You know, I have a tie to this church. It was 51 years ago that I accepted Jesus Christ when you were down at 104th and Hoover, or 103rd and Hoover. A lot has happened since then. A lot of heartbreak, but praise be unto God, a lot has taken place in the life of this little sinner. And back then he was a I just happened to wander in the church. Just married, had a little girl, little daughter. But I knew that God was speaking to my heart. And God saved me. I better talk about the mission first. Well, after all these years, and with a lot of schooling behind me, a little heartbreak behind me, God doing the molding and the putting together brought me through a lot of places because he knew where my ministry was going to be, at the Beacon Light Mission. Full of heartbreak? Full of a lot of things. Full of sin. Full of human out of control-ness. You name it, we have it. A little girl came up to me last night. She was the daughter of a pastor. She says, Jack, I love you. And she had been coming to the service for two or three nights. But evidently, she got right with God. And there was no other way for her to express that, I suppose, than to put her arms around me crying. She says, I love you, I love you. It makes it worth all of them. And here I remember I fought with the board of directors. I did not want to go to the mission as the director. I'd been with the homeless for years and years, way back now. Remember the Emmanuel Baptist mission Used to go down there all the time, preach my first sermon down there. In fact, as I recall many years ago, I was on the board of directors down there. Then I moved away after I got saved. I'll get to my admission announcements pretty soon. And I went out with Brother Gene Barnes out of California Heights Baptist Church, where you know, Wayne Henshaw is not right right now as the pastor. And God put me under the caretakingness of Gene Barnes. And he saw me through a lot of difficult things in my life. And then I As I recall, after that I came back to CBT. In fact, I had to face a divorce and then I came back to CBT. My wife was unsaved. She wouldn't have anything to do with the Christian experience, the Christian life, could never get her to go to church. In the meantime, I had two little girls, one three and one five. My wife says, I'm going to divorce you. And I studied the book. Ladies and gentlemen, I studied the book to see what my position was. What alternatives did I have? The Bible told me in 1 Corinthians, if the unbeliever let him depart, a brother or sister is not under those conditions. And so I let go and I said, God, back then, this was a long time ago, This is back in 1957. Some of you may not even have been born by then. But back there, a person in their marriage, they could not get married, was not consummate until one year had passed. And I talked to my wife after the one year. And I said, what do you think? You want to get back together? She says no. And so these are the tough Two little girls, one now is 50 and the other is 51. But my friend, when you walk with God, you can expect something someplace that may go against even your own heart. But I look back in retrospect and I think, God, you were right! My life would have been a living had I stayed with that woman. But I did not make a single move to break the marriage. God moved in, dealt with her heart, and Pastor Jean Barnes went over to deal with her, and she told me, if he comes in this house again, I'm going to kill him. Hey, I'm on heavy ground right now. My pastor has a burden on his heart to see my wife saved and see my home put back together as it ought to be. But God was working out His plan. I don't know why I got into this right now, but I want to tell you. I think it's because God knew where He was going to send me. And that's the beacon light mission. I don't know how long I'm going to be there, how long we're going to be there, my wife, you. I got a book in my head and in my heart that has to be written, and I just don't know. But right now, the blessing of God is upon the mission. My friend, I haven't seen things like that work. I mean, we're interdenominational. But I want to tell you, we're interdenominational. But when they come to the mission, they preach Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen. That's the message. And, you know, the Spirit of God works in the heart of all those teams in which I'm really grateful, Richard, for you and Don and for and for joys and almost for coming down and those that come with you now and then. God will reward you as you've never been rewarded before. But God is doing something with people that are outcasts, that are on the bottom looking down, and they have no place to go. We can't do everything we would like to do. We do what we can do. And we appreciate anybody that wants to come down and help, because we can always use you. I want to personally thank the church, my wife and myself, for your kindness, and certainly your generosity, and the willing that some of you are willing to take time to meet a need that you'll never get paid back in this life for. But when you stand at the beam of seed of Jesus Christ, and your life will be examined. Believe me. I mean, everybody wants to be raptured, but nobody understands or doesn't want to look at the beam of feet ahead. We're going to give an accounting of our life. And it's going to be examined by fire. And what isn't burned up is your reward and my reward. Our problem in our Christian experience, we don't get serious with God. The day we get serious with God and realize all the ramifications that are involved with the Christian