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Missionary Warrior: Charles E. Cowman
“Called to Japan. August 11, 1900, 10:30 a.m.”
When Charles E. Cowman made this notation in his Bible, he did not know how the Lord was going to use him over the next 24 years. From telegraph operator to faith missionary to founder of a missions organization that continues strong today, Cowman’s driving force was always for more people to come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. Though his story is more than a century old, his example of a life dedicated to following his Lord, wherever that led him, continues to inspire many people today.
About the Author
Lettie B. Cowman and her husband, Charles, were cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society, now One Mission Society. After Charles’ death in 1924, Mrs. Cowman collected devotions that she wrote during his illness and published Streams in the Desert, one of the best-selling devotionals of all time. In addition to Missionary Warrior and Streams in the Desert, she published a number of other books and served as President of The Oriental Missionary Society from 1928 through 1949.
When Charles E. Cowman made this notation in his Bible, he did not know how the Lord was going to use him over the next 24 years. From telegraph operator to faith missionary to founder of a missions organization that continues strong today, Cowman’s driving force was always for more people to come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. Though his story is more than a century old, his example of a life dedicated to following his Lord, wherever that led him, continues to inspire many people today.
About the Author
Lettie B. Cowman and her husband, Charles, were cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society, now One Mission Society. After Charles’ death in 1924, Mrs. Cowman collected devotions that she wrote during his illness and published Streams in the Desert, one of the best-selling devotionals of all time. In addition to Missionary Warrior and Streams in the Desert, she published a number of other books and served as President of The Oriental Missionary Society from 1928 through 1949.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2019
134 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Lettie B. Cowman
43 books32 followersalso published under the name: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman & L.B. Cowman
"A lot of people who use the perennially popular devotional book Streams in the Desert think it is by somebody named Charles, because the title page is signed “Mrs. Charles Cowman.” As an author, she successfully concealed herself under her married name, her late husband’s name. Her full name was Lettie Burd Cowman (1870-1960). And the 1925 book she is famous for is itself another stunt of self-concealment: Streams in the Desert is mostly a pastiche of Lettie Cowman’s favorite passages from her own wide devotional reading, assembled on the grid of 365 daily doses.
The authors she cites are a who’s who of the late nineteenth century evangelical movement, especially the missionary, holiness, and Keswick side of the tradition: A. C. Dixon, A. T. Pierson, F. B. Meyer, Andrew Murray, A. B. Simpson, Charles Trumbull, etc. There are many paragraphs written by Cowman herself, but they tend to flow in and out of the quotations seamlessly.
Her work in Streams is mainly a cut-and-paste job, yet Cowman’s compilation of sources has outlived and out-sold most of the authors she quotes. Streams is still in print in a major way.The secret of her editorial success is probably that she wasn’t trying to succeed. Cowman really did produce the book for her own benefit. She wasn’t trying to reach a large audience; she was going through a difficult phase of life, and learning how to commune with God through the suffering.
Lettie had married Charles Cowman in 1889, and five years into their marriage they responded to a call to world missions issued by A. B. Simpson in the Moody Church in Chicago. The couple served in Japan from 1901 to 1917, leading a remarkable evangelistic campaign that focused on distributing literature to every household and training indigenous Christian workers. Charles was a visionary, a gifted administrator, and an inspiring leader. Overwhelmed with the evangelistic success of his mission, Charles worked himself to a complete physical collapse. He and Lettie returned to the USA, settling in Los Angeles, where Charles died after a six-year period of sickness and decline. His biography, Charles E. Cowman: Missionary Warrior, was written by Lettie the year after his death.
It was during these six years that Lettie experienced the suffering that every reader of Streams in the Desert recognizes. For one thing, there was the great physical pain Charles endured in his decline, but equally difficult was the enforced retirement that both Charles and Lettie were subjected to: The Cowmans were habitually busy people, with a lot of energy and a love for accomplishments. Holding still for six years was unimaginably hard and absolutely necessary.
As they crept together through these six years, Lettie read through the Bible and a library of Christian books, gathering the bits and pieces that helped her the most. Lettie knew what she and Charles needed in these years: that is what provides the strong thematic unity holding together the cut-and-paste work of Streams. That’s why Christians in affliction will continue to find this book a word that speaks directly to their situation, in small daily doses.
