What’s All This God Stuff? Mustard Seeds, Mulberry Trees, and Conscious Contact
Alcoholism is progressive.
It often starts in the puberty years—liquid courage to ask Kim out, or to talk to boys.
Unchecked, it becomes a quadruple shot of vodka at 6:30 a.m. in Pattaya before driving to Rayong to revise a production schedule for a multi-billion-dollar customer.
I’ve lived that arc.
But I’ve also seen another progression—one that unfolds in the AA rooms.
This time, it’s not drinking that progresses.
It’s faith.
Many alcoholics walk into AA and freeze.
They scan the banners and mutter, “What’s all this God stuff?”
Steps 3, 5, 6, 7, and 11 all mention God.
Step 7: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”
And every meeting, in every country, ends with the Serenity Prayer:
“God grant me the serenity…”
It’s confronting.
It’s cold-church-hall spirituality.
But then, like the apostles in Luke 17, we find ourselves whispering:
“Increase our faith.”
Jesus doesn’t hand them a miracle.
He hands them a metaphor.
“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…”
He doesn’t say big faith.
He says real faith.
Faith with roots.
Faith that moves things.
In AA, we don’t start with spiritual fireworks.
We start with mustard seeds.
Tiny acts of surrender.
Small decisions to show up.
One meeting. One prayer. One apology.
Recovery is built on these flickers.
The Fixer’s Faith
I’ve built businesses, implemented quality management systems, and locked away firearms for safety.
But the most powerful thing I’ve ever done is admit I was powerless.
That’s mustard seed faith.
It doesn’t look heroic.
It looks like turning up.
It looks like asking for help.
It looks like doing what’s required—without expecting applause.
The Gospel of Obedience
Jesus follows the mustard seed with a parable:
A servant comes in from the field.
He doesn’t get a trophy.
He gets more instructions.
“Put on your apron. Serve the meal.”
And when he’s done?
He says, “We have done what we were obliged to do.”
That’s recovery.
We don’t get medals for staying sober.
We get grace.
We get clarity.
We get the next right thing.
AA Connection
Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God.
Step 12: Practiced these principles in all our affairs.
These aren’t fireworks.
They’re mustard seeds.
They’re obedience in motion.
The Fixer’s Reflection
I used to chase validation—client praise, business wins, clever sarcasm delivered with a wink.
But recovery taught me that grace doesn’t come with a “laugh” sign or a standing ovation.
It comes quietly.
Through mustard seed moments.
Through doing what’s required.
Through faith that moves the internal mulberry tree.
Closing Thought
Luke 17:5–10 is a recovery parable.
It teaches us that faith isn’t measured by size—it’s measured by surrender.
And obedience isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom.
If you’re overwhelmed by “all this God stuff,” start with a seed.
Do what’s required.
Grace will meet you there.
About Jason Bresnehan
Jason is a fixer—of businesses, of broken momentum, and occasionally of entire spiritual frameworks gone sideways. He speaks fluent boardroom and AA, deploys Catholic doctrine with the subtlety of a scalpel, and isn’t afraid to lace his insights with both war-room metaphors and dad-sermon tenderness.
Founder of Evahan, a consultancy built on the idea that legacy and liquidity don’t need to fight, Jason draws on 30 years of commercial grit, tactical leadership, and emotional radar to help people rebuild what entropy took. He works with companies, communities, and recovery misfits alike—often using the same principles to sort both cap tables and chaotic lives.
Jason draws deep inspiration from historical figures who got results—especially those who led from the margins, built with scarce resources, and refused to be shackled by conventional wisdom. He’s known for assembling unorthodox teams of passionate experts to solve complex problems in chaotic environments. Whether in boardrooms, recovery communities, or legacy disputes, Jason’s approach is rooted in common purpose, tactical innovation, and the belief that clarity thrives when paradigms are challenged.
A strong advocate for freedom, limited government, and enterprise-driven progress, Jason also draws deeply from his personal recovery journey—an experience that reshaped his life and fuels his commitment to growth, contribution, and principled living. Through writing, speaking, and service, he continues to learn, share, and speak with purpose.
I can be engaged (on a remunerated or volunteer basis) to sit on Boards, Committees, Advisory and Reference Group Panels, and to speak to Business, Community, and Youth groups. I’m also open to providing comment to media on topics where I have relevant experience or insight. Please feel free to make contact.