Brad's Story (From Hope Gospel Mission)

EAU CLAIRE, Wis.

   Around the age of sixteen some events occurred in my life that would challenge my honesty and integrity. 
   Relationships, as I had known them, changed radically. Trust, faith, and belief in mankind were completely destroyed. Misunderstandings, misuse of power and authority, coupled with disbelief, anger, and rebellion left me to rely on myself. My relationship with Jesus Christ became one-sided. The next thirty-five years of my life could be best described as selfish and self-righteous. I built walls around myself and every necessary relationship. This included wives, children, employers and God; I had become a self-proclaimed agnostic. It was this self-centeredness that turned wives into ex-wives, turned children into “kids,” and turned many employers into ex-employers. All of the loss, misery, anger and shame were blame-shifted towards God.
   There were countless attempts of recovery made on my part; many of these attempts were required because of a relationship I had unwillingly formed with local, state, and federal authorities. I went to these rehabs with the intentions of completing them just to get everyone off my back. Some of these attempts did produce what society would define as a successful “recovery” since I had attained employment, met all judicial requirements, and in society’s eyes was now “rehabilitated.” 
   This all looked wonderful from ...

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