Studio RC - Known #6: The Father of Compassion - Max IngramStudio RC - Known #6: The Father of Compassion - Max Ingram
Studio RC
Pastor Max Ingram reflects on God as a compassionate father who knows every part of a person’s story and still moves towards them with love. The episode links shame, forgiveness and identity in recovery to Psalm 103 and vivid images of restoration.
30:59•10 Nov 2026
Known #6: Meeting the Father of Compassion in Recovery
Episode Overview
- God’s first movement towards broken people is compassion, not condemnation.
- Shame confuses identity by saying "I am the mistake", while God refuses to define people by their worst moments.
- Psalm 103 portrays forgiveness as God removing our transgressions "as far as the east is from the west."
- Recovery involves dropping old resentments and self-punishment that God has already forgiven.
- True change grows best where people are deeply loved and honestly challenged, both in recovery and in faith.
“The father knows everything about you and still moves towards you with compassion.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? Studio RC answers that by tying recovery to a bigger question: "What is God really like?" In this sixth instalment of the "Known" series, Pastor Max Ingram looks at God as "the Father of Compassion" and speaks directly to people wrestling with shame in recovery.
You’ll hear Max read and unpack Psalm 103:8–14, especially the line, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." He repeats the core idea again and again: "The father knows everything about you and still moves towards you with compassion." For anyone who imagines God as angry, distant or permanently disappointed, that’s a major challenge to old beliefs. The episode is packed with vivid illustrations.
Max uses the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold—to picture how God treats our brokenness. Instead of throwing away shattered lives, "God doesn’t discard broken things. He restores them." Recovery stories and the language of the 12 steps are woven through, including a memorable image of dragging resentments around "like sour milk in a red wagon". Shame, guilt and identity are a big focus.
Max contrasts guilt saying "I made a mistake" with shame saying "I am the mistake", and explains how many people keep punishing themselves long after God’s forgiveness has been offered. Psalm 103’s "as far as the east is from the west" becomes a picture of just how thoroughly God removes our past. The tone is gentle but honest, aimed at anyone in recovery who’s tired of carrying spiritual baggage alongside their addiction history.
You’ll be asked searching questions about the picture of God you instinctively carry, and invited to consider that "to be fully known and fully loved is one of the deepest longings of the human heart." If you’re wondering whether God could really want you, broken bits and all, this episode might be a good place to start. What would change in your recovery if compassion, not condemnation, had the final word?
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