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O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Psalm 8 NKJV Greetings in Jesus’ Name, I did a short study on the eighth Psalm this month and was struck again by the wonder of God’s Word. It seems that David had been contemplating some pretty heady matters! First he observes the earth—the creation around him. The result is that he discovered that the name of the Lord is excellent in all the earth. A look at the Fall foliage right now confirms that! Second, he learned something about heaven—that there is something beyond the heavens. (Pretty astute for a mere shepherd guy!) Third, David learned that God has a glory, and that He has set that glory above the heavens. Imagine putting all that wisdom and scientific truth in twenty-one words! (Psalm 8:1) Later in the psalm, David writes; “Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength.” In a quote from this verse in Hebrews the Spirit writes: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained praise.” There’s no conflict here because there is no demonstration of strength greater than praise. I’m reminded of Elisabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist, upon hearing Mary’s greeting, exclaiming “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” because the babe in Elisabeth’s womb leapt for joy as he bore witness of Jesus, who was, Himself, cradled in His mother’s womb. This primal communication between two unborn babes caused Mary to burst forth into song; “My soul magnifies the Lord…” The troubled, broken ones that enter the His Mansion community are encouraged that one need not be a high scholar, economically privileged, or socially connected, to speak wisdom and be able to hear simple, but profound truths from God. Speaking of babes, the Properts, one of our Long Term Staff couples, have been given a new addition. Rachel gave birth to 10 lb, 4 oz. William, on October 3rd. Our newly-weds, Chris and Marie Spiess announced that she is with child and due early May. The Mansion motto ought to be “Be fruitful and multiply!” This has been a month of beautiful days and crystal clear nights. One does not need to be a seminary graduate to stand beneath a sky filled with stars so clear they tempt one to touch, and be moved to praise His Name. I attended an auction recently where works of art sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. I marveled at the talent and use of color. Later in the week I hiked up a flowing riverbed in central Vermont with my son Shawn and grandson Shane. The area is one of two places in the United States where Imperial White Marble was quarried. The riverbed is strewn with potato-shaped boulders as big as Volkswagen Bugs—all of them brilliant white! The trees framing this scene were aflame in every imaginable natural color. The water in the quiet eddies reflected the leaves and the cotton batting clouds on high. As breathtaking as this display was, God has set His finest glory, Jesus, above the heavens, to sit at His right hand. We recently completed our fall, Healing in the Context of Community (HCC) course. Candidates came from Oregon, Washington State, Florida, Minnesota, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and The Bahamas. While they appreciated the Biblical base and the technical wisdom of the material, all were keenly impressed with the therapeutic impact of the sheer beauty and evidence of His presence in the natural surroundings. Our goal is not to just rescue the perishing, counseling and mentoring them to spiritual health, but to help them experience being filled with a wonder of God that evokes that childlike adoration transcending sophisticated intelligence. His Mansion seeks to produce worshippers. The HCC course went very well and has produced several candidates for staffing during the coming year. We need more! A number of key mentors will complete their commitment and return to secular employment, families, and local churches. The wisdom, experience, and maturity they’ve gained while serving here will help them be an asset anywhere. The harvest is over and it has been a bit of a disappointment due to the extremely wet beginning. Even the “Giant Pumpkin” crop was below expectations. Jim Ford and his pumpkin club only took fourth place in the Topsfield Fair, at 1065 lbs. The reduced harvest puts a strain on the budget, but that’s all part of operating on an agricultural basis. Farmers have been adapting to it forever, and we’ll learn through it. Since His Mansion’s founding in 1971, we have made connections with numerous individuals and churches throughout the world that have been touched by the work that God is accomplishing here. Many have expressed awe and appreciation for God’s continuous provision in this ministry, in spite of the fact that we do not engage in fund raising campaigns, accept any type of State or Federal aid, charge the wounded for our service, nor receive salaries ourselves. Glory be to Him! Some might not be aware that we were originally inspired to take this approach after reading about the life of George Mueller, who prayed fervently that God would provide for the needs of his orphanage during England’s Industrial Revolution. Mr. Mueller, while never soliciting funds, made the needs of his ministry known, if asked. I have not been on the road as much during the past two years, as I’ve attempted to mentor and train an almost completely new cadre of staff. I’m now freed up again, to visit churches, prayer groups, and individual supporters across the