The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 13 – Finding Christ, Facing Evil With Love with Chris Clements

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 13 – Finding Christ, Facing Evil With Love with Chris Clements

Guest Bio:

Chris Clements is a former CEO and third-generation leader of a major Arizona beverage distribution business, now a partner at STS Capital, where he guides entrepreneurs through mergers and acquisitions. Raised in a spiritually diverse family—blending Armenian Anglican, Southern Baptist, and Episcopalian influences—Chris’s faith journey was shaped by his grandmother’s devotion to Jesus and his father’s legacy of stewardship and charity. After a rock-climbing accident, a traumatic brain injury, and the sudden loss of his father at 25, Chris faced darkness, battling anger and addiction. A transformative deliverance session in 2015, guided by his wife Sasha’s compassion, led him to reclaim his sovereignty through Christ, embracing a mission to “know Him and make Him known.” Today, he lives in Arizona, integrating faith, freedom, and love into his leadership and community work.

Setting:

Recorded in the vibrant famous resort The Arizona Biltmore, this conversation unfolds as a raw, heartfelt exchange between two friends. The sacred energy of the desert mirrors the episode’s themes of surrender, forgiveness, and divine connection, inviting listeners to reflect on their own path to the “river” of divinity

Summary:

In this intimate episode, I sit down with my friend Chris Clements to explore his journey from inherited faith to personal transformation through Christ. Chris shares his upbringing in Arizona, steeped in diverse religious traditions, and the profound influence of his grandmother Pat, a Southern Baptist who introduced him to Jesus, and his father, a charitable leader who modeled stewardship. At 25, tragedy struck when his father died of a brain tumor, thrusting Chris into leadership of the family’s beverage distribution business. Struggling with a traumatic brain injury from a rock-climbing accident, anger at God, and addiction, Chris’s life spiraled until his wife Sasha’s compassionate ultimatum in Key West prompted a turning point. A powerful deliverance session in Charlottesville, Virginia, revealed past wounds and dark energies, leading Chris to proclaim his sovereignty through Jesus, cleansing his spirit and renewing his purpose. We dive into how Chris integrates this faith into his work at STS Capital, balancing material success with spiritual surrender, and discuss the nature of evil—not as a force to fight, but to overwhelm with love. From the Armenian genocide’s generational trauma to personal forgiveness, Chris’s story is a testament to reclaiming divinity and living as love in a complex world.

Learnings:

• Surrender is Freedom: Chris’s deliverance session taught him to release control, trusting the universe’s “zigzag path” to divinity, a lesson reinforced by his father’s death and his own healing.
• Forgiveness is for the Forgiver: Forgiving his father, God, and himself freed Chris from anger, echoing the Armenian community’s need to release generational grudges for healing.
• Evil Flees Love: Rather than battling dark energies, Chris learned to offer love, disarming fear and negativity, as seen in his post-deliverance clarity.
• Faith Anchors Leadership: Integrating spirituality into business, like through the Wings Like Eagles Foundation, empowers purposeful leadership without fear of judgment.
• Consciousness Drives Action: Raising personal consciousness, as Chris did through faith, naturally leads to loving actions, not as a checklist but as grace’s overflow.

Universal Truths:

• The River Runs Through Us All: Divinity is within everyone, accessible at any moment, whether through Christ, plant medicine, or quiet reflection, as Chris’s deliverance and the “river” analogy from Jim Finley illustrate.
• Evil is Intentional Harm: Evil arises when someone knowingly harms another, but love—embodied as grace or compassion—dissolves its power.
• Sovereignty is Proclaimed: We reclaim our divine nature by consciously choosing light over darkness, as Chris did by accepting Christ’s grace.
• Judgment Blocks Vision: Releasing judgment, as Chris learned post-deliverance, reveals truth and fosters connection, aligning with divine love.
• Grace is Sufficient: Salvation isn’t earned through works but flows from accepting divine love, as seen in the thief on the cross and Chris’s renewed faith.

Examples:

• Deliverance Session: Chris’s 2015 prayer session in Charlottesville, guided by Dr. David Appleby, cleansed dark energies, with his friend John noting his grandmother Pat’s pride, symbolizing spiritual rebirth.
• Sasha’s Compassion: In Key West, Sasha’s non-judgmental call for Chris to heal—not for their marriage, but for his son’s trust—sparked his pivot toward sobriety and faith.
• Wings Like Eagles Foundation: Chris’s family business channeled Isaiah 40’s spirit, funding charities aligned with faith, showing how spirituality can shape corporate culture.
• Forgiving the Past: Chris’s release of anger toward his father and God mirrors the broader need for communities, like Armenians, to forgive historical traumas for collective healing.
• The Thief on the Cross: The biblical story of the repentant thief, who found paradise through a single proclamation, underscores that grace is always available, as Chris experienced.

