romans 7.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's quite the mouthful, but at the end of the day, it also sounds a lot like we admitted we were powerless and that our lives had become unmanageable.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: In his book Steps, John Ortberg invites us to a challenge.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: If we cringe at the thought that we're powerless, if you're unable to look at your life and honestly claim I can't, then simply pray that God would give you a moment of clarity.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it it does sound simple, but I recently had a friend honestly reflect to me that he actually does feel like he's managing his life and that quite frankly, he doesn't want to ask God for a moment of clarity.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I was grateful for his vulnerability in sharing even that.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to name that many of us here today might not be ready to fully dive in and dig deep.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: But if you can look at your life and with Paul, admit that actually you can't always control the actions you take and that sometimes it feels like you're overcome with an impulse you can't stop.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you've ever been concerned with the way you spend money or how you numb your emotions with a substance or even just a screen, if you have regular shame spirals for the way that your rage comes out sideways on your family, if there's an area of your life that you desperately chase after but isn't happening, like a relationship or a job, if you find yourself in the chaos of trying to control anyone's actions around you, like your spouse, your parent, or your kid, then you're ready to wrestle with step one.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: You're ready to get in the boxing ring with that first line of the serenity prayer that says, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: And in doing that, the door starts to crack open for God to get in that ring with you.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Again, step one essentially says, I can't.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: And welcome, because I'm right there with you.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's not the end of the story, thank God, but for now, get in the ring with me, with Paul, and Jesus.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: And let's do this thing together.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions, comments, or would like prayer, we would love to hear from you.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Reach out to us at abide at pillarchurch.com.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And for now, if you're willing, receive this blessing.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: May the grace of Christ, which daily renews us, and the love of God, which enables us to love all, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which unites us in one body, make us eager to obey the will of God until we meet again through Jesus Christ our Lord.