In terms of projects, we’re grateful to be able to share that Ron has completed a book which he spent the better part of a year in writing. The book is entitled IRIS:Trophy of Grace. It’s the miraculous story of Iris Urrey Blue, the “incorrigible” who encountered the irresistible force of God’s transforming power. The book has recently been released and we are very thankful to see God already using it to touch, challenge, and encourage people. Some are reporting that God is using it to produce changes in the lives of some of their friends and family. Some spontaneous and unexpected comments about the book have really blessed us. One person wrote “Many Christian testimony books are exciting up to the point of conversion and then it turns dull—not so with this book! You’ll love it to the very end.” When so much prayer and work has been invested in this kind of project, it means a great deal to see God use it for His purposes.

We don’t as yet have a separate website for this book. If any of you would like to obtain a copy of it now, however, you can do so by going to “contact us” on this site and making a request for the book, or send an email to ronowens3@gmail.com. The book sells for $15.00 plus postage.

There are other “works in progress” in terms of writing projects in which Ron is involved. One of those is entitled “The Milldale Story” and it has some important relationships to the book he completed earlier on the life of Manley Beasley. God willing, he hopes to complete the writing by the end of April and have it published and available for readers by September, 2010. We would be grateful for your prayers for this project.

In the mail we received a Gift Catalog from World Vision, and there, on the front cover, was the photo of a smiling child holding a goat! The cover also included the message:”Share the true Spirit of Christmas with a child in need!” Inside the catalog were words explaining the benefits to a child and his family that the gift of a goat would provide. There were other possibilities listed, such as giving 2 chickens, or 5 ducks, or Bibles in a child’s own language, or emergency food, or life-saving medicines, etc.
Somehow, we just couldn’t get the picture of that goat out of our minds, and so we found ourselves compelled to take action.
So, we may never get into the Rent-A-Goat business, but it has brought us joy to GIVE a goat this Christmas—given with the prayer that it will touch a child and his family with the power of the Savior’s love. And, let us add, we pray for each of you—a blessed and joyous Christmas season!

It’s worth noting that in the life of ancient Israel King David considered thanksgiving to God to be of so much importance that, on the day that the ark of God was brought to Jerusalem, he assigned specific Levites to “celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel.” His admonition to them was “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.” 1 Chr 16:4-10.

And with the desire to express something of what is in our hearts at this Thanksgiving season, we share the following with you.

THANK YOU, LORD
“Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful things,
For ears that hear, for birds that can sing.
For warmth of the sun on bubbling springs,
For eyes that can see your beautiful things.

Thank you, Lord, for the flowers that grow,
For summer and rain, for winter and snow,
For mountains above and valleys below,
All speaking aloud of your power and love.

Thank you, Lord, for the sorrows and sighs,
For winds that blow, for rivers that rise,
For rain that frames your bow in the skies,
Helping me lift my wondering eyes.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace which has shown
The glory of God in the face of your Son,
For Jesus Who died, now risen above,
More glorious than all is JESUS-the gift of your love.”
-Patricia H.Owens

There have been mountains we’ve been asked to climb/Some rivers have been wide, some skies been grey/The valleys have been deep and dark at times, but without fail, our God has led the way!

Second: The responses we continue to receive from readers of Manley Beasley’s biography are so encouraging. It is evident that the Lord is using Manley’s life and message to impact many, some saying that they are reading it for the second or third time, returning over and over again to study his messages on prayer, faith and dealing with adversity. The Audio Book is also now available.

Third: I am nearing the completion of the story of our friend, Iris Urrey Blue, the ex-con who was labeled an “incorrigible degenerate” by the Texas Department of Corrections. Since, at the age of 27, when she knelt down a tramp and stood up a lady, in front of her bar, The Inferno, in Houston, TX, God has used her for His glory around the world. Hers is an incredible story of grace. You may wish to check the Blue’s web site at www.duaneandirisblue.com

Fourth: During the days of his ministry, the Scotsman, James Alexander Stewart, impacted thousands of lives, including Manley Beasley. Dr. Stewart was a prolific writer and among the many books he wrote are two on the subject of the Holy Spirit that we wish to recommend; The Heavenly Executive and Heaven’s Throne Gift. The latter is considered by many to be one of the finest, most balanced studies of the Third Person of the Trinity. You may check into Dr. Stewart’s writings at www.revivallit.org or phone 800-252-8896 or write Revival Literature. P.O. Box 6068, Asheville, NC 2881.

A final thought: “Your character is what you really are. Your reputation is merely what people think you are.”

Principles Observed:

1st     The only way to see first hand God’s ability and willingness to provide for His children is to be put in the uncomfortable situation of having no resources of your own and no way to provide for yourself. Being put in that position will either expose your deficiency or reveal your sufficiency of trusting God by the way you think and react. It is one thing to “say” that God is faithful; it is something entirely different to believe God, to rely upon Him, and to enter into the rest that faith brings.

2nd     God best demonstrates His ability and willingness to give, by my obvious and large need. My lack is the best possible backdrop to display the sufficiency of His supply. My circumstances are under God’s control—He is not aloof or detached from what is going on around me. He has either designed or permitted what is happening now. My seeking Him must not be just for the supply of what I lack—but for light to perceive what He is saying to me, and for grace to trust Him with my circumstances.

