Author's note: Romans 1:16-17 (NIV)

(16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (17) For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."


Mrs. Hudson opened the door to let the couple and Rosie in.

"Everything still okay for you to babysit this evening?" questioned John, looking at Mrs. Hudson inquiringly.

"Of course it is, dear." she answered with a roll of her eyes. "I love spending time with my goddaughter. Besides, Sherlock and Molly are taking Victoria with them to your church thing, so I can't spend any time with her." Then she added almost to herself, as her forehead creased a little, "Not that I ever get to spend any time with her. That pair is remarkably territorial with their daughter."

John chuckled. "I remember what that's like. In the beginning you don't want to let your baby out of your sight. Don't worry, that will change soon enough." Then he added, "We'll just pop upstairs with Rosie so they can say hello to her, then we'll bring her to you before we leave."

"Alright dear, I will see you soon then." Mrs. Hudson took the changing bag from John and gave Rosie a peck on the cheek before returning to her flat.

As they headed upstairs, they could hear the unmistakable sound of a baby crying, which stopped within a few seconds.

The door was opened before the threesome arrived at the top of the stairs, by a slightly frazzled looking Sherlock. "Ah, here you are. Hello Rosie." He gave the little girl a distracted kiss on the cheek then looked around. "Now where did I leave that changing bag?" he muttered to himself.

"It's on the floor right next to me," supplied Molly from her position on the sofa where she was feeding Victoria. "Hi John, Kayla, and Rosie of course," she greeted the newcomers, then added, "Sorry we aren't quite ready. Victoria has been rather fussy, and Sherlock is trying to make sure we have everything we need in the changing bag."

"No problem," said Kayla, setting Rosie down. "We're a little early anyway."

John looked on affectionately as his daughter toddled over to where Molly sat feeding the baby. She was fascinated by the infant each time she saw her, and it was fun to hear his child proclaiming another child to be "baby" when she was barely past that stage herself at eighteen months old.

Fifteen minutes later, with Rosie safely deposited with Mrs. Hudson, the four adults and baby Victoria were in John's car and headed towards church.

John's glance shifted briefly to Kayla as he drove. "So tell me again what this film is about," he queried.

Kayla took a deep breath and began. "As you know, I've been going to a Bible study every Tuesday night. We've been going through a book by the Christian author, Lee Strobel, which is entitled The Case for Christ.

"Oh, I see," responded John with a nod. "So the film is a novelization of the book."

"John, that book has been sitting on my nightstand for months. I'm surprised you haven't even looked at it," Kayla said in a slightly chiding tone, and he pressed his lips together. It was true that he had a tendency to keep a distance from the things that made him slightly uncomfortable. He was impressed by the devoutness of his wife's faith, but it scared him a little. She didn't just proclaim to be a Christian, she lived the life of one. He had also seen the change in Sherlock since he too had become a Christian a year earlier, soon after the events at Sherrinford. He knew that Molly's kidnapping at the hands of Sebastian Moran early in Sherlock's engagement to Molly had been the turning point that had convinced the consulting detective of the truth of the Bible. Yet John remained on the fence.

"Well, I'm asking about it now, aren't I?" he asked, a little defensively.

Molly's voice piped up from the backseat. "And we're very glad you are, John. The book is indeed an autobiographical account. Lee Strobel was a respected investigative journalist in Chicago, and the film is primarily about his search to find evidence to refute that Jesus truly is the son of God. It basically starts with him being an atheist and ends with him becoming a Christian."

John mulled over her words. He had to admit the film did sound intriguing.

Soon afterward, they arrived at church and headed inside. They made it with only a few minutes to spare, and found the church quite crowded. In fact, they were not even able to sit in their usual pew, but Molly mentioned that was probably a good thing, because sitting near the back meant she could take Victoria out easily if she became fussy. The infant was currently sleeping in the arms of her father, who had a doting expression on his face.

John headed into a pew first, followed by Kayla, Molly and then Sherlock who sat next to the aisle. He suddenly realized that he and Kayla had not even told their friends about their special news. Oh well, there would be time enough after the film. He sat back, crossed his legs and took up Kayla's hand, noting that Molly had her head resting against Sherlock's shoulder. Molly looked rather tired, as did Sherlock, and he found himself wondering whether the pair would make it all the way through the film without falling asleep. He well remembered how tiring it had been at the beginning with Rosie as well.

The film began, and John was immediately drawn in by it. One of the initial scenes was of Lee Strobel's daughter almost choking in a restaurant, and being saved by a woman who was a nurse. The woman explained she was a Christian and that something had told her husband and herself to go to that particular restaurant that night, even though they had initially planned to go elsewhere.

That incident prompted Lee Strobel's wife to become a Christian, showing her own much quicker path to belief.

John listened as Strobel's pregnant wife attended a church service where the speaker encouraged those in the congregation to open their hearts and take a chance, that maybe God was speaking to them. The speaker went on to say that maybe some people had doubts, fears, or that they felt something was missing in their life and they didn't know what it was.

