FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
A N D N OW T H ES E T H R E E R E M A I N :
Faith, hope + love. love. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:13
B U T T H E G R E AT E S T
OF THESE IS
Thank You!
From all of us at Back to the Bible Canada, thank you for helping us reach our December year-end financial goal of $400,000. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR FAITHFUL AND GENEROUS SUPPORT.
FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
CONTENTS ARTICLES Misdirected Love DR. JOHN NEUFELD Who Will Be Jesus? PHIL CALLAWAY The "Friendship" Factor STEVE WILSON The Best Way to Grow in Your Love for Others ISAAC DAGNEAU What Does it Mean to Love God? RAY DUECK
FEATURES BIBLE READING Dr. John Neufeld LOVING AGAINST THE CURRENT Interview with Kevin and Dawn Bralovich BACK TO THE BIBLE KIDS Now here! Download today!
MISDIRECTED
DR. JOHN NEUFELD is the Canadian Bible Teacher of Back to the Bible Canada, and is well known both nationally and internationally for his excellence in expositional Bible teaching. Dr. Neufeld is passionate about bringing the truth of God’s Word to life across Canada and beyond.
Apart from the matter that the Greeks had four different words for “love” and English has but one, “love” is a very difficult matter to define. However, one element of all definitions remains constant: behind all definitions of love is the matter of strong affections, or strong desires of the soul. Consider the matter of lust. Like 4 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
love, lust also has the very same element at its core: an overwhelming, even overpowering affection for something or someone. All other interests are subjugated to this one overarching desire. It might surprise Bible students to realize that the word “lust” was once used to describe our Lord Jesus
Christ. The passage in question takes place during the Last Supper. Luke 22:15 says, “And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’” The Greek word translated as “earnestly desired” is the word “epithumia.” Paul uses that same word in Romans 6:12. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” Whether the word is translated as “passion,” “lust” or “earnest desire,” it speaks of yearning or craving that is all consuming. But why would Luke, translating Jesus’ words from the Aramaic language into the Greek translation, choose the word “epithumia”? I think the answer has everything to do with both love and lust, and with the strong inclinations of our souls. Love can be both pure and profane, depending on its object. It can build a house, but it can also burn it down. It can create harmony and unity, but it can give rise to war. Contemporary western culture has built a shrine of worship at the altar of love. It is now common to advocate for any expression of sexual desire, and to argue that no one has the right to tell anyone else to whom or how they are to love. It is as if, in western culture, love by itself is considered to be a virtue. The Bible never speaks this way. Unless love is attached to virtue (or righteousness), the Bible states that love can become the foundation for great wickedness. “Love” is constantly mentioned in
Scripture. For instance, the Psalms are filled with expressions of love. In Psalm 26:8, David writes, “O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells.” Psalm 31:23 commands love. “Love the Lord, all you His saints.” Psalm 37:28 says of God, “The Lord loves justice.” But not all expressions of love are positive. Psalm 52 is a denunciation of the evil man. Verses 3-4 say, “You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.” The Bible uses the same to express both the strong inclination for what is holy as the strong inclination for that, which is wicked. Contemporary western culture has replaced the necessary connection between strong affections of the soul with morality. In its place, it has expressed the only morality that it now understands. Our culture now believes that failure to express anything that the soul loves is evil. And therefore, once passion by itself replaces righteousness, we can only expect the rise of ever greater wickedness. When love is misdirected, love becomes cruel master, enslaving the soul and leading both individuals and entire cultures to ruin. Thanks be to God for the example of Christ’s love expressed in the cross. There we see love unmistakably bound to righteousness! BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 5
DR. NEUFELD’S DAILY BIBLE READING PLAN MARCH 2018
APRIL 2018
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
“
“
