Studio RC - Worship #1 - More than a Song - Max IngramStudio RC - Worship #1 - More than a Song - Max Ingram
Studio RC
Pastor Max Ingram talks about worship as a daily, whole-self response to God that closely connects with recovery. The episode offers practical tools like journaling and physical engagement to help shift attention toward a God-centred life.
27:35•1 Sept 2026
Studio RC: Worship, Recovery, and Where You Put Your Focus
Episode Overview
- Worship is defined as a response to who God is and what God has done, not just singing or church services.
- Whatever consistently holds your attention will shape your direction, making worship closely tied to recovery.
- Using a notebook or journal during worship helps capture distractions, prayers and insights so they can be revisited later.
- Engaging worship with your whole self—body, mind and senses—can deepen connection with God and move you beyond self-consciousness.
- Worship is based on focus rather than feelings, and is best approached as active participation rather than a performance to be rated.
“Worship is not about doing it right. It's about being present and responding to God with your whole self.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and still stay grounded in faith? This Studio RC episode digs into worship as a key part of recovery, with Pastor Max Ingram sharing from his dual perspective as a Christian leader and an alcoholic in recovery. Rather than limiting worship to church music or Sunday services, Pastor Max explains that "worship is our response to who God is and what God has done" and that it’s closely tied to focus.
Whatever consistently holds your attention, he says, will eventually shape your direction—something anyone in recovery will recognise straight away. You’ll hear worship framed as a daily posture rather than a religious event: where you put your attention, what you value, and what you surrender your life to. Pastor Max connects this directly to the Big Book’s challenge that "either God is everything or else he is nothing," describing it as an "all in" statement for those serious about recovery.
There’s plenty of practical guidance too. He suggests using a notebook or journal during worship to capture thoughts, prayers, distractions and moments where you sense God at work, treating writing as an active part of worship rather than busy work. He also talks about engaging your whole self—lifting hands, being still, singing loudly, or simply sitting quietly—and admits it took time for him to move beyond a formal church background and feel less self-conscious.
Most importantly, worship here isn’t about chasing a spiritual feeling or rating the music. "Worship’s not based on feelings. It’s based on focus," Pastor Max reminds listeners, urging them to show up honestly, stretch beyond their comfort zone, and let worship become a regular practice in both recovery and faith. If worship has ever felt confusing, this is a gentle place to start rethinking it—could shifting your focus to God change how you walk your recovery journey?
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