Four years ago, I touched my, then 12 years old, step daughter inappropriately. She asked me to, and I didn't say no. We forgave each other shortly afterwards and agreed it could never happen again. It hasn't--not ever. I love my wife and both of my step daughters (I call them MY girls). Recenetly, this event came to light. I was arrested and removed from my home. My wife and girls love me dearly and want me to come back home. They understand that this was a mistake and not an ongoing pattern of behavior. I don't know why I did it, but I do know all of the hurt it has caused my family. I have been depressed enough over the past several years, over this, to consider suicide. Court isn't until April, and I can't even talk to my kids until after that, assuming I stay out of jail. At that point I will not have seen or talked to my girls in over 4 months. My wife sees me every day and calls me multiple times daily. She has been such a great help through all of this--I call her my life-raft. I miss being home and I miss seeing my girls. Please pray that the court will see how much we all love each other and how good we are for each other. Let them see my heart and my mind, to know that I'm not a pedophile, like so many others they have to deal with. Pray that we will be reunited soon and that, through this, we can become even stronger and closer than ever. Thank you.

I want you to know there is hope. I've known families reunited with the Court's permission after such incidents. It takes time and a lot of prayer. We'll be praying for you. The latest one I know of was separated for almost a year before they were allowed to re-unite.

Doc,
Throughout life we are tempted with many things and we often give in to those temptations. The devil tends to strike where we're weakest, because he knows the soft spots. He watches and probes us until he finds that opportune moment to attack. You gave into temptation at a critical time and you did something foolish, but you realize it and I'm sure you have sought forgiveness from God and your family.

You're not alone in sin and despair. I always find comfort in the Psalms, because David sinned and experienced all kinds of pain and sorrow. But in those words, I always find hope:

"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; 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 40:1-2

I've suffered because of my own sins and shortcomings and I pray to God daily to strengthen me where I'm weak. We are all transparent before God -- He sees our struggles in life. And praise Him, God provides us with the means to protect ourselves. I encourage you to keep the following passage in mind during the coming months:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:10-17

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." - 2 Corinthians 10:4

Not only does God provide us with the armor/shield to brace for attacks, but He gave us one offensive weapon as well...the sword of the Spirit. Read your Bible and talk with God daily. God tells us to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." When the devil does return to tempt you, depress you, or to stand in your way...you can resist him. I say all of this because you do have a tough road ahead of you and you need to be prepared. The devil loves to kick us when we're down -- I can definitely tell you some stories that back that statement up. But take heart Doc, God will be there for you.

I will be praying for you and your family in the coming months. Please keep in touch.

Thank you all for the prayers. My counsellor says he sees a huge improvement in my mental status and my wife sees it too. She also told me that my daughter's counsellor has seen improvement in her as well. My wife went on to tell me that my daughter hasn't cut herself in a week. Praise God. I have prayed so much in the last few years, and even more in the last few months, and finally I can see the light. God is working in our lives every day and I thank Jesus for that. I know that there will be bad days ahead, but I can now see that there will be many more joyous ones. The day I can go home will come, maybe not as fast as I want, but it will come. Until then, I will pray unceasingly and keep up my faith. Your continued prayer is appreciated. Love.

You have our prayers. Please keep us posted as court dates come around and as things happen, so we'll know how to continue to pray.