The Man in the Back

Dear Student,

I’m the Man in the Back—the one writing these letters from within God’s Heavenly Rehab.

In my earthly life, I struggled with an opiate addiction. I maintained seven years of sobriety until the day I was introduced to Kratom. That experience led me back into the dark world of opiates—eventually into fentanyl, which took my life through an overdose.

When I passed back through the veil into the hereafter, broken and sick, Christ greeted me with open arms. He picked me up and carried me into one of His rehabs in the spirit world—“one of the many mansions [in His] Father’s house” (John 14:2).

It was there that I had the choice to accept Him and His recovery process. When I admitted my powerlessness and recognized my need for His help—when I finally “quit playing God” and surrendered control to Him (Big Book, p. 62)—that’s when my ancestor angels began to minister to me.

Alongside them were other Man-in-the-Back disciples of Christ who taught and led me through the 12-step repentance process. They showed me what it truly meant to come unto Christ—to be “perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32)—as they guided me out of weakness and into His strength.

In God’s rehab, I witnessed how “the dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,” as dedicated disciples of Christ and recovery coaches—the Men in the Back—labored day and night to bring souls to Him (D&C 138:58–59).

These disciples—all of whom once struggled with addiction—accepted Christ’s invitation after passing back through the veil. There, they repented and chose to follow Him. “From among the righteous,” Christ organized them—appointing each one as a messenger, “clothed with power and authority” to carry the light of the gospel into God’s rehab (D&C 138:30–31). Now, as competent Man-in-the-Back recovery coaches, they minister to the brokenhearted and help guide souls toward healing, even teaching the 12-step path of repentance in Christ’s name.

They’d been “reborn in spirit,” Student, and they helped me do the same (12 and 12, p. 106).

As I worked on my character defects, Christ helped turn them into strengths. That’s when I stepped into the Man in the Back calling of helping others.

I’ve written these letters from God’s rehab to teach you how to become a Man in the Back Disciple of Christ—someone who helps those suffering from addiction and leads them toward positive change. This calling is reserved for individuals with a higher purpose—a special role dedicated to guiding others out of the noise in their minds and into the charity of their hearts, where they can experience presence and hear the still, small voice coaching them toward the next right decision.

God reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for all… who humble themselves before me” (Ether 12:27). It’s through this grace that we help each other—and “willingness” is what gets us there (Big Book, p. 76).

I want to help you learn how to live in the present moment and truly enjoy life. I want to show you how your free agency has been stolen and how addiction has become the devil’s tool to block people from experiencing true freedom.

Student, as you strive to live the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, you’ll discover a unique freedom and fearlessness that comes from actively exercising your free agency—choosing to compete against addiction—and inspiring others to do the same. It’s about making “that change in your attitude” toward others and toward God (12 and 12, p. 70).

I’m excited to work with you, Student. The hard times I went through gave me this understanding, and I know you’re facing your own challenges now.

My hope is that you won’t have to find your bottom in a casket like I did. Instead, I pray you’ll find the motivation and desire to change your life today. Step into the game of life with Christ—into the present moment protection—and come experience the highs of a simple life, where “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” begins to settle into your kind mind like a healing presence and constant companion (Philippians 4:7).

That’s what I found in His rehab—“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad” (Big Book, p. 76).

I look forward to working with you, Student.

But whatever you do, don’t just read these letters—act on them. Reading without action is pointless, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

YOUR TRUE FRIEND,
The Man in the Back