Friday, October 10, 2008

Inuksuk: Our Ebenezer


Red Lake is at the end of the road. Highway 105 comes to a T at the only light in town. There it ends. It doesn't go any farther north. During the five hour drive between the Canada/US border and the end of Highway 105, you pass a lot of rock piles like this one. The traditional name is inuksuk. They are rocks left as markers since long ago.

"When you look at an old Inuksuk, you are seeing more than just a stack of stones. You are seeing the thoughts of another person left upon the land."
Norman Hallendy

Ever since we've decided to make the move to Red Lake, I've been looking forward to raising our Ebenezer. So tonight we stopped along the road to do just that as a family. It's a marker for me. God has brought us this far. I will look back at this time in our lives and remember that God brought us here.



Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

3 comments:

Kirst said...

"This far He has brought me. Onward He will carry me..."

Karen, I love your blog post, especially the picture of your excited family. :) I think maybe I should make an inuksuk too.
I really appreciated the post before this one too. I agree with Mom's comment that you wrote about and I have peace about you guys being in Canada too. I will pray that God brings you and Kendalls' hearts to the same place as far as the "next steps" at the end of the year...and that He brings all of the rest of our hearts to the same place too! :)
oh, and i think you're at a great place emotionally for having just returned home after time in IN. AND it was really good to spend time with you and the boys! thanks for visiting me at IWU!

i love you guys and i'm praying for you!
-kirst

Nathalie said...

I have always love that hymn. The imagery and the melody combine some perfectly. And I heard somewhere that the author was quite a backslider. A comfort to those of us that have struggled to fit into mainstream Christianity. Thanks for the post.

Nathalie

marilyn bontrager said...

I loved your thoughts about your little "mile marker"......... how cool is that? Man when i read your thoughts... i think this "When will dear Karen write her first book?"........ maybe your have to publish your first journal and name it "Journey of a Thousand Miles"........ your so transparent and honest... makes me love you all the more!! Can't wait till Karissa's wedding!! yipper