Welcome to the Hope in the Madness Blog! I am Gary Ackert, the author of Hope in the Madness. I struggled with addiction most of my life and have worked with many who have also struggled with addiction. I have experienced many things during my journey. Some positive, some negative. I have been accepted with my addiction by some and hurt by others. I have been accepted by some Christians and pushed away by others.
It was through my experiences with others suffering from addiction and my experiences with the Church that God prompted me to write this book. I have been a Christian for many years and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t stop living out my addictions. I found the Church wasn’t much help to me, either. I began to wonder if there was any hope for me to find the life I longed to live.
I began to take another look at the Gospel to see what it really was all about. I found it had more to offer than just “Jesus saved me from my sins.” It offers the life I longed to find. It spoke about God, who created us for relationship with Him, saw that relationship broken by sin, and the length He went to restore his relationship with us. I found God places a worth, value, and sense of dignity that is independent of anything I do.
I know for many their experience with the Church and the Gospel has been negative and hurtful. I offer an apology for my brothers and sisters who have hurt you. You did not deserve it. I created this blog to be a safe place for you talk or write about your experiences. I want to hear your stories. I also want to hear stories of those have been helped by the Church. I want to hear about your positive experiences with the Church. What helped you?
I encourage you to read my book. It presents the Gospel in a different light. It presents it as a demonstration of God’s love for us and the length He willingly went to show it. It is about restoration and redemption. It holds out an offer for a new life, not just for those who suffer from addiction, but to all who want freedom from their old life of guilt and shame. Read it and find the life you always wanted.
Gary Ackert, Author 