The Gutter Gospel

By Mike Smith

INTRODUCTION--------------------------------------------------(I Will Praise You in This Storm)

 

I have heard it said that any life worth living is one worth recording. My life has been filled with treatments for severe alcohol addiction and several stays in mental wards. I was placed on civil commitments in two states.

 

I have suffered tremendous loss and torment due to my mental illness and addiction. I have had several major manic breaks which ended up shaking me to my very core every time. I have lived most of my life terrified of my own shadow and afraid to step into the light of God's truth and loving arms.

 

I accepted Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior on September 8, 1988. I then questioned His ability to truly make a meaningful difference in my life, so I turned back to the gutter. Through all of the drunken, heartbreaking days and nights, God never let go. God let me run as far as I could until I reached the absolute end of myself.

 

I became homeless and had nothing. I went from living in a homeless shelter to buying my own house in one year. Twenty-three veterans per day take their own lives. I hope by sharing my story I can offer hope to everyone who is hurting and struggling with their own issues. Everyone suffers. However, God uses broken people to minister to other hurting souls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Smith
• Release date: Nov 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393271765

Book preview

The Gutter Gospel———————-(Bipolar Hell-I Still Believe)

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Chapter Outline

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1.)  Born into Chaos————————————————————————————————(Little Joe)

2.) My First Bloody Gutter———————————————————————————-(Sad Eyes)

3.) The Swamp Life——————————————————————————-(Unleash the Beast)

4.) Do You Know Your Enemy?—————————————————————(Catch My Fall)

5.) Born Again———————————————————————————(Bridge of Forgiveness)

6.) Church Satan—————————————————————————————-(Blood for Booze)

7.) My Tour in Hell———————————————————————————-—(Forever Damned)

8.) Cab Confessional————————————————————————(The Suicide Solution)

9.) The Richest Man in the World———————————————————(Caged Madness)

10.) 2019 The Year in Review———————-(Forgive me Father for I have Sinned)

11.) Sea of Tears—————————————-(The Parable of the Muddy Gutter Penny)

INTRODUCTION—————————————————————————(I Will Praise You in This Storm)

I have heard it said that any life worth living is one worth recording. My life has been filled with treatments for severe alcohol addiction and several stays in mental wards. I was placed on civil commitments in two states.

I have suffered tremendous loss and torment due to my mental illness and addiction. I have had several major manic breaks which ended up shaking me to my very core every time. I have lived most of my life terrified of my own shadow and afraid to step into the light of God’s truth and loving arms.

I accepted Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior on September 8, 1988. I then questioned His ability to truly make a meaningful difference in my life, so I turned back to the gutter. Through all of the drunken, heartbreaking days and nights, God never let go. God let me run as far as I could until I reached the absolute end of myself.

I became homeless and had nothing. I went from living in a homeless shelter to buying my own house in one year. Twenty-three veterans per day take their own lives. I hope by sharing my story I can offer hope to everyone who is hurting and struggling with their own issues. Everyone suffers. However, God uses broken people to minister to other hurting souls.

I decided to purpose in my heart to give the first fruits of every day to God before I even roll out of bed. I wake up each day and praise Him in this storm by reading and praising Him for all the small things, regardless of my circumstance.

The difference has been amazing as God has begun to bless me each and every day as I focus on His word. I enjoy the long walks praying to my God just as I did when I first fell in love with Him as a baby believer.

I read Psalm 40 each day to make me smile and encourage me, I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, (or gutter). He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40:1-3a. My life has come full circle.

Now there is no over medication by my doctors, as well as severe alcohol abuse. I can once again praise my God with a clear mind and spirit.

My life story should be a shining example of exactly how not to spend your very few precious years while you are here on earth. Now I wake up each day with a renewed heart and spirit and with a clear understanding of my life’s purpose. My purpose in life was never to make a ton of money, or have all the trappings of what a successful life would include. I pursued all of that folly for years without end as a younger man, and ended up addicted and totally depressed.

Today I ask God the same thing found in Chapter 30:8-9 of Proverbs.

Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, (Like when I stole several whiskey bottles) and so dishonor the name of my God.

My life purpose and mission field is to preach the Good News of God’s salvation especially to the hurting veteran population. Twenty-three veterans a day commit suicide and die alone in their pain.

I want to offer struggling veterans a lifeline to help them understand there is true hope and love found in God. My deepest heart’s desire is to show God’s love to the hurting and let them all know that there is true freedom from their addictions and restoration of their lives through Christ.

I want all people to know that God is for them, not against them. All of heaven is cheering us on to finish our life’s race strong regardless of all of our hurts, scars, addictions, and unimaginable heart- break. God still loves you and sees you as flawless in his eyes once you believe in His son, Jesus Christ..

I want to see their captive hearts and minds set free. I want to see them heal and come to know God personally so they can find their life’s purpose. I want them and everyone in the world to understand that they are unique and a perfectly designed precious child of God.

All people need to draw close to God for healing so that they can then see themselves as God truly sees them. God sees people as hurting, flawed and desperate, people who need a daily relationship with His Son. Then they can share their story of what God did for them once they became honest about their human failures.

The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you understand why.  Mark Twain.

Lend Me Your Hope (Author Unknown)

Lend me your hope for a while; I seem to have mislaid mine.

Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me daily; pain and confusion are my companions.

I