Why This Pastor Had to Leave Christianity to Actually Find God | Chase Reeves

Can you find God outside the church? Chase is a YouTuber, creative consultant, and Dad who hosts retreats at his home in Austin with Core Energetics practitioner David Sutcliffe. He trained as a biblical scholar, spent years in evangelical ministry, left the church, found meditation through a productivity podcast, went deep into Ram Dass and Alan Watts, sat with ayahuasca, worked with John Wineland, and came out the other side of a 20-year marriage. That range is the point. He’s not selling one path. He’s trying to describe what moves the big boulders inside a man. That line from the Gospel of Thomas is the thread here. Chase describes the voice that shows up right before the work gets real, “this is stupid, this is bullshit,” and why that’s the moment to go all in. Chase talks about depression, divorce, raising a 17-year-old son, dating again, the trap of insight hopping, and why he now cares more about purification than peak states. If you’ve optimized your training, your food, and your supplements and still feel something is missing, this is the next layer of work. You’ll learn: [0:00] Introduction [5:04] Gnostic texts and what gets left out of the biblical canon [10:27] Becoming a beer league Ram Dass scholar after nihilism [13:43] The trap of chasing insight and the buzz of the mountaintop [20:40] Purity spirals run through faith and health alike [27:38] Thinking intimacy was just getting them to like me [39:05] Transformation means making contact, not fixing in one moment [48:52] Why we need regular cleanses for the soul [53:46] Integrity means letting your yes be yes [57:19] Going full goo after a 20-year marriage ended [1:08:21] The frustration that surfaced when I couldn’t find the feeling [1:13:30] Do the harder thing and let yourself be seen Resources Mentioned: Men’s Retreats with David Sutcliffe | https://www.davidsutcliffe.com/austin-mens-retreat AudioDharma with Gil Fronsdal | https://www.audiodharma.org/speakers/1 Om Rupani Podcast | https://www.buzzsprout.com/2070578 John Wineland | https://johnwineland.com/ Find more from Chase: Chase Reeves | https://www.youtube.com/@chasereeves | https://www.instagram.com/chasewreeves/ Find more from Ste: Ste Lane | https://www.instagram.com/thestelane/ Radical Health Radio | https://www.instagram.com/radicalhealthradio/ | https://www.youtube.com/@radicalhealthradio Heart and Soil Supplements | https://www.heartandsoil.co/ | https://www.instagram.com/heartandsoilsupplements/ | https://x.com/heartandsoilhq | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyf4v0HhGiHc8_ZIiSfd3Ug