I have just finished indulging in a huge feast. The table was groaning with goodies, and I sampled everything! Instead of feeling overfed and lethargic, however, I feel greatly invigorated. In fact, I feel slimmed-down for action. I was running a race, and I know I am all the more ready to continue!

…..These are the best words I can find to describe my experience of reading this new book by John Beaumont!

Over the twenty years I have known John, any recollections-of-the-past he has mentioned, in preaching or in conversation, have always been something of a treat. His anecdotes never failed to be worth listening to: amusing, or intriguing – and yet invariably nourishing. They fed our spirits. They strengthened our responsiveness to the Lord Jesus.

Now, in these “memoirs” John has, as it were, provided us with a banquet – a table laden with his recollections from many different parts of the world. I have feasted at this table with great pleasure, and I know that I am stronger, and spiritually fitter, as a result.
There is no doubt whatsoever, in my mind, that many Christian people, across the globe, are going to be richly blessed as they read the pages ahead.

I would like to mention three truths of which I have become much more sure, as a result of reading this book. I am not saying that God will necessarily underline exactly the same principles in every reader’s heart. I merely want to emphasise that John’s reminiscences seem to highlight priceless biblical truths.

The first is: “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.” It is clear throughout the book that John always made a determined practice of listening-to-the-Spirit before replying or reacting in any situation. He consciously set aside the expectations of those involved, or his own opinions based on previous experience, and listened for the Spirit’s voice. Over and over again, there was a remarkable outcome. (You will find numerous examples in what John has written.) Most of us pay lip-service to this principle, of course - but very few of us really put it into practice. I think this book will help us to deeply desire to be “led by the Spirit”.

The second principle which came across powerfully to me was this: “Speak the truth in love”. John was always willing to speak the truth, even if it was going to be very hard for the hearer to take. However, each time he first-of-all sought the Spirit’s guidance on how the truth spoken could become up-building in the person’s life. Speaking-the-truth-in-love doesn’t mean presenting the truth in a palatable way. (Sugaring the pill, which is what most of us try to do!) It means presenting the truth in a productive way.

Lastly, I want to mention the unusual biblical phrase “married to another – even to Him who is raised from the dead”. (Romans 7:4. A.V.) John’s happy marriage to Mary shines through these pages – but so does this other marriage of his! (Isn’t it wonderful that the love-relationship with one’s spouse, and the love-relationship with Jesus, are not mutually exclusive. In fact, we learn lessons about each partnership from the other partnership.) Whether we are married or single, however, I am convinced that reading this book will help us all understand more clearly what the Authorized Version meant when it said we should be “married to another…that we might bear fruit to God”.

Well! You are at the starting-end of the table. I have tried to give you a glimpse of some of the good things that lie ahead. I know that, in the end, your plate may carry a different selection to mine. But I genuinely believe you will step out, after you have finished, renewed and refreshed, and better prepared than ever to run the race that is set before you.

Stan Firth
Sutton, Surrey, England

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If you don't know of Stan Firth, he has also written an inspiring book that many of you will enjoy, called who wrote the foreword to A God-Filled Nobody has written a delightful and inspiring book, Custom and Command.

Many believers around the world have found both comfort and challenge through this book as he considers whether 21st Century expressions of Christianity are simply the custom we've adopted or whether they are what Jesus comanded us to do. Custom and Command brings encouragement from the Scriptures to a new breed of Christians - with some answers to those who might feel critical of them.

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