Lettie lived for many busy decades after Charles’ death. By 1928 she took charge of the Oriental Missions Society, and she developed a ministry as a public speaker. Her labors as missionary stateswoman included travel to Wales, Ethiopia, Finland, Colombia. And she kept writing. Though none of her books ever reached the classic status of Streams, there was always a substantial reading public for anything she wrote. The follow-up volume, Springs in the Valley, is in some ways even better than Streams, reflecting wider reading and a more comprehensive outlook. But it lacks the focus and intensity that somehow reaches out to readers in Streams. Her last book, Handfuls of Purpose, came out when she was 85.
Lettie Cowman died on April 1
"A lot of people who use the perennially popular devotional book Streams in the Desert think it is by somebody named Charles, because the title page is signed “Mrs. Charles Cowman.” As an author, she successfully concealed herself under her married name, her late husband’s name. Her full name was Lettie Burd Cowman (1870-1960). And the 1925 book she is famous for is itself another stunt of self-concealment: Streams in the Desert is mostly a pastiche of Lettie Cowman’s favorite passages from her own wide devotional reading, assembled on the grid of 365 daily doses.
The authors she cites are a who’s who of the late nineteenth century evangelical movement, especially the missionary, holiness, and Keswick side of the tradition: A. C. Dixon, A. T. Pierson, F. B. Meyer, Andrew Murray, A. B. Simpson, Charles Trumbull, etc. There are many paragraphs written by Cowman herself, but they tend to flow in and out of the quotations seamlessly.
Her work in Streams is mainly a cut-and-paste job, yet Cowman’s compilation of sources has outlived and out-sold most of the authors she quotes. Streams is still in print in a major way.The secret of her editorial success is probably that she wasn’t trying to succeed. Cowman really did produce the book for her own benefit. She wasn’t trying to reach a large audience; she was going through a difficult phase of life, and learning how to commune with God through the suffering.
Lettie had married Charles Cowman in 1889, and five years into their marriage they responded to a call to world missions issued by A. B. Simpson in the Moody Church in Chicago. The couple served in Japan from 1901 to 1917, leading a remarkable evangelistic campaign that focused on distributing literature to every household and training indigenous Christian workers. Charles was a visionary, a gifted administrator, and an inspiring leader. Overwhelmed with the evangelistic success of his mission, Charles worked himself to a complete physical collapse. He and Lettie returned to the USA, settling in Los Angeles, where Charles died after a six-year period of sickness and decline. His biography, Charles E. Cowman: Missionary Warrior, was written by Lettie the year after his death.
It was during these six years that Lettie experienced the suffering that every reader of Streams in the Desert recognizes. For one thing, there was the great physical pain Charles endured in his decline, but equally difficult was the enforced retirement that both Charles and Lettie were subjected to: The Cowmans were habitually busy people, with a lot of energy and a love for accomplishments. Holding still for six years was unimaginably hard and absolutely necessary.
As they crept together through these six years, Lettie read through the Bible and a library of Christian books, gathering the bits and pieces that helped her the most. Lettie knew what she and Charles needed in these years: that is what provides the strong thematic unity holding together the cut-and-paste work of Streams. That’s why Christians in affliction will continue to find this book a word that speaks directly to their situation, in small daily doses.
Lettie lived for many busy decades after Charles’ death. By 1928 she took charge of the Oriental Missions Society, and she developed a ministry as a public speaker. Her labors as missionary stateswoman included travel to Wales, Ethiopia, Finland, Colombia. And she kept writing. Though none of her books ever reached the classic status of Streams, there was always a substantial reading public for anything she wrote. The follow-up volume, Springs in the Valley, is in some ways even better than Streams, reflecting wider reading and a more comprehensive outlook. But it lacks the focus and intensity that somehow reaches out to readers in Streams. Her last book, Handfuls of Purpose, came out when she was 85.
Lettie Cowman died on April 1
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 4, 2022
4.5🌟 (The beginning was a little slow, but did end up helping with the story.) What a fantastic story of sacrifice and complete faith! To hear all of the work this man did is fascinating and mind boggling. It was amazing to hear about the needs he had and how God provided for those needs, long before emails or phone calls were around for others to know about things.
May 12, 2021
In my youth, our church offered a Bible memory program. My sister and I participated, and I can still remember our little booklet of verses, with its blue cover. We would memorize some each week, and then on Sunday night show up in the church library to recite them to someone in charge. We earned points for memorizing, and one of my prizes was a sampler kit of John 10:9, which I made. Another of my prizes was the devotional book “Streams in the Desert,” by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. I *loved* that devotional and read it for years. My copy was so written-in and used that it was losing pages and the covers. Several years ago I replaced it. But I always remembered thinking it seemed strange that the author went by “Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.” Who was Charles Cowman?