Exodus 29-30; James 1 Exodus 31-33; James 2 Exodus 34-35; James 3 Exodus 36-38; James 4 Exodus 39-40; James 5 Job 1-2; 1 Corinthians 1 Job 3-4; 1 Corinthians 2 Job 5-7; 1 Corinthians 3 Job 8-10; 1 Corinthians 4 Job 11-13; 1 Corinthians 5 Job 14-16; 1 Corinthians 6 Job 17-19; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19 Job 20-21; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40 Job 22-24; 1 Corinthians 8 Job 25-27; 1 Corinthians 9 Job 28-29; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18 Job 30-31; 1 Corinthians 10:19-33 Job 32-33; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Job 34-35; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Job 36-37; 1 Corinthians 12 Job 38-40; 1 Corinthians 13 Job 41-42; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20 Proverbs 1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:21-40 Proverbs 3-5; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 Proverbs 6-7; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 Proverbs 8-9; 1 Corinthians 16 Proverbs 10-12; Titus 1 Proverbs 13-15; Titus 2 Proverbs 16-18; Titus 3 Proverbs 19-21; Hebrews 1 Proverbs 22-24; Hebrews 2
Proverbs 25-26; Hebrews 3 Proverbs 27-29; Hebrews 4 Proverbs 30-31; Hebrews 5 Leviticus 1-3; Hebrews 6 Leviticus 4-5; Hebrews 7 Leviticus 6-7; Hebrews 8 Leviticus 8-10; Hebrews 9 Leviticus 11-12; Hebrews 10:1-18 Leviticus 13; Hebrews 10:19-39 Leviticus 14; Hebrews 11:1-19 Leviticus 15-16; Hebrews 11:20-40 Leviticus 17-18; Hebrews 12 Leviticus 19-20; Hebrews 13 Leviticus 21-22; Revelation 1 Leviticus 23-24; Revelation 2 Leviticus 25; Revelation 3 Leviticus 26-27; Revelation 4 Daniel 1-2; Revelation 5 Daniel 3-4; Revelation 6 Daniel 5-7; Revelation 7 Daniel 8-10; Revelation 8 Daniel 11-12; Revelation 9 Ecclesiastes 1-3; Revelation 10 Ecclesiastes 4-6; Revelation 11 Ecclesiastes 7-9; Revelation 12 Ecclesiastes 10-12; Revelation 13 Numbers 1-2; Revelation 14 Numbers 3-4; Revelation 15 Numbers 5-6; Revelation 16 Numbers 7-8; Revelation 17
LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS, BELIEVES ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:7
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HELPING GOD’S PEOPLE MANAGE GOD’S ASSETS
India + beyond Let me take a moment to reflect on the recent history of the work in India, and then a further moment to express how God once again exceeded all expectations. BY BEN LOWELL In 2016, we shared with you the exciting news about the launch of our ministry partnership with Back to the Bible India. Since that time, we have worked together diligently to determine an effective plan moving forward, and to take action to restore and reenergize the Bible teaching ministry. There were several components to the plan. First, to provide funding for the restoration and refurbishing of the national office; this goal has since been accomplished! Second, provide new the recording technology that is required to broadcast excellent audio Bible teaching content on air, online and through multiple other mediums. The next step was to create an effective, sustainable content strategy for the Bible teaching programming itself. Back to the Bible India works together with the Canadian office to provide unique content for the India broadcast from Dr. John Neufeld’s Bible teaching. In support of the program and to engage the local pastors and leaders with effective Bible teaching instruction, Back to the Bible India directed Back to the Bible Canada in a series of expositional Bible teaching conferences in 2017. The success and 8 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
attendance at these events caused us to commit to two additional events in both Delhi and Hyderabad in 2018. Many of you reading this article provided funding for pastors throughout India to attend, and we pray you will do likewise as we draw close to these events this June. Finally, as a part of our initial plans, we were able to fund the development of a new Back to the Bible India website, providing an up-to-date, user-friendly location for people across India to access all of the Bible teaching resources available, including Dr. Neufeld’s audio Bible teaching program. The spiritual rewards and benefits along the way have been so energizing. Both Dr. Neufeld and myself have been privileged to speak and share at churches of all sizes; in turn, we’ve been blessed by so many who share an incredible passion for God and His Word. I want to share one remarkable story from when I was given the opportunity to speak at a church in Hyderabad. As I was invited to come forward to share the message, I noticed the number people in the congregation who were holding Bibles in their hands. I asked for those who had brought their Bibles to raise them high above their heads. To my delight, it must have been some 95% of those in attendance who enthusiastically thrust their Bibles toward the sky! There is a deep passion for the Word amongst Christians in India, a fertile soil for God’s Word to be taught and to take root. We are so grateful to God for the wonderful opportunity we have to
