The first three chapters

I just started reading a book the my mom recommended to me.  she told me that it had a profound influance on her life.  I would read pretty much any book that my mom recommends dealing with the spiritual realm, because she is the most Godly woman I know, she lives the phrase "pray without ceasing".  Sh is truly a woman of God.

"Reese Howells Intercessor; The Story of a Life Lived for God"  is about a man who was a missionary, born October 19, 1897.  I thought is was going to be a hard read for me considering it was published in 1952 and written by an Englishman, but it has been quite pleasant so far, with many insights into the mid of the author, the subject and most importantly the mind of God. Here are some things that have struck me so far:
- Speaking of his life before he was born again (the author and it seems Mr. Howells makes it clear that in his eyes there is a difference between being a "Christian" and being born again.); "I felt I could face God every night, because I lived such a clean, pure life,..."  This statement will become important in a later chapter.
-Mr Howells, was always a Church goer, he decided to move to America before he left he went to church and God spoke to him through the pastor. The author describe it this way, "It was God's overshadowing Hand again, putting an external restraint on His chosen vessel, until He revealed His Son to him..."
-Later on after he came to America, he is invited to go to a boxing match, something he enjoyed in his youth, and he refuses.  The author once again refers to the restraining hand.
-"Living and upright life like that, how could God bring him to the realization that he was born in sin and needed to be saved?"
-"...until there is conviction of need, there can be no desire for a change.  But God has His ways!"
-there is a five chapter discourse comparing the correspondence of the five sense to nature, to correspondence, which I am still in the process of digesting mentally.

There are some things in the book that are question marks for me, for instance the author and indeed HOwell's refers to "seeing Calvary" when talking about conversions experiences.     Not sure exactly how I feel about that.  So far I have seen theological elements of Calvanmism, and mild undertones of the Charismatic movement in the book.  Almost every paragraph makes you think, about what you are reading.  It is very deep spiritually, and I can't wait to "wade in" as it were.