MADE CLEAN

The True Story of a Man’s Spiritual Awakening from the Oppressive Grip of Destitution and Addiction

Thirty-plus years of slavery to addiction, homelessness, and unspeakable abuse would be a soul-crushing defeat for most, but for Charles Knuckles, there was only one way out: through Jesus Christ.

As a rescued, recovered addict, Charles tells his story of the unembellished and brutal truth behind some of the most evil parts of society. Orphaned at two years old and raised on the hard streets of the “Badlands” of Philadelphia, he grappled with physical and sexual abuse, racism, and the loss of his parents. Shuttled from foster home to foster home, navigating the racial and civil unrest of the sixties, he soon found solace in alcohol. As a young man, desperate to escape his constant loneliness, Charles joined the Navy and Heroin became his new medicine of choice.

After years of homelessness, addiction, and no true human connection, Charles found himself in a hospital with a bullet wound in the back of his head and cocaine in his pocket. After refusing treatment, he went home to get high and end it all...but God intervened. Charles' personal journey and tools for conquering addiction and trauma will provide you with the hope, clarity, and guidance to have your own true awakening.

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“My earliest memories were of being beaten, starved, neglected, and abused in poverty-stricken foster homes.

Memories of the hurts and pains, the dreams destroyed—often literally beat out of me by foster parents, street thugs and bullies”

Image left: My sister and I with our birth mother shortly prior to her death.

The Content

Preface

Part One: My Story

  1. Different and Unlovable

  2. Childhood Terror

  3. Torn Between Reality and Possibility

  4. 1968

  5. Highs and Lows

  6. Into Oblivion

8. Out of Darkness

9. Life in the Church

10. The Miracle of AA

11. Surprised by Grace

12. Spiritual Life

13. Childhood Trauma in Vulnerable Adults 

14. The Fight for Emotional Maturity

15. A Complete Recovery Program

16. Tools for Recovery — Tools for Life

17. Money and Stewardship

18. Maintaining Good Health

19. Mastering the Mundane

20. A Final Word

 

“His raw engaging story intermixed with profound biblical counsel is a perfect read for those on their way to sobriety, those in the struggle to stay sober, and those who care about their friends being damaged by addiction.”

Barney Wiget | Author, Reaching Rahab

“This book couldn’t come at a more poignant time. With everything going on in our world we need Charles’s powerful story of redemption and hope.  This book is an incredible reminder that even when the world gives up on people God never does. I hope you enjoy Made Clean and share it with those who need to be reminded of hope!”

Nolan Lee | Pastor & Award-winning Artist & Illustrator

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