Let's begin by hearing about how you came to know the Lord?

Owen: when I was 10 years old I joined a church because I was told it was the thing to do, but even then I thought there was more to it. I wanted to be a Christian all through High school, but it happened when I was 19 and in the Navy, through a series of circumstances that only God could work out. While in the Navy I went in to NYC and heard Jack Wyrtzen preach at Word of Life and I also went to the famous Calvary Baptist Church in NYC and I was going to Christian Businessmen's Victory Center. These men would sit down and talk to us about God and Christ and heaven and hell. This was very new and kind of strange to me. Then there were the Navigators - I was hearing the same thing from everyone. I was given a New Testament from the Navigators and one day I was sitting in a chair on the ship reading it. I was an orderly and officer walked by and saw me and said "I like that book you're reading . . . why don't you come down to my room tonight." Well I went down and it seemed like I was a 12-year-old child. It seemed like he knew what I needed. He gave me several meaningful scriptures: Jn 1:12, Rev 3:20 and the most meaningful one was Eph 2:8-9. He took me through it word by word and explained to me that salvation was a free gift that you have to reach out and receive. He asked me if I wanted to pray to receive Christ into my heart and life and I said "yes." I prayed and did receive Christ and I was changed. After that I had a voracious appetite for reading the New Testament and that's all I did in my free time.

CD.com: Logan, many people who will be reading this article do not know you personally. They do not know that you are a partial quadriplegic. Could you tell our readers about how you came to be disabled?

Owen: In 1954, 46 years ago, I was on vacation with my family at the age of 27. I dove in a lake and hit my head on the bottom and bent my neck. I became paralyzed. It was a traumatic herniated disk. For two weeks I was in serious condition, then I started rehabilitation.

CD.com: What, if anything, changed in your relationship with the Lord because of the accident?

Owen: It changed, but it was gradual. I did not say "why me, why did this happen to me." But partly it was a "woe is me." You see, they told me that I would walk in 6 to 9 months and I was never sure if they were telling me the truth or they were lying to get me over the hump. It's a good thing that they did tell me I would walk because if they had told me I would never walk again at that time, I might have had a different attitude. At the same time, deep within me I said "God is love and God sees me in this condition and I know that for eternity I will be better for having this situation." Also, God prepared me for all this before it happened because of a personal study I had done in 1 and 2 Peter. Also, He prepared me through memorizing a lot of scripture through the Navigators. There was a short time that I thought God was mad at me so I will be mad at Him. But that was just a short period. Then I thought "I am a Christian," but there is nothing I can do and there is no way I can serve. It was 5 or 6 years after the injury that I came to Melbourne. A new pastor came to my church and asked me to teach some Bible studies. When I was asked to teach the Bible on Sundays, it initiated me into a new degree of intense Bible study resulting in personal growth and service. The Bible was hitting me deeply.

CD.com: One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you today was to talk about mercy. You do a fair amount of nursing home and hospital visitation. Why do you do these things and where do you get the motivation?

Owen: I believe the Bible is true and that we are living for eternity and what we do now will carry on for eternity and what we do now will carry over into eternity and we will be at the judgment seat of Christ for our rewards. I think that as Paul says "the love of Christ constrains us" (KJV). For one thing, it is in obedience to His commands and it is one thing that I am physically able to do. The Bible talks about going to the least of these brethren. I have thought in terms of the least of these people - I put myself in their place in the nursing home. I have been lying in my bed a few times and thought I wish someone would come by and see me. People in nursing homes are very needy, very needy. They are starved for human connections.

CD.com: What you are saying Logan I think is just so valuable. What would you want to say to people about mercy? What encouragement or exhortation do you have for us?

Owen: There are these people who are very needy, they are isolated, they are so use to not having intelligent conversation they loose the ability to converse. Or they think that people don't want to hear what they have to say.

CD.com: So just going to visit someone like that is a way to communicate to them that they are valued, not to mention that the stimulation is good for the mind and the soul and the body. But people say "that's not me, I'm not comfortable doing that, I don't know those people." How would you respond to them?

Owen: The Lord Jesus taught that we should do it. It is a witness to the onlookers, the workers. Sometimes there is a debate about being seen by men. We should not do something just to be seen by men, but we should do things where people will see that we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said do the extraordinary in Mt 5:47. He asks, "what do you do more than others." It is in the context of going the extra mile. See I have an advantage being in a wheelchair because I can maybe show a little extra faith. God worked in me to cause me to do this. He said to do the extraordinary, go the extra mile, and he talked about sufferings.

CD.com: Sounds like what you're saying is that we were commanded to let our light shine before men so that God would be glorified. That we don't always have to have the correct attitude or motivation to go out and do these things. But because Jesus commanded me to do it, I should deny my flesh that says in essence "I don't feel like it, I'm more comfortable at home" and just go and do what Jesus commanded me to do. Is that it?

Owen: That's very much it and sometimes I do stay at home and I don't go out. The other part of this is being a good steward. When I accepted Christ, I wanted to serve God the rest of my life. But, there was a time that I did not have the health or the money to do these things. I feel like I have been given a second chance. I have been given an ability to show what God has done for me. For example, I was given the van and that enables me to get around. I now have enough money to get gas to go. I have the health and the physical ability to do it. I would be afraid to say I am a Christian and not be involved in some kind of service.

CD.com: Let's turn the tables a little bit Logan. I'd like to hear what it has been like for you to be the recipient of mercy from so many people. Many people have come through here to help you to fix your van, clean your house, build your appliances and many other things. What has that been like for you?

Owen: First, it makes me thankful to God that He works in peoples lives to give them love and the conviction to serve. It was not because of me, but because of God working in them that they come to serve. I kind of facetiously like to say that I am the means to give someone else the opportunity to serve. And it has shown me Christ's love. It's not all pure, but a lot of it is. At one time I counted, I've stopped counting now, but in a period of two years I had over 100 different people come help me.

CD.com: As we begin to wrap up, what else would you want to say to those who are struggling with taking that first step to reach out and do unto the least of these?

Owen: It's like that cup of cold water Jesus talked about (Mt 10:42). When a person does a chore for someone who can't do for him or herself, you can't put a monetary value on that. Also if something is on your mind to do for someone, go ahead and offer to do it and believe that God will give you the grace and the words you need to do it and you will be blessed with an inner sense of having done something of value to the Lord.