I never set out to write a heavy book. Honestly, I thought my first one would be something like Don’t Quit , Pivot, which I will still write. You know, a quick hit of motivation, a few personal stories, some encouragement to keep going.
But God had other plans.
What poured out of me wasn’t light. It wasn’t surface-level.
It was wreckage.
It was truth.
It was 19 years of addiction, broken dreams, busted identity, and God’s unrelenting grace pulling me out , one surrendered day at a time.
The book is called Rising from the Ruins, and that title didn’t come from branding strategy. It came from lived experience. I know what it’s like to live in the rubble of your own choices. To try to build a life on top of shame, fear, addiction, and hustle… only to watch it crumble over and over again.
I’ve lived that.
But more importantly, I’ve come through that.
The Real Story I Didn’t Know I Was Telling
When I started writing, I thought the book would mostly focus on addiction and recovery. And it does , I share the story of how God completely freed me from alcohol in 30 days after I finally surrendered it all to Him on December 26, 2007.
But as I kept writing… something deeper began to surface.
Underneath the alcohol…
Underneath the hustle…
Underneath the constant search for “the next big thing” in business…
There was something else at the root of it all:
An identity crisis.
And I didn’t even see it , not at first.
The Chapter That Changed Everything
The chapter called Identity Crisis wasn’t part of the original plan.
But once I started writing it, it wrecked me.
I realized I had been addicted to more than just substances.
I was addicted to validation.
To performance.
To proving I was enough , through success, through ministry, through the network marketing world I lived in for over two decades.
I truly believed that building a business was how I would build my purpose.
That my team was my ministry.
That success would equal worth.
But it cost me more than I ever imagined , friendships, time, peace, and even parts of myself I’m still working to recover.
In that chapter, I write:
“I thought I was doing God’s work…
But I was just selling hustle and calling it purpose.”
That one realization unlocked so many others.
I wasn’t just recovering from alcohol.
I was recovering from false identity.
From Performance to Peace
I used to believe freedom was about breaking bad habits.
Now I know it’s about breaking false labels.
Because until you know who you really are , you’ll keep performing for love, approval, belonging, and applause.
And eventually, you’ll burn out.
Or worse , you’ll lose yourself and call it ambition.
I almost did.
But God met me in the ruins. And He didn’t just free me ,
He rebuilt me.
Brick by brick.
Through surrender, honesty, healing, and grace.
What This Book Is (and What It Isn’t)
This isn’t another self-help book wrapped in hype.
It’s not a list of 10 ways to turn your life around.
And it’s definitely not a highlight reel.
It’s raw.
It’s real.
It’s drenched in tears, mistakes, grief, healing, and hope.
You’ll read about:
- The day I nearly lost everything.
- How my wife Sandy stood by me through it all (and tells her side of the story).
- The moment I gave God 30 days… and He gave me back my life.
- How MLM shaped, hurt, and eventually helped expose the deeper identity issue.
- What it really takes to rebuild after your life falls apart.
But more than anything, you’ll read about the God who meets us in our wreckage.
Not after we clean it up.
But right there , in the middle of it.
Why I Wrote It
I didn’t write this book because I had a platform.
I wrote it because I had a story I could no longer ignore.
Because I know there’s someone out there who feels like their life is too far gone…
Their past too messy…
Their faith too shaken…
Their identity too broken.
If that’s you, I just want you to know:
You don’t rise around the ruins.
You rise through them.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
If You’re Ready…
If you’ve ever questioned who you are…
If you’ve ever tried to earn love or prove your worth…
If you’ve ever chased something that left you emptier than it found you…
Then this book is for you.
I believe Rising from the Ruins will speak to more than just your pain ,
I believe it’ll speak to your identity.
Not the one you built to survive…
But the one God designed to redeem.
The ruins aren’t the end. They’re just where the rebuilding begins.
Let’s rise.
Chris Benton