stand with our brothers and sisters in India for this great cause. We give great thanks to God for the many who have joined us across Canada to make this project a success. Your gifts, prayers and encouragement have and will continue to make a profound difference in the journey of brothers and sisters in Christ across that country. However, there was a hiccup not too long ago. Due to growing restrictions on Christian content, we were caused to come off the air. What we had rejoiced about – all the work that had been accomplished – seemed to come to a sudden stop. This was discouraging for the leadership in both India and Canada, and caused great uncertainty as to what would follow. Should we be resolved to become an exclusively online ministry? How would such a change impact the opportunity to reach the masses? Now, you would have thought at this stage in my journey I would have known that God had a plan in mind, a plan that far exceed any of our forethought or expectations. In the midst of our disappointment, God transformed the good into something great! In October of 2017, a new broadcast agreement was made with a short wave provider. Not only would the Bible teaching ministry of Back to the Bible India reach the entire country, but now far beyond to countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Eastern China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts of Iran. Contact has been made from listeners in countries such as Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania and
Andaman Nicobar. It’s one thing to say we have a broad reach; it’s a greater thing to know firsthand that Back to the Bible India is actually hearing from listeners impacted by the ministry! This is incredibly exciting news! God is at work, and together we are privileged to play a small part. As the impact of this ministry continues to grow, may we be bold enough to ask for your continued, generous financial support. The cost of our partnership with Back to the Bible India for 2018 will be approximately $75,000. We believe God has directed us to this partnership for a purpose, and that the Word of God is being successfully taught in regions in need of hearing the gospel. This month, would you make an extra commitment to Back to the Bible Canada to support this great international ministry effort? Your gift to maintain the Bible teaching programming air time, or to allow the maximum of pastors to attend the upcoming Bible teaching conferences in June, or to become an International Efforts Monthly Partner would mean so much to these ongoing ministry efforts. Let me leave you with the words of Anil Kumar, Associate Director of Back to the Bible India: "The lifegiving, Bible-centred messages on radio reach out to spiritually thirsty people in India and beyond, crossing all barriers. Truly the efforts are highly appreciated in leading people into a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ." God is about doing something that exceeds our expectations. Thank you for joining with us for His purpose! BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 9
WHO WILL BE JESUS?
PHIL CALLAWAY is an author and host of Laugh Again Radio. He has five grandchildren. They wear name tags.
I have been guilty of judging others. Of waggling my finger and wrinkling my forehead. I’ve passed judgement on teens who wear their pants too low. Or grandpas who wear their pants too high. Unfortunately, we Christians aren’t always known for being gracious. But I’ve yet to hear a young guy say, “My life changed for the better when this grumpy old geezer told me to cut my hair and turn down my music.” Thank 10 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
God I did have some gracious, farsighted older people in my life who chose to look past my many faults and encourage my strengths. After visiting a rough, inner-city church, a man approached the pastor with a frown. “Pastor, I saw some of your band members behind the building smoking cigarettes.” The pastor’s eyes grew wide. “Are you sure it was cigarettes?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied the visitor. “That’s great news,” said the pastor. “Last week they were smoking something worse.” Now, I was a pack-a-day smoker when I was 10. Just for one day. I’m not in favour of smoking, but I am in favour of loving those who struggle with it. I have a friend who loves Jesus deeply and smokes like a forest fire. We laugh together when I tell him what my mom told me: “Smoking won’t send you to hell. It’ll just make you smell like you’ve been there.” But the last thing he needs is my judgement. In fact, he’s told me how much the care and encouragement of friends is helping him kick the habit. Three years ago, a young girl we knew became pregnant. She wasn’t married and my first thought was one of judgment. When I told my wife, she went out and bought the cutest baby clothes and we gave them to this
precious girl. Two weeks ago, the tears wouldn’t stop coming down my face as she told her story in church. When she became pregnant, she felt guilty and condemned. But thanks to the love and acceptance shown by Christian friends and a miraculous answer to prayer, she came to faith in Jesus. The father of the baby is now her husband. He has come to Jesus too. Bruce Carroll sings about a woman who only knew the kind of love she buys and sells. “But her thirsty heart is searching for a love that will be true, the Saviour cries for her to see Himself in me and you. Who will be Jesus to her? Who'll show the love that commanded in His Word? Will she see in us the mighty God we serve? Who will be Jesus to her?” Is there someone in your life could use less judgement and more love today? Let’s put down the gavel and bring some joy into this hurting world.
