At the core of every human being is a need for something to believe in. At the core of every marriage is a compelling force moving them forward, we call this Hope. The premise of this book is that real hope in our marriage begins first, with a foundation of knowing Jesus and then utilizing multiple strategies to build on that foundation to have a continuing hope filled marriage. Couples or individuals that read this book will hear the author's own story of divorce, and subsequent miraculous reconciliation. The author's share personal examples and strategies that were used with God's help to rebuild, reconcile, strengthen and pursue hope in our marriage. The book will leave readers with many practical and biblical action plans and ideas to combat hopelessness in marriage. There are many books out there that give steps to a successful marriage or lay out theoretical concepts not easily identified with by the average person. This book is different because it addresses the fundamental need of every couple; the need for Hope. It is a powerful true life story of the reconciliation of the author's who were divorced and subsequently remarried. Their journey is a journey of lasting hope that offers timeless and effective strategies that can be implemented immediately by any person. This book is not a sugar coated feel good approach to marriage, It provides some difficult but tested approaches to real life marriage dilemmas ranging from negative words to adultery. It is a practical and viable book that can be read and applied immediately. It is not for couples that want to stay at a mediocre level of intimacy in their relationship because it uncovers the potential barriers to a deeper more hopeful marriage and gives challenges for couples to grapple with in order to build hope and forgive pain.
About the Author: Kevin is an entrepreneur and has owned and operated six different companies. He is a dreamer capable of making his dreams reality, as well as a visionary who has achieved many of his personal and business life goals. He is an avid outdoorsman and elk hunter who raised elk in the past. While he has no formal education in counseling, he does have much experience as a small group leader, Bible study leader, marriage group leader, and conference host and speaker. He desires for men to become in tune with themselves and able to be honorable and respectable, not just in their business lives, but more importantly in their homes as the spiritual leader. In 1998, he had a miraculous recovery from alcoholism and a selfish lifestyle. He was a broken person who was at the end of his rope and turned to God for his lifeline. Since that time he has battled to put a life of rage, selfishness, and complacency behind him. He fought the battle to win his ex-wife back like a true warrior, but came to a point where he knew that because he had walked out on her he may end up living without her. He persevered with the help of many praying people, and eventually won her over. He has spent the last ten years relentlessly pursuing real life lasting change within himself by dedicating himself to be a protector, a provider, and a defender of his family. He is a work in progress and is dedicated to a lifestyle of honor. Christine has a Master's degree in social work with an emphasis on family counseling, and has training as mediator, arbitrator, and family group conference leader. She has a variety of work experience including probation officer for domestic abuse and sexual abuse cases. She was also a guardian for neglected and abused children in the system as well as a teacher and presenter for a parents' divorce class. She has conducted multiple parenting assessments and evaluations, developing and recommending parenting plans to the court on behalf of parents. Her work experience is extremely diverse and has exposed her to multiple family issues. She has served alongside Kevin in leading small groups, Bible studies, and hosting conferences. She desires for women to find true security in a relationship with Christ and to realize that their identity does not come from feeling loved or feeling romantic, but from being true to whom God has created them to be. In 1998, she had to battle with alcohol and depression and it felt like a losing battle. Unlike Kevin, she did not have a miraculous recovery and faced many years of fighting with her thoughts, unhealthy patterns, and expectations and her bent toward intellectualizing and analyzing her life events. She came to a point where she realized that her childhood pain, along with her devastating life choices had caused her to retreat into a shell of a hard, angry, closed person. With lots of unconditional love, support and counseling; she is a person dedicated to maintaining her God given strengths and talents, while being a woman of humility who serves her family in love. In June 2008, we moved to a 35 acre plot of land north of Canon City, Colorado to build a retreat home dedicated to the ministry of marriage reconciliation. The vision is for Mountain Haven Marriage Ministry and Reconciliation Home to officially open the doors of the ministry home in 2009. Currently we are in the process of getting plans drawn for this retreat home. God is bringing all the details together to make this dream, that we were given over seven years ago, a true reality.