Faith-Based Addiction Recovery: Attorney Brett Knight's Story of Grace
Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! Brett Knight is a criminal defense attorney, recovery pastor, and author of From Gavel to Grace. In this episode, he shares his personal journey from a childhood of poverty in rural Illinois to prosecuting criminal cases, and ultimately to a calling in recovery ministry. Brett unpacks the real pattern he's seen behind addiction after walking hundreds of people through recovery — and why healing the pain matters more than punishing the behavior. He also talks candidly about grace, boundaries, and what "tough love" should actually look like for the Christian family member of someone in active addiction. Learn more about Brett's book, From Gavel to Grace, at brettknight.com/book. Psalm 34:18 — "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." https://brettknight.com/videos/ ● 00:00 — Welcome and introducing Brett Knight ● 00:45 — Brett's testimony: growing up poor in southern Illinois ● 04:19 — Mentors who spoke life into him, and a political science degree ● 05:56 — Chasing success at the cost of family ● 06:25 — His brother's death and his parents' divorce ● 07:01 — Head knowledge vs. heart knowledge of God ● 07:47 — "He never left me behind": the call back to ministry ● 10:01 — How God's grace shapes how Brett works with people ● 10:32 — Why accountability without grace becomes abusive ● 12:03 — The pattern behind addiction, seen across hundreds of cases ● 13:24 — Punishing pain vs. healing pain ● 14:12 — The story: abuse at nine, drugs at fourteen, recovery at forty ● 16:37 — Faith-based recovery vs. secular recovery ● 17:41 — Why authenticity can't be faked in recovery work ● 18:35 — Finishing what you start: launching jail and recovery ministries ● 19:20 — The wins: weddings, babies, and prayers before the hospital ● 20:21 — The tragedies: relapse and overdose ● 21:16 — "Addiction is not a sniper, it's a hand grenade" ● 21:56 — Sozo: healed, restored, made whole ● 22:20 — The God-shaped hole ● 24:13 — What helps families with a loved one in addiction ● 24:57 — Redefining tough love as boundaries, not abandonment ● 27:33 — Why Brett wrote From Gavel to Grace ● 29:02 — Where to find the book ● 30:19 — The book's unexpected reach: #1 new release and 16 county jail libraries ● 31:03 — Closing thoughts and where to connect with Brett Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!
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