The recent "Back-to-Genesis" conference in Corvallis, Oregon brought a special surprise to both Ken Ham and myself, for it brought us back into contact with an old friend. One of the leaders of the local sponsoring committee was Tom Le Page: formerly of San Diego. We had known him as a volunteer at ICR and a creation enthusiast, but we didn't know his entire background. God's use of the creation ministry in his life is truly astounding. His abbreviated story follows:

"In June of 1987, I was in prison, doing time for a major crime. I had made a nominal commitment to the Lord about one year earlier, but it meant very little. But God moved me one day to join a Bible study in the prison yard. For the first few days the discussions centered around a devotional booklet which contained some interesting things, but nothing to grab our attention and focus our minds and thoughts.

"On July 2, one of the men suggested we try a new devotional booklet, entitled Days of Praise. Now that was something we could get our teeth into! We had lots of time and promptly spent about three hours discussing the concepts and studying the Scriptures used. That first devotional concerned the Biblical teaching on abortion. Suddenly the Bible had relevance beyond church. A revival broke out among the men, as each day our growing Bible study tackled the meaty issues in Days of Praise.

"The text for the July 4, 1987 devotional was "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Can you imagine? Dozens of prisoners, all desperately wanting to be free, studying that verse. I yielded to the Lord that day and things have never been the same.

"Within a few months I was released on parole. Old habits and friends began to pull on me and before long I had lapsed back into alcohol and drugs. But on July 4, 1988, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the freedom from sin He had brought, reminded me of my commitment to Him just one year before, and drove me to repentant prayer. I was truly set free!

"Soon I attended a 'Back-to-Genesis' seminar in San Diego. Imagine my joy when I was reintroduced to Days of Praise, the tool God had used before. I soon found my hunger for the Word of God growing, and got involved in ministry at my church. I began to hang around ICR to learn more of the evidences for creation, and after careful training, began leading tours through ICR.

"Since then, I've taught creation classes at my church for a variety of age groups. After moving to Corvallis, I've become leader of both the high school and college youth groups, and have found that students learn any subject better when it's placed in a context of creation. Helping sponsor the seminar was a real thrill. I pray many here were also set free by this powerful message."

Truly, our God is a creative God. He has at His disposal a variety of tools to bring about His will in the affairs of men. The creation message has become one of His most effective tools.

*Dr. John Morris is the President of ICR.