That was the end of my journal entry. Now, however, I look back over years of living and marvel at the patience and kindness God has extended to me in “the school of faith”. I marvel too at the circumstances He orchestrated which exposed my need of learning to trust Him. Some verses of Scripture I memorized a long time ago are possibly familiar to you. Proverbs 3:5-6 says

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.

A strong tendency in my life has been that of leaning upon my own understanding. The Lord has graciously been working to break me of that wrong thinking so that I can experience the blessedness of knowing that He is directing my path. Some of the process involved in the breaking and learning has caused me to be afraid, to get angry, to feel overwhelmed. But, oh, I am so grateful that He has not left me with just my own understanding and my own resources! Some wonderful words from the 146th Psalm sum up my final thoughts for this posting:

Blessed is he (or she) whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

God, give us a hope that makes us not ashamed, a love that excites to holy obedience, a joy in You that is our strength…Help us to submit our preferences to Your wisdom and will, resign our enjoyments if You should require it as our absolute Proprietor and best Friend…May we know the blessedness of those whose strength is in You and in whose hearts are the highways to heaven.

Notice: We are grateful to announce that Manley Beasley: Man of Faith–Instrument of Revival has been released. A website, www.beasleybiography.com has been created to service book purchases,  as well as other general information about Brother Manley’s story.

As I entered the room and shut the door the phone rang. It was my Dad! Somehow he had sensed where I would go. He told me that I was to go to the train station at 5:00 that afternoon and find the Station Manager with whom he had just spoken. My Dad had no connections with anyone at the Illinois Central Railway, yet he had gone to our local train station and insisted that he be put in touch with someone who was in charge. He was given the phone number of the Manager in Chicago. The Chicago Manager explained to him that there were no seats available on the next train scheduled to stop at Jackson, MS. My father pleaded with him and insisted that he find some way to get me on that train. Finally he told Dad that if I would come to his office at 5:00 that he would personally take me and put me on the Parlor Car of the train where I could stay as far as Carbondale, IL. From that point on a seat was open and available for the rest of the journey!

Can you imagine how I felt in hearing those words? I was exhausted, frightened, and alone in a huge unfamiliar city and didn’t know what to do. Yet in that moment I believe the heart of God was expressed toward me through my dear Dad. My Dad’s love drove him to find a way to take care of his daughter. And God’s love drives Him to take care of each of His children! Whenever I stop to reflect about what happened during that Christmas season so many years ago, I believe that God was giving me a special picture of what He is like. He sees, He knows, He cares, He acts in behalf of His children. He is the Good Shepherd, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.

And the love of God is what Christmas is all about. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9  Let us give Him thanks, and celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior, God’s only Son. Merry Christmas!

In times like these in which we are now living, when change can have a most unwelcome meaning, we are especially comforted to know that there is One who majestically says to us:

I the Lord do not change (Malachi 3:6)

That makes all the difference in the world! Scripture also tells us that, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). What He was for us yesterday as Counselor and Provider, He will be for us today and for each tomorrow. The sting is taken out of “change” when we know and rely upon the One “who changes not.”

Why did Aslan have to die?

This letter is highlighted on the The Searcher, the C. S. Lewis Centenary Sculpture in downtown Belfast, created by Ross Wilson, one of N. Ireland’s best known artists.

We have been privileged to visit this memorial on several occasions with Ross. As you read the following you will see what a powerful witness this piece of art is, a witness to the message Lewis was attempting to portray in his writing of the Chronicles. For additional information about Mr. Wilson go to his web site, www.rosswilsonartist.com.

Magdalene College

March 1, 1961

Dear Anne,

What Aslan meant when he said he had died is, in one sense, plain enough. Read the earlier book in this series called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and you will find the full story of how he was killed by the White Witch and came to life again. When you have read that, I think you will probably see that there is a deeper meaning behind it.

The whole Narnian story is about Christ. That is to say, I asked myself “Supposing that there really was a world like Narnia and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong, and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours) what might have happened?” The stories are my answers.

Since Narnia is a world of Talking Beasts, I thought He would become a Talking Beast there, as He became a man here. I pictured Him becoming a lion there because (a) The lion is supposed to be the king of beasts; (b) Christ is called “The Lion of Judah” in the Bible; (c) I’d been having strange dreams about lions when I began writing the work. The whole series works out like this:

• The Magician’s Nephew tells of the Creation and how evil entered Narnia.
• The Lion, etc.- the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
• Prince Caspian – restoration of the true religion after corruption.
• The Horse and his Boy – the calling and conversion of a heathen.
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – the spiritual life (especially in Reepicheep).
• The Silver Chair – the continued war against the powers of darkness.
• The Last Battle – the coming of the Antichrist (the Ape), the end of the world and the Last Judgement.

All clear?

Yours,
C. S. Lewis

Interestingly, there are parallels in John Newton’s life to the life of Manley Beasley whose biography I am now writing. At the early age of fourteen Manley took to the high seas and and by his 16th birthday had circumvented the globe twice. Alcohol, gambling, jail, and all that went with the life of a sailor were part of these years of running away from God. But he could not escape the eye of a sovereign God who eventually brought him to a halt in the Port of Mobile. He would never look back and the impact of his life is still felt by many, some of whom paid tribute to him at a “Friends of Manley” gathering at First Baptist, Euless, Texas two days ago, the 18th of December.