For [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  (Romans 1:20)

In the verse above, the apostle Paul was clearly writing about how all of nature stands as witness to the existence of God.  Rocks, trees, streams, and mountains may not have a small stamp near their base that reads “Made in Heaven” or a sticker that announces, “Quality Checked by God,” but nature still can begin to give us insight into God, insight that hopefully will lead to scripture.

I believe it’s possible to gain similar insight through the things that man creates, even if they were not intended to reveal God. There are a number of books and studies that use secular films, television shows, and other works of literature to help teach or demonstrate Biblical principles. One such item I ran across earlier this year was an episode of the Search Engine podcast.

On Search Engine, host P.J. Vogt asks a question, such as “Does anyone actually like their job?” and then seeks to answer it by talking to experts in the field. The particular episode I want to speak about here is “When Do You Know It’s Time To Stop Drinking?”

Before you decide whether or not this episode is for you based on your own history with alcohol, let me tell you right up front that this is not that type of show.  Instead, it is an interview with A.J. Daulerio, an internet writer/creator, where he shares his story of his life before, during, and after recovery.  Originally, I only listened to this episode because it was next in my podcast playlist rotation.  However, as the interview went on, I began to see some very familiar themes.

In 2023, my church went through an expository sermon series on the Book of Galatians. Some of the topics discussed during the series were why people do what they do and what they hope it will accomplish, how this ultimately leads to Christ, and, once becoming a Christian, what is the role God has for them.  While listening to A.J. tell his story, what I heard was a man describing a life, that although it was secular, lined up with a lot of what I was hearing in Galatians.

A.J. spoke about having success but constantly feeling that something was wrong, and how this feeling led to some less than positive life choices.  He wanted to stop, but felt he couldn’t because these choices resulted in the acceptance he craved from others.  To justify this, he compared his life to others and decided he wasn’t as bad as he could have been.  Eventually, he reached a point where the majority of his existence revolved around finding just the right combination of drink or drug to keep him going.  That’s when he knew his own efforts were insufficient, and he needed outside help.

Newly out of rehab, A.J. still struggled with cravings and feelings of uncertainty he didn’t know how to handle.  The announcements of AA meetings and sterile instructions on getting sober he found online didn’t help.  He’d been through all that but still didn’t know how to cope with moving forward.  So, he started his own website where he shared his experience.  Soon, a community developed where it was okay to be open about your thoughts and concerns, sober or not, without fear of criticism.  If you weren’t ready to quit, that was okay.  No one was going to reject you.  If you had quit, but ended up on a bender, you were accepted back the next day.  In a nutshell, A.J. offered grace to those who were constantly trying to figure it out. 

In A.J.’s case, his desires for success and acceptance manifested themselves in substances.  But, having gone through Galatians, I knew that these same desires could lead to someone to relying on work, school, family, or leisure just as an addict relies on drink or drugs.  After the podcast, I thought, “Wow, this story pretty much described everything we just learned, except for one thing.  It didn’t include God.” Even so, I felt it helped validate a lot of what is taught in scripture: our desire to control our lives, our failure to do so, and the benefit of walking beside others and lending a hand instead of condemnation. We all need rehab, and that rehab is God.

By the way, my church is currently several chapters into another sermon series on Ecclesiastes, and (Spoiler Alert!) “Stop Drinking” is a great object lesson for that book as well.

---

Like what you are reading? Please consider supporting Half Air by visiting our Support Page and sharing this article.