At these words John felt a curious tugging at his heart. The doctor knew he was one of those people. He felt Kayla squeeze his hand, and he looked over at her. She was giving him that gentle smile he knew so well. She never pushed him in any way to make a decision one way or another, but he knew she was hoping this would be his own turning point.

The film showed the Strobel marriage begin to have problems when Lee's wife told him she had become a Christian. John shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling suddenly a little guilty. He certainly didn't want there to be division in his own marriage due to his own "on the fence" stance.

The film adaption went on to describe Lee making the decision to try and debunk Christianity. The first step was to refute the theory of the resurrection of Christ, upon which all of the Christian faith rested.

As the film progressed, Lee Strobel found himself being inundated with more and more facts about the authenticity of the Biblical account, rather than finding the evidence to debunk it.

John was so fascinated by what he was watching, that he barely noticed Molly exit the pew with Victoria who had begun to fuss.

John learned there were more than five hundred eyewitness accounts of Jesus being seen after the crucifixion. He watched as Strobel visited a former archaeologist who showed him manuscripts. The man produced a copy of Homer's Iliad, which was one of around 1500 surviving copies, and was dated at 300A.D. Those earliest surviving copies were 1100 years after the time Homer himself lived. Then the archaeologist explained there were over 5800 surviving manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. The earliest fragment of the gospel of John was found in ancient Egypt and it dated as being in the second century A.D., which was less than 30 years after the original was deemed to have been written. In addition, the man stated there were only a handful of writings attributed to famous Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Nothing else in history came close to the amount of factual evidence of the writings of the New Testament.

John found himself completely blown away by this. He'd never really thought about it before, and he felt again that stirring in his heart.

Strobel continued his investigation, deciding that maybe it would be easier to prove that Jesus had not actually died on the cross and been resurrected.

Even as he was questioning this, he attended a church service with his wife, daughter and newborn son. And even as Lee Strobel listened to the following words of the speaker at the church service, so did John.

"Some of you have had bad experiences in church before, and I get that. Churches aren't perfect - pastors aren't perfect, I know I'm not. But that's not God. That's people. God wants to be your father, to love you until you know his promise of heaven. Because this is the simple truth of our faith. God made us – we mess things up. Christ paid for our mess and all we have to do is receive him. It really is as simple as that."

An overwhelming feeling flooded through John at those words and it was if a veil was lifted from his eyes. He suddenly realized he didn't need to know all the facts in the way Lee Strobel needed them. He simply needed to believe them, just as Kayla did, just as Molly and Sherlock did. He was reminded of something Sherlock had told him months earlier about a church sign he had read, one that had been his own first step toward faith. The church sign read, Faith is believing in what you cannot see, because of what you can see.

Tears began to form in John's eyes, as he suddenly understood everything his friends had been saying about their faith, and the way they lived it. He had seen the proof of it, yet had refused to make that decision for himself. He realized he wanted that same faith, and he wanted to bring up his daughter and future children with that same knowledge of God and the love He had shown, in sending Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of mankind.

Everything John had learned in church as a boy came back to him, as he cried silently, asking for forgiveness for his unbelief, even as Kayla noticed what was happening, and turned her face toward him. "You understand now, don't you?" she whispered, her own eyes filling with tears,

"I do," he whispered back, overcome with emotion. His heart felt suddenly lighter, and he smiled through his tears.

Even as this had been happening, Molly had been making her way back into the pew with Victoria who was now sleeping once again. Sherlock had been distracted by his wife and daughter, and the couple only noticed what was happening once Molly was seated once again.

John noticed them exchange glances and smile, and he had a feeling they understood, although they said nothing.

John forced himself to continue watching the film, and was saddened to see that Lee Strobel was still unconvinced.

Then came a scene between Lee and his wife as they sat in a car. She said to him, "There's a verse that says 'Faith is the evidence of things we can't actually see'. You believe what you can see, touch and feel. I feel this, I can see it, I know it." John couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been reflecting upon that whole thing himself just a short time earlier during the film, and now here it was being brought up by Lee's wife. It was more validation for what he had just experienced. He felt a great desire to start looking through the Bible for himself. Lee's wife was so much like Kayla, John realized, as the man on screen continued to reject what he was hearing about Jesus, and it was heartbreaking.

Lee Strobel went to see a medical doctor to discover whether Jesus could have survived from his injuries. No resurrection, no basis for faith, he concluded. The medical doctor explained how Jesus had been flogged before his crucifixion, scourged and pummeled savagely. The whip used on Jesus was braided with metal balls and bone fragments, and would have shredded Jesus' back. He stated that the blood loss from the flogging alone would have put Jesus in critical condition from blood loss. The doctor went on to explain how Jesus would have died a slow, agonizing death by asphyxiation as the stress his position on the cross would have locked his lungs into the inhale position. To exhale, Jesus would have had to shove himself up, using his spiked wrists and feet. This would have occurred for every breath he took.

