Are You More Than What You’ve Done? Robert Kenney on Addiction, Forgiveness, and a New Identity

Robert Kenney stole from stores, manipulated his family, and roamed Camden, NJ, looking for heroin. Later, the Christian recovery ministry he entered handed him the keys to its property. What happened between being someone people couldn’t trust and becoming someone they could? And what did finding his identity in Christ have to do with it?

Now director of partner care at America’s Keswick, Robert joins Jon Seidl to tell the story behind that change. His addiction had taken him through repeated detoxes, rehabs, and overdoses. He knew how to get clean. But a Bible study he attended for the brownies introduced him to something he struggled to imagine: forgiveness and a new life.

Robert and Jon explore what it means to acknowledge the harm addiction caused without letting it define who someone must always be. They also explore Robert’s concerns about recovery labels, the distinction between pursuing sobriety and pursuing Jesus, and how Keswick puts biblical teaching into practice through work, community, and responsibility.

Finally, they affirm the value of practical recovery tools and address what happens when someone leaves a structured program and has to choose community, honesty, and service for themselves.

Learn more about America’s Keswick
Explore Keswick’s addiction recovery programs
Explore the FREE Veritas Recovery Community to connect with people on a similar journey
Get Gospel-centered addiction recovery resources and help at veritasrecovery.org
Follow Jon: @jonseidl
Order Jon's book: Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic
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We explore:
— How Robert’s opioid use escalated into heroin addiction, manipulation, and repeated overdoses
— Why a Bible study he attended for brownies raised a question about forgiveness
— Whether acknowledging your addiction means letting it define your identity
— What being trusted with the keys meant to a man who had stolen from others
— How Keswick connects biblical teaching with work, responsibility, and community
— Why pursuing Jesus leaves room for medical detox and practical recovery tools
— What following Christ requires after the structure of a recovery program ends

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