country. This should stir up fresh interest as folks can hear testimonies of what God is doing at His Mansion and consider the needs. As the New Year approaches, we look closely at giving trends. The good news is that individuals’ support has risen over last year with the arrival of several new full time staff. The sobering news is that giving towards the operation of the work has actually decreased. Some of the shortfall can be attributed to higher fuel costs and increased debt, which impacts the members of the Body and cuts down on funds available for missions. The deficit does not mean that we will not be able to pay every bill, but it would mean circling the wagons and foregoing the plans we have for reaching out to an ever swelling group of needy men and women, and to train and equip a small army of laborers to minister and care for the hurt and broken that populate our neighborhoods, families, and churches. Year-end planning begins now for many. Our policy of not extending ourselves beyond our ability to pay has not changed. We wait, in faith, for our God to supply and ask that you consider investing in this ministry. 2007 could be the most exciting year to date for us. We are well on our way to seeing the His Mansion Institute (HMI) become a reality. One of the keys has been linking up with colleges and schools that offer programs in counseling, social work, and pastoral studies, and have need of intern and practicum opportunities for their students. The hitch, historically, has been the need for master’s level, certified, MSWs and/or counselors/psychologists on staff who can provide oversight for the hours a candidate serves and studies with us. We have begun to fulfill those requirements and could begin accepting students as soon as September of ’07. This year we have stepped out in faith and have already ramped up to thirty-five residents in the program. This nearly triples what we began the year with and accounts for a chunk of the larger budget requirement. We have committed to accept up to fifty—yes, fifty—spiritually and emotionally wounded and crippled men and women by September of 2007. In view of the actual decrease in operating funds, this might be considered foolhardy and risky—except that we have a history of taking reasonable steps of faith and watching our faithful God supply. Jeff Devilbiss, the new Director of Recruiting and Public Relations, has taken on the task of reaching colleges, young adult groups, and attending special events. This is freeing me up to develop new relationships and renew old ones, which I look forward to doing in the coming months. I ask you to visit our new webpage www.hismansion.com, read the newsletters, email: stan@hismansion.com, or call to speak with me. I will gladly tell you of what God is doing here, what our needs are, and the vision that God is laying on our hearts to pursue through faith that He will provide the financial support. It has been a season of spiritual harvest, as well as of produce and meat. Zack, a young man in the program, has had a major turnaround in his life. He’s been in the program for a while, and struggling along. He went home for his mid-term visit and after returning, asked to be baptized along with a number of others. The baptism was a blessing. We gathered at a large pool in Beard’s Brook (b-r-r-r!) and sang, prayed, and began to have each of the nine who had requested baptism to come forward. One after the other our souls were encouraged as, once broken men and women expressed their love for, and faith in, Jesus Christ. As the time was brought to a conclusion three more came forward, moved by God’s Spirit to demonstrate their obedience. The angels rejoiced, and so did we. Since that day, Zack has changed and grown. He testifies that something happened as he came out of the waters and he’s not the same. That is evident to all! Three residents: Stephanie Payne, Joy Webster, and Peter Donato, are scheduled to graduate in the December class. The growth in each candidate has been significant. They have each been asked, and encouraged, to stay on in the Servant Leadership Program, leading to mentorship, after they graduate. We schedule four classes per year to accommodate the four phases of the program and to insure that there are enough participants in each phase to allow for the bonding and social dynamics necessary to make the process work. Paul Atkinson has returned from his trip to Africa. While preaching in the prisons, they saw over 1805 men express faith in Christ. The family here is being thrilled with the stories but I’ll save the best so that Paul can share with you in the next newsletter. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I’ll be reporting on the harvest and the feast in the next letter, also. The decorations are going up everywhere. Gretchen Maurer is a creative genius! It would be worth your while to travel here just to see the way this place speaks of welcome, warmth, and how it screams out; “We care about you!” Although we have felt a bit of financial pinch, we are able to pay every bill and not incur debt. In times of plenty, we have not behaved foolishly, and have put enough aside to weather the occasional storm. Your faithfulness is greatly appreciated. Please know that regularly the residents and staff thank God for you, and express their appreciation. We really do know how much a part of this community the prayer warriors and supporters are. Thank you, and God bless you.
Joyful in His Service,
Stan Farmer
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