Brian Hardin - Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything for You

T o write a book requires great commitment, much refinement, and a generous amount of encouragement. Although authors have something inside they want to say, it is not easy to give it voice, and it takes a community of people to actually get the job done. With that said, I would like to acknowledge the following:

Jesus. You are the inspiration. Life will never be the same because you simply refused to stop pursuing my heart.

My wife, Jill, has been on my journey every step of the way as I have been on hers. Together we share the adventure of life. In Yiddish there is the word, Bashert. It means that it was meant to be that one has found a soulmate. Not everyone finds his or hers. I did.

My children, Tyler, Cristian, China, and Maxwell, have been the greatest of my gifts from God. The stories I tell in this book are stories of transformation from one person to another because of Scripture. I was a very driven and selfish person in pursuit of his own kingdom in younger days. Nothing shows a man the patience and love of the heavenly Father found in the Bible like the love one has for his children. I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

The Rev. Edward and Rosalie Hardin made this possible through their love and commitment to one another. Although my father has passed, my mom remains a constant reminder of what grace looks like in the world. I owe most everything to the goodness of my parents.

My brother Jaymey is a strong man of character and has inspired and encouraged me throughout my life. I send my love to him and his wife, Lindsay.

My friend Brad Mathias has been a comrade born for the battle for the last decade.

My friend Rob Tate has been one of the most stalwartly loyal people I have ever known.

The Daily Audio Bible team is an integral part of my day-to-day life now. Those of you who have so willingly given yourselves to this mission are truly loved. In particular I thank our moderators, Tara, Leslie, Debbie, Tom, Kellie, and Bonnie. I thank my assistant and community engagement guru, SarahJane. Nobody coordinates like SJ. Thanks to our missions directors, Mike and Jennifer Greenberg (and I should say that Mike has been an irreplaceable part of the team in getting the word out about this book and the Daily Audio Bible in general). Thanks to our techies, Chet and Rob, and everyone who remains unspoken here. Id need to write tens of thousands of names down to thank everyone because weve done something for which there were no manuals; we created a community wrapped around the globe that feels more like a family than anything else.

Thanks to the Four Winds Mission and WindFarm Caf community. You are the localized grounding to all of this. The journey has been made more complete because of you. I love you. Ill fight for you as youve fought for me. Community is something that must be contended for, and in this you have done well, my brothers and sisters.

There are a few people who have been mentors and truly influential people in my life either by their books or by their actual presence in my life. They number too many to count, but a few cannot go unmentioned. The Rev. Dale Evrist, who was my pastor for seventeen years and remains a true father in the faith to me, made me want to be a godly man. The first mentor I ever had in the creative arts was Bernard Terry. I could never have developed these gifts without his encouragement and faith. The writings of John Eldredge and the friendship of the Ransomed Heart team have been irreplaceable. Ive been mentored from afar by these men, and I must speak their names here in gratitude: John, Craig, Morgan, Bart, and Alex. Thank you for modeling community and going after the hearts of men and women all over the world. My heart is fully alive because of your toil.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to the team at Zondervan and my literary agent, Greg. Thank you, Angela Scheff, for originally believing in this project and for the first edit. Thank you, Sandy Vander Zicht, for personally taking the manuscript from something good to something great with masterful skill and for seeing that these words were worth saying. Thank you, Amy Ballor, for your work on editing what Id spoken aloud into words that could be read on the printed page on the Bible portion of this project. Thank you, Tom Dean, for your marketing skill. Thank you, Jackie Aldridge, for fighting to get the story told. Thank you, Verlyn Verbrugge, for the final touches and words of great encouragement.

Finally, thank you for reading this. My deepest joy would be that this book gives you the desire for a relationship with the Bible. I believe if followers of Jesus would commit themselves to the daily counsel of the Bible, there is little that cant be done. May we move ever closer to that day.

Brian Hardin