an amazing little video that simply reminds us that the casual and ordinary can sometimes be overlooked. i’m still processing the time at mohican juvenile for the epiphany this past weekend. one common thread for the the young men, “stars” and even for the team and volunteers was an old idea…ebenezzer, sung from that great old hymn, come thou fount. it finds its starting point in 1 samuel 7:12
Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.s He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”
it seemed like every where we turned during the three days God was creating moments where we could pause and mark His working in our midst. the incredible joy the young men expressed continually.
- 1,408 links in a prayer chain
- honey buns (that they would make a sandwich with crumbled up candy bars as the filling
- meals (tacos, pizza, wings, subway sandwiches)
- a birthday party to celebrate their births (the 3 boys at my table couldn’t remember having ever had one)
- writing the names of those they needed to forgive on a piece of paper
- nailing those pieces of paper to the cross
- removing the list of someone else and watching it dissolve in water
- learning new songs (mighty to save, no one like you) and hearing them sing more loudly each time.
- also enjoyed cutting it up with pharoah, pharoah
- the celebration of young men, making a renewed or even first time commitment to living for Jesus.
- watching “deacons” (epiphany alumnae) serve their peers with love and compassion
- hearing those same “deacons” share at closing how much they had grown because of serving
- the corrections staff that were continually blown away by the softening of harden hearts.
it can be summed up well in the simple words from my friend, darius, who everytime an “ebenezzer” came his way could only respond by saying “that’s crazy”. please continue to pray for these guys and their next steps. much good was done, many “ebenezzer’s” were lifted up…but the evil one loves to tear it all down. pray that they can live out of the promise of John 10:10 – The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.