“Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”” (1 Samuel 7:12, NASB95)

Our first Kentucky ‘home’ was located on the Oldham-Henry county line. The people were incredible and the soil is tillable farm land and not overly rocky. When I unearthed this little beast in 2000, I thought it had the makings of a natural marker. I set it up in the landscape of the house I was helping to build at the time. This stone became Michelle’s and my ‘Ebenezer.’ The Lord had helped us through so much and I remembered that truth every time I passed by.

When God moved us from Sligo, KY to a land further north and east, Ebenezer came with us. I set Ebenezer near our front door. The reminder that God was helping was needed truth. When we moved again, we put Ebenezer in a ‘safe place’ so that the testimony would remain.

We moved yet again, building a house ground-up and we tried our hand at farming…rocks. Tilling the ground in Bracken county is nothing like the soil we enjoyed at the turn of the millennium.

I dug up all these rocks, using them as a foundation for our front porch.

And these rocks too.

And these rocks out of our garden.

And these rocks as well.

But wait! There is more. An endless supply!

Ebenezer resided at the start of our long gravel drive and gradually became ignored among all the other stones in our lives. The truth represented was not overlooked, but Ebenezer was lost. When I released Ebenezer from heavy overgrowth this past week, what joy to recall how God has helped us this far.

Michelle struggled these past 10 days. Her pain became increasingly unmanageable and Wednesday we had an unplanned visit to the cancer clinic at the hospital. The treatment Michelle received was effective and a true blessing. Michelle is now on even stronger pain medicines than before, but the number of pills she has to take daily is far less and her comfort increased. She is still awake and aware and puttering around the house making sure her home is as close to being as she desires it to be. The Lord has helped us thus far and Michelle feels better than she has since this current round of immunotherapy commenced over a month ago. We are grateful.

September 3 will be a milestone date (pun intended). The ‘last try’ immunotherapy’s efficacy will be evaluated that day and decisions made on how to proceed. As you pray, please ask for clarity in the test results and wisdom as to the next step on the journey.

In the interim, Ebenezer will be standing ‘in the way’ once again, serving as memorial of God’s help thus far.