Rescue
"Mission"
Ep!c is a mission to rescue the hearts of men by experiencing the heart of God.
Rescued by...
The finished work of Jesus Christ, the "living and active" power of the Word (Bible), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of the "saints".
We are a discipleship and mentoring ministry based in Queen Creek and Prescott, Arizona. We currently serve those in full-time vocational ministry and have begun working with military personnel and first responders. .
"Message"
The Gospel is not just a message of what we have been saved from but what we are being saved for.
Saved From...
Many like us grew up with the evangelical appreciation for being saved from depravity, condemnation, judgment, and death. It is also a saving from hiding, performing, and sin management - a life of shame.
Saved For...
It is not enough to just be saved from. We have been saved for eternal life, a new heart, a new covenant, a new family, a life of love, and a renewed purpose.
- Recue the soul
- Release the new heart
- Rebuild a Biblical life (world) view
We long for the complete rescue of all mankind, but we can receive all that is available to us now. This is a rescue that transforms the inside man rather than rehabilitates the outside man.
"Path"
Biblical Path:
The post-retreat discipleship consists of three stages of life change. (Ephesians, I John, Romans):
- Seated in Christ (God is for us)
- Walking in Christ (God is in us)
- Standing in Christ. (God is with us)
The foundational principle in this process begins and ends with the truth that "God is..."
Personal Path:
Men are invited into a three-step lifechanging journey:
- An invitation to a three-day retreat
- A choice to be mentored one-on-one for three weeks (Post-retreat)
- An invitation to three-month discipleship with a small group of other men.
Ep!c Story
In the Beginning...
There is an Ep!c story recorded in the Bible that orients us and invites us into something much better and bigger than what we see in our lives and watch on the news. It is so much more than a systematic theology, doctrine, creed, or denomination. Yes a story of a judge but also of a Groom and beloved Father. It is the living Word of God! It is the story that all stories are born from.
At the heart of the Gospel, the story is the transformation of the heart and the writing of something new in the heart of man.
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Blessed Assurance, Frances J. Crosby 1873
Sung by Randy Travis, Precious Memories
https://open.spotify.com/track/3dZ9ftgoEDCYVa4IMXQLqe?si=SmRD1JYpQ0C4hhnWiB7MhQ
Our Story
Invited into …
I (Greg) have heard it said that every person has a public life, a private life, and a secret life.
It is in telling our story that we reveal our deepest secrets and discover our greatest desires. Story is a way in which we all can relate to each other and allow people into the secret places of our lives.
When we invite men to share their story, we usually hear the version they want us to hear (poser). When they finally feel free to take off their mask, we hear a different story of shame, regret, exhaustion, addiction, etc.
What would people hear if I told you my story?
If I told you my story
You would hear hope that wouldn’t let go
If I told you my story
You would hear love that never gave up
If I told you my story
You would hear life but it wasn't mine
My Story , Big Daddy Weave
Rescue: Men
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” Billy Graham
The more we worked with youth on the street, in the church, and on the college campus, we more we realized how important and influential the family is - especially the fathers. No matter how many mission trips, retreats, or small groups we led, it was the family at home that had the greatest influence.
Even now, as we work with pastors, first responders, and military, we recognize that men of all ages need a good father. Men being fathered by God and recovering the heart of a beloved son is at the heart of God and mission of our ministry.
“The hardest, gladdest thing in the world is to cry Father! from a full heart . . . the refusal to look up to God as our father is the one central wrong in the whole human affair; the inability, the one central misery.”
― John Eldredge, Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You
Rescue: Families
Support...
We have learned much about family support from the military community while their loved ones are away on deployment. Combining this with our hospitality house on the ASU campus and the family atmosphere that we experienced at Crystal Peak Youth Ranch, we continue to look for ways to create meaningful, practical, and sustainable support for these families (see also "Ranch")
Rescue: Horses
The access horses have to our hearts is supernatural...
I (Sydne) have seen little girls walk onto the ranch quietly and withdrawn, not looking you in the eye and unable to make their own decisions switching to skipping alongside their horse, confidently walking up to them and leading them, giving them kisses and their eyes lighting up. And though I believe every horse has that gift, I think that rescue horses that truly understand pain have special access.
My beautiful horse understood me feeling alone and overlooked because he was alone and overlooked. What I have always found so beautiful is that the horse picks the kid. Rarely is it the other way around. The soul that needs physical affection was chosen by the snuggly horse. The kid that was born to lead and kept getting shut down got chosen by the stubborn horse that needed a strong leader. The kid who was smaller than everyone else and kept getting overlooked got chosen by the larger-than-life, goofy horse.
These incredible horses each day bring the original design of God’s children to the surface. Deep calls to deep, and no one understands that better than a horse whose soul is celebrated.