Surrender Is Structure

PC: Nick Bare

Nearly two years ago, I gave up alcohol.

It started as a clean break, but what followed was more than just sobriety. I trained. I chased goals. I found structure in effort. Sub-3 marathon. Toughest 50K in the U.S. Bigger distances on deck. My life became built around training, discipline, and doing hard things well.

I’ve always been a follower of Christ. But like a lot of men wired for high performance, I started turning more and more to structure and self-improvement to carry the weight. And in the early stretch of that, Nick Bare helped shape the way I worked. His voice was a steady one on a lot of those long runs.

But over the last year, it’s been clear that something has shifted in Nick. Not just in one conversation or one video—but in his entire presence. In the way he talks about obedience. About order. About building a life around Christ.

This recent conversation with Pastor Lyle Phillips is part of that. But it’s more than a podcast. It’s a window into a bigger change, and it helped confirm a lot of what I’ve been wrestling with in my own life.

I haven’t been chasing strength for its own sake. But I’ve definitely tried to carry things on my own.

Check out the podcast for what Nick Bare taught me—this time.