Smoke Trail Threads:

• Forgiveness (Episode 7): Chris’s journey of forgiving his father and himself echoes Episode 7’s focus on forgiveness as liberation, extending to generational healing.
• Presence (Episode 8): Like Liv Fisch’s emphasis on self-kindness, Chris’s daily proclamation of sovereignty requires staying present to avoid unconscious slips into darkness.
• Consciousness (Episode 9): Steve Hershberger’s consciousness map aligns with Chris’s belief that higher consciousness prevents harm, as love reveals our oneness.
• Heart-Mind Coherence (Episode 10): Dani Brooks’ mirror work parallels Chris’s heart-led faith, where his guardian angel speaks through intuition, guiding right action.
• Surrender (Episode 11): Ivan Rados’ “allow, accept, let go” formula resonates with Chris’s surrender to God’s grace, trusting the universe’s path.
• Optimism in Action (Episode 12): Elizabeth Funk’s solutions-driven approach to homelessness reflects Chris’s focus on positive action over dwelling on evil, uplifting the least advantaged.

The Smoke Trail: Episode 13 Q&A with Chris Clements

In Episode 13 of The Smoke Trail, I sit down with my friend Chris Clements, former CEO of Golden Eagle Distributors and now a partner at SCS Capital, to explore his transformative journey from loss and addiction to finding Christ and facing evil with love. Recorded in Sedona’s sacred energy, this conversation uncovers Chris’s path through grief, spiritual deliverance, and enlightened leadership, offering tools for navigating life’s challenges with faith and surrender. Below, Chris shares his pre-show reflections, diving deeper into his story and inviting you to ponder your own journey to the “river” of divinity. Listen to the episode, then reflect on these insights and share your thoughts with #TheSmokeTrail.

A Pivotal Moment That Shaped What Truly Matters “Please share a pivotal moment or experience in your life that shaped your understanding of what truly matters. When you realized what truly mattered to you, did it challenge or conflict with how you were living at the time? How did you reconcile that?”

The deaths of my father, Bill Clements, in 1995, and his best friend, Dave Sitton, who became like a second father, in 2013, were my most pivotal moments. My father’s passing forced me to grow up and lead our family business at 25, but it left me bitter and jaded, carrying resentment for years. Dave’s sudden death unraveled me further, despite my outward success. These losses clashed with my life’s focus on material achievements, revealing that faith and family matter most. Reconciling this meant embracing Jesus in 2015, shifting from anger to surrender, and realigning my leadership with humility and purpose.

Overcoming Internal Fears and Shadows “What internal challenges or fears have you faced, and how did overcoming them shape your personal philosophy or leadership style? What’s one shadow or fear that still lingers for you today? How do you confront it, and what does it teach you about yourself?”

My biggest fear, rooted in losing my father and mentor young, is harm coming to my family. The Bible says to pray without ceasing, and I lean on this to confront this fear, wondering if my faith—despite new tools—would hold strong again. Overcoming earlier shadows, like addiction and anger, through a 2015 deliverance session, shaped my philosophy: lead with faith, not force. This lingering fear teaches me to stay vigilant in prayer, trusting God’s protection while recognizing my human vulnerability.

The Evolution of Spirituality “How has your understanding of spirituality evolved? How have you integrated this understanding into your life? Have you ever faced skepticism or criticism for incorporating spirituality into your leadership? How did you stay true to yourself in the face of that?”

I grew up in a “Heinz 57” mix of Christian denominations—baptized Armenian Anglican, raised Episcopalian, confirmed in that church, and taught about Jesus by my Southern Baptist grandmother. My first marriage introduced me to Catholicism, but I became a Jesus follower in 2015 after a deliverance session. I’ve unapologetically woven faith into leadership, naming our company’s foundation Wings Like Eagles from Isaiah 40. When selling our business, some called me a “Jesus freak” for officing at an evangelical church, serving humbly after years in a CEO’s suite. Criticism didn’t faze me—I stayed true by prioritizing faith over ego, knowing trials brought me closer to Jesus.

FULL Q&A ON SUBSTACK HERE

OTHER PODCAST PLATFORMS HERE