faith, my friend, we're not going to do anything. God is real! We have not because we ask not. I never knew God was going to make me an evangelist. He did. And I thought, God, where have I been and what have I won? I was a little hell-raiser before I got saved. When there was trouble, the police knew where to go. I cursed God more in my unsaved life than I've ever praised God, I think, in the new life in Christ Jesus. I was a dropout in high school. I lied about my age. I went into the service in 1942. Don't start figuring out how old I am. I'll be 80 in about a year and four months. But I want to tell you, I thought God had made a mistake, pouring his grace out on we that are just unmovable. And yet God moved me. It was good to be in the Sunday School class, Richard, when the old-timers were there and we were discussing the history of Los Angeles down there. Stan and myself found out that we both knew about Burgett Airport and Dyser Airport in Los Angeles way before. There was too much out here. But anyway, I thank God that he led me as I would allow him to. When I was saved, I worked at Northrop. Worked at Northrop for 12 years. 1952 to something like 1964. Then because of the workload that Northrop had, they didn't need me anymore. And I went to National Cash Register all the time I wanted to get in the ministry. But all the time I was concerned about my marriage. I mean the fact that I had been divorced. But God knew my heart that I wanted to get in the ministry. And I knew as far as the scripture was concerned and that God was concerned, divorce was not an issue in my life. Might be to some people, but it wasn't to God. And so anyway, I worked, I worked over, I was laid off, like I said, at North and then I went over at National Cash Register, the computer division, and I was a systems analyst over there. And God was moving on my heart. And I was all set to get a fine promotion and go back to Dayton, Ohio. But I knew what that would bring. And I said, God, I can't do that. I can't take that promotion. because it would be party time. So I let them, I told them I couldn't do it, and they really took it very, very personally. And they gave me my severance pay, and I was on my way. And I was really disappointed. I'm going to get into the Word here pretty soon. But God, when I came here this morning, I said, God, I'm just going to stand back and let you go. And I worked at Hughes and I was a general supervisor of production control. Just got promoted. Went over there, just got promoted. And then God spoke to my heart. He said, Jack, would you leave this to go back to college? And I seemed to myself, you've got to be kidding. I just got here, you just promoted me, you worked out all the things. Here, I'm really ready to rip, snort and howl, you know what I mean? And I said, God, you're going to have to give me a day or two to let it all sink in my heart. Hey, he's asking me to make a complete change in my life. I'm 40 years of age. If you don't make it at 40, you don't make it. Excuse the shouting, but it goes with the territory. And so I gave a rough draft of my resignation. And I called in my secretary and she took it. And she began to look at it and read it, re-read it, re-read it. And I heard her crying in there. And I said, honey, just go ahead and type it up. That's the way it is. And I'll personally take it down to the front office at the Hughes Tool Company in Culver City. This was about 1966 as I recall. And they were really disappointed because they had worked hard, the personnel office worked hard to get me into that spot. But anyway, I got in there and the biggest decision I ever made in my life was when I gave up my life. I was all in all this other thing, but it had finally dawned on me that I really had not given up my life to God until the pressure was put upon me. And you might be here this morning with that same kind of decision. You have never really given up your life to God. You've gone along and you've read the Bible and you know the Bible verses and all these things, but God has never been able to capture your heart. Now, I'm going to finish. And you might find as you go introspecting into your own life, that maybe some place along the line, you should have said yes to God, But you didn't and you said no. And you shut your water off. And that's what I appreciated about Gene Barnes. He said, Jack, would you like to teach the junior highs? Oh, in fact, getting in front of people and speaking was a nightmare in itself for me. And so I had to think about that. But I was well schooled in the books. Even before God saved me at CVT, I had been reading the Bible. I had been reading the Bible over and over and over. And it was in shreds. But I took the class. And I said, oh God. I said, the class was going to be 55 minutes. I got five minutes worth of material, Richard. How am I going to get through it? And as soon as I stepped in that place and opened my mouth, God filled my mouth, and I kept going. My friend, I kept going ever since. But anyway, the point being, when I left Hughes, I went to Tennessee Temple, Dr. Robertson. In fact, you'd mentioned Jack Hiles, I think. Jack Hiles used to preach at our church all the time. And anyway, on and on, I graduated, I got my BA, and I said, praise God, I'm all through with schooling. Ha ha ha, little did I know what was on the heart and the mind of God. Especially from a high school dropout that got his high school diploma with a CED. A GED? GED. And when I went to college, Greek was just about Greek me out. I mean, it was just... And then I went on, I got out and I was I was