Missionary Warrior answers that question. It is a biography of Charles E. Cowman, written by his wife, “Streams in the Desert” author Lettie Cowman.
When Charles was a little boy, his mother often prayed, “Oh God, help my boy to grow up to be a good and useful man!” She and her husband “expected to make the training of their children the supreme business of their lives, and they prayed for divine guidance as they began to plan.” They thought of their children as they decided where to live, etc. The family lived in Iowa.
Charles was saved as a young man at a revival meeting: “The revival was thought by many to have been a failure, as only one boy had been converted. But how little they realized what that conversion would mean to thousands of lost souls.” Good perspective for us today when we feel discouraged. We never know what God is doing behind the scenes.
Charles began his adult life working in a telegraph office, where he struggled as a Christian to work with those gambling with mining stock. I was struck by how the Christian often struggles today too with issues in his environment. The temptations may have changed — these days it’s not gambling perhaps, but any one of many of the “woke” politically-correct causes antithetical to the Gospel — but the struggle is the same. He met Lettie and they married.
Charles had a personality ideally geared to evangelism, and he spent his days sharing the Gospel with his coworkers, leading 75 to the Lord in less than six months. WOW. He felt impressed that he should go to Japan to help those people know the Lord, and he and Lettie moved there. They did not have any sponsoring church or organization, so they depended on God in a very literal way to supply their needs. Many instances are given where they would receive money for ship fare, a mission building, etc., just the day before it was needed. The way they lived daily by faith was really incredible.
The Cowmans led a large team of people in Japan, both English-speakers and many Japanese natives. What they accomplished was amazing. Charles loved to note details, and at one point noted that the number of houses in Japan was 10,376,700, and that the number the Oriental Mission Society (the organization he founded) had so far visited 6,234,792. WOW.
Despite leading this huge organization, Charles remained very humble. Once while speaking to a large crowd, the listeners took out their handkerchiefs and began waving them at him as they gave him a standing ovation. Charles looked pained and knelt behind the pulpit, burying his face in his hands, saying, “I have done nothing.”
When he was 50, Charles began having so many heart problems that he and Lettie very reluctantly left Japan after 17 years there, and returned to America. He lived for 6 more years as an invalid while Lettie cared for him. I was struck by wishing he had lived 100 years later, when most likely he could have been treated for this condition. At the time he lived, he was simply urged to “rest.” He mentioned repeatedly the pains he had in his heart, his inability to walk far, his discomfort in lying down, etc. He died at 56 after suffering greatly during his final 6 years.
“Blessed is he, whoever shall not be offended in me,” was a favorite verse of his during this time. He contemplated all the Biblical figures whose suffering God could have mitigated, but He didn’t — “What grace it must have taken not to question why he who possessed such mighty resources would leave him there, undelivered, in that dungeon! … These are the hours we will study with delight and amazement in the light of eternity: no explanation; faith nourished; the prison doors left closed; and then the message, ‘Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.’ … The greatest thing was to be willing to remain in that prison, an unoffended soul.”
Just before he died, Charles urged Lettie not to spend too much time at his grave, “as it would only keep the wound open. I will not be there, you know … You will be all alone when the beauty of the summer is gone, but there is an eternal summer, heaven, that will be exceedingly beautiful, and we shall dwell together there.”
His Oriental Mission Society is now One Mission Society. This book was inspirational to me as a Christian and I recommend it.
Missionary Warrior answers that question. It is a biography of Charles E. Cowman, written by his wife, “Streams in the Desert” author Lettie Cowman.
When Charles was a little boy, his mother often prayed, “Oh God, help my boy to grow up to be a good and useful man!” She and her husband “expected to make the training of their children the supreme business of their lives, and they prayed for divine guidance as they began to plan.” They thought of their children as they decided where to live, etc. The family lived in Iowa.
Charles was saved as a young man at a revival meeting: “The revival was thought by many to have been a failure, as only one boy had been converted. But how little they realized what that conversion would mean to thousands of lost souls.” Good perspective for us today when we feel discouraged. We never know what God is doing behind the scenes.
Charles began his adult life working in a telegraph office, where he struggled as a Christian to work with those gambling with mining stock. I was struck by how the Christian often struggles today too with issues in his environment. The temptations may have changed — these days it’s not gambling perhaps, but any one of many of the “woke” politically-correct causes antithetical to the Gospel — but the struggle is the same. He met Lettie and they married.
