Beauty for Ashes: The journey -- and ministry -- of Renée
If you're talking about the old adage of life is a small percentage what happens to you and a much larger percentage of how you react to it, then Renée Beavers is a true illustration of walking in victory. She has overcome a lot, and she shines the light of the Lord throughout her life. She and her husband Gil have a ministry called Rich Relationships Refuge, where they help strengthen marriages. They've been married themselves for 37 years now -- an eternity, it would seem, in this turbulent age. And Renée is an accomplished author. Two of her books are above. I'm in the process of reading the one on the left, "From Tragedy to Majesty," which is a devotional and journal. It features a series of brief (three or so pages long) devotional messages, each on a different topic with a couple Scripture verses to look up and ponder, then space for journaliing. It has lovely illustrations, as well. I have already been blessed by it:
"Change and waiting are woven together by one powerful thread," she writes. "Both force us to confront the illusion that we are in complete control. That is why so many people resist change with such passion. Change challenges our comfort, exposes our fears, and pushes us beyond what feels familiar. Yet change is one of life's greatest non-negotiables."
And:
"Trying to fix our lives without addressing the heart is like pulling leaves off a tree while ignoring the root. The tree remains alive because the root is still untouched. In the same way, blaming people, circumstances, or our past will never heal what is truly broken inside of us."
Gil and Renée have been interviewed in a bunch of places, and they were just candidates for "America's Favorite Couple."
I met Renée when I was researching my book about the case of convicted serial Benjamin ("Tony") Atkins, because her mom happens to be one of the women who encountered Atkins. Through her thoughtful reminiscing, Renée introduced me to her mother -- Vicki's wonderful generosity and beauty that helped shape Renée's childhood, her creativity and her love that affected everyone in her life. Renée showed me what kind of person her mother really was, beyond the news headlines, and she showed me who Renée was, too. You can read more about Renée's mom Vicki in this amazing blog post by sister Denise.
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