A Time to Gather Stones

A Time to Gather Stones
by Jason Cruise

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,5)

This past Thursday evening, on a cloudlessly perfect day, I climbed a hill.

It's a hill I've climbed many times on a beautiful piece of Tennessee property where I've chased many April long-beards. This time, however, it was not to chase a tom. I felt a strange pull to worship on top of this hill. Close to the summit of this hilltop clad in cedars I stopped and gathered four stones. 

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Over the last ten years I've spoken at churches of all shapes and sizes throughout the nation at men's ministry events and wild game dinners. I've made a habit of gathering the email addresses of the pastors I meet just because I will often send out a special devotion dealing with issues that are specific to men in the cloth. However, this past week I sent an email to this group of men asking for them to consider opening their heart, and their missions budget, to a kingdom need that was both real and urgent.

If you follow the Man Minute, then you know that from time to time I'll write about my relationship with orphans in Moldova. While in this country on my last trip, it became readily apparent to me that Alina Magdaliuc, the national director of Justice and Mercy International, who lives and works with orphans in Moldova, was in serious need of a better vehicle, for the car she now has is quickly coming to a state of disrepair.

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Alina travels all over the Moldovan countryside working to get orphans the help they need in a country where empirical evidence indicates that up to 60-70% of orphan girls will be forced into sex slavery. Therefore, getting these beautiful children on the radar of JMI is a critical issue. Without a vehicle, Alina's work for the kingdom of God is massively hindered.

Upon sending out this simple email requesting that pastors consider opening up their mission's budgets to help purchase this vehicle ... in one day's time ... I sat back and watched almost $10,000 of commitments roll in.

In one, single day.

I went to the hilltop to gather stones of remembrance. What I love about the Old Testament is that our God is forever trying to create ways to embed His faithfulness into the hearts of His people; so, lest they forget His benefits, He often called them to build altars and stack stones, and His purpose was simple:

He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God. (Joshua 4:21-24)

I stacked my stones, and then sat on a log to look at them for a while. There on that hill, in the deafening silence that only a cedar thicket can produce, I worshipped the same God that parted the waters of the Jordan, for I had seen Him part the waters for these children who are in need of a leader who can care for them continually. I wanted Him to know that I had seen His glory, a glory manifested through the hearts of His people, as they poured out tangible love to "the least of these."

It was a day I will not allow myself to forget.

FYI: We still have about $4000 to go to purchase the vehicle. If you are interested, email me at jason@outdoorministrynetwork and I'll get you into contact with Justice and Mercy International. 100% of your donation will go to this vehicle project and 100% of your donation is tax deductible. 

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