Charles had a personality ideally geared to evangelism, and he spent his days sharing the Gospel with his coworkers, leading 75 to the Lord in less than six months. WOW. He felt impressed that he should go to Japan to help those people know the Lord, and he and Lettie moved there. They did not have any sponsoring church or organization, so they depended on God in a very literal way to supply their needs. Many instances are given where they would receive money for ship fare, a mission building, etc., just the day before it was needed. The way they lived daily by faith was really incredible.
The Cowmans led a large team of people in Japan, both English-speakers and many Japanese natives. What they accomplished was amazing. Charles loved to note details, and at one point noted that the number of houses in Japan was 10,376,700, and that the number the Oriental Mission Society (the organization he founded) had so far visited 6,234,792. WOW.
Despite leading this huge organization, Charles remained very humble. Once while speaking to a large crowd, the listeners took out their handkerchiefs and began waving them at him as they gave him a standing ovation. Charles looked pained and knelt behind the pulpit, burying his face in his hands, saying, “I have done nothing.”
When he was 50, Charles began having so many heart problems that he and Lettie very reluctantly left Japan after 17 years there, and returned to America. He lived for 6 more years as an invalid while Lettie cared for him. I was struck by wishing he had lived 100 years later, when most likely he could have been treated for this condition. At the time he lived, he was simply urged to “rest.” He mentioned repeatedly the pains he had in his heart, his inability to walk far, his discomfort in lying down, etc. He died at 56 after suffering greatly during his final 6 years.
“Blessed is he, whoever shall not be offended in me,” was a favorite verse of his during this time. He contemplated all the Biblical figures whose suffering God could have mitigated, but He didn’t — “What grace it must have taken not to question why he who possessed such mighty resources would leave him there, undelivered, in that dungeon! … These are the hours we will study with delight and amazement in the light of eternity: no explanation; faith nourished; the prison doors left closed; and then the message, ‘Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.’ … The greatest thing was to be willing to remain in that prison, an unoffended soul.”
Just before he died, Charles urged Lettie not to spend too much time at his grave, “as it would only keep the wound open. I will not be there, you know … You will be all alone when the beauty of the summer is gone, but there is an eternal summer, heaven, that will be exceedingly beautiful, and we shall dwell together there.”
His Oriental Mission Society is now One Mission Society. This book was inspirational to me as a Christian and I recommend it.
December 28, 2024
What an amazing story! I read “Streams in the Desert” and its companion volumes many times in my teen and young adult years, so it was special to learn more about the life of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cowman. Though I don’t doubt that this life story is shown through rose colored glasses, as all biographies of its time, it is still a deeply inspiring and challenging record of rare faithfulness and courage in God’s service. What a difference he made in the world! I wonder how many souls will be in heaven because of his sacrifice and dedication.
October 29, 2024
What an engaging story of a man who gave his all for the Kingdom to be built. His life of faith and sacrificial generosity is so inspiring.
February 26, 2022
Good
Can a small team of evangelist share the good news about Jesus with all people of Japan with only $5 in their treasury? Add to that the fact that this endeavor took place in the early 20th century when cars were rare, roads were rugged, and walking long distances were common. The answer to the above question is an overwhelming yes! This isn't about "Red Sea Miracles" that have strong sensational quality to them. Instead you will read how God uses everyday circumstances to orchestrate incredible outcomes. Miraculous? Yes, but not where you expect it!
Can a small team of evangelist share the good news about Jesus with all people of Japan with only $5 in their treasury? Add to that the fact that this endeavor took place in the early 20th century when cars were rare, roads were rugged, and walking long distances were common. The answer to the above question is an overwhelming yes! This isn't about "Red Sea Miracles" that have strong sensational quality to them. Instead you will read how God uses everyday circumstances to orchestrate incredible outcomes. Miraculous? Yes, but not where you expect it!
February 15, 2022
Amazing story of a man totally sold out to God.
dhamman76@gmail.com
This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. Charles E. Cowman was a modern day Apostle Paul. There was a fire burning in him that was not even quenched in his homegoing. The work has gone on a because of the work of one man totally committed to spreading the Gospel message thousands or perhaps millions will stand before God and praise Him forever.
dhamman76@gmail.com
This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. Charles E. Cowman was a modern day Apostle Paul. There was a fire burning in him that was not even quenched in his homegoing. The work has gone on a because of the work of one man totally committed to spreading the Gospel message thousands or perhaps millions will stand before God and praise Him forever.
January 4, 2023
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Challenging, inspiring, and convicting, Charles Cowman epitomized a life sold out for Christ. Even though it's only the third day of the year, I have absolutely no doubt this will be the best book I read this year.
