The Testimony of the Kid nobody Wanted except God
An Important Letter to My Family and Friends
(My whole life has been a million to one shot)
"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved"
(Romans 10:17)
Dear Precious Family and Friends,
Well there is so much to write about, so much going on, I don't know where to begin. First of all I want to thank God that he kept my father alive, and he will finally be returning home from the hospital and I will be coming back to the states in a couple of days, after spending several weeks in beautiful Oahu Hawaii, which has become my second home to me. The Lord has been so good to me out here and a couple of Calvary Chapel's out here have treated me with such kindness and love it is so hard to come back to the mainland of America, but I know now, that it is my calling to be the leader of the Evangelical Debate Society in order to promote the Gospel and Biblical Apologetics in a loving and intellectual manner. So many exciting things are occurring in my life right now, it is hard to write it all down.
My time in Hawaii, has been something like Moses, Paul or our Lord, when God called them into the back side of the wilderness only to emerge with a calling from God. Hawaii has been my wilderness, where the Lord called me out here to visit my father in his greatest hour in need and where I have visited him at his side for 21 straight days in the hospital.
On my spare time away from my father's hospital room, the Lord has been calling me like young Samuel, to do a work, I did not want to do, to do something I felt I could not do.
You see, my whole life has been a million to one long shot. I was born into a family of severe child and substance abuse, where I was beaten nearly to death and left for dead. As a teenager, after being kicked out of my home by my mother, who despite her college degree and success in the business world, had a bad drinking problem and my whole life, then became a fight for survival on the most harsh of circumstances. As, a teenager, I roamed the streets, without a home to call my own, sometimes picking up coke cans for redemption at the store and even eating trash out of trash cans. I often slept under bridges and in public parks and for all intents and purposes, my life was over before it began.
But God was rich in mercy towards me, and never gave up on me, I am the ultimate prodigal son, the underdog no one gave a chance in a cruel world of indifference and superficiality, there was no one there for me ultimately but God.
I was the ultimate rehab project, scarred by abuse and emotional trauma, I have never felt comfortable in this world of comfort and ease. Like the Tarzan, Lord Grey-stoke, version of the classic story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I lived like a virtual animal and even when I was cleaned up and earned admission into some of Evangelicalism's most prestigious schools, including the Moody Bible Institute, Biola University and the Master's Seminary, I still felt like an outcast, as the ultimate outsider, that everyone looked past as an after thought.
After coming to Christ at the age of 19 some twenty years ago, it has been a long haul accepting that God loved me and that I truly had friends in this world. To me, I was still the same kid that spent eight months living outside, sleeping on a bench, with a rock for my pillow and nothing but time...time to dream, time to study, which I did, for thousands and thousands of hours I would study at the University of Michigan Library and later at Wastenaw Community College, Fullerton College, Pierce College, Biola University, Westminster Seminary, Master's Seminary, I studied and studied and studied only one subject: Apologetics, which has become the subject of my life and soul.
Since that time God has allowed me to arrange large conferences at Biola University, debate Muslims, Mormons Unitarians, Wiccans and a whole host of other non-Evangelical groups all for His sovereign glory.
My life is a tale of the ultimate underdog, the kid that everyone rejected, scorn and left for dead. At times this past has scarred me and caused me to doubt my calling as an apologist. At times, I have rebelled, but each and every-time, God has raised me up out of the mire of darkness that threatened to engulf me as it did Kurt Cobain, who was the same age as me and who quintessentially represented the angst and alienation of my generation.
God has been so merciful to me my friends and family, so much it is hard to comprehend the unfathomable grace of God, that keeps on giving and giving and giving, that never quits, relents or gives up on a born loser and ultimate underdog like me. My name is Eddie Enochs, and I was born into poverty to substance abusing parents, I was often beat and left for dead in a world I had no choice to be in. Through all the pain, sorrow and rejection, the very God of the universe called me by name and made me His Son.
In the cross of Jesus Christ I have found redemption through His blood. I have been born again to a new and living hope, I have been saved and adopted by the beloved. My name is Eddie Enochs and I am born again in Jesus Christ. I am saved and justified by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone based on the authority of the Bible alone.
I want to thank God for all of you friends and family members who have been there for me.
After being led out into the wilderness, I now know who I am and where I come from and where I am going. I am called by God, I am born again in Jesus Christ and I have been called of God to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, against all odds and against the hardest Critics of Christianity.
You see, my who life has been a fight for survival, my whole life has been a million to one, once in a life time long shot. If I can survive beatings which almost killed me, the streets and almost every hardship known to an American man, I can most certainly defend the faith for the Glory of God.
I am not the best apologist in the world, if you want that, there is James White and the Late Walter Martin or Greg Bahsen, but I make this promise to you my precious family and friends, that I will not give up trying to defend the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. If knocked down into the dirt from which I came, I will rise again, if I am defeated I will study harder, work longer, be the last man in library, I will do all that I can to defend the faith for the glory of God, the truth of the Bible and for you my precious family and friends. If I am killed men, like Joel Hughes and Emilio Ramos will immediately take my place. If I live, together we can make a difference for the glory of God. My rag tag band of brothers made up of guys like Gabe, Mike, Emilio, Steve, "Count Dukoo" Wilson and Joel will do our best to defend the Bible by Scripture alone against all odds and against all challenges, we are the Evangelical Debate Society and we defend the Christian faith all for the Glory of God and we will debate anyone, any place at any time for the truth of the Gospel and the glory of JESUS. If we lose, we shall rise again. If we die we shall be resurrected anew in the Kingdom of God.
We will keep on going when we can't go on, we will take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ even if it means our death, we are born again, blood bought Christians, with a checkered and dark past but have a bright future in the light of the face of the majestic presence of God.
My name is Eddie Enochs and I am the child of alcoholic parents, I almost died of a drug and chemical abuse overdose when I was 17 years old. On two occasions, I was almost beaten to death by gang members on the mean streets of Detroit. I have been to hell and back with a message of hope and redemption through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Savior of the world.
"For God, so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life".
John 3:16
My name is Eddie Enochs, born to alcoholic parents, born to die, but raised to newness to life. Together with my band of brothers, we are:
The Evangelical Debate Society
Together, we rejoice in Jesus Christ together and invite you out to our apologetics conference next Saturday, June 2, 2007 starting at 10:00 AM at Oasis Community Church in Moreno Valley California.
I want to thank all my family members and friends for not giving up on me, when I gave up on myself. I don't need to write your names here, you know who you are.
Oh, one last thing, the biggest Christian radio station in Southern California, just contacted me and wants to speak to me about having my own weekly cutting edge and issues based radio show.
Not to bad for someone, everyone looked past, never gave a chance, was picked last always for dodge ball, and was left to die only to be born again in Jesus Christ.
My name is Eddie Enochs and together we are the Evangelical Debate Society.
I love you all so very much!
Sincerely in Jesus and the one
True, Trinitarian, Evangelical,
Bible based, Grace alone, Pro-life
Christian Faith,
Your Son, Brother and Friend,
Ed Enochs
Chairman and Co-Founder
The Evangelical Debate Society
