Restore The Glory Podcast

This week, Jake and Bob welcome John Edwards (Just a Guy in the Pew) back to the show to continue his story of conversion and the long journey of healing that followed. John opens up about what happened after his powerful encounter with Christ in a jail cell, including the hard work of rebuilding trust with his wife and children, learning to be vulnerable, and surrendering control. He also talks about the struggle to reconcile with himself, especially the self-hatred and false identities that can remain even after receiving forgiveness from God and others. Through his story, John reminds us that conversion and healing is not a one-time event, but an ongoing invitation to allow Christ to transform every part of our lives. 
 
Key Points:
Radical conversion does not instantly repair the relationships damaged over years of destructive behavior.
Simply stopping addictive behaviors is many times not enough for complete healing. This is because deeper wounds like selfishness and self-focus also need to be healed.
Life is not ultimately about ourselves but about loving and serving the people God had entrusted to us.
Self-reliance, control, and selfishness are not merely struggles unique to addicts but can quietly affect the lives of many people.
Vulnerability is not weakness but an act of courage that allows a person to acknowledge the truth about himself and receive help.
Reconciliation reveals God not as an angry judge waiting to punish us but as a loving Father who desires our good and wants to walk with us.
The reconciliation of our relationships requires us to examine our own responsibility rather than waiting for other people to change.
Reconciling with ourselves requires confronting the lies that attack our identity and continually renewing our minds with the truth of who God says we are.
Self-forgiveness is essential because refusing to receive God's forgiveness for ourselves can keep us bound to the identity of our past.


Resources:
Power Made Perfect by John Edwards
Just a Guy in The Pew Website
Redeemed Men's Retreat with the JPII Healing Center
Episode 149: Healing in Men (Part 1) w/ John Edwards

 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:10 John's Unmasking
07:18 The One Priest Who Changed His Life
12:06 From Self-Focus to Self-Gift
19:41 The Courage to Become Vulnerable
26:20 Reconciliation with God
33:51 Reconciling with Yourself
37:28 Breaking the Voice of Self Hatred
49:11 The Long Road to Rebuilding Trust
57:30 Finding Freedom from Addiction
 
Connect with Restore the Glory: 
Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast 
Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod
Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast
 
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This week, Jake and Bob discuss the subtle ways the enemy gains influence in our lives through the interpretations, judgements, and conclusions we draw in the ordinary moments of everyday life. They explore how these footholds can gradually become strongholds, why fear and shame often lie beneath our attempts to protect ourselves, and how distorted images of God shape the way we see the world. No matter where you may find footholds in your life, there is hope. Through simple acts of trust each day, we can learn to let God become our true stronghold. 
 
Key Points:
The enemy often gains influence through subtle interpretations in everyday life rather than obvious temptations.
Strongholds are built through repeated agreements with lies, judgments, and false beliefs.
Fear frequently lies underneath anger and drives many of our defensive reactions.
Footholds become believable because they attach themselves to existing wounds and vulnerabilities.
Pride convinces us that we fully understand another person's motives or God's actions.
A lack of peace and the absence of the fruits of the Spirit can reveal areas of bondage.
Confession is a powerful place to bring our agreements with lies and receive grace.
Renouncing lies and proclaiming truth is a simple but effective daily practice to loosen the bonds of footholds.
Lasting freedom grows through repeated, small acts of trust that allow God to become our true stronghold.
 
Resources:
Healing Prayers and Renunciations Booklet
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 How the Enemy Gains A Foothold 
10:07 Anger, Fear and Speaking Truth
14:45 Fear: Emotion vs Wound
24:44 Recognizing Strongholds in Daily Life
33:28 Breaking Agreements and Experiencing Freedom
42:35 The Power of Small Acts of Trust
 
Connect with Restore the Glory: 
Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast 
Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod
Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast
 
Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow in holiness by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Andrew Laubacher, the Executive Director of Humanality, to explore how our digital world is reshaping our attention, attachments, and relationships. After stepping away from social media and smart phones to overcome addiction, Andrew realized that healing sometimes requires more than better habits, fasting, or more prayer—it requires recovering the way God created us to live and relate. Together, they discuss the false intimacy of online community, the loneliness epidemic, and why technology is never as neutral as we assume. Andrew also shares practical steps you can begin today to live intentionally with technology.
 
