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During her morning meditation time one day last April,
Retha Ezell looked outside her window and saw a pair
of mourning doves. For over a year, she had been
contemplating a theme for her abstinence ministry, and
when she spotted the doves, a concept clicked,
"Love like a dove. " Not knowing much about
doves, Ezell researched their characteristics. What
she discovered affirmed her selection: Doves mate for
life. Before mating, doves have a ceremonial
courtship. After the courtship, the doves find a nest
together. The female lays two eggs, and both parents
share equally in the responsibility of sitting on the
eggs and providing for their young.
"If birds can exhibit that kind of exemplary
behavior, then why can't we? " Ezell thought to
herself.
With her theme in place, Ezell was ready to move
forward with her idea of "Bible Birth Control,
" a prescription for sexual purity designed to
give young people the spiritual tools needed to lead
lives of abstinence until marriage. Her abstinence
ministry, Abstinence Best Choice Ministries, Inc. ,
has been slowly coming together in the last two years.
Ezell's jobs have put her in contact with young
people for over 25 years. She has worked as an
assistant youth director for 15 years at Usher's
Temple CME Church in Ft. Valley. Her job over the last
ten years has been with Educational Talent Search at
Fort Valley State University. It is a federally funded
program geared toward assisting students from grades
six through twelve in academic achievement and
character building.
"The Lord has laid a burden on my heart for
young people. In my work with youth, I have seen many
teenage pregnancies and heard the young people's
candid comments about sex, and it has become more and
more burdensome for me. One particular incident stands
out in my mind as the moment I realized I had to do
something to uproot the perils of sexual immorality. I
had a promising young student who had just graduated
from the sixth grade, and when I looked for her at
school the next year, she wasn't there. When I asked
about her, I was told she was pregnant. I was shocked,
and I remember praying for her as I stood in the
classroom. It is painful to consider how many young
people are faced with the prospect of raising a child
and not being able to finish school. The word
abstinence just started coming to my mind. "
Ezell credits the Lord with giving her the concept of
using a medication kit with the pill-box slots used to
hold Bible verses.
"I ordered 1,000 kits from a medical supply
company and began. Each kit contains pop-out trays for
each day of the week, Sunday through Saturday. Four
slots (morning, noon, evening, and bedtime) are each
filled with a memory verse from the Bible reinforcing
a life of purity. A daily meditation booklet is
included with a Bible theme for each day of the week.
In the booklet, readers are encouraged to accept Lord
Jesus into their hearts, to dedicate their lives to
Christ by signing an abstinence commitment card, and
to help spread the message of abstinence, "Love
like a dove. " Ezell said.
Since it is a "medication" kit, Ezell has
included a "A Message from the Great
Physician" which reads: "This medication is
user friendly. It is especially helpful to young boys,
girls, women, and men ages 9 and up. No dose is too
large or too small. However, the larger the dose, the
more effective it is. Don't fret. You cannot overdose,
but you may experience certain side effects: Love,
Joy, Hope, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness,
Faith, Meekness, and Temperance.
These are indications that a divine healing or a
powerful deliverance has occurred. Praise God! You
have been restored to spiritual health. To remain in
good spiritual health, call me anytime day or night
for an instant refill.
"I AM" always available. " Also
included in the kit is a CD with the theme song,
"Spread the Word: Love Like a Dove. "
Written by Ezell and musically arranged by her
son-in-law, Dahl Moss, the theme song is performed in
a catchy, hip-hop style.
"I'd like to put the abstinence message in
young people's minds using "Spread the Word: Love
Like a Dove's" catchy lyrics and music rather
than the worldly messages that today's secular music
gives, " Ezell said.
Ezell wants the chance to teach young people that
with the help of a strong mind and spirit, they can
delay having sex until marriage. Equipped with Bible
Birth Control kits as ammunition against sexual sin,
Ezell plans to do abstinence workshops in churches,
organizations, and in schools.
For more information on the Bible
Birth Control Kits or Abstinence Best Choice
Ministries, Inc. , call Retha Ezell at 478-825-5158 or
e-mail retez7@aol.com.
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