How The Refuge Began (Episode 1)
How The Refuge Began (Episode 1)

Relational Recovery

Wes Thompson talks with his father, Tom Thompson, about Tom’s journey through family chaos, addiction, AA, and faith that led to starting The Refuge Ministry. The conversation highlights how mentorship, Christian spirituality, and deep relationships shaped a residential recovery community for men.

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9:23•11 May 2026

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From War Zone Childhood to Healing Community: How The Refuge Began

Episode Overview

Childhood experiences with a parent’s substance abuse can strongly shape a person’s later passion for recovery work.
Honest sharing in AA and having a committed sponsor can model what real mentorship and care look like.
Blending AA experience with Christian faith provided a wider framework for understanding addiction and healing.
Deep, long-term relationships in men’s groups create a safe space to be transparent, receive truth in love, and avoid destructive choices.
The Refuge grew from a vision to remove men from chaos, place them in a supportive, faith-centred environment, and focus on the roots beneath addiction rather than just the symptoms.

“Let’s go see if the Bible works. Let’s use it in our day-to-day.”

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This first instalment of *Relational Recovery* sets the scene by going straight to the roots of The Refuge Ministry’s story, through a candid father–son conversation between host Wes Thompson and his dad, founder Tom Thompson.

You’ll hear Tom trace his path from a childhood he describes as a “war zone” with a father who struggled with drinking, through his own battles with alcohol and drugs, to an unexpected sense of calling. He talks openly about longing for approval, hitting rock bottom, and walking into his first AA meeting in sheer desperation.

A turning point comes when a sponsor says, “Hey, get in the car… go back to my place and talk,” introducing Tom to real mentorship and care. Tom explains how AA’s 12-step experience combined with his Christian faith and a hunger to “go deeper in the biblical” shaped his approach.

Joining a church, getting involved in men’s ministry, and weekly small groups built a culture of honest, no-pretence friendship where he could be “transparent, honest, open, and not judged, but yet spoke the truth in love.” From late-night prayer meetings to helping men who were “totally addicted and broken,” Tom begins to sense a bigger purpose: creating a place to “take men away from the chaos of their lives” into a supportive, faith-focused residential community.

As he puts it, “Let’s go see if the Bible works. Let’s use it in our day-to-day.” This episode is especially suited to those wrestling with addiction, unwanted behaviours, or questions about how Christian spirituality and psychology can work together in recovery. If you’ve ever wondered whether your messy past could be part of a bigger purpose, this story might make you look at your own journey in a new way.

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