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THE “FRIENDSHIP” FACTOR
BY STEVE WILSON My wife Lois and I do enjoy attending the weddings of our kids’ friends. I have even had the honour of being the minister at some of them. Sitting with the young couples and hearing their story is fun! They are overflowing with ideas and plans and dreams and blossoming love. They understand that their marriage involves big commitment and includes big ingredients. They want to celebrate each other, they want to protect each other, they want to serve each other, they want to grow their love and relationship. I interject somewhere in the conversation to tell them to remember to say “I like you” to each other. This causes a pause with an almost audible “well, duh!!” moment. Then I ask, Why do you LIKE each other? Why are you friends? There are great answers and then I remind them of why friendship is so important. 12 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
A real friendship is a trusting relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem and affection. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other. Friends want what is best for each other. There is sympathy and empathy. It includes gracious honesty and mutual understanding. Ingredients include fun, laughter, acceptance, adventure, truth, grace, support and availability. That is pretty intimate. Who wouldn’t want that as part of their marriage? Additionally, the “Friendship Factor” is more than your friendship in your marriage; it is the value your other friendships bring as well. There are things we enjoy doing that our spouse may not - my wife does not play hockey and I am not going to join her book
club – but we are pleased that each other has those friends that do. A great gift is other couples that we both enjoy. Having a small group of couples that enjoys being together is rich and adds value to our own marriage. Having people that can be counted on is priceless. Knowing they can count on us is deeply affirming. It is great to have real friends and be a real friend. So, back to marriage. Remember to say “I like you!” Don’t be afraid to respond with “Why?” and have a great response when you are asked. Talk about your friends – not in a gossipy way – be thankful for them and see the richness they bring to your life and marriage. Find lots of ways to laugh together and find ways to make each other smile. C. S. Lewis in his The Four Loves, writes: "To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life
and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it.” Don’t neglect the friendship in your marriage! And so, with a smirk on your face, a glint in your eye look your spouse in the eye, and with the right tone in your voice, say “I like you!”
Steve has been married to Lois for 30 years. They have 2 grown and married children and 2 grandsons with another on the way. Steve has been on staff at Focus on the Family Canada for 20 years and serves as Director of Development.
60 years later, join founder Theodore Epp and Dr. John Neufeld as they team up to present a unique series of Bible teaching messages. Together they celebrate the ministry of Back to the Bible Canada and it’s continuing legacy of Bible teaching with accuracy, clarity and passion. 60 years have passed, but the mission remains the same!
Call 1.800.663.2425 to receive your FREE COPY or visit backtothebible.ca Additional copies are $8 (SHIPPING + TAXESBACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA INCLUDED) | 13
THE BEST WAYTO GROW IN YOUR LOVE FOR OTHERS
ISAAC DAGNEAU is the Ministr y Manager of indoubt, the young adult ministr y of Back to the Bible Canada. indoubt discusses relevant issues of life and faith with a biblical perspective through a weekly audio program, articles and Bible studies.