happy, boy. I got through it. I particularly didn't want to go back to school. And then I got back into Los Angeles and a friend of mine, preacher friend, pastor friend of mine, said, Jack, I'm going to the Glendale Graduate School, California Theological School. He says, why don't you come on and see what works out for you. And anyway, I went before the Lord, and the Lord seemed to encourage me, and I went there, and I got my master's, and, hey, praise the Lord, I'm out of here, you know. No, you're not out of here yet. When I was thinking of the doctorate, I was thinking of the long dissertation and all that that goes with it. But anyway, God had me stick it out. In fact, Gene Barnes and myself both graduated with our doctorate one year apart. I beat him. But if God bless him, you know, he's gone to his reward for those of you that may not know. But I want to tell you, all of it God's good. But I want to tell you, when God opened the door at the mission to be the director, that's when I knew why Jack Owens is well and alive, and I didn't want to do it! God, I'm 76 years old! I've got an RV in the backyard. I've got money in the bank. I want to take a little trip." And after God got me off the wall, but I wasn't really that way, but I was so desperate not to go to the mission, and I was one of the kingpins of the mission on the board of directors in a backwards way, and I was trying to find somebody to go to the mission. Even George Eaton, I tried to trap him. You know George Eaton? Remember George Eaton? And George had long gone. There were others there. But God wouldn't have anything to do with it. And I know why. He took me through all that heartbreak. And all that's part of serving God. That I might be able to help someone. having been there, having known what a broken heart is, that I could be used by Him. And I saw the wisdom of God. And in the meantime, my lovely little wife here. We've got a story that we could tell, but I don't have time. Here I've been going at it, and I haven't even opened up the book. But I am going to open up the book. But Richard told me I had a little liberty here this morning. And I know what time I started, and I think I know what time I'm going to quit. But it won't be for the evening meal. You'll be out well before that. But the reason I'm going through all this, I believe that I'm a product of CBT. I wonder whatever happened to Jack Owens way back there. I'm telling you what happened to Jack Owens right now. God has made me a man of God to preach the book. And this church is responsible for that. Don't you give up. You look around and you see a lot of empty pews. God is in control. And just when you think He's pulled the rug out from underneath you, hey, don't you dare think that way. The blessing is around the corner. I don't know you're working through all I do know is I love your pastor. He's a good man, an Areva. And you support him with all that you have within your soul. He is what God has given to you. And you be the first one to volunteer when he says, would you help me out? Anyway, enough of Jack Jones and the life of Jack Jones. Now I'm going to read you some of the statistics of the mission. And I would guarantee you, you will not find these at other missions. We're not in competition with other missions. Anything that we can do at the Beacon Light Mission to further our work, to help it, to stay alive and go out and do what God has called them to do, hey, we're going to support it. But I want you to read some statistics. We do this all on $32,000 for salaries a year. I don't take a salary. First thing God said, I don't want you to take a salary. God, I thank you. You know why? I can have more freedom and more liberty. And I can look the other directors in the eyes and say, that's the way I want it. And they don't fight. And they don't hassle me. They give me liberty. Give me liberty or give me death, you know, kind of thing. But anyway, I get the liberty, I have the liberty. But my friend, I don't care how old you are here in this auditorium, the sanctuary, God can use you. And I would say this, you go home and you search out, let God search out your heart. And you ask God, God, am I just hanging around or am I really doing what you would have me to do and what you would have me to be? And the reason you're going to do that, you're going to be responsible for God or to God. You're going to start doing things that you knew that you should have done maybe years ago, but you didn't. When the pastor asked you to teach a Sunday school class. Oh, I forgot to tell you, pastor asked me to lead the song service on. Man, I couldn't read music then, I still can't read music. But I got up there, I got up there by faith, and I led, and I guess I did alright. Some little lady at the door, she said, Jack, you really did good. Boy, that's what I needed, because I didn't know what I was doing. Even when you don't know what you're doing, God's going to protect you. But you keep moving ahead for God. And God will begin to bless your soul. Alright, let me read you some of the statistics. Our evening attendance in chapel has been running from 20s to the mid-50s with an average of 40 this month. We are blessed with fine gospel messages every evening of the month from various churches, certainly including CBT. 51 women prayed to have their relationship with the Lord restored and 85 asked for prayer for various needs. Please do keep these folks in your prayers as they struggle with the needs for such things as John. All right, we gave temporary shelter for a month, 730 men. 2,183 meals for the month. Goes on and on and on.