Friday, June 3, 2022

Like Those Who Dream...A Spiritual Journey: The Memoir of Roy Lessin

Hello Friends!
I'm excited to invite you to read along with us this Summer. We will read excerpts from Roy Lessin's memoir, "Like Those Who Dream" and learn about his life and ministry. If you have difficulty reading this on a social media page, I suggest you go to the website for Meeting in the Meadow and reading it there. If you have any questions or problems accessing it, feel free to reach out to me. If you would like to purchase the book, it is available through DaySpring and other Christian bookstores.
-Marina

Like Those Who Dream...A Spiritual Journey
The Memoir of Roy Lessin

When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion,
We were like those who dream. Psalm 126:1 NASB

Foreword

Roy and I first met as teenagers, me 18 and him 19, when he joined the freshman class at Bethany College of Missions in Bloomington, Minnesota where I was a student. It was in January of 1962 and it couldn’t have been more of a shock to him. From the free-wheeling lifestyle of an LA bachelor pad to the harsh reality of a Minnesota winter and a strict Bible school with many rules, everything was new to Roy.

 

Roy and I couldn’t have been more different, yet there was a deep love and mutual respect that developed between us. I grew up in a conservative Christian home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Roy in a Jewish home in Los Angeles. In spite of those differences there was an immediate kinship that formed between us. As we studied for our classes I was amazed at his insights into the Bible. He saw things that I completely missed and felt like he had an unfair advantage over the rest of us simply by his being Jewish. Really, I did! But it may also have been that he was just smarter or a better student than I was…or both!

 

One day when I was going through a tough time Roy picked up on it. Rather than talk to me about it he took a different tack. It was winter and I had on my overcoat while walking across campus. When Roy walked by he stuck his hand in my coat pocket, saying nothing. I thought, “How strange”, but knowing Roy I wanted to know what he had done. I put my hand in the pocket and took out a piece of paper that he had put in there. It read, and I quote, “God don’t get no glory when you’re moping!” That was just what I needed at that time. As I reflect on that moment today, over 55 years later, I realize that that note may have been Roy’s first greeting card. The first of many greeting cards that he wrote over his long career.

 

As I have been re-reading the Book of Acts, I have seen how the apostles were totally reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything they did or said. This is also how I have seen Roy live his whole life. One time when I needed his insight and wisdom I asked him how he handled temptation. I knew that I wouldn’t be judged because, well, that’s not how Roy is. His reply to my question was one that I have gone back to often and have shared with others along the way. He said, “When I am tempted I immediately invite the Holy Spirit into the situation.” He said, “you see, sin and the Holy Spirit can’t co-exist."

 


Roy and I were not only classmates, but roommates. He was a groomsman in my wedding, married my wife’s cousin and spent a year working with me in our mission in Puerto Rico. He has been a treasured friend, confidant and encourager to me since the early 60s and I am eternally grateful to God for him.

 

As you discover the story of Roy’s spiritual journey I know you will be challenged, amused, instructed and blessed as I was. It’s easy to look at a person and think, "What a wonderful man or woman" and not know what they went through to become that person. In the pages that follow, you will see the path that Roy has been on and the things that have shaped and formed who he is.

God bless you as you read.
Rolf Garborg
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#likethosewhodream #roylessin #memoir #memoirroylessin #dayspring #meetinginthemeadow #bookclub 

©2020 DaySpring Used with permission. ©2022 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

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