024: "I Was Drinking on My Way to Bible Study" — Robert Knoll on Anxiety, Sobriety, and What Surrender Actually Looks Like

024: "I Was Drinking on My Way to Bible Study" — Robert Knoll on Anxiety, Sobriety, and What Surrender Actually Looks Like

"I was showing up to church hungover. I had accepted Jesus, so why was I still anxious? And then I hit a prayer walk, weeping, and told God — if I have to keep feeling like this, I don't know if I can keep going." Robert Knoll grew up Catholic, wore a cross his whole life, and thought being a good person was enough. Then a breakup in Pittsburgh took him out. What followed was a year of crippling anxiety, alcohol as a coping mechanism, and a lukewarm faith that wasn't actually changing anything. It wasn't until full surrender on a prayer walk that everything shifted. In this conversation, we explore: * Identity crisis — why Robert's sense of self collapsed when his relationship did, and what Hebrews 13:8 gave him that the world never could * Anxiety without sugarcoating — from childhood hypochondria to bedridden panic during COVID, and what it actually looks like to hand it to God * Lukewarm faith and drinking through it — the first year of his walk, still getting drunk, and the moment he finally surrendered alcohol after 17 months sober * Shame vs. repentance — the difference between Judas and Peter, and why how you respond to sin matters more than the sin itself * Stacking little wins — why discipline at 5 AM when no one's watching is how real transformation happens You are not too far gone. You are not too broken. And you do not have to have it all figured out before you come home. Connect with Robert:Instagram: @lifetalkswithrobTikTok: @faithfueledrobertLinktree: linktr.ee/FaithFueledRobert ✨ Shop the Mission: www.madeofclay247.com [http://www.madeofclay247.com]📸 Instagram: @madeofclay247

023: Federal Prison, Half a Million People, and the Business He Finally Gave to God

"I don't want to stand in front of Christ and say, God, you gave me this tool called AI and I buried it out of fear." Jonathan Mast built a community of over 500,000 people teaching them to use AI as an amplifier of the gifts God already gave them. But before the audience, the business, and the mission, there was a federal prison sentence, a rock-bottom surrender, and a two-by-four from God. This conversation is raw, real, and deeply convicting for anyone trying to walk out their faith in a world obsessed with metrics. In this conversation, we explore: * Prison, surrender, and meeting God in the last place you expected — Jonathan's testimony and the moment everything shifted * The Parable of the Talents and AI — why he refuses to bury a tool God put in his hands * "With Thanksgiving" — how two words from Philippians 4:6-7 changed his entire perspective inside a federal prison * Why fear is the enemy of discernment — what he wishes every Christian understood about artificial intelligence * Amplifying what God already gave you — the difference between chasing success and stewarding your platform for the Kingdom You are a jar of clay. Cracked, imperfect, and exactly who God wants to use. ✨ Shop the Mission: www.madeofclay247.com [http://www.madeofclay247.com]📸 Instagram: @madeofclay247 🤖 Learn more about Jonathan: www.whitebeardstrategies.com

From Survival Mode to Discernment: How Karen Hite Found Her Gift and You Can Too

"You survived all of the worst days that you thought were the worst day of your life. That means there's purpose, and there's more to do." Karen Hite has built businesses, hosted events, and led a mastermind, but the season that changed everything was the one where she admitted out loud that she didn't know what she was doing. This episode is about what happens when you stop trying to fill someone else's shoes and start developing the gifts God actually gave you. In this conversation, we explore: * Survival mode and the cost of getting good at the wrong things - why excelling at skills that aren't natural to you can quietly drain you dry * The discernment that changed her direction - how a Bible passage, a video, and a hard conversation in one week led Karen to build her spiritual gifts assessment * First-world meets third-world marriage - building a life and business with someone whose default is dream big when yours is stay stable * Why failure isn't real - reframing failed experiences as curriculum God is using to prepare you * The Friday date night rule and the 1-to-10 framework - two pieces of advice that protect both her marriage and her business partnership You are a jar of clay. The cracks are where the light gets through. ✨ Shop the Mission: www.madeofclay247.com [http://www.madeofclay247.com]📸 Instagram: @madeofclay247 📚 Spiritual Gifts Test: www.whatsmygift.com

Your Good Intentions and the Worst Person Alive Are Closer Than You Think

"Jesus is so far away from us (perfection), and my good intentions and his terrible intentions are way, way closer than what it looks like to be perfect." JC Hite built a 350-person agency surrounded by stupid money, then walked away from all of it two months before his daughter was born. But this conversation isn't really about business. It's about the idols we still defend, the anxiety scripture quietly healed, and the gap between us and Jesus being smaller than we pretend. In this conversation, we explore: * The idols the world rewards: Why grind, guilt, and gluttony hide in plain sight when alcohol and the "heavy" sins are already gone * Healing in the walking: How JC stopped panic attacks not in a hospital but by pressing play on scripture and just walking * The wrong phone number for God: Trading a rulebook religion for a relationship you actually hear from * Heart posture over performance: Whether God sees our intent more than our actions, and what that means for the way we live * The whiteboard and the gap: Zooming out until the best person you know and the worst look almost identical next to Jesus * Leading like Jesus: Why the man who knew every answer chose to ask 300 questions instead You're a jar of clay. The cracks are where the light gets out. Keep going. ✨ Shop the Mission: www.madeofclay247.com [http://www.madeofclay247.com]📸 Instagram: @madeofclay247 @jc.hite

Good Thing or God Thing? 36 Years of Servant Leadership with Thud Hill

"Rules without relationships equal rebellion." For 36 years, Thaddaeus "Thud" Hill has poured his life into at-risk kids in some of the hardest situations imaginable. In this conversation, he gets real about what it actually costs to serve, why he's pivoting after 25 years as executive director, and how to tell the difference between a good thing and a God thing. In this conversation, we explore: * Seed planters, not people fixers: the family phrase that shaped a 50-year ministry * Agape can't be defended: loving people with no expectation of a good response back * The good Samaritan model: meeting physical needs before anyone opens their heart to God * Good thing vs. God thing: saying no without saying you don't care * The reset: pivoting from a six-day week to coaching other lonely leaders You're a jar of clay. The cracks are where the light gets out. Catch you on the next one. Connect with Thud:🐎 Timothy Hill Ranch: timothyhill.org🔄 Reset Leadership Group: resetleads.com ✨ Shop the Mission: www.madeofclay247.com [http://www.madeofclay247.com]📸 Instagram: @madeofclay247