When Strobel suggested that the soldiers had taken Jesus off the cross still alive, the medical doctor provided the final proof that Jesus was indeed dead. When the soldiers thrust the spear between Jesus' ribs, a mixture of blood and water came out, a sign of death by asphyxiation which was not a condition that could be faked.

Finally the doctor handed Lee a copy of the Journal of the American Medical Association. He showed a page to the journalist where it stated, "On the physical death of Jesus, clearly the weight of the medical and historical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted. Accordingly, interpretation based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge."

As John watched this, he felt it would have been interesting to do his own research into that, but he didn't need to. He already believed.

Even as Lee Strobel finally allowed his heart to be softened by the truth, John heard Kayla and Molly both sniffling, as Lee showed his wife all the research he had been doing. He explained how he had finally seen for himself that the evidence for her faith was more overwhelming than he could ever have imagined. In fact, Kayla and Molly were not the only ones openly crying as the film drew near to its conclusion. Many people in the church was sniffling and he heard the sound of a few noses being blown. Even Sherlock seemed to be blinking rapidly. He knew that the majority of the people in the church were already believers, and now he was one himself, and John felt a joy such as he had never known search through him.

He listened as Lee's wife pointed out a verse in the Bible that read, "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name." Then she explained, "Believe plus receive equals become," and Lee finally committed his life to Christ.

Victoria, obviously disturbed by the sounds of crying and nose blowing, woke and added her own wailing to the noises in the congregation, and John watched as Sherlock took his daughter from Molly and put her against his shoulder, rubbing her back gently and kissing the top of her head. That child already had a head start in life with two parents who were believers, and now his and Kayla's baby would have that same head start, even as he was going to learn more about the Bible himself and teach Rosie to also know and love Jesus, with Kayla's help. He knew that Sherlock had been a willing pupil to Molly's teaching on her own beliefs, even as he had begun to read the Bible himself. Now it was John's turn to listen and learn.

Even as the four adults and the baby left the church, Sherlock turned to John and said, "You understand now, and you believe." It was not a question, but John answered anyway, with a genuine smile.

"I do, Sherlock, and it's amazing."

Sherlock offered his own smile and responded with, "I think we should talk about this when we get back to Baker Street."

John nodded as he walked with Kayla toward the car, holding her hand and feeling her resting her cheek against his shoulder. He felt so blessed.

Upon arrival at Baker Street, John stopped in to pick up Rosie from Mrs. Hudson and bring her upstairs.

In 221B, as Rosie dozed on Kayla's lap, and Molly fed Victoria once again, the foursome talked about the film and what it had meant to them. They rejoiced together as John explained how the film had finally opened his eyes fully to the truth of the Bible.

And then they rejoiced once again, as John and Kayla revealed to their friends that they were having a baby of their own. It was a good night for all of them, and John felt a peace about the future as he looked at his wife who was carrying their unborn baby, his daughter, and his two closest friends with their own beautiful baby.

Mary's Baker Street boys were no longer boys, but men of faith, who had changed their lives, and made them better, and he knew she would have been proud of them.

Just before John and Kayla left with Rosie later that night, Sherlock stood behind Molly placing his arms around her and their once again sleeping baby, and made a comment. "If you're thinking of baby names, and you happen to have a son-"

John didn't let his friend finish. He and Kayla exchanged a look, then said in tandem, "We'll think about it."

John had been fully prepared for that, and figured he'd allow Sherlock some time to at least think they might name a son Sherlock. Perhaps they would, who knew?


Author's note: I have to give credit for this story to the people who created the movie adaption of The Case for Christ and to Lee Strobel himself for following a journey of his own from atheism to Christianity.

Here is the extended version of the verse read by Lee's wife towards the end of the movie.

John 1:12-13 (NIV)

(12) Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

This is my prayer for all who read this, that those of you who are already believers may be encouraged by it and inspired by it. To those of you who may be seeking, I would encourage that you seek the truth for yourself from the Bible.

I highly recommend this movie which is available on Netflix in America. I don't know if it is available on Netflix in other countries, but I really think it is worth seeing.

I hope you have enjoyed watching my character of John commit his life to Christ just as my Sherlock did in my very first story, A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage.

For those of you who are familiar with my work, this is a continuation of my whole Sherlock/Molly universe which is constantly expanding.

As always, I love to hear from my readers, and I would be interested to know what you think about this story, even though it is centred more on John than on my beloved Sherlock and Molly. It does provide a little glimpse into their life as new parents, however, which I hope you also enjoyed. Your feedback is important. The simplest comment lifts my day and gives me the motivation to continue writing in a mostly thankless medium, especially one that is singularly lacking in Christian content. Authors need the support of their readers too, because reviews provide the fuel for the creative engine.

Thank you for reading and may God bless you.