When I first spoke about remembrance stones, or Ebenezer stones, a visitor friend of mine wrote this:
I also have small “alters” of stones in my house…up in jars. They are written on with a sharpie pen. I write one or two words down when I have a breakthrough, or a praise. When people come to visit, they ask about the stones and I can tell them that “good things happen here”. I take that from the Bible. Whenever there was a victory, as you probably already know, they use to build an alter…so that when people came by, they would see, know and remember.
This visitor’s practice of erecting contemporary “standing stones” helps her remember God’s goodness, mighty works, and faithfulness in her life. It can help her tell her story. It’s wonderful to have a visual reminder, also, because we can too quickly forget God’s work when we hit troubling times, or get too busy.
The practice of using stones as a memory device goes WAY back. For a brief devotional or your own research, look up the Scriptures of Joshua 4:9, and I Samuel 7:12.
Consider trying this practice for yourself. The materials are easy to find, and when you go through your jar and reflect on what’s inside as you are alone with God, or with someone else, you’ll be reminded of God’s faithfulness, and goodness.
Nice post. I had to hunt for this blog, as you didn’t leave a URL over on Daddytude.com – that’s OK.
Sometimes, if I’ve had a meaningful spiritual experience while out hiking or exploring, I’ll build a small altar and leave it as a testament to the experience.
Also, Peter talked about us being “living stones” in the house of God – which to me is a great metaphor. When we started a spiritual community a few years back, we wrote that text on the stones and gave one to everyone.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank for hunting me down. Really neat about your spiritual community.