Loving others is not an option. Jesus clearly lays out the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Numerous Christians and churches break it down in four helpful words: Love God, love people. In many ways, it’s the Christian mantra. For the purpose of this short article, I would like to suggest something we can do to help us with the latter part – loving people. [As a side note, I believe whole-heartedly that loving God must come first (as Jesus says), and that true love for others flows out of one’s love of God.] Anyways, here’s my suggestion for every Christian who would like to grow in their love for others. It’s called friendship. Or, to be more specific, biblical friendship. In a conversation I had with a Christian 14 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
counsellor who’s written on this, he defined this relationship as one that centres on Christ – where the two individuals are seeking to become more like Him. This is profoundly different than many of our conceptions of friendship. Most of our definitions fall short, as they generally comprise of things like “mutual hobbies/interests,” “encouragement,” and sometimes “accountability.” There’s nothing wrong with those things; in fact, they’re good! But there’s so much more. Enjoying someone’s presence because they like the same movies you like or because they encourage you when you’re feeling discouraged is great, but how deep and how far can that go? You see, we can start growing significantly in our love for people when we start building friendships that imitate the sacrifice, compassion and fearlessness of Jesus Christ. By fearlessness, I mean that you’re not afraid to rebuke your friend when they think, speak, or act not in a Christ-like way. Those
three
things
–
sacrifice,
compassion and fearlessness – in the context of biblical friendship will birth in you a greater love for others. How? Well, you’ll constantly be needing to practice them! If you take friendship seriously, it won’t take long until you need to sacrifice something (time, energy, money, etc.). It won’t be long before some compassion is needed. And there will surely come a time when you will need to lay aside your fear of rejection and rebuke your friend for their sin. The more these unnatural actions are practiced, the more comfortable they become. As a final thought, look around at our world today. Most problems we see and experience directly involve relationships. How many of these relational issues that you see exercise sacrifice, compassion, and fearlessness
on a regular basis – or even at all? I would think not very many. Imagine with me if the universal church started encouraging and promoting biblical friendships? Imagine if your local church prioritized this? Imagine if you started a biblical friendship today? May these words from Jesus in John 15:12-13 go with you as you consider building friendships that centre around Him:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
"IF YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN, IS IT OKAY TO CONSUME MARJIUANA RECREATIONALLY?” To some, this may seem outrageous. But to others, it’s a very valid question. What exactly does the Bible have to say about this?
Thursday Feb 22 @ 7pm Clova Theatre Surrey BC
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE GOD?
BY RAY DUECK
We are told in Mark 12:30 that we are to love God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength.” In 1 John 2:3-5, it says that if we say we know or love Him, then we “will keep or obey His commandments.” That same passage further states that “whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” In 1 John 2:7, it mentions ”loving our brother” as further proof of our love for God. Scripture is clear on what it means to love God. If we Love God, then this love is to be an undivided love, the top priority in our lives which doesn’t allow other things to crowd Him out. We show this love by obeying and keeping all of His commands, believing all of His Word, and loving our fellow brothers and sisters who are believers; when there are misunderstandings, patience and forgiveness are extended 16 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
in love. What does it mean to love God? For a believer living in a country like Ethiopia, Iraq or Iran, it may mean the sacrifice of education, a good job, the possibility of being driven out of their home and even the threat of death by the hands of their parents or neighbours. Elizabeth Elliot quoted a prayer that Betty Scott Stam had prayed early in her life, showing what it meant for her to love God. She prayed, "Lord, I give up all my plans and purposes, all my desires and hopes, and I accept Your will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to You to be Yours forever. Use me as you will, send me where You will work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever." She died for her faith while a missionary in China.
Jim Elliot, a 20-year-old college student, wrote in his diary, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.� He could not have known that he would receive a real answer. He was killed by the hands of Ecuadorian Indians to whom he had gone with the Gospel. Not many of us, however, will be asked to pay that ultimate price because we follow Christ. What does it mean for us to love God? I believe it means that we turn our lives over unconditionally again and again to God, continually placing Him in charge of our lives.
For most reading this article, the question is not "do you love God enough that you would die for Him?" as no one is holding a gun to your head, demanding you deny Christ. However, the question that comes to us today is, "Can we live for Him today, no matter what the cost, no matter how hard it may be, no matter what comes our way?" I pray you can! On the front leaf of my Bible, I have written these words as a reminder of what it means for me to love God: "I will live for Him with no reserve, no retreat, no regret and no retirement." Amen!
