Faith Filled Friday

Tonight is the last night of the summer project my husband and I are leading and today I gave my last talk where I got to share one of the most inspiring stories. I thought you might be encouraged to so here's a little snipet of my talk.

Here it is:

There is a statistic taken of what people at the age 95 wished they could have changed about their life. The top 3 things were, they wish they could have reflected more, did more that outlived them and risked more.


This lady, my hero, I am confident did not say these things. One of the first Bible handbooks I got was written by her and a lot I was struck by her insights. She is not someone many people know. Actually, I have met not one person who actually knew of her but her influence is mind blowing. Here is an article Bill Bright, the founder of the largest missions sending organization in the world wrote about this lady Henrietta Mears. Here is Bill Bright talking about the influence she had in his life.


“I had come to Southern California in 1944, where I began my own business.  At First Presbyterian Church, I met several dynamic Christians after attending a number of meetings.  I began to study the Bible for myself.  I was at that time an agnostic, but very open to truth.  Though I was a seeker after truth, I pursued my quest privately for the most part.  When I did go to church, I would usually sit in the back row so I could slip out before anybody had a chance to talk to me.


One evening Dr. Mears was speaking to the college group about Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  By this time I had become convinced that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and Savior of men.  Dr. Mears quoted Paul’s words::  “Lord, what do You want me to do?”


She challenged us to go home, get on our knees and say, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  I did exactly that, and I trace my conversion experience to that evening.  Alone on my knees in my home, I prayed a prayer similar to the apostle Paul’s and I chose to dedicate the rest of my life to serving God.


For whatever reason, Dr. Mears felt that I had some potential for the Lord, so she encouraged me to become one of a handful who met with her regularly for prayer and study of the Scripture.  Every Saturday we met at 6 a.m. for most of the morning to read the Bible and pray.  Without my realizing it, I was being introduced to a kind of Christianity that was rare.  I discovered a vital, dynamic, personal walk with the Lord.

Though I can never remember her teaching a class in soul winning, Dr. Mears led many people to Christ in my presence.  When witnessing opportunities did come for me, it was only natural to do it the way I had observed her do it.

Dr. Mears also introduced Vonette to Christ and played an important part in discipling her.  Dr. Mears had a phenomenal impact on Vonette’s and my spiritual growth.


During the early years of the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry, Vonette and I had the privilege of sharing her home for 10 years.  Located near the UCLA campus, it was a perfect place for student meetings and all types of Christian gatherings.  The home was so designed that Vonette and I lived in one part of the home, and Dr. Mears in another.  We shared our meals together.  We also shared the costs for operating the home, where many hundreds of students met Christ and were discipled.


Dr. Mears was always attractively attired, and her humor and outgoing personality made her shine.  Many were attracted to her as she challenged them to big things.  She was a master at motivating and inspiring people to do great things for God.

At the time of her death, more than 400 people had gone into Christian service as a result of her influence.  The lives she touched included Billy Graham, Young Life founder Jim Rayburn, Navigators founder Dawson Trotman, U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson and many, many others.

What God can do through someone willing and yielded to Him is so beautifully mind-blowing.

We exist to glorify God, to display His heart and character. And I just love how we are all uniquely built to do that. So every Friday I want to give you, uniquely designed by God, an opportunity to link up your thoughts on God, art, baking, photography, parenting, marriage, homeschooling, writing or blogging and more if they tie into or display the Lord somehow. 

Here's how it works.
1. Link up as many blog posts as you want below by clicking the link below and following the prompts. (Perhaps think of old posts you want more exposure to as well as new ones.)

2. Let your readers know by including a link at the bottom of your post (or somewhere on your side bar) or paste my button code (found below and on the side bar).

3. Take a minute to visit and comment on another sweet lady or two's post. You're encouragement might be just what she needs to keep pressing on in being a voice in the darkness.

About Laura

Laura, the founder of Missional Women is married and has five kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 13 years serving with Master Plan Ministries where she is the Women's Development Coordinator. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site.



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