Key Points:
Modern technology offers a false intimacy while leaving us increasingly isolated, lonely, and craving real in-person community.
Human beings are biologically designed for face-to-face connection, not constant digital interaction.
Technology is not neutral because every platform is intentionally designed to keep us using it.
AI offers remarkable benefits but also presents significant dangers when it replaces authentic human relationships.
Healing requires real encounter, attention, and attachment that technology can never fully provide.
Many of today's mental health struggles exist alongside a broader crisis of addiction and overstimulation.
Constant digital stimulation weakens our capacity for focus, presence, contemplation, and prayer. It also affects sleep, physical health, eyesight, and overall well-being.
Living intentionally with technology allows people to recover creativity, purpose, authentic relationships, and a deeper encounter with God.
 
Resources:
Humanality
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
06:49 How Technology Diminishes our Humanity
14:04 Artificial Community and False Intimacy
21:03 Can AI Heal Us?
31:10 The Tension of Virtual Communication
36:54 Attention, Attachment, and Addiction
52:33 Reclaiming Your Attention
57:07 Resources and Encouragement
 
Connect with Restore the Glory: 
Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast 
Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod
Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast
 
Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow in holiness by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

This week, Jake and Bob conclude their series on confession with Fr. John Horn and explore the root system behind two deadly sins: sloth (acedia) and lust. Through personal examples, they uncover the deeper attitudes, fears, and wounds that drive these struggles and keep us from intimacy with God. They also discuss how self- reliance, discouragement, and isolation can distort our desires and lead us away from the freedom God offers us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 
 
Key Points:
Virtue grows when our desires are reordered toward God through love rather than fear.
Sloth, or acedia, is often misunderstood as just laziness. It can also manifest as overactivity, restlessness, and self-reliance.
Discouragement is frequently rooted in the belief that we must transform ourselves without God's help.
The remedy for acedia begins with surrendering control and accepting poverty of spirit.
Lust reflects a deeper attempt to satisfy desires apart from God.
Shame, hopelessness, and a lack of purpose often lie beneath struggles with lust.
Confession becomes more fruitful when we bring our underlying attitudes and beliefs rather than only our behaviors.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores communion with God, ourselves, the Church, and others.
Freedom grows as we learn to receive the Father's delight and stop holding our sins and weaknesses against ourselves.
 
Resources:
Institute for Priestly Formation
Confession Fourfold 


Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:26 The Goal is Not the Removal of Sin
10:57 What is Sloth (Acedia)?
18:40 Personal Examples of Acedia
27:19 Emotion is Not A Sin
38:15 What is Lust?
44:14 A Lack of Hope
65:45 Resources
 
Connect with Restore the Glory: 
Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast 
Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod
Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast
 
Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow in holiness by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Fr. John Horn, co-founder of the Institute for Priestly Formation, to continue their series on confession. They explore how the sin of pride often hides beneath the surface of our spiritual lives and can even affect the way we approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation itself. Using the parable of the Prodigal Son, they also uncover how fear, shame, and self-reliance can keep us from fully receiving the Father's love. At its core, Confession is an encounter with a Father who rejoices over His children and allowing our hearts to receive this love leads us toward deeper healing and freedom
 
Key Points:
Zephaniah's image of God rejoicing and singing over His people reveals the Father's true posture toward repentant sinners.
Many of us approach confession assuming God is disappointed in them rather than delighting in their return.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that "whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver." Which means, the disposition of our hearts is connected with our ability to receive the Father's love.
Self-condemnation and self-hatred can be hidden forms of pride rather than genuine humility.
Many deeply rooted patterns of sin become so familiar that we mistake them for normal life instead of areas needing healing.
The younger son's demand for his inheritance reflects a desire for God's gifts apart from relationship with God Himself.
The younger son's return reveals how shame can continue to operate even after repentance begins.
The Father's embrace, kiss, robe, ring, and feast demonstrate God's extravagant response to repentance.
The older brother reveals a different form of pride expressed through resentment, self-righteousness, and comparison.
Resentment often exposes deeper fears, wounds, and unmet desires hidden beneath the surface.
Joy can be difficult to receive when we are attached to self-protection, control, or self-judgment.
True healing involves uncovering and renouncing the lies that keep us from trusting God's love.
The Holy Spirit restores our original beauty by healing the places where we have rejected ourselves and doubted God's love.
 
Resources:
Institute for Priestly Formation
Zephaniah 3:14-18

 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:25 The Father Rejoices Over His Children
13:38 Disposition Changes Everything
22:42 Entering into the Prodigal Son Story
33:02 Shame and the Younger Son
39:14 The Father's Embrace and Mercy
43:33 The Older Brother's Hidden Pride
 
Connect with Restore the Glory: 
Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast 
Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod
Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast
 
Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow in holiness by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!