Recovery, Amends & Forgiveness: Rob Ekno's Story

Recovery, Amends & Forgiveness: Rob Ekno's Story

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on *Crossroads with Jenny Bushkell* follows Rob Ekno, who went from a homeless alcoholic and addict to more than 33 years clean and sober, and he shares exactly what that looked like without sugar-coating a thing. Aimed at people dealing with addiction, codependency, family pain, and faith questions, the show has a warm, conversational Christian tone.

Jenny keeps things gentle and curious, while Rob brings big energy, humour, and honesty. One moment he’s laughing about “learning to put white lines on tables and use straws and dollar bills,” and the next he’s describing walking toward the cruise ship docks in Fort Lauderdale planning to end his life. Rob talks about how shame and unworthiness took root early, from a stolen rock at school to slipping “$2 out of the collection plate” as a young acolyte.

For decades he believed his addictions were punishment from God. That belief finally broke when, 23 years later, he returned to the same church, clenched a $5 bill in his fist, and said, “Lord, I don’t know how much interest there is on $2 over 23 years,” dropped it in the plate, and made his amends. You’ll hear practical recovery wisdom too.

Rob stresses healthy boundaries and warns that “people-pleasing is a losing venue every single time.” He talks about the trap of trying to “save the world” with only two years sober, and the freedom he found by focusing instead on staying clean, trusting God, and being “the best Rob that I can be.” There’s also a moving section on forgiving and honouring his dad before he died, so he didn’t have to carry regrets to the graveside.

If you’re wrestling with guilt, trying to support someone in addiction, or wondering whether God has truly forgiven you, this story might be exactly the nudge of hope you need today.