Re: About Ed

Hello all, I am a Noob but most qualified to tell you "about Ed". I am his brother, and the father of "the nephew" in the testimony video. Coming on the tail end of this stream it looks like, but I thought I would chime in anyway. I'm going to tell the story of my son, not in great detail but enough to get to the point.

After a few very difficult years, my son was diagnosed with PDD, a mild form of autism at around age 5. a part of how this manifested itself was with a contrary personality. Meaning... he didn't want to bathe, change clothes, leave the house, pick up toys. I don't mean the usual mild resistance kids put up, but stubborn refusal. Now he is 16. The last few years have been particularly tough on the family. The personality issues included still not wanting to shower, put on clean clothes, pick up after self and so one, along with chronic strife with siblings and defiance to us. So much so, that my wife and I were deeply discouraged and thinking we may need to find another home for him.

I decided to take him to Ed's for the summer, since Ed was willing, so he came from Mid-June to Mid-August. You could say this was the last hope before a drastic change needed to be made. I don't think we could have handled another year like last year. But Ed loved him and worked with him, day in and day out, encouraging him towards Jesus, towards worshipping Jesus, towards sowing to the Spirit, etc. This went on for weeks, and the shell was as hard as ever.

But suddenly, after weeks of continual ministry, he began to ask for prayer for the power of Satan to be broken, ask for the word to be read to him, to listen to worship, to watch testimonies. Then he got rocked by God and started spontaneously preaching. He's been home for a month now, and he is a different kid in a very good way. We give all glory to God. But God has given us the privilege and duty of co-working with him.

So here's what I can tell you firsthand about Ed. Ed wants to die to flesh, and for Jesus to live fully in him. To this end he sows to the spirit (including through fasting), repents of anything that the Holy Spirit convicts him of, and ministers prayer and blessing to the lost and broken at every opportunity. Praise and worship to the Lord are constantly filling the house. He preaches the gospel to, prays for, and encourages clients, workers, and neighbors (and less visibly to me, friends on the internet).

You know a tree by its fruit, not its theology. Ed loves the Lord with all his heart, and I can testify that his life demonstrates it day after day. Paul wrote in I Cor 4:20 and I Thess 1:5 (in essence) that "the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." I for one, am glad that someone tapped into God's power in my hour of need.