March 4, 2021
The life story of Charles Cowman is amazing and inspiring. Once he gave complete control of his life to God, he never looked back, and God used him and his wife, Lettie, in ways they never imagined. Lettie wrote Missionary Warrior as a tribute to her "beloved Charlie," never expecting it to be widely published. She just wanted to share with family and friends who Charles was and what he had accomplished, through God's grace and leading. But over nearly 100 years, God has even used his story to move many people to action. I think this quote from Charles concisely sums up who he was: "The world is waiting yet to see what God can do through a consecrated soul. ... There is no limit to what God can do with a man, providing he does not touch the glory."
August 14, 2024
A man with a heart for God
Charles Cowman was a missionary to Japan. His heart was moved by their need and at a friend's urging he designed a plan to get the gospel into every home in Japan. Korea and China also burned in his heart. His heart wasn't strong and several times he had to slow down. Even in his times of rest, Charles was praying, dreaming, and planning. I enjoyed especially that he believed in a holy life and led others to die to self and live for God. This is an inspiring biography written by Charles wife.
Charles Cowman was a missionary to Japan. His heart was moved by their need and at a friend's urging he designed a plan to get the gospel into every home in Japan. Korea and China also burned in his heart. His heart wasn't strong and several times he had to slow down. Even in his times of rest, Charles was praying, dreaming, and planning. I enjoyed especially that he believed in a holy life and led others to die to self and live for God. This is an inspiring biography written by Charles wife.
September 20, 2023
An Unforgettable Experience, a Transforming Read.
It is difficult if not impossible to do justice to this book, one must read and feel the pulsating life of the man who having gave his life to G-d, lived out from his grace and power to such an extent that he did extraordinary things. If one would have their faith encouraged, their vision restored, their calling renewed, read, listen, and live a life so devoted to G-d and all will be given.
It is difficult if not impossible to do justice to this book, one must read and feel the pulsating life of the man who having gave his life to G-d, lived out from his grace and power to such an extent that he did extraordinary things. If one would have their faith encouraged, their vision restored, their calling renewed, read, listen, and live a life so devoted to G-d and all will be given.
June 12, 2022
An interesting missionary account, well-told story of passion for God, fervor for souls, and practical steps taken. One of my favorite mission stories, now. This is the first time I read it, but will reread, most surely. Timely encouragement to Christians (me esp) towards full-hearted commitment to Christ, death to self and all selfish desires.
April 21, 2025
A man obeyed God and changed Japan, Korea and Chinas' destiny!
Charles Cowman started out his life as a telegraph operator and won his office to God!
He trusted God for supplying all his needs and Japan was reached village by village home by home!
He believed in indigenous mission work, locals can reach their fellow countrymen. His reliance on God touched Japan, Korea and China!
Charles Cowman started out his life as a telegraph operator and won his office to God!
He trusted God for supplying all his needs and Japan was reached village by village home by home!
He believed in indigenous mission work, locals can reach their fellow countrymen. His reliance on God touched Japan, Korea and China!
May 24, 2022
Streams in the Desert is my all time favorite devotional. I have a very old copy that is so very treasured. This book was written by the author of Streams in the Desert and it is about her and her husband's missionary efforts in Japan. So very inspiring. Loved it.
June 11, 2022
Biography of the founder of Oriental Missionary Society, which later change into One Mission Society. The beginning of a ministry which later produced thousand of other ministers. A journey to the Asia to spread The Word.
July 27, 2021
Wonderful, inspiring, and beautiful tribute to her husband! Easy to read but deeply meaningful. A message to us today!
October 20, 2021
Breath of fresh air
Very encouraging , if you have a heart for missions this is a book you will love to read .
Very encouraging , if you have a heart for missions this is a book you will love to read .
January 2, 2026
Fascinating book on the life and ministry of Charles Cowman.
January 27, 2026
A inspiring biography of Charles Cowman and the start of the OMS mission movement.
July 5, 2023
Charles Cowman was a missionary in Japan. I was shocked that I had never even heard of the man. He was able to bring Japanese to salvation and then mobilize them to visit almost all the cities throughout the nation. Many hundreds were converted--seemingly enough to transform large parts of the nation to Christianity. Yet today most Japanese seem to have reverted to Buddhism and such. However, Cowman made a mark for Christ that will never be erased
December 18, 2025
Pioneer Missionary
Before missionary work was so organized, God spoke and Mr. Cowman moved on those words. Thousands of souls reached with the gospel were the result of his obedience.
Before missionary work was so organized, God spoke and Mr. Cowman moved on those words. Thousands of souls reached with the gospel were the result of his obedience.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews