We hope you are each savoring the process of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ!  There is no greater joy than helping people along in their journey of faith.

In the last several weeks we have been meeting with individuals and groups, some to find out about their lives and to develop new friendships, some to answer questions about Biblical faith, and others to mentor and disciple.

We have enjoyed the “Gathering in the Loft” on Wednesday nights.  Teaching is intertwined with lots of group discussion and prayer.  Some of us in the ministry gathered for a very meaningful picnic and baptism in September at the O’Kain’s home.  Jeff McNown and I baptized his son, our grandson, J.J. McNown, in the Pacific Ocean.

I officiated at our niece’s wedding – Jessica Ebel and Mike Schaper.  They flew off in an airplane from the wedding site.  We enjoyed Linda’s mother spending a few weeks with us this fall.

What have we been doing for fun? This autumn has had spectacular weather to enjoy the outdoors here in Oregon and Linda and I have been taking walks and hiking.

We have attended several of J.J.’s and Josiah’s soccer games, Brock’s football games and Selah’s dance classes.

Linda is painting with oils this fall in a class every Wednesday morning in Happy Valley.  She is making two paintings for our Great Room.  Linda makes cards and prints of her art to give as gifts and to make available for purchase.  Pictured here are two, Front Porch in Summer, and Star with Pumpkins.

This week I went target shooting with family, attended a class on outdoor survival, and this weekend will be spending 48 hours practicing survival skills in the wild with a group of men.  What an adventure – I’ll let you know how it goes!

1 Corinthians 12:9 says that the Holy Spirit gives the “gifts of healing.” This is the only gift that is in the plural. This is an indication that God desires healing for more than just our physical sicknesses.  In fact, Luke 4 records Jesus standing up to read in the synagogue and while reading, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 which revealed the Spirit’s work of healing spiritually, emotionally, and mentally through Himself.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;” Luke 4:18  NKJV

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit longs for us to depend on Him to heal us.  He does not choose to heal every time we ask, but He does want us to pray in faith, believing, and trust the outcome to Him!  We err by not asking.  Years ago I coined this truism:

“Expect the Answer ‘Yes’ and Accept the Answer ‘No.’”

It is our intention to make this site a source of relevant Biblical information as well as inform you of what Christ is doing through Dale Ebel Ministries.

I plan to post thoughts within the following categories within this blog on a regular basis depending on the interest level.

Take a look at the featured topics and give me an indication of what peaks your interest. The following is a brief description of each category within the blog.

MARRIAGE MATTERS
Linda and I will communicate our personal insights as to how to build, enrich, and strengthen marriages.  Though we, like most couples, have areas to grow in, we are grateful to have a strong, grace-filled, purpose driven, Spirit lead, and companion rich marriage.

KIDS AND GRANDKIDS
In this category, parents will discover truth that Linda and I have learned over the years about raising our three grown children, and how these truths and applications might help other families. Of course we will keep all pointers for you to access in the future.

MENTORING SONS
Most would agree that we need to raise a generation of strong, masculine men in the American Church. I, along with others that I am  discipling with, will pass on to men practical ideas about how we can be used of God to develop the next generation of godly men who follow Christ and see the importance of leadership in their lives.

TRUTHS FROM SCRIPTURE
The Apostle Paul prayed for the Church in Colossi that they would “live a life worthy of the Lord…and bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” Colossians 1:9&10

I will be communicating some of the insight the Holy Spirit has given me from the Word of God, which I pray will be instructive to you.

THE PUBLIC ARENA
I believe many Christians have so emphasized their personal faith that there is a disconnect with the application of the Doctrines (teachings) of The Faith (the whole body of Truth) from our culture. We have so privatized our Faith that we have become marginalized.  I will clarify Biblical truths in light of our influence in our culture.

BACK TO OUR ORIGINS
Every major doctrine that we believe has its origin in the Book of Genesis.  The origin of the universe, complexity, all life, men and women in the image of God, marriage, evil, language, government and culture are just a few.  How we interpret Genesis is central to understanding the rest of the Bible.  I will be communicating many of these truths on a regular basis.

Please send me your brief feedback by leaving a comment below. Thank You!