men praying at PK conference

Jesus Our Redeemer

In Articles, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Stories by Kirk Giles

Forgiven. Restored. Bought Back. Redeemed.

I am so humbled and amazed at how God shows up at our meetings. At a recent event one of our volunteers, Deneise, shared with me how God, through Promise Keepers Canada, changed her husband, her marriage, and the spiritual climate of their home. I knew I needed to share her story with you.


Brian grew up in a Christian home, but when he turned 16 he started skipping church and soon after stopped going altogether. He got involved in a relationship and had a child, but eventually the relationship ended, and Brian was single again. He lived his life like a lot of us men do — living for himself.

Brian met Deneise, they dated and eventually got married. Although she loved him, Deneise felt she had compromised on some things when she married him. Brian didn’t attend church with her, and Deneise discovered that he was secretly smoking weed and getting high. For 5 years this was a major issue in their marriage. Brian didn’t mind Deneise going to church, as long as he could stay at home and smoke up.

Deneise believed that prayer changes things, so she prayed for Brian to change. She had a prayer closet with a wall where she posted her prayers. One of her prayers was for Brian to get saved along with his drug dealer. She was diligent in prayer and trusted God.

One day Brian said he wanted to go to church with her. He liked the pastor and continued to attend church. When he began asking questions about baptism, Deneise secretly started bringing an extra set of clothes for Brian, just in case. A couple of weeks later he got baptised!

Even though he was saved, Deneise wanted Brian to step into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Just attending church on Sundays would not solve the problem — Brian was still addicted to smoking weed.

So Deneise continued to pray…

Brian and Deneise were in Ottawa visiting with a friend when Promise Keepers was mentioned. A group of men from church were going to the conference, and they invited Brian to join them.

So he went. Brian came back on Friday evening so excited about the experience and messages he heard at the conference. Deneise hadn’t seen him like this before, and Saturday turned out to be even better!

When Brian came home, he told Deneise that they needed to make some changes. At first she was a bit scared, but those changes were an answer to her prayers!

  • Brian stopped smoking weed, cold turkey.
  • He started reading the Bible daily with Deneise.
  • He began his own personal devotions with the Lord every morning.
  • He now shares his story with people at work and listens to worship music.
  • He started volunteering at church and at Promise Keepers events.

A total change!


As Deneise told me their story, her eyes welled up with tears when she expressed how amazing her God was to redeem her husband and heal her marriage.
I wanted to share this story of God’s goodness with you, so you would know the impact your prayers and support are making in families across Canada. When men follow Jesus, it improves families, churches, and communities.

There are a lot of men like Brian out there. Can I encourage you to pray for them, invite them to our events, share our resources, and to support our ministry financially?

God hears our prayers. Jesus is our Redeemer!

About
Kirk Giles
Kirk Giles is the co-lead pastor of Forward Church in Cambridge, ON. He was formerly the President of Impactus (when it was known as Promise Keepers Canada). However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel. He is also the author of The Seasons of Fatherhood.
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Kirk Giles
Kirk Giles is the co-lead pastor of Forward Church in Cambridge, ON. He was formerly the President of Impactus (when it was known as Promise Keepers Canada). However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel. He is also the author of The Seasons of Fatherhood.