Henrietta Mears

Yesterday I had the incredible opportunity to spend the day at Forest Home and speak to the Forest Home Women's Auxiliary. What a privilege! As I drove in to the Forest Home area I saw Mears Lake and the Mears cabin. I thought, "Wow, I'm in Henrietta Mears country!!" Even better, I delivered the messages in Henrietta Mears Amphitheatre. Another privilege! I remember when I was in seminary I went to one of their book sales and found an incredible treasure. It was a book entitled "The Story of Livingstone." When I opened the book, what I saw revealed the treasure - the former owner had signed her name in big blue letters - Henrietta C. Mears. She is my hero for many reasons - she loved the Lord Jesus Christ, she influenced others to be sold out to the Lord, she was a trailblazer and wrote her own curriculum, she was flamboyant and fearless in so many ways. She believed God for the Forest Home land and evidently made an offer of $30,000 that was turned down because it was too low. Then, evidently a flood came through and destroyed parts of the property and the offer was then accepted. Now you should see beautiful Forest Home. My friend Bonnie Nelson, who is the Spiritual Guidance Board Chairman, showed me the Mears cabin and the beautiful Lakeview Lodge. There were a number of women there at the Auxiliary Leadership Conference who actually KNEW Henrietta Mears. I had lunch with one woman who was part of her college group, who met in her home, and who knew her very well. She told me a number of stories and said that Billy Graham used to call her a technicolor Christian. What a blessed day I had. One I will never forget. I hope a bit of Henrietta Mears will rub off on all of us and that we will, as she often encouraged, DREAM BIG. Anything less is not worthy of our great God.