Studio RC - Known (Intro Pt. 1) - Max IngramStudio RC - Known (Intro Pt. 1) - Max Ingram
Studio RC
Pastor Max Ingram introduces a new series connecting recovery with a fresh understanding of God as Father through the life and words of Jesus. The episode focuses on reshaping distorted images of God into a relationship rooted in source, authority, identity, and inheritance for people in sobriety.
26:28•22 Sept 2026
Known and Loved: Rethinking God as Father in Recovery
Episode Overview
- What people believe about God shapes how they approach God, especially in recovery.
- Jesus’ words, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” are used as the foundation for understanding God’s character.
- Calling God Father is presented as a relational term tied to source, authority, identity, and inheritance, not biological gender.
- Recovery is framed as including freedom from false ideas about God, not just freedom from addiction.
- Grace is described as belonging first and then learning to live from that identity, rather than earning a place with God through performance.
“Father is not primarily a statement about biology. It’s a revelation of relationship.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Studio RC heads straight into that question by linking recovery with a fresh look at who God is, through the eyes of Jesus. Pastor Max Ingram, speaking openly as an alcoholic in recovery, kicks off a new series called “Known: Discovering the Heart of the Father”.
He gently tackles a big question many in recovery carry: “What is God really like?” Instead of leaning on church baggage or painful past experiences, he keeps pointing back to Jesus’ bold claim in John 14:9: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Across the episode, you’ll hear Max unpack why Christians call God “Father” without suggesting God is a man in the sky. He repeats a key idea: “Father is not primarily a statement about biology.
It’s a revelation of relationship.” From there, he walks through four themes: God as the source of life, a safe authority, the giver of identity, and the one who offers inheritance. Each theme is tied directly to recovery, especially for those who’ve tried to find life in substances, approval, or control. There’s plenty here for anyone burned by religion or weighed down by shame.
Max uses simple images—like a child climbing into a king’s lap—to show what it means to approach God without fear or performance. He also challenges the “probation employee” mindset many people bring into faith and recovery, reminding them that grace starts with belonging, not behaviour.
Perfect for those in 12-step recovery or anyone rethinking their higher power, this episode blends scripture, stories, and gentle humour to invite people to “come home to the Father” rather than chase yet another spiritual to-do list. It leaves a lingering question: what if the God you feared was never the Father Jesus came to show?
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