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LOVING AGAINST THE CURRENT:
A TRUE STORY OF RESTORATION AND RECONCILIATION
ISAAC DAGNEAU is the Ministry Manager of indoubt, the young adult ministry of Back to the Bible Canada. indoubt discusses relevant issues of life and faith with a biblical perspective through a weekly audio program, articles and Bible studies.
Last year Dr. John Neufeld recorded a series entitled, “Celebrating Marriage,” where he had multiple guests give testimonies on marriage and relationship. One of those conversations was with Kevin and Dawn Bralovich. Let us briefly share their story with you. Kevin and Dawn fell in love – not an unusual way for a story of marriage to begin. Dawn had become a new Christian. Kevin, however, hadn’t, yet he put on a “God-façade.” They got engaged – the first step towards a happy marriage. Well, almost. A week before they walked down the aisle, Kevin got high on crystal meth. This quickly turned into an addiction – an addiction that Dawn, his wife, 18 | FEBRUARY + MARCH 2018
wasn’t aware of. Through a series of events, she finally came to the realization, “My husband is an addict.” Even though family and friends told her to get out, she wouldn’t. She said, “I’m a product of divorce. I don’t believe in it. I know I was meant to stick it out.” Kevin ended up going into rehab, but quit within a week. And then after a few weeks of sobriety, got back into meth. Kevin spoke about their marriage at this time: “It's crumbling, and it's crumbling rapidly. Of course, we would become distant. There were times where she would realize how bad it was and actually move away, whether it would be for a weekend or weeks. We would
start this cycle of distancing ourselves from each other, but still loving each other.” They then realized Dawn was pregnant. She expressed this period of life as simply “a mess.” After trying to work through things together, Dawn decided to move to where her family was in Nova Scotia – thinking this change would improve things. She hoped that he would follow and begin anew. He did end up following, but the hope for a new life quickly vanished as he found some high school kids who got him some Ritalin. Dawn knew Kevin was off, and he, after a few weeks, headed back to British Columbia. He mentioned that he had to “chase after my first love,” the meth, even if it meant walking away from his family. Now back in BC, Kevin began racking up criminal charges – eventually bringing him to prison. And it was there that Kevin changed. After attending a church service, he was given a Gideon’s Bible. He didn’t ascribe one verse that changed him, but just an inner sense that God and His Word were true. He said, “I just knew that there was truth coming out of there. God’s Word says that it’s all truth. God was speaking into my life, and I knew God was convicting me and speaking into my heart about change and restoration.” It wasn’t long until Kevin was born again. He said to us, “I believe He took the chains of addiction right off of me.” At this point, Kevin explains this
change to Dawn. She, however, had come to a point where she was “pretty disgusted by him.” She said, “I wasn’t in love with him anymore. In fact, I kind of hated him. I didn’t want to bring my two-year-old to visit her dad in prison for the next five years.” Yet, she didn’t let this hatred trump her commitment of love to him. She literally was loving against the current. She said, “I knew he was different. I thought, ‘Okay, I am in a marriage that I’ve committed to and I’m with someone I’m not in love with. You’ve got to help me, Lord.’” Then, in an act of God’s sovereignty, Kevin got released from prison and was able to attend rehab in Nova Scotia. This was the start of both restoration and reconciliation. Kevin said, “It was the beginning of a long road of regaining trust with her. It was a challenge for both of us, and way more for her.” Dawn expressed this challenge, for they had to “fall in love all over again.” When asked if feelings of love have returned today, she said, “Oh yeah. I love him more than I ever thought possible. He’s the best man I know.” This story of Kevin and Dawn is beautiful. It’s a story of God’s great work in great sinners. It’s a story that encourages marriages – that even when everything is crumbling to pieces, there’s hope. There’s hope that God will do what He does best: restore and reconcile. We hope you’ve been encouraged by this extraordinary story of loving against the current. BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 19
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