116 HARD TIMES
116 HARD TIMES

The Gathering With Roger B.

Roger B. and members of the Gathering talk about facing financial, emotional and spiritual hard times through surrender, faith and shared recovery experience. Stories of loss, illness, pets and family show how pain can become a path toward deeper spiritual connection and practical hope.

InspiringHonestSupportiveHealingEncouraging

58:48•6 Aug 2026

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About this podcast

The Gathering With Roger B.

Roger B.

The Gathering’s talks are generally tied to one or more of the 12 Steps, but are always guided by spiritual concepts, principles and ideas common to most faiths. Topics are drawn from a variety of sources: the 12 steps, many of the well-known wisdom texts, science and other teachers that speak to a spiritual solution to life's challenges. About Roger B. Roger has been in recovery for over 43 years and has spent thousands of hours in service, sharing his experience, strength and hope. He has created curriculum for treatment centers, and lead workshops and retreats throughout the United States and Canada. Roger is a certified Spiritual Director, and offers insight into spiritually-based living skills that are relevant to all people – whether in recovery or not. Roger is the first to admit that his long-term sobriety was brought about by the “trial-and-error method.” His experience reveals what has worked, and - perhaps more importantly - what has not worked, but taught him valuable life lessons. Roger B. and The Gathering with Roger B. are not affiliated, or endorsed by any third parties or 12-step programs. The Gathering on Zoom first and Third Wed 7pm CT id 728-200-4166 password 513915

Sobriety ToolkitSpiritualitySexualityPersonal GrowthUnderstanding Addiction

Episodes: 116

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Hard Times, Holy Moments: Turning Pain into Spiritual Growth

Episode Overview

Hard times often centre on loss — money, health, relationships, pets and dreams — but can be viewed as temporary rather than permanent sentences.
Intensifying meetings, reading, prayer and spiritual practice during crises helps shift focus from self-pity to growth.
Surrendering control at a "turning point" and trusting a higher power can bring immediate relief and clearer boundaries without constant struggle.
Sharing honestly with a recovery community offers perspective, compassion and the reminder that everyone carries their own hidden burdens.
Painful experiences can later become assets, providing experience and stories that help others who face similar challenges.

“"Life gets lifey sometimes. It's not always good stuff... but the truth is, I've lived through everything that life has thrown at me, and I will live through this."”

How do people find hope in the darkest times? This Gathering session with long-time host Roger B. leans into that question by looking squarely at loss, fear and grief, and how a spiritual recovery practice can carry you through when life gets "lifey". Roger starts by naming the many forms hard times can take: bankruptcy, broken relationships, chronic illness, the death of loved ones and pets, and dreams that may never come true.

He talks about seeing hardship as temporary, turning up the heat on meetings, study and prayer, and "leaning in" to the waves of life rather than trying to outrun them. His AA roots show up clearly as he connects these experiences to the 12 Steps, especially surrender, faith and the idea that history becomes your greatest asset in helping others. From there, members of the Gathering community share their own stories.

Melissa speaks passionately about hitting the "turning point" where she's "toast" and has to trust a higher power fully, describing surrender as the moment she stops trying to control everything. Kirsten reflects on keeping "restraint of tongue and pen" while caring for a husband who survived a stroke, focusing on not harming others even in everyday frustrations. Kathy recalls walking through graveyards with her grieving daughter and realising countless people before them have survived unbearable loss.

Lori and Tom describe sitting beside very ill parents and spouses, seeing how faith and timing placed them exactly where they needed to be. Phil’s moving story about his dog Baxter shows how even a pet’s final moments can teach a gentler way to face death.

Across these shares, the tone stays honest, practical and quietly hopeful: life is loss and celebration; pain is real, but it can become a doorway to deeper connection with a higher power and with other people in recovery. If you’re facing your own hard times, could this kind of spiritual companionship be the next step you take?

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